Tag Archives: size

Indulge your inner retro-sexy Happy Homemaker with Tie Me Up Aprons

22 Mar

If you’re like me, you probably do a fair share of cooking.  And if you’re even more like me, you’ve probably ruined a shirt or dress or something else while you were cooking.   My Mom always used to tell me to wear an apron while cooking, so that I wouldn’t ruin what I was wearing.  So when my friend, photographer Bruce Barone, posted some pictures he took for   Tie Me Up Aprons , I  thought I’d died and gone to clothes preserving apron heaven!

Anita Senkowski, proprietress of Tie Me Up Aprons, creates her unique confections from out-of-production and

NEW!! The REAL Krispy Kreme Girl Apron. A Tie Me Up Exclusive!!

vintage fabrics.  She has a great eye for color and pattern and assembles her aprons with a certain je-ne-sais-quois  that will make you say “hey, that’s wicked cool! I’ve got to have it!”

Considering the new season of Mad Men starts on Sunday–well, you might just need one of these to protect your perfect Betty Draper party dress while serving era appropriate hors d’oeuvres!

If you order now, enter the code HIGHFASHION1 and you will receive a 15% discount on any apron, including the made to order Zen Charmer (from a very limited fabric) This offer extends through March 31, 2012!

Tie Me Up Aprons are hand crafted in Michigan, USA, and ships worldwide (so no excuses you people in the UK, Australia, and everywhere else.)  Tie Me Up takes PayPal, Visa, Mastercard, and Discover.

“Like” Tie Me Up on Facebook and follow for the latest updates on the new fabrics Anita’s getting plus other cool news from Tie Me Up.

Photo courtesy of Bruce Barone Photography

New Year’s Resolution: Losing Weight vs. Dieting

27 Dec

“Diet” is a four-letter word (correction: foul-letter word….)

honestly, I rarely consider the numbers on the scale as much as I consider the numbers on my dress size

I don’t believe in “dieting” per se.  I do, however, believe in losing weight when it’s appropriate.  When the number of outfits in my wardrobe that fit comfortably is disproportionate to the total number of outfits therein, it is most certainly time to lose some weight.  (or start building a new wardrobe, which most of us, esp. this time of year, can ill afford….)

Luckily when I was younger, I put down a good foundation of muscle.  Muscle has memory, fat doesn’t.  So, once the muscle is activated through exercise (or more movement in general) it will “remember’ its correct, un-crumpled position in my body, straighten up, and begin to burn the poundage that currently presses on it.

Unlike a lot of women, though, I don’t regret the weight I’ve gained, nor is it having a negative impact on my health.  I come from some rather hearty genetic stock, so I seem to be able to carry a whole lot of weight and not have it impact my sleep, breathing, cholesterol, blood sugar, or any other system that would lead my doctor to tell me that I need to lose weight.  Conceivably, I could stay my current chunky monkey self and not feel one whit of guilt….

Speaking of not feeling one whit of guilt, unlike so many of those sad sacks on the Oprah Winfrey’s show and network, I didn’t gain my weight from overeating because of some sort of devastating emotional issue.  Yes, I had some emotional issues: last December I lost my Father and the project I was working on folded.  There was one other thing too, but I don’t recall right now (these things usually happen in threes for me.)   And yes, I ate more than my fair share of red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting.  While this more than likely was a contributing factor to my weight gain, I don’t feel bad about it, don’t feel that I need to punish myself  nor do I feel a need to “confess” the sins of my over-eating.

Sh*t happens.  Sometimes we take comfort in food.  I doesn’t mean it’s a “compulsion” and doesn’t mean it will lead to all sorts of devastation…

But I digress…..

Back to the whole “diet” thing….

Now, I don’t plan to diet.  Not at all.  Won’t be going to Weight Watchers (although I understand their programs work very well) and won’t be consulting with any of the books that are out there.  I know my body fairly well–as we all should at some point in our lives–and know what works comfortably for me.  Here are seven food-related steps I plan to take to lose weight, not diet, which you may find helpful as well.

      1. Lower carbs, boost protein.  Over the past two weeks I noticed myself nodding after my morning oatmeal.  I switched to bacon and eggs and had a great energy and mood boost.  Therefore, oatmeal is out, and protein like eggs, bacon, ham, and others are in for breakfast.
      2. Eat more fish.  Beef is another comfort food:  stews, chuck steaks, chili.  Esp. really good burgers like I can get at my favorite restaurant.  However, it tends to pack on the pounds.  Fish is far better, and I actually like it.  Just have to make sure I don’t drown it in some kind of sauce or sugary stuff.
      3. Step away from the candy, embrace fruit.  Mandarin oranges, apples with a bit of peanut butter are great.  Stay away from the pineapple though.  It’s high sugar and, for me, is an appetite stimulant.
      4. Back away from the booze.  Lower the intake to once a week of wine.
      5. Do the French thing: if wine, no bread; if bread no wine.  It cuts sugary carbs, and works.
      6. Whole wheat pasta and brown rice.  Extra fiber can’t hurt.
      7. Don’t get stupid about it  If I’m out with friends, I don’t have to announce that I’m on a diet, and I don’t have to eat “diet” food. I can enjoy that time without feeling guilty.

More than likely it helps that my goals are reasonable.  I am not trying to be a size “Jessica Parker.”   I’m merely attempting to get back into my current wardrobe, which includes some very nice size 12 skirts.  I want “well-managed curves” (as one guy once told me I had) and not my little jelly belly.   Grieving is over, it’s time to move on.

Want some more good tips? Check out 7 Healthy Steps to Get rid of Holiday Fat! from AllWomenStalk.com

Flash Sale Overload!

17 Jun

Another Flash Sale site? Oh, no Tish, I just can't handle looking at another pair of Louboutins!

This morning, as I was updating my Facebook status, an ad appeared for another one of those Flash Sale sites..

For those of you who don’t know what that is, a flash sale site is a website that offers special deals on designer clothing, home furnishings, travel packages, etc. for limited time periods.  Many of the flash sale sites are for members only, while all you need is an email addy and password for others.  Sales can last from several days to several hours.  With some sites you can earn points towards purchases for signing up friends.  Examples of flash sale sites that I belong to are ideeli, Gilt Group, and Haute Look.

Not that I’ve ever made a purchase on any of them.   I find that for me, a dedicated frugalista, these sites function as look books, where I make mental notes on designers, cuts, colors and fabrics–which then makes it easier to find that unique, on-trend look when I hit some of my favorite shops.

I guess, too, the other thing I don’t like about flash sale sites is that it’s difficult for me to buy something as, say, a $270 Hugo Boss dress, because I would like to try it on first.  As an Average Woman, my size ranges anywhere from a 12 on a good day, to a 16 on a badly cut designer day (if I can find a 16, that is.)  Not knowing the cut of a particular designer’s clothing or shoes, nor how the dress will look,  causes me to hesitate before making a costly, disappointing, online ordering mistake.

All I can think of is the *great* Michael Kors dress I found in Macy’s, on sale, that looked fantastic on the mannequin, and utterly dreadful on me.  Not to mention that Kors’ extra-large was (happily, though) too large for me.   Could you have imagined how I would have felt if I’d ordered it online?  I would have had to stare at my disappointment for several days (or in my case, several months) before I returned it.  And then the hassle of waiting for the credit to appear back on my account…ugh!

I guess if you know the way a particular designer’s clothes fit,  or if you’re ridiculously model thin, the whole return thing isn’t a big concern….

The bigger question though, is do we need another flash sale site?  Maybe the folks who set it up think so, but the flash sale strategy is usually aimed at young female consumers with an unquenchable thirst for FASHION.

I’m not sure how long, nor how many sites, a strategy like that can support.

As usual, it will be interesting to see what happens to all these flash sale sites in a few years.  For now, I’m suffering from flash sale site overload.