Camp Prime Time Auction

Lots of style to be found last night at the Camp Prime Time auction & dinner. Lots of money raised too! Camp Prime Time, for those of you who don't know, is a great camp near Clear Lake for kids with illnesses or disabilities and also for their families. We love supporting this camp: they do so much good for people right here in the valley, they use there dollars wisely, they involve tons of volunteers, and they make so many kids happy--kids who ordinarily don't have a lot to be happy about. It's a jewel of an organization that raises the quality of life to a new level here in Yakima. Go to http://www.campprimetime.org/ to learn more about it! And a big thank you to the winning bidders who paid $5100 for a week in our Maui condo. Whoo hooo! We were happy to participate and see so much money raised.

That being said, let's see what kind of style Camp Prime Time supporters had to offer.... She looked so great in this long lacy-knit cardigan with the ruffle all around and the tie front. Interesting pale yellow color, too. Add a matching cam, fabulous pointy-toe heels, and slim wool slacks: casual and comfortable, but very chic.

Barb was not shy about being blogged: "Oh, I can pose, Girlfriend!" she said to me when I asked her. She also recited the address and phone number of Garden Dance, which is where she got the ivory lace & tiered ruffle skirt. Now that's a loyal customer. Also love the hip-length jacket, the boots with tights, the leopard scarf tossed over her shoulder. She's got it all goin' on, and in a good way.

Someone told Hannah that all volunteers had to wear matching red Camp Prime Time t-shirts, but that didn't stop her from making it her own: she layered it over a black long-sleeved tissue tee, tucked it into a black and white striped dirndl skirt, and wrapped it up with a wide leather belt. She looks positively Parisian. (Note: Must be Hanna's shrimpy size to wear horizontal stripes.) Anyone who can eke some style out of a red t-shirt is definitely blog-worthy, I say.

Kinda gives a whole new meaning to the term "Doggy Bag" doesn't it? Deb, proud Mom of two terriers, didn't have to go looking for this Dooney & Bourke bag festooned with scotties and their toys. She said three of her friends called her when the bag made it's debut at Macy's. Another one actually bought her the bag as a gift but--too late! She'd already scarfed it up herself, of course. Shown here with coordinating scottie glasses and case. Love it! Arf arf.

I noticed these shoes while standing in line--well, who didn't notice these shoes??? They cannot be ignored! Sky-high stilettos, bondage-style skinny strappy-straps from toe to ankle, and actual zippers up the back. Yikes! Dangerous! But waaaaay wonderful...

OMG! Who wouldn't want to own a pair of zebra-striped ankle boots? Love these, seen on safari to Zesta Cucina not too long ago.

Garden Dance Jewelry Show

If you love jewelry, you'll want to see this jewelry trunk show at Garden Dance next Saturday, Nov. 28. It'll be there from 11-4 p.m.--it's all local artists like Ann Bowker, Diana Hillis, Kaia Sorem, Linda Simpson, and Lucy Valderhaug. They'll be there to take orders and answer questions. Original jewelry makes a wonderful Christmas present, 'sall I'm sayin'. Plus there will be apps & drinks. See you there!

The Great American Apparel Diet

Last week's Seattle Times featured an article by Amy Martinez and Melissa Allison in the Retail Report about a new movement called "The Great American Apparel Diet." What?
That's right, due to the recent financial downturn, many women are joining this group and pledging to abstain from any apparel buying for one year.
Eeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!! A whole year? Yes. A whole year.
Like one member said, "I have enough clothes to last a lifetime." Which is probably true of most of us. But who'd want to wear the same things for a lifetime?
I went through my closet and tried to decide how long this wardrobe would last. Counting all the parts and pieces and all the possible combinations, I calculated approximately 47, 664, 533 different outfits. I never have been very good at math, but I do know I have enough clothes to last a lifetime. That is, if I wouldn't mind being sartorially stuck in 2009 until I die.
The rules of the Apparel Diet say that one is allowed to trade, to sew, to renovate, to buy used, AND, best of all, SHOES ARE ALLOWED. Well, ok, things are looking up now.
So here's the question: could you do this? would you do this? would you even want to? It's a definite challenge. As for me, I think the idea is interesting. I think I might be willing to cut back. But I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it.
For one thing, I've been poor before and I don't remember it as being all that much fun. I've gone for months without anything new, and I didn't feel challenged, I just felt depressed. I've sewn (high school), bought used (Discovery Shop), traded (college), and just plain done without. Did I feel proud of myself? No. I felt deprived.
I also remember working at Nordstrom and having so many clothes to wear it would take me at least 45 minutes every morning just to decide what to put on. And lots of stuff was still hanging in the closet with the tags still on. And lots of things hanging there I didn't really even like, I just bought them because they were new, they were in, they were hanging on the rack and I had to have them. I would pretty much turn my paycheck over to the company store every two weeks. Who cared if I couldn't pay the rent? I looked cute!
I've always loved to shop. Some people get sensory overload in a mall, they hate the bright lights, the noise, the cosmetic salespeople accosting them. I, however, can enter a mall and instantly feel my pulse lower, my breathing slow, my mind say "aaaah....I'm home again." When I was a young mom and my kids were making me crazy, my idea of a perfect afternoon was to get a sitter and go wander through the mall (yes, even the Yakima mall). I couldn't afford anything, I just wanted to be there to breathe that electrified mall air. Ohmmmmm. I know. Pretty sad.
So could I go for a year without buying? No. I could maybe compromise, cut down a little. But how's this economy going to improve unless we get out there and do our part to keep these poor retailers in business? I consider it my duty to shop. And shop I will. I never was much for diets anyway.

Wearable Art--Leather Scarves

Our friend Carol stopped by Allied Arts the other day with her newest art endeavor: leather scarves! These are so beautiful, unique, and original I wanted to share them with all my dear blog-readers. I asked Jessica to model these for me--they look so great on her, especially with the black turtleneck as background. This one is stark white, sooooo soft (wish you could feel it--that's half the beauty of these things), and folded in layers with tiny studs.

Here she did a chamois-colored wrap scarf with studs and tiny peacock feathers. Kinda looks like it has wings, doesn't it?

Carol paints many of the scarves, including this one which has a horn button closure.

What do you think, blog readers? I think they have a real Western, cowgirl flavor that would look right at home in Durango or Jackson Hole...or...Ellensburg! Anyone who loves cowboy boots would love a scarf like this that echoed the Western, back-to-nature theme with these natural textures and colors, the amorphous shapes, and the interesting mix of paint and detail.

In the Year of the Accessory, an amazing art piece like this could surely take the place of the Statement Necklace: the "Statement Scarf".

Carol is a little bit hesitant about marketing these beautiful pieces, so

let me know what you think: email me at gaydoo@yahoo.com, find me on Facebook, or leave a comment below.