Showing posts with label Science Channel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Science Channel. Show all posts

Sunday, September 12, 2021

King Me Carpentry . . .

Bag: Delia's

Shoes: Circus by Sam Edelman, Zulily

Skirt: POPSUGAR, Kohl's

Twilight Tortoise Necklace

Decree, JCPenney

Bag: Ella & Elly, Amazon

Skirt: Nine West, Kohl's

Shoes: Guess, DSW

Top: Marsahlls

Red bangle: JCPenney; Striped bangle: ZAD, Zuily; Purple bangle: Claire's; Rings: Mixit, JCPenney

Top: Wild Fable, Target

Bangles: All from B Fabulous except for the orange one, which is from Target

Skirt: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: Chinese Laundry, Zulily

Bag: Betsey Johnson, Macy's

. . . isn't the name of a certain someone's new business, but then again, maybe it should be.  Here I am channeling my inner hippie or Holly Hobbie (the patchwork skirt reminds me of her, and I should know; for the first years of my life, I lived in a Holly Hobbie-themed bedroom).  Partly because I cotton to costumes, partly to help hawk the husband's new cutting board.  That's right.  He made this woodsy checkerboard wonder with his own two hands by cutting, gluing, sanding, and staining.     

Isn't it stunning?  It sort of helps me appreciate that old Science Channel show How It's Made (not surprisingly, a fave of the husband's) where more products than you'd think, some artsy, some not, are at least partly handmade as opposed to being cranked out in a factory.

When the husband's not painting houses, he's usually outside under the tent that I used to use for craft fairs, sawing away.  He's become as addicted to his craft -- and the supply shopping that goes with it -- as I am to making jewelry and collecting carb-shaped handbags.  It's nice to be married to someone who understands about settling down to make something, then emerging trancelike hours later without feeling like any time -- not to mention a meal or two -- has gone by.  Also, I can relate when he criticizes his work and I'm forced to squint to inspect some infinitesimal imperfection and say, What are you talking about?!  

Anyway, he's made about forty boards, plus some coasters, many of which he's gifted.  At some point, I'll be pressed into service to help him open his own shop on Etsy.  

Which, I suppose, is the least I could do after making him take my glamour shots.

Monday, May 5, 2014

Rain Forest Ready (on Solid Ground)



 Happy Heartland Necklace

Dress: Modcloth
Shoes: Betseyville, JCPenney
Bag: Marshalls
Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's
Sunglasses: Rampage, Boscov's




Dress: JCPenney
Shoes: Alloy
Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's
Belt: Wet Seal
Sunglasses: Mudd, Kohl's



 Fabulous Felt Huge Red Hibiscus Barrette

 Fabulous Felt Huge Blue Hibiscus Barrette

Fabulous Felt Huge Yellow Hibiscus Barrette

Top: Marshalls
Skirt: Forever 21
Shoes: Frederick's of Hollywood
Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney
Belt: Wet Seal
Sunglasses: Cloud Nine, Ocean City 

I don't mean an actual rain forest.  (Please.  I rarely leave the confines of South Jersey.)  No, this post is more about rain forest-inspired raiment, lush showers of shoes and bags and necklaces that make you think of the tropics from the comfort of your own yard (or couch -- hey, this homebody doesn't judge).  Then again, I did catch an episode of the Science Channel's How Do They Do It? last weekend (which is to say that the husband was watching it while I pieced together synthetic palm fronds) about gum harvesting in the Yucatan Peninsula, and the voice-over warned, "for all of its beauty, the rain forest is a dangerous place."  Truer words were never spoken, ominous announcer man.

But back to the topic at hand.  I've always wanted to do a post of solid outfits, no prints allowed.  Not only would it be a challenge (I've got a penchant for prints), but it would make my necklaces pop.  I often have this dilemma when dressing myself, drawn to the drama of dueling motifs and intricate accents.  (Forget about taking one thing off before leaving the house; it's more like, one more necklace?  Don't mind if I do!)  So here it is, clean color-blocking at its most minimal, the very voice (voice?  sure, why not) of restraint.

Still, I love a good pattern, especially a resort-ready one.  I recently saw a spread on (albeit subdued) floral fashions -- I think it was called "tropical mixers" -- in Real Simple magazine.  I really like Real Simple.  I realize that this sounds odd, given my love of extravagance (simplicity's less sensible but better kitted-out cousin), and at first I was surprised, too.  Sure, this somewhat matronly monthly lacks the colorful flash of Vogue, Elle, or Glamour -- even its pages are matte instead of glossy -- but it more than makes up for it with its abundance of human interest stories.  Readers write in to answer questions, such as, "What book most inspired you?"; there's always an essay about a personal challenge, some big, some small (one of my favorites is about a woman overcoming her fear of sleeping alone when her husband is away on business); and the advice column focuses on etiquette rather than beauty or dating.  Even the editor's note is delightful, and I never read those!  I think that what sets Real Simple apart from other women's magazines is that it focuses more on who women are than on who they think they should be.  Well, except for when it's firing off advice about being a more efficient cook and housekeeper.  As someone who subsists on pasta and clutter, such can-do directives really annoy me.   

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Make and Tell Challenge: Day 55



The Happy Hour Tote got a slick second coat today. And at the suggestion of the bf and my sister, I repaired the Electric Palms Tote by painting the handles black up to the zipper line. On a completely random note, yesterday I was watching the Science Channel and learned that the red dye used in food coloring and makeup comes from crushed insects (I don't regularly watch the Science channel, but the bf had turned it on, and even though he fell asleep I was too far into the painting zone to change it). At first I thought, how gross. But then I thought, all the stuff we humans make has to come from somewhere. So maybe it's not gross so much as resourceful. I'll leave you with that.