Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

This weekend is WinterFest at Hammon’s Hall - one of my biggest shows of the year. I’m really excited because this year I’ll be on the 2nd floor instead of the 4th so I’m hoping for increased/new traffic. I also have new pieces to show which means my loyal customers will have some new goodies to see. If you’re in the Springfield area and want to get some great Christmas shopping done, stop by the WinterFest event at Hammon’s Hall located on the corner of Cherry and Hammon’s Parkway near MSU. Admission is free. Come see me!

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When I was a kid, one of my favorite things about Christmas was listening to the music on our record player. Yes, Christmas music on vinyl. As many of you know, I’m a collector of vinyl and have been working on my Christmas music collection for several months now. My goal is to own all the albums I had as a kid since many aren’t available in any form. Today I decided to take the “cover art only” albums and change out all my frames for the holiday season. I had several copies of some of my favorites so I’d have a good LP to play and a bad one for framing purposes. It was when I was framing the back room albums that things got freaky. There, in the top left-hand corner of the back of the album, was my mom’s writing and the word “taped.” I remember, sometime in the early 80s, when we got a new-fangled cassette player and mom converted all the albums to tape. Being her usual organized (and slightly anal-rententive) self, she’d written on the back that the LP had been taped. I immediately called her and we had an “I can’t believe it” moment over the phone. Of course I then called Steve and my sister to tell them the same thing. Turns out my beloved album had come home. Later this afternoon I started going through all my other albums and gathering all the Christmas selections to place next to the turntable. I uncovered another stash of LPs like the ones we’d had growing up. I turned them over and, in the top left-hand corner, mom had written “taped” on these as well. Now I had four wonderful pieces of my childhood back in my life. What a warm feeling it is to know I have these even if they are in terrible shape for playing. I guess it’s true that if you love something and set it free (or have a garage sale and sell it) that it will someday return to you!

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I’m not one to get involved in the shopping frenzy of Black Friday. Matter of fact, Steve’s the one in the family to get up before the crack of dawn and stand in line for the craziness. This year, however, I caved. As the hours of store openings get earlier and earlier, it’s no wonder someone decided that opening at 12:01 a.m. was a good idea. Fueled by some wine, cheese and coffee, my sister and I decided to participate in the madness at a local mall. Apparently, 35,000 other people thought it was a good idea too. It would have been tolerable had all the stores opened for the event but, as luck would have it, the stores we wanted to shop were closed and wouldn’t open until around 9 a.m. 45 minutes later, we were back in the car and almost home. What a bust, but a lesson learned to not get involved in the marketing gimmicks of the season. Steve and Blair, on the other hand, got up at 5 a.m. to hit their geeky destinations and had no problems with crowds or merchandise. They were done in no time with all their shopping items in hand.

Next year I’m staying home where the only craziness is my family. And I can handle that!

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Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Besides my husband, family, friends and good health, I’m thankful the weather is finally cold. Ok, I know I’m weird but if you read this blog regularly you know that too.

I hope everyone has a wonderful day and is able to spend time with those they love. I’ve spent the morning playing with my adorable nieces, eating a great breakfast my sister prepared and talking music with my brother-in-law. Yep, it’s a great day. Now I have to go and watch the Thanksgiving Day parade!

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and nowhere to go. Last night’s event was a bit uneventful as our companions were sidelined by illness. Prudy called around 1 pm to say she wasn’t feeling well. We’d planned to meet early for drinks and sushi then go to the Festival of Trees event. She said she was going home and that the three of us should go without her. Duane met us for drinks, but said he was going home to check on her and would try to meet up with us later. Unfortunately, Prudy was very sick and he stayed home to take care of her. Steve and I thought we’d make the most of the evening without our friends so we went on to the party. Besides, we looked good so why not show it off?!

The event was a disappointment. First of all, people do not know how to get dressed up for an occasion. I was appalled to see jeans (torn ones at that), cotton sweaters more suitable for day, and very few dresses. I’m not trying to be a clothing snob here, but it saddens me how sloppy people are becoming. Attend any event (church, opera, play) and you’ll see a complete lack of style and chicness. Naturally, I was pleased with my ensemble and Steve looked great too, but I felt like I could have come in jeans and a jacket and been fine (and more comfortable considering the height of my heels). But I won’t compromise. I’d rather be slightly overdressed than underdressed and, since I spend most of my time in jeans, a dress is a nice change. The event itself lacked the punch it’s had in previous years. Attendance was down, donations to the silent auction were down and it just wasn’t as fun. The food, however, was fantastic! Italian chef Nicola Gilardi created a wonderful feast for the event. It’s been years since we’ve eaten at Gilardi’s Ristorante and I told Steve I was ready to return. Plus, seeing Nicola and his wife Monica was a lot of fun. After a delicious sampling, some free wine and a few trips around the silent auction Steve and I decided we were done. We went home, changed into some comfy clothes and watched our TiVo shows. Not quite the exciting evening I had planned, but it was nice to dress up and go out on a date with my hubby. As promised, here’s a picture of my final outfit. You can’t see the details in the dress, but I was happy with my look and received many compliments on it.

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Well, it looks like we’re going to party tomorrow night which can only mean one thing: time to plan the outfit. A couple of weeks ago I bought a brocade dress and was planning to do a 60s inspired outfit a la “Factory Girl.” However, I’ve since come to the realization that brocade and big boobs just aren’t meant to be together. I look too puffed out in it despite a good fit. I found a black dress at Banana Republic which seems a little boring, but it has a wrap top, gives me a waist and is very va-va-voom (according to Steve anyway). I’m going to take a cue from one of my favorite new tv shows, Mad Men and give it a 60s feel with vintage rhinestone jewelry. You’re probably wondering why I seem obsessed with the idea of creating an outfit that looks like it’s from another era. Well, I guess I just have a love for all things from the 60s and 70s and I adore vintage clothing. Since we don’t have a decent place to shop for nice vintage clothes, not to mention they probably wouldn’t fit me anyway, I just create my own looks. I want to have a unique style. So I’m taking this simple, yet stunning, black dress, adding sparkly jewelry, black opaque hose and red patent stilettos. Now all I have to do is find the perfect clutch. That’s today’s project.

Tomorrow, the makeup divas at the MAC counter will complete my look. I’m probably going to ask for a champagne eyeshadow with black liner and red lips. I promise to get some pictures of the whole thing!

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This whole global warming thing is really getting on my nerves. Today it’s in the 70s and our nighttime lows are closer to the normal highs for this time of year. It’s all so depressing. I really don’t know what’s worse: the warmer weather, or listening to people crow about how great it is. It’s not great; it’s completely abnormal! Then again, I’m one of those weird people who get depressed in the summer and happy in the winter. Call me crazy. I’ve been called worse.

Pretty soon we’re going to have to rewrite all the lyrics to our favorite Christmas songs. Instead of “walking in a winter wonderland” we’ll be “walking with our bare feet in the sand.” Somehow I just don’t think Christmas lights look as good on palm trees as they do on pine trees. Plus, I don’t want to sip iced tea instead of hot cider. Guess I’d better get started doing my part to make sure the warming trend stops. Have you recycled today?

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Happy birthday to my mommy! She turns…older today. Through the years we’ve had our differences but always loved each other. I’m sure I wasn’t a complete joy to raise, but she managed to love, support and accept me unconditionally. Mom taught me to always write “thank you” notes, enjoy a good joke (especially puns), to admit when I’ve done something wrong then get over it, to respect others, and to vote Democrat (ok, that’s a joke). Mom’s always been a great supporter of my work - especially when I left the “real world” work force to become a metalsmith.

Thanks for everything mom! I hope you have a wonderful birthday today and many, many more!

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Curiosity got the best of me and I ventured to Kohl’s to see the latest designer to hit the mainstream market - Vera Wang. Known for her stylish romantic wedding gowns (at staggering prices), I was hoping her design-for-the-masses line would reflect the quality and taste of her couture wear. I was incredibly disappointed. For starters, I didn’t care much for the creations themselves. Voluminous dresses aside, the quality of the material was horrible. Satin, even in its cheapest state, should drape and hang nicely, not stick out and look rough. Her wool polo-style sweater with jeweled buttons was already pilling just from being handled on the rack. If it’s going to pill in the store, it’s going to be a real mess the first time I wear it. I did find a 3/4 length sleeve knit jacket with satin trim that had possibilities so I thought I should try it on and see how it was in real life. The large was actually a bit too big, but told me all I needed to know about the piece: it didn’t fit well. The placket, which closed with two oversized snaps, didn’t lay flat and looked like it was pulling despite the fact the jacket was too big. And none of these pieces were cheap. One dress was $98 and wasn’t lined, had no seaming, and sported a big metal zipper in the back - ugh! Ms. Wang needs to call Isaac Mizrahi to get advice on how to create stylish, quality pieces at lower prices. I’ve purchased several of his pieces at Target throughout the years and have never been disappointed. Matter of fact, I think I’ll get out my IM black satin tuxedo and wear it again this year. It’s a classic style that never fails to get me compliments. And the whole thing was less than $80!

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All I want is a nice set of flannel sheets in a cool print. Is that too much to ask? Apparently, it is. Last year I found a really great set of flannel sheets at TJ Maxx. They are cream with orange and maroon circles all over them creating a modern look. Alas, while the pattern and colors are perfect, the top sheet appears to be made for a bed slightly smaller than ours. I’ve scoured the Internet, searched all the usual retail suspects locally, and even went to K-Mart, but to no avail. If anyone knows of any sources for modern printed flannel sheets, please let me know. Until then, Steve and I will be playing tug-of-war with the top sheet on our bed!

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