The Exchange at Annarella

Yesterday I had the pleasure of working at the Exchange. The owners, Angie and Carli, were spending their day at a women's retreat. Don't you think that every once in a while we need to take time to breath an enjoy the company of other women without the distractions of everyday life? I was happy to give them the opportunity to take such a break.

Working with me was Lauryl. She's one of those special people that is just a joy to be around. Always optimistic. Very caring. And a great sense of humor. She's fun to work with and fun to watch work. So I realize that I wasn't making a much of a sacrifice to stand in for Angie and Carli. It was really a good deed for me!

And it was a good day. Lots of nice customers came in. They really enjoy shopping at the Exchange. Since it is a consignment store, it provides a guilt-free experience. After all we're helping the environment by recycling while saving money with the great pricing. Plus the inventory is constantly changing as it is dependent on what the consignors bring in. Inventory changes daily.

One customer, yesterday, was excited to find some skirts and pants that were petite. Another found 4 suits for work and only paid $80. One suit still had original tags so had never been worn. (A & C are very careful of the quality of the items they accept - must be clean, unflawed and stylish.) I fell in love with a red Brighton bag for only $44. Several girls came in to look and try on prom dresses. Lauryl and I helped women find the perfect flirty shoes, jewelry to complement outfits and handbags for special or everyday.

If you haven't made a stop at The Echange at Annarella in Georgetown, go for a rewarding and fun shopping experience. By the way they do have men's clothing and vintage. They occupy the space where Annarella was, hence the name, 800 S Austin Ave downtown Georgetown next to the Palace Theater.

And don't forget to check out the sale racks - up to 75% off. Now that is really guilt-free!!!

Beauty Soothes the Beast

Gray days. Isolation. and what else. Gray skies bring on gray thoughts, but pieces of beauty chase them away. Here's some of the beauty in my life today.

Go to "Beautiful/Decay" online magazine to see work by Christopher St. Leger. I love the figure work. What he does with watercolors is so fluid and vibrant. The skaters are remarkable. You can see more of his work by clicking on his name on the sidebar of this blog.

Bright colors. Sometimes I think I may be going too loud. But then I look around and love the saturated hues.

Sometimes I feel like this is all for naught and then I hear from a fan or receive a picture of a little cutie looking adorable in a dress. So I keep going. Besides what else would I be doing with my time and all these fabrics?

What better way to wile away a gray day than to read. I've been loving Gail Tsukiyama. Her writing is so spare yet filled with grace. Set in China she writes about families and relationships. (The exception so far is "Dreaming Water" which dels with terminal illness and how it effects the patient, the caregiver and friends.) I just finished "The Samurai's Garden." I've now read 6 of her novels and have loved each one. If your not familiar with her works, try one and let me know what you think.

My final ray of beauty today is hearing from you all after my extended absence. Thanks for the kind comments. You all bring me smiles and companionship.

Flowers on a gray day

Today is a gray day. Sky is flat and drizzlly. After a couple of weeks of warm, often sunny days, the weatherpeople say we are in for rain and cold. I'm hoping all the moisture will pay off in a glorious wildflower season. Meanwhile I work on some flowers here in the sewing room.

My jumping off vision was to make a top which was similar to the dresses - a mix of fabric colors and patterns, but shorter - to be worn with leggings. In order to make leggings different, Annarella Girlish, I added a crocheted border and a flower. Tried to show the results in yesterday's blog posting but the pictures weren't good. So here I go again with a close up to give a better idea.

Green flower with rose pink center. Lace edging in white. Hope this pic comes a bit closer to capturing the cuteness. Imagine the leggings peeking out under the top which can be seen above.

For the moment I'm tweaking the crocheted flower and edging. Again it's the exercise of bringing the imagined design into the world of reality. That process creates immense joy and/or immense frustration.

More to come on a daily basis!

12 weeks of silence

I'm back!! After twelve weeks of thinking, working, and creating I'm once again going to write. In my mind I have been speaking to you all along. I just haven't gotten the thoughts to the blog. So here goes a little catching up.

Holidays came and went with lots of food, gifts, laughs and love. Kids and grandkids all pitched in to make the days happy. Here's Ryanne doing her best to make us all smile. She's so cute!!!

My workroom has been humming. I've been perfecting a design for a top which goes with embellished capri leggings. And also a romper for the under 2's. This has been a challenge but great fun. It takes some trial and error to move from my vision to the polished reality. Very rewarding when it finally gels.

Romper with shoulder ties and elasticized waist. So bright and summery!

I was hoping to introduce the new fabrics and designs in a show the first week of March. Unfortunately they ran out of room before they got to me on the wait list so I'll wait until the Wilmington Flower Market in May. Or if anybody would like to have a inhome trunk show in March or April let me know.

Top with embellished leggings. Not a great pic but maybe you can get the idea.

More pics and chit chat to come in the days ahead.

Sunshine and Lollipops

Something good has happened to someone I love. I'm not allowed to tell yet, but I want to share the warm fuzzy feeling I have. Do you all react to good news the way I do?

First I just want to absorb the news, Rather passively with few questions I want to just float in the buoyancy of the news. Turning it this way and that to examine it. Just luxuriate in the joy. Examine its shininess. Become comfortable with its impact. I find I do this over and over off and on for days.

Then as it settles in I find my voice for all the questions. How will it impact the person or persons involved? What exactly is going to happen next? Etc?

So for now its like my new penny - so shiny and smooth - I can't stop looking at it, running my mind over it and smiling. Yipee!

Forgive me my laziness! I'm working hard with the dresses and skirts. Somehow I feel that makes me a very boring person when it comes to the blog. Random thoughts about daily life, political climate, World Series and books run a continuous loop through my mind, but all those also seem boring. I need a kick in the pants. Any volunteers?

Welcome November. I will be at the First Baptist Christmas Spectacular Nov. 12-14. See you all there!

Dresses for Judy

I'm posting a bunch of pictures of what I have in stock in size 12-18 mos. I've included notes on the ones in pinks. This is for Judy who wanted to know; but anyone with questions and requests, chime in.

I'm almost out of this black windowpane fabric. So I can't duplicate this dress exactly.What I'm describing is the one I have left in 12-18 mos. Also, to further confuse all of you, the bottom ruffle has been changed. Current dress ues same false patchwork fabric as seen on top is repeated in bottom ruffle with the flowery fabric used to line ruffle.

Front and back of an apron dress. Pink and green circles on a black background make up the attached apron. The bodice and body are a combination of pink and black fabrics. The shoulder straps are ties. The ribbon sash is sewed on in front but ties in back for size adjustment. This dress is made of a combination of pinks with brown accents. It also has fabric shoulder ties and a ribbon sash sewn in front but adjustable in back.

Below a quick glimpse of others which are other color combinations.

Judy, let me know if you want more pics or info.