Going Green

Having plants wasn't an option while we were trekking the planet a few years ago, but when we first moved into our house back in the States, I wanted to get some plants.  After spending seven years of being constantly on the move and not being able to keep plants or pets, I was desperate to be surrounded by life and growth.  Mr. Bleu feared the worst, but indulged me.  True to his apprehensions, all of our plants eventually succumbed to the darkness of our house and died.  Distraught over the loss of life and wasted money, I promptly gave up on keeping plants.  (All the animals are still alive with very few exceptions, in case you're wondering).  

Peace Lily: Photo from Better Homes & Gardens

I have been learning about keeping a home that is as free of toxins as possible and one excellent way is by having plants that purify the air.  If you have a rather shady home like me, there are actually a number of plants that can clean the air while living and even thriving in low light conditions such as are found in my home:

1.  Peace Lilies-Filtering out more air pollutants than your average house plant, these tropical evergreens typically bloom twice a year and are not actually lilies.  Water frequently and mist, keep the soil moist not soggy.  Fertilize frequently too with a slow release variety.  They're toxic to children and pets, so keep 'em out of reach of the kiddos and critters, and with the right care they can reach an average of 3'/1m tall.

2.  Boston Ferns-Another tropical baby that loves warm, humid environments, so keep them away from the a/c vent.  They also need proper drainage, but mist them frequently.  They need a little sun when they're indoors and they're non-toxic so safe for a child or pet friendly home.

Both of these plants help to clean and oxygenate the air and thrive in low light, which is perfect for my extremely shady house.

Two more helpful plants that purify the air but also need sun are:

1.  Rubber Plant

2.  Bromeliad

They're great for cleaning the air and let's face it, plants just make a home seem homier.

Boston Fern from Better Homes & Gardens

I started slowly, buying one plant on each visit to the grocery store until I had a whole little row in the only sunny spot in my home.  To my amazement, they all lived.  Feeling empowered, I decided to press on and get a few more specimens to place in decidedly more shady spots in the house.

I really am thrilled with the way that having plants has made my home so much more cozy and inviting.  I did decide to treat my plants to one hanging pot and figured while I was at it I may as well go fancy with this vintage puka shell pot.  Adding decorative pots will soon follow, but for now, I am just happy they're still alive and going with me into winter.

Related Reading: https://www.bhg.com/gardening/houseplants/projects/indoor-plants-for-low-light/

https://www.thespruce.com/grow-peace-lilies-1902767

https://www.thespruce.com/grow-nephrolepis-boston-ferns-1902723

Outfit Collection: Anthropologie

I've been a fan of Anthropologie for so many years, I'm not really sure when it all even began.  I miss the days when people devoted entire blogs to just shopping at Anthropologie and trying on each season's new releases so we could all see how they looked on real people.  Those were the good old days.

I remember setting an alarm to wake me at 1:00 a.m. Japan time so I could buy an Anthro dress on an Ebay auction and I won!  It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  To be honest, I haven't really bought an Anthro dress in years now.  It was all a part of the Eva Franco/Tracy Reese/ModCloth heyday.  

Funny thing is, after all these years and changing styles, I still have pretty much all my Anthropologie dresses.  They never go out of style, which is why even though they cost a pretty penny (and I thrifted all of mine), they have all definitely been worth it in my opinion.

So, without further ado, I thought I would just devote today's entire post to Anthro looks across the years.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.

Puff Possibilities: Much Longer Mucha

I've decided not to buy any more Selkie dresses if I can possibly resist their charms.  I have just done a massive closet cleanout, donating six trash bags filled with dresses to a local organization that gets dresses into the hands of young girls in need and donated a seventh bag to my local charity shop.  

After such a big undertaking, I've decided to press pause and really consider my remaining wardrobe to see which items I love and want to make work, and which I'll give away, so that I don't get the donator's remorse in a manner of speaking.

The puff dress style, really does not look good on me, but I love this fabric and I want to make it work, so I came up with a solution and decided to give it a try.  

1.  I bought a used dress in a larger size

2.  I cut the skirt off, folded it in half, ironed, and cut it in half lengthwise.

3.  Sewed the two narrower lengths of skirt together 

4.  Attached the skirt in sections and then hand gathered

5.  I removed a lining layer to my original dress to make it less full

The result is something that I really love and that feels much more me than a puff dress.  It wasn't easy or fun and it took up the better part of a weekend while Mr. Bleu was working on a house renovation project solo, so I had the time and at the end of it all, I was definitely inspired to keep going on these puff dress transformations.

Shopping Info:  Selkie Mucha Puff Dress, Bettie Page Heels

Natural Life: Comfort Clothes

You may have noticed that I have been talking a lot about comfort clothes lately.  Life has been so busy and my schedule has been so full that I have been desperately seeking clothes that I can be productive at home or running errands while still feeling totally comfortable.  Well, I think the search is over.

An ad popped up in my feed on some social media platform a few months ago.  It happens hundreds of times a day and most of the time I don't click, but this time I did.  The ad was for Natural Life, a shop with definite hippy-dippy vibes in the very best sense.  There were granny square afghans, lots of flower prints and sayings with chill vibes on everything, plus some cool kitchen ware and, of course, clothes.

I didn't see any clothing I loved at that moment, but I did order a couple of throws for my couches just to test out their quality/service and to get something to protect my antique couches from my family's apparent need to put their dirty feet on everything.  My order arrived and I really loved everything!  When I went back to the shop to leave a review, I noticed some cute mugs, (my kids just broke mine, so I've been looking for some noteworthy replacements, something other than the bank gave us for opening a new account)  and I also noticed some gauze jumpsuits that looked amazingly soft and comfortable.  

Now, with a name like Natural Life, you would think everything would be cotton; Not so.  In fact there are a lot of pieces made of synthetic fibers like rayon and polyester, and I am not a fan of synthetics outside of special occasion wear.  However, this little jumpsuit is cotton and the accompanying lace top in mostly cotton, so that's a bonus as well because they go together perfectly. 

There are a few different colors, but they are mostly out of stock in my size, so while I wait for the restock, let me just say that I have been wearing this outfit all day and I absolutely love it!  Comfort clothing at last!  It is so breezy and comfortable, it is just what I have been looking for and longing for and I can't wait to add another jumpsuit or two in this print to my evolving wardrobe.

Shopping Info:  Dakota Tie Overall Plaid Jumpsuit-$75, Lace Layering Top-$32 Save 20% off your purchase at Natural Life with my link  

Sound Beauty Advice

 "Beauty begins the moment you decide to be yourself." - Coco Chanel

A few months ago I decided to stop coloring my hair and grow out my natural color, which is, at this point in my life, gray.  I wish I could say the decision came about because of some deep inward security with myself, my age, and my looks, but really it came out of concern for my hair, which comes out in clumps each time I color it.  I'm sorry but this cannot be good for us!

I started out, about eight years ago, with a wash out color just to give my hair a little boost, but wash out colors are a total mess--try getting caught in a rainstorm in a white dress with washout red dye in your hair and you'll know what I mean!  They also don't really look good after the first couple of shampoos and pretty soon your life revolves around planning your shampoos to make the color last as long as possible.  Even so I didn't make the switch to permanent color until after the bleach fiasco of 2017.  And the cycle of coloring just continued because I hate the line of demarcation that happens when I grow out my hair.  It's been about many years since I've seen my natural color and just how much gray I've acquired since I started coloring it.  Eeesh, it wasn't easy to take; it still isn't, but the fact is, this is me, and maybe it's time I just accepted that.

Each time I see an actress approaching her 40s-50s and desperately trying to fill, inject, and implant her way back to youth, I feel a little sick to my stomach.  It never works, why do they keep doing it?!  I wish we lived in a world that could accept aging with grace, and that valued older women as much as it values older men.  I always thought I would be able to age naturally and gracefully, but the truth is aging is hard not because I am older but because I don't feel older.  I feel like I'm finally in a good place, confident, grounded, unflappable.  Good thing too, because it's happening just as the world is telling me I'm also irrelevant.

But, I am older; I have the gray hair to prove it.  And the wrinkles, and the saggy knees (seriously, when did that happen?!).  It's just the way of things.  So, why fight it so hard?  I don't want to be one of those grotesque pantomimes of youth like the Hollywood actresses.  I'd rather just be a classy older woman.  And that may mean changing my style a little too.  In fact, I just did a major closet cleanout and donated clothes that are, as much as I hate to admit it, too young for me, including my short Selkies and dupes.  I donated them to a local high school and I hope those young women absolutely love them.  

As for me, I'm working on a style that works for me, who I am at this age.   It should be modest but confident, colorful and understated.  And I am working on calmly accepting all the changes, including the gray hair, that comes with getting older and embracing the way that life is different now.  Because true beauty, just as Ms. Chanel said, happens when you stop trying to be someone or some age that you are not.  True beauty happens when you start being yourself.

Shopping Info:  Collectif Top and Modcloth Skirt from ThredUp. Use my link to sign up and save off your first purchase, MOUSSE Rhinestone Pointed Toe Slip On Flats-$42 from NEWBELLA Use code BLEU to save 18% off your purchase

Home Renovations: Guest Bath

One of the major selling points for us on this house was that even though the second bedroom was tiny, it has two full baths.  As a family of four with two teenagers, we needed two bathrooms or there was no way everyone was going to be able to get ready in the mornings.  So, the guest bath immediately became the girls' bathroom, and I think it's safe to say they have totally trashed it.  

Over the years I have attempted to keep it clean, once even spending an entire rare and precious day off work just cleaning out the mess under their sink.  My organization system barely lasted a week before they had destroyed it again.  If the décor wasn't bad enough, and it was, my children have added to the nightmare with their total disregard for cleanliness.  They've stained the walls with make-up and the floor with hair dye. *note that the handles on the doors are cock-eyed.  it's not just the angle of the photo, someone built this house this way.

Mr. B and I may be partly to blame for this attitude because they saw that I hated the house and we kept saying that we weren't going to live here forever, so maybe we instilled this feeling of, "it doesn't matter if we trash the place."  Some of it was not my children's fault.  You see, all the fixtures were screwed into this 1/4" thick drywall but were not anchored to anything, so they all immediately fell right out with use.  The toilet also sweats and has caused the baseboards to swell and disintegrate, so in addition to disrespect, there's all that going on too.  Whatever the cause, whatever the case, this bathroom is most decidedly trashed and in desperate need of a makeover and a thorough decluttering.

In and ideal world, and maybe this will happen one day, I would remove this horrible cheap plastic shower kit and install something nicer with shelving deep enough to at least hold a bar of soap or bottle of shampoo and at long enough for a person to not have to curl up fetal style, but I don't think Mr. Bleu is ready for that drastic of a make-over, so we'll just have to press on and work with what we have.

It's kind of amazing what a couple of rolls of vintage wall paper and a few coats of paint can do. 

In addition to wallpaper and paint, we added this wood border to the room so that we could properly anchor these vintage brass fixtures to something that they wouldn't immediately fall out of.    The border was both glued and nailed to the wall, just to be safe.  The flooring is basic vinyl sheeting that we will likely need to cover over with new flooring in a just a few years.  

I added some wood appliques to the cabinet doors, but since they came to us with the handles askew, I decided to leave them askew.

I chose a nice shower curtain (Laura Ashley or Lauren Conrad?) to cover that mess until we can get it sorted, and we retiled and recovered the counter top.  We also added a new border to the mirror as we did for out bathroom and I love the look of it so much more. 

In addition to that we changed out the bare bulb lighting at the sink for a nice fixture which we got from the Habitat Restore for $3.75 and I painted it to match the mirror.

I also found a set of ornate vintage brass fixtures and painted them all to match the rest of the bathroom.

So, much like the other bathroom, I have a few more changes to make in here, but overall, I love the transformation and I thought I'd better snap a few pics before the girls get in here and every surface is covered in make-up, hair care products, and dirty laundry.

Slips: A Closet Necessity

As a lifetime lover of all things vintage, of course I have a small collection of vintage slips, but unlike most of my vintage stock, the slips actually get worn and often.  Growing up in the 80s-90s thrift stores in small towns weren't loaded with cool vintage items, they were full of dead people's stuff.  Old dead people.  And, not cool old dead people, sad old dead people who bought ugly clothes in the 70s and apparently having lost faith in fashion proclaimed unanimously, never again!   But there were a few things that I managed to find while scouring those shops for something cool way back when that I have kept to this day.  I found vintage full slips that unlike their modern counterparts actually fit my frame.

My vintage full slips are something that I bought because I loved and held onto even though I spent my 20s and half my 30s while never wearing a slip.  I bought them not of necessity but because they were pretty and I thought they might come back around one day.  Although they didn't come back around in the fashion world at large, I learned when I began wearing dresses most days of my week , which was right around the time this blog began, that slips are an essential addition to any dress lover's wardrobe.

What can a slip do for you?  There are a couple of reasons that slips have become essential in my wardrobe but the number one reason is:  They Slip!  When I lived in Japan, I chose to walk and take public transport over driving.  And when I say I walked, I mean I walked a lot, daily and in all seasons and all kinds of weather, including very windy days or days that started out mild and then turned windy.  I realized after the first unexpected gust of wind lifted my skirt, startling an elderly Japanese woman, that I needed leggings under my dresses.  I immediately ducked into a shop and purchased a pair of shorts to tide me over.  You can read that post and take a trip down memory lane by clicking here. 

Thinking my problem was solved, I walked back outside to finish the two miles I had to go before reaching my destination only to feel my cotton dress bunching up as it rubbed against the shorts.  Every third step I had to pull my dress back down.  Instead of solving my problem, I had just created a new one.  Fortunately there was another shop at the end of this journey, where I ducked in and bought three half slips: one white, one beige, one black, all in various lengths, and Voila!  No more stickage!  The nylon slip when placed between layers of fabrics like cotton allows them to slide against each other instead of bunching up.

Reason # 2 to wear a slip: Smooth Lines.  Whether it's a bulky lace bra showing through your chiffon blouse, the wind blowing your skirt so that it leaves nothing to the imagination about what's under it either by blowing your skirt up or pressing it directly against your legs, or the dreaded panty-line, no one wants things showing that shouldn't be.  A slip creates an extra layer to smooth out the lines between your under things and your outer things.  Suddenly that silhouette is as sleek as you hoped it would be, no bulk, no bunching.  Slips are also a nice extra layer of insulation if you work in freezing temps like I do, but that's really just a bonus.

Slips, as I see it, are just as much a necessary part of a woman's wardrobe as they ever were, especially as fabric has become cheaper and thinner, hiding less than in by gone eras.  The trouble is that slips are hard to find nowadays.  Good luck finding them at any standard department store, even their availability online is mostly limited to brands you have never heard of and with names that appear to be a string of random letters.  How is a vintage-loving, dress-wearing girl to find a trustworthy slip in these modern times?

Well, while Maidenform has gone the way of mostly shapewear and underwear, (hey you gotta go where the money is, right?!) Vanity Fair still carries a full selection of half and full slips as well as camis and yes, even shapewear.  You can find a full range of items on Amazon or on their home site where you'll save 25% by signing up for their newsletter.  They may not be as beautiful and glamourous as in their glory days, but Vanity Fair's slips are still pretty and more importantly functional.  

If you need a little extra pizazz in your slips, why not get a few from one of those inexpensive and unpronounceable Amazon brands and then dye them yourself to make something uniquely yours.  Although I do recommend if you want that vintage glamour, just buy vintage.  There's really nothing today quite like those slips of the 1950s and 60s.  Whichever way you decide to go, you really cannot go wrong with a slip.  They add so much to your wardrobe for very little investment, and maybe together we can help them make a much needed mainstream comeback.