Flora the Florist's Day Off

 Mint Blooming Bird Corsage Necklace

Dress: LC Lauren Conrad, Kohl's

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Candie's, Kohl's

Scarf: Gifted

Sunglasses: Target

 

Golden Girl Corsage Necklace

Jacket: Candie's, Kohl's

Skirt: So, Kohl's

Shoes: Candie's, Kohl's

Bag: Marshalls

Scarf: Gifted

Sunglasses: JCPenney

Pink Blooming Bird Corsage Necklace

Dress: Modcloth

Shoes: Payless

Bag: XOXO, ROSS Dress for Less

Sunglasses: Fred Flare

For fem florist Flora, freedom from work doesn't mean freedom from flowers.  Whether she's weeding the garden or stopping to smell the roses, this babe is all about the blooms.  ("Flora?  Who the heck is that?" you may be thinking.  "I thought this molded hanger-slash-mannequin thing was named Tammy."  Well, she is, but Flora is her latest alter ego.  Keep up!)  So, to appeal to our petal princess, I've brought back the corsage necklace in a big way.  Each of these gardens a-go-go features a market-fresh fabric flower from Etsy's own Henny TJ.  I've been collecting them in red, yellow, and pink over the past year for my wedding but ended up with a surplus (partly because of that intrepid interloper, mint.  But more on that later.)  HennyTJ's trims are gorgeous and high quality, adding just the right touch of whimsy to your craft supply wardrobe.  Check it out!

Speaking of shopping, here's another 10% off coupon from our friends at Kohl's: BLOGIT10.  It's good for online purchases (and may be combined with one departmental coupon) until 9/12/13.  Let the bargain hunting begin!  

Keeping it Real Cosby Style

Top: Wet Seal
Skirt: So, Kohl's
Shoes: Worthington, JCPenney
Bag: Nahui Ollin
Scarf: A.C. Moore

Top: Wet Seal (again!)

Skirt: H&M
Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Nahui Ollin (again!)
Scarf: Wet Seal

 Fabulous Felt Art Club Necklace

Fabulous Felt Desert Dreams Necklace

Dress: Kohl's

Shoes: Frederick's of Hollywood

Bag: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

 Fabulous Felt Radical Rocks Necklace

Dress: Rampage, Amazon

Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's

Bag: Worthington, JCPenney

Jacket: Abbey Dawn, Kohl's

Belt: Everything's $10, Tournier

Sunglasses: Cloud Nine, Ocean City 

 Sea Creatures Comb

Sparkly Squares Necklace

Tee: Mossimo, Target

Skirt: H&M

Shoes: Nine West, DSW

Bag: DSW, embellished by The Tote Trove

Scarf: Wet Seal

Rockin' Record Necklace

Sweatshirt: Kohl's

Skirt: Boscov's

Shoes: Bucco, Kohl's

Bag: Chinese Laundry

In the wild west wasteland that is summer TV (Lifetime's "Devious Maids" excluded), I find myself seeking refuge with reruns.  A recent episode of "The Cosby Show" struck a crafty chord as Claire and daughter Denise bantered over a disfigured pot that Claire had created.  Claire conceded that Denise's pot was indeed beautiful but went on to say that it was limited because everyone knew what it was immediately.  Her own mangled mess, on the other hand, challenged the beholder to bring something of himself or herself to the experience.  She was being funny.  But as with all jokes, hers harbored a grain of truth.  I can't tell you how many times I've looked at something I made, lamenting how it could have been more symmetrical, more balanced, more precise, or otherwise perfect.  I hit just such a snafu while working on the Fabulous Felt Radical Rocks Necklace.  It was too long.  I pouted, staring at it in the mirror and trying to convince myself that it looked okay.  But such deception wasn't to be and there was nothing for it but to fill in the gap with another strand of beads and a daisy pendant.  I ended up with something odd but interesting and remembered that making stuff isn't about perfection; it's about expression, as Claire so cleverly pointed out.  And in a world fraught with unforgiving absolutes, the freedom to play is downright refreshing.  

Which I'll do well to remember the next time I find myself fretting over an off-center pendant or crooked wire wrapping as the Huxtables (or some other sage sitcom family) hum in the background.  

Doing Huey Lewis, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Squares the World Over Proud: Also, Will Blog For Clothes

Fabulous Felt Pastel Hip to Be Square Necklace

Tee: Kohl's

Skirt: H&M

Flip flops: So, Kohl's

Bag: DSW

 Fabulous Felt Primary Palette Necklace

Tee: So, Kohl's

Jeans: City Streets, JCPenney

Shoes: MetroStyle

Bag: Nahui Ollin

Belt: Wet Seal

 Fabulous Felt Bright Hip to be Square Necklace

Dress: Modcloth

Shoes: Not Rated, DSW

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

Scarf: Boscov's

 Fiery Fringe Necklace

Top: Wet Seal

Skirt: Material Girl, Macy's

Shoes: Betseyville, Macy's

Bag: Journeys

Belt: Wet Seal

Sunglasses: Claire's

As Luck Would Have It Choker

Top: Princess Vera, Kohl's

Skirt: Ellen Tracy, JCPenney

Shoes: Ami Clubwear

Bag: Betseyville, Marshalls

Fancy Feathers Barrette

Dress: Kohl's

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Candie's, Kohl's

Necklace: Candie's, Kohl's

For years I've been jokingly inviting my favorite stores to send me a little token in return for the shout-outs I make in my posts.  This week someone answered that call, and that someone was Kohl's (take that, JCPenney!).  One of their marketing reps found this itty bitty blog on the great big web and offered me a 10% off coupon just for having linked a couple of current Kohl's items in last week's post.  What's more, she encouraged me to pass the savings on to you.  The 10% off is good for online purchases through 7/11/13 and can be used in conjunction with one other department-specific coupon code.  Just enter BLOGGER10 in the coupon box at checkout.  I'll be using mine next week in combination with my considerable stash of Kohl's cash to score a deeply discounted LC Lauren Conrad dress.  I must confess, I already have not one but two Kohl's shipments on the way, one of which includes two garment bags to house my honeymoon-bound dresses.  (On the subject of wedding wear, when I stumbled upon the above sequin tube dress on kohls.com, I knew it was just the firecracker of a frock for my bachelorette party.)  I never thought I'd be the kind of person who owned a garment bag, but there you have it.  My, how I'm growing up.

A Winged Thing, Tea for One, and a Mousse to Break the Mold

 Fabulous Felt Tea Time Necklace

Dress: Marshalls

Cardigan: So, Kohl's

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Xhilaration, Target

 Fabulous Felt Cherry Caramel Mold Necklace

Dress: Kohl's

Shoes: Payless

Bag: DSW

Cardigan: So, Kohl's

Darling Dragonfly Necklace

Top: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney

Cardigan: So, Kohl's

Skirt: Macy's

Shoes: Payless

Bag: Uniquely Different, Etsy

Sunglasses: Fred Flare

What do you get when you mix a pair of sunny steppers and one cool cardigan with three new necklaces?  A butter-mint blowout of bakery-fresh fun, that's what!  So strong is my affection for these confections that I've been mixing them into my wardrobe batter at least once a week.  That having been said, it's no wonder that I cooked up tea time-worthy treats for this week's creations.  The dragonfly, which started life as a window ornament, is admittedly something of a misfit in this melange (unless, of course, you're in the habit of munching insects for protein).  His fellow fliers are now on clearance; perhaps I'll stock up and put them all in a post called something like "Critter Jitter . . . bug." 

It's Been a Long Time Since . . .

From top left clockwise,: Ami Clubwear; Dolce by Mojo Moxy, Shoe Dept.; Adrienne Vittadini, DSW; Worthington, JCPenney; Payless; Payless; Ami Clubwear

All four pairs from Payless.

. . . we've had a shoe montage!  So long, in fact, that it was 2012.  Here's a sampling of some of the shoes I've stockpiled since then.  A whopping six pairs came from Payless, a place I haven't frequented in nearly a decade.  Browsing online one night, I fell in love with their retro-inspired, soda-shoppe-shaded T-straps, so much so that I couldn't help but buy them in all four colors and then snap them Warhol-style.  I was wearing the yellow pair while browsing the jewelry supply aisle in Michaels when a salesperson (at least I think she was a salesperson) commented that she liked them, then segued into a tribute to Whoopi Goldberg's fancy footwear as featured on "The View."  I thanked her, promising to Google the celebrated accessories, and then we went our separate ways, me toward the checkout to pay for my baubles and she, presumably, to disappear back into the bowels of the stockroom.

See that.  Shoes, bringing people together, right there amid the jump rings and pendants.  Such things do my heart (and feet!) good.