Hello and Welcome Back to A Time to Play! I so enjoy sharing with you what's going on behind the scenes in my studio here at Refresh with Dawn Herring. 

Today's post is about organization and using collage elements that speak to me! 
I am a long time board creator, whether vision, mood or inspiration. 

I am sharing my new file box with you in the video above and I show you what I'm using it for, upgrading what I was using to something more organized and easy to use. I also share my experience with using images and text from tangible sources to create visuals that speak to me. 

I'm having so much fun setting up the elements of my art studio space since I moved back in June this year. So collage material is one of my mainstays and when I picked up this file box at an estate sale, I just had to share it with you. 

In the video, I share more detail about my collage organization and I show you other places where I keep collage fodder, as well as board play with images and text. 

Do you work with images in your playtime? If so, how do you use them? Do you create vision/mood/inspiration boards or maybe use the images as prompts for further exploration? You're welcome to comment below with your experience. 

And perhaps my own usage of collage material will inspire you in your own creative path. 

We're all about PLAY and Experimentation here at A Time to Play, where creativity takes center stage! 

You're welcome to check out the video and leave a comment there too; and if you haven't already, you can subscribe to my Channel. 

I so appreciate your taking the time to visit me here at my blog, A Time to Play. Playtime is so essential to our well being, so kudos to you for following your curiosity! I'm cheering you on! 

Be sure to check out my playlist, A Time to Play, on my YouTube Channel for more inspiration for your playtime! 

Have yourself a delightful day and Remember to Play! 

Play Prompt! 

Go through a magazine and see what images stand out to you and pull them; 
create a file of images that speak to you. 

Use one of those images as a prompt for exploration in your journal or pin it to a board for future discovery of what it may tell you going forward. 
We change every day and sometimes images will say something one day and something else another day. See what comes up for you! 

Hello & Welcome Back to A Time to Play. I have so much fun here sharing with you all the ways I play each day to provide you with some inspiration for your own playtime, which is so vitally important for our well being! 

Today I am sharing about my Inktober 2025 experience. Inktober is a month long drawing/art challenge that anyone can join in and do. Using the hashtags, #Inktober and #Inktober2025, as well as joining the Facebook Group for Inktober, I have been able to enjoy being a part of a world wide community of artists who joined in for the challenge. 

I have heard of Inktober before; I was familiar with the challenge as I saw other artists engaging. 
In the past, I have not been an artist who enjoys using prompts to make art. 
My own life experience has always been reliable fodder for making art consistently. 

I had looked at previous Inktober lists with prompts and never felt motivated to join in. 
Last year I did a few prompts that I felt would be fun and did some videos showing my process. (if you go to my YouTube Channel linked on this page, go to my playlist, In the Studio with Dawn to find those videos.)

But this year, I decided to go for it and engage DAILY with the Inktober prompts for 2025. 
​And I had so much fun! 

I wanted to share with you how I incorporated my Inktober sketches into my daily routine so it didn't become something else to do, which can be a hindrance to being part of such a challenge. 

I keep a daily journal practice. In the evening I write a narrative summary of what I want to recall from my day, and then I choose a word that summarizes something I want to remember that was meaningful. I've been doing this for many years. 

In the past several years. I've turned that word into abstract art, using colored pencils and pastel crayons for color and texture. So I decided to use that space where I create abstract word art and instead use the prompts for Inktober! Yes! 

So many of the drawings I did for the challenge include the word prompt in the design, and sometimes the word itself is the main design element.  I found this fun and challenging at the same time! 

There are some drawings where I used a reference, while others I just created my own concept. I had fun coming up with ideas for each design and being able to bring that idea to life. I use fine pen for all the drawings. I also labelled each one with Inktober 2025 for future reference so I would know what they were for. 

Here is the Inktober 2025 prompt list so you can reference it with the drawings: Mustache, weave, crown, murky, deer, pierce, starfish, reckless, heavy, sweep, sting, shredded, drink, trunk, ragged, blunder, ornate, deal, arctic, rivals, blast, button, firefly, rowdy, inferno, puzzling, onion, skeletal, lesson, vacant, award. 

I shared each of my drawings on my Instagram stories and in the Inktober Facebook group. 
Do you join the Inktober challenge each year? Did you do it this year? I'd love to hear from you! 

Now that I've gotten used to using a prompt for these drawings, I decided to join a new challenge called Doodlewash, so stay tuned for that here at A Time to Play! 

And if you want to join me for my daily postings, follow my Instagram @RefreshwithDawnHerring. 
​Check this page on my website for all my social media links. 

If you would like to subscribe to my YouTube Channel, I'm @RefreshwithDawn there. 

It is my delight to share my art journey here with you; I trust it has been a source of inspiration for your own playtime, whatever that might look like. I'm cheering you on as you make time to play each day! 

Thanks for stopping by and you're welcome to leave a comment, follow me on social media and join in my community where we celebrate Playtime! 

Remember to Play Every Day! 

Hello and Welcome to A Time to Play! 
I have been considering and reflecting about my love of fashion and how I got to where I am today in the way I dress. 

If you know me at all, you know I love me some fashion! Whether I'm drawing it, looking at it or styling it, it's one of my favorite subjects! 

As I've looked back on my experience with clothes in general and styling fashion over the years, I realized I haven't shared that story with you, my readers/friends! Nope! So with this post, I determine to change that, so you can see somewhat of the trajectory of where I've come from in my creativity and my wearing of fashion. 

Perhaps with sharing my fashion story and the points of freedom I experienced and chose over time, what I am referring to as Points of Liberation, that you may see some of my story in your own. 

Because fashion, when worn from the heart, is about freedom of expression. And the more free we are to dress in a way that makes us happy, the better, right? It can be downright life- changing. 

I thought I would start as far back as I can remember with clothes as a child. The one thing that stands out the most to me is my desire as a young child, perhaps about 9 years old?, looking for images of fashion illustrations in the newspaper in the culture section. I was Absolutely Fascinated with Fashion at a very young age. Both looking at ensembles that I really liked as well as drawing them. I illustrated fashion very young. 

I would attempt to replicate the drawings in my own work, trying to get the energy and detail just right. It was always thrilling just to have those drawings in hand. Knowing that I knew what I loved and what made my eyes and heart happy and what it would be like to wear those fashions as a grown up! 

Of course, at nine years, I didn't have a lot of choices for my own wardrobe, whether it was hand-me-downs from my sister after the era of matching outfits my mom made with her own sewing machine, or finding bargains when it was time for back to school shopping (keeping with a budget!)

My point of liberation at this young age had everything to do with what I liked, without the influence of anyone else, whether it was colors I was drawn to, or specific motifs that I enjoyed. I know that when I did get to wear something that fit that criteria, I was ecstatic. 

Having that knowing of what I loved and that no one could change that because it came from deep inside of me, that creative, artistic side of me that came naturally was bliss.

I think I knew that even at that young age, I liked to dress outside the box, not like most of the other kids. My sense of fashion was always a bit funky, but I was limited with how to express that during those early years. I think I secretly wished it could be otherwise. But at least I could draw what I wanted to wear even if it wasn't possible as fully as I would have wanted in the moment. 

I don't recall what my favorite color was at that age of nine. But I'm sure it was bold. and Fun. I so wanted to dress in a way that was FUN. Yes, even then I wanted to have fun with the way I dressed, even if others thought it was odd. 

My point of liberation at this age was not only knowing what I loved but being brave enough to wear it when I could and draw it as often as possible. And Dream of it coming more fully true as I got older. 

Now, we have all experienced that moment or many moments where our parent chose what we were to wear whether to school or to a social event or family holiday, and what was chosen was the furthest from what we would have chosen ourselves. 

This probably happened for me more often than others since my sense of dress was outside that "norm" for that time in my childhood. I knew what I liked and I knew what I didn't like, but I wasn't about to protest. I just chose to go along since I didn't really have a choice in the matter. I did what Mom said, especially where my wardrobe was concerned at age nine. 

But just knowing deep inside what I would have wanted to wear instead was a point of liberation in my own little heart. And I didn't have to tell anyone. All that mattered was what I knew. And that could be my secret. For now. 

I have come to really appreciate my brave heart at the age of nine, knowing what was mine as my desire to dress in that way that made me happy--without anyone else telling me otherwise, even if it didn't happen during those early years. I hung onto that dream until it was possible. But that will be later in my fashion story! So stay tuned! 

How about you? Did you have someone who dressed you in your younger years once you could dress yourself? Did you have a sense of what you liked that overrode your desire to wear what was laid out for you? Or did you have more freedom to dress as you liked? 

You're welcome to share in the comments below. I support you in your fashion story and my delight is for you to discover what that might look like for you. 

Thanks for sharing in my fashion story and I trust it will inspire you as you choose what you will wear going forward--even if that means dressing outside the box! 

​Remember to have FUN with your Fashion! 

Hello and welcome back to A Time to Play, which is my fun playground of sharing with you how I engage in play in my daily experience and with the intention of giving you inspiration for your own playtime! 

For this post, I am sharing from my Art Journal practice which I have not done in quite some time here on my blog due to a move back in May of this year. I started this particular spread early in the year (January 2025?) at my previous residence. I've done a few layers already since I moved and decided to add a layer of gesso going forward. 

I decided to turn on the camera and share my activity with you! I talk about art journaling in general and why I love gesso and how I use it. 

I'm excited with sharing my journaling practice with you with the delight of inspiring you in your own playtime! Art journaling is not something I do all the time, like my sketching and illustrating. I dip into it when I get a moment to do so. Art Journaling is often messy, which is the way I like it, so I don't get my hands dirty as often as I would like. 

My aim is to dive more frequently into this fun media as we head into colder temps and spend more time doing cozy activities! 

Let me know what you think of what I share in the video. The camera is off to the side so you can see the majority of my art studio space rather than overhead directly showing the pages I'm working on. With messy hair and messy hands, let's get to it! ENJOY !
​
Art Journal Prompt: 
Using the word PLAY as your prompt, engage with whatever fun activity you would love to spend more time with and do it today. If that includes getting your hands messy, all the better! Your inner child will thank you! 

Hello and welcome back to A Time to Play! This is a place where I share what I've been doing to Play in my daily experience with the delight of your being inspired toward your own playtime, which, in my opinion, based on the benefits, is a non-negotiable! 

In this post, I starting a New Series here at A Time to Play blog called Journal Play. This is my way of showing you how a journaling practice can actually be fun rather than another "to do" for your list. Journaling is all about what is relevant to you, and it happens to be a place for my creativity which is what makes it so fun to come back to every day. 

There are several categories of art I will share in this post. The first will be Fashion sketching of the four winning looks in my July Fashion Look book that you can read about and see here. 

I love me some fashion as far as creative ensembles and styling goes but I also like to sketch what I wear each day! I have so much FUN creating those ensembles in my journal. 
Now, to note here, what I draw of what I wear is clearly from memory only. I do not reference an image to draw from. So sometimes I use the basic shape and create my own design if I don't recall the exact placement of motifs or design elements. 

So, the first winning look fashion sketch from the first week of July 2025 is below. The design on the ruffled tank was so much fun to render. I also appreciated the weave in the scarf in addition to the tassels. When I do the accessories, I try to capture the shine of the gold jewelry by not filling in the beading solidly. 

Ok, so below you will see some abstract word art that accompanied the above fashion sketch. I don't recall what the exact word was, possibly create. I now record the word on the page so I can reference it later, since once it's abstracted, it can be hard to decipher! I used a combo of color pencil and pastel crayons in multi color: red, purple and orange red. 

Below is my fashion sketch for the winning look for the second week of July 2025. This was my Wild look with some animal print on the dynamic cut sleeveless tunic. I loved illustrating the texture of the wrap with tassel. I make an effort to put lines on the beading which can be difficult to read on the scan with the larger necklace. I either use colored pencil or pastel crayon. 

Below is my abstract word art I created same day as the 2nd week of the winning look for July 2025. It's a bit more readable with the word, Plans. I love using darker hues to accent the letters to give them more depth. Combo of colored pencil and pastel crayon. 

Below is my fashion sketch for the Winning Look for the 3rd week of July 2025 and this is the WINNING LOOK for the whole month! Yay! I really enjoyed rendering this ensemble with all black: from the pleating on the pants to the shine on the beaded necklaces. So much fun to work with black while having variation of tone and texture. 

Here is another example of abstract word art and the word for that day was JACKPOT!  I don't recall what the exact reason was (unless I go back to read the entry) but it must have been a good day! I love commemorating my WINS in my journal is this is a fun way to do it! (sorry that it's a bit blurry) Loved using colored pencil and pastel crayon with lines and polka dots. So FUN. 

Here is my fashion sketch for the 4th week of July 2025. I really loved wearing this ensemble and illustrating it. It can be a challenge to capture the sparkle with the accessories and especially the jacket that had a diamond motif in silver that glitters! (You can see it a bit more clearly in the image from the previous post-see link above). Drawing multi motifs on a small drawing can be a challenge but I still have fun with it! The tie dye effect on the scarf really works for me with colored pencil and pastel crayon. 

Below I'm sharing a bit of an example of how I illustrate tasks I do in my day. Yes, even vacuuming qualifies! In this example I'm also mentioning notes I took for office work as well as a watercolor session I had that day, with easel, paintbrush, palette and water cup. These are easy shapes to reference; it doesn't have to be complicated and full of a ton of detail. 

I do enjoy drawing the letters in my own font which I created here. I don't try to imitate other fonts I see. I just draw lines and edges to indicate volume. Sometimes I use stripes, polka dots or solid color inside some of the letters for fun visual interest. I often use gray for work tasks, and fun color for creative engagement. 

Below is my last example of abstract word art. The word is CONNECT. Most likely it was family related after having some great FaceTime with loved ones! For this abstraction, I used a combo of colored pencil and pastel. I love shading the negative space to make the letters really pop. I will often use the same colors as what I wore that day but not always. 

So there you have it! A taste of the Journal Play I have in the evenings as I sketch my wardrobe, create some abstract art on a mini scale and illustrate my day to show what mattered and how accomplished I felt! 

Do you keep a journal? If not, would getting creative increase the possibility of getting started? 
It's all about what you want to remember or commemorate or being able to look back on with fondness or courage, depending on the context. 

I found when I started using a larger sized blank sketchbook to journal vs a smaller lined one, that it was a huge game changer for the better for me as an artist and journal keeper. It can all land in the same place and be deeply satisfying to acknowledge my life's experience in a meaningful way. 

Perhaps you can find that way for yourself too! 

Thanks for joining me on this fun Journal Play Journey, the first of this new series! 

​Remember to have FUN with Your Fashion and to Play in whatever way makes your day! 

Hello and Welcome Back to A Time to Play! I'm excited to announce that my Fashion Look Books are back! Yay! I've decided to change things up a bit. Instead of doing a weekly post, I will share the month of looks in one post, choose one look from each week and the Final Winner of the month, all in one place! 

I thought I would start with the month of July, since it's my birthday month! (I turned 58 this year!) I did wear a "party" dress to celebrate, which you can see below. 

Our Winning Look for the 1st week of July is themed, DYNAMIC DUO! (See bottom middle image) I absolutely LOVE this look. The color scheme and pattern of the gold/blue wrap completely aligns with the ruffled sleeveless dress tank which features an abstract design that suits my aesthetic. With it, I'm wearing blue jeans, blue shoes, Gold nylons, and my favorite denim cap which gives it an artsy flair. Accessories include a lovely tasseled scarf in gold, one of my favorite gold necklaces with geometric circles, drop gold earrings, and a fun bracelet stack with the same color scheme. This ensemble is one of my favorites and I keep coming back to it since It Just Works! 

Note: Here are the following themes from the first week of July: Cool Color Blocking, A Floating Silhouette, Sensational Shapes, (For my birthday: Step into the Party!), DYNAMIC DUO (OUR WINNING LOOK FOR 1ST WEEK OF JULY), Some Razmatazz. 

Here's the Fashion Look Book for the 2nd week of July 2025. The Winning Look truly stands out to me since it's THE WILD SIDE! (see middle bottom image) I really had FUN with this one! I combined a dynamic cut sleeveless tunic with wild animal prints and an animal print scarf with neutral tones. I absolutely LOVE the ways this looks together. Plus the wrap adds some muted color and design to really enhance the whole ensemble. I chose a muted wine pant that works well with this wrap. So the busy top and scarf are paired up with muted tones, so that creates a great balance to my eye. 
I chose neutral tones with my jewelry which works well with this ensemble, since the wild animal prints take center stage. 

Note: Here are the Fashion Look Book themes for the 2nd week of July 2025: Classic black dress, Life in color, A Floral Surprise, The Gold Star, THE WILD SIDE (OUR WINNING LOOK FOR 2ND WEEK OF JULY), Pretty Patterns. 

Welcome to the 3rd week of July Look Book! 
We know there is always going to be a look that truly stands out...with some Mystery! The All Black Ensemble wins for the Winning Look for this week! How can you go wrong, right? 
For this look, I chose to go a bit dressy with a v-neck sleeveless blouse and a wide pleated pant in black with gold sparkle. A lightweight summer wrap in black goes well and adds a bit of swing. Then the accessories adds some sparkle to the mystery with a vintage beaded necklace in black and clear beads, a longer beaded one along with black drop beaded earrings. Bracelets in black, metallic and white summarizes along with the Black hat to add more mystery! I would wear this ensemble again in a heartbeat. I felt mysterious, sophisticated and confident in this look! Don't you love it when that happens? 

Note: Here are the themes from the 3rd week of July: Greens of Growth, The Perfect Balance, The Color Complement, Sensational Circles, Winning Wine, THE MYSTERY OF BLACK (OUR WINNING LOOK!)

Welcome to the 4th week of July Look book! 
The WINNING LOOK for this final week of July is STEP INTO THE SPARKLE! 
In this ensemble I'm wearing one of my favorite jackets, one with a demure paisley motif in deep navy, but what make it special is the Sparkle! Lovely silver diamonds all over! Yes! I paired it up with a muted smokey blue sleeveless ribbed tank and pale gray jeans, which gives it such a classy vibe. Then enter the tie dye scarf for an outside-the-box flair, making it fun and funky at the same time. The accessories helped bring even more sparkle with some silver circles in necklace and hoop earring plus a bit of vintage beading. Really LOVE this look. Bracelets go with the same vibe with blues, grays and metallic. The gray hat to top it off adds a fun but demure flair. So, the Sparkle wins hands down. 
​

Note: Here are the themes from 3rd week of July: Making It lively, Lovely Leaves, Stripe Savvy, The Cool, STEP INTO THE SPARKLE (OUR WINNING LOOK), A Splash of Color. 

So, this is Such a Surprise to me! I am a lover of vibrant color, mixing prints and having fun with making a splash with color. So, choosing all Black as the Winning Look for the month really speaks volumes to me. I like the idea of MYSTERY. The POWER of Color Blocking with Black really makes a statement. These ease and flow of the individual pieces together just set the Confident Tone all the way. I love the way I look and I know the way I felt wearing it. 

Well, there you have it!
I trust this has been as much FUN for you as is has been looking back on the looks for July 2025. A Winning Wardrobe is worth celebrating, and I'm so glad you chose to join me as we review the Look Book for my birthday month. 

So which look is your favorite? I'd love to know! Would you have chosen the same winning looks for each week? Or something completely different? Share below in the comments! And which look did you enjoy wearing thinking back to your July? Any specific color or print that suited you well? I'd love to hear about it. 

You have yourself a delightful day and Remember to have FUN with Your Fashion! 

Well, my friends/readers, Welcome Back to A Time to Play where I share ways I spend time each day in pursuits that light me up and give you ideas for your own playtime! 

It’s been a minute since I last posted after the launch of A Time to Play back in the spring of 2025. There was a reason for the long pause…
I have MOVED. Yep! Packing and unpacking took some time, but now that I’ve settled in and built myself a new Art/Fashion space, I am beyond excited to share it with you! Yay! 

Above is my new ART SPACE VIDEO TOUR! Of course, I wouldn’t leave you out of these exciting happenings. I just love sharing what I’m up to with YOU, since you are my delightful community that I So Appreciate. 

In the video tour, I first give you the long view so you can see all my tables, walls, etc. Then I give you a close up view of my space and what each area is for, plus How I’ve Organized my supplies! Yep! 

So, if you’d love to see, come take a peek with me! It wouldn’t be the same without you, my friends/readers! 

As for future content, I’ve got lots of fresh stuff to share with you, from Fashion Look Books with Winning Wardrobe Looks (once per month) as well as new Sketchbook Series posts where I share my pencil sketches of Faces of Family and those who inspire me and why. 

Another FYI for those who enjoy social media and would like to connect with me there. 
On my About Me Page, I list where I am active on social. But I wanted to specifically mention that I am the most active on THREADS, which is connected with my Instagram account. 

I love engaging in conversation and post inspiration for your creativity and playtime as well as fashion tips! 
So, you’re welcome to join me there @RefreshwithDawnHerring if you are there as well. I recommend it since I enjoy engaging with other artists, creatives, journal keepers and musicians. I look forward to seeing you there! 

Also, if you’re not already subscribed, you are welcome to do so at my YouTube Channel, @RefreshwithDawn, where I share daily fashion ensembles, A Time to Play tips, and other fun stuff! Plus there is a whole catalog of journal keeping videos such as word prompts and tips! 

If you love journal keeping, I also have my Art of Journaling Prompt Play Book and Toolbox here! 

Thanks for being a part of my Refresh with Dawn Herring Community and for leaving a comment to share how you’re playing right now. What is your favorite way to play? 

Enjoy the Tour and Remember to PLAY! 

Hello and Welcome to another Fashion Look Book! Here at A Time to Play blog, I love to share my fashion ensembles and pick some looks that really worked for me. Hint: I love to play with clothes and accessories for dynamic fun looks that are worth returning to with fresh eyes. 

For this look book, we've got a mix of Animal prints (my favorite!), dynamic colorful designs, and some floaty wraps which give the looks some swing! 

So, on to the Winning Look: I chose Keeping It Cool with Zebra! What I love about this look, besides it featuring animal print (which I never tire of!), is the coolness of black. Black looks good on just about everyone, don't you think? It's a classic and classy color! 

For this ensemble, I chose a V-neck dressy tank, my favorite zebra jeans (color scheme: black, gray and the best brown), a light summer wrap (I wear this one a lot!), and a fun zebra print scarf that always looks good with these jeans. I also chose a three strand choker metallic black necklace as well as a multi strand metallic necklace with circle geometric shapes and a lovely floral pendant in silver. My bracelets are in the gray, black and brown color scheme with black hoop earrings. (See image below for winning jewelry!) This look is comfortable, classy and I feel confident when I wear it! 

The Runner UP for this look book is The Perfect Match! I love the color scheme with vibrant red (almost orange red) with some leopard print/striping design that is really dynamic and fun to wear. What I love about this ensemble is it features two mainstays I've had in my wardrobe for many years, A long sleeved jacket and short sleeved dynamic cut tunic with fringe: the color scheme matches perfectly and so does the design! Woot! I also love the neutral jeans and shoes that tone it done on bottom. Fun beaded jewelry enhances the look! 

Below you will find the image of Winning Look jewelry and the fashion sketch I did of same look. So much fun with colored pencils to create texture and dimension. I always draw my look from memory, not an image reference. 

So there you have it! I hope you had just as much fun checking out these ensembles as I did, choosing my favorites! I trust it will inspire your next wardrobe choice. 

Let's have FUN with our Fashion in Community! You are welcome to share below which look is your favorite and what you have been wearing that has been fun for you with your wardrobe! 

Check back for future Look Books here at A Time to Play, where we celebrate having FUN with our Fashion, bringing us clarity, comfort and confidence in the way we dress! 

Also, check out my Fashion Styling with Dawn Playlist below and be sure to subscribe to my channel for future fashion inspiration! 

Have yourself a delightful Day and Remember to have FUN with Your Fashion! 

Welcome back to A Time to Play and another Fun and Fabulous Fashion Look Book! This look book spans the week of May 11- 17, 2025,  so I'm looking with fresh eyes at what worked for me and what didn't. 

We have a mix of fun motifs and animal print as well as bold color and the classic denim. One thing I want to note here is the repeat of dark turquoise, but swapping the bottom print for a top print the second time. I always look at the patterns of what I wear since I find it fascinating. 

So, on to the Winning Look for this Look Book! Jazzy Zebra has the type of dynamic that makes my eyes happy, with the juxtaposition of the striping on the wrap and on the zebra striped top together; I also love the flow of the wrap that gives it swing and an airiness. I love the shimmer of the chosen scarf that is now one of my favorites. Burnt orange happens to be one of my favorite colors, a dominant one in my wardrobe color palette, so that's a win in and of itself. I also paired it with white jeans and burnt orange nylons. 

The Winning Jewelry below is a multi strand beaded necklace with varying hues of orange and white (a lovely choice I found at an antique shop!), along with an orange drop beaded earring (one of my mainstays) plus bracelets in sparkle beads, bold orange and gold, burnt orange and a bi- colored wood--a nice mix! 

I've also included a mixed media sketch of the Winning Look from my evening journal entry; I love using colored pencil, pastel and fine pen to create these fun looks and enjoy the detailing. It's all drawn by memory, not referencing a photo. 

Ok, now for the Runner UP! I choose Denim on Denim! Now the Denim Jacket ended up being a bit too warm to keep on past the morning, but I do love how it structures well over the denim dress; they are a good match. Denim on Denim is a popular choice in fashion right now. This look was also featured on one of my LIVES on YouTube. (See playlist below) Good for future reference! I also love the jewelry I chose to accentuate the feminine with gold and faux pearl necklaces and a lovely white lace scarf. This really worked nicely and I would wear this again. I don't have many dresses in my wardrobe but I like this one, my newest piece.  

So there you have it! Which look is your favorite and why? You're welcome to comment below. You're also welcome to share your favorite wardrobe choice, including color, silhouette or a favorite accessory! It's FUN to Share Our FASHION in Community! 

You are welcome to check out the Fashion Styling with Dawn Playlist below for more inspiration and subscribe so you don't miss it when I go LIVE with Fashion Styling! 

Thanks so much for joining me for this Fashion Look Book! 
​You have yourself a Delightful Day and Remember to have FUN with Your Fashion! 

Welcome back to A Time to Play! We continue to have FUN with Fashion with Look Books from previous weeks and I have so much fun picking a Winning Look and Runner UP with fresh eyes. 

This week is from May 4-10, 2025. I chose 6 looks to feature here which encompasses casual, vibrant color, embellishment and fun accessories! It amazes me how much just one element can make all the difference in the way a look comes together. 

My Winning Look from this look book is Easy Embellishment (second row, middle). This look features some of my favorite wardrobe pieces. I started with a brown under tank for warmth, and a long sleeved embroidered tunic with metallic studs and v-bottom. With this I chose a light neutral pant to bring balance with the browns on top. I love this striped wrap (I wear this one a lot!) and one of my favorite scarves with a zebra stripe with some burnt orange tones, that now has a dominant space in my scarf collection (I recently reordered them...video to come!) This was a new ensemble once again, bringing in more experimentation--always! 

The Jewelry from the Winning Look is below (see image). It includes a fun wood and clear beaded necklace (one of my long standing mainstay pieces) as well as a striped/marbled beaded necklace in brown/metallic tones, my long standing circle wood drop earrings, and bracelets in wood hues, tan and sparkle beading. Such fun to wear, bringing even more texture to the nicely embellished tunic! I love layering up my accessories; it keeps it fresh and inspiring! 

I've also included a fun mixed media fashion illustration sketch that I created in my evening journal from the Winning Look. I draw these from memory; I don't use a photo reference. It keeps me on my Fashion toes! 

The Runner UP this week is A Punch of Color which features tie dye colorful fun with oversized tunic with pockets, orange/yellow jeans, and one of my favorite tasseled plaid scarfs in red and green, which brings lovely texture to the mix! It is overlaid with a fun light wrap featuring Frond motif with gold threading. I love how these pieces work together so well with that similar color scheme! 

Well, there you have it! Which look is your favorite? You're welcome to comment below and share! What wardrobe ensemble really brought you joy recently. I'd love to hear about it in our Fashion Community! 

Below I have shared my Fashion Styling with Dawn Playlist for more fashion inspiration! You're welcome! (if you haven't already, you're welcome to subscribe to my YouTube Channel, for Fun Fashion, Playful tips and Inspiring Music!) 

You have yourself a Delightful Day and Remember to have FUN with Your Fashion!