I Know a Bargain When I See One

I am "The Bargain Queen"....So, when I had arranged to meet a lovely young woman, who is going to be part of my Christmas tree decorating crew for Macy's gig (Sept. 14 - Oct. 1 - 114 trees), at the San Marcos Premium Outlet place, I was excited.....I had been there once before, and my husband bought some fabulous European Shoes (which he has worn practically everyday for nearly three years), and I had bought some great table linens - which were fuscia, and now that my colors have changed..useless. This outlet center has been touted (on "The View") as the fifth best place to shop in the world!!! That's right, only after Dubai, Hong Kong, New York, and one other place I foget...fifth..I was salivating when I heard that...



Well, as far as bargains, I only found one or two true bargains. I will show the photos further down the line...I did go to Neiman Marcus "Last Call", and was disappointed...okay, those $1,400 jeans are now only $800....please...If someone wants to pay that much for jeans, fine, but I am not getting sucked in (no pun intended, as I went home, tried on my jeans -for which I paid $65, and for the first time in three years, could wear them - and yes, I do have to "suck it in", but "Baby's Got Her Bluejeans On" - country western song there - again!!). I have always referred to Neiman Marcus as "Needless Markup", but I do enjoy and often buy from their catalog division - Horchow, which is yummy, and I find things reasonably priced there...it's their home catalog division..love it.

We met at Starbucks, and I was so impressed with Megan; she has been in New York for several years, working in Visual Merchandising (my background, as well) for Barney's, doing fashion photo styling, but decided to come back to Texas...San Antonio, to be nearer to her family. She graduated from RISDI (Rhode Island School of Design) and is totally overqualified for the job, but like myself, when one relocates and starts over...one does what one has to do.

After the interview, we parted ways, and even though it was 106 degrees, I had to at least try to do half of the over 100 shops...The architecture is European, with broad, covered sidewalks, so it was doable - except I was wearing high heels, and had to cut the experience short.

So, speaking of high heels, and bargains...here are a few past treasures I have found:

I am not above going to resale shops, and even to the Goodwill...I only draw the line at underwear and shoes that have been worn. ew...However, these wonderful sandals were at the good Goodwill, and had never been worn...I snapped them up for $8.00. Women stop me on the street, and ask me where I got them. I used to crow, "Goodwill", but they get a rather horrified look on their faces..so, now, I just smile and say, "Gee, I forgot where I got these". Don't tell everyone everything you know.

I found this fabulous ostrich feather collar at a resale shop...five dollars, and I wear it with my black, velvet robe ($5.00) resale shop. This is my winter home uniform. My husband says he never knows if I am going to the opera or going to clean the house...

This is my summer home lounging outfit....The pearls (doesn't everyone wear pearls with their nightgown?) are from Macy's on clearance (I love the black satin attached ribbon) $7.00.

The nightgown is TJ Maxx ($18.00), the robe is Goodwill (had it dry cleaned) $8.00, and even the velvet hanger is from Tuesday Morning....
This was my big find at the San Marcos Outlet Center....I went to Pottery Barn, and their Summer Sidewalk Sale was on. The boxes (look like books) were originally $24.00 each. The initial markdown was $9.99 each...on clearance for...........drumroll, please.....$.97 each...that's right, not even a dollar each...I bought ten.

The curtain behind the boxes in the shot are the curtains in my office/studio...I have a large, glass desk, which is always covered with "stuff"...I hate clutter, but I collect and hoarde everything...I have bookcases jammed with books and periodicals..also, over the years, I have cut images of inspiration from design magazines, and put them in large, white binders, and labeled them by catagory...maybe I should start scanning the images..kitchens, bedrooms, dining rooms, etc., and share them with you, thereby emptying my notebooks for other things....

Anyway, these wonderful book boxes are a Godsend...I have bits and baubles, and photos, and every kind of clutter, that I've tried storing in files and different colored boxes, but I love the continuity of having these boxes. I will make lovely labels on the computer, and put them on my books, and let us see how it looks then........

For David -

I lost a friend yesterday....taking a few days to gather myself back together, and to contemplate.

Hello Dallas - At Least the Arts District

Finally, made it to Dallas...and really enjoyed it...I think we may have tried to pack in a bit too much for a day trip, but still enjoyed it...
We decided to visit the Arts District, and now that I've been to Dallas, I have more courage to go back, either alone, or with a friend (any takers?)...Hey, I lived and drove in Boston for twelve years, and that qualifies me to drive just about anywhere.
For me, Earth is one, big market...so, I was especially taken by this Yoruba proverb...not so taken by their art - but, that's fine...Their tribe is in Nigeria and Benin...They had a strange religion, based on the number 20....okay, anyway...liked this proverb..

We rolled it at eleven am, which was great timing, as that is when everything opened...We decided to do the Nasher Sculpture Center first, as the outdoor gardens were open, and we wanted to beat the heat.

This is my guy, who takes the time to read about what is on exhibit there - me, I just grab my camera, and shoot what appeals to me...researching later (or not). I have the attention span of a three-year-old..... This exhibit did touch me; visually, I find it frightening, but it has a message: Magdalena Abakanowicz is the artist, and was a child in Poland during WWII..She lived through the German and Soviet invasion, experiencing firsthand the horrors perpetrated by dehumanized masses (I am quoting here) under the sway of evil leadership. she has said "A crowd is the most cruel because it begins to act like a brainless organism" She obviously has been in Filene's Basement during a big sale...Okay, totally tasteless, but when I get uncomfortable with reality, I tend to lean towards humor. Deal with it...

Hill Country in Texas has been so arrid, and we were astonished as to how green the countryside is, as we drove north. Of course, they do water the grounds here...my husband had to stop me from running through the sprinklers, but it was such a respit to see water and green grass. In fact, the entire district was so beautiful, with Magnolias and pine-lined avenues, really lovely landscaping.

This was my favorite piece of art at the Nasher...don't ask who the artist is...I will try to find out later...His father used to tell him stories about a "walkway" to the sky, where people could go to find out about the Earth...it is at least two stories high...very fun!

Next stop was the Crow (no, not row) Collection of Asian Art (free!!)(with donations, of course),where we saw wonderful things, but before we did that, there is a building adjacent to the Crow, where there is a fabulous restaurant, "Aija", on the second floor...buffet-style, elegant, but reasonably priced....nearly ate all the scrod, it was so yummy (and I don't like scrod)... Back at the Crow, this walkway, filled with origami butterflies was enchanting...I can't imagine how long it took to do them all, but think it might be something I can do with my hands when I watch tv...quit smoking, and can't knit or crochet...where would I hang them,you ask? Maybe in the back hallway, on the way to the garage..Right, I can just see my husband, fighting his way through them!
One of the exhibits is "Ancient Guardians of the Dead"..these guys were guards of ancient tombs, meant to frighten away robbers. These are "lokapalao", "heavenly guardians"...Tang Dynasty...I found them amusing, and I may just have to try to paint them... This guy kind of reminds me of Dom Deloise..On to the Dallas Museum of Art (amazing we did the entire thing in one day, and had time for a drink at Dakota's afterward - happy hour)....

Of everything there (fine, I skimmed through alot of it - they had some great exhibits, but after seeing the Egyptian exhibit in Boston, and so many larger exhibits of the Impressionists, etc., at the Met in NY, I just focused on things that I found more interesting...such as this incredible bronze...Don't know why I was so drawn to it...I do love all things Oriental, and the detail on this piece was amazing...It is of a Sea God, and his slave, presenting whatever that is to a Warrior...

On to Furnishings and Fine Art...I loved the fabric on this chair (18th Century), and photographed it, but found it interesting that they believe that, at one time, it was fitted for a chamber pot, and used in a lady's boudior..


LOVED this chandelier...
I looked up Patsy Lacy Griffeth, who gave this and the wonderful Zodiac mirror to the Museum.

Turns out she was an avid collector, and antique dealer, a ballroom dancer, and a rancher ....

Her daddy was a wildcatter, and she took over the ranch after his demise.

Love Van Gogh....One I hadn't seen before..No, this is not at the museum..it is the foxes I painted, and is in my dining room...for a really good painting of a fox...see below..

By Courbet, one of my favorite artists...By Pissaro - sp?- pointalism...I tried it once, nearly went blind and lost my mind...better him than me..still, I love it

One of the many of Monet's waterlillies....I believe it was one of his later works, as it is smaller, and I think his vision had begun to go...still, wonderful.

And so, as the five o'clock whistle blew (not really), but we did blow out of there right at five..thought we'd be stuck in traffic, but not so..

Stopped in Temple, and had a highly over-priced dinner at the "best", read "most expensive" restaurant in Temple...I won't name it, as my husband starts work there (in Temple, not the restaurant) tomorrow...still, it was a treat, as I've been dieting for two weeks, and I think I gained about half of what I lost back...I refuse to get on the scale until tomorrow...then, you may hear the shrieks..