Fond Farewells

Saturday night Stephen and I went to a going away party for our friend Chaz.  She is moving to Milan, Italy for the next six months to a year to live and work.  I am so excited to hear about her adventures... even though I will also miss having her nearby.

Sweater, thrifted; dress, thrifted; tights, Target; boots, Rack Room Shoes; earrings, purchased in the Dominican Republic; necklace, purchased in Cozumel.

 

Goodbyes are a little less painful in the age of Facebook, Skype, and email.  I'm glad we will be able to stay in touch with each other's lives even with an ocean between us.

 

I love how this microsuede dress and printed sweater paired with the amber jewelry.  It was a great outfit for a great night with great friends.  

Shell Game

Our trip to the Dominican Republic was great because of the people who accompanied us.  The group ended up having four men and four women.  The men were fun.  The women were amazing.  There was so much sisterhood going on we should have been issued traveling pants.

In addition to Angie (whom I've mentioned here before),  we were joined by Katie and Tamara.  I had met Katie when I lived in Iowa but didn't know her well, and Tamara was new to me.  By day two it was as if we had been besties for years.  It would have been weird except it was so damn cool.  When I got home I was filled to bursting with warm fuzzies, and I wanted to make something for these extraordinary women.

I decided on crocheted necklaces because I could use some of the pretty sea shells I picked up on the trip and because these necklaces are sturdy and wearable enough for SCUBA girls.

Shell Game Crocheted Necklaces

Better than selling sea shells by the sea shore, these were free.

Materials:

• crochet thread
• sea shells
• glass seed beads

Tools:

• Drill with 1/16" bit
• flexible beading needle
• 1.4 mm crochet hook

I carefully drilled a hole in each of the four shells I chose for the necklaces using the 1/16 inch bit.   I drilled into a piece of scrap wood so I didn't damage the table.

After drilling the holes I added a small stainless steel split ring to make it hang nicely on the string.

Assembling the necklace couldn't be easier because the only crochet stitch you need to know is the chain stitch.  The most labor-intensive part of the process is stringing the beads.  Strining the beads is much easier using a flexible beading needle.  I used approximately 130 seed beads on each of the four necklaces.  I placed the shell midway through the beads

I simply joined the ends and tied them off when the necklaces were the length I wanted.  These  necklaces are very long, so they can be worn at a number of lengths depending on how many times you loop them.  I wear my crocheted necklaces on their own or layered with silver and gold necklaces for a different look.

Caturday: The Cat Signal

My friend Chenille told me that the interweb worships cats on Saturday, and it's known as Caturday.  Here is my contribution to Caturday.

My mom's cat Gypsy, giving the cat signal.

Happy Birthday Kate!

Mom, me (in the back) and Kate, way back when.

My little sister is 27 today.  Happy birthday, Kate!

I am so lucky to have a sister who is also a wonderful friend.

I miss her, and I'm glad we live in the digital age when we can live across the country from each other and still keep in touch.

Dollars, No Sense

There is a new thrift store that opened near me, and I've gone a little crazy in the clothing department.  I have enough of a hard time restraining myself at Goodwill, where a dress sets me back $5.50 ($2.75 if the tag is the color of the week).  At the Mercy Ministries thrift store, all clothing is just $1.

 

So far I've found a few shirt dresses, a red plaid flannel dress, a dress for my friend Chastity, a shirt for my mom, and this vintage gem.  I love the frilly neckline.  I love the drape of the skirt.  I even love the fit of the cap sleeves.  I don't usually like cap sleeves.

 

I paired the dress with simple accessories to visit my dear and often-blogged-about friend Chenille.  I always want to wear something fun when I see Chenille.  Good friends bring out the best in my wardrobe.

Dress, vintage, thrifted; belt, Walmart (it came with my olive shirt dress); shoes, Born, Younkers; blue topaz earrings, Younkers; blue topaz necklace, SilverJewelryClub.com.

Learning from a Master

A number of aspects of India were somewhat overwhelming: the crowds, the traffic, and the noise come to mind.  One thing that might have been overwhelming if not for help was the shopping.  I love textiles, clothing, and jewelry (even if this is your first time to the blog, you've probably already noticed), and the quantity we found in Pune was unreal.

I haven't heard back about using her name or photo on the interweb, but
rest assured we didn't go shopping with a faceless woman.

Luckily RJ, an American ex-pat who has been in India for two years, was willing to show us her favorite spots and teach us the ins and outs of shopping in India.

For my first shopping excursion in India I chose some of the Indian-wear I brought along from Georgia.  I was so comfortable in this long tunic and leggings.

RJ showed us some of her favorite markets and helped negotiate some great deals.

I love this fabric.  I should have bought it in every color.

That day we went to MG (Mahatma Ghandi) Road and Clover Center.  RJ says pretty much every city in India has an MG Road.  RJ helped Angie find fabric for a sari before I arrived, and we shopped for fabric for me that day.  We didn't find my sari fabric, but we did find lots of other fabric including this intricately embroidered set.

RJ also recommended her tailor, and I was so excited to have some clothes custom made for me.  Tailoring in India is a great deal, and I paid less for custom-tailored garments there than I have paid for many off the rack things in the States.

Reunited and It's Bittersweet

I've said it before, I'll say it again.  I am so incredibly blessed to have the friends I have in my life.  Some of my friends are so close they feel like sisters.  Angie is definitely a spirit sister.  We used to live near each other, and I saw her weekly if not more often.  Now we live a thousand miles apart and seeing her is always joyous tinged with the sadness of our visits' infrequency.

Angie is an amazing friend, a brilliant woman, and one of my role models.  I'll be lucky if I can be as wonderful as she is when I grow up.

This wavy couch was too cool not to get a photo.

She is one of the friends with whom I can always pick up where we left off, and seeing her in India was no different.  Angie's husband (also a wonderful friend) made a trip to India at the same time Stephen did, so this time Angie and I reunited 8,000+ miles from either of our homes.  We spent the rest of the week eating, drinking, laughing, learning, and shopping.

I can't wait to see Angie again when we both visit the Dominican Republic in a couple months.
.

Why?  This is a level of intimacy I don't necessarily want
to add to my marriage.

Once again our hotel in Pune had a glass wall between the glass room and bedroom.  Once again I took an awkward photo to document this weirdness.

After the three-hour drive from Mumbai to Pune, we relaxed, got settled in our room, and prepared for the whirlwind of the rest of our trip.

The dress and wrap I wore this day are both self made.  This dress was my most-worn item in India because it was so incredibly comfortable.  I am already planning to make another copy or two.

Puff Puff Craft

Saturday night my friend Chenille and I got together for a night of craftiness.  Chenille has the fabulous etsy store So & So, and I putter around with jewelry, crochet, sewing, paper crafts, and any other creative endeavors that strike my fancy.  

I picked two new to me crafts to try: puffy paint embellishment based on this tutorial, and beach pen designs based on this tutorial.  Here is our night in photos:

My first puffy paint creation in teal and purple.

Chenille's first puffy paint experiment: gold and glow-in-the-dark
triangles on leopard.

Another view of the gold and glow on leopard.

My second puffy paint endeavor, this one using glow-in-the-dark
paint.  I highlighted three feathers with paint.

Chenille's tribal glow-in-the-dark pattern.

My bleach pen design: leaves.

Chenille working on a bleach pen tank top.

Chenille's bleach design: a dandelion.

The projects were quite inexpensive ($5 or less each).  We had a lovely box of sangria, crafted, chatted and generally had a great time.  I can't wait to wear my creations!

Liger

What do you get when you combine a tiger shirt with a lion belt?  A liger outfit, of course!  I tend to be especially excited about silly conceptual outfits, and this one falls firmly into that category.  Why else would I be thrilled with an otherwise bland black and brown outfit?

 

Shirt, Express, thrifted; slacks, thrifted; belt, thrifted and embellished by me; shoes, Clarks, Younkers; bracelet, Claire's; earrings, handmade and gifted (thank you Chenille!); necklace, etsy.

 

Chenille gave me these earrings before she was a famous jewelry designer with a fancy etsy site.  It is so good to have talented friends.  I got quite a few compliments on them today.  I like the combination of the buttons, beads and copper findings.  I think I am going to order/commission a pair of earrings like this but in a bright color.

Just the So & So You Want to Know

Image Credit: So & So
Button and crystal earrings.

The message below is shameless promotion of a great friend and talented artist.

Do you remember my gorgeous, creative, intelligent friend Chenille?  Her Etsy shop, So & So is now open!  Check it out next time you need a gift for yourself or others!  Actually, check it out right now!

Also, Chenille will be doing a guest post here sometime in the near future.

More items will be added to her shop soon, so shop early and shop often!

My Thai

Mmmm Thai food.  Dinner was tasty and the company was divine.  There was wit, style and charm.  I was there too.  I am incredibly jealous of the dress Chenille was wearing last night.  I immediately went home and searched for it on Target.com.  Out of stock!

 

I asked Chenille if I could snap some pics of her gorgeous outfit, then I proceeded to sing RuPaul's Covergirl for modeling inspiration.  Is she fabulous or what?  Maybe if we ask nicely Chenille will do a guest post on this blog.  Please..... (Public, social blackmail...)

Obligatory chick pic.