August 3, 2013

Tonight was a surprise party for a dear friend of ours and we got all dressed up just for her!

And shockingly she was TOTALLY surprised!

The invitation said the party was a ' Mad Man ' theme so I thought that meant the 50"s. Apparently what it meant was just to dress up. Good thing I just wore the silhouette and no crazy accessories!

It was a crazy fun party with dinner, dancing, drinking, and fun all under a beautiful tent in Newport.

Happy 60th to Liz!

August 2, 2013

If there is a quilt show in Southern California my mom and I will probably think about attending.

If it is the annual International Quilt Show at the Long Beach Convention Center we will definitely attend.

So that's what my award-winning quilter mom and I did on Friday.

This bright flower quilt was one of my favorites.

Love the composition and the colors.

And if you can wrap your brain around this...each different color you see is a separate piece of fabric HAND STITCHED to the quilt. 

Utterly amazing workmanship and wouldn't this look great on clothing also!

And this goat is a wonderful example of not only great stitching skills but, what fantastic inventive colors  and prints to use! 

It is exactly what Matisse, Picasso and the Impressionists did in their paintings!

And quilts weren't the only things to see.

Check out what this vendor was wearing! ( who says quilters aren't fun )

As usual the show was a visual delight and my brain was over flowing with new ideas, techniques, color combos, etc by the time we left. 

And it was a final good-bye because next year this show is moving to Portland, Oregon :(

I sense a road trip in my future...

Stuff I didn't need to buy close-up

8 antique buttons

4 remnants of Rayon velvet

3 used books on techniques

1 bag of machine bobbins ( these I actually desperately needed )

1 snail pincushion pattern

1 large felted flower necklace ( thanks Mom )

August 1, 2013

Today's outfit was inspired by a pretty little bird I spied while kayaking this morning. 

The little bird had mainly gray and white feathers with a few black and then a bright yellow beak. Nature has the best color combinations.

Accessories Close-up

Scarf I sewed into a circle from some random mall store ( really liked the print and colors )
Summer sandals from DSW
Black enamel bangle from Nordstrom
Silver rings. earrings and ear cuff

July 31, 2013

Almost broke my self-imposed dress code of wearing no blue jeans to work. But, found these navy skinny pants in my closet ( in case it isn't obvious I  have way too many garments ).

And love my new orange vertical AND horizontal stripe blouse.

Accessory Close-up

Favorite blue cloth shoes with metal daisies from Urban Outfitter
Silver rings ( new circle silver ring from Sawdust Festival ), silver earrings and ear cuff
Good luck bracelet ( wards off evil eye ) from Turkey and gift from girlie
Favorite flower brooch from local art fair

July 30, 2013

I swear I pulled this on this morning to wear as a skirt but, in a moment of inspiration ( or stupidity ) yanked it up under my arms and decided to wear it as a dress. Not a great look for my chest.

Accessory Close-up

Blue fabric espadrilles from Aerosoles
Silver bangles, silver rings, silver posts
New silver ear cuff from Sawdust Festival ( may be too old for this )
New funky silver necklace from close out sale at Coldwater Creek outlet in Gilroy

July 29, 2013

Yep, my hairdresser turned me into a redhead! 

Don't bright colors go well with bright hair? LOL

And here is the top and shorts a student made to wear... 

He's kinda nutty, refuses to use a pattern, and I'm pretty sure he has a medical marijuana prescription ( or not ). 

This summer has been anything but dull.

Accessory Close-up

New leather sandals by Tommy Hilfiger from Marshals
Silver bangles
Silver circle necklace from Steinmart
Zipper pull earrings by Marc Jacob and great gift from my girlies

July 27 & 28

You gotta love SoCal. 

One night you're all dressed up and dining at a great restaurant, Rothschild, in Corona Del Mar. 

And the next day you're hiking in the mountains ( okay, actually we wanted to see the damage from a large fire that blazed last week )

Accessory Close-up

Wanted to bring home a couple of these GIANT perfectly shaped pine cones but, they were extremely sappy and my hands were sticky and smelt like pine for hours!