How I Used An Advertisement For Fashion Inspiration

Back in November I did a post "How I Styled The Same Grey Corduroy Jacket For A Casual and Dressy Occasion".  Today I'm back showing another way to wear this jacket with a new top from CJBanks.

I saw a model on the CJBanks website wearing this same tank with this corduroy jacket and I thought "That looks good together" so I pinned it.  I didn't buy it right away, because I thought it was too expensive.  Then months later it went on clearance for around $13.00 and I scooped it up!

Here is the picture I found on CJBanks that inspired me.

I copied the inspiration almost identically choosing dark denim jeans as well.  Only, I wore a longer length pendant necklace because I didn't think the necklace the model had on was long enough.  Her necklace length looked awkward to me.

I couldn't see the models feet, so I was on my own for footwear.  I chose my grey booties because  I think they go great with the grey jacket.

The top is sleeveless which is so nice for fitting under jackets and cardigans.  But I can also see wearing it alone during the warmer months.

The top has a pretty pleated/ruffled neckline.

I chose this green stone necklace to coordinate with all the greens in the top.

Here is the top without the jacket.  I love the modern design and the pretty colors.

Because I bought the top on clearance and the jacket last fall, neither is no longer available.  :(

I wore this outfit to church in the morning, then lunch and shopping, and back to church again later that afternoon for a special event.  It was perfect, because it was dressy, yet comfortable for a long day of activity.

Here are two other ways I've styled this jacket in the past:

With black pants and a black/white sweater.

With a short skirt, turtleneck, and black OTK boots.

Have a Great Day!  Amy

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Another Bell Sleeve Top

 Last week Monday I shared a Plaid Shirt with Bell Sleeve that my daughter bought me for Christmas.  I mentioned in that post that she purchased two bell sleeve tops for me;  today I'm showing the other one.

This is the a.n.a Brushed Bell Sleeve top in burgundy.  It is also sold in three other colors.

 The top is made of a super soft material so it's very cozy, comfortable, and warm.

I wore my top with dark straight leg denim, taupe wedge booties, a multi-colored wood bead necklace, and I carried a brown saddlebag.

The bell design of the sleeves starts at the upper arm.  I didn't find the sleeves cumbersome at all wearing the top to church but I will admit later that day I tried to do the dishes with this top on and the sleeves got in my way.  So, I determined it was a "wear outside the house only" type of shirt, and I changed my clothes so I could do the dishes. :)

Everything else I'm wearing in this post is old.  The bag was a gift from my daughter last year.  She picked it up at Charming Charlies.

This cute wooden bead necklace I picked up on one of our vacations.  I like how the blue colors pick out the blue in my jeans and the tan colors coordinate with my taupe booties.

Perusing the web it looks like bell sleeves aren't going away anytime soon.  I have my eyes on this cute pink/blush cardigan at Francescas's!  I love the sleeves!  I think it will be perfect for spring!

And before I leave I have to show you this cute picture my husband took of me at Christmas.  The story behind the picture was when I first pulled out the burgundy top I thought "I already have a long sleeve burgundy tee";  but then my daughter Ashley pointed out the bell sleeves and I squealed with delight!  I was so happy to have another trendy shirt!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!

A Return To Branson, Missouri, Part Two

This is a continuation of a series of posts of my Missouri Vacation which I took the first week of September.  To start at the beginning go HERE.  The rest of the posts, in consecutive order are HERE , HERE, HERE, HERE,  HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE.

The end of our Missouri vacation that my husband and I took way back in September ended with one night and one full day in Branson, Missouri.  I already wrote about how we spent our night in Branson in last week's travel post.  This week I will conclude my Missouri Travel Series with how we spent our day in Branson.

There is so much to see and do in the Branson area that you almost need a full week to see everything.  This was our second visit to Branson, but both times we were only there a short time.  The number one activity I would suggest doing before you do anything else and/or if you have limited time, is to take a duck ride.  

The ducks are replicas of actual WWII military vehicles that can travel both on land and water.  The Branson Duck Tour is 70 minutes long and takes you all over the city of Branson showing you all the sites and they give you a history of the town as well.  But there's more!  You will also cross over a dam, travel through the woods, climb a mountain to a scenic view, learn the history of more military vehicles, and then splash down and cruise Table Lake all the while laughing your head off at your crazy tour guides corner jokes!

I enjoyed driving through town and marveling at all the crazy touristy buildings.  It's like a little Las Vegas.

Our tour guide was the sweetest, funniest guy ever!  We could tell he really enjoyed his job.  Our only complaint was that he talked really fast and he had a thick southern accent, so there were times we had a hard time understanding him.  We didn't want to miss anything he had to say, because he was so funny!

Branson has a very quirky, kitschy feel to it that can be a turn-off to some people.  I must admit on my first visit I wasn't impressed.  But going to Vegas seemed to make me appreciate Branson more.  It's like a Little Vegas but a lot more wholesome.

You will never run out of things to do in Branson, especially if you have kids.  There are lots of places for kids to play!

After driving through town a bit, we then headed up out of town and across this bridge/dam.  The building in the distance is a luxury hotel.

From the bridge we saw gorgeous views like this!

Then it was time to enter the woods and go up the mountain!

At the top of the mountain we had a moment of silence to honor our veterans as our duck drove around showing us all these amazing WWII vehicles.

When the WWII tribute finished, our duck then parked right here where so we could spend a few moments "oohing" and "ah hing" over this amazing view of the Ozarks!

We even got lucky and had a large bird enter our frame!

But the excitement wasn't over yet, in fact, it was just beginning.  Because now it was time to see how our Duck does on water.  Yes, they actually do take you into the water on this tour.  It's so fun, because they drive into the water really fast and all the water splashes up around the boat (no, we didn't get wet),  and then you're on a boat ride!

We saw other boats and an island in the lake.

 And we even got a close up view of the Showboat Branson Belle.  It does a cruise, dinner and show.  If I ever go back to Branson, the Showboat is next on my list of things to do.

 If there are any children on board the duck, they let them take turns driving the boat (although I'm sure adults would be allowed to drive as well).

After everyone had a turn driving the boat, it was time for our duck to go back on land.  The path you see through the woods is how we got in and out of the lake.

But I tour wasn't over yet!  We had to go back downtown to return to Duck Central and we were able to see even more fun tourist attractions.

This is the World's Largest Titanic Museum Attraction...another thing on my list of things to see and do in Branson.  It looks amazing!

Branson is known for it's country music shows, so everywhere you look, you will see theater buildings and advertisements for country music.

And if you love to shop, Branson is for you!  They have a great historic downtown filled with fabulous shops.  We didn't go there on this trip because we did that the last time we were in Branson. You can read about that HERE if your interested to know more about their downtown.  But in addition to their downtown there are so many places to shop it's ridiculous!  My favorite place to shop in Branson, is Branson's Landing, which I covered last week, but there is also the Grand Village,  Tanger Outlets, Branson Mill Craft Village, and so much more!

We always love to just drive or walk around and look at all the fun tourist attractions.  This is a Wax Museum.  I've never been to a wax museum.  Someday!

 When our tour ended, we headed out to lunch.  We went to Danna's Barbecue and Burger Shop because my husband's co-worker recommended it.  I'm glad he did, because it was literally THE BEST BARBECUE I've ever had in my life.  The meat just melted in my mouth it was so tender!

It's a small, cute little place, but it's very popular and fills up fast.  By the time we got our order, every table was filled.  They do have a server that helps people find tables.

You have to stand in a line to place your order.  They then give you a marker to place on your table and a server brings your food out to you.

We both got pulled pork baskets.

Oh, my mouth is watering just thinking about how good this barbecue sandwich was!

After lunch, we shopped a bit and then we went to a matinee performance at the Sight and Sound Theater.  It is a Christian theater that does musicals based on bible stories.  This is our second visit to this theater.  The first time we saw "Joseph"; you can read my review of that show HERE where I shared our visit to downtown Branson.   This time we saw "Moses".  Although we loved "Joseph" we were absolutely blown away by "Moses".  It was absolutely amazing!  The special effects were truly stunning, and the story line was so touching and meaningful.

Of course we had to get our picture taken next to the Moses statue!

If you can only go to one show in Branson, I highly recommend the Sight and Sound Theater.  Just get your tickets in advance!  We didn't, thinking we could easily buy tickets when we got there (we did the first time to see "Joseph")  but they were all sold out.  I actually started to cry, I was so upset.  It was suppose to be the highlight of my trip!  But somehow, my husband managed to get two tickets by talking to the ticket agent at the counter.  The seats weren't together, but I didn't care.  I was so happy to get tickets I burst into tears.  The ticket agent then gave us a free Moses soundtrack.  She was so sweet!

And that concludes my Missouri Travel Series!  I won't have any more travel posts to share for awhile as I am all caught up sharing my adventures with you all.  We can't do much this winter because we have too many home projects to get caught up on.  I am going to Chicago to visit my children for a week in February, so when I come back from that trip I might have a few travel posts to share.  Our next major road trip will be in April when we go to Savannah!  I'm really excited about that trip.  I booked an apartment in a historic home in downtown Savannah for the week.  It's so beautiful and romantic!

Have a Great Day!  Amy

Linking Up with these Fabulous Blogs HERE!