Finding the Beauty Around Me with DressLily & Link Up On the Edge #41

April 27, 2017 / 66 Comments

I am attempting to get back into the swing of things after the last few weeks of craziness. As I sat down at my keyboard to begin drafting this post, I found myself completely lost for inspiration. But I have an outfit with a shirt that I am obligated to show, so show you I must. But I wanted a theme, a message, something inspirational or important to share with you besides a cool top. And my cool top has a really cool tree on it, so I did some random Google searches about trees to see if it would lead me to something inspirational.

*This is a sponsored post. I received this top in exchange for a blog post. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.


In my Google search, I found this little gem from the novelist Alice Walker.

“In nature, nothing is perfect and everything is perfect. Trees can be contorted, bent in weird ways, and they’re still beautiful.”

This statement speaks volumes about so many things that I represent. We, as people, are all so imperfect and it is really the common denominator that bonds us all together. We just need to be able to see how perfectly human we are in our imperfections. We all have faults, harbor dark secrets, do things we are not proud of, say things we later regret. We, like trees, are contorted in weird and sometimes even ugly ways. But there is still beauty in all of us. You just need to change your perception.

When I first spotted this tee from DresssLily, it drew me in…I was attracted to the almost ugliness of the blackest black tree on the stark white background. At first I hesitated in choosing it. Was it ugly? Or was it completely awesome because it was so strange and eerie? I opted for the latter opinion. I had envisioned pairing it with a long black skirt to keep the near Gothic feel of the tee shirt, but that resulted in my entering the realm of frump. I picked through my closet, searching for the perfect match. Something was screaming red. Bold, bright, harsh red to offset or perhaps accentuate the oddity of the black tree.  I am quite pleased with the result. Ugly or not, I felt good in it and at the end of the day that is all that really matters.

Outfit Details
Tree Tee: Plus Size Tree Print Asymmetrical T-Shirt c/o DressLily (Currently on sale for $13.05).
Jeans: Old Navy (No longer available, but similar here and here).
Sweater: Banana Republic (From at least 10 years ago. Shop their Spring Sweaters here).
Shoes: DSW (Brand is Cliffs by White Mountain. No longer available but similar here and here).
Scarf: Cato Fashions (No longer available. Shop their scarves here).
Jewelry: All very old.

I am going to make much more of an effort to spot the beauty in the strange, the odd, the ugly, the imperfect.  I am going to pay more attention to the contorted details that surround me.  And I am going to try to appreciate them all the more. How about you?

And now let’s get back to the business of linking up! Here are your favorite posts from 2 weeks ago.

Susan of Over 50 Under 20 shared her thoughts on Why You Need to Wear the Right Shoes. While I am completely sympathetic to her injury, I couldn’t help but laugh at the story and the brilliant way she delivered it! I do hope you are mending nicely, Susan.  And by the way, you look fabulous even accessorizing with a crutch!

And Kathrine of Kathrine Eldridge Wardrobe Stylist shared her idea for The Perfect Gift for Mom from Monday Sparkles. I guess Mother’s Day really is right around the corner, so thanks so much for the great idea, Kathrine!

As always, I am ever so grateful to everyone who reads my blog and joins my link up! I hope to be more actively involved with all of my blogger friends now that the sun is staying up longer thereby preventing me from shutting down by 4:00 p.m.! Have fun linking up.


Keeping it on the edge,

Shelbee

Linking up with these Fabulous Link Ups.

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.

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