Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Mummy, Look at the Giant Foil-Wrapped Baked Potato!

Shhhh, honey. That's not a giant baked potato, that's a fat lady wearing too much lurex!
Thankfully, no one tried to squirt any sour cream on me. Eeeeewwwww. 

So yeah, that's a whole hell of a lot of lurex. It isn't obvious in the photo, but both the poloneck and the maxi skirt are shimmery, and the braiding on the top is some sort of silvery rayon, making the effect in sunlight, damn near blinding. If there had been snow on the ground, the glare might have created a genuine hazard to drivers.
The slit originally went to where the buttons are. That might have been OK in 1970's Miami Beach (where the skirt was made) but it would get some looks around Omaha in 2015. I stitched it up a while back, but not so tightly that I can't change my mind. I may retire to Miami, and want to show off my varicose veins.
No point showing off anything here-we don't have a beach. Well, unless you count the Platte River, and I sure as hell won't be wading out into that. 
No one cares what you wear to the indoor swimming pool. I have a mini-holiday planned right before Christmas, but I already have a wild cover-up to wear down to the pool. It was sewn from a bath towel (remember those from the 70's?) which saves me the hassle of remembering to bring one to the pool. Genius. The pre-holiday, holiday is great because I get to swim, watch movies in the room, eat curry, and have my yearly fill of people-watching at the free breakfast in the morning. We just go for a pot of tea, and watch the madness as people fight their way to the free food. In their nightclothes. *Shrug* I wouldn't do it, but then my nightclothes are more interesting than a ratty pair of pajama bottoms and a fleece pullover. I DO wear robes as coats, so maybe that counts? Anyway, I wouldn't go anywhere near that chaos wearing this outfit. "Who ordered the baked potato?!"
Outfit Particulars:

1970's lurex maxi skirt by Bernardo-Goodwill, ages ago
Lurex poloneck-Goodwill
Black and silver top-Hand-Me-Ups
Necklace-Gordman's
Bracelet-Gordman's
Earrings-K Mart
Fragrance-Bat Sheba

Everyone's coming down with a cold, although I've forbidden them both getting sick. See how well they listen? I can cope with one sick guy, I'm not sure I can deal with two. 


 
We have a bit of Man-Flu going on.

Good thing I stopped at Aldi this weekend to stock up on berries and oranges. Here's my triumphant, "I just bought a ton of groceries and fresh produce for sixty bucks" pose:
If you think the lurex made me look like a foil wrapped tater, this fake seal fur 60's coat makes me look like a roast. Eh... roast and potatoes go nicely together. I had to dress-up, my local Aldi is like a fashion runway at the weekend. The crowd is multi-cultural (excellent) and I have seen some of the most incredible silks, brocades, and batik, walking the aisles in search of a good deal on tomatoes. Perhaps the only place where I am routinely under-dressed. I do love a trip to the Aldi, not just for the bargains and fashion show, but for the mood of the place. It is a cheerful shopping experience. Everyone's saving money, whole families are shopping together, children are playing and having fun-go to HyVee and compare the vibe. Not even close. It feels more like a souq than a grocery store, and increasingly they're selling much more than grocery items. I'm not being compensated in any way to write about Aldi. I shop there, and I enjoy it.
Yes, there's a bit of lurex in this silk cardigan as well. Finally wore the wreath earrings! They kept brushing my face and it was becoming itchy, so I re-wired them onto larger loops. Problem solved.
Hey kids, here's a good example of how not to match patterns. I'd be ashamed if I'd sewn it, but it was made by Koret of California. I always thought they were a good brand, but someone really blew it on this skirt.

Guess I won't stand sideways then.
Or perhaps I'll just distract everyone with awesome plaid shoes. They're not just for Christmas. My younger self would have worn them with ripped fishnets.


I finished baking the cookies for the library volunteers on Thursday. I went with spritz as it is easier to force dough through a press than roll, cut and frost. I always forget I have a superb, vintage Swedish cookie press, and it really only sees use at Christmas. That's too bad, because it would make beautiful cheese crackers, and that sort of thing. I must make an effort to use it more in the coming year.

Outfit Particulars:
#1(The Lurex Nightmare)

1970's Bernardo maxi skirt-Goodwill
Lurex poloneck-Goodwill
Black and silver top-Hand-Me-Ups
Necklace-Gordman's
Earrings- K Mart
Enameled bangle-Gordman's
Fragrance-Metal (duh)

#2 (I Knocked Your Nan Over in the Street,  and Took Her Blouse (and bus pass) ).

 1970's Koret of California skirt-Thrift World
1980's blouse-Salvation Army
Lurex and silk cardigan-Marshall Field's 80's
Wreath earrings-Big Lots
1940's brooch-Goodwill
Plaid shoes-Goodwill
Belt-Shop Ko
Faux seal coat-Thrift World
Fragrance-Emeraude


 You want your fancy blouse back Granny? Come over here and get it!



6 comments:

Janice said...

Holiday baking in my house will be minimal this year. Spritz cookies made the list, as I also have one of those presses which in my case has never been used. Yep, I hang my head in embarrassment. It's time for spritzing. Do you have a recipe you would care to share?

Goody said...

I've had such good results from the recipe in the 1950 edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook, that I've never bothered trying out another.

1 cup soft butter
2/3 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla or other extract
2 1/2 cups plain flour

Mix together everything but the flour, until well combined (I used a wooden spoon to avoid beating too much air into them, but a hand mixer on the lowest speed would be OK). Add the flour with your hands, kneading until smooth.

That's it. You don't need to chill it (unless your kitchen is super-hot) just load it a bit at a time into the press (I shape it into a rope first as it is easier). You can tint the dough if you like (red and green is nice at the holidays) but getting the red to look red, not pink takes some effort if you're not using gel colours.

Candied cherries or orange peel make nice decorations if you do the wreath shape (that's the tiny star shape that you shape into a circle and pinch closed). The star disk is also great for jelly stars. The ribbon is nice as you can do long strips and then cut it into pieces. That particular one is nice with the ends dipped in chocolate.

I have to start making the decorated sugar paste and cookie figures for Danny's Birthday cake-and then, I'm done! I kept it simple this year, and I'm enjoying the holiday much more.

Good luck with the spritz. The press takes a bit of practise, but once you get it, you'll be amazed at how much easier it is than rolling and cutting.

Helga said...

Lurid lurex is my power fabric!!!! I do love some sparkley sweaty lurex, and you are rocking my socks off! I'm so please no one squired sour cream over you. That's my job! MMMM. Love sour cream. Goes a bit weird if it gets accidentally frozen, though. Just so you know.
Ha, so the Platte is as rancid as our river then?! Certainly not worth showing off for!
I'm having a small crisis re cover ups/robes; mine are all falling to bits and I want something new and spectacular.Those 70's towelling ones are magnificent, but I want soemthing that does lazing about AND pool cover upping, really. I'm not fussy.
I'm fair dribbling over that plaid skirt and the SHOES!!! Note to self: must wear more plaid.
Ugh, keep that sickness over there. I won't have a bar of it!
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sue said...

Loving the naming of your outfits! And for god sake stop stealing grannies blouses!! Now I would love to see a photo of the younger you with the ripped fishnets with the plaid, maybe the older you could re inact this look?? Sorry to hear you have an outbreak of ManFlu in your home. I feel your pain as a mother of BOYS!! My advise is to run, fast, off to the shops until the epidemic is over.

Curtise said...

Christmas is the perfect time to wear head-to-toe sparkle, so lurex it up as much as you like, love. And a red Granny blouse and tartan seems pretty festive too - and tartan shoes? Now those, I would definitely wear.
Hope the Man Flu buggers off pretty quickly, and doesn't head it's way to you. Mum Flu is, of course, a non-existent disease, we just have to keep on going regardless... xxx

Goody said...

@Helga

Maybe a fab kimono would work as a cover-up?