AI Fooled Me

 I got duped by AI.

It was an AI generated image with a sponsored post on Instagram.
I got angry, took a screenshot, then fired off an emotional response.

screenshot from Facebook, with original caption

What got me all riled up? Fast fashion and the situation in Ghana, where the bulk of used clothing "donations" are shipped:

photo credit Haptic and Hue - listen to her podcast on this!

My post has since been amended:

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray)

I was set straight by an old blogging friend, Stephanie Chow.

Despite falling for the fake post, my intentions are still good, and I'm leaving the post published.

The message? Buy second hand! Mend! Keep your garments out of the waste cycle!

SpyGirl, at your service.

Good Buy/ Goodbye Summer Sandals

It's halfway through the June and time for another episode of Shelbee and Nancy's Good Buy/Good Bye Book. The theme this month is Sandals.

I have many pairs of sandals that I love dearly. My most favorite pair has to be the Fluevog Sandals that I purchased in 1992. They were the second pair of Fluevogs that I bought.

Here they are, freshly back from the cobbler in 2017
These have been rejuvenated by cobblers twice!

I got these signed by John Fluevog himself when he came to the Venice Fluevog shop during his book tour.

December 2019

John has since released an updated version of these, and I wonder if I had a small part in that happening...

When I started sketching Fluevogs as part of an A-Z blogging challenge in 2017, little did I know I was starting a series that is still ongoing! I now offer my sketches on Redbubble products and on Spoonflower home goods, fabric, and wallpaper.

These sandals were the second item that I sketched, and I got myself a dress to go with my sandals!

2017

Obviously by now, you have figured out this was a Good Buy!

And they cost under $100 in 1992. A Good Investment too!

2025

Here are other posts that include these sandals:

March 29, 2013 - Foot Fetish Friday: Fluevog

April 2, 2017 - Vintage Vogs: Clog Sandal #ifjm2017

May 27, 2017 - The 70s Called - They Want Their Fluevog Clog Sandal

June 26, 2017 - The Fluevog Sandal Clog Has Risen

August 1, 2017 - Is It Wrong To Match Your Shoes To Your Dress?

May 4, 2021 - #thevintagefashionchallenge Day 4: Yellow

Linking up with

Shelbee On the Edge

10 on the 10th: June Loves

 10 on the 10th is a fun monthly thing instigated by Marsha In the Middle.

Her prompt for this edition:

Instead of just answering some questions or such, let’s try photos of ten things we really like or even love.

I'm all for the love! And not just things!

1. Must be Severo!

2. Mr Lou

3. Morning ritual: Earl Grey loose tea, Hi-Lo souvenir mug, bakelite handled spoon

4. Celebrating my birthday with Ube Macapuno cake

5. Fluevog shoes, making repeats, embroidering them
Bonus: will be creating and exhibiting a total of 50!
The show will be in Pacifica, CA (near SF) in September

6. Road trips, then making art
This is 1-10, West Texas and will soon be available in a flash sale for $100

7. Textile Arts LA group
I'm curating a TALA group show for a pop-up art fair in Torrance July 11-13!

8. Music! In this case, Nada Surf in 2024

and in 2011

9. Fragrant flowers! Check my IG to see what happened when I took this photo...

10. Russel Wright dishes.
Some pieces are from my childhood, though Mom is still holding on to one forest green serving bowl.

Be sure to check out Marsha’s post and her link party for more responses!

Linking up with
Marsha's 10 on the 10th
Shelbee's On the Edge 

Let's Get Poetic

 I'm writing haiku again and thought I'd turn it into a linkup party.

Here's today's a recent effort:

I've been thinking about an old project that went nowhere fizzled out, the Haiku To My Closet.

My 2019 SpyGirl post included a call for poetry link-up and it's time to revive both!

Composing haiku are kind of addictive - they're a structure of 3 lines with 5/7/5 syllables.
I recently did TWO art collaborations with haiku included in the presentations.

They're traditionally about nature, I just follow the 5/7/5 format.

You will find me walking around muttering to myself and counting down syllables on my fingers.

For now, I'm keeping this link-up open until Labor Day (9/1/25), it may extend longer.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Linking up with

Shelbee On the Edge

Marsha In the Middle

10 on the 10th: May Questions

10 on the 10th is a fun monthly thing instigated by Marsha In the Middle. 

This month, she has questions!

1. Would you rather live in a tiny house in the country or on a boat on a river or lake?

I'd like to try the boat on a lake concept. Waking up to a horizon of water would be glorious!

Piseco Lake, NY available!

2. Would you rather be a character in a Shakespeare play or a Stephen King movie adaptation?

Shakespeare for sure.

3. Would you rather your kitchen was full of all black appliances or all pink appliances?

Pink! There are lots of shades of pink and it doesn't necessarily have to be Barbie pink.

Look what I found!

source

4. Would you rather be allergic to cake or chips?

Would it be a mild reaction or near death?

5. Would you rather have a five minute conversation with your past self or your future self?

Past self! This girl especially... it would take more than five minutes though!

1978

6. Would you rather be rich or famous?

Rich in friends, rich in memories

7. Would you rather drive a brand new big, big truck or a slightly used small car?

I will drive my 2009 Prius until it stops working (230,000+ miles and counting). Then I'll get another.

8. Would you rather live with your parents or your kids?

Since I'm a cat mom, I'll go with the cat kid (who's an old cat man)

9. Would you rather have an ugly tattoo where everyone could see it or a beautiful one that no one could see?

I'll put a temporary one wherever. Nothing permanent. 

10. Would you rather eat a peanut butter and Spam sandwich or a strawberry jelly and lettuce sandwich?

I think with enough tweaking of condiments, you could get an Indonesian vibe going on your PBnSpamwich.

Or this! (Google can be a wonderful thing)

5 star rating! You know you're curious...

Be sure to check out Marsha’s post and her link party for more responses!

Linking up with
Marsha's 10 on the 10th
Shelbee's On the Edge

MendMarch 2025

MendMarch, the brainchild of Kate Sekules, is one of my favorite Instagram challenges.
Kate comes up with daily prompts

@visiblemend

and the cohort of menders post their interpretations.

Here are the links to mine!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Linking up with
Shelbee on the Edge

PSA for the Blogging from A-Z Challenge 2025

The Blogging from A to Z Challenge is held every April. The challenge is to blog through the alphabet every Monday through Saturday. The “A” theme is blogged on April 1st, “B” April 2nd, etc.

I created this undated badge because I started to dislike the graphics they provided
Feel free to steal it, if you want

I've been doing it since 2015. At first, I did it on more than one blog! Insanity!

I find it a great structure for writing content on a regular basis (a problem I seem to have on ALL my blogs!)

I want to solicit some fellow style fashionistas to join in!

Look how lonely I am right now on the Official Master List, the only blogger doing "Fashion" posts.

Maybe I'll do a second series again this year... not sure yet.

Revive the "Haikus to my Closet" that I attempted in 2019? (Yikes. That long ago?)

I've recently been writing haikus for an art collab and have been enjoying it. (Find them on IG)

Hey, as long as it's entertaining, right?

More about the challenge can be found on the official Blogging from A to Z Challenge Blog.

It's a lot of fun! Give it a try! Please?

Past A-Zs

SpyGirl A-Z posts:
2015 Scarves (only did one here on SpyGirl!)

These are the posts on my Pattern blog. They're sketches and patterns of Fluevog shoes:
2017
2018
2019
2021
2022
2023
2024

I'm doing Fluevogs again this year.

Random other A-Zs:
2015 Southwest artwork

2016 Tartans A-Z plaids for US states and Canadian provinces

2017 #dailytruck A-Z or, coping with my commute

2018 #dailytruck A-Z 

2019 #dailytruck A-Z 

2020 #dailytruck A-Z

2020 Stitching the World, A-Z embroidery project

Good Buy/Goodbye Winter Coats

It's halfway through the month (what?!) and time for an episode of Shelbee and Nancy's Good Buy/Good Bye Book. The theme this month is Winter Coats.

First, my submission, a favorite:

 See how I wore it in 2014

I have WAY too many winter coats.
Did a culling in 2023 and now they're in my Poshmark shop.

Sad to see that camel color/leopard trim one go. Can no longer wedge my arms into it.

That scarf is on Poshmark too!

Linking with
Shelbee's On the Edge

10 on the 10th on 3.14

Answering 10 questions! This is a fun monthly thing instigated by Marsha In the Middle.

To quote Marsha's prompt post:

Do you know when Pi Day is? It’s March 14 but looks better if you write it 3.14! And, that is pi to two decimals. Pi goes on to infinity which means it’s not rational. Do yourself a favor and don’t look up the definition unless you’re a math major. My daughter, who was a math major, explained that a rational number can be written as a fraction. Irrational numbers cannot. Pi is irrational because it can’t be written as a fraction! So, have at it, my friends and tell us about the ten irrational (as in not logical) things you would do! And, remember, it’s so much more fun when you give reasons for your answers!

I did some research and found 7 irrational questions from past 10 on the 10ths:

4/23

7/23

10/23

12/23

2/24

6/24

2/25

Note the trend towards CHOCOLATE!

And 2023 was a banner year for irrational questions.

Then I went to ChatGPT and asked "this or that absurd questions involving chocolate"
The Chat called it "Absurd Chocolate Dilemma":

1. Eat a chocolate bar that tastes like broccoli OR a broccoli that tastes like chocolate?
2. Swim in a pool of melted chocolate OR have it rain chocolate syrup for a week?
3. Have chocolate-flavored toothpaste OR brush your teeth with melted chocolate?
4. Wear clothes made of solid chocolate OR shoes filled with hot fudge?
5. Only be able to eat chocolate-covered vegetables OR chocolate-covered insects?
6. Have fingers that constantly ooze chocolate OR cry chocolate tears?
7. Be cursed to always have chocolate melted on your hands OR never be able to taste chocolate again?
8. Replace all the water in your house with chocolate milk OR have your furniture be made of solid chocolate?
9. Live in a house made of chocolate that melts in the sun OR a house that constantly smells like chocolate but never has any?
10. Have chocolate hair that you can snack on OR chocolate skin that melts in the sun?

Marsha, you are welcome to use any of these for your next "This or That" 🤣

Seventeen [a prime number] questions in all and if I must answer one...

Chocolate hair! Except I'd quickly become bald from nibbling on it all the time.

Be sure to check out Marsha’s post and her link party for more responses!

Linking up with
Marsha's 10 on the 10th
Shelbee's On the Edge

Rena's Fine-Whatever

Getting Into Sol LeWitt

 Marsha posted this artwork for the bi-monthly Style Imitating Art challenge:

Sol LeWitt, Wall Drawing No. 652

Immediately, I thought: I have a shirt like that!

Why not put the two together?

notice I fixed the wonky perspective on the art

This was so entertaining, I'm considering doing more!
I want to virtually pose before ALL the Sols! Haha.

Linking up with
Shelbee's On the Edge
Rena's Fine-Whatever

10 on the 10th: Valentine's Edition

Answering 10 questions! This is a fun monthly thing instigated by Marsha In the Middle.

1. Would you rather celebrate Valentine’s Day at a cozy restaurant or at home cozied up in your favorite jammies?
Leaning towards Home. Restaurants are too crowded in V-Day.

2. Would you rather eat red velvet cake or wear red velvet?
I'm happy sketching a red velvet cupcake!

Red Velvet Mini, 2011

3. Would you rather receive a heart shaped box of candy or a heart shaped piece of jewelry?
Heart candy for sure!

4. Would you rather eat Reese's Pieces or a Reese's Peanut Butter Heart?
I'll take Reese's in any shape or form (despite the fact that most non-cup Reese's look like 💩 Haha.)

Evidence of my Reese's addiction:

8 Reese's weavings, 2020

5. Would you rather watch a Valentine’s Day themed movie or an action movie?
Valentine movies are too sappy for my taste and a lot of Action movies are too much.
I'll take a twisty Whodunnit. 
Just finished streaming Snow Girl on Netflix. It gets gory in parts, but is a good mystery.

6. Would you rather give a box of chocolates to your person or a less than wonderful homemade card?
Who says my homemade cards are subpar
I'll go with the chocolates, Severo will share!

7. Would you rather go to Tahiti or Iceland for Valentine’s Day?
Would I go to Iceland to maybe catch the Northern Lights?
(I just looked up daylight hours there and was surprised to see it's around 8 hours)
Tahiti with warm sun and beaches?
Tahiti for the win!

8. Would you rather sing “At Last” by Etta James or “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing” by Aerosmith to your person?
I will PLAY Etta and not SING Etta. No one needs to hear me sing.

9. Would you rather celebrate Valentine’s Day for a week or not at all?
I am OK going without. Don't need a designated day for romance and chocolates!

10. Would you rather eat a really sour piece of candy or a single Brussels Sprout dipped in chocolate?
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha. Always dipping weird things in chocolate.
Do I dignify this one with an answer?
I like chocolate, but not on everything!

Be sure to check out Marsha’s post and her link party for more responses!

Linking up with
Marsha's 10 on the 10th
Shelbee's On the Edge

Rena's Fine-Whatever