The Art of Layering: Vince - Fall 2010

I love layering.  As you can see from previous posts, sweaters and tanks are my staples.  I stumbled upon this video on Shop Bop.  I enjoyed it and hope you do,too!   Of course, the model is missing some really sparkly jewelry, but that's not what they're selling, now is it? 

XOXO
Marlene

My Big Blank Wall

I am constantly getting decorating ideas from friends, magazines, blogs, and any place I can find inspiration. We have a wall in our house, at the end of a hallway, that I have never known quite what to do with. A big blank canvas, I have tried a few pieces the past few years that have never worked quite the way I wanted them to. Several months ago I was browsing through one of my favorite catalogs when I came across this ledge. I loved, loved, loved it...its price just didn't love me back. The small ledge was the perfect size, but I wanted two for this wonderfully blank wall and at $145 a piece that just wasn't going to happen.

What's a girl to do?...make your own!

With the help of a friend, I was able to make not one...but two shelves for a total of $52! Primed wood was used, and I had enough paint left over to paint them the same color as the hall walls. After the paint dried I roughed them up with a little sandpaper, took some brown stain and gave them a little rub. Today, I have a great place to display my favorite artwork given to me my Brainy Smurf and Smurfette. I got exactly what I wanted and was able to save tons of $ in the process...good luck to all of you in making your decorating wishes come true!

Rachel :)

The only one in the world...

I am happy in my J Crew t-shirts, Ann Taylor Loft cardigans and skinny jeans (o.k., so these aren't so cheap.  I have a weird body...regular jeans don't fit me).  Wearing this outfit, I could be any girl woman in America.  Do I want to be just ANY woman in America?  NO!  How do I transform this perfectly blah combination and set myself apart from the rest of the pack? Say it with me...ACCESSORIES! 

I spend hours and hours on the internet at the beginning of each season searching for the perfect handbag.  I'm not one of these people who buy 5 cheap handbags a season and swap them out constantly.  I usually buy a really nice leather bag and use it day in and day out until it's begging for mercy.  When my search begins, I almost always have a look in mind.  Am I going for tough, street chic this season?  Will I be a sweet bohemian hippie (not likely)?  Perhaps I am playing the lady for a few months.  My one constant requirement no matter the season or persona is an outside pocket for quick key and cell phone access. I really don't like buying well known brand bags because that is a guarantee that you will see your twin walking around the mall. Most of the time the image in my head never turns into reality and I have to settle for a bag that is close to what I have in mind.

Settle no more!  My father is generally on fashion's cusp.  A while back he discovered a line of handbags called Atalla.  They are made in Brooklyn by Sami Atalla (henceforth to be known as My New Best Friend).  It seems that My New Best Friend can bang out a high quality CUSTOM leather handbag literally overnight-if he likes you, which apparently he likes my dad.  I hope he likes me. 

When my dad sent me the Atalla catalog it had about 20 different bag styles and 30 leather swatches.  You could select gold or silver hardware.  These bags are fully customizable!  I have a dream that goes something like this:

MG:  Sami, it's that time again.  I'm thinking about my bag for next season.
SA:   Marlene!  It's so good to hear from you.  What can I create for you today?
MG:  Well, Sami, I'm thinking black.  Go figure, huh?  Hahahahaha.  I just adore the black herringbone leather swatch you sent.  I want one strap this season.  No wait, go ahead and make it two.  I'm feeling chunky silver hardware.  A little slouchy, not too much structure this go-around.  Definitely an outside zipper pocket.
SA:  A pocket?  You want a pocket?  How about TWO pockets?  One on each side!
MG:  Sami, you know how to make a girl happy.  Do you think you could make a tassel to go on the outside pocket zipper?  I really love tassels right now!
SA:  Can do, princess.  I'm going to stay up all night tonight and crank this baby out. 
MG:  Great! I'll have my husband fly me up to NY tomorrow to pick it up....

Oh, wait, that veers off into a totally different dream.  The one I was having was realistic.

I tried and tried to find a photograph of these bags to accompany my wordy post, but that's the beauty.  Close your eyes and imagine your dream bag.  Yep, that's what they look like.

Atalla bags are available at Shoe Visions .  And did I mention that they are totally affordable?

Ta Ta for now...

Marlene

Lobsters Mate for Life

The only thing better than having a best friend that's a private jeweler...wait a minute...it really doesn't get better than having a best friend that's a jeweler. A few months ago I was reading Skinny Runner when she posted a blog with a picture of her jewelry box. As soon as I saw it, I fell in love with her watch. I didn't know what kind it was, all I had was a somewhat small picture of this random watch to go by. I called Marlene, told her to look, and right away she says...


Skinny Runner's jewelry box...compliments of Skinny Runner

"Oh, that's a Michele watch."

I mean seriously, how does she know this stuff? I had tried to enlarge the picture, search for it online, pretty much everything except call in the FBI and she takes a quick glance at it and knows right away...Turns out she hearts Michele as much as I do, and she's known about them forever while I've known about them for about a nanosecond.

Fast forward to September...Mr. T and I are celebrating 12 years of marriage. The watch he had given me for my 21st birthday (it really wasn't that long ago) has seen better days, like when it would actually tell time, and he would like for me to have a new one. Being the wonderfully awesome husband he is, he calls my #1 BFF to get her input. I am pretty sure when he told Marlene what he wanted to buy she gave her deep Dr. Evil laugh because she knew just what to do.

The bad news is that on the morning of our anniversary Mr. T was out of town at a conference. The good news is that minutes after I opened my eyes, Brainy Smurf brought me this note:

Turns out Mr. T does listen when I ramble on and on about randomness. Did you know that when lobsters mate, they mate for life? I lobster this watch. And Mr. T.

Rachel :)

Where's the Beef?

Fall is great...the weather is cooler, the days are shorter, and for a bit things slow down and we are able to spend more time together as a family. I'm big on family dinners. Every night we sit down, bless our food, and discuss our highs and lows of the day while we eat dinner together. I would love to say I cook 7 nights a week, but life happens, so I aim to squeeze in 5 or 6 homemade meals a week. In order to do this, once a week I refer to the best recipe book ever and write down everything I need to give my family some yummy meals! The key to this is organization. I make a weekly schedule of all our meals and EVERYTHING I will need to make them. I go through the pantry, fridge, and freezer to see what I have and what I need. Doing this it ensures that I will not be in the middle of cooking and realize I am missing a main ingredient.

Soups and stews are great this time of year. They generally require one pot and are great to get in some much needed vegetables and protein. If you are lucky you will have some yummy leftovers for a weekend lunch or to freeze for another meal. My favorite thing to make when the temperature drops is vegetarian chili. It's so thick and packed full of beans you don't miss the meat at all! I love to serve it over yellow rice, top it with shredded cheese and black olives and serve it with scoops. Here's the recipe...



ingredients for vegetarian chili


Vegetarian Chili
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon oil
2 14.5 oz cans tomatoes
12 oz beer
1 cup water
8 oz can tomato sauce
3-4 teaspoons chilli powder
1 teaspoon dried crushed oregano
1 tablespoon mustard
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon pepper
15 oz pinto beans
15 oz light red kidney beans
15 oz dark red kidney beans
1.5 cups corn
1.5 chopped zuchini

In a 4 quart pot cook garlic in hot oil for 30 seconds.

Stir in the undrained tomatoes, beer, water, tomato sauce, chili powder, organo, mustard, cumin, and pepper. Stir in drained and rinsed beans.

Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in corn and zucchini.

Simmer, covered 10 more minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serve with your favorite toppings.


finished product


Tomorrow is FREAKY FRIDAY! Marlene and I are going to attempt to switch places...she'll be around writing about something boring and i get to discuss things that sparkle...fun!

Rachel :)

As promised...repurposing old jewelry!

According to a National Retail Federation consumer poll, 23% of people will ask for jewelry as Hanukkah (or Christmas, or Kwanzaa) gifts this year.  That's up 10% from last year.  Now, that number doesn't tell us how many people will actually RECEIVE jewelry as a gift!  I, for one, am part of the asking group.  J, I BETTER BE PART OF THE RECEIVING GROUP!  I want diamond earring jackets.  I don't have real diamond studs (shhhhh.....) but someday I will (2 carat total weight is all I need).  In the meantime, I want jackets to put around my cz's.




Ascot Diamonds earring jackets





So, back to my original point.  23% of consumers asking for jewelry leaves 77% that either don't want it, or don't think they can afford it.  Here is where the repurposing comes in.  Here are a few ideas for getting "new" jewelry without having to re-finance the house.

1. Upgrade- don't like your current earring, necklace, or ring setting?  Pick out a new one.  This can still be expensive, though.  Is some of your jewelry yellow gold and you are now a white gold gal?  Rhodium Plating to the rescue!  For about $50, you can turn your yellow gold into white through a process called rhodium plating.  Depending on your body chemistry and other environmental factors, it will have to be re-plated a couple of times a year, so it's an ongoing expense.

2. Get a new stone- Do you have a ring with a peridot in it but you aren't feeling green anymore?  How about replacing it with a sapphire? or an Amethyst? Or a blue topaz?  Semi precious stones can be found pretty inexpensively.

3.Sell your gold- If you have old gold jewelry that you don't wear anymore (and will never miss), sell it!  You can make some good money to put toward a new piece of jewelry.  Many jewelers will also buy stones, too.

I think the only piece of jewelry that I wear that wasn't made from family stones or from old jewelry that I had re-set is my wedding band.  My collection isn't growing, it's just evolving!

Hope these ideas spark some creativity!

Marlene



"The One with the Secret Closet"

Do you remember this FRIENDS episode...

Chandler discovers Monica has a secret closet which is always locked. When he finally gets it open, he discovers a terrible, messy pile of junk...

Chandler: He-he-he-he-he. You're messy.
Monica: No, you weren't supposed to see this!
Chandler: I married Fred Sanford!

Do we have any Monicas in the house? Who out there has a catch all closet? You know...the place where everything that doesn't have a place lands? My catch all closet is the closet in our den. There are no shelves, no clothing bar...nothing. It was just an empty space when we moved into this house two years ago and it didn't take long to fill it up. Holiday decorations, boxes that I never unpacked, books, art projects from the kids...you name it; it was in there. I always had great intentions of cleaning and organizing it, but it never seemed to happen...until last summer...

The kids were gone for a few days, so Mr. T and I took it apart. Unloaded everything. Unpacked everything. Threw everything some things away. Then repacked what needed to stay and put the rest where it needed to go. Mr. T took measurements and we were off to the hardware store. You don't need mad carpentry skills to build a great space, just a few ideas, a little bit of $, and the ability to put it all together! Who needs an expensive, name-brand closet company when you can build one yourself! After the wonderful employees at the hardware store cut our wood we were on our way!

I wish I had taken a before picture...it was pretty much like Monica's secret closet. I now have a fabulous closet/office/sewing nook that holds everything from fabric to art supplies to computer cables to wrapping paper. It rocks my socks!

 

Mr. T did such an awesome job putting it all together...I am happy because I have a place to sew and get creative. He's happy because I'm not pulling out stuff and tossing it everywhere. Smurfette is happy because now it takes me no time to whip up a cute costume like this:

No worries for all you "frou frou" girls out there...Marlene will be back tomorrow to talk about things that sparkle...


Rachel :)