That Betsey Johnson Dress ...

The photo above was taken in 1994 at a fundraising party for a little theatre company we were all involved with. It was also the "debut" of my new thrift shop dress from a little vintage clothing store next door to the theatre's office on 26th Street.  (I'm the one on the left.)  The dress tag said "Alley Cat by Betsey Johnson" and, at the time, I thought, "How cool. A 'designer' dress without the designer price!" I didn't have a lot of money, but I had (and still have) a passion for fashion!  I loved the dress because it a) looked good on me, b) felt good on and c) was machine washable. I wore it a lot. I wore it to weddings, funerals, at Christmas and for a lot of different social events. It was my favorite dress for quite a few years.

A few years ago, when middle age took over my body, the dress didn't fit the same and rather than embarrass myself, I hung it up and have debated so many times since then what I should do with it.  I told myself that someday I would once again control my body, but in all honesty, that's easier said than done when you reach this stage in life.  Those hormones that we ladies lose are incredibly helpful in helping us to keep our figures.  Without them ... well ... let's just say the dress continued to hang in my closet.

Last week, while waiting for the clothes dryer to finish, I was rifling through a box of photos from those days with the theatre.  When I found this photo (and a few others), I scanned it and put it up on my facebook page in a photo album I created there for the theatre.  The other two women in the picture commented, as did a young woman who is in my Jazzercise class.  She loved the dress, too!  And, so ...

I brought the dress (and its accessory necklace) to her at Jazzercise class and said, "Try it on!"

As you can see in the photo, she looks stunning in it! And, I cannot tell you how happy it makes me to see the dress go on!  It's a marvelous garment with that flattering sweetheart neckline and a full skirt that is forgiving --- it's perfect for all sorts of occasions and great for travel!  I'm thrilled that it's found a good home and I found I was inspired to do a little research about the designer ...

Back in 1970, Betsey Johnson was working for a place called Paraphernalia and she left her job there because the store was expanding and she didn't want to lose control over the design process. From what I could find in my Internet search, she designed for Alley Cat, a junior sportswear company, from 1970 until 1976.  She had full creative control at Alley Cat, designing everything from the textiles used in her designs to the accompanying shoes. Alley Cat clothing was always priced under $100, making it within reach of the junior market and, in retrospect, I think this may have been a key marketing ingredient for her future success. She was creating clothes for baby boomers, a huge demographic that was only just beginning to make its presence felt in the world of commerce.  

She also worked with Butterick patterns to produce a line of eight Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat patterns, making her designs affordable to small town girls like me. Back in the 1970s, I became familiar with her clothes because of her patterns.  I still have an apron pattern of hers in my sewing box along with some great Vogue patterns from that era!

While I've found a new home for my vintage Betsey Johnson dress, she's still very much a part of my fashion passion.  I have a couple of her handbags, several bracelets and necklaces and a beautiful skirt I found on sale at the Betsey Johnson store in Aventura.  I would love it if she would create patterns again. Especially for my generation. Her clothes flatter nearly every body type (including us more "mature" figures) and because she was a dancer, she brings all the fun of dance costumes to everyday clothes.

Special thanks to Jean for loving my dress! Wear it in good health!

Un-decorating ...
I love the entire process of decorating for Christmas. Getting all the ornaments out of their boxes and putting them on the tree is as much fun as seeing the tree when I come home. This year I decided to use some of my Barbie ornaments and, sure enough, they were delightful to behold once the tree was done. The photo below is of my current favorite ... "Lighter Than Air Barbie," one of the ballet dolls inspired by Degas' art. She's made of porcelain and is truly as fragile as she appears. But, she's so very pretty ...

Below is this year's tree from the perspective of the floor. I also love my nutcracker on the coffee table, so I had to be sure he was included in the picture. Oh! How I love Christmas twinkle lights! I think we should have twinkle lights all year round, don't you?

Then, there's my little ceramic village on the fireplace mantle. Now, these cheesy little ceramic houses cost one dollar each at the local Walgreens and CVS Pharmacy and I've bought some every year for three Christmases now. Needless to say, I have more of them than will fit on my mantle, but, Hey! Who cares? I crammed as many of them on there as I could and enjoyed arranging and rearranging them for about three days.

I've decided that in order to continue cultivating my creative spirit I will have to leave them on the mantle until this Arctic Express we've been experiencing is gone. When the temperature is 75 degrees for three consecutive days, then I'll pack them up! So, there!

I guess it'll soon be time to drag out the St. Valentine's decorations, huh?

Creativity run amok!

I was browsing blogs on Monday, January 4, hoping I might find some way to cultivate my New Year's resolution to be more creative and I stumbled on a blog that showed a calendar similar to the one I've started in the photo here. I was so inspired by it, yet I forgot to bookmark the blog. So! An apology is in order, but I don't know who to send it to! Whoever that artist is: THANKS A MILLION ZILLION! I'm really digging the daily 5 minutes to work on my calendar. It's definitely helping to cultivate my creativity!!

And, as if that weren't enough! With all this cold weather and sitting by the fireplace with its burning embers each evening, I've been crocheting granny squares from this wonderful Lion Brand Homespun (http://www.lionbrand.com/) yarn I picked up on clearance last year! I have enough for an afghan, so an afghan I'll make! I haven't crocheted an afghan in years! Oh! What fun it is to sit by the fire and crochet! The meteorologists are saying we're going to get yet another blast of Arctic air tomorrow, so, at this rate, I'll have it done in no time! Or, at least by spring!

Creativity Twenty Ten


Creativity. What a concept!
It took a fair amount of contemplation, but I've decided that my New Year's Resolution is to cultivate my own creativity and to write about it here, on my blog, which I don't think anyone reads. That said, I can write whatever I want, post whatever pictures I choose and just have a good ole' time with my creative spirit!
Wish me luck!

The sun sets on the first decade of the new century ...

What a year it's been, huh? The plane that landed safely in the river in New York, the death of Michael Jackson, an unsuccessful attempt at terrorism on Christmas Day. These are just a few of the things that made headlines.

On the personal front, my youngest child graduated from college and my granddaughter graduated from high school. Those, my friend, are fine accomplishments for anyone! And, yes, I'm proud of them. Good parenting helped, but they did the work themselves ... my legacy to the world!

Happy New Year to whoever out there reads these posts!

3 days to Christmas

It's cold in sunny, south Florida today and it's not supposed to warm up until tomorrow.
50-something degrees is cold when you consider it's been in the 80s since last April! Brrrr!

I have managed to make two Christmas purchases online, but I've got to find a couple of hours to go shopping for a few gifts for my family people! Life has been far too occupied with the kids' issues. Especially the graduation problem with my daughter. I simply haven't had much time to think about Christmas. I only just added ornaments to the tree last night, and it's been up with the lights on it since Thanksgiving weekend!

My baby girl, who is now 22, walked across the stage at her college on Friday night, December 11 in her graduation ceremony. This followed four years and three months of classes with only her final grades remaining to determine the final outcome --- receiving her Bachelors degree. She flunked an aerobics course during her sophomore year because she couldn't get to class on time. The class started at 9 AM and my child is definitely not a morning person. Aside from that one incident, her entire college career reflects a history of passing grades ... "A"s and "B"s and C"s. But no more "F"s since aerobics.

The Monday following the graduation ceremony (December 14), she was devasted to learn she had received an "F" on her advertising course. She could not get her marketing degree without this course! And, she had already walked across the stage. Her family had traveled 700 miles to watch her. There was a lot at stake here. So, I am not exaggerating when I say she was "devasted." She was sobbing into the phone, and, as any mother would be, I was frustrated because I didn't know what to tell her. I didn't know what to do. First, I had to calm her down. Then, I had to find out what happened.

It's been one week since this happened and it's been an emotional roller coaster ride. When she wasn't crying she was seeking a way to solve this academic crisis. Her friends told her to fight. I asked her if she was willing to fight for it. When she responded, "Yes," then I told her she had to do whatever it took to make this right.

She has talked to the professor and the professor is now claiming my daughter violated the school's code of ethics. Now I am outraged!

My "graduate" has always been brutally honest about everything and I've never known her to cheat, lie or steal for any reason. For her to be accused of an ethical violation isn't in keeping with her character. The "crime" she committed doesn't deserve this punishment. But, how do I, as a parent, pursuade the school to see that the teacher is the one who didn't perform her job well? There are some inconsistencies in the professor's reasoning and I'm determine to find a way to reveal these discriminations ... and, with any luck (and, perhaps, the hand of God) I can help my girl get the justice she deserves. Yes, she made a mistake. She admits that. But, do you give a life sentence to someone for stealing a candy bar from the corner store? NO! You do not! The punishment should fit the crime.

New Shoes for the College Graduate!

My darling daughter was home over Thanksgiving and asked if I would buy her new shoes for graduation, which is only eight days away. How could I say no? One pair is for the ceremony. The other pair is for the partying she will do after the ceremony.

I'll let you guess which is which!

They sure are pretty, aren't they?