ElegantKB

Vintage Elegant Lady in Glamorous Gown, she is KB's Aunt!

Here is my Great Aunt Jo in a gorgeous, formal evening gown and jacket.  This ensemble is sophisticated and elegant enough for a black tie affair. I can imagine her attending the Academy Awards ceremony in the Coconut Grove room at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Many of the films of the 1940's era were black and white so the fashion silhouettes were dramatic in style.

What is amazing about this look is the jacket styling.  I love how the peplum falls gracefully from the waist and gradually gets longer towards the back. The sleeves are gathered and full at the top and they taper beautifully at the wrist. These sleeves are a great example of the mutton chop sleeve. The petite covered buttons fasten at the front waist and balance out the very large bow at the front neck.  I imagine this bow is made in soft satin silk.  The smart bow is definitely the focal point of the gown. I wish I could have a better look at the jeweled brooch that accents this bow!  The shape of the jacket is classic and reminds me of vintage wedding gowns.  I imagine the gown is sleeveless with a simple neckline.  It is excellent that the skirt is slim through the hips and shaped at the bottom. The skirt shape balances out the impressive jacket.

Even today, a black tie event still calls for a full ankle length dress. This style is an elegant example and is reminiscent of the Hollywood heydays. I'm glad I can share my vintage fashion archives with you.  I hope you enjoy reading about Aunt Joanne's outfits.

How to Organize Volunteers, enjoy a FREE book written by KB

I've been working on an eBook and the subject is near to my heart.  This book is about Volunteer Coordination and Event Management.  Volunteer work is so important.  This book talks about how to make all the time and energy that goes in to an event more enjoyable. This book will help you organize your group of volunteers whether you are planning a large or small event.  Click here to download your free copy of the book in PDF format.  I include suggestions for using Google Documents to build a library of reusable forms that your group can share on line for Free. Please read the book, pass it around and leave me comments.  I wish you great success with your volunteer and community service work!

Fantastic Vegetarian Chili Recipe, one dish meal from KB

January is the perfect time of year to make a delicious pot of chili.  Beans are easy on your wallet after the holiday spending season.  It's a one dish meal that is both tasty and satisfying.  I've been making this hearty Vegetarian Chili for many years.  I think it's good enough to enter in a chili cook off!  At least that's what my friends and family say.  They come back for seconds and thirds of this fantastic dish.  You can make it yourself and let me know what you think.  Click the link below to download your Free PDF file of Kerry's Vegetarian Chili Recipe.  Meat lovers also rave about this chili.  The key to the texture is an ingredient called TVP.  TVP is really Textured Vegetable Proteins.  They are easy to find. Look for it at Whole Foods, a health food store, or any specialty market.  TVP's are sometimes sold in the bulk bins and they are sometimes called DVP. DVP means Dehydrated Veggie Protein.  We go for Bob's Red Mill brand. Serve with corn bread of course. Enjoy!

Special, handmade gift ideas that KB adores including a vintage book box!

I feel very fortunate to spend holidays with my family and friends.  And I feel even more special because I received handmade treasures.  Here's a picture of a couple of hand made gifts that I will enjoy!  I also love making things and typically run out of time before I can complete more than a few hand crafted items.  But check out the hand drawn pears on this serving plate.  I think it's lovely.  A special person in our family knows the artist, a woman in San Francisco.  The decoupage box is actually a book box, made by my Dad.  The little Jack Russel terrier dog image is a lot like my dog.  Also I think my father remembers that red is my favorite color.  The vintage book that he started with has a red cover. There are more images inside. Red flowers are layered with book pages, pretty paper, glue and paint too.  It's like a secret compartment book box because there was a nice gift inside!  I have some special gifts that I'm finishing up soon.  I also will begin a major quilting project in 2010 that will end up as a gift.  What kinds of things do you like to make as gifts?  

KB asks What Does Santa do on the Night Before Christmas?

Tomorrow is the night before Christmas.  Here we call it Christmas Eve.  It's a special night for children who believe in Santa Claus.  As a child I would sit with my great grandmother that night. Nannie would read Moore's poem before tucking us in.  Santa is one part of Christmas festivities that I adore.  After all, doesn't everyone want to believe in magic and a generous spirit?

I hope you enjoy my photo of this vintage Santa Claus.  His image is on a box made by a local artist.  What I love about this image is Santa's cheeks are so round and merry!  The toys in his sack are detailed and alive, like an old time toy story.  I find this delightful.  I love Santa and toys!  Well, I am sure whatever Santa does on the night before Christmas is a big secret.  If I were Santa I would go on a fast so that I could easily squeeze down the chimneys and eat cookies guilt free!  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a Merry Christmas!

Happy Gingerbread Houses covered in Candy, make KB smile!

I hope these photos of our amateur gingerbread houses make you smile.  My skills as gingerbread house decorator have improved slightly over last year.  My daughter is really good at it. Her house has a bright orange, red, and yellow color scheme.  My goal was to fully cover the house in the brightest, least expensive candies I could find.  These include: M & M's, Mike and Ikes, Red Hots, Necco Wafers, Gum drops, Dots, Pretzels, Licorice Whips, Candy Coated Coffee Beans (which tasted terrible!) and Swirly Hard Candies.  My girl also used Wafer Cookies and Candy Canes.  She made hearts with the canes.

I tried gingerbread house recipes before without much success.  But my good friend and neighbor is a real professional.  She made the houses and the frosting this year and had a wonderful house making party!  Before I found out she had a knack for this our gingerbread house projects always ended in emergency repairs with hairdryers and glue guns coming out!  Well, it's all in the consistency of the frosting and the cookie has to be hard like a biscotti.  I won't be able to give advice on this but if you can, please comment for my lovely readers.  As you can see the results are colorful and happy!  I can say - you should keep them up and away from the dogs!  My puppy already ate my pretzel log pile!  Have fun.

Vintage Elegant Lady in Stylish Fedora Hat, she is KB's Aunt!

Here is KB's Great Aunt Joanne in a fashion photo from the 1940's.  What I like about this look is the sassy, stylish fedora that tops off her menswear suit.  The ruffle front blouse adds a feminine touch.  The fit on her menswear suit is tight and sexy with the waist nipped in tight.  She looks adorable here. 

Joanne loved fashion.  Her collection of fashion photos are from the heydays of Hollywood glam in the 1940’s.  This is the time when fedora hats were worn by stars like Humphrey Bogart, Gene Kelly, and Lucille Ball. Joanne and her husband Bunny, became merchants in the apparel business.   When I was a teenager Joanne and Bunny took me to the Los Angeles Apparel Mart.  I spent time in their booth and wandered around the clothing market.  This experience pushed my decision to apply for the Fashion Design program at FIDM (the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising).  The LA Fashion District is the capital of West Coast style. Thanks to Aunt Jo for taking me there when I was a young girl!