Wednesday, May 28, 2014

52 Pick-me-up: Pattern Max

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ 
Greetings all! I'm back home after two months and 12,772 miles of road tripping.
This week's theme is Pattern Mixing. You know I how I love to play around with patterns!
Here I'm wearing gingham, stripes, and some leopard.
Get in the mix! Link up!




Wednesday, May 21, 2014

52 Pick-me-up: Tight On!

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Hopefully you are aware that I've been circumnavigating the US. (As this posts, I'll be in Portland, OR.) What happens when I sit in the car for more than 8 hours a day? A whole lot of snacking! When I made my list of 52 Pick-me-up prompts, I knew I'd be near the end of my trip and that I would probably be "a little bit bigger". Am I? I'm not sure, everything I packed is either stretchy (yay yoga pants purloined from work) or oversized (tunics are the best and I sewed two more while I was at my mom's).
One item that maybe is a bit more snug is this Desigual tunic shirt:
This was shot a month ago in Providence, RI.
Notice I don't have the shirt buttoned.
Oh those Spanish designers and their glorious prints and devilish small sizing.

So, This week's prompt is: Uptight/alright: wear that thing that’s a little too small
Link and tell!




Monday, May 19, 2014

Are You Ready for "Wear Your Lilly Day"?

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Lilly Pulitzer, the brand, has decreed that June 20th is "Wear Your Lilly Day"

Lilly is an iconic preppy brand. I remember tons of friends and relatives sporting her shifts over the years -- Fourth of July parties, summer "dress up" occasions, etc. They were too stuffy for my taste (and probably too expensive for my mom's budget). My grandmother wanted me to wear Lilly in the worst way (as well as those Belgian loafers) but I resisted. I had my own style thing going on -- in 5th grade, I was already sewing my own creations. Yes, I made a-line shifts, but the prints were not the preppie brights of pink, lime, and yellow.

I have a Lilly that I got from Larry a while back. It's WAY too small, and I don't think I want to wear monkeys in coconut trees -- here is a sketch:
sketch available on Society6
And here is a photo:

I'm offering this for sale on Etsy for $48 + shipping. It's a nice hefty cotton seersucker and fully lined.
90's vintage, tagged size 6. Click on this Etsy link to get size specs and see more photos.
Maybe you'd like to add it to your collection!





Thursday, May 15, 2014

52 Pick-me-up: 50s

No internet still, so composing this on my phone. Bear with me re glitches. 
McDonald's wifi + fries to the rescue!

My mom and dad in the fifties:
Cheers!
Fit and flair dress, white summer suit, and champagne. 

Share your 50's looks!




Wednesday, May 14, 2014

52 Pick-me-up is delayed until later today

Oops. I forgot that today is Wednesday. I won't get any sort of post up until later this evening. Sorry!
Here are some pretty flowers seen in Capac MI to tide you over. 

Update: maybe tomorrow. Too tired tonight. Drove almost 500 miles. 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

52 Pick-me-up: Wear Something of Your Mom's

PURCHASED/ BORROWED/ 
Greetings from central upstate NY still.
I'm happy to report that the sun finally made an appearance, so I'm not yet growing moss.

May 11 is Mother's Day here in the States, which is why I created this week's challenge to wear something that was/is your mom's. Very conveniently, I'm currently visiting mine, so I was able to rummage around in her upstairs closets, where she stores things that she no longer wears.
Look what I found!
And this:
Handsewn, probably by my mom
Behind my head are two paintings by my Great Grandfather, Charles M. Frost
He was a doctor and painted as a hobby.
I was very lucky to grow up surrounded by original art.
I'm sure it influenced me!

What do you have that was or is your mom's?
Link and tell!




Tuesday, May 6, 2014

A Dab of Yellow

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Yellow -- some love it, some not so much.
If you want to join in on this week's 52 Pick-me-up Yellow challenge but will end up looking jaundiced if you wear it, how about trying an accessory or two? There's always GOLD, that qualifies!

I'm featuring a scarf and a necklace that I got at Carmen & Ginger's in Providence. It's a really cute shop in the Arcade downtown. If you're in Providence, check it out!
Why was I drawn to the yellow?
The scarf is a classic nylon burnout Florida souvenir square:
The necklace is just plain weird:
Nautical and yellow. Yup.
And how about a look at that painting that I match:
Santa Barbara Night, oil on canvas, 36.5 x 18", 1975
It's vintage Anne M Bray and part of my Mom's collection. (She has a lot of my work!)

One more day to add your Yellow to this gathering of lovelies:




Sunday, May 4, 2014

A Walk in the Woods

CREATED/ PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ GIFTED/ PRESS SAMPLE*/ 
I'm still at my mom's.
It's still gloomy weather.
I'm still wearing the quilted corduroy shirt:
*pink puffed necklace courtesy of Capwell & Co
If I took it off (brrrr) I'd blend right into these woods along my aunt's driveway.
That is, if I lay down like a mossy log:
baby trees!
My scarf has a secret...
ducks in the paisley!
Isn't it a hoot? quack?
Connie, of Snow in the Air, gave it to me when we met up on my first day of the road trip.
She gave me a bag with lots of goodies, the most important being a bottle of water.
Yes, I started a road trip INTO THE DESERT forgetting to pack water.
Doh! Connie came to the rescue! Thanks Connie!

Um, no lack of water here. It has rained for a week. Enough already. I've got ramps to collect.
Captured during the one hour of sun we were allotted on Saturday
Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday. Take a gander!

Friday, May 2, 2014

Flashback Friday and some hats

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ LINKS/ 

I'm in central upstate New York at my mom's. That's our old summer house behind me. It's still closed for the winter. Mom built an all-year house on the same property, closer to the state highway.

I deliberately tried to position myself to mimic this family photo from 1970:
I'm wearing my then favorite button embellished tee and very short suede miniskirt.

"glamor" shot
I've been wearing this outfit a lot lately.
Trying to be a human sundial in Burlington VT. Hard with no sun.
(photo by Persis Worrall)
I found the hat in a Tibetan shop on the Haight in SF a few years ago
Got the #secondhandfirst scarf from Citizen Rosebud's Etsy shop
Got the #secondhandfirst quilted corduroy shirt at Foreign Affair in Providence, RI
Cavorting on the great lawn at the Inn at Shelburne Farms with Annie and Persis

Hats x 3!
Linking up with Style Crone's Hat Attack.
You MUST click over to see her glorious Dior floral chapeau. Puts all those festival floral crowns to shame.
Also linking with Citizen Rosebud's Secondhand First party, since I'm wearing two secondhand items that are first rate!