The other night, my dear friend Christina (who, like Tara, I met in grade seven - in fact I met them on the very same day) hosted a clothing swap. You know those clothes that you have that you still love but know you'll never wear again? Maybe you've outgrown them, physically or aesthetically, or maybe you're in the mood for something new but you don't want to spend a bunch of money. Well, if you get a roomful of people together who have roughly the same taste in clothing, this can be a great alternative to shopping. Personally, I loathe shopping: all the traipsing about from shop to shop exhausts me and the brightly lit change rooms seem as though they must have been invented by someone who truly hates women and wants us to feel bad about ourselves. But at Christina's, we had food and wine and music, and tried the clothes on in her non-threatening, lamp-lit bedroom. How civilized! I snagged some new-old sweaters, some very fly sunglasses, and this super-cute purse:
But would you believe when I say that my new prized possession was this Dolly Parton mug? Who would give this away?
Some people, upon hearing of my love for Dolly, accuse me of being ironic. Not so! I know her appearance over the last few decades has made her rife for caricature, but I genuinely love a lot of her music and she's a very charming person. I once saw her interviewed and when asked if she supported gay marriage she said, "Of course - I don't see why y'all shouldn't suffer as much of the rest of us." Love her.
photo credit: Marie O'Connell
Though mostly known for her own music, Dolly has written over 3,000 songs, most of which have been performed by other musicians. If you, like me, felt somewhat assaulted by the high production value of Whitney Houston's ubiquitous version of I Will Always Love You back in the 90s (thought I admit the high note was impressive) you might like Dolly's original and much subtler version, which is so sweet it chokes me up. (And check out Porter Wagoner's crazily awesome hair & jacket combo at the beginning!
Finally, just a few quick things: I've decided to start posting replies to comments directly in the comments section rather than sending them by email. I do try to respond to all comments, but I don't always manage to. I thought this way, when people ask questions, the answers could be there for all to see, and I can also respond to a few comments at once rather than each one individually, in case there are common threads. But I do read each and every comment and I appreciate them all.
Also, the dolls for my next shop update are nearly all finished! The update will take place Wednesday, January 27th at 2:00 pm Eastern time and will include 15 new dolls. I'll post the official banner announcement this weekend, and photos/ descriptions of all dolls over the next few days. Also, if you would like to receive an email reminder on the day of the update itself, you can always sign up for my newsletter; the badge is in the upper right-hand corner of this blog, just under the banner.
Tata for now dears!