Getting Ready For The Holidays! (well, sort of!)

Hey everyone! Happy Monday! Are you getting ready for the upcoming parade of holidays? I am way behind because of this move! I’ve bought one gift and that was because I saw it while on vacation this summer. We haven’t even gotten a tree yet but that’s probably because my living room looks like this!

And my dining room looks like this! We’re living like college students again!

This is the furniture we sent down with my husband last spring for his sad bachelor apartment. However it’s now the only furniture we have in our new house since we still have a working house (and farm!) up in Michigan. Our house in North Carolina is completely different than our Michigan house. Our house in Michigan is a 1913 farmhouse that we completely remodeled and has more of an arts and crafts style with dark wood and tiles. You saw some of it in the birthday post. The new house is a midcentury modern ranch that’s really open and bright. After living on a farm and raising two kids and assorted creatures in the house (yes, even chicks and a squirrel…twice!) our furniture is pretty worn out. I am very fortunate to be able to get new furnishings for this house which is an exciting project for me. As many of you know, I have a design degree and I love tackling projects like this. It feels like a good time to change up and lighten up for the next phase in my life.

When I read other people’s blogs I like to see their homes and their pets and the town where they live. I don’t mean seeing a celebrity’s over-the-top mansion that I could never imagine living in, but just seeing where regular people live. I guess I’m just curious about how other people live in other parts of the country and world! So, anyhow, I’ll occasionally be showing you guys how this house is coming along. For one it will keep me progressing to make this house our home which will help me say goodbye to my beloved Michigan home. Secondly, it will keep me from just adapting to bare walls and empty rooms until I stop noticing them. So, stay tuned for that fun diversion from cute outfits!

Holiday Outfit for Plus Size Women! | www.whenthegirlsrule.com

Now onto a festive-colored outfit! I love the berry red of the shirt and skirt for the holidays. I’m not really a red and green Christmas color person because they remind me too much of those unattractive grandma sweatshirts that some people associate with someone with gray hair! I also think it’s fun to try to be a little more creative than just going for the expected red and green.

Holiday Outfit for Plus Size Women! | www.whenthegirlsrule.com

I’ve been trying out some long black sweater vests to replace my old one that is looking haggard. This vest is a nice length and weight and hangs really straight and flattering. I’m not sure about the pockets though. They’re convenient and match up well with the black leather booties but they seem to stand out a lot, or maybe that’s just what I see. It’s still on a trial with me.

Holiday Outfit for Plus Size Women! | www.whenthegirlsrule.com

I fell in love with the velvet cuffs of this shirt even though the ribbed fabric is a little too body hugging for me. I tried styling it several ways, but in every way you saw the waistband of the item I wore it with. I tried it over a sleeveless dress which worked well (I might show that in the future) since the dress was a sheath style, so no waistband. But then I remembered the magic belt! (If you have no idea what I’m talking about you can watch the video here)

Holiday Outfit for Plus Size Women! | www.whenthegirlsrule.com

The belt completely hides the waistband of the skirt (and tights and undies) and the vest covers the sides of the belt so you can’t tell it’s just a simple elastic shirt belt (like this). I always forget how helpful this belt is and I need to pull it out more often whenever I’m having waistband issues (and perhaps get it with a gold buckle like this one!).

Holiday Outfit for Plus Size Women! | www.whenthegirlsrule.com

The deep berry color and black seemed pretty saturated and heavy so I lightened it up with this sparkly scarf which you’ve seen before (here) when I wore it as a shawl and I chose a lighter-colored bag to also help lighten up the outfit. My booties are from last year but there are very similar styles available from Calvin Klein here and here.

And these photographs were all taken in our backyard in NC. That huge, beautiful magnolia tree is a perfect backdrop for photos so expect to see it a lot. Ok, kind of a long post today (I seem to be extra chatty on Mondays…hmmm) so I’ll let you go and I’ll talk to you on Wednesday!

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6 Comments

  1. How exciting and fun to be able to get new furniture for the new place! Can’t wait to see the magnolia in bloom, in the meantime, do the leaves have those beautiful coppery brown undersides??

    Those rich velvet cuffs are to DIE for. Just keep them outta the soup, ha ha!

    Jodie said it when she said the “college furnishings” are easier to clean around. I keep wanting to get additional pieces for the new apartment – an etagere, coffee table, rug…but then think how much more effort that is to sweep and mop around!

    I look forward to seeing the new house come together!

    Bettye
    https://fashionschlub.com

    1. I had to go out and check the undersides of the leaves before I could answer Bettye! They’re green underneath. It is exciting to get a whole new set of furniture but also overwhelming, especially since I’ve only been in the house for a week! But, I am soldiering forward! Have a great week!

  2. How fun to be able toget new furniture to fit THIS house and make it a HOME!! Would you post a floor plan. I would be interested in reading about your process! Congratulations!

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