#MeMadeMay Week 3, Mending Mishap

Not all my mending goes smoothly. I tried a quick fix on another tunic with a too-wide neck and here's what happened:

Weird poufs in the middle of my shoulder seams.

This is one of my rare tunics where I turned back and sewed the edges on the neckline.

I'm not claiming it's an excellent sewing job. It's adequate. 

Fixing this one will require ripping out machine stitching at the neckline and resewing the shoulder seams.
That won't be happening soon, so I will endure it falling off my shoulders for now.

Old in-phone photo collage from last September.

This photo is probably the one that helped me decide to add sleeves:

With Kelly at my art exhibition, #myshittycommute April 2016

WAIT A MINUTE! I SAW (and chased) THAT SAME TRUCK YESTERDAY!

#dailytrucks with One Orange Door
left: circa 2016 .  right: 5.23.18
#dailytruck is an Instagram series that I can't seem to stop and has resulted in two art shows so far.

And now you know how easily I'm distracted and why the I have Mending Mountain.

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday

Ambulatory Portfolio at a College Reunion

Yesterday I attended a 50th year celebration of the first college I attended,
the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

[reactment of outfit, one day later -- forgot to ask someone to take my picture -- 

what kind of fashion blogger am I?] 

IF I had stayed in school, it would have been my 40th reunion.
But at age 20, I was too much of a smartass, and moved to NYC instead.
However, I think it all worked out in the end!

I planned my outfit deliberately -- for starters, I wanted to wear one of my custom prints and my 52 Blogger scarf.
Genius idea: wear the repeat I made from a piece I did AT SCHOOL!

"Reflection", Lithograph, silkscreen, watercolor on paper, 1976

The scribble leggings and silkscreened bag were last minute additions.
While chatting with someone, I realized I was wearing an example of every Print on Demand site that I use!
I was a walking advertisement for myself!

Spoonflower fabric
Redbubble scarf
Society6 leggings
[I get a small commission on all sales]

I had a good laugh at that!

Here I am, with my reunion carpool buddies and classmates Lani and Stanley:

I'll be writing up more about the reunion itself over on my newly fresh art website that, yes, has a blog. (Blog #8?)

Meanwhile, linking up with Patti's Visible Monday
and Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

Taking a Bad Group Selfie, Take Two

Yes, it takes at least two to make a bad group selfie, and Silvana and I have been practicing.

The Poppy Reserve debacle you've seen.

Here are our other outings around LA's west side from the past week.
At the Getty:

[photo by Silvana]

Things got a bit blurry at McCabes, where we saw Thee Holy Brothers and Evie Sands:

Here we are yesterday, eating our very unfancy Easter lunch at Zankou:

Then we went to the Fowler Museum at UCLA, to see the exhibition of African Textiles.

Perhaps we became drunk on pattern joy...

The Fowler has an inner courtyard with a fountain. We cavorted.

Posing is hard, people!

Better, but terrible quality photo from the point and shoot. Its day of retirement looms.

Silvana wanted us with the fountain.

Lovely. But no fountain. [photo by Silvana]

There it is! [photo by Silvana]

I saved you the best/worst for last:

I call it "Fountain and Foreheads" [photo by Silvana]

I had so much fun with Silvana. She leaves returns home to Australia later this week.

I hope to see her again (IRL) soon!

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #saturdaysharelinkup

How To Take a Bad Group Selfie

You can practice in a mirror:

Keep in mind, no mirrors at your destination!

Find a good background and gather your friends:

Poppies in background: check.
Ruth: check.
Where's Silvana?

Over there

OK then, here we all are!

Niiiiice photo, Silvana.

This was part one of my expedition to Lancaster with Silvana of @embellish-or-perish and Ruth.
For part two, we went to MOAH, to view shoes by Chris Francis (among other things).

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

#tbt Spring Break: Around the US in 34 Days #MBsociallydriven

SPONSORED/ UNPAID 

Quick: 5 images that sum up a circumnavigation of the US. Is that even possible?

I chose the four EDGE corners of the contiguous 48 states.

On 3/26/2014, I embarked on a road trip art project to drive around the perimeter of the US. I planned to document it by time-lapse captures out the passenger side. [Which I did, but the footage makes me nauseous, and I still can't deal with it]. There were 34 days of actual driving the route, and an additional 28 days of social detours, including my 40th high school reunion:

We are all almost 60 in 2014, and we are looking good!

Along the way, I met up with some blogging friends:

Meet my good friend Blueberry Pie!
This was the evidence of my meet-up with Connie at Pannikin Coffee & Tea in Encinitas, CA.
She wrote about it better than I ever did!

Patti is represented by a sunset of her home town on the Florida coast.
Again, Patti said it better!

With Joyatri at Veggie Galaxy in Cambridge, MA.
Joyatri's writeup.
Linking up with Shelbee's On the Edge of the Week

Here I am after meeting up with Citizen Rosebud.
I'm wearing a purple scarf that she gave me and I'm posing with Seattle lilacs
(which I had been pursuing since the stay with my mom back in early May -- her's hadn't bloomed yet).
I'm sure Bella wrote about the meet-up, but I can't find it.

You can see my adventures in driving on my On the Edge blog (because why have one blog when you can have seven?)

In 2019, I'll have another school reunion to drive to.
(My high school is Emma Willard, in Troy, NY, a private girls' prep school).
This time, I plan to circumnavigate Canada (plus Alaska)!

(Just roughly plotted this. OMG, what am I thinking!!!!)

Do you take a vacation to see places or people or a combination of the two?
Link and tell!

Summer Sunday in Malibu

Fun in the shade at the Malibu Pier! Selfie with Anita, the mastermind of our get together.
[My sunglasses frames are c/o Ditto.] 

It was a Sunday Funday in Malibu with Anita, Elle, Gina, and Laura. We had lunch at the Malibu Pier Farm Cafe, lounged around on the pier's upper deck, and walked the grounds of the Adamson House (which overlooks the Malibu Lagoon). 

Elle and me inside at the Malibu Pier Farm Cafe.

Beauty shot of Anita in Ranch at the Pier, a cute shop on the upper deck.
She got her Marni purse at a sample sale for only $5!!!

Laura caught me catching her.

Gina, Laura, Anita

Random wedding reception. Nice location, right?

Selfies can be hard work! Photo by Laura.

Anita caught me capturing the scene.

Love how the colors of this doorway at the Adamson House mirror the colors of my Malibu surf shot above it.

Gina views the Malibu Lagoon scene

Laura and me on the terrace of the Adamson House, photo by Anita.
In a hat for Style Crone's Hat Attack!
Also linking with Patti's Visible Monday,
Catherine's I Will Wear What I Like,
My Refined Style,
Shelbee's On the Edge of the Week,
(and maybe more)

It was a fun-filled day with lots of laughs. Next time, we won't do it on a Sunday at the peak of the summer season. OMG, the traffic and the parking were a nightmare!

Todd Oldham Jean Jacket

What happens when you see the origins of your favorite patterned jean jacket?

You go a little bit insane, that's what.

The Todd Oldham All Is Everything exhibition at the RISD Museum had examples of all the components:

Todd Oldham, Pantone Dress, Spring 1996 | Todd Oldham, Pantone Print, Collage, 1996 

Detail of Pantone chip collage

The jacket is a double printed denim, with the Pantone print on the outside, and a tufted upholstery print on the inside:

The original "Tuft" garments were in the exhibition as well:

And that's not all!

Back at Patucci and Mark's place, a similar vintage wallpaper was in a panel of the armoire next to my bed!

Pattern heaven, my friends, pattern heaven.

See all of my (unedited) Todd Oldham exhibition photos in my Flickr Album here.

[8/12 update]

Links à la Mode, August 4th

This post was included in IFB's Links à la Mode, a compilation of their 20 favorite links of the week. I share the honor with:

• Al Balsam Life: The Ultimate Summer 2016 Bag Guide
• Cat Eyes & Skinny Jeans: {What’s in My} July 2016 Pool Party Glossybox!
• Elements of Ellis: Black Vest
• Epouser La Mode: Double Denim
• Everyday Starlet: Kylie Jenner Snapchat Makeup Routine | Using All Drugstore Dupes
• Five Feet Five: A Black Striped Maxi Dress
• Five Foot Nothing Shopping: The Petite Girl’s Festival Look
• Goldwill Digger: 3 Easy Ways to Spread Your Wings and Break Out of a Style Rut
• High Heeled Vogueaholic: Ditch the Dresses | 4 Ways to Style Rompers
• In a Nutshell: Don’t You Want to Go For a Swim?
• Life in the Fash Lane: Hat Attack
• Lil Miss JB Style: Repetition
• Purushu Arie: India Can Emerge as the Saviour of Couture on a Global Scale
• This Season’s Gold: Heat Wave | Strapless Sheath with a Touch of Gold
• Splash of Teal: Style Report | Most Comfortable Work Heels this Summer
• Spy Girl: Todd Oldham Jean Jacket
• Sweet Tea Salvage: DIY | Vintage Botanical Print Collage
• Tales of Two: Styling a White Leather Skirt
• The Wanderbliss: Monochrome
• Wish and Wear: For Work and Pokemon Hunting

SPONSOR: Shopbop Terez, FRAME Denim, Fjallraven Backpacks, Driftwood, La Vie Rebecca Taylor, laContrie, Denim Rompers, Bucket Bags, Choker Necklaces, Men's George Brown BILT