Fall Is Falling

Last month, I left you and challenged myself with a hand-full of Ping Pong balls.
I had a blast getting down and crazy with these colorful weightless globes.

I cut five of them in half, gave them a coat of paint and glued them on to a purse. I broke out my handy little drill and made holes in the remaining ping pong balls.

  

After cutting up a few ratty cashmere sweaters and a couple of baby blankets, 
I threaded everything together for a “few soon to be needed winter” neck wraps.

 

Talk about high drama, these two necklaces take the cake. I gold leafed the darker balls... along with a few ginormous lucite balls, I strung them into an eye catcher of a necklace. I splattered a bit of bright paint on the yellow balls for a “kid within” happy necklace. I had a ball playing with these balls.

 

I know how healthy green tea is, but no matter how hard I try to disguise the flavor, it just isn't my cup of tea. On the other hand, green tea mints... well they're much easier to swallow and easy on the taste buds. Three mints equal one cup of tea and they are only ten calories for the three. Bonus time: the box (sans label) makes an: oh so NOW perfect gift box.




 

Sequins... or you may prefer to call them paillettes … were “the” way to trim 
a look this summer. Going into fall, they will not only trim an outfit... 
they will “BE” the outfit. No quiet statements here. Each piece simply dazzles.
Wearing this kind of sparkle, expect to be noticed …. galore.

Designers are making paillettes out of metal, shell and plastic. Hands down, it looks like FUN will be the order of business in anything sequin this season.


 
 

OK so it's memory jogging time... do you remember playing cat's cradle with your BF in grade school? How totally FAB was that simple little string game. Through a bit of research, I discovered that it is the oldest game known to man. Way back when, who knew that cat's cradle had been played around the world … for centuries. If you are curious and would like to give your hands a shot at playing, you can find the steps on line. 

  

Each year what's up in the world is a major influence in fashion. Wonder if everything SMURF is what made electric blue the primary color for fall 2011. Even if blue is not in your particular color pallet, try to squeeze something royal blue into your closet, because ...like it or not... it is the HOTTEST/COOLEST slice of the rainbow for fall. 



 

Besides being the best "bed side mannered"  family doctor, my dad was an “all ears on board” kind of joke teller. From shaggy dogs, to one liners.. he could hold the attention of a group of friends all night long. He was a wonderful story teller because he used a little cheat sheet. He kept a Cliff Notes list of his favorite jokes on a tiny card in his wallet. Whenever the room was quiet or when he was in the mood, out came his card. A word or two would jog his memory. The rest is priceless history.

Last fall, reptile prints sort of tiptoed onto the catwalks. This season these prints and skins are snaking their way into every collection. On dresses and skirts, you'll be seeing (and lusting after) soft muted tones and a more than generous flow of reptile printed cashmere and suede. 

As for "must have" accessories: coats, purses, sandals and boots are jumping off magazine the pages in bright shiny colors, defined divine deco shapes and sassy silhouettes. Not to be biblical... but in a few months, get ready to be tempted by a snake or two.

OK how about a little bit of “Fun with Nature 101”. Balancing on this same snake wicket, here's a bit of Snake Grass info: called a “living fossil”. This green stick- like plant dates back over one hundred million years (maybe Eve's snake was hiding in it) also known as Equisetum (from the Latin word: ”equus” horse) or Horse Grass... because it resembles horses tails...yet is poisonous to horses. When dried out, these bamboo looking stalks are perfect for scouring metal pots, artists use them to sand wood and I keep a piece in my purse for an emergency nail file. See, I'm being green... double green!

Years ago, I bought this beige lavender wand in Nice... for 15 Euros. I made the green one last week... for free. While the stems were still moist, I bent them over the seeds to form a cage. Then I wove a thin ribbon around the stems. The scent stays ...forever. Silly me, I didn't think that anything lasted forever!






 

Bring on the magic. I told my three grand daughters that we have a tree in our neighborhood.... growing angel wings. They can't wait to see it!



 

Back to Fall Fashion Addictions: Navajo, Navajo and more Navajo. This year, it's more than the “Ralph” look.  From Prada to Pendleton (have a jacket, pillows or a clutch made out of a blanket … the alteration expert at your cleaners can do it) the traditional patterns, colors and textures are being brought to new and exciting fashion forward levels.




 

Not that I don't respect The Liberty Bell, but aren't these new “forever” (I guess a few thing last forever) stamps delightful. How about the 29 cent post card stamps...  they are nearly frameable.. and 15 cents less than.... "forever".   

 

Here's a practical recycling “forever” project. After laughing my pants off (now there's an unsightly image) at a card, I cut it in half, write the funny message on the back side of the front of the card... and send it off ....“post card” style. I'm saving a tree and a buck or two as well. I store the front side of Christmas cards and then I "postcard them"  the following year. In order NOT to re-gift a card, I write card giver's name... where the postage stamp will sit.

From Louis Vuitton to Lanvin, designers are loving our fine feathered friends. No worries, they are just plucking a few special plumes and trimming out necklaces.



 

OK OK...  I must admit it..... the two images above are  about me. I can't wait to wear these two feather infused necklaces I made a few years ago.



 

 Look for bright flowers (spotlighting lots of this year's BLUE) on the darkest backgrounds this season. Just as our dock is an inspiration beyond compare, so too were English gardens quite the inspiration for these old world like prints.


 

It's cyclical, in every part of the wardrobe,  every few years... polka dots find their way back into the season's style. Looks like it's “dotty time” again this fall.


 


Sarah Jessica Parker looks as lovely in her dots today as this Yves Saint Laurent dress looked nearly 20 years ago.There's something so cheery about polka dots.

The tux jacket isn't cyclical ...it gets my “forever” stamp. YSL called it “Le Smoking”. Once again, The Tuxedo jacket is all over the place  this Fall.

I won't even tell you the price of this stunning bag...

for me... it encapsulates Fall 2011 to perfection.

Until next time, I'll leave you with this teeny tiny traffic jam. Yup, I'll have something created out of these one inch "car lettes"  soon.