Artsy Fartsy Friday Part 1

I heart art.

Paintings, sculpture, drawings, prints. Bring it on.

But what do I love even more than all those things?

That's right. Art you can wear.

In a turn of unplanned events I ended up visiting a few galleries in downtown Greenville Friday night with my wingwoman Mollye.

She's been raving about this pottery class that she's been taking from a local potter and jewelry maker named Lily. I have always admired Lily's jewelry and positively drool every time I see her stuff at craft fairs around town. The design is impeccable and the colors are fabulous. Plus I think buying local made jewelry is just the responsible thing to do.


So on Friday night, we ended up popping by the lily pottery studio. I got a fabulous deal on this gorgeous purple ring. It has an incredibly cool wide silver band and cushion cut setting. The design on the clay is intricate, but the overall impression of the piece is simple. I adore it and will certainly be showing it off all summer.



If you are looking for a birthday gift for a friend, a Mother's Day present for your mom, or a just because gift for a special girl in your life - you totally need to check out lily's gallery in the Pendleton Arts district. You will not be disappointed.


In fact, I bet you'll end up picking up something for yourself, too.

Now I know:
Art doesn't just make you think. It also makes you look good.

Forget About Sliced Bread

What did the world do before Target?

Whether you say it so it rhymes with "car bet" or "bar day", it's the place of my dreams. Some of you may have seen the Veggie Tales episode where Larry the Cucumber visits "Stuff Mart" and the lights shine down from heaven each time someone says the name of the store.

That's exactly how I feel about Target. (Cue the angels' voices!)

I would really hate to do one of those budget thingys, because the pie chart would probably show an unholy amount of my monthly income going to Target. One of my brilliant friends (hope I don't blow your cover, girl) always talks about the "Target Loophole" in her and her husbands' budget. You know, so the answer to "Whoa!! Why did you spend $100 at Target?" is an easy "Oh honey, we needed toilet paper and some other necessities (with the silent "like a new tank top and fabulous wedges" under a silent asterisk below).

Speaking of fabulous wedges, I've been positively drooling over these sleek gold stunners. If you've been in Greenville for the past week I bet your toes have been positively itching to get out of those closed-toed shoes and into something that is this adorable. And even if they'd make you as tall as an Amazon, like they would for me, just imagine how great your legs would look in them! How many outfits they would match! How many compliments you'd get! All for just $29.99!


Somehow I've mustered up the willpower to walk past them two times in the last two weeks. (Impressive, I know).

Now I know:
I won't walk past these without buying them again.

Red Lipstick, Red Carpet

When I waited tables during my college years, a girl affectionately nicknamed "Nazi Nikki" commanded me to always wear big earrings and bright lipstick. She told me it would guarantee me bigger tips. It makes me sound a little bit hooker-ish, but I'm telling you, Nazi Nikki was right. The nights I wore red lipstick to waitress I absolutely made more money!

When I wrote my post about our school's Big Show, I neglected to include the side story regarding one of my accessory choices.

No, it wasn't a necklace or a headband. Not a pair of brightly colored shoes with my mandated all-black ensemble. Because I had not showered that day, I decided that curling my hair and putting on some red lipstick would make me look a little more glam for my five minutes on stage.

Well, I was absolutely overwhelmed by the enthusiastic positive (and sometimes negative) responses of the students and even some parents to that red lipstick. Here's a quick recap of some of the comments I got last Tuesday:

"Ms. Grimsley! You don't look like yourself!"

"I think she look like a Barbie...kinda."

"You look so glamorous...just like Anne Hathaway!"

"I love that red lipstick! Wow!"

"Your face is scarin' me. You look like a vampire." (Gotta love kids' honesty!)

"Ms. Grimsley, You workin' the lipstick girl!"

"You looked fabulous last night at the Big Show with that RED lipstick and fancy hair-do!! I love it... you looked like a movie star!"

Well, as I sit here watching actors and actresses on the red carpet, I've been noticing myself criticizing so many of their wardrobe and accessory choices.

I think Reese Witherspoons' black dress with the white strip at the top was totally 90s looking. I think Amy Adams sparkly navy blue dress is frump-a-dump. Kirk Douglas's ears are HUUUUUUUGE! (I do realize ears are not an accessory, but his kind of could be counted as such!)

Anyway, being a 5th grade teacher is certainly not a red carpet job...and after my five minutes on stage, I'm glad it's not!

Now I know:
I'm thankful my normal wardrobe consists of khakis and a cardigan.