This February I started 45 with a bang !... I loved how my hair "fringe" brought some newness to my tired, excessively long hair. 

This summer my lengthy locks allowed me to wear it in a no dry, loose wavy kind of way.
I was even able to do the side braid . ( So very Elsa ) and even my cropped bangs had grown enough to wear them in a soft side sweep.
​
But no sooner than the leaves began to fall off the trees did I start itching for a new doo.

Over the years my typical " go to" hairstyle has always been the BOB.... simple and square.
​Neither too long nor too short.
But having been there & done that cut so many times I knew I did not want to go back.

​Last year was the year of the LOB:- the long bob.
Almost tempted but I forwent the urge.
The Lob just grazed the shoulder or slightly below. Worn primarily straight or with a soft curl.
​
Hair just as in fashion ... there is always an evolution to each style.
Thanks to trending Bohemiana last year's LOB has morphed into the new WOB...

​​As I settled into my favourite hairdresser's chair: George ( @ St Laurent Coiffure Trends )
I proclaimed I was:  Ready to WOB... I know he was expecting my usual - "Just a Trim ".

The WHAT ? he asked
.... The Wavy Lob !

Before I could take back my wobby words, he whipped out his sharpened shears and began to dismember my tresses.
I thought I was ready..... until all was said and dry .....with my cut ends scattered at my feet.
I failed to factor the shrinkage factor....  ( when they measure wet hair,  you always loose 3/8" after dry !)

3 washes and a soft wave crimper later .... I am LOVING my WOB !!
I realized I was just carrying around too much dead weight anyway....

On that note I leave you with this:
​Should you ? Could you ? Would you WOB ?
....Should you? Could you ? Would you WOB in the Fall ?
.......Should you? Could you ? Would you WOB it to the mall ?
........Should you? Could you ? Would you WOB at all?

( Can you tell I read GREEN EGGS AND HAM one too many times :)

I may seem like the most unlikely person you would expect to rummage through other people’s garbage… but nothing gives me more of a high than buying shoes ! and finding unwanted chairs by the side of the road !!!

Speaking of chairs....My husband fell off his own chair when I came home one day with a brand new Black and Decker hand sander !
Not the typical tool of choice for your average Fashion aficionado.

I pretty much get into my zone the same way many of you head to the gym to run on a treadmill and release your frustrations. 

I have absolutely no experience or expertise in the area of DIY, but what takes the pressure off is:  Let's face it, it was junk to begin with , regardless what it ends up looking like, to me it's way better than it’s original state.

The piece I am most proud of, is this variation of a Louis armchair I took from DRAB to FAB!! 
A house warming gift for my cousin. Seeing it was a gift, I felt it  best to purchase it off Kijiji instead of rummaging the garbages !
 
Here she is in all her outdated, green upholstery, scratched dark wood stain and all !

Let's get started:
1) The longest and most painful part of this whole process is the removal of staples.
In which time you may question " is this all worth it ?"
But don't despair.. it took me nearly 3 weeks to get all those suckers out !
It was within that time that I wanted to pitch that chair in the garbage so many times.

2) The interior foam cushions were in good condition and unstained so I decided to reuse the same… otherwise you can easily retrace the same shape and size to replace.

3) I salvaged the original upholstery pieces to serve as a pattern to recut in my new fabric.

4) Unexperienced at removing the staples I dinged the wood in many places, I needed to sand both with the B.D sander and by hand because of the detailed carvings to remove the varnish and some of the stain. I used wood putty to fill the larger holes and even out the surface.

5)I knew I wanted a black chair so if some of the original stain remained it would not have been a problem but the varnish must be sanded down. 
Once satisfied  … I needed to decide on the finish.

Black glossy? or Black matte.  Each finish requires their own prep. 

6) I decided to use my favourite all time paint ever ANNIE SLOAN chalk paint in Graphite.
This paint is so easy to use.. often referred  to as a woman’s paint because no sanding is required.
( you can paint directly over any stain, colour or varnish. The paint is so thick: it’s formulated to cover virtually everything and anything. )

7)Once you've applied your 2-3 coats of paint… let it dry and finish with the ANNIE SLOAN clear or dark wax. ( The wax seals your paint colour and serves as a varnish ) 
Wax On ...Wax Off!!  

Now that the easy part was completed I needed to reassemble and recover the chair with fabric. My cousin is young and trendy, so I went for a mixed pattern of complimentary designs.  ( A large Zebra pattern, mini Zebra and a black ground script design. )
I arranged the bigger pattern on the biggest area: the seat, the largest zebra pattern at the back rest and the mini zebra at the back side of the rest.

8)I applied a thin layer of spray glue to hold the fabric over the foam pieces and keep everything in place as I proceeded to staple keeping a  1/2” distance.
( Remember to pull the fabric as tightly as possible, so that the fabric remains  smooth.)
F.Y.I : I had staples flying all over my workspace. Probably a good idea to wear protective eyewear when using a staple gun….

Nearly complete, all I needed was the finishing touch to hide all those hideous staples… 
I purchased a black braided edging ribbon and hot glued it all around the areas I wanted to finish.

She was finally completed and totally redone. I felt like the proud plastic surgeon who took the plain jane to the outstanding and marvelled in her beauty and yet amazed that I was able to bring out her true potential.

I almost hated giving her away… after so many months together !
I gifted her away and promised to visit every so often...... and always keep my eye out for garbage !!!

Here is an update on my social tee experiment:

Remember when door to door sales were the only way to get your product across ?
( I would know, my father was a long time salesman, who made his living this way. )

Times have changed and although many retail doors have closed, I believe the power of the web and social media has opened new avenues to traditional ways of selling.

Thanks to the help of many loving friends and followers, who encouraged and supported my vision by promoting my product over different distribution channels.
I succeeded in reaching many more people than if I physically knocked on all those doors.

There is no better feeling than walking down the street and someone I know flashes her chest at me to show off her fashion tee !!!!  or all those fab texts you sent me with all the compliments you received while wearing your Bizzyb !!


I know many of you were reluctant to send me your pics …..( The faceless ones... you know who you are !)
I applaud you for your courage :) and love you for your support !!!

I believe you can always estimate a woman’s age by the width of her eyebrows….

• Youth = Wide untamed Natural full brow.
  
• 20’s= Clean & Fresh looking
  
• 30’s = Shapely and Sexy
  
• 40’s = Narrowing of the brow ( unless you live in the country)
  
• 50’s= Barely there
  
• 60’s = Penciled in
  
• 70's= Can't see them anyways, so who cares !

Do you ReMEmber the time when looking into the mirror at your reflection and the person looking back at you was at the EXACT same place in time as you felt ?

At what age was that moment for you ?

I remember it well… I was somewhere in my early 30’s
A happy time and place for me where my image equally reflected my inner self and vitality.

Now 15 or so years later I stare at my reflection and even though I recognize my reflection …. something just doesn't feel right.

My skin was always tight and firm and nowadays I seem to have grown a gooseneck! 
I need to be careful of at which angle I point my phone for a SELFIE!! 

And lets not forget to mention those freakishly long random hairs that have sprouted on my face and random parts of my body from what seems to be a hormonal thing… am I becoming a Man now that I age? 

Not sure how I feel about cosmetic enhancement, at this point in my life.

But I did take advantage of last summer’s hair trend of the “High Bun”. It really came at a good time…..   pulling my hair tightly up and away from my face seems to remove at least 3-4 years from my actual age.

I like to refer to it as: The poor person’s face lift!!

I read somewhere in some book that we all have an internal age clock:
Subconsciously when we pick an age that we consider to be old: 
Our mind and body then realizes that into our own reality. 

So maybe it's a good thing I still feel 32 inside!!   
Happy Birthday to me !!!

I will try to embrace aging, understanding it is a part of life; aspiring to age as gracefully and fashionably as I can. 

I promise to write honestly , and bring you the best of myself ....
So, stay connected.... and continue to follow me on my journey of Fashion... in this age of social media.