BCBGMaxAzria romper and belt, Ralph Lauren bootsBanana Republic top and skirt, Hue tights, Nine West bootiesLord & Taylor cashmere cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and leggings, Nine West booties
We had a snow day today, so… I’m playing catch up on blogging. Here are my most recent outfits of the day. I got paint on my new Free People tunic top and on something else – spent the day doing laundry and tidying/organizing my closet. A lot of re-runs this post. I went heavy on the leggings in order to go hiking right after school before it got too dark. Along with this snowmegeddon thing, the time change screwed with my perfect world. But then again, I only have to work one day this week – tomorrow. That is, if this snow actually lets up. Crazy! What am I gonna wear? Lol, decisions, decisions.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, BCBGMaxAzria dress, Hue tights, NIne West bootiesBCBGMaxAzria dress, Steve Madden bootsBCBGMaxAzria top and leggings, BCBGeneration sandalsMichelle DaRin jewelryFree People tunic top, INC pants, Nine West sandalsMichelle DaRin jewelry,Free People dress, BCBGeneration sandalsMichelle DaRin jewelry, Banana Republic dress, Nine West bootsBCBGMaxAzria top and leggings, Nine West bootiesFree People cardigan, Warner Bros. Harry Potter/Gryffindor T-shirt, Banana Republic skirt, Nine West bootiesBCBGMaxAzria top and belt, Banana Republic leather shell, Trina Turk skirt, Hue tights, Coach bootiesTrina Turk dress, Hue tights, Nine West bootiesBailey 44 top, Calvin Klein jeans, BCBGeneration sandalsBCBGMaxAzria tops, Banana Republic pants, BCBGeneration bootiesBCBGMaxAzria cardigan, tops, and pants, BCBGeneration bootiesJCrew blazer, Bailey 44 top, 7 For All Mankind Jeans, Nine West bootiesJCrew cardigan, Rachel Roy top, Champion leggings, Nine West bootiesFree People top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, BCBGeneration bootiesMichelle DaRin jewelry, Banana Republic cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and pants, Nine West bootiesBCBGMaxAzria dress and leggings, Nine West bootiesVintage necklace, BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West bootsMichelle DaRin jewelry, Trina Turk dress, Nine West bootiesBanana Republic suit, Calvin Klein belt, JCrew tissue T-shirt, BCBGeneration sandalsFree People tunic top, BCBGMaxAzria top and leggings, Nine West booties
I guess I feel most comfortable wearing neutral colors – black, white, gray, beige, navy blue….
Banana Republic turtleneck sweater, BCBG Max Azria leggings, Ralph Lauren boots
People keep making comments to me about my wardrobe – that it seems unlimited, that my closet must be colossal, et cetera.
Lord & Taylor cashmere cardigan, Banana Republic leather top, Trina Turk leather skirt BCBG Generation booties
It is an illusion, I think, because I have repeated a lot of separates, although I try to mix things up enough in order to create new looks. And I have to admit, this is a lot easier when you stick with neutrals.
Coach headband, BlackBrown1826 cashmere sweater, Bailey 44 top (underneath), BCBG Max Azria pants, Nine West booties
One of my friends wants me to be her stylist and while I love fashion, I cannot see myself as someone else’s personal shopper. Fashion reflects one’s personality, of course, but as well as I know her, I can’t be limited by a budget. If I desire something, I don’t stop until I get it. I know that other people, my friend included, do not generally live by that creed.
Bailey 44 top, BCBG Max Azria skirt, Nine West boots
Case in point – I just bought two evening dresses – a gown and a cocktail dress – for upcoming events (a BCBG Max Azria and a Jill Jill Stuart!).
They were in the $300 price point range. So…I will be driving to work on fumes for three more days. I have also lost three pounds, lol, no food in the house. No biggie. Everything always ends up working out for the best.
The Limited silk scarf, Banana Republic dress, Steve Madden bootsKaren Tashkovski, Key, 30″ x 30″, 2000, oil, latex & collage, $825
Hey – if I sell every “cat” painting I brought to the Summit Medical Group art exhibit (in the Lawrence Pavilion Lower Lobby Gallery) in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, I will make $11,800 less a 10% donation to that local animal care charity.
Karen Tashkovski, Wing, 30″ x 30″, 2000, oil, latex & collage, $825BCBG Max Azria cardigan and T-shirt, Banana Republic pants, Nine West booties
That’s enough to buy at least a few more clothes. That show starts April 25, 2016. It is open to the public – my favorite type of art show – a captive audience, people who may not seek out art venues but are at the offices for other reasons. It’s my bread and butter (ha ha – figuratively. You know I don’t eat bread or dairy).
The opening reception is scheduled for Thursday, May 5th, 2016 from 5:00-8:00 pm. Summit Medical Group is located at 1 Diamond Hill Road, Lawrence Pavilion, Berkeley Heights, New Jersey 07922. Call (908) 277-8806 for more information.
Trina Turk dress, Michelle DaRin bracelet, Nine West booties
Here are the outfits I wore to work from the past couple of weeks. I donned my orange Trina Turk dress on Friday in support of Syracuse University sports (my alma mater). The men’s and women’s basketball teams did well this year. They both made it to the Final Four! There was so much excitement in this town. I watched the last three games at different venues and it has been a blast. Last night, the crowd was disappointed with the outcome, but that energy turned into an amazing night of dancing to the live band that took the stage at Shifty’s once the game ended.
Of course, Mother Nature took the loss a bit harder and decided to give us back our snow!
How crazy is this? It is the view from my back porch taken a minute ago. Yes, just this morning! Funny, because yesterday I was contemplating whether or not I would mow the lawn today….
Honora necklace, JCrew cardigan, BCBG Max Azria top, T-shirt and pants, Nine West booties
My 5th graders finally finished their wood sculptures. They are currently on display in the school library. Next we will tackle a slab/hand built clay sculpture. I haven’t done the lesson in ten years, which was the last time I taught 5th grade art, so that should be fun!
Lord & Taylor cashmere beanie, Berkley Cashmere cardigan, Lucky Brand top, Bailey 44 skirt, Nine West bootiesAnn Taylor denim jacket, Bailey 44 top, Trina Turk pants, Nine West booties
My Studio in Art class is working on a mixed-media still life drawing and the rest of my 8th graders are painting their clay projects. They have a choice of metallic paint or fluorescents. The glow-in-the-dark element is soooo fun! One of my students donated his black light to the classroom. We can now check the projects in progress to see if the paint is covering well. Thanks, Joe S.!
JCrew blazer, BCBG Max Azria dress, Steve Madden bootsHonora necklace, Free People cardigan, Warner Bros. Harry Potter Gryffindor T-shirt, Calvin Klein jeans and belt, BCBG Generation sandals
The end of the marking period is fast approaching, leaving only ten weeks of school for the year! Wow. It was about this time last year that I got my first cell phone. Yeah, I know! I was living under a rock for the first fifteen years of the new millennium.
Coach headband, Free People cardigan, BCBG Max Azria T-shirt, Trina Turk dress, Nine West booties
Stephanie G., one of my Studio in Art students from last year, was the one who told me about #ootd (outfit of the day). I guess you can blame her for turning me into a fashion monster, lol.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, Banana Republic jacket and pants, BCBG Max Azria top, BCBG Generation sandals
But, of course, I was already coo-coo ca-ca for fashion. It seems as though time has flown by this school year but at the same time… it seems to be standing still. I don’t feel as though I am aging. I actually really love the way I have finally caught up to myself. To my dreams for myself, I mean. Because suddenly, I’m achieving everything the real me has ever wanted.
Free People cardigan, Bailey 44 top, BCBG Max Azria leggings, BCBG Generation booties
And in the process, I have found my life’s purpose. Giving visual voice to local artists. Assisting them in any way I can to help them achieve their goals and dreams. Offering positive energy to students – not to persuade them to have art careers necessarily, but to help them fall in love with art, with the arts. And to believe in themselves in the way that they know they can achieve anything they want. That they should not stop working towards a goal until either they achieve it or stop desiring it.
Viola top, INC pants, BCBG Generation booties
It’s taken me a while to learn this stuff, but time hasn’t actually mattered, if that makes any sense. This journey has been the true gift.
Michelle DaRin choker, Banana Republic dress, Ralph Lauren bootsBCBG Max Azria cardigan, Bailey 44 top, INC pants, Nine West booties
Okay, time to throw on the giant parka and venture out into the April sprinter (winter in spring?) wonderland on my way to a brunch date with one of my besties. But first I need to decide what to wear….
Lucky Brand jacket, Warner Bros. Hogwarts T-shirt, Trina Turk skirt, Nine West bootiesHonora necklace, Banana Republic leather top, cardigan and velvet pants, BCBGGeneration booties
One of the main reasons I haven’t been blogging – I was having technical difficulties with my Instagram account. The pictures were not saving to the camera’s gallery. I tried uninstalling the program and reinstalling it and it didn’t work until tonight. Yeah, tonight it worked. Weird.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, Banana Republic cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria top and skirt, Nine West bootsFree People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria T-shirt and leggings, Lucky Brand top, Ralph Lauren boots
I must be more relaxed or something – I am on vacation. Or maybe it’s just an example of perseverence, although I had been on the verge of giving up, lol, over something so simple.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, BCBGMaxAzria dress, 7 For All Mankind jeans, Nine West bootiesJCrew blazer, Rachel Roy top, Banana Republic skirt, Steve Madden boots
A former student asked me how he could get his creativity back. He thinks he’s lost it, I guess. And the truth is, no one can find it for you. You just have to take the time to quiet your mind of all the bugs that are attacking you.
BCBGMaxAzria dress, Nine West bootsMichelle DaRin jewelry, Berkley Cashmere cardigan, Bailey 44 top, BCBGMaxAzria pants, Nine West booties
No more I’m not good enough…I can’t do this and all that junk. Believe you can do it. Know you can. Then think about how you will do it and just do it.
Viola top, Calvin Klein jeans, BCBGGeneration bootiesLord & Taylor cashmere cardigan, Banana Republic cashmere dress, Nine West boots
I know that some of my friends did not like hearing me say that I did not want to make new artwork until I started selling the art I have already made. It is not that I lack creativity. I just desired a sign from the universe that my art is leading to other great things. It is very important to me to achieve financial success as an artist because I want to show my students that it is possible. I mean, that is one reason. I mean, I didn’t make over a thousand works of art for them to just be stored away forever. That doesn’t make a lick of sense.
JCrew cardigan, Banana Republic dress, Nine West bootiesBCBGMaxAzria cardigan and dress, BCBGGeneration booties
And then, I haven’t been doing anything to make any of it happen. I haven’t been actively seeking venues or peddling my wares anywhere since the Natur-Tyme exhibit where I sold a handful of $5.00 cards. So, I kind of sound like a person who does not take my own advice.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, Free People cardigan, Lucky Brand top, BCBGMaxAzria belt, Banana Republic skirt, Nine West bootiesBanana Republic suit, BCBGMaxAzria top, BCBGGeneration booties
The truth is I wanted to manifest getting an art show in a passive way. I was already doing everything I could to get myself out into the stratosphere. I am here. Right here. And on Instagram and Linkedin and Facebook. I have over 20,000 views on this blog. I wanted someone to find me. Someone who was looking for me and my art because they know it will sell.
Banana Republic sweater and pants, Calvin Klein belt, Nine West bootiesBerkley Cashmere cardigan, Warner Bros. Gryffindor T-shirt, Nine West booties
Well, it finally happened. I will give you more details as it gets closer to show time. I was asked to be part of an art show at a medical facility in New Jersey. The show starts some time in April with a reception on May 5th, 2016. I will be exhibiting and selling my Dreamtime and Echolalia series paintings (it is an animal-themed show). The curator saw my work on Linkedin.com.
Michelle DaRin jewelry, Free People cardigan, BCBGMaxAzria tank top and leggings, Ugg bootsBlack Brown 1826 cashmere sweater, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, Ralph Lauren boots
Trina Turk recently replied to my comment on her picture on Instagram. She said, Love you, too and something about wanting to be an art teacher one day! I have the dream of meeting her one day, becoming friends and maybe even working with her – designing clothing with silk dyed to match my watercolors.
BCBGMaxAzria cardigan, top and pants, Nine West bootiesBar III sweater, BCBGMaxAzria leggings, BCBGGeneration booties
Two years ago, I wouldn’t have dreamed I would actually be interacting with her on social media. Things can happen. You can mold your life consciously even if you dream big.
This blog is about my community, my artwork and fashion because I have all of these other dreams. And I think it is perfectly okay to slide your creativity around to wherever it takes you. Who knows where it will stick? There are bound to be more glitches along the way. That is kind of the fun of it. To never lose faith even when junk makes you feel like quitting.
Banana Republic sweater, Trina Turk dress, Nine West bootsMichelle DaRin jewelry, BCBGMaxAzria top and pants, Nine West booties
I have a few more goals to achieve with the remainder of this February break. I am buying a car, so I guess these fashion posts are going to seem redundant for a while. While preparing the stuff for my taxes I tallied how much money I spent on clothes this past year and it was kind of a lot. (No, I don’t deduct any of it, lol) It would be nice if clothes were free, wouldn’t it? Just thought I’d throw it out there if anyone is listening. Would love to make that one stick….
The weather is all flim-flam again. Hot last week, cold today, rainy tomorrow. It’s really all over the place. So for the last two weeks, it’s been dresses and sandals or pants and sweaters, or something in between.
Banana Republic cashmere sweater and skirt, Steve Madden boots
There are four weeks of school left! Can’t believe how fast it all went. (Go bears!) I have some art shows planned for the summer – more about that later!
Trina Turk dress, BCBG Generation sandals
I live in exercise clothes and paint smocks in the summer, so I don’t foresee posting outfit-of-the-days (#ootd) between June 24th and Labor Day-ish. But I can’t rule it out. I was thinking about going back to the say yes policy I practiced last summer. I already said no to a bunch of things this week – I’m still working on it.
Banana Republic dress, BCBG Generation sandals
I love this Banana Republic olive ponte knit dress. It was the last one on bananarepublic.com – on sale with an additional 40% off. I never get breaks like that. In a dream world, this fashion blogging would lead to free clothes from my favorite designers. And if you are listening, I’m a 0 in Banana Republic, a 2 in Trina Turk and a small or XS depending on style and a 0 in BCBG Max Azria. 7 1/2 in a sandal, 8 in boots.
Trina Turk dress, Mia shoes
I know it’s kind of a fantasy – too bad I wasn’t born in the ’90s, because these girls seem to be living the dream.
My sister suggested I change out my poses and another person thought my classroom was messy. But those are my favorite things about my photographs (I am the only person on Instagram currently using the hashtags #fashionintherealworld and #fashioninrealtime). That and my shoes. If I had a dollar for every time I heard how-do-you-walk-in-those-heels?, I would have that six figure salary!
Edme & Esyllte top, Champion pants, Coach booties
I wore this outfit the day I taught gym classes in addition to art in order to help out with the dance lessons – swing, bunny hop and hokey pokey for the WWII event. I wore Champion fitness gear under that yellow tunic top. Got very sweaty that day jumping around for the equivalent of four hours. I don’t know what I was thinking. It was totally exhausting!
I feel most comfortable in black. I usually wear it every day of the first week of school because I am in mourning for my summer vacation, lol, and then I’m partial to black Monday throughout the school year. I think I have at least eight different pairs of black pants – and a new pair at the alterations place getting hemmed as we speak. But whatevs, you can never have enough.
Banana Republic cardigan and pants, BCBG Max Azria top, Coach booties
Purple though – almost nothing. We do a purple Thursday at work. I just can’t do it. It’s so Donny Osmond’s socks circa the ’70s. I can technically wear that Trina Turk pink dress. It’s actually the it color of last season – wild orchid. Or I can do what some of the bloggers do – initiate a pink Wednesday. That’s from Mean Girls or Clueless or some such ’90s chick flick. I’m sure those big buck fashion bloggers would know. 🙂 😉