Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Inspired by my friend [Carrie](http://chickletandducky.blogspot.com/) I decided a blog design change was in order. I love bird images so I chose this design to kick off the Spring season and pay tribute to the birdies.

I’ve been working hard on gathering images and information for a Red Bee Designs catalog. I advertised in a national publication and have received a few inquiries about my work so I needed to get a catalog together. Friend and talented photographer [Jeffrey Sweet](http://jeffreysweetphotography.com/) has been busy taking pictures of my production and granulation work. I hope to get them this week so I can create the catalog and get it sent to the galleries. Right now it’s going to be a pdf file rather than print, but I might print it someday. I’ll be sure to share photos here when they’re done.

Otherwise, things have been low-key and that’s just the way we like them. Steve’s battled a cold for a couple of weeks, I was sick for a couple of days and the weather has been schizophrenic. One day it’s 75 and sunny and the next it’s snowing. Oh well, it’s spring!

I stumbled across a website the other day that was both fascinating and repulsive. It’s called [This is Why You’re Fat](http://thisiswhyyourefat.com) and features real food made by real people that is really disgusting. One example is a White Castle casserole that contains six White Castle burgers covered in gravy, topped with cheese and baked. It’s an amazing example of why America is the most obese country in the world.

It’s entertaining too! Check it out: http://thisiswhyyourefat.com

I brought this on myself. I bragged about how I’d managed to avoid all illnesses this winter and then I wound up sick. I should have known my time would come because this happens almost every year. Just when everyone has gotten over their colds and flus I end up getting sick. I felt fine yesterday morning. I went the the gym, came home, drank some coffee and got in the shower. Then I had a sneezing attack and everything went downhill from there. I knew I was in trouble when I felt like napping at 10 a.m.

I’m a terrible patient, as Steve can tell you. Rather than relax and take it easy, I get angry that I’m ill and look for someone or something to blame. Right now I”m blaming Steve for bringing his cold home (sorry honey!) even though I probably picked it up somewhere else. Today I’m going to make a trip to Target for the cold basics: Kleenex with lotion and the latest issue of People magazine. The good news is that I haven’t lost my sense of taste so at least I’ll feel like eating.

It’s a lovely day here so I thought I’d stop into my neighborhood grocery store for something to throw on the grill. When I got to the checkout, the clerk said, “You look really pretty today.” What a nice thing to say and she was sincere! I never think of myself as “pretty” although I sometimes think I look cool or chic, but pretty never seems like a word I’d use to describe myself. It really brightened my day. Hmm, wonder if that comment has anything to do with the fact I’m not actually wearing black today?! Maybe waterolor florals are for me after all.

Next time you think someone looks nice, chic, pretty or whatever be sure and tell them. It made my day!

Ever since we moved, Steve and I have made several changes in our lives. Some intentional, some not. The first thing that changed when we moved was our eating out habits. They stopped. We love our house so much that we want to spend lots of time in it which means staying in on the weekends and actually enjoying it. Steve loves cooking in the kitchen and I just like the fact he’s cooking. Saturday night he made a wheat crust pizza from scratch topped with shredded chicken, kalamata olives and sauteed mushrooms. We paired it with a delicious Syrah and enjoyed the movie Death at a Funeral. Much better than spending money at a noisy restaurant and healthier.

The second thing that’s changed is how we look at money. I really love to shop, I don’t think that’s any secret to anyone who reads this blog, but I needed some limits. Some friends of ours took the 13-week course by Dave Ramsey so we decided to try it ourselves. It’s been a real eye-opener for us. We’re on week seven and have created a budget (which isn’t really done yet), set limits and discussed goals. We’ve also paid off three credit cards and are halfway through another. The biggest change came on Saturday when we sat down to pay bills. It was the first time in months we hadn’t ended up in a fight. When it was done, I showed Steve the checkbook and grinned. We had money left for the things we’d budgeted for! We didn’t fight! It was so nice. I realize that for many of you budgets are a way of life, but Steve and I just never took the time to do them. First of all, I’m not interested in working numbers. Second, we think we can handle things without having a written budget but we really can’t. Third, we both tend to waste a lot of money on crap.

I’m not saying all is perfect and we’ll live happily ever after, but I do think we’ve finally gotten on the right road to the future. Now let’s just hope we don’t get sidetracked!

As the saying goes, March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, but I think March is suffering from multiple personality disorder. One day it’s 80, the next it’s 30. This poses a real problem when it comes to fashion. I talked to my boss last week, during a 75 degree day, and asked her how she fashionably deals with this transitional month. Here are some of her words of wisdom.

1. White denim or heavy cotton is acceptable all year round. You can pair your jeans with a black turtleneck in January and a bright t-shirt or sweater in the spring. Don’t be afraid to change up your wardrobe with a shot of white. I wore my white jeans to work in January and received rave reviews. Then I went to the mall after work and received stares of disbelief. What can I say, I live in Springfield.

2. Heavier, darker linens are also acceptable during this transitional season. Linen jackets can be paired with sleeveless turtlenecks and jeans for a chic look. Save the lightweight, lighter colored linens for May or June.

3. Crop pants are ok, but an ankle-length pant is probably your best bet for March and April. Again, darker colors are better, but pair them with bright sweaters or even a bright scarf so they look fresh. I like to wear my ankle pants with flats rather than sandals right now. I think it looks more season appropriate.

4. Layer, layer, layer. With cool mornings and warm afternoons, it’s important to layer. This year I finally found a great trench coat in a bright apple green and I wear that often. I also like cardigans and lighter jackets for this season.

5. Put away your heavy wools but keep out lightweight cashmere and heavy cottons. Many people wear cashmere almost year round so don’t think it has to go into storage the minute spring shows up on the calendar. Short-sleeved sweaters and cardigans are great investments.

Some of the most popular colors this year are orange, lime, lemon, raspberry, navy, coral and anything metallic. The main goal is to have fun with your clothes and feel good in them. If you’re a black clothing junkie (like I am) try to add a shot of color with a scarf, jacket or t-shirt. Now, go out there and look good everyone!

Whew! Last week was crazy as I worked extra hours at The Harem getting ready for a fashion show on Saturday. All went well, the models looked lovely and now it’s over and I can rest, at least until I go to work on Wednesday.

Last year I placed a jewelry ad in a publication called Designer Jewelry Showcase. It’s a catalog designed for galleries and stores to help them find great jewelry designs. It was mailed in late February and I’ve been wondering if my little spot would garner any attention. I didn’t have to wait long as I recently received an inquiry from a boutique in Chatham, NY. We’ve been chatting back and forth via email and I now have to get a wholesale list together, complete with photos, to send to them. Getting the wholesale list isn’t hard because I already have one, but I’ve fallen behind on my photos. Today I’m taking a photo inventory and setting up the in-house photo studio to take some pics. I’m planning to have them professionally done in the future, but I don’t want this lead to grow cold so I think some nice snapshots will do. Wish me luck!

I’ve also gotten some of my creativity back. I’m working really hard on some new granulation designs and will post some of the new pieces soon. I finished a pendant on Friday and received some rave reviews from my mentor and metals professor, Sarah Perkins. I could tell she was genuinely excited about the piece and that gave me the push to pursue more designs in that direction. I was hoping to work in the studio today, but I think photography is more important so I’ll save the granulation for tomorrow. Now, I need to stop writing and get some work done. Happy Monday everyone!

Steve and I are working on some financial goals so we decided on a modest dinner out to celebrate our anniversary. We were going to eat at Tuscan Grill, a local casual Northern Italian restaurant. Although we could have gone in our jeans and sweaters, we wanted to celebrate so we dressed up. Steve wore his black suit with a lavender shirt and purple tie and I wore a silver brocade dress (very 60s) with black tights and platform pumps. We looked pretty snazzy, if I do say so myself.  When we arrived at Tuscan Grill it was obvious we were quite overdressed, but we really didn’t care. This was our celebration. The table we were given looked out into the dining room and it felt like all eyes were on us. Some of them actually were as the guy at a nearby table kept glancing at me. I’m sure it’s because I looked so smashing. Within 10 minutes we knew this just wasn’t the kind of dinner we wanted. The waiter was overworked, the restaurant was too bright and people kept staring. I mentioned that this wasn’t quite what I hoped for and Steve agreed. After a short discussion (and a waiter who kept leaving our table mid-sentence) we decided we could have what we really wanted, dinner at Gilardi’s, for about the same price.

We got up, explained the situation to our normal waiter (who was working the bar) and left quietly. After all, this was a place we really enjoyed on a regular night but it just wasn’t right last night. We got in the car and I called Gilardi’s to see if we could get a table. No problem, they said and we arrived about 20 minutes later. Gilardi’s has two dining rooms. The main dining room, we decided, is where all the cool kids eat. Nicola regularly walks around and chats with the regulars in the main room. The other dining room is nice, but less warm. Because Monica, Nicola’s wife, wasn’t the hostess and nobody knew us, we were seated in the other dining room. We didn’t mind because now we were where we wanted to be in the first place. We ordered our salads and dinner and got started. A large group left the area and things got quiet. Quiet enough to hear every word of the conversation at the table next to us. It was a group of pretentious doctors who were enjoying a detailed medical conversation. I worked in an ER and I can take about anything gross, but this wasn’t what I wanted to hear. I spied Nicola in the other room and got up to go say hello. Although Steve and I had discussed moving away from the snobs, we didn’t want to make a fuss so we planned finish our dinner in there and have our dessert and coffee at the bar in the main dining room. When Nicola saw me he gave me a huge hug and kiss and asked why we weren’t in the main dining room. I explained how we’d called at the last minute and hadn’t requested otherwise. When he found out we hadn’t had our dinner he insisted on moving us the the “cool kid’s room” as we were now calling it.

It dramatically changed our evening. Suddenly we were where we wanted to be. Although it was much noisier, the atmosphere was warmer, Steve and I felt cozier, and we were in heaven. We even got to keep our waiter, who we really liked. Once we were seated, Steve asked me if I’d gotten up to request a move. Nope, it was all innocent and Nicola made the decision. Good thing because shortly after I left the table to see Nicola, the snobs were discussing which expensive restaurants they were going to visit in Chicago and whether or not the men should take ties to wear. One person commented, “Who wears a tie to a restaurant?” Um, people with class, you dimwit. Steve was wearing a tie, which the woman noticed shortly after she made the comment. Apparently, I showed up right after that and exclaimed that Nicola (yes, the owner you snobs) was moving us to a special table in the main dining room. Eat that, jerks. Steve and I found the whole thing extremely amusing.

In the end, we had the dinner we wanted at the place we wanted for the price we’d budgeted. We had a great time, laughed at the circumstances and vowed to not short-change ourselves in the future when it comes to special occasions.

Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband, Steve. I can’t believe it’s been 13 years since we got married. A former friend of mine was once lamenting her relationship and wondering if she should stay in it. I told her not to settle; to wait until she got what she really wanted, like I did with Steve. Her replay was that not everyone could have a relationship like Steve and I. I disagree. Everyone should have that kind of relationship, but it takes constant work and communication to make it grow.

I could write a huge post about all the things I love (and the things that drive me crazy) about Steve, but I think I’ll just stick to the small ones because all of them added up are better than the big ones. I love that Steve puts the morning paper right in front of the inside garage door so it’s waiting for me when I get home from my workout. I love that he sometimes gets into bed first and warms up my side on those evenings I just can’t get warm. I love that he buys me “happy nothing day” gifts (like long underwear) because he knows it will surprise me. Most of all, I love that he accepts me how I am and allows me to be myself.

Happy Anniversary!

You know you’re getting old when you start seeing clothes that were popular when you were in high school become popular again. Yesterday I was cutting through JC Penney when I saw this display:

Apparently, the 80s are back with a vengeance. I shutter to think of all the neon that will hit area high schools this spring. When I was in high school (yeah, I sound really old now) I was very preppy. I had a closet full of plaid skirts with matching monogrammed sweaters, Bermuda shorts and my beloved Topsiders and penny loafers. Special occasion gowns were by Gunne Sax or at least styled that way. I attempted to “feather” my hair, but never could get the two feathers to meet in the back. My mom never had to worry about me showing off my midriff, wearing low-cut tops or short shorts. It just wasn’t part of the preppy look. Fast forward to college where I started off preppy but quickly turned to vintage clothing. I worked at an upscale clothing store throughout college where all the cool prepsters bought their pinpoint oxford shirts and wide-wale corduroy pants, but I came to work in a vintage smoking jacket with a white tuxedo shirt under it. I really did. Needless to say, I got a lot of grief from my coworkers (mainly the guys) for my fashion choices. Still, it did not stop me from pairing my peach brocade jacket with black (like the Prince song) or showing off my vintage grey mouton coat.

I had fun with my clothes, but I just can’t believe some of this crap has come around again. I mean seriously, neon?! This must be the way my mom feels when I talk about clothing styles I love from the 60s and 70s. I still wish she’d kept that pair of Frye Campus boots!