awarenessness

For my money, Ferris Bueller is not the most interesting character in that film. He is the kind of guy who coasts on his charms; making friends easily. He is cute, yes, but he doesn't grow, change, realise anything interesting.
Cameron on the other hand learns tough lessons about risking it all and taking control of his life. But its Jeannie- Ferris' sister, who I like best.
She spends the day trying to punish Ferris for having it so easy. At every turn she attempts to foil his great day; hoping to expose him to the world for the fraud he is.
"Look at this guy everybody! He doesn't play by the rules!"
Jeannie has a bad case of the 'shoulds' and it makes her miserable. While Ferris is having an awesome day doing as he pleases, Jeannie gets all bunched up. Jeannie's brain tells her that because Ferris is having fun, there is less fun for her. It's not so much that she wishes ill upon her brother; it's that there is a finite amount of 'good' to be had. If Ferris has alot of it, Jeannie will have less of it.

and then,
Jeannie meets a young Charlie Sheen in the police station. She tells him that she is pissed off that Ferris can ditch school and not get caught. That would piss me off too. He SHOULD go to school and if he doesn't, then he SHOULD be punished. Her problem is her, as Charlie tells her.
Jeannie, not unlike me, lives inside her brain too much.

So gentle reader, tell your brain to shut the hell up and start asking your body what it wants more often.
A glass of hot ginger tea? A licorice all-sort? To walk barefoot on the grass?
To wear an over -sized washed-out floaty silk shirt on a windy day? To play a game of squash?
To listen to a slightly scratched record by Muddy Waters? To suck face with a young Charlie Sheen?
All good ideas. All good ways of connecting with your self.
Remember, your brain will most likely lead you astray and make you miserable so never listen to it.

The Accidental Felter

This weekend was the beginning of 'winter' for me; almost more a state of mind, the summer switch turned off. I take a cardigan with me when I leave the house, have tissues in my bag, an umbrella rolls around the car, and I've pretty much given up my blue suede sandals for now too. In this spirit, I got my knitwear out of storage and decided to wash them so they'd be ready to wear at any time.

The thing about knitwear is that it's actually slob-city. You might think you're adding a little sexy secretary to your jeans and tee combo, but really i reckon knitwear is half a step away from pyjamas. A going-out-jumper becomes around-the-house-jumper and then its so comfy that it turns into first-thing-on-out-of-bed jumper.
Bag lady at Bingo Night is where that leaves you, Miss Frumpy; all unstructured and waist-less. I might look at getting a really great jacket for this winter....

Well, this is what I was thinking anyway. As I pulled my favourite cardigan from the washing machine, the boiled wool so neat, a tiny felted garment, perfectly adorable. A Chanel Jacket in miniature. My kid's teddy bear is going to look so chic this winter.

charity begins in my wardrobe

Buying pre-loved clothes is just about the most fun i can have for a few dollars. I have a recurring dream where i walk into a charity shop and it is filled with amazing clothes and shoes and hats and i love them all and they are all perfect and they complete me and they are all tagged $2. I get giddy just thinking about it!
Anyways,
lately, I've been buying garments which have been hand-made. A late 30s style 70s dress (an air stewardess uniform? asks my husband) a marc jacobs style coral autumn jacket with oversize self covered buttons and a tea cosy which I will wear as a winter hat. The stitching is a little bit weird and the mitre corners aren't perfect for example, but I can just feel the love; one person made the item for herself (I assume) to wear or keep her tea pot warm.
Tracing patterns, choosing fabric, cutting, ironing, stitching, pressing and finally wearing with pride!
These items fit me pretty well but a perfectly fitting garment isn't really so important to me anyway. I've worn plenty that were Not Quite Right. I prefer that look to the one you can get from Susan's. The construction of these new garments is just about flawless; they'll last you well after you realise that you're dressed like your mother.

tea cosy patterns from The Retro Knitting Company

colour wheel outfits

it makes me so happy to see contrast colour outfits-
shows flair and confidence...a sense of playfulness



blue yellow

teal wine

tangerine green

hot pink blue

purple mustard

tomato lilac

pink aqua

What Can You Say About People

I am now taking orders for these stick-on signs for the back of your car.
I recommend 3 per car to really ram that message home.

tying one on

Looking cute is not very high on my list of daily priorities....it rates somewhere after consuming enough coffee to remain awake but not so much that i am overly wired and maybe before finding the reason we have an army of ants marching through the hall way.
Tips on wearing something other than my uniform of black tee and jeans (most people have their version); i might leave for another day.
But for today- I found this great down loadable guide- Playtime with your Hermes Scarf.
Add a scarf and say hello to instant CUTE.
Say goodbye to the same outfit from yesterday!

Now, parting with $500 for a scarf is lunacy. There is an endless supply of perfectly excellent scarves to be had for less than $5 at charity shops everywhere. The loveliest silk square of pretty peonies is sitting quietly amongst other strange acrylic nasties in a basket in your local charity shop now!

Go and save it! Give it a little wash! Wear it upon your person today!

horse portrait scarf

horse breeds

hunting scene scarf

horse shoe scarf

I found these in a few minutes on ETSY
I plan on wearing something similar in a "cow boy anneau" style and whistling Mister Won't You Please Help My Pony.
There is nothing on earth cuter than Ween.

condiment combinations

You can keep your vegemite and cheese and stick it in your pipe and smoke it.
Ricotta and tahini is where it's at, baby.

Ricotta

Tahini

Alfa Romeo

do you like my new car?
anything i know about cars i learnt from herbie goes bananas, elvis goes mechanic and my son's hot wheels collection.....but my god this car is nice looking.

 1963 Alfa Romeo 2600 Spider

Just perfect for a road trip for the purchase of buttons and cat food.
Fluttering scarf and laughing in the face of the breeze; optional.

He Had No Business Being Out There! No Business!

I love this bit in Parenthood where Lou the Horrible over-reacts at a kids game. Me and Lou are kindred spirits, in a way. We sweat the small stuff and ask who moved our cheese.

Nina Simone - Ain't Got No...I've Got Life

I am kicking this thing off with Nina Simone. It's not even one of my very favourite NS songs, but boy, oh boy- I love to howl at the moon like Nina on bad french smack. Makes me feel better about everything. Especially in the car when mister four wants to know why everything is the way it is. Turn this song up up up and revel in the gratitude for the simple things. Like boobies. And be thankful you got a liver. I am sure Nina gave hers quite a beating.