Flashback Friday - Ugly Sweater Contest

A couple of years ago, I was in charge of my husband's annual, family, Christmas party. Part of the festivities of the night included an "Ugly Sweater" contest. Everyone had the choice of making it, decorating it, buying it, borrowing it, or even knitting it, if they chose to. One family member stuck half eaten pieces of Christmas candy on the front of her sweater. It was colorful and yet, appetizing at the same time. Another family member put together a paper plate filled with various Christmas goodies (sugar cookies and all, y'all!) and covered it in a protective clear wrapping of Saran Wrap and then topped it off with a lovely sparkly bow and then somehow glued it to her sweater. It was very neighborly gift-like.

I went with a theme. My inspiration was the classic Christmas carol... Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer. I glued a pair of old fashioned reading glasses, tufts of gray, curly hair (doll hair. Sheesh! I'm not that demented.), a red pom pom (Rudolph's nose), and then painted hoof prints all over my sweatshirt. Okay, so I'm a little demented.

It was a party to remember with a visual sea of ugly sweaters!

Our winner won with his selection of a lovely purple, ladies, sweater, that he purchased at a local thrift store. Maybe it was the color, or maybe it was his uncanny resemblance to Barney the Dinosaur, or maybe it was just his mad "catwalking" skilz that won him his victory of the "Ugly Sweater Contest".

"I love you, you love me. We are a happy family...."

The following are some other party guests that participated in the "Ugly Sweater" contest. Prepare to be awed!

Franklin was on fire that night! He shared his love of Christmas and kitty cats with his hand knitted sweater vest. Oooo lah lah, Franklin.

Garth took it to the next level and dared to wear his sweater in a mini-size. The festive antlers were a nice touch, also. His date, Becky wore a throwback to the eighties. The side pony tail, along with the gnarly checked, panda, sweater just screamed 80's!

Glenda was a close second with her superior fashion sense and talents. Genius! Imagine the possibilities... sweater capris, sweater pants, and how about sweater kulats?

You too, can create your own Ugly Sweater masterpieces by Clicking Here
Prepare to get those "Creative Juices" flowing!

Flashback Friday! Wedded bliss

Awwwww. Now here's a lovely couple. Steve and I were married on a cold winters day in the middle of January (his idea. an engagement longer than 2 months would be too hard on him. honeymoon wise, that is). That year was scarce on snow... until my wedding day. My father-in-law slid off the free way several times on the way to the temple and we were all very late and had to call the temple and tell them, "don't start without us!" All but 3 couples, cancelled their weddings due to the storm.

Our wedding attire was not exactly what I dreamed of. I was all alone when I picked my wedding dress. I didn't know of too many wedding dress retailers in the area and basically only looked for a dress in a couple of stores. I wanted an elegant, yet simple dress. Which was hard to come by in the mid 90's! I didn't want alot of beading, ruffles, poofy sleeves, and a butt bow. No butt bows allowed! The only thing I succeeded in avoiding, was the ruffles. I felt awkward trying on wedding dresses by myself and I finally chose this one, when a Mexican family looking for a sweet sixteen birthday gown for their daughter, all said, "Oh, si! Muy beautiful!) The train does look pretty, cascading down the temple stairs, though.

Then there's Steve's tux. If I had only known he chose a WHITE tux! A WHITE tux! I longed for the day to see my beloved in a crisp, dapper, BLACK tux. When we chose all of the grooms men's BLACK tuxes, I just assumed he ordered his to be BLACK, also. So when he walked out in a WHITE tux in the temple, I was set back a little. Mental note: never let future husband pick out his wedding attire by himself. ever. Love those white shoes, babe.

Now here's another match made in heaven. It was love at first sight for Ned Niederhauser and the future Mrs. Niederhauser.

Unlike Steve and I, Ned and Kitty were the epitome of wedding glamour and couture.

Kitty! This kind of temptation and shenanigans can be hard to resist for Ned!

Told ya. Ned succumbed to Kitty's provocative ways. Get a room love birds.

Flashback Friday - What not to wear!

Through out the last 30 years or so, there have been many questionable fashion trends. And I chose to wear the majority of them. Gunne Sax dresses... yup. Parachute pants... been there done that. Leg warmers... what was I thinking? Rolled pant legs... who thought of that awesome trend?

Oh my goodness! It's my in-famous hot pink sweat shirt with the striped hot pink shirt. You know? The very ensemble that I was wearing when I came to the decision that a training bra was necessary. Maybe this picture was taken on that very day! Maybe that's why I have that look on my face!

Here's someone else that has questionable fashion sense. We are just a tad bit in denial, don-cha think?

Do these Daisy Dukes make my bum look big?

I knew it! I knew me and Katie were meant to be bff's! We have the same acute fashion sense to tuck and roll the bottoms of our jeans. (sigh) We are one in spirit.

I once owned a pair of BOTH of these lovelies.

What exactly were the stirrups for on these stretchy pants? Was there a fear of your pant leg getting caught in the spokes of your bike? Although, dorky looking, I enjoyed wearing my stretchy pants with my over sized sweaters and blouses. Perfect for those bloaty days.

And we must not forget the days of pleated acid wash jeans. Figure flattering, don't ya think?

Flashback Friday! Gunne Sax Fashion-nista

In the early 80's, you just were not a stylin' babe if you did not own a Gunne Sax frock!

Being from the remote state of Wyoming, a Gunne Sax outlet was hard to come by. So we resorted to sewing our own Gunne Sax trends.

Check me out at one of my piano recitals. Oh the horror. And what's with the idiotic smile?

I believe I was 10 years old in this picture and I have to tell ya, I adored this dress. The intricate lace work on the bodice. The, all to familiar choice of fabric... black with small pink flowers. The flouncy skirt and last but not least... the see through sleeves. Oh those see-through sleeves! (sigh)

Look! It's a "family" of Gunne Sax-'s! My mom was way into sewing matching dresses and nightgowns for all of us gals.

Alot of my friends used to wear this very same fashion statement. I have the pictures to prove it!

Cynthia was thrilled to find out that her beloved Gunne Sax dress could double as a wedding dress!

Beatrice threw caution into the wind and made a fashion statement all her own. She chose a hunter green fabric with the lace trim. Oh yeah, Beatrice was known to disregard the norm, once in a while.

Rain always danced to the beat of a different drum. She attended the peace rally in her favorite Gunne Sax bohemian smock, made entirely of organic materials. The hemp criss-crossed detail, on the side, added just the right amount of flair.

My mom sewed both of these dresses, also. My mom was a Gunne Sax virtuoso.

Darla claimed her dress was an "authentic" Gunne Sax dress. But we knew better. "Where is the lace detail? The gathering? And how about the see-through sleeves!" We knew she was just jealous of all of us and our well placed ruffles, lace trim, and see-through sleeved coutour.