Monthly Archives: January 2023

……………………….Everyone was looking for something that was casual/dressy…..The Cotton and Rayon REORDER cardigan had a jewel neckline and long sleeves. It also had two breast pockets…..What made it special was the WASHED RIBBON TRIM down the front and at the top of the pockets. The shrunken ribbon gave the sweater a vintage look which was appealing to women of all ages. It had a “thrift shop” or “Anthropology” look to it……..It came in……MUSHROOM with AQUA ribbon…..BLACK with SMOKE ribbon……and TEAL with the SMOKE ribbon. It could be dressed up with smoke WK separates, or down with jeans and a white tee.

………………..The tiny Lapis sequins were knitted in very close stripes into the knit fabric. You can see the fabric in the center blow up photo. There was a cap sleeve shaped top and a pencil skirt. The top had a center seam for fit. We had tried the conventional princess seams, but it cut into the striped sequins too much and it looked distorted. The front seam was the best solution. There were a plethora of LAPIS WHISPER KNIT styles that could be worn with the sequin pieces to create many outfits. As you can see in the photos there were many pieces of Lapis color jewels to wear with the sequins. The Loop Boucle Jacket from the previous month was a perfect match. This made for a great Holiday look……These 20 years later it still does!

……………………….The sequins also came in BLACK and RUBY……………These pieces were easy to coordinate with many other things from cardigans to leather jackets….to blazers and faux fur jackets like the Faux Broadtail Lamb jacket at the far left…It was also fun to wear a white shirt with the sequin skirt and the faux fur zip front jacket…..very chic……..I did lots of JET BEAD necklaces to wear with the black sequins just to add a little more glitter!

………………..One year we decided to skip the Caribbean and go to Cancun for our Christmas Holiday. It was the early 90s……We really had no idea where to go so we had the hotel concierge hire a guide for us for a few days. On the first morning this young attractive man shows up to take us on out first excursion. We went to see ruins, and had lunch at a local restaurant which we were a little suspect about, because the food in Mexico didn’t always agree with Jac’s delicate constitution!….but we fared well. In those days I had a cast iron stomach and nothing bothered me!…The first day was a lot of fun, and we really liked our guide!……On the second day we had become very comfortable, and friendly with our guide, Carlos…..We got into his jeep and off we went. He took us to this out of the way secluded beach where we spent the morning swimming, and the three of us had a lovely lunch at a beach restaurant…..Afterwards he said he wanted to take us someplace very special….that tourists didn’t know about! So off we went!!! We finally stopped in a clearing in the jungle. There wasn’t a thing in sight! As we walked through the the jungle I started to get a little nervous!!! Where the hell was he taking us???? Was this a big plan to kidnap us for ransom? I’ve heard stories about strange things that happened to tourists in Mexico, and my imagination was reeling….Carlos was leading the way with Jac behind him, and me bring up the rear….Jac didn’t seem to have a care in the world and was enjoying Carlo’s stories……so I got my head back into the experience……We finally came across a tiny village in the middle of the jungle. There were what seemed to be a few families living there…….They built makeshift shelters to live in, and there were open fires where they were cooking……Lots of children running around on the dirt ground….with lots of chickens running out of their way….Carlos seemed to know these people, and after a few hellos we continued on our way into the jungle……We finally came upon the opening of what looked like a cave. It was very deep with rocks on the bottom. He told us to pick up rocks, and throw them into the cave…..so Jac and I did as we were instructed….To our surprise and amazement this cave/grotto was filled with crystal clear water!!!! So clear and still that we didn’t realize there was water there!  There wasn’t a ripple or anything in the water that would give the secret up. It was really amazing!!! He explained that it was clear FRESH water, and in ancient times this was where the natives came to get their clean water…..I guess they still did? Carlos asked if we would like to take a swim….He said it was perfectly safe, and he had swum there himself many times. I bet he did! What a great secluded place to take a date!! There was absolutely no one around…..so into the water we went…and it was incredible!!!!!! It was so fresh, clean, and cool after a hot day at the beach…..Carlos took some pictures, and said he was going  back to the village to get something, but I think he just wanted to leave us alone…This was a once in a lifetime experience we would never forget…..The best time we ever had in Mexico!

……………………..For my New Year’ Eve celebration I invited Lou and his family over to bring in the New Year…..There was only five of us, but there was enough food to feed a small army! I made my HOT sausage, chicken, peppers and roasted potato dish, and I baked a flourless chocolate cake with a chocolate ganache  accompanied with fresh whipped cream and raspberries. Maria brought more dished she had made plus a pumpkin pie. Her daughter Suzy brought a cheese cake….In the two center photos….TOP is Valentina, Lou, Lou’s wife Maria and me. Below that is Lou, Suzy, Maria and me again. Suzy brought the hats and noise makers, but we forgot them!!!!!!…..On TV we switched back and forth between Ryan Seacrest, and Anderson Cooper/Andy Cohen, but frankly I thought they were both a big bore…..maybe I’m getting too old! Their on going joke about not drinking alcohol got really tired after a SHORT while….not funny and not entertaining…..It seems they got into trouble last year for drinking during the show…….Didn’t see it, but maybe it would have been funnier?……I put on my own music, and we talked, told our own jokes, and had CHAMPAGNE! The party broke up about 2:30am, and it was now officially……2023!!!