As of today, I am back at work. Here are my most recent summer on-location #ootd pictures.
It was the summer of my dreams – beautiful weather, incredible people, creative juices flowing…. It was and is everything I could possibly desire.
So, not really a conclusion. It’s just another beginning. A renaissance! Today is a continuation of a fun, blessed life. I just had to get up a lot earlier and spend less time with my cat. #catsnamedpablo (yes, that’s a thing). <3
Location #ootd part II: with friends and family
Here are some of my Instagram photographs taken outside of the classroom. Summer rocks! So grateful for time off of work, for time to enjoy the sunshine. And for time to bask in the creation of art, and in the appreciation of it. #blessed <3
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!
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!
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.
I did not get any clothes for Christmas, lol. Or did I? Santa was good to me. I know him! (I really do!) <3
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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!
Here I am wearing Rachel Zoe (above) at my friend Tracey’s pre-Thanksgiving house party. I have this top in black too.
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.
What will I wear next? Stay tuned….
Summer 2018 has been amazing so far. So many fun things to do during my staycation. The weather’s great. Syracuse, New York was blessed with Florida style weather – so wonderfully crazy! Me-likey!
Since I cannot wear them to work, shorts and off-shoulder tops are in heavy rotation right about now. I have been frequenting live band venues – a lot of dancing’s been added to my exercise regimen of yoga, hiking and pilates.
As for art, the Happy Little Treehouse exhibit is moving to another location with a reception sometime next week, I think. My paintings are still available and the proceeds from sales will be donated to Golisano Children’s Hospital. More to come on that front. Stay tuned!
I love fashion! I have enlisted pinch hit photographers for my outfit of the day pictures when Katy is unavailable. The result is a bunch of different poses. I am going all out Zoolander silly with the wispy look away thing – so funny!
Here is my new favorite outfit! I love this Rachel Zoe top so much – I bought it in white too! And adding spandex to jeans is the most brilliant concept the fashion world has ever known. These 7 For All Mankind cropped ankle jeans are so spectacular. They totally move with me like a second skin. My most recent purchase. Lately, every time I buy something, I say to myself – okay, after this you don’t really need anything else. LOL! Needless to say, that thought is fleeting.
I also recently acquired these BCBGMaxAzria silk velvet cargo pants in teal – one of the major colors this season. They are amazing in every way! Soft, elastic waist, cropped so that they did not need hemming… OMG! Love!!! <3
And the Sloan fit pant from Banana Republic – I bought them in both garnet and charcoal. The red ones were on some ridiculous sale because they were the last pair and happened to be in my size. I think they ended up being only $20!
Here are the rest of my #ootd pics since school resumed. Some are weekend shots. I really love all my Rachel Zoe tops. The fabrication is top notch. I buy them on-line as no stores in Syracuse, New York carry her. Same goes for Trina Turk. Actually, shopping on-line is the way I prefer acquiring my wardrobe. Sometimes I try on BCBG and other stuff while at Lord & Taylor. I spent a couple hours in there trying on jeans last week so that I could ascertain my size and the best fit. Turns out I am a standard size 2 across the board in Hudson, Joe’s Jeans and 7 For All Mankind (0 in Banana and XS or XXS in BCBG depending on the cut). Yes!!!!! And…I love it when something comes in the mail and it is a perfect fit. It is just like magic! Because, of course, fashion is magical.
I’m finally getting back to blogging now that I’m in summer mode. I will post soon about more new encaustic paintings, once I get around to mounting them onto the chalk boards. I have a dozen new heart paintings and a dozen abstracted baseball ones that I am loving. They are currently residing on my kitchen table – and on the surrounding counter space. No current plans for exhibiting them as of yet.
I still have artwork up at Kimberly’s Salon on James Street in Eastwood and at Syracuse Yoga down the street on Thompson Road. Not sure what is up next for me, but that makes the journey so special. I made the paintings for a purpose; just not sure what that purpose is as of yet, lol.
If I can get my friends to put up with doing the photography, I will try to post #ootd pics on Instagram during July and August. Although I am usually the one who takes our obligatory selfie when we are all out and about, I am not a fan of those selfie pics where the fashion blogger cuts off her own head or shoots a foreshortened image from above. By not a fan, I mean I really don’t want to do that. So…we’ll see.
Here are some outfits from the past few weeks. Kinda fell off the wagon with posting them here. We were having technical difficulties with the lighting in the classroom. I had to double edit the pics to adjust the brightness, so there are inconsistencies – I guess I will hold to that excuse. We take dozens of pics in a short time and I swear I am always changing out the pose, but for some reason I like this crossed legged thing-a-ma-bob that I have been doing a lot. It feels like the most natural and most comfortable position for me especially when I am wearing a dress or skirt. My go-to vogue. My work colleague Brad calls it my stance.
My new favorite things – Halston Heritage and everything by Rachel Zoe! OMG, I love her! I now own five pieces – two dresses and three tops. I am on her site literally every day. I want more!
I’ve discovered something called the Amazon wish list. It is a public list of things I desire. All I have to do is dream while on-line shopping and perhaps these things will actually materialize in my mailbox on the condition that fairy godmothers/Santa Claus/tooth fairy/Easter bunny/patron saints of fashion do exist. That is wishful thinking at its finest. How cool is this?
I <3 fashion. Love, love, LOVE!!!
