Ch-ch-ch Cherry

 Fabulous Felt Cherries Necklace

Tee: So, Kohl's

Tank: Macy's

Skirt: Candie's, Kohl's

Shoes: Not Rated, Journeys

Bag: Nine West, Boscov's

Fabulous Felt Happy Cupcakes Necklace

Tee: So, Kohl's

Cardigan: DKNY, Macy's

Skirt: Necessary Objects, Annie Sez

Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's

Bag: Nine West, Boscov's

Carnival Cherry Corsage Necklace

Dress: Worthington, JCPenney

Shoes: Betseyville, JCPenney

Bag: Express

Belt: Wet Seal

Tis the season of the Chia Pet, as any TV watcher and drugstore shopper knows.  I never had one of the kitschy critters.  But I did have a Grass Head, which was a strange knock-off consisting of a burlap ball.  It had earrings too, artistic-looking spirals that glinted most attractively against Ms. Grass's emerging green tresses.

Although I haven't yet discovered how to coax accessories from Chia's signature terra cotta planters, I do have a trio of ch-ch-ch-cherry blasts from the past.  Mmmm.  Breathe in that new background smell.

Catch a Tuna Christmas

When I heard that I was going to see a play called "A Tuna Christmas," I jokingly asked if it was about "The Office's" Jim Halpert.  Once ensconced in the second row of Cape May's Robert Shackleton Playhouse, I learned that it was not.

Still, the homespun satire that unfolded wasn't entirely different from the NBC sitcom in its not-always-gentle exposure of small-town folks' quirks and foibles.  Tuna, as it turns out, referred to a fictional small town in Texas - the third smallest town, to be exact.  Its tirelessly colorful cast of two dozen (mostly) narrow-minded local yokels was played to perfection by just two actors, Jody Cook and Turner Crumbley, no small feat considering that the mountain lion's share of the characters were women.  Cook and Crumbley mastered lightning-fast costume changes and personas that turned on a dime to deliver characters that we've all encountered, if not at the Tuna Tasty Creme, then at the nearest Walmart or church social.  Straddling the middle ground between cringe-worthy and sympathetic, they offered an introspective view into the hearts and minds of everyday people.  To be sure, "Tuna" explored censorship, prejudice, and heartbreak, so peppered with the spice of local radio, community theater, Christmas decorating wars, ne'er-do-well husbands, on-the-loose critters, and unfulfilled dreams that flavor the most trenchant of country chronicles.  

This isn't your grandmother's yuletide tale.  Ribald and real, "Tuna" is a slice of life that makes you laugh even through its sadness.  Having expected two hours of ho-hum holiday entertainment, I was engrossed.  Whether you be city folk or a cowpoke, you'll want to give "Tuna" a try.

Islands and Black Holes and Other Locales

 Island Beat Necklace

Dress: Venus

Tee: Material Girl, Macy's

Shoes: Guess, DSW

Bag: XOXO, ROSS Dress for Less

 Fabulous Felt Fruit Stripe Necklace

Dress: Kohl's

Shoes: Barefeet Shoes

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

 Awesome Aliens Necklace

Top: Gap

Skirt: Marshalls

Shoes: Charles Albert, Alloy

Bag: Eleven Peacocks, Etsy

Belt: Gifted

This Island Beat Necklace is the last of my tissue box creations.  Which saddens me a little, especially given my fruitless online search for novelty Kleenex boxes hiding out in a warehouse or some Sam's Club shopper's basement.  But no matter.  There's a whole world of pretty packaging out three to be pillaged.  In particular, I'm hoping to score some unicorn-emblazoned folders.  But the generosity of the retail gods remains to be seen.

Speaking of which, I found the extraterrestrials of the Awesome Aliens Necklace in orbit in the Target dollar spot.  They're actually silicone drink markers cleverly coined as "Space Invaders":

I glued them on these black holes of felt splotches, sealing their fate with a choking helping of glitter glue.  Today's Target run netted some even more enchanting cheapies, which I plan to put to use some time after Christmas.  

A Fancy Feast (but Not the Cat Kind) and a Fruitcake

Yesterday I was elated to find a Figi's Christmas catalog in the mail.  In this day of email blasts and virtual stores, there's something to be said for curling up on the sofa and thumbing through page after glossy page of beautiful things.  Figi's happens to be a gourmet food gift catalog and one of several I used to delight in perusing as a child.  I'd imagine all the glamorous people sending each other cheese tortes, baklava, sugared fruit slices, and whole hams.  This year I was particularly tempted by the chocolate-covered potato chips and the mint chocolate cake roll, even as I was put off (and downright flummoxed) by the build-your-own-Reuben kit and antelope sausage.  But, to each his or her own!

Of course, no Christmas food retailer is worth its salt without offering the ubiquitous fruitcake.  Seeing Figi's version reminded me of an especially choice item hibernating in my Etsy favorites:

Fruit Cake Cube Plushie, Cubeless

How cute is this?!  I can't tell you how much I want to carve a place for it in my cluttered cottage (which is saying something considering that I've yet to clear a space for my tree).  I love how the Christmas-bright colors and cute face light up a confection universally accepted to be cringe-worthy.  Such contrast! Such humor!  Such a statement for the season of letting bygones be bygones!      

When Snacks Attack

 Lemon Snack Attack Corsage Necklace

Dress: Kohl's

Cardigan: Worthington, JCPenney

Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney

Bag: Loop, Marshalls

Scarves: A.C. Moore

 Chocolate Snack Attack Corsage Necklace

Top: Merona, Target

Jeans: Vanilla Star, Target

Shoes: Guess, DSW

Bag: Glamour Damaged, Etsy

 Raspberry Snack Attack Corsage Necklace

Dress: Xhilaration, Target

Sweater: Worthington, JCPenney

Shoes: Nine West, Burlington Coat Factory

Bag: Chinese Laundry, JCPenney

Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's

There's nothing quite like the craving for a pudding cup.  Or, for that matter, a cookie.  But we'll get to that in a minute.  Pudding's cool, satiny texture and parfait-layered pastels are just the thing to quell a stomach that's been eating itself.  So, in the spirit of smooth sweets I upgraded these old corsages made from JELL-O Temptations packaging by garnishing them with delicious duds.  

Speaking of snacks, I picked up these Keebler cinnamon roll cookies to try.  Partly because they're endorsed by Cinnabon, partly because I was fresh off last Thursday's "30 Rock" episode in which Liz Lemon weds James Marsden clad in full Princess Leia regalia.  I'm no Star Wars (or city hall ceremony) fan, but I do love an against-the-grain wedding that's more about people than pretense.  May the force be with you, Liz.  

Bunches of Bangles

Fruit Craze Necklace

Tank: Rewind, Kohl's

Tee: So, Kohl's

Skirt: Burlington Coat Factory

Shoes: Charles Albert, Alloy

Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

 Citrus Rose Necklace

Tank: So, Kohl's

Tee: So, Kohl's

Skirt: So, Kohl's

Shoes: MetroStyle

Bag: Kelly & Katie, DSW

Cool Crystals Necklace 

Tee: So, Kohl's

Vest: Marshalls

Skirt: ROSS Dress for Less

Shoes: Unlisted, Marshalls

Bag: Nine West, Boscov's

I love a good bangle.  And why not?  They come in a variety of colors, prints, and embellishments, are often inexpensive, and make a delightful sound when you wave your wrist.  Although I tried decorating my own a while back, I ultimately found the necklace to be a more fitting vehicle for my arm-candy arsenal.  Here are some retakes of three bangle pendant necklaces I made ages ago, as well as some fresh shots of my personal bangle collections.

Out, Damned Spot: Hamlet and Heels

I was walking along the other day when I heard the unmistakable sound of one of my brand-new red patent Betseyville pumps scuffing against the other.  Sure enough, when I looked down, there was a faint but unmistakable mark marring the inside of the left shoe.  Although certainly not a matter of life or death or even the stuff of a Shakespearean drama, I was peeved, as we shoe enthusiasts are wont to be in such situations.  I had to wait the day out before slathering the offending scuff with Vaseline.  Thankfully, it worked.  If only there had been such a quick fix for Gertrude.

P. S.  Contrary to my mention of him in this post, I don't like Shakespeare.  English major or not, I've always found him to be dull and dreary and flat-out boring, a sentiment I'm sure I've echoed at least once throughout the course of this blog.   Nevertheless, the Hamlet references were tumbling through my head before I could stop them, and there was nothing for it but to go ahead and post, as is so often the case with easily amused souls such as myself.