Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

I feel sorry for my cats. They lead such a rough life. Take, for example, what they are doing today. Yep, they look really abused!

Well, I’m home after my big shopping trip in KC. I knew that since I actually had money, spending it would be tough. I also knew I was limiting myself with a list and a goal. However, the trip wasn’t a complete shopping bust. Here’s what I did find:

• A very cool lucite and silver watch by Michael Kors. It was my first purchase and I had the sales lady hold it for me since it was the first thing I found. I can’t find a picture of it on the Nordstrom website, bit it’s really cool! I’m so glad I bought it.

• Casual crop pants. I have recently purged my closet of old ones I’ve either worn out or grown tired of, so I wanted a couple of new ones. I found some nice white ones at Ann Taylor that are casual and thick enough that my underwear doesn’t show. That’s really important when shopping for white bottoms!

• Lucite jewelry. While I didn’t find much, despite it’s hot popularity, I did find some great earrings at Ann Taylor. They are smaller chunks of lucite with silver on them. Actually, I should say my sister found them for me, but I bought them.

• Shoes. A trip would not be complete without a new shoe purchase I was looking for some patent shoes and found these at a store called Ciella’s in Oak Park Mall. They had them in a wonderful tortoise patent so that’s the color I bought. I tried to find some cool yellow patent shoes, but all the styles looked like they would be worn by hookers. I also found some shoes at Dillard’s but I’m still trying to figure out which ones to keep. The Dillard’s shoe department in Oak Park Mall is the worst I’ve ever encountered. Regardless of the time of day you shop, it is always understaffed and it takes forever to get your shoes from them. I swear, they go to the back room and get sucked into a black hole before they return. It’s really maddening when you’re in a hurry.

• Vino. I had to go to World Market and get us some wine. The wine refrigerator was looking a bit empty so I stocked up on some goodies. One of our summer favorites is Ironstone Symphony, a slightly sweet white that tastes really good on a hot day. Normally, I’m not a sweet wine drinker, but I do like it in the summer. I got six bottles of wine, two new kitchen towels and some potato chips for less than $60. Man, I love World Market!

That’s really the highlights of my shopping trip. I was all set to throw down some cash in the Puma store at Oak Park, but I really wasn’t that impressed with their selection. Plus, sandal season is in full swing so I wasn’t in the mood for tennis shoes. Still on the hunt for another good pair of casual crops and some interesting new tops. I did try on my share of empire-waist tops until I just resigned myself to the fact they make me look pregnant. I’m already growing weary of the loosey-goosey, hippie-trippie look this summer. Guess I’ll just wear last year’s t-shirts.

Since we have vision insurance (for the first time) and my old glasses were almost 2 years old, I decided to invest in some new frames. I went out of my normal zone and opted for wire frames with rimless bottoms. My philosophy is normally “see me, see my glasses” but I still think these have some punch to them. They seem funky without screaming “fashion victim.” Along with my new glasses comes a new haircut. I was all set to grow it out to a shaggy bob, but lately it has been driving me crazy. Today, right before my appointment, I made the decision to get rid of it. This is the shortest it’s been in about 4 years and I love it. Next Thursday, the transformation will be complete as my stylist Brook will give me really blonde highlights. We’re going all the way, baby!

So, here’s the (almost) new me:

Gentlemen, let me tell you what turns on a woman. It’s not flowers, candy, perfume, diamonds or expensive cars (although none of those hurt). Nope, the key to turning on a woman can be seen below:

Yeah, baby!

As many of you know, I’m a huge fan of Tim Gunn despite the fact he states that women over 40 should not wear crop pants. The man has impeccable taste and style. This morning he was on the Today Show discussing his new book “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Quality, Taste and Style” and also talking about the basics every woman should have in her wardrobe. I thought I’d share these with all of you.

• A trench coat - Every woman should have a trench coat in her closet and I’m embarrassed to say I don’t own one. It’s mainly because I think they’re boring and have not found an interesting one to purchase. Tim states that even patterned trenches have a long shelf life so don’t be afraid of investing in one. Guess I should add it to my KC shopping list.

• Dresses - day and evening. According to Tim, all closets should have a shift dress, a shirt dress and a little black dress. I’m glad I have a body for shift dresses as they are my favorite. I have yet to find a shirt dress I like, but it’s a style I’ve always admired. As for the LBD, I have two. One is linen and one is a very dressy black crepe with a rhinestone buckle. Unfortunately, the crepe one doesn’t fit well right now, but I’m working on it!

• Jeans - This is something we all have in mass quantities. However, Tim states that everyone should have a nice pair in a deep wash that can be dressed up. This includes trouser jeans. I have a favorite pair I invested in and they never fail to gain me compliments when I wear them.

• Handbags - Again this is something most of us have in mass quantities. At least I do. Tim states that the Hobo design is the most versatile and women should look past black and brown to “neutral” colors. Red, orange, green and blue can be great pops of color in a basic wardrobe. My orange purse gets more compliments than any other one I carry. I have a huge line of people waiting for me to give it up so they can have it!

• Shoes - Ok, I have a shoe disorder that forces me to own more pairs than the average person. I’d attend a 12-step program, but I’m sure I’d be tempted to buy a new pair of shoes for every step! Tim suggests ballet flats for day and night, classic pumps, a dressy boot with a heel and flat boots. So, that’s like 5 pairs of shoes?! Yeah, times that by 10 or 20.

• Jewelry - I see a trend here in my own wardrobe with overconsumption of shoes and accessories! However, in my defense, jewelry is my profession so it makes sense that I have a variety. Tim believes in the classic cuff bracelet and I’m inclined to agree. Having never really owned one before, I made one recently and have been wearing it a lot. They are actually quite comfortable. I wore mine all day yesterday while I was working in the studio and it never got in the way. Another basic is a great cocktail ring. Thanks to my loving husband, I have a terrific piece that will suffice in that department.

This weekend my mom, sister and I are meeting in KC for a girl’s shopping weekend. Should be fun as I actually have some money to spend. This, of course, will insure I find nothing on my list! I’m trying to focus more on shopping for things I actually want or need in my wardrobe rather than flitting around and buying things that strike my fancy at any given moment. Knowing I’ll have access to Nordstrom and Sephora means I’ll get to see all the latest goodies on my trip. With this in mind, I’ve started a list and thought I’d share it with you.

• Black casual jacket and chocolate brown casual jacket. It’s amazing how a casual jacket can take an ordinary pair of jeans, khakis or crop pants to a new level. I’ve been looking for a nice style, but everything seems too corporate and stuffy. My favorite jacket right now is a 3/4 sleeve khaki one I got at Old Navy about three years ago. I’d love to find it’s equivalent in black or brown.

• A black tunic with some simple embellishments. Two years or so ago, I had the most wonderful black tunic. It was by Dana Buchman and I found it on sale at 75% off. Even at that discount, it was still pricey, but I soon found out it was worth it. Made of lightweight linen, it had simple embellishments around the neck and draped beautifully. I wore it all the time. Unfortunately, it developed a hole right in the middle of the linen. I was so distraught, I contacted the company to see if anything could be done. Believe it or not, they took it back and sent me a check for the retail amount of the piece less 33% (I told them I got it on sale). They could not replace it because it had been an early spring item and was out of stock. I’ve never forgotten their professionalism on the whole thing. Ever since then, I’ve been on a quest to replace it.

• Yellow patent shoes. I’m so in love with patent this season! Red seems a little predictable so I’m wanting a shot of yellow to go with my black and brown wardrobe. I ordered these from my favorite Birkenstock place in Germany, but I want something a bit dressier. Like a wedge or something. We’ll see what the Nordstrom shoe department has to offer.

• Lucite jewelry. Yep, still on that quest. I did get a really weird and cool bracelet from Kolos Designs but I’d like something clear or frosted. Because Lucite is really just a fancy name for a type of plastic, I don’t want to spend a fortune. I’ll check out the cheap boutiques for something unusual.

• Crop pants. I’ve gone through my existing crop pant inventory and purged all old, worn out pieces. I discovered I have about 5 pair of just denim crops alone, so I’m looking to add something new to the group. Maybe a new style of cargo or an interesting color. I’ll see what the Gap has to offer and go from there.

Have you planned your spring/summer shopping or am I the only crazy one out there? What’s on your list? What new trends do you love/hate?

Suzanne sent this to me which has to be the funniest thing I’ve seen in a long time. I’ve watched it at least six times since I got it a couple of days ago. It’s mostly work appropriate with a couple of curse words in it. Probably nothing harsher than you hear anyway! No f-bombs at least!

Enjoy! Thanks, Suzanne, for the great laugh.

I’ve been reunited with an old friend - granulation. Granulation is a jewelry technique in which tiny spheres or shapes are fused to the surface of the piece. It requires a keen eye as there is a very fine line between fusing and melting the entire piece. I’ve done traditional granulation with the tiny balls (spheres) but became bored with it and frustrated because my pieces had a Byzantine look that didn’t match the rest of my work. Plus, it was just too “precious” looking for me. Fast forward to about two weeks ago when I rediscovered the technique and made it my own. Thanks to some inspiration from granulation god, John Paul Miller, I began granulating using shapes instead of spheres. The results, I think anyway, are very exciting. I’m currently working on a three-tiered brooch with enamel which I will post here when it’s finished. Below are some pieces I did recently. I oxidized the earrings so the shapes would “pop.” I included the quarter so you could get an idea of the size of granuals I’m using.

Tell me what you think! (good or bad)

Who knew a cheese slicer could be so important? I sure didn’t, that is until my beloved cheese slicer bit the dust (or the wire did anyway). My slicer was inherited from my mom who probably bought it in the mid-80s. It was from a local walnut company called Vermillion, where mom used to work. Anyway, this slicer was great. No matter what kind of cheese was put in it, the thing always sliced perfectly. Then the wire broke. Mom said replacement wires could be purchased at a local outlet and Steve managed to nab the last one. He found out from the outlet that these cheese slicers aren’t made anymore so we were dealing with a relic. Steve brought the wire home, we installed it and…it broke. It was about 1/4″ too short. So we were back to nothing. I want to mention here that we’d already bought and returned two very crappy cheese slicers from Bed, Bath and Beyond, and we didn’t like the hand held one we had. So it was eBay to the rescue. A quick search uncovered one cheese slicer, in the box, from Vermillion. It arrived today and it’s so wonderful! Here’s pictures of the old and new slicers. Yep, we’re a cheesy couple and we have the slicer to prove it.

It may be April 14, but I feel like it’s April Fool’s Day. This is what greeted me this morning when I woke up. It’s snowing. In April. Just a few short weeks ago we were sweating in 80 degree weather. Now we have snow. I think Al Gore has something with his global warming theories. This is just weird. And disturbing.