Janel's Fashion Must Have List

I have had it up to {here} with fashion "experts" and their "must have in your closet" lists. I have never found one where I agree with half the list. Most of the lists seem to contain a piece or 6 that doesn't fit every woman or her lifestyle. But! It's still a "must have."

Am I just a fashion rebel? Or are these lists simply impractical for my life? What do other women think about them?

Feeling a bit sassy, (Couldn't tell could you? e'hem) I thought I would make my own "must have in your closet" list so everyone can disagree with me, too. {cue sinister laugh track here} Hang on!

Janel's Must Have In Your Closet List

1.) Your colors. Know what colors look good on you and wear them only. Forget the guilt over "popular" trends of dayglow orange or neon teal and the "must" shades of black, white or navy - unless they look good on you. So you're a little rattled that you only know one color that looks great on you for sure? Not a problem! Only buy things in that color until you find another one that looks good too! You'll always look great. Bask in that. Keep trying before you buy until you have two colors, then add that next one until you find number three. Lather, rinse and repeat.

2.) One dress that fits well and makes you feel fab-u-lous. (In a good color for you, of course!) Every woman needs a dress - even those who wear pants 99.9% of the time. The trick is looking until you find one that makes you feel amazing or have one made for you. Don't compromise. Search until you find one. There is nothing that makes you feel more alive than a terrific dress. With one dress that makes you feel wow!, you'll find excuses to wear it more often.

3.) One piece of jewelery that always makes you feel special and preferably matches your fab-u-lous dress. (See #2.) There is a beauty in feeling polished. A well placed piece of jewelery can do that. The piece can be a watch or a pearl necklaces or those wild African beads that Aunt Grace brought you back from vacation. Love it, wear it.

4.) A good quality, good fitting, good looking, comfortable pair of everyday shoes that are neither too casual nor too business-like for your situation. Ain't nothing worse than cranky feet no matter how cute they look stuffed into those things with the rhinestones or silk flowers. I love Mary Janes for the winter and NON-flip flop go-with-everything leather sandals for the summer. Both can be dressed up or down. What works for you? (I'll hold off on my "flip flops are evil and baaad for your body" rant.)

5.) Clothes that fit your lifestyle. While a black dress, a good belt, trench coat, three lengths of jeans and an umbrella might work well for some women, do they work for you and how you live? I don't need 6 different types of jeans. I like long swooshy skirts for the summer or my tried and true chino skirts with a neat top, some jewelery and a big o'l apron to keep me from getting dirty. How about you?

I would have included a terrific pair of pants or jeans, but I'm convinced they don't make them for my bottom and that you can live without them. Scarves, hats and pearl necklaces are a staple in my closet, but might not work in yours - so they didn't make the list either.

So what's on your must have list?

Conversation Skills

While neither Rich nor I are Jimmy Buffet fans, Rich's cousin's husband is. So when a magazine showed up with a Buffet interview, I read it for kicks.

When ask what one skill every man should have, he replied:

Be a good reader, because then you don't have to be a conversationalist to be knowledgeable.

I thought that was an excellent advice for anyone, male or female. Having knowledge on current events or interesting subjects or a heap of Five Fat Files helps to keep discussions fresh and moving. Just be careful not to get caught in a rut and go on and on and on about one subject. And remember, don't feel it's your sole responsibility to do all the talking. It's OK to be silent and listen too.

Decorating Ariana's Bedroom

I'm going to play along with The Nester's Price My $pace.

Ariana's room is my favorite in all the house. The girly fluff and bright, almost Pepto pink are cheery and welcoming. I could sit in there for hours.

The theme of the room was completely determined by the Oops paint I found at Home Depot. While Ana and I totally love the colors, Rich was overwhelmed by it when I first painted. I'm pleased to say it's grown on him. He's even said that he likes them now. The rest of the room came together from bits and pieces. The bare bones of paint and soft furnishings were less than $50.

Paint: 3 gallons of oops from HomeDepot. Two were the same mixed shade of pink: $5 each. Number three was a lovely dark sage green: $5. All the trim and the doors are painted in sage green.

Wallies: I feel like this is what blew the budget for this room. I ended up purchase 3 packs at $8.50 each. The little fairies and flowers are brilliant though.

Sheets & bedding: free from Great Grandma. Quilt & matching pillow lovingly made by Nana after her brain surgery.

Curtains & green bed cloth: Less than 99¢ for all of it. It's some of my Buck-a-Bag Fargo fabric. I bought 3 packs of Shaker style pegs and painted them green to hang the valances: $2.50 each. I use doubled ended screws to stick them to the wall: probably $2 a pack?

Mirror: cast off from relatives moving. Free.

Lamp & shade: The lamp was a Target clearance find: $5. It's blown glass with white swirlie things in it. Ana loves it. I found two shades both already made up at Goodwill: 25¢ each.

Print: This has special meaning for me. I found this 10 years ago when we were going through some really hard times. It was outrageous to pay what I did for it and buy it when I did, but it has blessed me so much. And I want Ariana to remember the truth in the caption "I will not fail Thee." $45.

Dalmatian: Swiped from brother.

Fairy bower: awesome find! Do I have to say out loud how much I paid for it? Can't I just keep it a secret? No? ugh Outrageous by my standards, but the best price for the style and condition I've ever seen: $20.

Bed: It was mine bought new in 1975. Eventually I want to paint it green to match the trim, but I haven't yet.

Antique rocker & handmade cradle: family heirlooms. Priceless. : )

I hope you enjoyed the tour of Ariana's room.

On Education, Again

Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.

B. F. Skinner

Pants to Skirt - waa-lah!

Well, I wish it would have been as easy as waa-lah!

Back in May I happened to be poking in Goodwill. I was looking at the pants rack desperately hoping to find something in my size that actually fit. (ha No chance of that!) While lamenting, I stumbled on a pair of black capris with this gorgeous embroidery detail on the leg! The size: 28 in womens!

Being at least 10 sizes bigger than I ever hope to wear, I got the idea to bring them home and try my hand at refashioning. I wanted to see if I could turn these $4.99 pants into an everyday chino skirt. With the pants being so much bigger in the hips than necessary, I figured they had enough ease to make a great skirt once I took the waist in. As usual, things aren't always as simple as they first seem (or is that seam?)

I had never tried to refashion anything like this before. While I've taken apart some of Ariana's dresses to make skirts once she outgrew the bodices, I've never done anything major - like turning pants into skirts for me. But I reasoned that it couldn't be too terribly hard, could it?

I think I've mentioned before that my pattern adjustment/fitting skills, e'hem, lack, a lot. Should I have better skills, this wouldn't have been such a gross project. I think I tore the "skants" apart at least 4 times after I took out the original seams. {sigh}

In essence, what I did was take the waist band off all but the front edges with the button and button hole. Then I sliced up the back and front seams to take out the crotch curve, measured, put darts in the front and back, remeasured, basted it back together and prayed it fit and hung correctly. Lather, rinse and repeat 3 or 4, or was that 5 times? hmmm...

While I got the front to fit rather quickly after I got aggressive about cutting the crotch curve deeper than I thought I needed to, the back got me. Rich tried to help me with the darts, but ultimately, I needed to be able to see them myself. It was this skirt project that prompted me to make my new duct tape double. Once I had the double, I was able to pin the back darts fairly easily.

The skirt is nice to wear and I will wear it, so it's not a total loss. But! It has some issues. From the side, the skirt looks and hangs like a pair of pants. Surprise! lol Closing up the front seam created a pull which makes the side seams twist a bit and hang towards the front, but nothing terribly glaring. I tried leaving it unstitched like the back so it wouldn't twist, but it looked like pants you wear when your thighs are welded together. Scary.

The neat thing is that the hemline on the front matched and stitched up perfectly. (Twice!) The vent in the back makes me feel like I'm wearing a tuxedo with tails. The sides bump my legs while I walk. Have I mentioned the embroidery is simply amazing and worth all the trouble?

All in all, it was a good experience. I've learned that I probably won't try it again (unless necessity calls for it) and I'm more determined than ever to learn fitting skills. Making new is so much easier time wise. I know could I have made 3 skirts from scratch in the time it took me to recreate this one. The sad things is that even with all the time I spent ripping out and fussing, while unquestionably wearable, it still doesn't fit "right." Aside from cutting completely new pieces from an old garment, I'm not sure how to make it fit better.

After I was all done, Rich looked at me and said the funniest tragic thing. He said I should have made a new skirt and then cut out the embroidery and inserted it as a godet. {sigh} Why oh why didn't I think of that to begin with?? Brilliant idea!