COUNTRY LIVING
-
How to Design a Mediterranean Country Summer Home: Outdoor Dining, Flowers, & Fashion
Welcome to my summer home in the countryside Ladies, Summer always makes me think of the Mediterranean. So aside from never-ending laundry from sweating through our clothes in one day, I design a summer home reminiscent of this look and feeling of being among the rolling hills of the French and Italian countryside and those coastlines. My vision of this retreat has not yet been fully done but I continually pull from this idea to create the feel wherever it is I live at the moment. The Mediterranean feel, look, and lifestyle has been my favorite template to design my home for summer. Vacation Perspective One thing that stands out…
-
What to Wear for Gardening in the Summer
Country women & gardeners have style essentials too Ladies, have you ever noticed how fashion magazines assume we all live in the city and work in offices? Their recommendations never seem to take into account the one who spends her days outdoors, among dirt, plants, animals, even children, working for her own family or a paid job that is grittier. What does a woman wear for her day working at home, working outdoors, surrounded by life, sticky hands, dirty paws, dough flinging off her beaters, flour in her hair, and insects buzzing all around her? I don’t think the fashion industry touted white button-down blouse fits anywhere into this kind…
-
Classic Fall Fashion for Home & Garden : Plaid Wool Skirt, Leggings & Boots
The home and garden are workplaces as much as places of rest. So our wardrobe must be for our work at home, which means looking as put together as feeling comfortable! Every fall I would receive a Lands End catalog in the mailbox and page through every look over and over analyzing my favorite pieces. The classic lines and sturdy fabrics made the approaching Autumn feel even more Autumnal. I deliberated over all of the coats, cardigans and plaid skirts finally circling the few for which I would place an order. Catalogs are a thing of the past now, replaced with scrolling and online ordering complete with delightfully fast shipping.…
-
Styling Leggings with Class : Country Wardrobe Staples
Leggings are a Country Wardrobe Staple Ladies, have you ever had your pant hem get coated in mud? Leggings. Needed to prevent tick bites? Leggings. Cold? Leggings. Legs not shaved? Leggings. Make your legs look slim….black leggings. City women can afford to flit from style to style because their wardrobes are based on looks alone. Country life means we just wear what works even if it’s not “in” anymore….it might be “in” for country life! We need our clothes to work for weather, for pests, for comfort of bending and gardening or milking a cow. Even if you do not do these things outdoors, homemaking work is the same kind…
-
The Lord Jesus Lives
Happy Resurrection weekend. There are no words to praise Jesus enough. There are no words. I was outside one day and looked up and saw the clouds in a cross and took this photo. We all need to look up more. “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation” Psalm 18:46
-
5 City Fashions to Declutter from Your Country Wardrobe
Welcome to whateverlovely.com my Country Living Home & Fashion Blog. My name is Barbie and I encourage women in homemaking and feminine style. Let’s talk decluttering city fashion from your country wardrobe! Just because you live rurally does not mean your style has to suffer but it definitely will change. Take it from a woman who wears a dress nearly daily and always dons jewelry but it’s what works for where I live. This article is meant to direct you to declutter items that may clash with your new country life and I will share stylish alternatives for country life. 1) Declutter: All Black. Women have been told for decades…
-
Finding the Dream Property : Country Life & Style
Not all of us are born and raised in the country but we get there as fast as we can. If you, like me, spent years or decades of your life dreaming and trying to move to the country, you may have some solid ideas of what you want. Here are some things that I learned along the way that helped me to edit and curate the dream so that I could buy the right property….and I’m still shopping for it. But I have been renting in the countryside for some time now and have a lot of first hand experience on what to be aware of and the nuances…
-
A Peaceful Christ Centered Christmas Season in the Countryside
There is a special beauty about Christmas in the countryside at my home. But Christmas everywhere else feels pretty stressful to me. Do you feel uneasy with society’s version of Christmas? I find pop Christmas music played in stores to be extremely unpleasant as well as the stress of shopping and crowds. Here are my 5 ways to create a peaceful Christ centered Christmas season and how you can too even if you don’t live in the country. 1) Shop online instead of big box stores or shop local small businesses. The hyper environment of big box stores with loud pop music, stuff overwhelm and unfriendly crowds can be stressful…
-
5 Boots for the Country Woman’s Wardrobe
Welcome to whateverlovely.com my Country Living home & fashion blog. My name is Barbie and you can think of me as your country living stylist. Are you new to living in the country or just need some help making it better and more beautiful? Let’s talk boots today because you will need them! Nice Casual Leather Boots A leather boot that can go from dresses and skirts to jeans and leggings. A stylish boot that speaks to your feminine senses but practical needs as you can do housework and outdoors work and look put together. Hardy leather that will protect your feet and ankles. These are your nice every day…
-
Dressing for the Home and the Homestead
I rarely leave my home. My shopping takes me to town once a month. We fellowship with the church twice per week. My outings must seem very limited to people who wake up to leave the house every day. Yet I do not see myself as having “no where to go” or being “stuck at home”. Dressing for the day is as doing the dishes and preparing dinner. None of this feels trite because this is nourishment to a day lived with joy and purpose. This is dignity that I am responsible to provide my household and that we are blessed to experience and it is done out of thanksgiving…
