Maine Girl

I am always on the hunt for the perfect size handbag. Then again, what woman isn't?! Believe it or not, I actually found it at L.L. Bean ! It is part of their Signature line which is, of course, my favorite line of clothing and accessories at L.L. Bean . This cross body bag is a buttery leather mixed with a striped canvas. It will be my go-to bag for spring and summer 2017. You don't know how difficult it is to find a small-ish bag that actually holds my wallet! Or maybe you do. And this one totally does. Do you have a favorite go-to bag for the spring? You can shop some of my favorite beautiful leather L.L. Bean Signature bags below! JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.

Well, this is a first. I never thought I would ever in a million years write a fashion blog post about socks, but here I am doing it. I am becoming more practical with age that's for sure! The truth is, I am forty-two years old and I have never owned a pair of Smartwool socks until now. I didn't understand all the hype. But now, I get it. I only own four pairs of Smartwool socks , but they are my favorite foot attire in the whole world! One would think that wool would make your feet itchy and sweaty. Not true. Smartwool socks actually do the opposite. They keep your feet dry and warm in the winter and dry and cool in the summer. Pretty unbelievable, I know. But it's true! And they are not itchy at all. Now when I wear any other socks my feet sweat and they are not as happy. I am always washing my Smartwool's so I can wear a pair every day. The label says that you can put them in the dryer on low heat, but I don't. I love them so much I don't trust my drye...

Would you ever choose to do a photo shoot on one of the coldest days of the year? Probably not. Me on the other hand, yes I would. And I did. It was just twelve degrees on Sunday January 9, 2017 when I attempted this photo shoot outside by Maine's famous Penobscot River. At least the sun was out. Although it didn't warm anything up at all, what it did do was lift my spirits. Funny what a little vitamin D can do for the soul. I actually couldn't wait to show off this really cute mixed stitched sweater from Talbots. It looks sort of old school to me, yet timeless. It's 100% cotton so I did need to layer with a denim shirt for some extra warmth on this extra cold day, but I will be able to wear it this spring all by itself with a pair of my favorite jeans. It may be what I choose to wear on the plane when I head to Florida for a week in February. I will more than likely get a lot of use out of it. And I know that I keep showing off this hat  that I received fr...

If I saved my sparkles for a night out on the town, then I would never sparkle! I just don't seem to go out much any more. It's not that I dislike going out. It's just that time is limited. My husband and I both work full time outside of the home and on my day's off from my "reliable job",  I work at home on my three side projects; The Maine Square , The Canny Canary and on this blog, Pine Trees & Pearls . We do make time to go out to dinner at least once a month, but mostly we are just happy with getting home from work and spending time together cooking dinner in our own kitchen. Some might think that my life is too full of work and not enough play. But I am perfectly happy with it. SHOP my sparkle at home look! JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. Who drinks orange juice out of a champagne flute? I do, whenever possible. It's the same as wearing sparkles. Why save those thing...

It's a little past 4:00pm on New Years Day 2017. I just couldn't let the day go by without wishing you all the best in the new year. I truly do hope that you are able to take a portion of your life to a new level. No need to stress out about it. Maybe you simply do something to be just 1% better each day. Taking small steps can lead to a big improvement by the end of 2017. Remember, 2016 just went by, and it seemed like a blink of an eye. The same is going to happen in 2017. Wouldn't it be great to be able to sit here on New Years Day 2018 and feel good about something you achieved in 2017?  SHOP my New Years Look! JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content.