Before we go any further, I want to clarify that the outfit mentioned in the title of this post is risky, not risque, lest there be any confusion.

So, several weeks ago, I received a few e-mails in a row from magazines requesting content for a feature.  I can’t imagine a day when I casually sigh and say, “Yeah, I got an e-mail from another magazine editor…” like it’s a boring thing.  It’s always a giggle-inducing, spine-tingling moment.  I have backed off on calling all of my friends to tell them immediately.  Anyway, each magazine had a different kind of feature in mind.  For American Farmhouse Style, they initially asked for some ideas of things to feature in my home, but I saw this as a great opportunity to pitch a MMS Milk Paint feature, so I sent along some of the gorgeous images Maria shot for me and they were sold.

I haven’t looked through the full magazine in detail, but it looks charming at a flip-through-read.  (The magazine is available on newsstands now and I found it at Wegman’s.)  I was giddy when I saw Maria’s pictures and my words.  I immediately took a picture of the contributor’s list (including me and Maria) and texted it to her.  I’m not sure if Maria is as dorky about that sort of thing as I am…

The spread is sort of a Milk Paint 101 article that features several of our colors and highlights the farmhouse look that can be achieved with milk paint.

The second feature in Make It Over magazine focuses on the before & after pictures in my home.

I did the photography in this feature with my new Nikon d800 and I was so pleased with how they turned out.  I’ve come a long way since my first shoot for Cottages & Bungalows magazine.

The final feature is in Fresh Style Magazine, which will be available in January.  The article highlights my business and personal story as well as my decorating style.  This article is the most personal one I’ve read about myself and it made me a little misty to hear my story through another writer’s point of view.

And it made me blush to read the words “energetic entrepreneur” and “creative phenom.”

They’re all lovely features and I am so thankful for opportunities like these.

As a side note, I was showing my mom the feature in Fresh Style Magazine and she said, “Wow.  Your home actually looks like a magazine home in these!”  That made me laugh.  She sees my home, as I do, as our home.  A place sprinkled with Legos and rug fuzz and little boy’s shoes, dirty dishes, trash outside the front door and stains on the slipcovers.  It may look “magazine-ish” in these pictures, but I assure you they are painstakingly cleaned, strategically staged and carefully cropped.  It’s my home, but it’s like seeing it dressed up for a night of dinner and the theatre, not right after a workout.

That’s true of most “magazine homes”, so let those images inspire, but never let them make you feel like less.

As another side note, I flipped to the back American Farmhouse Style and I saw this ad…

I showed it to my husband and we both laughed.  I wonder where they got that idea…?

Maybe it’s just coincidence, but I thought it was funny.  It’s at least validation for me, since my husband hates the cow head and thought it looked even dumber with the wreath around it!  Shows what he knows!

Now to the risky outfit.  Not risque, as I mentioned above.  By the way, this has nothing to do with decorating, but some have asked for a regular style update, so this is for them.

So, back to risky.  By risky, I mean something that feels a little off the wall.  Ella taught me about this when she had me put a cardigan sweater on backwards.  I really wanted to wear my new Christmas boots, but I didn’t think I had anything to wear with them.  So, I started to dig in my closet to see what I had that might work in a different way.  It’s pretty hard to take a picture of myself, so you’re going to get bits and pieces of this outfit.  I wore this sleeveless black jersey dress I bought for a wedding a few years ago…

…and layered it over a long sleeve charcoal GAP body tee by GAP.  It gave sort of a jumper look without being too jumper-ish.

I layered a black and white hounds tooth scarf over it to hide the neckline.  It looked a little strange with the high neckline of the tee under the lower neckline of the dress, so the scarf camouflaged that and added another touch of style.

I wore charcoal tights and cream lace boot socks.

I liked it, but the outfit felt a little eccentric…risky.  So, as I’ve been trying new outfits and makeup, here is how I’ve approached it.

First, I wear it at home to see how I feel in it and how my family reacts.  Sometimes my husband will say, “You look nice.” or “What in the world…?” or nothing at all.  If I get nothing or “you look nice”, then I know it’s okay to wear in public.  If I feel comfortable in it through the day, I know it’s not too odd.  Today we were running a few errands, but I didn’t expect to run into people we knew, so I wore this outfit around to see how it felt.  No one pointed or laughed or gawked.  People just went about their business.

I’m learning that a lot of the restrictions we put on our style choices like, “I could never pull that off” or “I love it, but I don’t know what other people will think…” are about assumptions and fears.  Most that are totally groundless. I’m trying to work beyond some of those things and not be so worried about looking a little quirky to someone.  I’m not talking about wearing things you’re not comfortable in, but being confident to wear things you love, even if they aren’t a part of your usual “uniform.”

I’m a comfort/jeans and t-shirts kinda girl and wearing the jersey dress over a workout tee was like wearing one big comfy t-shirt, so this outfit worked with my stylish, but comfortable outfit guideline.

Oh, and I did quite a bit of walking in the boots and they were very comfy.  More updates to come…