{My Sewing Creation in Graduating Ombré Silk Velvet}

During our time of consulting, we often came in San Francisco, California and my favorite store was Britex Fabrics.

It was there, that I did find a beautiful French panel (that's what they call the piece of about 1.5 yard) of Graduating Ombré Silk Velvet.

I'd been looking for a kind of Golden Brown color.

From Laurèl, Escada group, I did have this Giraffe print skirt and wanted to create a top to wear with it.

That's the disadvantage from Premium Outlet shopping; you snatch up one piece but can't find the matching top...

Photos are not high quality and these are taken on May 23, 1998.

From the Dutch Nouveau magazine, I got this idea for using two types of silk in a graduating color of golden brown. The above piece is from Ritmo di Perla. The edges are done in a silk charmeuse and the rest is silk velvet.

From a Burda pattern, I selected this top.

It was not an easy one as the silk charmeuse had to be padded for all the rolled edges along arm holes, neck and bottom. Also where my hand is, an invisible zipper had to be sewn in.

CHALLENGING...

Showing you the other side where you clearly can see the graduating of color!

But I loved the result and felt proud for having tackled it.

Happily with husband Pieter during a wedding...

The front of my sewing creation I like the best!

Have you ever worked with silk velvet or any rolled edges?

This post I've created for a reason, to show you another project that I completed by using a remnant of this very Graduating Ombré Silk Velvet; 18 years apart from creating my top!

Below you also find a link to a post where I have my LONG BRAID framed on this Graduating Ombré Silk Velvet 

Thank you for your visit!

Related post:
{Did I loose my strength?... Like in Samson and Delilah?} | previous post by me

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{My Laurèl Jeans Suit with Escada Booties}

Oh my, how I long for the cooler weather...

Again a throw back into February 24 of 2016 where I enjoyed wearing my Laurel (Escada group) Jeans Suit with my Escada Booties.

Of course together with my companion Spooky boy.

In front of our Magnolia Grandiflora Namnetensis Flore Pleno.

Happy with life, happy with the weather!

Thanks for your visit

Related link:
{Sisters Dressed Like Twins} | previous post by me showing this very Jeans Suit

google.com/+MarietteVandenMunckhofVedder

{My Escada Outlet Score & Exotic Plants}

As you may know by now, my favorite fashion label is Escada as it fits me like no other. Since a size 4 most of the time ends up on sale at the Premium Outlets or at Last Call by Neiman Marcus, I'm very lucky to snatch them up at great bargains. On April 6, Catherine from the blog Corner of Cat's Mind did a post about  her being a size 4 now. 'The slimmer you are, the more clothes you can buy on sale'. See link to this below post.

That's me next to the Southern Magnolia... in a linen Escada top over cotton Escada jeans with Chanel sandals from Last Call by Neiman Marcus.

That Southern Magnolia makes for a great back drop to the yellow.

Showing you the exotic seeds from the Southern Magnolia...

This is me standing next to our exotic agave that came as a tiny starter from Valle de Bravo in Mexico when we were at the lake house with our boss/friend Agustin and family during one of our consulting trips. Photos are all from summer last year...

Here I am standing next to our exotic Anthurium Plowmanii Fruffles for which I got the name from dear blog friend Ger from Hoorn des Overvloeds.

This tropical plant was huge for transporting into our greenhouse!

A truly exotic gift from friends Heinz & Maria from Ristorante da Maria and Via col Vento Dublin.

This exotic Anthurium Plowmanii Fruffles is positioned near our bird feeding area under the tall dogwood tree. It is visible from our breakfast area.

Related link:
{HELP NEEDED Identifying this Plant!} | previous post by me about tropical plant
Kiss My Skinny...Ankles | blog post by Catherine of Corner of Cat's Mind about: The slimmer you are, the more clothes you can buy on sale

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{Sisters Dressed Like Twins}

Most of us that do have sisters probably have been dressed by our parents like twins. At least, my sister Diny, 19 months younger than I am, and I have been dressed like that by our Mom. Even in later life we did manage to get back to that 'TWIN' feeling...

This was in February 1999, when we just had arrived from Atlanta, Georgia/USA to the Netherlands. This is at my parents' home. Diny just received my gift of a Laurèl (by Escada) jeans suit with top. The price tags are still  on the table, next to my elbow... That was fun! For me a size 34, American 4 and for Diny a size 38 or 8.

 I still have mine and it fits.

This outfit I had bought also at the Escada Outlet and mailed it to my sister Diny in The Netherlands in December of 1996. This photos shows us getting together as TWINS once more on April 3, 1997.

Fun again. Even though I could not get the same rib cord top for her, it is still the very same collection.

The skirt came unlined but I guess Diny is showing here some kind of slip...

The men wanted to see who is the tallest of the two...

Guess there was no difference in height!

It sure was fun  to pull this off once more! 

Have you dressed like TWINS in your later years?

Related link:
Tweeling? | Twins? post by Willy from De Tante van Tjorven
Escada at Premium Outlets

Mariette on Google+

{Fragrant Pillar Candle from Last Call by Neiman Marcus}

Are you also shopping at Outlets? Our favorite is Last Call by Neiman Marcus at Premium Outlets or even on line (first hyperlink). So also this Pillar Candle did come from Last Call by Neiman Marcus and it is heavenly fragrant. That way, one of life's luxuries comes available to those living on a budget. Last Call's After - Christmas Sale is SUPER! Just check on line often for knowing what's coming, click the hyperlink above. It really does pay off for having email notifications of their special one day SUPER Sales. They are also on Facebook: Last Call by Neiman Marcus.

Love the golden green huge pillar candle. This one is a full 6" or 15 cm in diameter and will last for more than 60 hours... Smells heavenly!

Just added some of our abundant holly berries.

Last year we had none and now plenty!

The Christmas table topper is made from hardanger fabric, bought in Germany...

Fresh cranberries added...

These Antioxidant Super Fruits will be turned into Cranberry Conserve later!

Have you used any fresh cranberries this year? Either for cooking or for decorating...?

Mariette on Google+

{Cotton Field in the Heart of Georgia/USA}

My guess is that most of you never ever have seen a real cotton field. Sunday when we came out of Church, they had started mechanical picking of cotton in our neighborhood. So we did hurry for getting some photos before it would be all gone. Proudly showing you here a local Cotton Field in the Heart of Georgia/USA. A surprise below the first photos, our VERY FIRST view of a cotton field in November of 1983...

Wearing the Advent color, my Escada jacket, I am holding fresh cotton puff. See below my post the comment from 'seedscatterer' as she is very knowledgeable about cotton.

It looks very much like the cotton balls you buy. 

The reason they started harvesting this field on Sunday was because of rain on Monday...

JIT = Just In Time!

Fields here in Georgia are always big because work is done mechanically so it doesn't matter what length.

So this is the landscape, only half a mile from our home.

Showing my black Escada cotton jeans (ironically...) and wool jacket.

Pieter in his charcoal gray Ermenegildo Zegna suit from the Outlet in Orlando, Florida.

He wears an Advent color shirt and tie...

Detail of how those cotton puffs are on the plant...

It is quite late for harvesting them on December 16, in our opinion but who are we to know anything about it?

This photo is taken from husband Pieter on Sunday, November 7, 1983... The VERY FIRST time we saw cotton ourselves; only 29 years ago!

This was quite an experience for holding it for the first time!

Only 29 years ago...

My hand showing one cotton boll that is not yet opened completely...

Hope you enjoyed this tour through rural Georgia for seeing what is growing on our fields.

Certainly this is not the fine, long staple, Egyptian Cotton that we use for our bed linens. 

American grown cotton is mainly short staple cotton.

But I must admit that I have no clue what this one will be used for... 

Thanks for your time!

Related link:

Premium Outlets | Escada link for Escada Outlets

Premium Outlets | Zegna link for Ermenegildo Zegna Outlets

Mariette on Google+