Thursday, July 22, 2010

Funkwatch 2010


OK, so I finally gave in to the hysteria. Yesterday I joined the throng of people anxiously awaiting THE horticultural event of the season and I'm on Team Lois.  Lois, who? Lois the Corpse Flower, DUH!  Lois is pretty much THE plant to know around town.  Dropping her name might even get you an extra strawberry in your shortcake.  She's the Houston Museum of Natural Science's latest singular sensation.





The Corpse Flower, with a bad reputation for smelliness, is one of the largest and rarest flowers in the world and Lois is only the 29th Sumatran-American Corpse Flower to bloom.  Her bloom will live only a short time, so that makes the event even more awesome. The big beauties also have a delightful little trait...an odor like no other.  Serious odor. From what I've read, it smells like rotting meat. Note: Wear a mask to meet Lois but don't make a big deal about it.  The girl can't help it.





Lois is 7 years old and has just now decided to bloom for the very first time.  So, I'm thinkin' that's thirtysomething in plant years or 15 in the wild, wild, west.  Anyhooooo.  The Corpse Flower grows crazy fast.  On July 1st, she was 2'7" and today, she's about 5'9" and her waist is 39", but keep it under your hat 'cuz she's pretty modest. Just kidding.  Miss Thing is a diva fer sher.   She certainly has been keeping us on pins and needles waiting for her grand entrance.  She was expected to bloom last week, but she's been a bit of a tease and has kept us hangin' on like Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s character in Jerry Maquire. Just a few more cheers.  K Jerry? She's milkin' it for all it's worth and she's a saucy sister! Just check out her tweets: @CorpzFlowrLois.  Meanwhile, the good folks at HMNS have opened Lois' home, The Cockrell Butterfly Exhibit, to visitors around the clock until she blooms.

In honor of Lois' coming out, I have put together a couple amazing looks for her grand entrance.  (Since she has yet to bloom, I'm using some of her cousins' portraits as inspiration.)




Pa-pa-pa-pa Paparazzi
Pa-pa-pa-pa Paparazzi
by melgarzaallen

This is Lois' paparazzi-dodging look. First, an incognito must-have:  a pair of dark shades.  I went with Lady Gaga's Mickey Mouse sunglasses.  The coat compliments Lois' gorgeous coloring and the ruffled boots highlight one of her own beautiful physical traits. A high-neck ruffled collar reflects the pre-bloom collar that will have opened up to create a fabulous skirt. The statement brooch is a nod to her current accommodations at the Cockrell Butterfly Center.  The other Gothic accessories? Well, she is the Corpse Flower after all!




Ready for Her Close-up
Ready for Her Close-up
by melgarzaallen


This is Lois' coming out party ensemble.  Lois has her own fabulous ruffled aubergine skirt, so she just needs something to top it off along with some blingy blingy.  She's a diva that's bigger than life! 

If you wanna keep up with Lois' progress, check out the HMNS blog, Beyond Bones. You can also peruse Lois' photo album  which is updated daily and gives you a great sense of her rate of growth.  And of course, there's the live Funkwatch webcam. A side note: When you're visiting Lois, remember the world is watching (truly, there was a guy on there last night from New Zealand) so make sure you wear your cutest outfit!  This is history, chickadees!

By the way, Lois' less attractive older cousin Perry is also causing a ruckus in Minnesota.  He's on deck to bloom next.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Holy Cardi Clips!

Let me begin by saying, THANK YOU!!! I knew I could count on my Glee besties! I expected 5, maybe 6 entries at most! I can't stop using exclamation points! I'm crazy exclamation point girl! 16 sets, 16 sets, I gave you one little dress, you gave me 16 sets! (I don't like Kanye either, but he was given a Glee pass, so it's ok.)

I think I'm a pretty decent stylist, but I don't have the goods to bring it (and by "goods" I mean "cash" and by "bring" I mean "own"). Without your help, I would have worn this incredibly impressive ensemble, and I would have looked like a mannequin at Macy's (no offense, Macy's). I presently have each of these pieces in my closet and this is as good as it gets (don't cry for me Argentina):

Wedding Outfit II


But now, thanks to my WWEPW pals, I don't have to look like Andrew McCarthy's dream girl. (Although, that would have been rad when I was 13. "He drives a Bee Em Dubba Yew!")

First off, I would like to channel Goldmember and say, "I love bowwwwwws!" I love, love, love them and you offered a plethora--bows on cardis, bows on earrings, bows on purses! Can you believe that last weekend I totally almost bought the bracelet Danielle chose in her set? (But I wanted to see what y’all came up with first.) And another thing...color me thrilled! As you can see above, I never would have thought of adding color. Yay, yellow, red and pink! Hooray!

Next, I'd like to give a shout-out to Nicolle for the awesome trench. I'm so into them right now. I would kiss Tanaka for that trench. That's love, fer real. And props to Nic for the hair fascinator.  Love!

Since there were three times as many entries as expected, I chose three Honorable Mentions that really tickled my transcripts, each of which will receive a super awesome Emma Pillsbury Birthday Party goodie bag AND party CD. The Major Prize winner not only gets a goodie bag and CD, but also one Chickadee ring of her choice! Ahh, what the heck! Everyone who participated gets a goodie bag! Yay, Challengers! WWEPWers, Hooray!

Now on to the ceremony starting with the three Honorable Mentions…


Most Emma Pillsbury
Wedding Challenge by Nicolle!

Wedding Challenge

Wedding Challenge by Nicolle04


WTC! (What The Cardi) Blue annnnnd yellow, statement necklace annnnnd matching ring, JCrew annnnnd Anthropologie? The Emmalicious car coat is to die for! Not to mention the Peter Pan collar.


Most Holly Golightly
WWEPW Wedding Outfit by Erin!

WWEPW Wedding Outfit

WWEPW Wedding Outfit by va_isforlovers


Tell me that coat isn't Audrey-worthy! Given the opportunity, I would sleep in that coat with my tassle ear-plugs and faux lashes eye mask! Her earrings were often demure studs, but her necklaces always made a statement. And I'm thinking that clutch is just big enough for a couple bills, lipstick and her runaway keys!


Most Jackie O
Melissa’s Wedding Outfit by Gemma!

Melissa's Wedding Outfit

Melissa's Wedding Outfit by gemmakay


Lady, if I lived in Camelot, I’d be all over this one! The little turn-collar cardigan, the sweater clips and pearls! Not to mention the sunglasses which are very O! The long sleeve cardigan is so Chanel-esque. I love it. Ready, set, jump into my closet you pretty little things!

And now, Journey mash-up, please…The Major Prize Winner is…


Most Silly Bee's Chickadee
Going to the Chapel by Eliz!

Going to the Chapel

Going to the Chapel by bowsandbeaux


Girl, you nailed it! Like I said before, I heart bows and the one on that little jacket is adorrrrrrrable! I love that bag and the brooch is gorgeous. You even thought of nail color! The taupe flower headpiece is very similar to one I own and have yet to wear. I never would have figured that one out! Now, if you'll exqueeze me, I have some shopping to do!

Thanks for honoring me with all your brilliant styling, WWEPWers! I just may have to pick from everyone's sets to create the ultimate ensemble! I'll share it with you as soon as I pull it all together!

Thank you again and that's how Melissa (Silly Bee's Chickadee) "Cs" it!

Everyone gets a goodie bag, the honorables get goodie bags and CDs, and the winner gets a goodie bag, CD and Chickadee ring.

P.S. -- A note about the bling, my jewelry box is so sad and all of these gems would really pep it up. I'll be contacting you for donations. Thank you.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Ready, Set Accessorize!



Chickadees, I have another fashion challenge in front of me. I have a wedding to attend in November and need help accessorizing my outfit. (That's it up there.)





The fashionistas at What Would Emma Pillsbury Wear have agreed to give me a hand and host a giveaway for me! Here's the deal: put together a Polyvore set using my dress and shoes and if your ensemble is my favorite, you will get to pick a ring from my Etsy store and I'll send you an Emma Pillsbury Birthday Party goody bag to boot!

If you wanna give it a shot, go to WWEPW's post, Fashion Challenge- Wedding Outfit and follow the directions to enter your look into the contest. Don't send your ideas here; you gotta enter through WWEPW. The deadline is this Tuesday, the 13th, at 6 p.m. Danielle at WWEPW will then compile all the entries and post them on her blog for everyone to see, especially me!

Good luck, chickadees! I'm so excited to see your looks and I can't wait to send you a Chickadee ring!