Dress of Many Colors & #SpreadTheKindness Link Up #298
This dress of many colors needed many photos to showcase how fun it is and how happy it makes me. Don’t you just love it when an outfit has mood boosting powers?
It also reminds me of my favorite Dolly Parton song, Coat of Many Colors. It seems my outfits have been inspiring my music choices recently. My last outfit gave me James Taylor’s Copperline vibes and now I am tuning into Dolly!
Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton
Back through the years I go wonderin' once again Back to the seasons of my youth I recall a box of rags that someone gave us And how my momma put the rags to use There were rags of many colors Every piece was small And I didn't have a coat And it was way down in the fall Momma sewed the rags together Sewin' every piece with love She made my coat of many colors That I was so proud of As she sewed, she told a story From the Bible, she had read About a coat of many colors Joseph wore and then she said Perhaps this coat will bring you Good luck and happiness And I just couldn't wait to wear it And momma blessed it with a kiss My coat of many colors That my momma made for me Made only from rags But I wore it so proudly Although we had no money I was rich as I could be In my coat of many colors My momma made for me So with patches on my britches And holes in both my shoes In my coat of many colors I hurried off to school Just to find the others laughing And making fun of me In my coat of many colors My momma made for me And oh, I couldn't understand it For I felt I was rich And I told 'em of the love My momma sewed in every stitch And I told 'em all the story Momma told me while she sewed And how my coat of many colors Was worth more than all their clothes But they didn't understand it And I tried to make them see That one is only poor Only if they choose to be Now I know we had no money But I was rich as I could be In my coat of many colors My momma made for me Made just for me
My momma did not make this dress for me (like Dolly’s coat), but she did make lots of our clothing when we were children because we, too, were financially poor. Instead this dress of many colors came to me from my children way back in the springtime. They bought it for me either for Mother’s Day or for my birthday along with the colorful beaded necklace with the teal tassel (which you might be able to spot in my neck mess).
I wore this outfit on a cool day in early June with temperatures similar to this time of year. For some extra warmth, I put on a pair of lightweight flared jeans under my dress. Layering a dress over pants is a trend that I have been styling for over 20 years. I remember a particular outfit I wore for a date sometime in 2001. It was a short fitted black dress with ruching around the hip area and I wore it over jeans with heels and a motorcycle jacket. I felt amazing in it, but my date apparently thought otherwise because he showed up, looked at me through the restaurant window, and then called me and said he changed his mind. I called some girlfriends to meet me since I was all dressed up and already out and we had a fantastic girls’ night out for my date night instead!
My sherpa lined Birkenstocks have kept my frigid feet warm all summer long and I will continue wearing my Furkies straight through the fall and possibly into the winter with cute cozy socks, another trend I have unashamedly been wearing for probably my whole life. I have always and will continue to always wear socks with sandals despite any criticism anyone may throw at my feet. Trending or not, it makes sense to me and it looks cute even when it doesn’t.
See, I told you…there are many, many pictures of me in my dress of many, many colors. This dress suits my boho style and offers a big old dose of color therapy. It’s a real thing. Colors make people happy! Evidence of this phenomenon exists in the smiles on our faces when we enter the boys’ bedroom that I just finished painting. It is so stinking bright, but you can’t not smile in it! Here’s a little sneak peek…
Archie chose the colors and the color blocking pattern and I did all the painting this weekend. Both paint colors are Sherman Williams paints from Lowe’s. We used Frolic and Amber Wave. You can see the colors more accurately if you click on the color links. Depending on the time of day, the Frolic walls will appear either yellow or green or some weird combination of both. But that color was the closest I could get for the banana Photowall that we will be adding at some point. To tone down some of the brightness, the boys decided on gray accents. So we will be ordering this bunk bed and these curtains soon. This room will take a while to completely finish before I share a full room makeover post. I want to paint my living room next before my sister comes to visit for Thanksgiving!
Soon I won’t just be wearing a dress of many colors, I will be living in a house of many colors! And who doesn’t want to live a colorful life?! After all, the real riches of life do not exist in our back accounts.
“Life is about using the whole box of crayons.”
~RuPaul
What colors make you happy?
Featured Favorites
Reader Favorite (Most Clicked): Marsha of Marsha in the Middle
Fashion Favorite: Laura of I Do deClaire
Other Favorite: Amila of Leisure & Me
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Joining these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress-Rainbow Zen / Jeans-Charlotte Russe / Birkenstocks-Famous Footwear / Hat-Linda Gibbs Handmade / Jewelry-Combination of New, Old, and Thrifted / Handbag-Teddy Blake
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
48 Comments
Amila
wow! You look so pretty & cheerful in this dress of many colors. It really suits your style and your children have made a good choice choosing this dress for you. I agree with you on colors, yes they make people happy. I am also someone who likes to wear cheerful colors. And, a good color combination for your children’s room.
Thanks for all these inspirations. Have a great day!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Amila, thanks so much! I remember a time when all I wore was black and dark, muted neutrals. Now in midlife, I want all the joyful things surrounding me…including bright cheerful colors! Color really does make an impact on mood and can have lots of healing powers! I hope you are having a wonderful week.
xoxo
Shelbee
Mica - Away From The Blue
This is a great dress on you and it layers so well over those jeans! 🙂
Thanks for the link up! Hope you’re having a good day.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Mica! This is definitely the style that I am most comfortable in! I hope you are having a fabulous week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Well, that guy clearly had no idea what he has missed! Lol. I remember too back in 1999 when I had started a new job, that I wore jeans and a dress on my first day. Everyone thought it was weird, I love it! And look at you! How fabulous that dress looks on those jeans! The idea of your boys choose this dress is so lovely! They will grow up as fabulous social persons!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Hahaha, thanks so much, Nancy! That guy was an idiot! LOL Actually, I can’t even remember his name or anything else about him, for that matter. I only just thought of that again talking about wearing dresses over jeans! It is such a cool creative way to style dresses, in my opinion. Tomorrow I am sharing an outfit where I wore a dress over a dress. And I do hope I am raising thoughtful kind children! I hope you have a fabulous day, my friend.
xoxo
Shelbee
Pamela
As soon as I saw ‘dress of many colors’ Dolly was singing in my ear! We all need to adopt a colorful lifestyle if it gives us a smile as big as yours!!!
Pamela
http://www.style-yourself-confident.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aww, thanks so much, Pamela! The song popped into my head as soon as I started loading these photos into WordPress so I just rolled with it. It will be stuck in my head all day now! But that’s okay because it is such an amazing song!
xoxo
Shelbee
Tamar Strauss-Benjamin
You do have a coat of many colors! Love that musical.
The room looks so fun!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Tamar! So much color all around me! I am filling my life with it.
xoxo
Shelbee
Amy Johnson
Such a fun tunic, it definitely has a 60’s vibe. 60’s and 70’s clothing is definitely making a comeback. Love that Dolly Parton song. One of my favorites of hers.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Amy! I do love the style aesthetic from those decades! That Dolly song makes me cry every time I hear it! It is so beautiful.
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
You look so pretty Shelbee!! I love all of your necklaces!
Jennifer
Curated by Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Jennifer! Happy Tuesday!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
I love your colorful dress and 100% adore that you own your style with zero apology! This is such a terrific boho look. Of course I think your neck mess is marvelous! Your ditched date story is too funny – and I’m glad you turned it around into a fun girls’ night. Sometimes people do us the favor of opting out early on, which spares us the effort of doing so later 😉
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Sally! I absolutely love that phrase “neck mess” and I am going to link to your blog every time I use it! I agree with you about the ditched date. He definitely saved me the trouble of opting out later. I don’t think I dwelt on that experience very much at all. I moved on quickly and I only just recalled it now decades later. Funny how some experiences have very little impact on our lives where other ones that may be just as mundane have huge impacts on us. Hmmm. That is some seriously delicious food for thought that I am interested in pondering now. Haha. I hope you are having the most wonderful week, my friend!
xoxo
Shelbee
Rena
“the real riches of life do not exist in our back accounts” is a fabulous perspective, Shelbee. And this look is AWESOME!
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my goodness, thanks so much, Rena! I thought that was a pretty clever way to phrase my perspective! Hehe.
xoxo
Shelbee
Lizzie
This is so special! That song always brings a tear to my eye. I just love Dolly!! And love your dress of many colors <3
Lizzie
http://www.lizzieinlace.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aww, thanks so much, Lizzie! This song always make me cry, too!
xoxo
Shelbee
Di
Shelbee, I love your dress of many colors, and the way you are wearing it. It seems to fit your stlye so well-your boys are very in tune! Thanks for sharing the joy of color, and have a good week!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Di! This dress definitely suits my style! My kids know that I will love basically anything they get for me from Rainbow Zen!
xoxo
Shelbee
Joanne
Oh yes, we have always had a house of many colors and through the past 18 years I think there are only 2 “rooms” (areas) that have not yet gotten updated with new colors and that’s only because I still love the pale green and the periwinkle blue colors. I can’t wait to see the boys room when it’s all finished. I’ve been thinking of tackling our 1/2 bath— again! It was a few different shades of peach/orange when we moved in and then I think it might have been green, it’s currently a deep burgundy but I’ve been toying with a pale gray and blowing up some of my favorite photos to adorn the walls.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Oh my goodness, Joanne, I love this comment! There really is something beautifully transformative about a simple fresh coat of paint in a new color! I grew up in a house of many colors as well. When I was a kid, we were always switching bedrooms and repainting every time. My mother didn’t veto very many of our decor choices over the years either. Both of my bathrooms are in serious need of makeovers but they must wait until last because they really need to be torn out and all new everything put in. I look forward to seeing your home decor updates when you get to them!
xoxo
Shelbee
joni
I just love this dress and the way you’ve styled it! The hat, the bracelets, handbag, everything! I gotta have it. LOL
p.s. my bathroom is orange and my dining room is green!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Joni! This dress is super fun! And each one hanging on the rack was a different assortment of prints and patterns so no two dresses were the same! I just painted my dining room green! And my kitchen is currently orange but I am going to make that red eventually with a bright turquoise bathroom! I hope you are having a wonderful week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marsha Banks
Now, that is a truly spectacular dress, Shelbee! Bravo to your boys! I love that they know you so well! It looks fabulous over jeans, too! Your date must have realized he was no match for your gorgeous self so he chickened out! And, you made lemonade out of lemons! I am loving all of the color in your house. It is funny how light can change a color. In our last house, the mudroom was painted this really funky green apple color except for certain times of the day when it looked like a mustard gold. Weird! I cannot wait to start painting this boring house!!! I just have to convince Nigel that it needs it! And, thanks for the shout out! I still always give a little gasp of surprise when I see my posts! Thanks for the link party!
https://marshainthemiddle.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Marsha, thanks so much! I suspected you might really like this dress, too! They had about a dozen of them in the shop and each was a different arrangement of prints and patterns so no two were the same which I really love. I can’t wait to see what colors you use in your new home! The only thing Jeff basically forbids in our home decor is pink! He hates the color pink and just can’t deal with large doses of it and certainly not permanent doses of it! LOL But it’s fine because pink is a color that I do not have any desire to work into my home decor…although I do love to wear it.
By the way, I do like lemonade much more than I like chicken! Hahaha
xoxo
Shelbee
Cheryl Shops
Loving the very boho dress over jeans look—I always forget that I can do that when it starts to get cold out!
Cheryl Shops | http://www.cherylshops.net
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Cheryl! It is a great styling trick to take our warm weather dresses a little bit further!
xoxo
Shelbee
Claire
Such a lovely dress, love all the colours in it 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Claire! It is a very cheerful dress!
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking very nice there. Love the colors. Also, the song goes perfect with the outfit. Very nice.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Patrick! I hope you are having a wonderful week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Marie
Love this. The outfit is so cheerful and of course who does not love Dolly?
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thank you so much, Marie! I would definitely be skeptical of a person who doesn’t love Dolly!
xoxo
Shelbee
Michelle
Your children chose well! That is an amazing dress! So fun and cheerful. Thanks for sharing Dolly’s song. I admire her as a person so much, but I admit to being uninformed about a lot of her music. Good point about making the distinction between financial wealth and other kinds. I’ve often thought that some of the financially wealthiest people are so poor emotionally.
And I LOVE the paint in the boys’ room. You know my preference is for color. These are happy, happy colors.
Michelle
https://mybijoulifeonline.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Michelle! My kids definitely have a knack for gift giving and for choosing paint colors! I am not very familiar with Dolly’s music either but that song I have known and loved for mu whole life! I sometimes think that too much financial wealth can actually take away from the more important kinds of wealth. Money makes us happy only to the extent that it provides us with some of our human needs. Wealth beyond what we actually need does not increase our happiness. However, not enough wealth to support yourself can also lead to much unhappiness. So happiness and money are related only so far! Eventually, you have to find happiness elsewhere! Like in paint colors and dresses! Haha.
xoxo
Shelbee
Laura Bambrick
Those are definitely happy colors they chose for their room! I love that you allow them the freedom to choose what they wanted! Your boho chic outfit is fabulous! I love all of the colors in this post!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, Laura, thank you so much! My mom always let us paint our rooms whatever color we wanted, too. I figure it’s their room where they spend most of their time at home, they should be able to decorate it in whichever way makes them happy! And it is a happy room, for sure!
xoxo
Shelbee
Gail
I love this colorful dress. The lyrics of the Dolly Parton song are very touching. I’m excited about the prospect of seeing your colorful home! Thanks for linking Shelbee.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Gail! I am really enjoying adding all this new color to my wardrobe, my house, and my life!
xoxo
Shelbee
Suzy Turner
That dress couldn’t be more you if it tried!! It’s perfect! And I love that you wore jeans with it. I’m a huge fan of wearing dresses with jeans and I still can’t believe that guy who looked at you through the bar window and left you there on your own. What a total ass!!! I bet you were totally rocking that outfit!!
Your kids’ colourful bedroom reminds me of our very first apartment…we had bright orange walls in our bedroom with blue furniture (that we painted ourselves), the living room was yellow and the furniture was green, and the dining room was lilac!! These days, we tend to favour more muted colours on the walls but we add brightly coloured piece of art to make up for it!
Big hugs
Suzy xx
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Suzy! This dress definitely screams Shelbee! Haha. It’s super comfortable, too. The one thing that really made me angry with that guy is that I was an hour and half away caring for dying mother and I had to maneuver a lot of care taking stuff around to even go on the date…and he knew all of that! I just found that to be so incredibly rude. So I am better off that he didn’t stick around because clearly he was not my type of human anyway! I love that your first apartment was so colorful! I like these bright colors in the boys’ room but I wouldn’t want it in my living room! Stay tuned for the living room makeover though. I hope to get started on that next week.
xoxo
Shelbee
Carol
Your dress of many colors is so YOU! Great job on picking the perfect gift for Mom, kids! I like the look of a dress layered over pants or leggings. And . . . Dolly Parton is certainly a national treasure.
Thank you for sharing this post at the Talent-Sharing Tuesdays Link-Up 39.
Carol
http://www.scribblingboomer.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Carol, thank you so much! My kids are really great gift givers even when picking presents for their friends. They are very thoughtful when they decide on gifts. I think adding leggings or pants under dresses, especially shorter dresses is such a fun way to make your dresses go further!
xoxo
Shelbee
Chickenruby
I’m loving this dress of many colours, looking like many different outfits in the photos. But what I love the most is your decoration of your off springs bedroom, it is stunning. Thanks for linking with #pocolo
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Suzanne! This dress is so fun because it does look different depending on whether I am coming or going!
xoxo
Shelbee