It's Gingham Party Time!

Welcome to a new month of Link-up fun!
This month's theme is GINGHAM.
In a couple of weeks, I'll get all technical about gingham.
(Because I'm a professor and a textile geek and I can't help myself).
(Oh wait. I already did that here. Hey, I'll do it again!)

One is gingham, the other not. Can you tell which?

For now, give me your best shot!

Add your GINGHAM looks here:






This month's theme was inspired by Nancy and Shelbee's The Good Bye/Good-Buy Book series. They are accepting GINGHAM submissions still. See the link for more information.

52 Pick-me-up: Amethyst / Forgiveness / Belonging

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The 52 Pick-me-up prompts this week are: Amethyst / Forgiveness / Belonging 

I've been on an 80's nostalgia kick, triggered by seeing a performance by Stan Ridgway (Wall of Voodoo).
All week, Stan and WoV have been my soundtrack. 

We'll start today's post with an outfit including orange and Amethyst striped leggings from Tweeds. 

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.
Can't overlook me in this outfit!
[5/9] also linking with Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

Anyone remember Tweeds? It was an early "cool" mail-order company (vs. preppy L.L. Bean's, Land's End, etc).
I got these leggings in 1988 or 89. Hey! They're Vintage!
(Enid called them "antique". Enid is a brat.)

Here's a closer look, to get the full glory of the lower half of the pattern smash:

Turquoise laces c/o the nice girl at Fluevog on Abbot Kinney.
Pink/turquoise Keds snagged on Poshmark -- I love Poshmark!!!!

Amethyst-the-gemstone also gets the spotlight today.

I had amethysts in my wedding ring (HAD being the operative word -- the first cracked on day 2 of my honeymoon. Yes, it was an omen, I should have paid attention). I designed the ring and I wish the silversmith friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend who made it had told me it was a bad design (he might have tried, can't remember). ALL the Amethysts are long gone (as is the wasbund). The silversmith also made a keeper ring that I now wear in my pinky.

Here are: the retired wedding ring, 

a new Amethyst stacking ring (again from Poshmark),
the keeper ring (it's a keeper!),
Spanish St. Lucy postcard,
additional artifacts from the DEF wasbund era in a Mexican matchbox.

I don't remember WHY I chose Amethysts for my wedding ring. I didn't research its spiritual qualities, I went with intuition. Which brings us to one of this week's emotional words: Forgiveness. I'm still working on that one re the wasbund.
Maybe when I'm 64?

Amethyst / Forgiveness / Belonging -- link and tell! (Anything purple)

52 Pick-me-up: True Red / Insecurity / Bravery

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True Red in motion. 

Since it's the week's prompt, I've been thinking about Bravery.
A lot of my personally brave moments, when I really think about it, are better described as good thinking and wise decisions. Like that time in January 1997 when I said to myself "no more" after this guy I'd been seeing for about 8 months (and lived with for 6 weeks) abandoned me (with all my stuff) outside of a motel in Mesa, AZ while my van was in the shop for a week. He was assuming I'd stay at the motel. Instead, I called a cab, stayed near the mechanic, and didn't reveal my location.
Two weeks later, back in Los Angeles, I met Severo.
Or the cancer battle I waged and won five years ago? Just followed marching orders, no choice was involved. All my angels were the brave ones. I only needed the courage to ask for help. Which was hard, for sure, but not huge.

First responders.
Now THAT'S bravery.
And their vehicles often are True Red!

I'll leave it at that. I'm not touching insecurity -- not brave enough.
True Red / Insecurity / Bravery -- link and tell!

52 Pick-me-up: Pattern Max

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ 

Greetings all! I'm back home after two months and 12,772 miles of road tripping.
This week's theme is Pattern Mixing. You know I how I love to play around with patterns!
Here I'm wearing gingham, stripes, and some leopard.

Get in the mix! Link up!

Let's Laugh

PURCHASED/ PURLOINED/ GIFTED/ AFFILIATE LINKS*/ 

This tee makes me happy:

Severo gave it to me, it's from Newbury Comics, a New England record chain. I think he had a gig there, maybe in Boston.

My new yoga pants and Keds make me happy too:

I grabbed the pants from the sample box at work. It amazes me that I can squish my girth (34" waist) into the sample size Small. Stretchy cotton/spandex is a wonderful thing!

The Keds came from Yoox, via Lyst. Lyst is an affiliate link program. If you click through one of the garment links at the bottom of this blog, I supposedly get compensation. I don't push it very much, mainly because I add the most ridiculously expensive designer items to *"my Lyst of favorites". I use it to research trends, follow certain designers, or find particular fabrications or prints. My favorite thing about it is that Lyst will alert you when a favorited item goes on sale. I can't do much with an Etro paisley shawl "reduced" to $300 except sigh, but these Keds were on sale for $29 and that seemed like a good deal.
They're now sold out, but here are some current styles that caught my eye:

(this is a non-clickable screen grab. The "make a collection" feature was not working for me this morning)

The DOTS!!!!

For someone who "doesn't like sneakers", I'm certainly starting to amass a good collection:

The third (or fourth?) thing that makes me happy is this:

 Secret paisley Happy Socks*! (Why do I have clown feet here? My feet aren't "that" big!)

Have a great Saturday, everyone!
I'm going to a Simply Stylist event at The Grove today (not in this outfit, btw). I'll be wearing my Narrative Clip, to hopefully get some SpyShots of the fashionable goings-on. I'll submit a full report tomorrow soon.

Meanwhile, click on over to The Citizen Rosebud to ogle some fellow ShoeShiners.