2018 Fashion Finale

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Rebecca Taylor top, French Connection skirt, Calvin Klein booties
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Talitha top, Banana Republic pants, Nine West booties
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Saks Fifth Avenue sweater, BCBGMaxAzria skirt, Eliffete tights, Marc Jacobs booties

Here are my #ootd pics from December 2018.  A few new pieces are in the mix, like the lace tights and my first Milly top.  OMG, I love stretch silk, which is a silk blend with a bit of spandex in it.  You can tell that I am a huge fan of silk, cashmere and leather.

I wear two smocks while painting and using Mod Podge, which is my new go-to instead of using Plaster of Paris for sculpture.  I’m doing a form of papier mache instead and it is amazing.  Can’t wait to share my donut project!

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Aqua Cashmere cardigan, Trina Turk skirt, BCBGeneration booties
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Rachel Zoe dress, Calvin Klein booties
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BCBGMaxAzria dress, Karl Lagerfeld Paris boots

The other big project is…Artist Books!  My Studio in Art students are creating these very cool books using sports equipment, lunch boxes, ceramic bowls and musical instruments.  They will be done by the end of the semester.  Then we will start watercolor!

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Trina Turk dress, Marc Jacobs booties
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C by Bloomindales cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West boots
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Milly top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Marc Jacobs booties

I will eventually clean off the back counter and prepare for new students in February.  Art – 8 only meets every other day for one semester.  I am able to do about three or four projects in that time – a drawing, a painting, a sculpture and a clay project or some combination of those things.  Right now we are finishing up sculptures in the five classes and drawing in the other two.

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C by Bloomingdales cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and leggings, Ugg boots

I did not get any clothes for Christmas, lol.  Or did I?  Santa was good to me.  I know him!  (I really do!) <3

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Rachel Zoe dress, Coach clutch
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BCBGMaxAzria top, pants, and belt, Nine West boots

Who’s Greek Now?

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I decided to infuse the 8th grade Medusa  drawing project with real people.  I was driving to work a few weeks ago and the idea just came to me, lol, but would the teachers at Chittenango Middle School go for it?

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On the half day, I sent out an email then I ran around taking pictures of those who were receptive to being immortalized as Medusa.  The principals were even on board, which was so, totally, awesome!

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Students selected from the faces and added the snake hair and Greek pattern border.  We watched excerpts from 1981 and 2012 Clash of the Titans while using Sharpies and colored pencils.  Here are the results.  They used 16″ x 20″ white heavyweight tagboard and Prismacolor colored pencils.

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I have two classes working on a new batch on brown Kraft paper.  It is such a fun project.  So many possibilities with regard to color schemes and composition.  So incredibly satisfying!

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This artwork is currently on display in the hallway outside of my classroom at Chittenango Middle School in Chittenango, New York.  It will be up for a while, at least until the end of the semester at the end of January.  I will display some of them at the school fair in May too.

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Best in Silk

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Trina Turk silk top, French Connection leather skirt, Nine West boots

Here are my #ootd pictures from November 2018.  The black cropped leg BCBGMaxAzria  pants go with everything!  I ended up getting a second pair because they are so spectacular.  Not sure why they were not made in other colors.  I love silk as well, and silk velvet is soooo amazing!  I’m sure my dry cleaner loves that I wear it too, lol.

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Cinq a Sept silk dress, Via Spiga tights, Sorel boots

I was able to incorporate my Wonder Woman boots (above) in this one! They are Sorel – I think I paid one third of the retail asking price for them, maybe less!

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Ulla Johnson silk dress, Calvin Klein booties
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Kobi Halperin top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Calvin Klein booties

It is fun keeping track of fashion because I can see what combinations I have done with separates – what items go with what, and as a result, I can assess what one new thing I may bring into the mix that will serve me best.  The morning I put this look together (above), I was, like, how do these two things match? – that is so cool! That Kobi Halperin top is embroidered cotton – very wonderful texture in person.  There is a version of it in all white hiding somewhere in the universe for me to find.

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Rebecca Taylor silk top, BCBGMaxAzria silk-velvet pants, Joie sandals

Rebecca Taylor has a new concept right now where you can pay a monthly fee and rent up to four garments at a time to wear until you want to give them back and then get more.  I have my eye on a few pieces from her holiday collection right now.  Go to www.rebeccataylor.com for more information.

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BCBGMaxAzria sweater and skirt, Nine West booties
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Rebecca Taylor silk dress, Marc Jacobs booties
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Trina Turk silk-spandex top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Marc Jacobs booties

This top (above) is from 1999!  It is my first Trina Turk, the reason I fell in love with her work!  Mine is a size Medium, which is a bit large for me now but I still love it and wear it often.

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Free People cardigan and leather skirt, JCrew T-shirt, Marc Jacobs boots
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Akemi + Kim for Anthropologie dress, Via Spiga tights, Calvin Klein booties
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BCBGMaxAzria silk dress, Calvin Klein booties

This BCBGMaxAzria gown (above) was my outfit for my annual Friendsgiving dinner.  About twenty-five of us dined together at Delmonico’s Italian Steakhouse.  It had been hanging in my closet for two years and so, I was very psyched to have an opportunity to wear it.  I sewed bra cups into the lining because the bodice neckline made it difficult to find undergarments that worked.  Easy-peasy!

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Cinq a Sept silk top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, BCBGeneration booties
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Rachel Zoe silk top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Calvin Klein booties

Here I am wearing Rachel Zoe (above) at my friend Tracey’s pre-Thanksgiving house party.  I have this top in black too.

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C by Bloomingdale’s cardigan, Rachel Zoe silk dress, Via Spiga tights, Calvin Klein booties
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BCBGMaxAzria dress and tank top, Nine West boots
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Free People cardigan, Alice + Olivia silk-velvet top, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Calvin Klein booties

I found this Alice + Olivia silk-velvet halter top on a final sale on saksoff5th.com.  I think it was $40?  Something like that!  It is my new favorite thing.  I paired it with those black cropped pants seen in every other pic, lol, for a trip to the movies last night.

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Trina Turk silk top, BCBGMaxAzria silk-velvet pants, Marc Jacobs booties

What will I wear next?  Stay tuned….

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BCBGMaxAzria top, sweater, jacket and pants, Marc Jacobs booties

 

The Kindness of Peace

Kindness Matters was the subject of this year’s Lions Club sponsored Peace Poster contest.  My Studio in Art class students spent about six weeks working on their illustrations.

Emily’s poster won the local and regional competition.  It is on its way to the state competition next and if she wins at the international level – well, that would be a huge win for all of us:  $5,000 for her and twelve years of poster-making and working closely with the beautiful people/lions who make up the committee that will culminate in an enormous sense of pride and victory for our small community in Chittenango, New York.

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The Chittenango Lions threw us a classroom pizza party and awarded monetary gifts and plaques for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place picks.  The rest of the students were all unanimously honored with honorable mentions.  Their work was spectacular.

These peace posters will be on display during December 2018 in the Community Room at the Sullivan Library, 101 Falls Blvd., Chittenango, New York 13037.  Visit their website for hours of operation.