The second edition…
Last month, I joined Michelle, of My Bijou Life, in a new blogging challenge and a link party. On the final Friday of each month, Michelle and I will be showcasing our adventures in print mixing. Michelle introduced the idea a couple of months ago. She wanted to venture outside her comfort zone. Last month, I joined Michelle as a cohost. You can see my initial post here. If you’d like to join us, please let either Michelle or me know! And, make sure you link up your favorite looks and posts!
A little secret…
I’ve been sitting on a secret for a while now. I didn’t want to make any kind of public announcement for fear of jinxing the deal! Nigel and I are moving! When we sold our last house, we encountered a few glitches. The day before we were supposed to close, our daughter called. The buyers, friends of hers, had posted their home was back on the market! We called our realtor and discovered the deal was off. Eventually…as in several weeks later…we did close on the house. So, this time around, we were somewhat hesitant about everything happening as expected.
Ah, paperwork…
As I write this, we do not technically have a home! We signed all the papers today. Apparently, toner is in short supply so we left with nothing actually on paper! I am here to tell you selling a house takes lots of signatures! Luckily, the woman at the title company had a sense of humor very similar to mine! I thought I’d be in tears most of the time but ended up laughing a lot.
Selling our current house…
We did not, in fact, ever list our home for sale. Our realtor was already working with a young couple. The day before our listing was to go live, they came through the house, made an offer, and we accepted! One of the perks of this sale was the ability to stay in our own (their own) home until the end of July! Many of you may be wondering why we’re moving. The biggest reason is the bedrooms and bathrooms are all on the second floor. Nigel wants to get us settled in a home on one floor while he’s still alive and kicking! (You think I’m joking…that’s how the man thinks!)
Holding our breath…
We have been talking back and forth with a builder since last November. The neighborhood into which we are moving is a very small condo community…about 80 homes. Earlier this year, we had even looked at an existing home there. We lost out on it in a matter of minutes…literally minutes! There were only a few lots left in the neighborhood, and all of them had verbal and contractual agreements to buy. The builder put us first on the waiting list. We sat down with him to customize plans for a house twice! And, twice, the people decided to go through with their builds!
Building our new house…
And, then one day, the builder called and said a lot was available. We had first dibs. Since we were on the waiting list for multiple lots, I wasn’t sure where we would be in the neighborhood. Nigel was ecstatic when he learned it was the one where he could have his three car garage! I am a little shooketh! We are downsizing in a big way…like half the house!
Am I excited?
Quite frankly, I’m overwhelmed. Even though we’d been talking with our builder (I guess I can call him that now) since last November, the reality of selling our house is just beginning to hit. I love all of the changes we made to our cookie cutter house. We added Craftsman mouldings to every door opening and window on the first floor. We have replaced the flooring everywhere except for the guest bathroom, the laundry room, and the basement. We have painted and painted and painted. We have well and truly put our stamp on this house. And, when I say we, I mean we did it with the exception of laying carpet. We don’t do that! But, painting, laying laminate flooring, building and installing Craftsman moulding…that’s all us! If you’d like, you can read about our recent dining room renovation here. But, I digress…
Choices…
Everything needs to be decided NOW. OK, most everything major was decided weeks ago. But things like picking out lights for an entire house? And, you can’t just go to the big box stores to look at lighting because of supply chain issues…nothing is there. Nigel took one look at the prices of the lighting store our builder uses and had to sit down! How about faucets? Oh, and do we do a regular cement patio or a stamped concrete one? What about the bathroom? Should the vanity go here, or should it go there? See what I mean? Nigel really doesn’t care because…three car garage! Seriously, that’s all the man really cares about. OK, I lied. He also cares about the bottom line…like he cares about it even more than the three car garage! My stress level has been ratcheting up almost daily!
Guilt…
And, then there is the guilt I feel. I know all of these things I am dealing with are first world problems. I will figure out the lighting and the vanity. The faucets are purchased. Nigel will soon decide if he wants the stamped concrete (my money is on “NO”). There is nothing wrong with our house, and we could definitely put one of those stair lifts in. The reality is we really don’t need a home with almost 4,000 square feet.
What am I excited about?
Honestly? I’m excited about meeting new people closer to my age. We have the absolute best neighbors…I truly adore them! I will miss seeing those two little girls next door growing up. Our bachelor neighbor across the street will surely miss my pumpkin cake with cream cheese icing. But, our street is full of young families with three, maybe four couples our age! So, it will be nice to maybe meet some new friends. And, I’m really looking forward to home renovations in this house! Nigel thinks I’m going to live in this house untouched…hahaha…the joke’s on him! He’s going to have a very busy few years ahead of him as I put my we put our marks on this new home!
My look!
I know what you’re thinking! “When is she going to talk about the print mixing?” Now, the answer is now! I pulled out all the stops here! Hahaha!! Nope, I went the safe and easy route! I started with stripes and then added a fruit print! Lately, I’ve been loving tiered skirts and dresses. If you want a good laugh, read this! I had some Old Navy cash and bought this skirt thinking it would be a good basic. I also had a reward at Talbots and bought this shirt. If you look closely, you’ll see the shirt has some blue in it. I mean, these two were meant to be together, right? Both contain blue, and I bought both using rewards!
Print mixing 102
Print mixing can be just that simple. Take a striped something (top or bottom) and add a different print. Your stripes and prints don’t even need to share the same color. They can share a version of the color, or they could be complementary on the color wheel. I think the thing to bear in mind with print mixing is whether or not you like what you’ve created. If you do, wear it!!! I can’t stress that enough. You need to like what you’re wearing!! If you feel good in it, it shows in the way you carry yourself! I see that all of the time in my photos. If I’m uncomfortable or don’t really buy into what I’m wearing, it’s right there in my face…every.single.time! My friends, we are at a point in time where we need to wear what makes us happy. If the person behind you in the grocery line wants to laugh at your color choices, it’s their problem, not yours!
Michelle’s look!
I look at this and just smile! Michelle’s look is just so joyous! I can’t wait to read what she says about her outfit. What I see are two matching yet distinct abstract florals. Why I think it works is some of the hues are found in both her tunic and her kimono. Another reason for the success of her outfit is how she has grounded it in the cobalt blue color. And, let’s not leave color theory out of the equation. Orange and blue are opposites on the color wheel which means they are complimentary to each other. Dang, I’m good!!! But, again, the point is Michelle feels fabulous (at least, I think she does) in this outfit! I bet she and Dan went somewhere really special when she wore it!
The Lewk!
Friends, I am not going to lie. These Sarah Flint wedges are so flipping good! They have that anatomical arch, and it hits my Frankenfoot right where I need it to! I have worn these for hours and no pain! I’m also not going to lie about this…these sandals are a huge splurge. I was gifted my pair when I became a Brand Ambassador. If you’d like to become a Brand Ambassador, please message me, and I’ll give you the details. You’ve seen all of this jewelry before on the blog. It’s all from the Lagos Caviar collection (earrings, bracelet, bracelet, ring, ring, necklace [similar]) with the exception of the bottom bracelet. That’s from the John Hardy Bamboo collection. Hey, I just mixed designers…does that count?
Affiliate links and such:
Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. I recently became a Brand Ambassador for Sarah Flint shoes. You can use SARAHFLINT-BAMARSHA for $50 off your first pair. As of right now, I also have an affiliate code for Kantha Bae! Use MarshaintheMiddle in the promo code box for $5 off any order (excluding Bestie restocks)! In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.
Where you can find me:
Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, My Bijou LIfe, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, Being a Wordsmith, and Mummabstylish. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I’m also a co-host on the Weekend Traffic Jam (here). And, of course, you can now find me here on the last Friday of the month! I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. Please make sure you visit! I hope you’ll join us on Monday for my song choice, “Hello, Goodbye” by the Beatles! You can link up your favorite songful style as well as any other posts!
Wrap it up, Marsha!
Well, I guess it’s now official! Nigel and I will be moving some time this summer! Wish us luck! I am hopeful this is a good move (figuratively and literally) on our parts! And, that is why I have been so remiss in reading and commenting on others’ blogs as well as commenting here on a timely basis! So, can we talk? Do you have any horror stories about moving? Tell me; I can take it! How do you feel about mixing and matching patterns and/or prints? Do you still worry about that woman behind you in the grocery store line? Please leave me a comment or two, and we can talk!
How exciting is this all! But I know its also very stressful. Gerben had a hard time leaving our previous home as he did so much there and we built it. I’m looking forward to join, online, the steps in this move. Yeah for print mixing! Love it, fabulous look!
Thanks, Nancy! Most of the real stress was alleviated with the closing yesterday. We just felt it would fall through at the last minute. The couple who bought our house are going to be perfect fits for it, I know! Poor Gerben…does he like where you are now? I sure hope so.
Print mixing is just second nature anymore, right?
Marsha, what an exciting adventure. While we’ve renovated a few homes along the way, we’ve never bought a brand new home nor one that we’ve been able to customize to the extent that you are. I’m looking forward to seeing it finished. As for your print mixing, you’ve nailed it with this look.
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
We built our last house (the one before the one we just sold), but we didn’t really do much customizing as it was built. After about 20 years of living there, we did do a big renovation (ourselves I might add). Then, we moved two or three years later! The house we just built was brand new, but we didn’t pick out anything…long story short…our build fell through due to flood plain issues. This house was available for a bargain so we bought it. We were already living with our daughter and had no idea when or if we could build. So, picking out things for the house wasn’t an option. The new place…we had a basic floor plan that could be customized in so many ways! This will give me fodder for lots of new posts, right!
And, thanks for the print mixing compliment…it just seems so natural anymore!
What an exciting and stressful time. Building our house was one of the most stressful times ever because of all those decisions and while I wanted to give up half-way through I knew we were going to be living with these choices for years– and we didn’t even have to worry about supply chain issues! I’m sure in the end it will all work out and you’ll love your new home but it can feel like such a long slog to get there… and yes, literally within months of moving in I found myself saying things like “Oh I wish we had thought to put such a such in, or next time we build I want to make sure we… “
We built our last house (not the one we just sold, the one before that), but it was more than 30 years ago. And, I was going to school full-time and raising three kids! I don’t remember stressing like I am now…probably because I was going to school full-time and raising three kids!!! The two things I really wish I could have convinced Nigel to do was to tile a walk in shower (we did that in our last house and had lots of fun…well, I did anyway) and granite countertops. I know I could have pushed for the granite, but I had already extended two walls by several square feet. Something had to give…granite can be gotten in the future…those extra square feet couldn’t! I can’t wait until fall to plant bulbs for next year!
Wow. Looks beautiful.
Thanks so much!!!
Marsha! What a fabulously fun post and such a wonderful secret you were keeping! I love your print mixed outfit. The lemons and stripes were definitely meant to go together! And how beautiful your new house frame is! Haha. What a seriously fun process even though it certainly comes with lots of stress. I am cracking up at Nigel’s idea to settle into a one story home before he kicks it! Jeff is the same way and we have plans to build our one story home in the Smoky Mountains in about 10-15 years! I remember when we did a complete renovation of our first home before we moved into it. Choosing new lighting and fixtures and all that is completely overwhelming. When we moved into our current home, we downsized by over 1000 square feet which was also very daunting. We went from 2800 to 1780 square feet…and quickly realized the incredible amount of stuff that fits into 1000 square feet! This was a fun read! I hope you have a fantastic weekend, my friend!
Shelbee
Thanks so much, Shelbee! We are going from almost 4000 to 1699 square feet!!! And, no basement! There is a crawl space…one of the neighbors-to-be told us he just stores everything down there. I peeked down there, and immediately told Nigel no way in hell would I go down there unless a tornado was right next door!!! I am so claustrophobic that even thinking about it has me breathing a little heavier!!! But, we will figure it out. Things always seem to work themselves out. How fun to build a home in the Smoky Mountains. I love it there and often dreamed of a log cabin in the woods. But, after moving here (about 3 hours south of where I’d always lived) and feeling so isolated, I don’t think I have the nerve to move really far away. At least here, all of my kids, kids-in-law, and grands are within 40 minutes of us. I’m such an extroverted introvert…making friends is hard IRL!!!
I put this outfit together for an Instagram thing for Sarah Flint…shot a couple of photos and thought, damn!! That’s a pretty good outfit! I really do like the way it came together!
I am excited for you and agree with Nigel – it’s great to get a space with bedrooms and bathrooms on the 1st floor! I cannot wait to see the new place, congrats!
xo,
Kellyann
You know, this is the first house we’ve ever lived in that I’ve slept on the second floor. Our last two houses had the master on the first. So, that took some getting used to. It will be good…but, gosh am I going to miss the storage we have here! I’m already trying to figure out where to put all of my linens and candles! Thanks, Kellyann!
Gosh, that is exciting. Stressful, yes, with so many decisions and such. But in the end, it will be fabulous. Plus, if you don’t like it, you change it. Just as if you bought the place that way and want to change it.
As for print mixing, I just ADORE that you are open to it and do it with such ease. This is a fabulous example, and I can copy this with my lemon skirt. One of these days, I should get a lemon top like this so I can make a dress out of my skirt!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Well…some of the things I’ll miss the most are the white mouldings, the many windows (we’re going from 17 to 6), and my cream-colored kitchen cabinets. It’s funny that the house we’re presently in was built by a big corporation and is just a cookie cutter. All of the moulding (while not hardwood) was white! If we wanted white mouldings in the new house…several thousand dollars! And, a cream colored kitchen…well, let’s just say I could buy a car! So, I’m going to have to get used to brown mouldings and cabinets! But, the wall colors? That’s a completely different story!!! I’m sure there will be many days spent painting (which I love to do anyway).
I think I’ve been print mixing for decades now! I just did it without knowing what it was…usually just cardigans and scarves at the time. That is such a clever trick, but I’ve always found the blouses to be just enough off that you can tell they’re two different pieces, and the result just looks not exactly intentional! I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
Oh wow, Marsha! Amazing and I know how difficult it is to keep that secret because I was in the same situation earlier last year. And how exciting to be actually building your own home. That’s rare here as we have an awful lot of old housing stock and not much room incur any country! Keep us in the loop.
Also I love the skirt – that’s my kind of skirt! Have a lovely weekend 🙂
Penny, I should have thought of you immediately with this skirt!!! It is definitely you!
This is the second home we’ve built, but the other build was over 30 years ago! I don’t remember being quite so frantic picking things out. But, I was 30 years younger then, too! The housing market here is crazy! We live right outside of Indianapolis, the capital of Indiana. Our town is really a bedroom community with many people commuting to their jobs in Indianapolis (that is, they used to…not sure anymore). Immediately to the east of our neighborhood was a vast field seven years ago when we moved here. Now, it’s been developed with probably 200-300 homes built there. The strange thing about the town we live in is there really isn’t a town center or lovely old streets filled with older homes. I think the big boom in population occurred in just the last couple of decades, and the town managers just didn’t have a plan for it.
I hope your weekend is gorgeous and full of fun things to do!
I love, love, love this outfit, Marsha! It sings of summer, and you look fabulous! You’re right, I love my outfit. Tie and florals? It’s singing my Boho vibe.
I was so hoping when I saw your pic that you were going to tell us about the move. I think Nigel is right about getting all rooms on ground level. (Of course, my health issues no doubt play a role in this bias.) So exciting! I’ve been through two house builds. It’s so much fun, and nerve wracking. Nigel is going to love his three car garage. Our house has a 2 car garage on the main level, and a three car garage in the basement level. My husband has so much fun in his 3 car garage. You might find Nigel kind of lives out there in the garage. ?
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
Oh, thanks, Michelle! It’s funny how I don’t really like yellow, and yet I seem to wear it alot!! I thought you loved your outfit…you just glow in your photo!
We already have a three car garage, and it is stuffed! The man does not know a tool he doesn’t need! The guy who bought our house said he’d never seen a garage that had moulding!!! Right now, Nigel says he’s not getting the “gourmet” storage units for his new garage, but he also wasn’t going to put in an epoxy floor!
It sounds like you have a lot of exciting things on your plate! How exciting you were able to sell before even getting your home on the market. I hope the rest of your build goes smoothly. I love your print mixing, especially that gorgeous lemon print! It’s a stunning and eye-catching combination!
Oh, Laura! I surely hope it does, too! Shingles on the roof next week. Pretty soon, it will look like it’s slowed way down because all of the big “I can see it” things will be done. Thanks so much!
I am so happy for you! A new home sounds so exciting and fresh. Thanks for sharing the site. So glad that Nigel is going to get his 3 car garage! I am in love with your print mixing with this look. The combo of yellow and blue is beautiful! Thanks so much for the link up Marsha!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Well, Nigel already has a three car garage, and it is stuffed (kind of like my closet)! But, he swears he’s getting rid of lots of tools. I hope he doesn’t because he’s going to need them for the things I’ve got planned11!
I don’t know if I would have put these two together on my own. When I noticed the blue in the shirt, it just seemed like an easy fit!
Thanks, Kathrine!
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