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

Crazy Quilt Dossier: 6.26 Friend Patch Visible Mends

Laurey created this patch for the Mend and Make Friends 2023 patch exchange.
We were patch pairs.
I decided to add it to the quilt, and I don't remember what I covered up.

This is the patch in March 2023 before it went on the quilt

Installed

Fast forward 15 months, it now looks like this

worse for wear, as they say

First I worked on the sad orange circle, lower right

French Knots! Blanket Stitching!

Then I decided to do preventative mending on all the other raw edges

It's a Bonanza of Blanket Stitching!

We'll see how this lasts.

MendMarch 2024

 MendMarch, the brainchild of Kate Sekules, is one of my favorite Instagram challenges.

Kate comes up with daily prompts

and the cohort of menders post their interpretations.

Here are the links to mine!

You are invited to see the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

I stopped on March 18. Life happened.

MendMarch 2022

 MendMarch, the brainchild of Kate Sekules, is one of my favorite Instagram challenges.

Kate comes up with daily prompts

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

These Boots and Songful Style Linkup

Songful Style gives you lyrics, music, video, and album artwork to inspire your fashion creativity. You may even find inspiration in a memory triggered by the selected song. It is all open to your own personal interpretation and just a fun way to discover new music and get a little bit more creative with your wardrobe. 

Join me and my cohosts Suzy, Shelbee, Michelle, and Marsha in this month's fun linkup party inspired by Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots are Made for Walkin'"

Boots by Fluevog, Tate 8-Eye

POW!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray)

Next month's inspiration is "Leather and Lace" by Stevie Nicks and Don Henley.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Linking up with 

Rena's Fine-Whatever

#SecondHandSeptember Decluttering Methods

Who out there is neat and tidy?

I fully admit that I am not.

Some might call it a "creative mess".
I know, in my soul, it's simply a mess.
I even put it as a disclaimer on my Instagram bio:

Let's talk Instagram decluttering.

You've probably seen an ad in your feed for making your Instagram "cleaner".
[I can't show you the actual ad because I ticked "See it too often" and now that I want to utilize it, it's not appearing. Watch, it'll return after I publish this post. Will add after I next see it].
Anyway, it shows example #1, a chaotic feed that looks much like this:

Next is example #2, a feed with a consistent color story and alternating images and blocks of text, like this (blurred to protect the innocent. I'm not dissing the IGer, I'm dissing the layout):

Personally, example #2 looks bland and boring and I don't want to read all that text.

[9/10] - here's the IG ad

I do agree that example #1 looks like my brain and is a bit scary. Here's another glimpse:

My personal solution (and let's all agree, it's YOUR feed, and you can post whatever and however you want) is to be more mindful and restrain myself to three posts a day. This then lines up like with like in the IG grid of three:

This I find especially difficult on the weekends because I'm usually not taking outfit photos and I'm doing fun stuff that I want to share! [See bottom row above].
So, I'm letting it all hang out on the weekends and reining myself back in during the work week.

We won't discuss the state of my house. It's not digital and less easily controlled.

Ha! Check out my 9/9 post -- the flat files got magically cleaned up!
Today (9/10), it looks even worse than above.
I got a new-to-me piece of furniture and chaos ensued.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Linking up with
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #shareAllLinkup

Sock It To Me!

(Ad) Six days with @sox_bond socks.
Sox Bond offered me a generous discount code for my purchase if I posted on IG.

I did that and am posting here as well! They're nice socks! I like them!

Here's the intel [copied from their website]:

Sock Details

• Made to impress
• Soft, stretchy, comfortable
• One size fits all
• 80% Cotton, 15% Polyester, 5% Spandex

• Delivery

  • We ship worldwide
• European Union shipping (free on orders over $35, otherwise $6.95 shipping)
• US and Canada (free on orders over $35, otherwise $6.95 shipping)
• INT shipping (free on orders over $35, otherwise $6.95 shipping) 
• All orders are shipped straight from our warehouse (Lithuania - European Union). We use post office for service
• It usually takes 5-14 days for your products to arrive (depends on your location)

They ARE soft and skew warm, due to the polyester. Good for winter!
Most were too long in the foot for my size 7-7.5 foot (which is always my problem with unisex socks). Not sure about shrinkage yet.

Here's how I wore them, over the last two weeks:

View this post on Instagram

(Ad) Day One with @sox_bond socks. Charcoal heather and yellow stripe. Sox Bond offered me a generous discount code if I posted on IG. So far, so good, and look how well they go with my '92 vintage @fluevog Sandal Clogs! Then, the colors of the day (#COTDstyle) for Wednesday are: heather gray and pale yellow! Pale yellow in my Clog graphic and paisley shirt, light heather gray in my PANTIES! 😜#stylediary #iwillwearwhatilike #fluevog #vog_sandalclog Oh yeah, forgot to mention my matchy notebook from @redbubble

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray) on Feb 27, 2019 at 1:48pm PST

Sock link

View this post on Instagram

(Ad) Day Two with @sox_bond socks. Red dots on navy ground. Sox Bond offered me a generous discount code if I posted on IG. These replace a dear departed pair of Happy Socks that were the same colorway. The 80%cotton/15%polyester/5%spandex fabrication is very comfortable (wore yesterday's over tights and couldn't tell). Plus they're not too big, which was a concern with the unisex one-sizing paired with my size 7 feet. #sockgame Managed to play #cotdstyle The colors of the day for Thursday are: thick textures and kelly green! Chubby fake fur coat (people always want to pet it) and kelly green in my Ungaro harlequin top. #stylediary #iwillwearwhatilike #cotdstylechallenge

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray) on Feb 28, 2019 at 1:23pm PST

Sock link

View this post on Instagram

(Ad) Day Three with @sox_bond socks. Mini dots on navy ground. Sox Bond offered me a generous discount code if I posted on IG. #sockgame Three more pairs to post, will continue next week. Maybe I'll have my new Accessories Wall done by then.

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray) on Mar 1, 2019 at 1:30pm PST

Sock link

View this post on Instagram

(Ad) Day Four with @sox_bond socks. Stacked rectangles on navy ground. Sox Bond offered me a generous discount code if I posted on IG. #sockgame COTD (colors of the day) TRI COLOR TUESDAY: sleek silver, ravishing red, glitzy gold! Help us celebrate, we're turning four! #cotdstyle Silver and gold in my ring (photo 2), red scattered all over. #cotdstylechallenge #stylediary #iwillwearwhatilike

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray) on Mar 5, 2019 at 1:43pm PST

Sock link

View this post on Instagram

(Ad) Day Five with @sox_bond socks. Teal and Gold Triangles on Navy Ground. Sox Bond offered me a generous discount code if I posted on IG. #sockgame COTD (colors of the day) WEDNESDAY: ballet pink and super green! Help us celebrate COTDstyle's birthday, we are turning four this week! #COTDstyle The pink is in my shirt, which is hidden under the outerwear. Took the selfie at work. Raining too hard at home. #stylediary #iwillwearwhatilike #cotdstylechallenge

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray) on Mar 6, 2019 at 1:17pm PST

Sock link

View this post on Instagram

(Ad) Day Six with @sox_bond socks. White Dots on Navy Ground. Sox Bond offered me a generous discount code if I posted on IG. #sockgame COTD (colors of the day) FRIDAY: stop light red and bright navy! Help us celebrate COTDstyle's birthday, we are turning four this week! #COTDstyle Well, Red and Blue at least. I bookended my dot socks with my @lovechicos scarf. I also added a blue shirt, not in photo. #stylediary #iwillwearwhatilike #cotdstylechallenge

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray) on Mar 8, 2019 at 2:21pm PST

Sock link

Linking with Patti's Visible Monday
Shelbee's On the Edge of the Week
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

#100daysofsole and Me

I've been featured!

100 Days of Sole is a project comprising of "daily stories told from the intersection of footwear and identity". I was all set to include the site in a post about "my latest Instagram crushes" or "my many obsessions distractions" or some such. And, while I was busy at a handwork workshop, it transpired that Kelsy contacted me to be a part of it! WooHoo!

After great deliberation, I decided upon the above hand painted Indian Buffalo Sandals, which I photographed on my block printing experiments and collaged over the paisley block printed on striped cotton lawn. To read my story, you'll have to go to Instagram!

Then it was time to conjure up an outfit for this post.
On a whim, I tried on a pair of golden baroque lounge pants from work.
(I was involved with working on this print, but not this version of it).
I had them in one of my "to repurpose" boxes. How many months have I been walking past them?
They're work's sample size small, and I assumed that they wouldn't fit.
Well, as long as my stomach and butt are covered, they are fine!

I can't wait to wear these to a summer pool party.
Oh yeah, I attend those all the time!

I tried hiking up the pants to show the sandals without much success.

You can see how the layers of the sole are starting to separate.

Close up, highlighting Patucci's painting.

How did I discover 100 Days of Sole?
Through Richard Haines, the fashion illustrator who inspired me to take up fashion sketching again!
The Instagram algorithm gods smiled on me yesterday.

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

Forgot to mention! Post #1000 for SpyGirl!

#MBsociallydriven: Exploring My Los Angeles, Part 1

SPONSORED, UNPAID 

I’m partnering with Mercedes-Benz to share my version of Los Angeles.
I used a special MB provided App to create this slide show culled from my Instagram feed.

THAT went fast, right?
Hey, kids, slow it down for us OLD PEOPLE!!!!!

Here are the individual photos, which you can linger over at your leisure:

The obligatory cliche Venice Beach shot. 

Chasing a giant spool on the I-105 for my #dailytruck project.
Pay no attention to my hazardous driving skillz.
The App didn't "recognize" any of my Waterlogue images, so I gamed my IG and added a source image.

Dave and Phil Alvin sketched at the Ruth B Shannon in Whittier.
I got their autographs on the sketch after the show!
This image may disallow my entry, are the Alvin brothers "celebrities"? Is a sketch of celebrities OK?
Shoot, I was thinking of doing a "My Oscars" one today...

Food. Had to include a food shot.
These Kranse Cakes are awesome and I want one NOW!
Copenhagen Pastry, Culver City. Read a detailed review on my Dessert blog.

The Mobile Studio in the back seat of my car.
I haven't been #lunchbreakfashionsketching all that much lately. I'm needing a rest period.

Wow, these photos are like a tour of my various blogs!
That's My Instagram for you, EVERYTHING in one place.

[Nerd alert]
My Inspector SpyGirl study of what the App liked on my IG.
Did not like the new multi-image album nor the Waterlogues, among other things. Why didn't it like "BOOM!"? So sad! It liked Severo a lot, that's for sure. And my #COTDstyle shots. And all the "Good morning"s.
[I made screenshots of my IG feed. The App goes back only one month. It also loads the images in reverse chronological order. Unable to rearrange images for the slideshow].

You're welcome to click on image to see bigger.
Orange √ = top App picks
Red √ = all other picks
There is some overlap at the top from gaming IG after I first tried the App.

So, what's YOUR version of [insert city name]?
If you live in or plan on visiting NYC, LA, Chicago, Austin, Miami, or Denver, Mercedes-Benz is inviting you to share your city in a simple and artistic way on Instagram. It's easy—you create a quick (but beautiful) animated album of 5 of your best geotagged photos and upload it to Instagram. [Once I get the green light, I'll add the link to the App. You have to connect through your smart device]. Then, you share your album on your feed with the hashtag #MBsociallydriven—and your photos might be featured on the Mercedes-Benz website! Get busy, the deadline is March 5.
MB suggests these guidelines:
Because this is a Mercedes-Benz brand initiative, please avoid posting the following types of photos (as much as we love them): competing car brands, celebrities, outdoor murals and graffiti, images that primarily focus on tattoos, advertising, and profanity.


[Nerd Alert part 2]
Check out the City Colorways on the MB site --
ALL THE NYC VIDEO COVERS ARE BLACK AND WHITE! And Miami is all blue! SO WEIRD!
Also, it looks like every city got its own font. Pattern Recognition, people. Pattern Recognition.

Ready to rediscover your city?

If you DON'T live in one of those 6 cities, share your local 5-image slideshow here!
If you can think of an existing App to make the slideshow, please mention it in the comments.
HAVE FUN! LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR EFFORTS!