MeadowTree Perspectives

Creativity and the Garden

My mantra is to celebrate creativity. My husband, Michael, finds his creativity in his expansive garden. It’s time to share one of my favorite things he has grown this year. I asked him to find me a great spicy, but not hot, radish and so he did! He grew the French Breakfast Radish and I love it!

I have chopped these up and served them as a condiment with our scrambled eggs in the morning. One evening, I even sliced them and threw them into a tofu stir fry and they were delicious. I’ve read that enthusiasts even spread butter and salt on them, but I haven’t tried that yet.

They are a wonderful bright pink and white with bright green foliage. We have read that the leafy part is very good for you also.

French Breakfast Radishes grow very quickly. Pick them small because if they grow to big they become hollow in the center. Having the hollow makes me wonder what they would taste like with a little creme cheese in the center?

Seeds for the French Breakfast can probably be found at the local home store, such as Home Depot or Lowes. Michael usually orders his. His favorite online seed suppliers are Johnny‘s Selected Seeds and Pinetree if you would like to check them out.

Happy gardening and creative eating. I will see you Sunday with my regular style post.

Wearing The Summer Whites

I’ve submitted this style and blog post for the Style Imitates Art challenge. This was a fun post to revisit and I have updated my story a bit.

Mada Primavesi by Gustav Klimt — The challenge was *Mada Primivesi* by Gustav Klimt. My first reaction to the painting was her white dress, the lightness and the airiness of the painting. I immediately thought of this blog post with my all white style.

Have you been to a summer white party? Last weekend I attended my first as the +1 with my daughter Michelle. The occasion marked the 15th year celebration of Oasis Salon and Day Spa, one of the premier spas in Joplin and the “four state area.”

Another first for me was styling an all white look. Admittedly, not totally white, because I used metallic accessories. Rather than a dress, I opted for pants, cami and this wonderful floating white over top. Could you call it a summer poncho?

My pants are 95% Cotton/5% Spandex bi-stretch Meronas from Target and they are new. I’ve been hunting from some slim line white pants and I liked the look of these. However (and this is nothing new), I had to take them in through the thighs.

My thrifted under knit top is 65% Viscose and 35% nylon. It is my Cami substitute. It has wider shoulder straps so my bra straps won’t show and goes well under jackets and my topper.

I am saving the best for last. What do you think of my topper? I feel as if I am floating when I wear it. It is designed by Rachel Anne Gottlieb who at one time lived in Kansas City. I first saw it on her IG feed. The original styling for it wasn’t anywhere near how I could or would wear it, but I immediately saw its possibilities.

The designer moved back to New York and seems to have dropped off the face of the earth. I’m happy that I have this one piece. It’s so simple in design but at the same time very effective in how it moves.

Wrapping up my look will be the accessories I chose. My strappy silver metallic sandals are Bandolinos (eBay) and the clutch is a vintage Koret (eBay). I am guessing that it may be from the eighties. It does have a strap which I can use or remove. Originally, I wanted to collect vintage Koret bags, but then discovered Rodo of Italy, and they have been my vintage bag of choice for the last seven years.

As far as the jewelry, the chunky acrylic bracelet was a find on Ruby Lane. I haven’t gotten a lot from the shops there but loved this bracelet. I did have to re-tighten the elastic and probably will have to replace it someday. The rest of my jewelry are here and there things.

Michelle’s Interpretation for the White Party

MichelleSitting — **Michelle drafted her dress pattern based on her Crafty class “The Ultimate T-shirt.” It has a slight asymmetrical cut to it.**

Closeup Time-Michelle is wearing
Milani Powder Blush 01 Romantic Rose, Everyday Eyeshadow Collection 04 Plum Basics and Amore Mattallics Lip Creme 08 Raving Matte

I was happy when I learned she was wearing Milani. That has always been one of my favorite brands. They have the Leaping Bunny certification (definitely cruelty free) and I can get it at my CVS.

Another view of my three piece

Another photo demonstrating the lightness of this piece

Toasting 15 years with blue sparkly

Michelle with her Message Therapist, Feriyal. I loved Feriyal’s peekaboo chiffon midriff.

I love good stories and this has to be one. Fifteen years ago, the three ladies below; two sisters and their grandmother, decided to go into business with each other. From seeing what Oasis has turned into, these three make an incredible team.


From left to right: Adrian Petticrew, Darlene Shepherd, and Aubree Templeman the visionaries and owners of Oasis

The evening finally came to an end and we had to say goodbye, but what a fun evening! That’s a very nice looking car but it isn’t ours.

And one more view of my topper. It just floats when you move and the only way to show it was to do a little “cat walk”.

The link to my video on YouTube.

I’ve updated this post because things can change in four years. What hasn’t changed is that I still have my floating top, and still wear those Merona pants-they were just in a post this summer (2020). I’ve already mentioned that the designer has vanished from social media. Oasis seems to be doing great with a gorgeous web presence.

It’s hard to believe that this event was four years ago. It seems like yesterday and Michelle and I had so much fun.

This post was transferred over from my Blogger site when I set up my new WordPress account. There’s some visual technical problems that I just can’t seem to edit out. Please forgive for that. Now, for something new…

A Year Later and Another Interpretation

Frontartview — For this time around, I chose a black tank top, black stretch pants that were made by me, a pair of vintage Olivia Rose Tal wedges, a vintage Rodo bag and a lace pin created for me by my daughter Rachelle.

During the summer of 2017, for an art show of my daughter Rachelle, I found a different way to wear my top.

checking — This photo shows how transparent and light the top is. Being a knit, the edge isn’t even hemmed. Knits don’t ravel like woven fabrics do. Whatever Rachelle had on her phone, we were sure interested in!

I’ll have to admit, three years ago was the last time I had this top on……maybe someday in the future I will find a special event and take it for another spin.

That’s all and I hope you’ve enjoyed this trip down memory lane with me.

Black, White, Red and Tabby Yellow

I think you can’t go wrong with stripes. When Catherine of Not Dressed Like Lamb decided to feature stripes this week, I knew I was in. This outfit was already in the works for a unit meeting of my retired teachers association. The timing was prefect.

Also, Sylvia of 40+ Style discussed how to wear white accessories and wanted to know our opinion on the matter. I think my look today makes my opinion clear. I grew up with white for the summer and never stopped appreciating its crisp look. I know some of the younger ladies have a hard time dealing with white (I did get some feedback on the 40+ community) but my attitude is if you like and feel comfortable in something, do it. If you don’t, that’s OK too.

I think you can see where the Tabby Yellow comes into play. We have quite a photo bomber!

My top is a 100 % cotton black and white stripped knit by Liz Claiborne. This top has been a staple in my spring/summer wardrobe for at least eight years. I have worn it with everything from blue jeans, black pants, white capris, and now bright red jeans.

These jeans are Skinnys Skinnys by Madewell and I found them on eBay. I bought my first pair from Madewell, but once I figured out my size, I was confident in purchasing a pair without trying them on. This intense red is a new color for me and I love it, at least in jeans.

Now to the white. My white wedge sandals are Clarks’ Artesian (eBay). There’s scallops, studs and an interesting configuration of the straps. They were a pair of shoes that I really didn’t need but really needed. I already had white sandals, but nothing as neat as these.

Next up for discussion is my Yves St. Laurent Downtown bag. This bag was a pretty big step for me. I had always wanted a better, or I guess you could say a luxury, bag. I went to Yoogi’s Closet and started investigating different designers last fall. I picked an online consignment shop with a good reputation that backs up their items. Even used, these bags are not cheap and I just don’t feel knowledgeable enough to spot a fake (as on eBay). I would rather save my money up a tad longer and take the safer route. Yoogi’s Closet usually has a 15% sale at the end of the month on all of their “Sale” category items. That’s where my bag was.

Why YSL and why white (the color is more of a winter white)?

Around 1966, I saw my first Yves St. Laurent sketch in the Sunday style section of the Kansas City Star. His lines were so simple but so beautiful. I immediately fell in love with fashion, YSL and, of course, wanted to be a fashion designer. As far as the white, I just wanted a white bag and felt it was right for me.

White does take extra care, but I know I am willing to take the time, and make sure my bag gets tender loving care. This bag makes me happy and I finally get to have something of my designing hero. Yves St. Laurent passed away June 1, 2008 and the company now has dropped the Yves and just goes by St. Laurent.

I added a modern necklace for this look.

More stripes with my bangle. I just thrifted this one about a couple of weeks ago. I also added a simple silver bangle (from my local drug store’s gift shop) and a white ring that I picked up at Act II, a Kansas City consignment shop.

The Polish Story

What you see with this look is OPI’s Lunch At the Delhi from their 2008 India collection, which I think is one of their more stellar efforts. I didn’t even do my nails back then and certainly had never heard of OPI. I carefully scan eBay and Amazon for what I think are authentic OPI polishes and slowly add them. There is one from this collection that I will probably never have. Royal Raja Ruby is running about $45-50 dollars; a bit to rich for my blood.

I think this wraps up this one-look post. Do you wear strips? And does anyone else accent their color palette with nail polish? And then there is the big question: Do you feel comfortable wearing white as an accessory, such as shoes or a bag?

Next week will be more white, because I am going to blog about a summer fete where we had to wear white. It was so much fun! So until then, take care.

This week, I am linking up with Patti’s Not Dead Yet Style’s Visible Monday HERE, Cherie’s Style Nudge’s Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine’s Not Dressed As Lamb’s I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace’s Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine’s Style Perspectives HERE, High Altitude Style’s Link-Up, Fashion Should Be Fun’s Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE, Shelbee’s Edge of the Week Link Up HERE and Nancy’s Fancy Friday HERE.

Just for fun, one of Yves St. Laurent’s 1966 sketches.

5 Days-6 Ways; Shopping My Closet

Last week, I tried a new experience. It was hectic but fun. I joined the second week of Sylvia Van De Logt’s 40+ Style’s Casual Style Challenge. The first week completely passed me by. I didn’t realize what was going on at first. But once I did, I jumped in!

Before I even started, I made a pledge to myself that I would only shop from my closet. For the most part, this worked out fine. With one look, I did stretch things a bit. We were given the option to substitute items if needed and many ladies did (including me). So let’s get started. First off, we were sent a 9 piece capsule wardrobe. They were:

Bottoms

1. White ankle pants-I used my white White House/Black Market
    jeans that I thrifted last summer.
2. Chinos-I used a pair of thrifted Gap chinos that I altered into a
    slim leg-they were originally quite flared.
3. Denim skirt-I haven’t wanted to wear a denim skirt since ’99.
    So, I substituted with an asymmetrical Tomboy of Kansas City skirt, and a white knee length cotton straight skirt.

Tops

4. Printed cotton top in a bright color-I used a flowered Style and

Company blouse from Macy’s.

5. Printed bomber jacket-don’t have one, don’t want one so I

did a substitution on this one. Will explain later.

6. Sheer flower blouse-This was already used in week one so although I did have something that worked, I didn’t need to use it.

7. Camisole-I used a modified camisole that had wider straps.

8. Asymmetrical top-I used a knit top that I got from my friend

Sheree’s Looks Like Carolina Boutique.

9. White blouse-I used a 100% Linen Cherokee blouse that I

actually found at the Harrisonville Trade Fair–sort of a weird

place to find a brand new blouse.

We were given the option to add one extra piece which I did right off the bat for Day One. So here we go……………….

Day One-Pair a printed blouse with a denim skirt or another owned skirt.

The added suggestions were to add wedge shoes, romantic jewelry and no more than three or four colors. I paired a 100% polyester grey and pink jersey top with a knee-length white cotton skirt. Again, this top was thrifted. Usually, this style doesn’t look good on me, but I feel this top does and I wear it a lot in the summer. Where I got the skirt is a mystery to me, I can’t remember.

I chose shoes of a pale leaning toward neutral: Ellen Tracy shoes and a Big Buddha Bag of the same tone (both TJ Maxx). I liked the romantic take on the jewelry and used a pearl and silver chain Stella and Dot necklace (eBay) and a pearl motif buckle shaped bangle (Adrian Kriestler Drugs) with a mother-of-pearl silver ring (TJ Maxx).

Day Two-Pair an asymmetrical top with white pants.

I had already put this top away with my Fall/Spring clothes. The taupe top is 100% stretch rayon made in the USA. It has long sleeves but I just scrunched them up (I do that a lot). I let the tan and white of my main pieces dictate what accessories I used. The Ann Kline perforated cork wedges (eBay) are edged with white patent leather and these led to the choice of the laser cut white Rebecca Minkoff MAC bag (eBay), My jewelry is collected from everywhere throughout the years and falls into the wood, seed and paper category. But I would like to point out my purple-rolled paper necklace. I purchased it through Project Lydia, a Fair Trade non-profit that helps women to become self-employed and independent.

I need to acknowledge the other model in the photo. Bennett, our 11 year-old Black Lab wanted in the picture that day and who could tall him no.

Day Three-Pair a denim skirt with a white blouse

Rather than a denim skirt, I chose my Tomboy Design of Kansas City’s by Laura McGrew asymmetrical cotton knit skirt. It is super comfy and makes me happy.

I paired it with the white linen blouse tied at the waist. I stayed with a denim look with some Tahari light blue linen chunky heeled sandals (TJ Maxx) and continued the blue with my Eric Javit’s bag (eBay). For pops of color, I added a red and bronze necklace, a multi colored modern bracelet (both from art museum gift shops) and red Zoya Pixie Dust nail polish. I pretty much always use nail polish to complete the color palette of what I am wearing.

Day Four-Pair a printed blouse (red was suggested) with a pair of Khaki pants.

I ended up doing two looks for this day. The one on the left is the “official” one. I have my one and only flower printed blouse (Style and Co. at Macy’s) and purchased it because of its lines. It has gathered panels and is very slenderizing. The khaki pants are from The Gap. I altered the legs after I thrifted them as mentioned.

I added my Liz Claiborne belt (have had it for 30 years), a Michael Kors straw bag, and some Liz Claiborne four-textured wedges with wood and tortoise shell jewelry.

Stalking under my handbag is JayJay, a tiger cat who just showed up and adopted us. Today he decided he needed to be an accessory for me.

The right photo is my extra look. I think anything in these two photos could be interchanged easily. I added this look because this is a red blouse 100% cotton (thrifted) as suggested. There isn’t a tag in this shirt, just made in India.

I paired it with my Vera Wang for Kohls cuffed capris. The accessories include my go-everywhere hat when I don’t want sun. It’s been with me for 26 years. The sandals are Minnetonka from our local farm and home store, and the little cross-body camera bag has no label and has been with me for as long as the hat.

Day Five-Pair white pants and white blouse with a bomber jacket

I don’t own a bomber jacket and remember that I was only shopping my closet. I had to reach pretty far back into the closet archives to even come close for this one.

I did some research and found that my favorite bomber jackets were Asian inspired. Imagine that (I am referencing my last style post here)! I pulled a dragon-embroidered men’s shirt that my daughter Rachelle bought back in the Summer of ’99. She didn’t want it anymore and I just couldn’t let it go. I was always going to do something with it. What that something is, I still have no idea.

For this look, I temporarily hemmed it up a lot because it’s a very long shirt. I think it makes a nice boxy jacket, but I’m not committing to that idea yet.

With it , I paired my yet to be used white camisole and white pants and let them dictate the black and white theme for the accessories. The black, white and silver flats are by Nine West (TJ Maxx), as is the bag. The bag came from Nine West’s online outlet store site. I wished I had read the measurements a bit better on this bag. It was described as a bucket bag. They should have added “…it’s big enough to put oats in to feed your horse oats..”! It really is huge. The black and silver jewelry are pieces I have picked up over the years and quite frankly, sometimes I forget where I get things. We are talking a few decades of collecting.

That covers my busy styling week. Would I do something like this again? Probably, yes. Kudos to the ladies that did both weeks. I think one was plenty for me. This was a fun problem-solving exercise. For me, that’s what makes fashion fun: “I have this and what can I put it with”?, or “I am going here and what would be appropriate”?

This is the end. But, I have another small post coming tomorrow! It’s a combination of Not Dressed as Lamb’s challenge for Monday and Sylvia’s latest newsletter.

I hope you have enjoyed this long, long post. What’s new about that, right? This one really demonstrated how I shop. I look everywhere, even at my farm and home store. I discovered thrift shopping as a hobby last summer. There’s such a challenge in it. I love the hunt for a great piece, even if it means that I have to alter it a tad. Another one of my favorites is eBay but I only look for brands I am very familiar with and I am extra careful with purchasing bags. There are so many fakes with the really popular bags. I will discuss that a little tomorrow.

Take care-well, I guess until tomorrow!

This week, I am linking up with Patti’s Not Dead Yet Style’s Visible Monday HERE, Cherie’s Style Nudge’s Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine’s Not Dressed As Lamb’s I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace’s Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine’s Style Perspectives HERE, Sydney’s Fashion Hunter’s Fresh Fashion Forum HERE, High Altitude Style’s Link-Up, Fashion Should Be Fun’s Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE, Shelbee’s Edge of the Week Link Up HERE and Nancy’s Fancy Friday HERE and finally July’s My Refined Style.

Me, the Looking Glass and Chanel-

Last Tuesday was my first workshop as a Kansas City Blog Guild member. And what a workshop it was! Macy’s of Town Center and CHANEL teamed together so we could learn about and experience the CHANEL line.

Our instructor/makeup artist, Rence, demonstrating the correct way to put on moisturizer.

I do a lot of things well, but I have always muddled through my makeup. Thanks to our makeup artist/instructor Rence, the muddle became much clearer!

What did I learn? Heavens, where to start. First, I learned how to tight line my eyelids. It turns out that this is very important to someone with eyes like mine. I am a “double whammy” lady with hooded and extremely recessed eyes. Tight lining is the first step in making my eyes stand out better.

CHANEL’S Tight Liner for the eyes reminds me a a good watercolor brush; soft and very responsive to the touch. This will always now be in my makeup arsenal.

Eye shadow is the second step in bringing out eyes. It’s such an easy concept, but I had never thought about it. Rence demonstrated how to apply eye shadow to create a more opened eye. As an Art Teacher, I knew that light colors advance and dark colors recede. But I never translated that rule for my eye lids!

First, a light base color is applied to the whole eyelid. Then the darker shadow is applied on the outer third of the eye. This is so easy and makes so much sense. I am thinking if you want a crease line, make it a little higher to further open the eye up.

I don’t think you need false eyelashes when you have CHANEL’S Nourishing Mascara Base and Mascara. The combination of these two make for incredible lashes. I have never seen my lashes look this great!

Le Lift before you even start. Le Lift for the eyes is an incredible creme that shows immediate effect in lessening wrinkles and bags. I saw the results on my own eyes when I was at the workshop. Until the research on second skin becomes a reality, I think this will work for me. It’s expensive, but when Rence showed us how little you use, I worked the math and it comes to 27 cents a day. Not too bad, when you look at it that way (it’s about $100 jar).

Members of the Kansas City Blog Guild trying out Chanel’s makeup and skin care products

Before I leave, I have to say something about CHANEL’S CC Cream. I regularly use CC cream and have for quite a while and have never experienced anything like Chanel’s. First of all, it has a
SPF of 50. I don’t think I’ve previously seen or at least used any that was over 30. And it just made my skin look dewy and radiant. Bottom line, I was amazed.

I pulled this from CHANEL’S site. I afraid we didn’t get any free samples of this one.

Can you tell that I had a great time? I loved this workshop and learned so much. I was not alone. I love playing with brushes to begin with and to be able to put art theory with makeup was just wonderful. I felt it was an art class for adults!

Goody Bag!

What’s a workshop without a goody bag. CHANEL was generous and I have been using my CHANEL samples regularly and will make room in my budget for my favorites. As much as I love perfume, the Coco fragrance is a nice addition to my perfume collection.

That’s it for this time. I will see you next Sunday when I do my regular style post. This one was just something extra. I wanted to share my first workshop experience and these wonderful makeup and skin care products. I didn’t even get into the eye shadows we tried and the lip products. Yes, they were equally wonderful also. When I was nail blogging, I always felt that the CHANEL polishes were the Holy Grail of the polish world. Now, I am thinking the same is true of their makeup and skincare line.

It didn’t seem right to have a post about makeup and skin care without showing my face.

I will add that I am wearing CHANEL’s Vitalumiére Aqua in 30 Beige as my foundation and my new eyes.

Take care,

The Elegant Haori

Years ago, I was hunting for a Kimono on eBay. After developing a Japanese Kimono unit for my 5th grade art students, I thought it would be nice to have a genuine Kimono to show them. It’s not that I lacked an abundance of reference materials already: a PowerPoint, handouts of Kimono motifs I had put together, part of an Obi sash and samples of vintage Kimono silk. I tend to go overboard and thought the Kimono would be a nice touch.

After seeing the prices of the Kimonos I liked, I decided that my students were doing just fine with what they had; however, a couple of Haoris caught my eye. I was in love and the prices were right, so I had to have a least one (which over the years has lead to three).

So, what is a Haori? A Haori was worn over the Kimono for extra warmth. Both the Haori and its lining are typically silk. It is used in Western wear as an elegant addition to one’s wardrobe. That’s me all over and I have worn Haoris to art openings and the ballet.

When I wear a Haori, I try to keep the under layer a single color. In this look, I have added black slim pants from Mango and a black sequin tank top that I picked up at our local farm and home store. Yes, you read it right. You never know where you are going to find style!

A challenge with the Haori is finding a bag that works. With the longer sleeves, I feel cross-over or shoulder bags don’t work. You could wear a small crossover the same color of you pants and top under the Haori, but I think it is easier to just work with a clutch. I have my perfect little clutch in the above photo. It’s a wonderful little art deco inspired vintage metal bag from Rodo of Italy. But the obvious snafu is that my smart phone won’t fit in it. I have considered hand stitching a pocket to the inside of my Haori to accommodate my phone and will probably add this in the future.

I keep my jewelry simple. This stone piece reminds me of a Japanese brush painting and was a lucky thrift shop find. My earrings are Asian inspired and are some of the pieces that I have picked up at Museum gift shops.

I did a still life because it is hard to see my shoes, which are black textured D’Orsay sandals and face it, I just like doing still-lifes. You can also see that my bag does have a chain so it doesn’t always have to be a clutch. I also wanted to point out my Black Onyx bracelet. My daughter Rachelle made it for me as a birthday present and those kinds of things always become my favorites.

Zero Waste

A popular subject on some of the podcasts that I listen to is the Zero Waste movement. Books are written on the subject and a few designers strive to create zero waste designs. There is a good episode from American Fashion Podcast that is a great introduction to this movement. It is 089 Zero Waste Fashion For the Gold. I highly recommend it.

Where am I going with this? I am trying to make the point that traditional Japanese garments have always been zero waste designs. Every bit of fabric is used in the garment. I have scanned a page from my book Make Your Own Japanese Clothes by John Marshall to demonstrate the point

I’ve owned this book long before there was eBay. Little did I know when I bought it that in the future I could easily get original garments from Japan. This book is still published and can be purchased through Amazon.

The Polish

This part probably should be called “My Life With Zoya,” because that seems to be all that I have been wearing lately. This week is no different. I’m wearing one of Zoya’s Pixie Dusts, Miranda. Miranda is a deep pink. The Miranda that you are looking at is layered on top of Zoya’s Aster and the result is a darker violet leaning pink. That’s why I love this polish thing!

This is it for today. I hope you enjoyed my modern take on wearing a traditional piece of clothing. With shipping, a Haori will run you about $25 and takes about two to three weeks to get. I think that price is amazing and I don’t mind the wait. It you do the eBay thing, just type in Kimono or Haori and they will pop up. Happy shopping and take care.

Today, I am linking up with Patti’s Not Dead Yet Style’s Visible Monday HERE, Cherie’s Style Nudge’s Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine’s Not Dressed As Lamb’s I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace’s Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Shopping My Closet’s Style Me Wednesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine’s Style Perspectives HERE, Sydney’s Fashion Hunter’s Fresh Fashion Forum HERE, High Altitude Style’s Link-Up, Fashion Should Be Fun’s Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE and Style Diary By Osy’s Friday Link Up Party HERE.

P.S. Here’s the bag I carried with it last time. It’s another Rodo and I can only use it with warmer weather, but I can get everything in it.
Until next time…

Spring Has Finally Sprung and Its Time For Some Straw

Spring and Summer are finally here! They seem to have come upon us together in the Heartland, because it seems to me that the last two months have been pretty chilly.

With that said, happy June and hello to this month’s Hat Attack. This is my sixth month of doing Hat Attack and that is a small mile stone for me. Originally, I wanted to do Judith’s Hat Attack soooo badly, so I started this style blogging and have had such a great time doing it.

With the warm weather, it was time to bring out my straw. Today’s look is centered around mixing straw textures of different color. The snafu with today’s shots is that you can’t see my feet! I’ve made up for it below with one of my still life shots.

There is a problem with great days like we are having. My in-house photographer (a.k.a as Michael the hubby) would rather be in his garden than anywhere else. I decided to be a nice wife and bring the camera and I to him. So we have this beautiful green backdrop in front of the Wisteria, but after downloading the photos, I realized that his taller garden grass and shoes don’t mix well.

This look started when I had just found this “new to me” apostrophe jacket on my Friday night “thrift hunt”. I am not sure what I had planned for this post, but when I saw this jacket, everything went out the window.

The material is a 98% Cotton / 2 % Spandex and has a free flowing window pane type of design with off-white, black and grey. Gee, this goes with about 90% of my wardrobe. The jacket is a smock design with darts in the front, back and bottom of the bracelet length sleeves. And bracelet length sleeves are one of my favorites, because, as the name implies, you can show off your bracelets!

A back view, to show the slits I put in the back of my capris. Read below for more about that.

And now to the other choices I made for this look. I was drawn to this particular straw Fedora, because a Fedora always has a masculine flair about it, yet the large straw bow just sort of thumbs its nose at that notion. I picked it up at my favorite KC hat store Exclusively For You.

The four textured sandals from Liz Claiborne picks up on the textures where the hat leaves off. With jute, suede cloth, straw and vegan leather, they manage to tie it all together with the the neutral tones. I wear them a lot.

The bag is one of my Eric Javits eBay purchases. This is one of his smaller Squishee bags. Again, a straw texture. I love Javits bags for the summer. This one is such a “ladies who lunch bag”.

The jewelry is silver. There was a time when I was really a purist and would not mix gold with silver. Those days are over. I wear whatever with whatever, whenever — as long as I feel that they can play nicely together.

Now you can see the shoes

Now on to my capris, which I made. I used Vogue 2948, which is discontinued, unfortunately. I like this pattern because it has princess seaming, and for us who have no fannies, princess seam pants are great for getting a good fit. This point brings up something else. The reason I have always sewn is that my body is a very hard fit. Besides making original looks from scratch, it’s nice to have skills to alter something off the rack (which is about 95% of the time when it comes to dresses).

The fabric is 100% Linen and I got it online from Vogue Fabrics out of Chicago. As I alluded to in the back view photo, I did change the pattern a tad. The pattern does not show a Capri style, so I just made them shorter and for some reason, I decided I needed slits up the back. A whim of the moment, I suppose.

I made a top for my pants using another Vogue Options pattern (also princess seaming), and I found this photo from last summer to show you both pieces together. Wow, my hair was so blond. I started going natural back in February and think I have more of a mixed blond/silver tone now.

At a Claire McCaskill book signing through KC’s Rainy Day Books

A scan of my pattern. I really want some pants like the sketch. Oh, I need so much more time!

I found one other princess seamed pants if someone was interested in trying to make a pair. I would first search eBay and ETSY for the original pattern because it is out there. These by Burda look a little more time consuming than my pattern. But, wow, they are stylish. It’s a PDF so there would be a lot of taping together after you downloaded it.

Did I mention I made these pants twice? I made the longer version (as the pattern) in a 100% Linen black/white plaid that I purchased at a beloved but “oh, no more” fabric store Cy Rudnicks that was located in Kansas City. I need to do a styling with my longer version this Fall because I wear them all the time.

And Then There Is the Polish…………

I have to show you Zoya’s Aster from their 2016 Spring Petals collection. This is another winner. It’s Periwinkle (one of my favorite polish tones) with flecks of fuchsia. You can’t get more Spring than that!

I will say goodbye for now. This was suppose to be a short post, but, by the time I talk about styling, sewing and my beloved Zoya, perhaps short posts just aren’t in my future. Well, I hope you enjoyed it.

Take care until we meet again. I will be back around the same time next week. I usually publish on Sunday afternoons.

This week, I am linking up with Judith of Style Crone’s Hat Attack HERE, Patti’s Not Dead Yet Style’s Visible Monday HERE, Cherie’s Style Nudge’s Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine’s Not Dressed As Lamb’s I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace’s Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Shopping My Closet’s Style Me Wednesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine’s Style Perspectives HERE, Sydney’s Fashion Hunter’s Fresh Fashion Forum HERE, High Altitude Style’s Link-Up HERE, Fashion Should Be Fun’s Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE and Style Diary By Osy’s Friday Link Up Party HERE.

Celebrating Icons and Hats

Last week, local fashion lovers gathered at Kansas City’s Historic Garment Museum for a reception of the exhibition, Fashioning Kansas City Icons: The Art and Inspiration of Heidi Herrman, Steve Gibson and Amina Marie Hood.

This current show centers on Heidi Herrman’s spring line KC Icons Collection. Each design has it’s own inspired hat by Amina Marie Millinery and a Steve Gibson photo of the dress united with its inspirational Kansas City icon.

For starters, I have two photos of the very talented designers of this wonderful collaboration.

Heidi Herrman and I with the Kauffman dress. This is one of my favorite designs, because the Kauffman Center For the Performing Arts is one of my favorite places to go.


Amina Marie Hood and I with The Shuttlecock dress. Amina designed a hat tailored to each dress theme. I am not going to describe each hat design that accompanies the dress, but know that I love almost everything this lady designs. I already have written a post about her HERE.

The Shuttlecock design is inspired by the Nelson Atkins Museum’s Oldenburg/van Bruggen outdoor sculptures of the same name. Yes, there are two gigantic shuttlecocks in museum’s outdoor sculpture garden.

A solo shot of the Shuttlecock dress, hat, and accompanying photograph.

Next, we have a capped sleeve shift inspired by The Scout. The Scout is a statue by Cyrus E. Dallin. It is more than 10 feet tall, and depicts a Sioux Indian on horseback surveying the landscape. The Scout was conceived by Dallin in 1910 and is currently located east of Southwest Trafficway in Penn Valley Park, which is south of downtown Kansas City.

The back of this dress is a depiction of the statue itself. One would make a spectacular exit in this dress. The contrast between the grey and chartreuse is appealing to me.

The relatively new (2006) Kansas City Star’s printing and distribution facility is the inspiration for this high collared shift. This is another amazing color combination. The angles and geometry on this design make it one of my favorites of the collection.

This strappy sundress is inspired by Kansas City’s Union Station, which has undergone remarkable renovations during the last two decades. Union Station is also where Kansas City Fashion Week is held and where we first saw this collection last fall.

The next design is taken from the iconic Power and Light skyscraper, which is one of downtown Kansas City’s landmark buildings. The Power and Light building was started in 1930 and finished in 1931. Design wise, I feel that the negative space is a very important part of this dress.

Kansas City has 200 registered fountains in the metropolitan area, so how could there not be a design based on them? This particular design is taken from the J.C. Nichols Memorial Fountain located on the Plaza.

The sculptures on top of the Bartle Hall Convention Center are depicted on the front of this shift. These sculptures are very dominant on the KC skyline. They have always reminded my daughter and I of futuristic kitchen appliances. On this dress, they give me a 30’s sci-fi vibe. I love the ocean-blue grid background on the fabric.

I am so sad that I didn’t get a photo of the Moonliner dress. I realize now where it was (bottom floor entrance) and it just slipped my mind. So instead, I have the Moonliner dress from Heidi’s website.

TWA and my family have a connection. Dad was a sheet metal mechanic there for years, and TWA gave me a great opportunity to travel when I was young. I remember driving down with Dad to this building to pick up last minute plane passes.

Photo by Steve Gibson

And finally, the Western Auto dress; another design that I didn’t get a picture of. I think this is the most pictorial dress. What do you think about this one? For me, there might be just too much going on image-wise. I do find the bodice very intriguing and wish I could have gotten a closer look at it.

Photo by Steve Gibson

I am going to close with what I wore that evening. I went with my “new to me” (code for Thrift Shop) black crepe sheath dress with a wonderful off center slit in the front. Except for the label (Sheri Martin/New York) there are no other tags. I am guessing that the fiber content is mainly rayon, because it can wrinkle. It was a bit too large, but I took it in about 3/4 inch on each side.

Black can be a tad formal, which I didn’t want. With that in mind, I added some casual accessories. My shoes are black cloth from DSW. Does anyone remember when Jason Wu did a line for Target? I found this bag on clearance from that collaboration. Do you see what’ s wrong with this picture? I have my clutch backwards! We were late and in a hurry, so I didn’t even notice it until after I downloaded the photos. Oh well, things happen.

It was a cool but sunny evening, and I decided it might be a good time to try out my Beetle scarf by India Hicks (I went for the brightest Beetles she had). I figured that you couldn’t look too formal with rather large hot pink beetles crawling around! It’s a huge scarf; I would say shawl size and did an ample job keeping my shoulders warm.

And the Polish……………

Finally, a change to include one of my newer and instant spring favorites. This is Zoya’s Zahara, which debuted this spring in their Petals Collection, and was what I picked to wear for the evening.

It is on the thin side and I used three coats. The color is an orange-leaning coral with blue and pink flakes. Zahara was durable. I finally took it off after six days to go with another color. It’s a pretty one!

In its heyday, the Kansas City garment industry boasted 75 factories and employed between 4,000 to 7,000 workers. It was second only to the area’s meatpacking industry.
– See more at: http://meadowtree.blogspot.com/2016/03/rightfully-sewn.html#sthash.VzMqo8FV.dpuf

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my thoughts on this show.
The show will be up until July 16th at the Historic Garment Museum, which is located at 801 Broadway Blvd., KCMO. The museum is open on Saturdays only from 10:00 A.M to 4:00 P.M. It is free and self guided.

The museum is located in what was once a thriving garment industry in Kansas City. In its heyday, the Kansas City garment industry boasted 75 factories and employed between 4,000 to 7,000 workers. It was second only to the area’s meatpacking industry.

Does anyone else enjoy or get the chance to go the shows celebrating design? I so enjoy being around creative people. We do live an hour away from KC,so I have to pick and choose what I attend. Nevertheless, when I get there, I have such a great time whether at the Nelson Atkins, First Friday in the Crossroads or fashion events. It has always been worth the drive. As I will never give up my life in the country, that is how it is going to be.

In closing, I have listed some extra links of interest.

Heidi Herrman Designs

Amina Marie Millinery

Steve Gibson Photography

Kansas City Garment Museum

Kansas City Landmarks To Visit

India Hicks If you don’t have an India Hicks sales ambassador, please use mine Karen Albert.

I will say goodbye for now. Take care until we meet again. I will be back around the same time next week. I usually publish on Sunday afternoons.

This week, I am participating in a few link ups:

Patti’s Not Dead Yet Style’s Visible Monday HERE, Cherie’s Style Nudge’s Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine’s Not Dressed As Lamb’s I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace’s Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Shopping My Closet’s Style Me Wednesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine’s Style Perspectives HERE, Sydney’s Fashion Hunter’s Fresh Fashion Forum HERE, High Altitude Style’s Link-Up HERE, Fashion Should Be Fun’s Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE and Style Diary By Osy’s Friday Link Up Party HERE.

This week, my photographic credits are mixed. Michael took the one shot of me. I took the others, except when I grabbed a poor unsuspecting onlooker to take the shots with Amina and Heidi.

My Sew Sew Life-Vintage Patterns, Martinis and Poodles

Ah, to lounge around sipping a great cocktail (preferably one that I have designed), in a comfortable lounging skirt with Poodles by my side. It’s great when I do it and I probably don’t do it often enough.


Sophia and I in our matching outfits. That is the advantage of making it yourself. You can always do something with the leftovers.

My skirt is made from a vintage pattern that was in a box of patterns from my Mom. Simplicity 5082 was published in 1972. I don’t remember making anything from it and neither does my sister. I have no idea why Mom had it, but I’m glad she did.

This is a clever pant-skirt pattern. The graphic on the front of the pattern demos how to wear it (down below), and it’s just a hoot to wear.

There is only one pattern piece, but there is loads of fabric in this skirt. It would probably look better if I was a size zero, but I am not, and I love it too much to worry about that kind of stuff.

What do you think about the fabric I found? I was going for my true Mid-Century vibe for this one and adore this fabric. It came from Hancock Fabrics (now out of business) about five years ago, which was when I put this skirt together. This is just a poly blend, but how this skirt would swish if it was done in silk!

Do you sew and would like this look? This pattern is all over ETSY with prices points anywhere from $5-$10. Just search Simplicity 5082 and tons pop up. I did put a link to the $5 one when I first mentioned the pattern number.

I couldn’t do this post without putting in one of my vintage inspirations. This is one stylin’ lady in my book. She was included in the first post I ever did about Poodles (before I even had my Poodle Time blog).

Nicky never wants to be left out. He will find a way even if there isn’t very much room. He is the baby.

I did a fly out with the skirt so you could see the pant look underneath and also see all the fabric. You definitely need a lighter blend for this pattern. There’s three yards in this skirt.

I want to give Sophia her own shot on this one. She loves her clothes. I imagine that when she sees them, she thinks she is getting to go somewhere with me.

Now on to the other elements I chose for this look. I strung the necklace from a great selection of cubed semi-precious stones that I found at a KC bead shop.

My long-owned and much worn top is 100% cotton and made in the USA by Necessitees. I picked it up at a great shop located in the Brookside area in Kansas City, World’s Window.

My bracelet was picked up at the Kemper Museum of Art’s gift shop. Museum gift shops are some of the best places I know to get one of a kind, handcrafted items. What I remember about this bracelet was that it was by a designer from New York, and she made them in her living room. I loved the story and loved the bracelet.

Finally, a shot of the pattern.

I have to share my cocktail. As I mentioned, I design cocktails from time to time. I usually name them after dogs (OK, so far only Poodles), but I did dedicate one to Taz, our Siamese cat. You can find these above under the Garden Thyme tab.

The Apricot Poodle Cocktail

My aim for cocktails is that they are simple and delicious, so I think this one fits the bill. The key to the deliciousness of The Apricot Poodle is the quality of the Apricot liqueur. At first, I used a cheaper bottle that I had on hand but was so discouraged by the results.

Then I made a trip to Lucas Liquor in Kansas City on a hunt, and I found the Orchard liqueurs from Austria’s Rothman and Winter. One of them was Apricot. It runs around $20 but is so smooth. It would be delicious in deserts too.

So, on to the drink………….

The Apricot Poodle

1/2 oz Vanilla Vodka

1 and 1/2 oz Apricot Orchard

2 oz Apricot Juice

Chill one martini glass (of course, this is optional….but I like to).

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour into a martini glass and serve. Swizzle stick is optional!

You may notice that I have a love of vintage barware with Poodle themes. If you would like a closer look, click HERE and you will be taken to my Time For Poodles and Friend’s blog, which has more photos.

I will say goodbye for now. Take care until we meet again. I will be back around the same time next week. I usually publish on Sunday afternoons.

This week, I am participating in a few link ups:

This week, the photographic credits go to Michael, my husband.

Open House at Amina Marie Millinery

Friday evening was special if you are a hat and textile lover in Kansas City. The combined studio of Amina Marie Millinery and Debbie Barrett-Jones Textiles held an open house of their new shared studio at 633 East 63rd Street.

I was like a moth to the flame when this event popped up! Often I have a hat on my head and I knit, spin and sometime weave. Not necessary to be to wordy with this post. With these hats and art, visuals are stronger than words.

Trying on one of Amina’s Fedoras


Debbie’s end of the studio. My daughter Rachelle is also a Kansas City artist and knows Debbie. They have exhibited in shows together.

Amina of Amina Marie Millinery

Oh, such gorgeous hats……

Close up of a lovely natural straw

Pink would not be my color, but this hat is beautiful for the lucky lady who can wear it.

Ami Beck of Dolyn Bag s was so lovely in the portrait hat, I had to include her.

I am enamored with this very chic and retro inspired black felt. The jewelry detail makes it special. Not the best picture of me but I had to show this hat.
Notice Amina’s gorgeous confection behind me.
Also, one of Debbie’s weavings is in good view. Both warp and weft yarns change colors. For me, it is a beautiful study of color.

That’s it for today. I am hoping to get to wear some of my straws hats starting in May. The weather here just did not let me in April. Sunscreen is great but wearing a hat leaves me feeling more protected.

If you were wondering, yes, I am probably going to have a Amina Marie hat in my future. At the moment she is very busy with Derby orders. Many of the hats in this post are soon to be shipped off. But my day is coming……………..

Take Care,

Today, I am linking up with Judith of The Style Crone’s Hat Attack HERE, Patti’s Not Dead Yet Style’s Visible Monday HERE, Cherie’s Style Nudge’s Shoe and Tell HERE, Catherine’s Not Dressed As Lamb’s I will Wear What I like HERE, Color and Grace’s Link Up Party HERE, Elegantly Dressed and Stylish Turning Heads Tuesday HERE, Shopping My Closet’s Style Me Wednesday HERE, Living On Cloud Nine’s Style Perspectives HERE, Sydney’s Fashion Hunter’s Fresh Fashion Forum HERE, Fashion Should Be Fun’s Fun Friday Fashion Link Up HERE and Style Diary By Osy’s Friday Link Up Party HERE.