Freyja's day.... Cellulloid earrings with brooch.

   I've decided to continue with the floral jewelry theme! I just adore this little set. My only complaint is that the earrings are screwbacks.... and as far as I'm concerned that means they're small torture devices!!!
   First and foremost, screwbacks are a pain any way you look at them. If I don't tighten them enough, then they'll fall off my ears. When I'm trying to adjust the amount of pressure they need to stay on... I wind up "squashing" my earlobes. If I can find that elusive middle ground and actually get them on to stay... then give it ten to fifteen minutes tops... and my ear lobes are hurting so bad I have to remove them! And, of course, I always turn the screw in the wrong direction and "squash" my poor lobes again!!!    Nope, screwbacks are the enemy, plain and simple.   That being said, I fully intend to convert these to pierced because I just LOVE their vintage beauty.

   Heres a sneak peak into my earring box. The yellow roses look awesome on!
  

Freyja's day..... Celluloid Lily Brooch.

   The weather has been warmer than usual and everything is starting to burst out in new leaves and buds!  On my quick shopping trip to the store this morning I couldn't resist purchasing some packaged lily bulbs.... I'm just craving Spring colors!!!    Imagine my surprise when this brooch arrived in the mail. hahaha  (Honestly, I'd forgotten I had bought this little Ebay "treasure")   
    So for Freyja's day, I'm sharing my very first Spring lily! 

   May everyone's life be graced by the beauty of Mother Nature!   In one form or another! chuckle

Friday ~ Freyja's day ~ Jewelry ~ Cats

Since my time is chopped up in erratic bits and pieces while I care for my mother... I'm finding it more and more difficult to get much of anything done. I talking housework, gardening, care of pets, drawing, writing, reading, etc....  EVERYTHING has to be done around Mom's care. Some days are a total bust for me! Its very disheartening.
   With that said, an idea came to me the other day.... Since Friday is Freya's day, why not post at least a photo of a piece of jewelry. Her and that infamous necklace you know!!!  Or a picture of one of the many felines that call my place home. She IS called the Mistress of cats after all. And she has foretold the arrival of certain "special" individuals, including my first all white cat.  (I named him after the Archangel Michael, but his nickname was Thud.  Don't laugh, that name wound up striking fear into the hearts of several veterinarians.)

   Anyway, I've decided to begin with a vintage strand of Baltic amber chips. Its from either the 1930s or 1940s and has an outrageously gorgeous patina/polish to it. I feel it was worn frequently and with much joy and love. It hangs at a length of 31 inches... so that's 62 inches of lusciousness! I absolutely ADORE this necklace!!!
   I had taken a better shot of the necklace itself, but Coco Kitteh found the amber to be irresistible!! So this is the perfect photo for Freya's day sharing.

 

Be well. Be happy. Blessings to all.

Mr. Josephs wide brim straw hat.

  

    I just love this hat for some reason. Saw it on Ebay and immediately fell for the nice tight weave, decent size brim and the price. I could see it needed a little TLC, but not much! So I figured "Why not?".   
    I was in for a shock when it arrived on my doorstep. Opened the door and there sat a dilapidated hat box! The lid was coming apart, the box sides were bent/crushed/smooshed, torn in spots, the actual bottom of the box was only connected by maybe two inches of paper.... all this was connected with two long strips of tape that crisscrossed the entirety of it. The address was a scrap of paper taped on the top. The hat sat alone inside of this cardboard disaster!
   I still can't figure out how he taped it without the whole thing coming apart, much less how the Postal Service delivered this from Colorado to Florida! And it DID NOT disintegrate in their hands!!!! My hat is off to them! (no pun intended)   Wish I'd had the presence of mind to photograph it.  An example of "This is how NOT to package ANYTHING!!!"   I was sent reeling into a state of shock at the sight of it.... just unreal! hahaha   All I can say is there was a kindly energy making certain that this little hat arrived safely into my care.
    But.... back to the hat. I just love the weave, need to find a good milliner for advice on how to clean and restore. Also more info on the brim edge, its that folded under type of finish. Of course it needs a little shaping and care. And those flowers.... oh my! they need "plumped up".




The sides start out "normal" enough.



The front is where it turns into a little hot mess.. of floral!

 

    Now the netting is where I'm really tempted to start tampering. Its sooooo orange! Now that makes it bright and perky and all that, but I can't help wondering if I toned it down a bit ~ would I love it even more? It would definitely go with a wider range of clothing.




See what I mean about the orange?




Just have to show this weave. LOVE it!

     Is it fashionable? No.   Is it stylish? Well... NO.   Is it loads of fun? HELL YEAH!!  And that's the most important reason to wear it. hahaha 

Spirits and hats... oh my!

   As the full moon approaches I was fairly certain that I'd be writing some long missive on the emotional & physical aspects of being a caregiver to my elderly mother...... instead, I woke up this morning and after tending to all the pets... I tried on hats! There I was, still in my nightgown, standing on the bed and stretching towards the shelves! I went through about half the hat boxes I have in the bedroom and just tried each and every hat on.   Some I hadn't worn in ages. Others I've never worn out in public. Its been years since I've had the time or the energy to put together a nice outfit and top it off with a really nice or fun headpiece!
    You know what? I have some really nice hats! hahaha!!   It was a grand way to start the day. I even got to thinking about how much my paternal grandmother would have enjoyed my hat "cravings". 
    Lulu was quite the understated fashionista!  She LOVED clothes! And SHOPPING! Mom used to tell me stories about when she was a newlywed and Lulu would drag her to Baltimore on shopping trips. My mom would wear out by mid-afternoon and Lulu would send her home by train.... then return in the evening with her packages in tow. What I would give to be able to go along on one of those trips!!! Mind you, this was in the late 40's. What an era!
    So anyway, when I went over to sit with mom she started telling me how she had dreamed about Lulu last night! Said she hadn't dreamed of her in years and years. She didn't remember any details, but that's ok. I thought it was great that my grandmother got "in touch".  And with the Veil being so thin right now and the moon growing every night... I wasn't that surprised. 
    You just have to love it when little things like this happen! chuckle

Some slightly, but not really, random thoughts!

Top to bottom: Soft pink linen capris, yellow silk slacks, dyed cotton "hippie" sundress! Love all these colors.

    Read a wonderful blog post yesterday. The writer described how she loves clothes, always has, and that her style has evolved as she has gotten older. (I'm hearing this a LOT lately!)  I absolutely loved it when she said her present style was ... "a mix between hippy, goth, witchy and Stevie Nicks (with a bit of Steampunk thrown in on occasion)."     Yep, I know there will be several ladies that will be hollering "YES" to that description! hahaha   Oh my, those were the days!
    I think I'm supposed to ask permission to post a link, so I'll just tell you that it was on Tansy Firedragon's Tome.  Y'all know how to look up things like that... so go over and check her out!
    The other point she made, that struck near and dear to my own heart, was the comfort factor. Now this is something I hear from LOTS of women as the years accumulate. I do believe I see a trend..... chuckle..... Crones want comfort and functionality. And we want it wrapped in BEAUTY! We want garments that drape, flow and swirl ~ yet are practical for whatever work we are doing. 
   (Think my next post will be on the impractical aspects of what folks used to consider ritual wear. It will be a lesson in staying safe! hee hee hee)   
    Then she also touched upon that horrid little bug-a-boo of affordability. That's where I consider myself very lucky.   1st: I have a sewing machine... though its STILL buried in the closet. And I'm pretty sure that I still have enough sewing skills to alter and make clothes. Though I should probably look around for a refresher course or good book. hahaha      2nd: I have a thrift shop just down the street that has 50% off on all clothing on Wednesdays!  SWEET!!!     
    But seriously, that place has been a treasure trove. Even though I work every Wed. morning and I care for my mom in the afternoon... I can still pop up there when Mom lays down for one of her naps. (Its that close.)     Have found quite a few linen pants lately.  Mostly capris, this is Florida after all, but since I'm kind of on the short side some of them are almost regular length on me! haha     I always go to the men's section too. I just can't have enough big flannel shirts for cooler weather! But I've also bought several XXL shirts that I want to try altering.   Back when I was young, and thin, I used to take the larger shirts and just roll up the sleeves, then either tie them at the waist or put on a nice big belt!  With thin legged jeans or a pencil skirt it looked really good! 
    Even bought a pair of yellow silk slacks that looked atrocious on me. Regular price is $3.25... half is $1.63 + tax. For that amount of money I can't go to the fabric shop and buy that much silk! Will cut up and use as an accent material.    (See where sewing comes in handy?)  
    Think that about catches up on whats happening in the closet!  *Except for I have got to get someone to take some photos!!!!  I missed participating in the Style Crone's Hat Attack.... again!  And I have so many hats that I want to show off!  chuckle
   

A little gripe.. a little ramble.

  So.... what to do when someone, in the nicest way possible mind you, lets it be known that in her opinion some women are too fat and poor to be able to dress nicely and/or stylishly.  No, it wasn't even directed at me... at least I don't think so.  (If I DID feel that she was talking directly to me, then the next part of the conversation would  have begun with a "Now listen up, BITCH.")  No, this gal was one of those people who is so brainwashed by our culture and media that she can't see past all those fake images.   
   And the sad part is, I have to admit that it struck a chord deep within me.  I've been programmed that way too. And its hard to jump out of that mental track that my thoughts have been trained to and hop over into a groove that is made especially for me. One in which I feel authentic and comfortable. As corny as it may sound, in trying to find my "style" I'm actually finding myself.
   And one of the things I've found is that a part of me is straight out of the 40's and 50's!!! I guess that's because of how my mother and aunts dressed when I was small. I just LOVE the HATS!!! Oh my! I ADORE them! Of course, the fitted bodices and nipped in waists do not work very well with my body shape. But I intend to maneuver that aspect around a bit.  One of the reasons I get such a kick out of this "discovery" about myself is because its such a polar opposite to the whole lagenlook way of dressing!  But hey! I can do both. And the hats are really versatile... so its all good!
   And while I've touched on the subject, I'll go ahead and say that YES, I intend to lose some weight.... but not from the same stance as my mother. It seems like she was almost always dieting. That last 10 pounds! And trust me, Mom didn't need to diet. But like so many women she was told that being thinner was better. And she bought into it.   No, I need to take off some of this weight because of my back and knee injuries. As my body ages, this becomes more and more evident! chuckle    The wise folks say to "listen to your body!", and they say that for a reason!!!     Our bodies have their own wisdom, and we should really be on the same page with our body! hahah  We should all strive to not be separate from it. It just makes sense. 
    I want to be able to enjoy myself now and in the years to come. Feeling good is more important than looking good. But it would be nice to do both, don't you think?