The Big Banana

Get your minds out of the gutter. I am talking about me. My new jacket is best described as banana colored. It's made by Talbots, and I got it at the Assistance League sale, along with the pants. They are made by Ellen Tracy - both are nice brands. That was a good sale.

It is warm in the office today, and it was yesterday. So I knew that I would maybe have to ditch my jacket at some point. I debated (as I was trying to fall asleep) if I should wear a belt. Well, once I got dressed, I noticed that these pants have no belt loops, so once again, the problem solved itself. Here's how it looks without the jacket.

See the necklace I am wearing? It has a secret. I got it at Nordstrom, many years ago. It's very sparkly, and is made of Swarovski crystals, but it isn't made by that brand. Here's a closeup of the front.

Now for the secret. The pin has a regular pin fastening, a hasp for putting it on a chain, and an alligator clasp to put it in your hair. I have never done that, because it's too heavy, seeing how I only have about 8 hairs total.

Cool, eh? Now for the wings. On the left, I have a thin gold bangle with diamond dust, and a smoky topaz ring. On the right, another gold bangle, and my Swarovski Black Diamond Nirvana. Looky looky.

And last, but NEVER least, my shoes. I have the same exact pair in tones of black, burgundy and silver. They are made by my favorite brand, Nine West. A few months ago, I got an email from a company called Thred Up. It's an online consignment shop, and they sent me a $10 gift card. When I saw the same Nine West pair in a brown colorway in my size, I freaked. Then I bought. And now, I wear:

The definition of fabulous, aren't they? Today, I am linking up with another blog, www.cuteandlittle.com. This pretty girl, from Dallas, hosts a linkup called The Color Brigade. And if being dressed like a big banana is not right down that alley, then nothing is. So go take a look at her site. It's another really fun one!!!

Winding Up The Weekend - Back to the Grind

Hi guys. So it's back to work after a long holiday weekend. I did a whole lot of nothing, which included an awesome floating session in the pool while reading my new book, "The Other Boleyn Girl." Because I am older now, and the sun exposure has caught up with me, I always slather my face and neck with SPF 50. The rest of me can wing it. I have olive skin anyway, and I tan very easily. I'm almost like a loaf of bread - you can see me turn brown in front of your eyes. So one or two sessions, and I have color for the rest of the year. But it's so enjoyable to kick it on my King Kool Pool Lounge that I still do it after I am tan. There are some areas of our pool that are tree shaded, and I can float under the shade and hang out when I have had enough sun.

Onto today's outfit. Here is the full body shot. The city shorts are cotton/poly/spandex from Guess. They have a sateen finish. The print top is from the Assistance League sale the other day. It cost a whole $1.25. There are no labels, but it feels like silky polyester, and that's good, because that means it's machine washable. The red cami is from The Gap - older than the hills. The sweater is from J Crew, and it's wool and angora. It's nice for the warmer weather, especially since the office is air conditioned.

Onto the gems. On my left hand, I have 7 of the bangles from my RJ Graziano set. I am glad that I went with the rose gold -it's a little different, and seems to blend nicely with many other colors. The ring is another costume piece of unknown origin.

The green nail polish is kind of out there, but you will notice that I have a few scrapes, scratches and cuts, all from the yard work and step painting that I did over the weekend. Whenever I spend a lot of time working on the yard, my fingernails end up trashed. I then cut them really short and let them grow out all new and fresh. The green is a good way to go, because it would be too much on longer nails.

On my right hand, I have a red leather bracelet with crystals, and another costume ring. But I remember where this one came from- H &M at the Grove in LA.

As for my necklace, it was a gift from my friend Beatriz, a long time ago. Beatriz, if you are out there, I miss you!! The box said Ames. That was a store in the Westminster Mall, and I don't know if it's still around. I would compare it to Cache, but with a larger selection. I love this necklace and have worn it alot. I'm surprised that the suede cords haven't ruptured yet.

As for my hooves, I have enclosed them in basic ankle wrap espadrilles from Sam Edelman. I have espies in brown, black, red, and blue - they are a summer staple for me, and never go out of style. Both the red and the blue ones have had the sole detach from the shoe, but a little Gorilla Glue solves that problem.

So there you have it. I find it difficult to get back into the swing of professionality after 4 days spent in shorts and a T, so city shorts seem to be a bridge into easing it back into work life. I will have a very angry chihuahua when I get home. The housekeeper comes every other Monday, so Elli has to go in her crate for the day. She makes herself into a giant X, and I have to shove her in there, with much grunting and squeaking (Coming from Elli, not me). Well, have a great day everyone, and thanks for dropping by!!

Sheila's Shoe Shine Saturday

There is a blooger who I have read for 2 or 3 years. She is fearless and I am sure that her co-workers can't wait to see what she is wearing. I was talking to Doc about stuff, and out of the blue he says" Well, girls plan out what they are going to wear and they want to show their friends. That's what girls like to do." Amen, my friend. So, anyway, Sheila has this fun thing she does, where you show some of your favorite shoes to everyone. And thus I shall. Cuz that's what girls like to do.

I have decided to showcase one of my oldest pair of shoes. These are a perennial favorite, and I have worn them in every season of the year (keep in mind that I live in Huntington Beach, SoCal). They are Italian, made by Leopoldo Giordano. They were prioced at $130 in 1990, but there's a story behind that. But first, a tease - the box.

There is a boutique in Newport Beach called The Queen Bee. They have awesome stuff. The first year of the business, they bought too much, and so fortunately for me, they had a big sale. So I bought 5 pairs of shoes. Four are still alive, including these. They were really discounted, something like 75%. They have a pale blue sole with pink stitching. They have a closed heel and an open toe decorated with a two tone butterfly. They also have contrast topstitching all over them.

Here is a side view. So what will I wear these with? Well, you will see later this week. I know, it's mean. But then you have to come back.

If you want to see lots of other great shoes on pretty ladies, check out www.sheilaephemera.blogspot.com. It's a fun site!!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game!!!!

Hey guys!! It's Memorial Day weekend, and I am furloughed and having fun!!! Well, mostly. Every Mem Day, I repaint the front steps. To me, this is the cheapest and easiest way to make the front of my little home look much better. I bought Behr Navy Blue paint for $13.97, and two brushes and painters tape at Dollar Tree, so we are looking at $15.97 for this face lift. First, I scraped as much of the old paint off as I could. That's pretty easy to do after a year. Here it is, halfway through the project.

I'll show you the final project, maybe on Sunday. Anyway, back to today. I went running again (2 days in a row, and that's too much at my age), then I went to Chick Fil A and had a chicken club sandwich. Yum. Then Elli and I walked over to Bella Terra to get some money from the ATM and have a frozen yogurt. Elli got lots of attention, as usual. Here she is, sunning herself at the outdoor area by the theaters.

On the way back, who should see us, but my mother in law, Mimi. She stopped and told us that there was a half off sale at the Assistance League. This is a thrift shop that is run for charity. They have regular merchandise, and a Boutique area. Well, I had money burning a hole in my pocket, and I love a good bargain, especially when the money goes to a good cause. So I dumped Elli off at home, and off I sped. Of course, the steps were drying, so ....... Why Not? I spent $12, and got 3 items. The first is a pair of Editor slacks, made by Express. They are pink with a grey pinstripe.

Then, I got a chiffon top by ECI. This is a brand that is sold in Macy's. It's Mexican peasant style, with little tassels on the sleeves, and crocheting holding the seams together.

Lastly, I got a knit top made by The Limited. It's black, with a floral design on the front. It also has black matte crystals strewn across the print. Here' a full view, and a closeup.

So I figure that I spent $12 for about $110 worth of stuff. That's dang good, I am patting myself on the back.

Tonight, I am going to the Angel game, hence the title of this post. I haven't been to a baseball game since 2009. I will remember to bring my rally monkey. Here's what I wore:

The jeans are Levis, the Tshirt is from some brand called A Common Thread, and the monkey is from Rainforest Cafe. The Tshirt is cool - it's black with little bronze studs in a zebra pattern. I wore black espadrilles and brought a black suede jacket with large bronze grommets, in case it got cold.

Here is the Big A from the outside. There was a terrible country band playing, and we got free Angels coolers. They actually look more like insulated lunchboxes. The guy checking bags was at least a hundred years old, but he was very sweet. I guess that's a good job for a retiree.

Our seats were great - we were down low, and a little to the left of home plate, between home and first base. The Angels basically demolished the Royals, and we left at the 7th inning stretch. I forgot how boring baseball can be. Sunday afternoon update : The Royals beat the Angels 7 to 4. And it took 13 innings. Can you imagine how many foot longs you would eat? At least two, and then regret the third.

Onto the front steps update. So I painted the sides yesterday, leaving the middle to walk on, and then reversed it today. Here is the almost finished product - all that is left is to touch up the white part of the door frame where it meets the steps and gets tons of wear.

So we tried a new burger place for lunch yesterday. It is on Newland, and it's called Bun & Burger. I had a tiny-man friend a few years ago who swore in it. We got a fish and chips plate and teriyaki burgers to share. It was deelish. I especially like the thicker fries. I will leave you to feast your eyes on my feast !!! I've got one more day off, and then nose to the grindstone again.

The chickie says "Cheap Cheap"

Oh you guys. You are SO in for a treat. I am going to divulge secrets that I usually have to kill people over once I tell them. It's time for: WHERE DOES ROSIE SHOP??? SHE HAS LOTSA STUFF SHE GOT FOR CHEAP!!! We even have categories: 1) Greeting cards 2) Shooz 3) Imported Foods 4) Workout DVDs 5) Any and all forms of clothing 6) Accessories - the key to elegance.

Let's get down to bizz nezz. We will follow the outline numerically, since I am geeky beyond all comprehension, and must have order.

1) Greeting cards - I almost busted a gut when greeting cards got to be around $4.99 apiece. That's insane. So of course, I looked for an alternative. 99 Cents Only has them for......... 99 cents. Much better. But then I went to Dollar Tree. Here's what I found there:

Yep, two for a dollar. And they are not bad at all. I got one for Mother's Day that even has glitter on it. You can also get cards at WalMart for 97 cents. They're kinda hidden at the bottom of the display, but they have them.

2) Shoes - I have found the best deals at DSW - Designer Shoe Warehouse. Not only do they have a huge clearance section, but they send you $10 gift cards about four times per year. The discount is color coded. All I remember is that the yellow tags are 80% off. Once, I got a pair of red Valentino sandals for $40. On the racks, there are charts that tell you how much the shoes will be based on the color of the label. For example, yellow tagged $200 shoes will be $40. Sometimes they have good stuff, sometimes there is nothing. They don't have athletic shoes. When I need new running shoes, I get them when Kohl's sends me a 30% off card. I am very picky about my running shoes - I will only wear Asics, and Kohls' carries them. The last time I got some, they were $138, on sale for $88, and then 30% off that, making them $62.

3) Imported foods - I love to eat weird imported food. My playground for this is a store called Jons. As far as I know, there is only one location, on McFadden and Goldenwest in HB. They have a drool worthy bakery (Mexican and European pastries) and a crazy deli (cheese,bacon, olives, hummus). They have a huge imported booze section. The prices aren't that great for the hooch, but it's interesting to see all the different kinds and the proof (some are 99 proof, wowza). They have imported grocery items as well - frozen blintzes, jars of jelly and ikra, cans of Mid East and European goodies, and jam galore. They also have frozen, meat, dairy and produce. If we are bored and can't decide what to eat, we go to Jons and just pick out something that sounds good.

4) Workout DVDs
There is a store in Westminster Mall called Dollar Books. And they have those. But,they also have DVDs of every imaginable type. The most expensive ones are $5. Many are $3. I go in, look at the $3 Fitness section, and always find one. Once they had a 5 for $5 sale and I totally scored that day. My other great source for these is the Goldenwest College swap meet. There are these vendors that have rows of DVDs. They try to sort them into categories. They usually say $2, but then I say $1 and I'll get 2, and they say okay. So they make $2, and I get 2 DVDs. I got most of my TaeBo collection this way.

5) Any and all forms of clothing - I go to Macy's for general retail. I like their in-house brand, I.N.C. And they have so many sales (like every weekend) and mail out so many 20% off coupons, that I never pay full price. For higher end stuff, like designer items, I go to consignment shops. People bring their things in, and then they get a portion of the sale back in cash or store credit. The really good consignments only take items that are in excellent condition. Many items are unworn, with the tags still attached. My favorites are Happyness Consignment (HB), Return Engagement (HB), Discovery Shop (Belmont Shore and Beverly Hills) and Twice the Style (NB). Twice the Style has a big sale the first weekend of every month, and they slash prices for the sale. The Discovery Shops are run by the American Cancer Society, so the profits go to a good cause.

6)Accessories - When I want to get something inexpensive to match a particular outfit, I go to Forever 21. Their clothing is for teenagers, but they have huge costume jewelry displays. Buyer beware - you get what you pay for. In other words, their stuff falls apart quickly, so don't get too attached. For real gems, or more upscale items, I use Ebay or Amazon. You don't always have to do the bidding thing - most vendors have e-stores. I have never been burned, even when ordering from China. Both sites accept PayPal, which offers the buyer protection from fraud, which I feel is important when dealing with over seas vendors.

So there you have it. I imagine that I will be seeing some of you out and about, hitting up my favorite stores. Just don't EVEN think about grabbing for the item that I am eyeballing - I am not above biting and kicking.

Falling into Spring with a Spring in my Step

I'll bet you are asking yourself, "What in the heck is she talking about now?". Well, I will tell you. It's my outfit!! (Duh) Even though we are well into spring, I have chosen to sport fall colors. And just to mess with you even more than usual, I'm going to start with the closeups, and then segue into the whole body shot. Here's a teaser:

This is the waistband of my skirt. You will notice that it has a ribbon tie belt that is sewn down, so it doesn't wiggle or move around. I hate it when my belt has twisted backwards or off to the side. The ribbon is also embellished with little seed beads and amber gems. It is made by Nine West. I guess they don't just make shoes.

Speaking of shoes, here are the ones I am wearing today. They are suede wedges made by Pour La Victoire. I got them at Saks. They are very comfy for a luxury brand shoe. I would say that they are taupe. If you notice the little clip at the front, that is from a set of 5 different pairs that my mom gave me probably 25 years ago. I used to wear them alot on black suede pumps, but I kinda forgot about them until I was digging around in my dresser last night. So I whipped them out and clipped them onto my shoes.

Now onto my necklace. It's a set that was a necklace and bracelet (that you can see in just a minute here, so be patient). It's double stranded brown pearls with a center piece of copper faceted beads. Then there are two rhinestone stations, just to up the bling quotient. I got the set at Stein Mart.

Oh, you devils!!! You made me give you another sneak peek. (typo = sneak peck). Here is my sweater and camisole. So, I bet you are dying to see that bracelet:

Thar she blows!!! Notice that the bracelet is triple stranded and the stations are bigger. The ring is just some junky piece of plastic that I like (because I am junky myself sometimes, well, usually). And what about my right hand?

The ring is interesting. It's made by Arielle, and I got it at Nordstrom. It almost looks like a faceted boulder - it's pale tan with little black veins running through it. The bracelets are from a random store in Artesia, where we sometimes go to eat DEELISH Indian buffet.

Now for the big reveal !!!! Here's the entire outfit.

So, the skirt is Nine West, the tan cardigan is Joseph A, and God only knows where I got the cami. Actually, God probably does know. But He keeps most of my deepest, darkest secrets. Anyway, enjoy your day, and I will be posting some things from around Casa De Holtzman over the long weekend. Hasta next posta!!!

I Should Be Dead By Now (or at least out of commission)

Why, you say? Because once again, I am a bruisey mess. But black and blue go together nicely - after all, it's a color combination that is found in nature. I read that you shouldn't wear brown and black together, but Kenni is black and brown, and he's beautiful.

I tried to take my own picture in the Good Life Gym. So you get to see me working it with the hip thrust and the squint into the phone. The pants are from H&M. They have a cobalt and black geometric print on a white background. I know that this brand runs small, so I figured a size 2 would be about right. Well, I couldn't get them above my knees, so I got a 4. Now they are growing larger by the minute. They are stretching out as I wear them. I should have gotten the 2 and then worn them around the house for an hour. The resulting strangulation of my legs would have been a small price to pay to eliminate the saggy butt that I am now sporting. But they were inexpensive, so?? On top, I have a black dolman sleeve knit top. What you can't see is that the entire back is Venice lace. So under the black top, I have a cobalt blue tank that shows through the black lace. Also, as an added bonus, there is a band of cobalt peeking out at the hem. So what about them shooz?

Here's a close up of the print on the pants. It's so cute, so that's why I am not too upset about them being all stretchy. The shoes are fabric espadrilles made by LifeStride. You would think they would be super comfy, but they are just average. Once again, the old lady peds to prevent blisters.

Since I am a creature of habit, I once again layered my necklaces. The longer one is the gold chain, and this time it has a sapphire and teensy diamond pendant. The shorter one is interesting. It's part of a parure - that word describes a set of matching jewelry. I have two of them, and they both have a necklace, earrings, and a ring. This one is sapphire. They were made in India, and I got both at an antique shop in the Orange Circle.

Love the neck. So wrinkly and spotty.

So, onto my hands. On the right, I have a sapphire and diamond ring, as well as the same trio of bracelets that I wore the last time I dressed like a bruise.

The nail polish is made by Ulta, and is called Get The Nude. I like it because it's totally neutral, but it took three coats to get full coverage. On my left hand, I have a large gold ring with a London Blue topaz. I like it because it's deep blue like a sapphire, but it was nowhere near the price of a sapphire. And also, once again, my black leather bracelet with black crystals.

And today, we have a completely different change of pace. I am all citrusy and limey. Voila:

I need to learn to stand up straight. Anyway, the skirt is lime ikat from J Crew. And the crewneck sweater is white stripes and lime sequin stripes from Old Navy. The shoes are nude - it looks like what they say is true - nude shoes elongate your legs and make you look taller. Well these ought to, because they have 4 inch wedges. I got them in Palm Springs once when the shoes I was wearing gave me blisters AND made me look stumpy. The brand is Bamboo.What they will not do is hide the run in my p-hose.

Here's a closeup of my neck. I know. But the necklace!!! I got it at Return Engagement in the $1 bin. It's so hideous that it's awesome. Usually, there's nothing good in there, but every now and then.....

This is also a good view of the sequins on my sweater. They're clear, so they don't add color, they just sparkle. As for my left hand,

The bracelet is from Stacy's Closet. I called it Stacy's Boutique by accident the last time I mentioned it. It's on Magnolia and Warner. The ring is a peridot that I got in Montana. I like it because the metal is silver and gold, so it goes with everything. And on my right hand

The ring is from Nordstrom, and it's costume. It has the coolest, creepiest setting. The bracelet is from a shop in Truckee.
So that's about it. Tomorrow is the last day I have to work before the big holiday break. I can guarantee you that all I will be wearing for several days is shorts and a T shirt, and a swimsuit for some well earned King Kool Pool Lounge floating. The KK is the best pool lounge ever. I will show you a picture of it. I was smart for once, and bought 2 of them when WalMart put its summer pool crap on sale last year. So now you have something to look forward to!!!