MeadowTree Perspectives

Cheetah, Cheetah, Cheetah

I feel this post is so rushed. When I retired, I told my students,”old teachers never really retire, they just come back to haunt you as substitutes”. And last week was a lot of haunting, five full days of it. I wasn’t going to do a post but then I realized that Monday is Judith’s of The Style Crone, Hat Attack. A month has gone by, really? Where did the time go? I take it as a good sign that life finds me busy enough to not fully realize time is racing.

The photos, of course, I had. Photography is one of my passions. But there’s the writing and that’s the challenge (for me, at least). O.K, here goes…………..

A day before Michael’s birthday he asked me if we could go to my hat store Exclusively For You located in the south part of Kansas City.

My husband was asking me to take him hat shopping? You can bet I didn’t turn him down! By the time it was over, we had made their day. Michael took three home and for me, it was two.

I was going to be good and just get a navy Pillbox that I had eyed on an earlier trip. But then I saw the Cheetah and it was love. Already having other cheetah prints, this was a no brainer and I love deeply rolled brimmed hats. I can look out at the world and feel sightly incognito and invisible.

I had Michael snap some pics just as we were going out for home improvement and grocery shopping. Originally I had a cheetah print scarf on too, but saw myself in the mirror and it was Cheetah overkill. So that got switched to the brown with the copper metallic threads.

Black leather jackets are my my main “go to” for everyday. I have two; one if it’s cold and one if it’s not too cold. This one is from Jones New York. My flats are Steve Madden and the purse is B Makowsky. My gloves are some of my favorites, black velvet with Cheetah print cuffs (Marshalls, last year). That brown and metallic scarf is one of my “thrifty” finds.

Up, close and personal now. I wanted this picture because of this necklace that I purchased from Elmidae, a designer out of Chicago. It has chained fringe and I have been enjoying it about two years.

Plus, this photo shows a great silk/cotton beaded top that was a “thrift” find. This top is a yellow leaning camel silk/cotton mix with beaded accents. I love it and love going to great thrift shops.

Sometimes I find nothing, but sometimes I find amazing things. I am willing to take more chances with styling and if I get tired of something, I just give it back so someone else can enjoy it. I probably won’t be taking this particular top back for someone else to love! I think it only needs me.

Another reason I like this picture, is that I can clearly see how my “going natural” is progressing. Eight months ago, I decided to try, AGAIN, to go the way of my natural hair color. I felt my hair was thinning (or falling out way to much). I’ve tried to go “au natural” twice previously, but just wasn’t ready and always went back to my stylist. I think this time I am ready.

Bells and Whistles

Only a Bell today and it is Rainbow Honey’s Oni , which is a dark brown with gold and bronze shimmer and part of their Yokai Collection. Rainbow Honey is a smaller Boutique Cosmetic firm that hails out of Brooklyn, NY.

Still Life With Cheetah

This week I am styling with The Style Crone’s Hat Attack HERE, Patti’s Visible Monday Here, Catherine’s #iwillwearwhatilike Here, Cherie’s Shoe and Tell Here, Shopping My Closet’s Style Me Wednesday HERE, Dawn’s Fashion Should Be Fun Friday Here, and Link Party With Osy HERE.

Until later……take care Terri

And, a picture of Michael in one of his Exclusively Yours hat. It’s not a great picture but a picture it is.

Photo Credits
Portraits: Michael
Nails and Still Life: Terri

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Of Things Symphonic

A few times during the year, Michael and I venture up to Kansas City to enjoy The Kansas City Symphony. For all the years we have been together (since 1970), classical music has been one of our shared loves. Now with the beautiful Kaufmann Center For the Art, our visual love of art and architecture is also nourished.

The evening’s concert was music by Vaughn Williams and Sir Edward Elgar, two of our favorite British composers.

I donned one of my LBDs for the occasion and added a few accessories that suited my mood. For this Saturday night, I used gray and silver with a small flash of rhinestone.

It’s cold at the moment in the Midwest, so a coat is essential. I paired my red Via Spiga with this look.

As usual, I have collected pieces from everywhere. Here’s the low down. I do this with bullets. It easier for me to organize everything and I hope it is easier for you to follow.

My LBD is new or secondhand new. It was a score from Goodwill. I call these pieces my GW Courteur. You can’t see the detail because it’s black but there are triangular panels going down the front.
The statement necklace is Isadora by Stella and Dot and sourced on Ebay.
The purse is Coach. I’m on the online Coach Outlet sale group. I’m not sure how I got there. They say you have to sign up in a store now. I just know that I’ve gotten some great deals.
Bracelet-Kohls
rhinestone earrings-TJ Maxx
Grey suede shoes-Ralph Lauren-Tuesday Morning, of all places
As previously said, my coat is Via Spiga that I found on Ebay. I got one last year for my youngest daughter (I got so tired of seeing her in this old blue coat) and liked it so much that I got a red one.

So as you can see, I hardly ever go to a regular department store or mall. There’s just no fun in that.

I still like to get behind the camera.

Still Life in Black and Grey #1

Bells and Whistles

Bells and Whistles is my choices of polish and perfume for the look. I won’t have this all the time, but occasionally I will sneak it in.

The Bell for today is Zoya’s Imogen, a PixieDust. Zoya is the great enabler. Get on their mailing list, and they give you some deals you can’t refuse. I won’t wear black only on my nails. But give me some black with flash, that’s a different story. Imogen, with it’s holo glitter, is like a galaxy on your nails. I will tell you that I did first put a base coat of pure black on (Zoya’s Willa). Be forewarned, if you try PixieDusts or any glitter based polish, they are the dickens to get off.

In my still life, I have two other bottles of polish shown and I have worn them also with this ensemble. They are shown on a different blog found here.

The Whistle for today is Eric Buterbaugh’s Florals Sultry-Rose. I do not own this this gloriously simple beautiful bottle. I am a big believer of small samples and purchase my perfumes from Perfume Court. I can experiment with different scents and especially enjoy Perfume Court’s theme sets. Does anyone else do this, or am I just a tad weird?

Once upon a time I said, ” I will raise a Rose but not wear a Rose”. Eric Buterbaugh put a stop to that nonsense. This perfume is deep and mysterious. The top notes are Rose, Passionfruit and Pepper. Check out the links for the middle and bottom notes. This one is glorious. The creator is llias Ermenidis who created it for himself but gave it it Eric as a tribute to his flower artistry.

Of Things Architectural

OK, now it time for the art teacher (retired) to take over. I love I have to talk about The Kauffman Center. This structure has put Kansas City on the map. Designed by Moshe Sadfie, it is just gorgeous and at night, I can’t tell you how beautiful it is. It’s an hour drive each way, but it is so worth it! So goes the life of livin’ in the country and goin’ to the city!

The exterior of the Kauffman Center of the Arts, designed by Moshe Sadfie

Helzburg Hall, the performance hall of the symphony.

This is the interior of the smaller performance space, The Murial Kauffman Hall. And I will have to admit, I enjoy being in this space rather than the larger Helzburg Hall. It seems like a jewel box to me and there’s not a bad seat in the house. The performances always seem close and personal. This is the home of the Kansas City Ballet and The Lyric Opera. Rachelle and I just recently saw the ballet’s The Three Musketeers performance.

That’s it for today. Take care, Terri

I’m linking up with Patti’s Visible Monday HERE, Catherine’s
#iwillwearwhatilike HERE, Cherie’s Shoe and Tell HERE

Photography by Rachelle Gardner-Roe of StudioRMG

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It Was A Windy Day In Joplin

We certainly didn’t need wind machines on this day. Mother Nature did just fine. January 9th in Joplin probably wasn’t the most cooperative day to take a few photos. But earlier, I made a deal with my Grandson; if he would take some pictures of me I would return the favor and take some shots of him. A deal was struck and Grandmother and Grandson braved the elements (along with my girls, Sophia and Millie) to pursue some photographs.

Today’s post features “Candied Yam“, my Tri-Becca velvet hat. Tri-Becca Design is the creative efforts of Rebecca Lawrence. Rebecca lives, works and creates in Kansas City, Missouri. I met her through The Kansas City Fiber Guild and immediately knew I needed one of her hats. As a lover of orange and vintage pins, this chapeau quickly found its way to my head.

I’ve already related about my hat, but there are some other things in this photo that I am very fond of. And here they are………………..

My bag is a vintage Rodo (Ebay). Rodo of Italy has been creating beautiful purses since 1956. If I do many of these “my style” post, Rodos will pop up quite a few times.
The jacket is from last year’s clearance sale from a little boutique “What To Wear” in Butler, Missouri. It was on 90% clearance and I do love big lapels.
The scarf I am wearing is a wonderful mix of cheetah print and lace. You will see more of it below. It was a thrift-shop score and I so love those senior days at Goodwill!
The shoes are brown and black heeled loafers from Tods (Ebay again). I enjoy wearing brown and black together.
My slacks are 100% lined silk (again Ebay) Charter Club. I believe that is a Macy’s brand. For years, I wore them with a fuller leg. This Fall, I decided I wanted a slimmer look. I pretty much ripped them apart and refashioned them. A sewing machine has been an important part of my life since I have been ten.
The gloves came from Marshalls. Marshalls and T.J. Maxx are two stores I occasionally visit.

We first started out in the yard because that was where the girls went. I looked down at my feet (which I found to be covered in snow) and decided it was time to head for the concrete. I’m holding Sophia. And I have to comment on Sophia’s attire. It is a gold coat with a leopard fur collar and also line in the same material. Sometimes we just sort of match!

Fashion is fun for me when I can put together things from everywhere. It’s like a game and has always been one of my hobbies. Below is just a few things that I used for this look. I threw in some Tortoiseshell because I love it with brown tones and am always on the lookout for new pieces.

Oh and that pin. I just love this pin! The burgundy crushed velvet-Love!

I made good on my word and Harrison had a great time demonstrating his skateboard skills for me. Here’s a collage of my photographer, Grandson, and skateboard enthusiast. Plus, I can tell you this kid is very fashion savvy and gives his Mom and I fashion critiques quite regularly!

One more thing, I wanted to give the link to Tri-Becca Designs. So that’s it.

Except, I would enjoy any comments. This is only my second “My Style” post and I would love some feedback.

Take care, Terri

I’m linking up with Patti’s Visible Monday HERE, Catherine’s
#iwillwearwhatilike HERE, Cherie’s Shoe and Tell HERE and Shopping My Closet HERE.

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Scents And Tips

Hi Everyone,

This is a quick post to introduce a new page that I am putting up today on MeadowTree (see above tabs).

This is a dedication to two of my passions: Perfumes and Nail Polish. I call them my Bells and Whistles. For me, these two things have to be present in my life to complete my style.

My love of fragrance began long before I discovered nail polish (which has only been the last three years). Back in the day, I would even mix my own Potpourris. Although I gave that up long ago, I still have an ongoing love for fragrances, especially perfumes.

I starting nail polish about a month after I retired. A whole new world opened up which has had me rather occupied these last three years. The story on that one can be found HERE. I wrote the piece a little over two years ago. But, it explains all.

Rather that start anew, I am publishing the links to pages I am continuously working on at the Kaleidoscope.

To The Perfumes We Go

And The Nail Polish

The List On Kaleidoscope

Go Straight To My Google Doc

With Links To My Pinteret

Polish Boards

That’s it. I have a whole new post planned for tomorrow. I’m pretty excited about it.

Take care, Terri

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Hats Off To The Alpacas

Hello Everyone,

This post has some firsts. It’s the first time I have published on the Journal this year. It is the first time I have ever done a fashion shoot. It’s the first time I have not been in back of the camera and in front. Face it, I am usually shooting Poodles or my nail designs. And it is the first time that I have made a contribution to the Style Crone’s Hat Attack.

I have a few hats and have worn them since High School. Most of you all know that I am in my mid 60’s so I have been wearing hats for a few decades. Today I am wearing my favorite hat that I have ever owned.

Why is this my favorite? Well, it is 100% Kentuckian Alpaca and made in the USA. As you can see in these photos, I am pretty familiar with Alpacas (But, Herbie, our llama is stealing the scene from the ‘Paca Boys).

Now getting back to the hat. It is an Australian Outback hat created by River Hill Ranch. I purchased it at a wool show about two years ago and have worn and worn it. It is the personification of my Wool Woman personality.

So, since this is a fashion entry I will mention the other stuff. The purse is Nanette Lepore. The scarf was a present from my eldest this Christmas and I couldn’t believe how it perfectly matched the gloves. My jeans are Madewell Skinnies. They never fail to look less than great. The jacket is a thrift find. It is Union Made so you know how old it has to be.

The photographer is my hubby, Michael and the shots were just on our driveway of our farm (Meadowtree) that we have lived on for thirty five years.

That’s it for this post. Have a great 2016. Terri

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Of Kelvinators and Chocolate Cookies

Michael and I found ourselves having to get a new fridge. As we were doing our research, I remembered an old Kelvinator cookbook that was given to me an elderly neighbor when I was about fifteen.This book was published in 1930 and I have always loved the artwork in this book and decided it was time to share it.

I had my heart set on a French door fridge. I was struck by the fact that the early Kelvinators were three door. Look at the thickness of those doors. This fridge had to weigh up there!

I don’t quite look like this when I cook! You also get an idea of how much shorter the original fridge’s were. My cats would love that!

This is the one recipe that I have made. I have no idea what the white things are in these cookies. It’s not mentioned in the recipe although I think the artist must have thought there were nuts in the recipe. I did add nuts and will talk about my adjustments farther down.

I though this one was funny and had to show it to Michael. It’s actually opposite in this house. It seems that I am usually saying, “stay out of the food until everyone gets here”.

And now to the chocolate refrigerator cookies. I wanted to try at least one recipe and see how it would hold up after 85 years. Having chocolate bakers squares sitting idly in the fridge, I decided that the chocolate cookies would be a good one to start with.

As mentioned, I did make some changes. The first change was adding about 1/2 cup of slivered almonds. The artwork depicts what looks to be to be some kind of nut and I love almonds and chocolate together so that was the first change.

Next, I just added 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla. I took it easy on the vanilla because I wasn’t sure how it would taste. The verdict was,”it tastes great”, so I will probably add 1 tsp next time. Or I might change it to almond flavoring, who knows?

These cookies are a big hit. They are small and crunchy. They make great dippers for coffee or milk. I don’t see why the dough couldn’t be frozen and baked whenever you needed it. For 85 years, this recipe holds up. And I think they would still be good without the almonds and vanilla. That was just my preference.

Time for tea and cookies? I am serving them with Russel Wright’s American Modern. American Modern didn’t come out until 1939 but at least that is still in the same decade (o.k., just barely). I mix green and pink. The tablecloth is something I got from my Mom and have no idea of the date, I like the look with the American Modern dishes.

It’s Springtime in Missouri so I decided to add some Irises and Dames Rockets to the table.

That’s it for this round. I hope you enjoyed this post. I certainly had fun putting this one together. It was about time, the poor Journal hasn’t been updated since June. Have a wonderful day and let me know if you try out the cookies.

Just A Few Sculptures From The Nelson Atkins Sculpture Garden

A couple of weeks age, Michael and I went to the reception for the unveiling of Robert Morris’s Glass Labyrinth. This is also the 25th Anniversary of the Donald J. Hill Sculpture Park. So I thought it might be fun to have a post about just a few sculptures you could see there.

A photo of me taking a picture next to Robert Morris’s Glass Labyrinth

A larger photo of the Glass Labyrinth. As long as you keep your eyes on the top railings, you will be O.K. I thought following the tiles would work, but I was wrong.

Shuttlecocks by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, 1994. The Shuttlecocks were very controversial when they were installed. Now they are a Kansas City icon.

Ferment by Roxy Paine, 2010

Three Bowls, Ursula von Rydingsvard, 1990


*Peace On Earth* by Jacques Lipschitz, 1969, one of seven bronze castings

The Thinker, by Auguste Rodin. This is one of twenty five 72″ Thinkers in the world. It was cast in 1949.

Interior Form by Henry Spencer Moore, 1981. The sculpture garden started out to be a tribute to British sculpture Henry Spencer Moore. There are about 11 of his sculptures in the garden.

So this ends my mini tour. If you want to explore the Nelson-Atkins Museum Of Art, click HERE.

Spinning a Yarn-New Counterpane Mitts

I just finished a new project using my counterpane system. This time I used the lace square to make a pair of mitts. I used the same square HERE, for a white shawl and HERE for a gray scarf.

KAWS (Kansas Alliance Of Spinners and Weavers) will be here before you know it (first weekend in June) and this class is fun to teach and I now have more finished samples than ever before.

Take care and stay creative,

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Spinning a Yarn-Gray Counterpane Scarf

In a few weeks I will be teaching my Take The Pain Out Of Counterpane knitting class. It was time to finish another project using my counterpane modules. One third of this project was knitted eight years ago (at the time I came up with the idea for the class). Last week I finally finished the scarf. I ended up making eight squares and twelve rectangles in all.

Yarn And Needles

I hand spun a worsted weight yarn using 50% merino and 50% angora (bunny). The bunny is mine, so I know it is naturally colored. I purchased the gray merino fiber from Jagger Spun and cannot attest to it being natural or dyed. My gut feeling is that it is dyed. The last photo show a close up of the fabric surface because bunny gives the fabric such a wonderful halo.

I started this with size five double points. Looking back, I wish I had used larger. But that is what I started with so that is what I finished with. With the winter we have had in Missouri, thick scarfs are good.

The Nice Design Surprise

I did not realize that the edges of the piece would become scalloped. This just happened as I was sewing (mattress stitch). These scalloped border made the piece for me and I love it. I think the scallops really shine when the scarf is tied. To me, it looks like a jabot.

Jabot Style

This photo demonstrates how I first sew two triangles to one square and create the scarf using these larger sections.

The Angora Halo

I think this is going to be my comfort scarf. It was cold here this weekend and I had the flu to top it off. I put this warm fuzzy thing around my neck and I just felt better!

For an idea how versatile the square can be, here is my shawl post from September that uses the same square. I just knitted it a lot larger and with lace weight yarn on very large needles.

Take care and stay creative,

Spinning a Yarn-Rows Of Many Colors-A Great Stash Buster

The latest off my needles–went for a Monet color palette on this one.

A few months ago I had a request to make a tutorial about my “Change Of Row” technique that I use on scarfs, shawls and Afghans. I have finally settled down and decided to write it. If there is something in the following that is not clear, please let me know and I will try to fix it.

The knitting stitch for this technique is usually the Garter stitch, which is knitting every row. * I use very large needles so the fabric is not heavy and thick. I consider the knitting secondary to this technique. Developing an eye for how colors and textures work together is the most important technique here. It can be learned with study and practice.

The Instructions

1. SETTING UP– Pick the yarns and the circular needle size you are going to use. It must be a circular needle to handle the length of the rows. These projects are knitted horizontally and you could have 123 to 200 stitches on the needle. I use 47″ Addi Turbo circulars in size 17 . Use the best needle size for you. There are always exceptions, depending how you knit and what you are knitting. I will discuss variances later in this article.

2. YARN THEMES-As far as yarns, it helps to have a theme. One theme that I have used is Monochromatic (all one color family). This is probably the easiest. The red scarf pictured below has a monochromatic theme. Monet and his Water Lilly’s has played into the color choices. The ocean, desert, spring flower garden could be ideas to use.

3. YARN CHOICES-I use quite a lot of multi color and textural yarns in various thicknesses. Solids colors are also important. If I had to put it in numbers, I would say it is a 40 % multicolored yarn, 40 % textural yarn, and 20 % solid yarn mixture. I you have a thread yarn; it is always good to have a solid to knit along with it.

4. GAUGE-Knit a swatch using a few of the yarns so you know how many stitches per inch you are going to have. This Is important. From experience, I know that I am pretty much going to get 2.5 stitches an inch with my size 17 needles.

5. NOW IT IS TIME TO DO THE MATH and figure out how many stitches you are going to cast on. If I want a scarf that is 60” long, I am going to multiply 60 x 2.5 for 138 stitches.

6. CAST ON YOUR FIRST ROW, using the cast on of your choice. I would suggest that you use a smooth yarn for this row.You need to leave a yarn tail at the beginning of the cast on row. This will be the first fringe.

7. AT THE END OF THE ROW, decide how long you want the fringe and cut the yarn a little longer. Don’t worry about getting all the yarns the same length at this point. They can be trimmed up when the project is finished. Start knitting with the second yarn. After a few stitches, I go back and tie the yarns together at the base of the knitting. Then, I don’t have to worry about any stitches coming loose and don’t have the drudge task of tying the entire fringe at the end of the project. Knit two rows, tie two row is my mantra on that one.

8. DECIDE HOW WIDE YOU WANT THE project and then bind off. I had 34 rows of knitting for the monochromatic red scarf and 146 rows for my golden brown shawl.

This technique does not have to be limited to just scarfs and such. The last photo below is of a caplet. This was the first thing I made using this technique and was knitted in the Stockinette stitch. The shawl and scarfs came later.

My golden shawl. This photo show the knotted ends clearly.

Close up of fabric

A study in red

Fabric closeup


This close up is from a shawl that I made for my daughter. She sent me a close up. I never took a picture of the project.

My caplet-the first project that I used the” Change Of Row” technique with. There will be a fair amount of beginnings and ends so I sewed in yarn ends every few rows so it would not be so overwhelming at the end of the project.

I do love my closeups. The vintage mother of pearl buckle came from Ebay.

So the next time you see one or two skeins of fantastic yarn on clearance for a great price, get them. They could be the basis for a wonderfully creative project. And I will guarantee you that you will get complements!

* I say “usually” the Garter Stitch because I like having my scarfs and shawls reversible. As pointed out on my caplet, I used the Stockinette stitch. My notes say that I used a SZ 6 circular needles.

And if you are on Ravelry, here is the link to my page. I would love for you to visit me. Hope to see you there!

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