Manolo says, after all of the discussion about the Pope Benedict's magnificent red shoes, the Manolo has finally located the close-up photograph of these wonders, the product of the Roman cobbler Adriano Stefanelli.
The Manolo now takes this opportunity to remind you that cobbling is one of the most sanctified of all the manual arts.
Last April I mentioned:
I think the recent spate of fashion criticisms directed at women belonging to the polygamist sect in Texas to be distasteful. I'm not defending their religious practices but I think it's the height of tackiness to level superficial criticisms during what must be the most stressful event of their collective lives.
I am dismayed by people who feel compelled to kick people while they're down and over something that doesn't even matter. In that vein, John sent me a news piece today. Now who is having the last laugh?
Mothers say Texas raid forced them to market their clothing style. A new clothing brand may be born out of the Texas raid on a polygamous sect. FLDS women for the first time are offering their handmade, distinctive style of children's clothes to the public through the Web site fldsdress.com. Launched initially to provide Texas authorities with clothing for FLDS children in custody, the online store now is aimed at helping their mothers earn a living. The venture, which has already drawn queries from throughout the U.S., is banking on interest in modest clothes, curiosity and charity to be a success.
Personally, I'm thrilled. I wish them all the best. I'd send them a book if they'd think it'd help. They certainly have the patterns down and they've got the workforce. What an exciting experiment to witness; barn raising a manufacturing company overnight. I wish I were closer and had an invite.
We both believe strongly in Karma. We believe that what goes around comes around, and in the philosophies of many Asian cultures. Karma to us means positive, peaceful energy - the circle is the symbol of connection and listening. As we'll continue to learn about the healing powers of gemstones and what they can do for you the wearer, we will educate you on what we have learned. We feel that this brings meaning to everyday things.
Since there are two of us, one in Florida and one in Arizona, you are going to be assured of getting a large variety of styles. Also, this will mean that if you order multiple items, some may be shipped from AZ and some may ship from FL. Rest assured, that we will be charging NO extra shipping fees.
We love that there are many different meanings or translations for most of the symbols we use. We want our jewelry to have meaning. What will our jewelry mean to you?
Jewelry Career Resources - 08 August 2006
Jewelry as Designer DNA - 13 September 2006
Couture Jewelry Awards - 04 March 2007
Jewelry Designer for Princesses - 08 March 2007
My friend Mandy and I both have reason for a new swimsuit. She’s going on a honeymoon in Jamaica, and my kids are leaving for sleep away camp for 3 weeks – giving me time to travel with Jeff. We both wear underwire bras, so we tried on the Freya and Fantasie swimwear lines. They range from B to HH size. Mandy is a 34C and I’m a 34D. She’s a dress size 4 and I’m a 6/8, so she’s a full size smaller than me (and about 5 years younger, and never had a baby, but we won’t go there.)
So here’s what we tried on and here’s what we thought:
The Panama Cooler bikini was the first one Mandy tried on. It has an underwire halter bikini top and boyshorts bottom with a cute plastic buckle (shown). The print was youthful and lively – shades of camo mixed with bursts of deep aqua and sky blue. Mandy loved the fabric, but not the cut of the bottom. This swimsuit convinced her that she certainly needed the C on top, but that she did not want to try on any more boyshort style swimsuits. (There is a brief bottom in the Panama Cooler print too, but not in her size.)
Next Mandy tried on the Soda in green. If you want options - this is the swimsuit for you!! This is a great Freya mix-and-match swimwear collection:
There is even a soft cup one-piece tank and underwire one piece tank with halter in the Freya Soda collection. Mandy tried the soft triangle bikini top and classic brief bottom. The green shade was very pretty – the colors of fresh spring grass. It would look great on my friend Tanya with her brown wavy hair to her waist. Mandy liked the cut on this one – the soft cup bikini top was secure and flattering without push up, the bottom has good butt coverage and was trimmed with a cute enamel logo charm. Many of these pieces are on sale now!
While she was trying that on, I put on the Mangopolitan. Its white, chocolate and mango pattern of flowers and dots was cute and feminine – just enough to distract the eye from body flaws, in fact! The Triangle halter top in a 34D was a magnificent fit. The girls were secure and the cleavage created was flattering. The bikini bottom has a full coverage on the butt, and around the waist it has a fold of fabric so you can control the height of the waistline. I’m sure this makes the swimsuit more flattering for more body types, but it also allowed me to keep it unrolled and up high to my navel, hiding all signs that I ever had 2 babies in 2 years.
Mandy liked the Mangopolitan and she tried it on too. We both agreed the top was cut impeccably and flattered so well. It was a lot like the Soda top, but a bit more cleavage enhancing. The Vodkatini swimsuit is colorblocked shades of mocha, black and white, and looked like it had the same awesome cut on top, but they didn’t have my size. These colors would probably look good on me for a more sophisticated look. (Freya's Vodkatini also has a retro brief bottom with a big buckle a la James Bond, a boyshort bottom and an underwire bikini top. At 34D the soft cup was cut so well I did not need the underwire. Something about that inch-wide seam along the inside of the cups kept “the girls” happy.)
While she tried that on, I tried Fantasie’s Seattle tankini in black. The top overlapped the bottom enough that it gave the coverage of a one-piece while still being sporty like a tankini. There is a brief bottom, and a brief bottom with some tummy control - it's just a front lining that offers moderate support, not something that squeezes you in an inch. The tankini top is bandeau style - above the boobs the seam is straight across - and has removeable, convertible straps. It had full hidden underwire and buckled in the back with a copper metal buckle that created a pretty keyhole in the center of the back. I tried it on with and without the straps, and also as a halter. The halter look gave the top seam a bit more shape, and under the bustline there was an empire seam with the same copper metal buckle. This helped a bit with shaping, but basically I realized a bandeau cut was not for me. I don’t belong in tube tops, I need to highlight my boobs to take emphasis off my hips.
There is also an underwire balcony bikini top and a sweetheart padded underwire top. And a one-piece tank with full underwire and deep Vneck with front lining that offers moderate tummy control, an underwire shelf bra and foam sling support for chest support, and shirred fabric by the tummy to flatter curves. Mandy tried on the sweetheart padded underwire top in red with a gold buckle. It's not heavily padded, it’s just enough to line and provide modesty, not enough to add a size. There was a pretty gold slide on the shoulder strap and gold rings to adjust the straps just like you would a real bra. In fact, that was Mandy’s complaint. She felt it looked so much like a real bra that she wouldn’t feel comfortable in it out in public. She likes her swimwear to look like swimwear. I thought she looked amazing in it! It was very similar to the Soda bikini in green one she tried on, but with a more structured top.
Last but not least we both tried on the Fantasie Jaipur underwire bandeau suit with adjustable leg – mainly out of curiosity. I had never worn a swimsuit with an adjustable leg before. There were black ties decorated by copper beads at the bottom of the side seam by the hip. You can pull the bottom fabric of the swimsuit up along the strings to allow more hip/leg to show, creating a ruched effect. The beautiful paisley pattern of red, black and ivory hid all figure flaws. This swimsuit was too long for me, there was extra fabric that would have helped someone 3-4 inches taller than me (I suggest this suit if you're 5′8 or taller). It has a full, hidden underwire bra in front with hook and eye closure hidden in the back so it buckles like a real bra. It also had a bandeau top, so I almost avoided it, but the great paisley pattern is set off by a thick black band of fabric across the top so I though it might draw attention up to the neck. The straps are removable and convertible. So basically if had a V top and was cut shorter-waisted, I’d love it. (It was hard to wiggle in to, but an extra 40 seconds in the dressing room is OK with me if I’m going to wear the swimsuit for 3-4 hours.)
I took the black Seattle tankini home and the Mangopolitan bikini. Jeff said the tankini looked good to wear to water parks (translation: sporty, good fit, good coverage, not too sexy) and the Mangopolitan bikini was “exciting” (translation: excited him!!) I wonder if I could wear the Seattle tankini in the sun all day because the back copper buckle is right against the skin and might heat up. (It’s also difficult to buckle on your own. I was happy to have Mandy and Jeff help me secure this one!)
Mandy and I had so much fun and liked the fabrics, colors and cuts so much that I plan to reenact this day in the dressing room with my friend Joy in a few weeks. Stay tuned for that, and for more Freya and Fantasie swimwear reviews after these suits hit the Florida waves!
Over the last 15 years, I have sought to create jewelry that is fun to wear and affordable to buy. The creation of my pieces has been inspired by dreams and the natural beauty of my surroundings. Since 1996, enameling on fine silver has been a strong element of my work. These pieces are often embellished with gems and beads. NO RULES Jewelry is now a collaboration of Wayne and myself. Our work reflects a marriage of man and woman, Design and Esthetic.
Twenty + years ago, I began creating jewelry mainly using casting techniques and often cutting rock to be used in my designs. Since then, I have explored a variety of materials, from plastic to polyform clay and currently back to precious metals and gems. Maya and I put our ideas and skills together to create NO RULES Jewelry. We are fortunate to live and have our studio in a converted schoolhouse that was built in 1911 and which is located in the beautiful Wisconsin River Valley.
Jewelry Career Resources - 08 August 2006
Native American Inlay Jewelry - 14 January 2008
Caroline Ballou Jewelry - 26 May 2008
Susan Marie Designs Jewelry - 04 July 2008
(A public service announcement.)
There are times, days, and longer stretches when a woman doesn't feel her best. When this happens to you, whatever you do, don't lay around depressed. Get out there, do errands, meet friends or just take a walk. And no matter how you feel, exhausted, hot, sweaty, whatever—push through the “pain” and walk like you're on the catwalk. Yes, find your supermodel strut every woman has. May I suggest, unless you prefer not, wedges or heels as well. Put one foot in front of the other, quite literally, hold your head up high, and this is a time when it's okay (and will help you concentrate on keeping up the pace) to pout, also like on the runway. There might be a reason even models pout, they have woman problems, too, and it's a chore to walk so perfectly - yet while it's a chore it makes you feel as good as accomplishing such work. Despite that pout it will cheer you up, you'll feel your womanly power and you might even get to your destination more quickly. I also bet it's better than a leisurely stroll for burning calories and building muscle.
Find your inner supermodel strut and confidence will shine from you, and it will even seep into your mood!
The bracelet above is unusual for me - a combination of brown and blue is not one I am known for. But the fantastic beads were my starting point, and I loved them so much I had to go with the two colours. So of course I chose pietersite for the brown: wonderful browns with great subtle patterns and sometimes glints of gold and blue. The Swarovski crystals keep the bracelet from becoming too earthy.
I adore lapis! The lapis earrings that you see here are made with some of my favorite pieces of lapis. The ones above feature good blue lapis with great ripples of sparkling gold pyrite-very nicely sparkling pyrite in chunky faceted nuggets. The earrings below feature some fantastic faceted diamond squares and rondelles of gorgeous blue that hang from sterling posts with spirals around a lapis cabachon.
Here's hoping for some time, totally free time, so that I can play, because play so often results in wonderful things!
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