Hi There! Its a Beautiful Good Friday, and just around the corner, it’s Easter! Yay!  Easter makes me think of so many happy things!

We are having family come, and I am so excited to just spend time with them! Of course we will have some tasty dishes but the real treat is just being together, and I am really looking forward to it! And my son Shane is coming home! My heart starts pounding with anticipation at just the thought of it!

Well, much of our country is experiencing some chilly and rainy weather this weekend, so we simply “modify and accessorize” our attire to keep us toasty warm, while still celebrating Easter and the coming of spring! And there are sales everywhere! So without further ado, lets begin our Fashion Friday!

First up, the Sales! Lets Shop!

Banana Republic – 40% off online and in store plus an extra 10% off Friday and Saturday *

Chicos – 40% off your entire order, use code 28190*

Express – 40% off everything (some exclusions apply) online and in select stores!*

Gap – 50% off your in store purchase, discount provided at register; online up to 50% off (prices as marked), plus an extra 20% at checkout, use code SPRING *

JCrew –  40% off full price styles, use code SPRINGTOIT  (Shazam! That’s a great sale!)*

JJill – 30% off entire purchase use code SPRING18

Kate Spade – Extra 30% off Sale styles! Use Code TREASURE

Kohls – Lots of great sales, plus an extra 20% off through March 31 (Code TAKE20) + Kohls Cash*

Loft – 40% off everything! Use code HELLO- in stores and online!*

Lord & Taylor – 20% off regular and sale priced items- use code ANNIVERSARY, Extra 30% off almost all spring shoes and sandals. * (I love shoes and sandals!)

Nordstrom – tons of new things added to their sale, and always free shipping.

Old Navy – Entire store up to 50% off, no code needed!*

Talbots – 30% off Dresses, Accessories and Shoes

Target – Free $5 gift card when you spend $25 or more on Easter baskets, eggs, decor and more. Groceries, free $10 gift card when you spend $50 on groceries*

White House Black Market – 25% off everything! Use Code 71666 *

Many thanks to Troy who did my photography this week! It has rained for several days in a row, so we opted to stay in and stay warm and dry for these photos.

So first up is a really comfy and cute cardigan from Chico’s. It is lined with festive little tassels that seem to shout, “It’s Spring Time Once Again!”

Chico’s Tassel Cardigan

It comes in two beautiful colors, Smoky Blue and Malibu Punch!

My Necklace is the Natia by Stella & Dot. My favorite of the spring collection. So cheerful, with 2 layers you can also wear separately! I’ve worn this one a ton since I ordered it!

My blouse underneath is a sleeveless V neck by Vince Camuto (similar top here, available in 15 colors!) . I have discovered how important it is to have some nice pieces like this in your wardrobe. They can make it or break it for you.

The sweater has such a cheerful vibe! It’s light weight, and it drapes elegantly over the body, and I think would look lovely over a sleeveless dress!

I have to tell you, I am thoroughly impressed with the ever increasing selection of things I love at Chico’s! I think they are expanding the styles they offer to connect with even more women!

Next up is another cardigan by Chico’s! I love the totally different appeal of this one!

It’s Chico’s Zig Zag Cardigan

I’m wearing it with jeans and a white v neck tee, and it has a really casual vibe. But it would also look so cool with black slacks!

Also, the statement necklace I’m wearing is a really great piece I’ve gotten lots of wear from. Its the Stella & Dot Essential Fringe Necklace, and its at a great price point of $59. It’s big enough to make a statement but subdued enough to keep a cool chillax vibe going. My clutch is also Stella & Dot, the City Slim Clutch. I picked this one for this outfit because I noticed the little gold tab where you snap it shut is a chevron shape, and that is reflected in the zigzag pattern. I always loved geometry class. True story!

By the way, did you notice the two vases of tulips in the pic above on the mantle? I got those a few weeks ago at Home Goods. I was wanting to shake up my mantle decor for spring. Now I am thinking I might swap out my picture of the birch trees for something a little more spring like, open to suggestions on that!

Next up is a really pretty and colorful top, the Free People Field of Butterflies Tunic .

I paired it up with my new canteen handbag, The Taylor Circle Handbag by TopShop.

The lines on this top make you just feel so pretty! The dramatic large cuff on the sleeves has a vintage elegance, and the fluttering high low flow of the top just makes you feel like – well like a butterfly!

It comes in four different color combinations. Of course I would choose the red!

Can you see the dramatic shift in the lengths from front to back? I just love this!

I need to get one for Kasey… we could be twins!

I don’t know if you have noticed, but several pictures that I’ve taken in my home have older radios in them. My husband collects and restores them. It’s been a fun hobby that I share with him, we go to auctions and search Craigslist and such for different vintage radios.

Today I wanted to share with you my favorite radio story. A few years ago, we went to a radio show where people were selling vintage radios, table after table, loads of sellers, generally asking top dollar. It is fun to be at a place where people are all interested in something in common. There is a buzz in the air. So we walked and we looked, but everything we liked was just out of our price range. We were about to go, but I had seen something, and I told Troy I wanted to go back and check it out. Troy said, “Sure”, and I took off towards the place I had seen her.

She had been lying on the ground under a table behind several other radios. No one noticed her, and it was apparent that the seller had no hope of selling her because she was almost completely hidden. I knelt down and gently pulled her up and asked the man at the table how much he wanted for this one. He looked shocked that I would even consider buying it. He said, “That one is so beat up, I don’t know why I even brought it here. I wouldn’t even know what to ask because its in such bad shape.” And I said, “How about $15?” And he smiled, and said “Sure!” and he quickly took my money as though he was afraid I’d change my mind.

I looked at her and thought, “Now this is something special!” and I walked towards Troy carrying my new treasure! Troy started to laugh and he said, “What did you do?” And I said, “I found one I love! I’m calling it “The Cinderella Story”!

Now Troy can totally relate to seeing the jewel in these older radios. And he looked it over, and I think it pleased him that I actually found one on my own that I liked enough to buy. So now we had a new treasure to take home, and it would take a few months of work to restore her to her beauty. But we both knew it was there.

So Troy began to work on it. He worked and worked, gently removing decades of dirt, slowly restoring her beauty. Knobs needed replacing, some cracks were so deep they could not be repaired. Troy said they now were a part of her story and a part of her beauty.

Troy specializes in restoring the outside of the radios, but for the inside, he needed to go to an expert. She was created to play music. And for that, Troy took her to a true professional. He took her to see Paul Colosimo.

Paul Colosimo has been working on radios all his life. He was born in 1917… yes you read that right. He served in WW2 on a ship with advanced communications equipment. After the war, he opened up his own radio repair shop, and has almost never missed a day of work (except for the case of the flu he had in the 70’s). He owns his own shop, and has cut back to 3 days a week now. Troy took “The Cinderella Story” to Paul, who said with a sparkle in his eye, “That there is a radio!” Well, he worked and worked on the inside, while Troy was at home working on the outside. And one day, several months later, I came home from work and Troy had a surprise for me. The radio was ready!

She was glowing with beauty on the outside, and she was singing the song she was meant to sing on the inside! Don’t you just love restoration stories?

I think it gives us all such hope for ourselves when we hear of a true makeover. Inside each of us is that same person that has been there since we were kids. Full of hopes and dreams.

Sometimes the challenges in life can shake our confidence, and can make those dreams seem impossible and lost forever. But that is our Cinderella moment. We are one step away from beginning our new story! We just need to start believing enough to take steps, even baby steps, one foot in front of the other. Nothing is more invigorating than beginning to move towards your dreams!

For those of us who celebrate Easter, it is the quintessential restoration story and its rooted in love! It is the story of God seeing every person ever born with eyes of perfect love. And in the ultimate gift of love, He steps in to restore us.  Oh for eyes like His!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend and a wonderful Easter! I’m so glad we are doing this life together!

I’ll be back Tuesday for another Tasty Tuesday!

Love Always,

Amy

“But now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”       ~1 Corinthians 13:13