A Week of Terrible Photos (but interesting stuff)

Making my way through the World Market on my way to the rear of the store where they keep the beer, I spotted this coffa-like bag. I rarely buy handbags (or much of anything else) new, but it was the only one, and I wanted it. Forty dollars later, it was mine. I think I will remove the pom poms and give it a proper makeover with gold braid and some fringe-but not until the end of summer. I rather like the casual look of the pom poms. So that was my extravagant purchase of the summer-not too bad. 

A somewhat less extravagant purchase was this vintage wood brooch. I know we still have a short time until autumn leaves are an appropriate accessory, but I couldn't resist giving it a wear on an unseasonably cool day earlier this week. 

 Pardon the mirror selfie.

The skirt and top are both true vintage, and I'm sorry I didn't get better photos. Sometimes the Universe conspires against you. 

Outdoors photos weren't much better. Eh, whatever. 

 Here's a look I don't do often...beige.

Pleated  linen trousers, raw silk blouse, big earrings. I've had the Liz Claiborne trousers since the 80's. I've worn them maybe a dozen times, but they're so practical I can't bear to get rid of them, even if rarely worn. Anyway, it was good enough to wear for mini-golf. I won too! We are trying to eek out every last bit of summer before school starts in September.

This was today's outfit. The dress has a matching short-sleeved jacket, but I don't like how it looks. Sometimes, I wear the dress with a vintage kimono, but today I went for this Coldwater Creek jacket I bought years ago but never wore.

 The sleeveless dress doesn't really require a jacket as it is bias cut and looks less like a sack than long waist-less dresses typically do. I had a bit of business to attend to today though, and I thought doing my best, "Authoritative old lady" look would make things easier. It did, but I still resent the fact I need to dress like Iris Apfel to get taken seriously in middle-class circles. Not that there's anything wrong with dressing like Iris Apfel. I just wish it were more choice than obligation. I also had to channel my mum and start my sentences with, "What you need to do" as I find idiots respond better to instructions than open-ended requests. To ensure a good performance, I did my very best Katharine Hepburn-esque New England accent. Sigh, the lengths one must go to getting a refund for a faulty pastry cutter at Sur la Table without their receipt! When the revolution comes there's gonna be free pastry cutters (that work) for everyone, and we can dress however the fuck we want, whenever the fuck we want, comrades.

 Flapper comb...

... giant faux jet necklace.

I'm spending the weekend resting after all the sleep deprivation of the past few weeks, then Wednesday is the big pie event. I've perfected my sour cherry pie, and my plum, but the apple is worrying me a bit. In the U.S. apple pie has both a top and bottom pastry which does change things a bit. I've come to understand when baking for contests it is best to give people the pie they want rather than the one you think they should! That said, I really don't like cornstarch (cornflour) as a pie thickener, so I'm likely sticking with quick cooking tapioca. Just for the family, I use flour in apple pie, but for the fair I suspect they're looking for something clear and thick. *Shrugs*. I just found out that the woman who dominates the contest year after year is a professional pie baker with a business selling pies. Right. There's nothing in the rules prohibiting a professional from entering, so I can't blame her. Knowing this does make me feel better about having my arse inevitably served back to me on an 8 inch pie plate!

Okay, maybe next week will bring better lighting and better photos. I know when to call it a day! 

Okay, g'night. See you later.