Digital Catwalk: Judith Does Feline

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Judith of Style Crone reigns as our last digital muse for 2013.
Click on her link to get a closer look at her fabulous hat and dress.
Don't forget, her January Hat Attack party will start soon.
Put something on your head and join in -- lampshades are allowed!

Gosh! It's the last day of 2013! Where did the time go?
Wishing you a wonderful 2014, full of good surprises and adventures.
I'll be hitting the road sometime in March, for an art project circumnavigating the contiguous US.
Keep up-to-date on that here.

Tomorrow, there will be a new 52 Pick-me-up challenge (wear something not worn for a year). The Shiny challenge is still open for link-ups through next Monday too. If you wear something old and shiny, go ahead and link-up in both!

RGB Day

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I made my first Citizen Rosebud purchase and I am delighted!

The minute I saw this scarf, I knew I HAD to have it.

Citizen Rosebud, the saucy temptress!

It arrived about a week later, with heart confetti and a hidden brooch!

(no picture of brooch right now, sorry)

I dressed "down" to not distract from the scarf.

Holding my c/o OTIS mug like a Fashun Blogger

My c/o Beverly Hills Art Fair lunch bag coordinates too.

The Nigerian necklaces were worn for the photo only -- 

my poor, weakened computer neck can't bear the weight.

I'll be taking a #tinyplanet shot with them at lunch, keep an eye on the sidebar.

Glamor #selfie

Thank you Bella! I love it!

Shiny Objects Are Closer Than They Appear

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Severo and I both had Saturday off, time for a date!
The night before, I gave him parameters for our breakfast dining: within 3 miles radius of home and before 10am. (It gets crowded in eateries after 10 on the weekend, especially with this glorious weather we've had).
He found a new place, Cafe Buna, in Marina Del Rey. Their prices were a little higher than I like to pay (over $10), but our coffees and breakfasts were great. Only the grits were lackluster, we brought them home for doctoring. Service was fantastic.

After breakfast, Severo asked if it was OK if we made a detour before going home. It was to M Street Bakery on Main Street in Santa Monica for sweets. Let's just say M stands for Mmmmmmmm. The chocolate chip cookies are maybe the best I've had in soCal. They were REALLY good. If I get my act together, I'll go into more detail over on Dessert Safari. Note: we just ate the apple oatmeal cookie and that is great too. Two for two -- we'll be back.

Then we walked and explored Main Street.
Which is where the shiny objects come into play.

Giant shiny fork

Shiny script sign that has seen better days. Severo demonstrates.

We found the best shiny thing of all -- a Christmas tree formed out of shopping carts!

You can find it at the Edgemar complex, 2415 Main St. It was designed by Anthony Schmitt.
Read about it here.
 
Did I wear something shiny? Sort of.

The skirt with metallic threads that wreaks havoc at airports.
Subtle, to the naked eye.

Metal mix of
copper threads in the skirt and golden dragon brocade.
Dashes of leopard for extra sizzle.

I'm linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.

Meanwhile, Mixed Metals fortnight continues. You have PLENTY of time to join the party!
Have something shiny planned for a New Year's Eve party? Do share!

CMYK Day

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Yes, I really did wear this to work yesterday.

It started with some bright blue lounge pants with pink stitching (courtesy of the work sample box, of course. I wouldn't PAY for something like that!). Then the funky socks came out and the pants stayed home. And MAYBE the blue-pants-under-pink-dot-skirt combo was too over the top, even for me.

Now that I see it in a photo? Not as crazy as I thought!

As I was putting this post together, I realized I missed a yellow scarf opportunity.
So this morning I put almost everything on again with the scarf added.

CMYK head-to-toe!

Selfie closeup for Style Crone's January Hat Attack

Field notes:
Only one workplace comment on this look, from Robert, who had returned to interview (after a seven year absence):
"You look the same." "Yes, I still dress like a clown."

Digital Catwalk: Thorne Does Purple

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Thorne of Thorne Garnet

52 Pick-me-up: Holiday Ornaments and Mixed Metals

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Merry Christmas to everyone that celebrates!
To everyone else, it's Wednesday, and the 52 Pick-me-up Show goes on.
This week, GET SHINY!
Nothing shiny in your closet? How about accessories? Or look around the house -- your kitchen is FULL of shiny objects! Or steal something from the Christmas tree. Or your goofy New Year's Eve hat (which you can also share on Style Crone's January Hat Attack). Or find some glitter and dump it on yourself. I authorize you to get creative and/or silly!

I will keep the linky up an extra week, so you won't have to fake your New Year's look. Aren't I generous? [No sketch decided until 1/7/14]. Multiple links encouraged. Instagrams, Twitter pix, (hashtag #52pickmeupstyle) -- have at it.

I wore this shiny ensemble to my department luncheon last week (that's called planning ahead):

Wait. You MUST see a close-up of the purse:

I purchased it for $5 at Pic N Save (RIP). Don't you love the ball on the zipper pull? There used to be two, but one of the cats chewed the other one off.
Probably Chuey. He has that name for a reason!

"Who, me? I'm innocent!"

Come on everyone, get your shiny on!

The Story of Bola de Nieve

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Bola de Nieve was a cute piñata that unfortunately crossed paths with the Two Point Oh! LA witches bloggers group.
It was time for the 4th annual Snowball, and Kelsi devised a clever method of distributing the gifts.

Chapter I

Our protagonist, Bola de Nieve

The coven gals dance in a circle while Bola de Nieve watches

Strung up

Oh noooooooo

Decapitated!

Suffering indignities courtesy of Erik and Andy

Trophy head and broken bat

 Chapter II

Strung up a second time, headless

Meet Stephanie and Scott, Snowball Prom Queen and King
(Stephanie designed and sewed her gown, btw)

Stephanie wields her stick

Scott winds up for the coup de grâce

RIP Bola de Nieve!

The witches bloggers scramble for treasure

Only candy remains

The dancing continues, with Bola de Nieve left in a ragged heap

There were Rules

Here's what I snagged:

*c/o Neutrogena Shine Control Primer

Those witches girls were fast at grabbing the goodies! My item was seriously trampled upon.

Linked with:

Digital Catwalk: Terry Wears Plaids

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Terry, of Terry's Two Cents

52 Pick-me-up: Purple Royale

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This week on 52 Pick-me-up, we don Purple, the color of royalty.
Back in 1500 BC [says Wikipedia], purple dye was derived from tiny snails. It took a lot of effort, so only the big-wigs were allowed to wear it. Good thing they got rid of that rule!

You may address me as Queen Anne

I'll admit, I have a purple past.

Here I am back in 1993, my last salaried day at Mattel (I later freelanced), in my purple Leon Max suit, yellow tights, and purple Mary Janes. Hoi and Anita made a mini-me Barbie wearing the same outfit. 

Then, farther back in time, there's the purple maxi (details here):

sorry such a wretched photo
wish I had a larger scan

Have any purple in your closet that you might wear to my party?
Please link up your look!

Delayed by the Dawn

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In my overactive imagination, you wait with bated breath to see who is walking the Digital Catwalk on Tuesdays. I choose my muse from the 52 Pick-me-up links, sometimes early on, sometimes at the last minute. Whenever I decide, I still don't sketch, digitize, and paint until Tuesday mornings, BEFORE I get ready for work.
I instagram the sketch with a playing card from a deck made by Vanity Fair magazine before I scan, as a bit of a teaser.

I was very excited about this week, week 26 -- halfway through!
I drew the first gent to join my linky party, a milestone.
Here's Terry, of Terry's Two Cents, with the King of Clubs, Cary Grant.

The Vanity Fair card deck has photos of celebrities that originally were published in the magazine.
I try to match a card to the sketch. Mostly for my own amusement.

But then this happened:

I was distracted, to say the least! My artist side said "Wait. You have to watch this."
I obeyed, but then didn't have time to get Terry's drawing done. Oh well. Thursday maybe. Stay tuned!

Know Your Plaid

Time for some education! No pop quiz, I promise.

items from my fabric stash and sewing pile

Woven plaids are created by striped bands of yarns intersecting on the warp (length) and weft (width), causing a grid pattern. Plaid can be found on variety of weave structures (plain, twill, herringbone, etc) as well as used in a knit or printed.

Gingham

is a balanced design, with equal sized bands

Check

is like gingham, but the squares are larger
also a balanced design, with equal sized bands, in twill weave

 Houndstooth

is like gingham, but using a twill weave

Windowpane

is a balanced design, with very narrow bands alternating with wider bands

Tattersall

is windowpane with more than two colors

Tartan

(the official CA tartan)

is a name given to plaids associated with Scottish clans. There are now tartans for countries, US States, brands (like Burberry) and so on. My favorite site for finding tartans is Tartans of Scotland, where you can also read more about them.

Glen

is short for Glenurquhart, a region in Scotland. Also known as Prince of Wales check, it is a houndstooth woven with various sized bands, sometimes with more than two colors.

Madras

is cotton cloth originally from Madras, India (now called Chennai). It typically has irregular bands in bright colors. Read more here.

Notes:
I created all the plaid repeat images above.
I was greatly helped by this post by Alexander West (which has additional information), and Wikipedia.

[12/26 addition] This post is part of IFB's Links a la Mode: December 26

Attire Club: The Best-Dressed Men of 2013
A la Modest: Your Guide to: Cheap,Used, and Unique Holiday Dresses
Al Balsam Life: Affordable & Cute Prom Dresses
Awaking Bohemia: Artist Spotlight Ashley Camper
Beauty and Sass: Three Trends That Need to Go Away in 2014
Cat Eyes and Skinny Jeans: What to Wear on New Year’s Eve
Head to Heels: Aztec Pencil Skirt 5 Ways
Healthy Fashionista: Hues of the Harvest
Keily’s Fashion Pics: Introducing Catwalk Chic Boutique
Kremb de la Kremb: Winter Tan
Les Assorties: Nailberry Got Us On Our Toes
Miss Monet: The Fashionable Ladies of 2013
Purushu Arie: 25 Reasons Why Tablets are a Better Way to Fashion Blogging
Spy Girl: Know Your Plaid
Style Bizzare: Love Me, I’m a Woman: Why Good Sexism is Bad
Style Curated: Dover Street Market Hits NY in Style
The Lifestyle Project: The Battle of The Mascaras
The Golden Girl Blog: 8 Entertaining Tricks Every Hostess Should Know!
Trend Survivor: PS Oneone Neoprene Jacket
We Are Ready Made: Marc and His Showgirls

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