MissAmy |

You may have seen my prior post re: new topic – web design.  Well, overnight, I changed my mind.  Of course.  So, that post is gone & this one is to replace it.

Anyway, if you are interested in web design (or just seeing what I do for a living) you may want to check out my new blog MissAmyDesigns.com.  There is a link to it on the right hand of this site.  I’m keeping it simple for myself by keeping it on Blogger.com for now.

I was going to combine that with this blog but really didn’t feel right about it.  I don’t really want to dilute the focus of this one.

Thanks, as always for reading & check out the new one if you think it may be of interest to you!

This is the jacket I went back to Goodwill for.  It’s from Target & I already have it in the burnt red color.  I’ve seen it a couple times at my local Goodwill & have resisted.  Contrary to what a lot of people do, I try not to own multiples.  I get bored of the shape & then they all have to go.  Sigh.  Anyway, I’ve seen other bloggers in this color (Tina, I’m looking at you.  I really am – check out my weird face LOL) & have been coveting. 

So, I went back to the store since I couldn’t get it out of my head.  I’m glad I got it.  I’m very into the Chanel style jackets right now.  I think they can look so rock ‘n roll with dark jeans & killer heals.  I played up the Chanel vibe with my DIY’d chain bracelet & kept it mostly ladylike this time around.  I do see that the belt makes my girls look like they’re too low on my body, so no more belting this bad boy.  See, this is how we learn.

 BCBG wedges (TJMaxx, $15), The Limited skirt (TJMaxx, $3), Target jacket (thrifted, $3.99), Gap belt (thrifted), DIY’d bracelet, Target headband ($1)

I was in TJMaxx a while back & they had just taken more markdowns on all the purses.  I had 4 or 5 in my cart but while waiting in line I convinced myself to put them back.  I only ended up spending $50 that day instead of the $200 that I had at first.  I’ll call it a win.

Anyway, less than a week later I still had this red patent leather Arcadia bag in my brain.  It had a broken zipper but was $30.  That is unheard of for Arcadia & the zipper probably wouldn’t be a big issue.  (Yeah, I know, a deal blinds me sometimes to common sense.)

I went back to get it & of all the bags I had in my cart only one of those was left.  There were still lots of bags – I suspect they rotate the stock & bring out more when it gets a little low.  I suspect this because I saw 2 bags that I hadn’t seen before (that I ended up buying).

One was a royal blue satin backpak by Furla.  I’ll have photos of it a little later.

The other was a gorgeous, grown up Charles David in ivory leather.  It’s beautiful & roomy.  I thought I’d share.  I’ve been carrying it for a week now but I keep forgetting to include it in my outfit photos.

The only thing that makes me nervous about it is the light color.  I’m kind of a slob so I have to be extra careful with it.  What I love is how it has handles & the long strap – that’s ideal since I like to have the different options.

Charles David (TJMaxx, $59)

I got inspired to start painting again recently so I went & bought two canvasses & some fresh mineral spirits.  I was all ready to dive in so I started sketching.  Ugh…  It’s been a while & any talent I may have had has pretty much leaked out over the years.  My figures, which used to be my specialty, are particularly pathetic.  At first it was very discouraging & I almost returned the canvasses to Joann’s.  But I figured I need to start small again & practice on a regular basis to get back to feeling like I can draw. 

Well, I’m going to practice by drawing a purse every week or two (or really when I can manage it).  Here’s my first try – please don’t be harsh.  I’m basically relearning how to use my hands LOL.

Juicy Couture orange leather handbag, found on Ebay – I paid around $40.

Hey, it’s a start, right?

I wore this to work & then out with the girls for coffee.  It was another meet-up night, which was fun.  Again!  I don’t know if I trust this to keep up LOL.  I’m amazed at how many unique & independent & interesting (would you believe it?) women I’m meeting at these gatherings. 

This time I met a chick who is a First Mate on a boat that brings us oil from Alaska, a French girl who lives here but works for a seed company based in France, an interior design assistant, a lady who is starting completely over & going back to school, another woman who was married at the Vatican – the freaking Vatican! – also this other really cool girl who has killer fashion sense.  Those were the ones that were new to me. 

I remembered all their names again too!  It must be the coffee LOL – caffeine must boost memory or something.  Right.  Right?

LizFlex heels, Nine West jeans, Tryst tank (thrifted, $2.99), BCBG sweater (BCBG outlet, $30), thrifted necklace & American Eagle belt, brown necklace that used to be purse handles

I visited my friend Polly this past Saturday.  She’s the one that taught me how to make homemade tortillas, if you recall.  She lives downtown so we walked around the neighborhood & enjoyed the sites. 

I used to love walking around downtown & going into all the galleries when I first moved here in 1997.  I was dreaming of being an artist back then.  I used to live a lot closer to it but have since moved to a very rural area. Therefore, I don’t get down there at all anymore.  It was nice to play tourist a little bit on our walk & take pretty photos.  I got my exercise, that’s for sure.  And then we grabbed lunch at a little cafe & took it back to her condo.

Palm trees – how do they grow so tall & skinny?

The Naples Pier (above & below) – I haven’t been in at least a couple years.  It’s so beautiful looking out over the water!

Fountains on 3rd Street (above & below) – the horses are my favorite!

Entrance to a store – I didn’t catch its name.

Goodwill took me to lunch. More specifically, Jennifer who is Vice President of Retail and Operations of my area Goodwill stores took me to lunch. She was really great & I will tell you all about it in a later post.  She seemed to think some of my ideas were interesting as well as listening to my input on merchandising & other little changes.

What I really want to know is if you have any questions I should ask her. See, she’s agreed to do an email interview so I want to gather some really good questions. She was so adorable & totally game for all my silliness.  She seemed really excited to do the interview so I’m psyched to have some great questions.  I’m sure you guys will help me out with that!

Leave a question in the comments or email me at amy@amycarriere.com!

A tutorial for making your own tortillas was requested so a tutorial you get:

Gather ingredients: Maseca corn flour (I found mine in Walmart), oil, water plus non-stick pan, spatula & a wide, flat dish & a small bowl

Pour a bit of the corn flour into a small bowl – I just put in a handful or so – that usually makes 3 tortillas

Add just enough water to get a play-doh consistency.  Keep dipping your hands in the flour to prevent the dough sticking to your hands.

Form a ball & smoosh flat.

Add some corn flour to the flat bowl/plate & start flattening the dough more, keeping a circular shape.  There are actually presses you can get online for this step but I don’t have one yet.

Add a tiny bit of oil to the pan & then keep flipping the tortilla (over medium heat) until it is cooked.  If you use too much oil they turn out crispy, which might be what you want.

This is what mine came out like.  I use these as a substitute for breads with meals.  They aren’t very flexible so I don’t recommend using them for enchiladas.

Close up of texture:

They really are easy.  They take a bit more time than just opening a bag of store bought tortillas, but man, are they good! 

You can also dust them with sugar & cinnamon for a dessert twist.

This look was inspired by trying to wear this sweater in a non-preppy way.  It’s a pretty typical style that usually comes off a little staid.  I layered it over my “sexy business” dress (LOL) & then added slightly tougher accessories.  This is a perfect example of how accessories change an outfit.  Can you imagine the same outfit but with a colorful scarf at the neck & bright shoes & belt instead?  It would be totally different!  You could also wear the cardi open or closed, belted or not, sleeves down or up, showing the cuff or not.  All example of how styling changes a look.

I just wanted a clean, slightly tough but still professional look.  I think I got it.

American Eagle heels (Goodwill, $8.99), The Limited dress (actually bought in the mall store LOL), Lane Bryant cardi (Lane Bryant, $4), Betsey Johnson belt (TJMaxx, $7), gold chain necklace (Goodwill), sphere necklace (bought at a gun show – which goes to show you can find fashion anywhere LOL)

This belt is way cool – it reverses to a bright aqua color.

The gold multi chain necklace I found at Goodwill is perfect for layering.

My husband worked on Saturday & forgot his phone at home.  Being the long-suffering wife that I am, I popped out & took it to him on my way to do some errands. 

I ended up having the nicest visit with the lady of the house where he was working.  Very interesting woman.  She ended up teaching me how to make several dishes, one being corn tortillas – from scratch.  It never ocurred to me to learn but she made it sound very simple.  On my grocery outing I picked up the corn flour I will need to make them. 

I’m invited back next Saturday so I’ll probably try them this week & report back on how it went.  She also had me try the yogurt she makes herself.  I’m tempted to do it for us now but we don’t eat a lot of yogurt, so I’m not sure how worth it that would be.

They are obviously a very self-sufficient & levelheaded couple.  My husband really likes both of them & I only met the wife, but she was lovely.

Here’s what I wore.  It was wearing the typical errand running outfit, but I added the DIY vest to make it a little more interesting.  It turned out a little sloppy, but hey, it’s my day off.

I added sneakers & ditched the vest for my visit to the grocery store – one must be comfortable!

 Steve Madden flip flops, Old Navy cargos, Target tank, DIY vest

UPDATE: I tried the homemade tortillas last night & they were DElicious as well as easy to make.  Maybe I’ll do a tutorial soon!  Anyone interested?