HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

 

We are new members of the Cape May Artists Cooperative!

We are showing all repurposed artwork with an emphasis on using discarded books.  We have turned them into floating bookshelves, lamps, vases, wall displays, miniature book houses, jewelry and even a set of napkin rings!  This is our first try at setting up our display and I'm sure it will continue to evolve over time.

Jeffrey and I are making artwork together for this endeavor and are having a great time collaborating!

We just set up our booth this morning.

Come visit the gallery and enjoy the work of 17 other local artists!

Alpaca Fashion

Fashion week in NYC!

On Sunday night my sister and I were treated by my wonderful sister-in-law with tickets to the Nolcha Fashion Show at Chelsea Piers as part of Fashion Week in NYC.  This is the outfit that I chose to wear.

The dress is from one of my favorite consignment stores, "Turn Around Boutique" in Wildwood, NJ and was picked out especially for the event by the fabulous owner of the shop, Lynne Bruno. She encouraged me to go completely vintage with my outfit.  "Do you have any white go-go boots to wear with this dress?"  "No,"  I said, "but I have some red boots that might work."  I bought these boots about 5 years ago at the Goodwill store on 89th and 2nd Ave in NYC for about $12.  

I wasn't too concerned about a bag, but I spotted this vintage envelope purse at a thrift store in Cape May the next day and new it would be the perfect accessory - especially at $4!

The runway show was fantastic but the people watching before and after the show was definitely a big part of the fun! A wonderful time was had by all.  Thank you, dear sister-in-law Jane, for making it all possible.  Love you!

My Backyard Cathedral

All I have to do is look up!

Totally unnecessary, but so much fashion fun...

FLIP FLOP SOCKS!

I crocheted these out of sport weight black wool following a pattern found on Ravelry.  Then of course I had to try them on with some of my favorite flip flops.

Vote for your favorite combination by leaving a comment (you can leave a comment anonymously and then you don't have to sign-in) or a message on this blog.  Then I will put together a full outfit to go with the winning choice and model it on my next post.

Game Piece Earrings

I love to wear unusual earrings and have a whole collection that I have made out of game pieces;  Candy Land, Parcheesi, Monopoly, Bingo, Operation, Barrel of Monkeys, puzzle pieces, dice and of course Scrabble.  It is a common occurrence for people to look at me and do a double-take when I am wearing them.  They are certainly familiar, but surprising to see on someone's ears!

 

My Betsey Johnson Collection

This is a baby wale corduroy pantsuit that I have had since 1973.  I had never heard of Betsey Johnson before but have continued to love the playful and mischievous style of her clothing ever since.  She epitomizes the spirit of a renegade fashion designer and still does at age 70.  Read a wonderful profile of her and see photos from all four decades of her career here.

I have several pieces of Betsey designed clothing in my wardrobe, all from different eras, most of which I have found at thrift stores.  

 

I absolutely adore these stockings with their contrasting polka dots and the shoes with their lucite heels and Betsey's signature rhinestone decorated hearts.  Bling was her thing before the term was even coined!

This is a two piece set; a plain black slip is worn under the gauzy floral dress.  I guess I felt  like an Indian dancer when I put it on today.  It definitely has an exotic flair to it and most of Betsey's clothes are designed for ease of movement.  She still does a full cartwheel at the end of all her runway shows!

Can you believe I just recently scored this fantastic double breasted jacket complete with shoulder pads for $8 at one of my local thrift stores? 

It's a great addition to my collection and I hope to add new pieces for years to come.  Thanks Betsey!

Summer reading.

This picturesque statue is located outside the public library in Cape May Court House, NJ.  It is so evocative for me of childhood summers spent reading for hours without interruption and charting the books that have been read on an official list kept by the children's librarian.

I am starting my summer reading off this year with a reread of "Pride and Prejudice."  In anticipation of my trip to the library to get the book I also decided to dress for the occasion.

The socks are from Modcloth,

and the shirt is from Etsy.  It has a quote from "Pride and Prejudice" on it.

This is an annotated edition, edited by Patricia Meyer Spacks, and is full of historical, informative, and entertaining notes of all kinds with a total of 442 pages.

I guess I'll be here for a while....

Two Stylish Ladies in Cape May

My sister Gaylen is visiting for the weekend and we went shopping in Cape May at this wonderful store on the pedestrian mall.

We were welcomed by Jade (on the right) who just happened to be dressed in a similar color palette as Gaylen and they looked stunning together.  Jade is modeling clothes that are sold at Red Oak. 

 

Red Oak also sells wonderful jewelry, handbags, accessories and a carefully curated selection of books.  It is an oasis of elegance and style in Cape May.

If you have a chance, do visit Red Oak.  Farah is there too and will be happy to help you pick out some new summer frocks and skin nourishing lotions after a glorious day on the beach.  They are located at 324 Washington St. Mall in Cape May, NJ or at Red Oak Trading on facebook.

 

Tell them Penelope sent you!

Goodwill goes to the beach!

When I went to the Goodwill in Egg Harbor Township, NJ I found this beautiful lace dress but it was size XL.  I thought maybe it would look nice on me anyway if it draped attractively over my body, which it did.  Another problem was the gaping armholes so I knew that I needed a cami underneath.  Going through cami's at the Goodwill is quite a job, but they have so many great ones and a lot of them are brand new.

I knew that I wanted one that had a little lace around the top to peak out of the neckline of the dress and of course I was able to find the perfect one.  I just love the Goodwill.  You can always find what you are looking for, or better yet, an unexpected treasure!

The sunset over the bay in Cape May was so beautiful that it inspired me to dance!

I was also able to rescue a horseshoe crab by turning her over so that she could go back to the sea.

Happy Spring Everyone!