Inspired by the Dreamiest Editor of All

When Magic Man and I first got married I was a new step-mom to four little kids and I didn't have anything kid related - toys, movies, etc.  One rainy day we were desperate to entertain the kiddies and that's when the Audrey Hepburn DVD set came in handy.  

I put on Funny Face and the girls 

(at the time aged 3, 5, and 7) were mesmerized. 

They were so captivated by the 'Think Pink' 

number they started to refer to the movie 

as 'Think Pink' and not 'Funny Face.'  

I loved that they loved Maggie Prescott, 

the Editor as much as Jo, the Model.

Also being obsessed with all things Diana Vreeland I loved how they'd repeat Maggie's catch phrases that were based on Diana, like 'Pizazz.' 

All girls need to learn about Diana Vreeland, right? 

"This world without a leopard . . .

I mean, who would want to be here?"  - DV

  

Argh! Such a genius!

Now that we are in Austin, I acquiesced to some of the local traditions, like decorating trees on the side of Capital of TX Hwy for Christmas. 

But I didn't want to just throw tinsel on a tree so I decided we would decorate a small tree inspired by Diane Vreeland: 

Meaning Red and Leopard and we could shout 'That's got pizazz!' as we dressed the tree. 

However, with four kids (the youngest being a 2 yr old boy), and with a very limited budget, things did not go as planned.  And I'm not just saying that because I ended up going in my pajamas.

First, we decided we would not even attempt to pull over on the highway, so we chose a tree close to the girl's school on a quiet street - so not the 360 Hwy where everyone can see. 

I was hoping we would concentrate all the beads, ribbon and faux red berries in a tight cluster for just a pop of 'pizazz,' but the girls wanted to string the beads and ribbon over a few trees, spreading out the limited decor and diluting the design.  

You could hardly see the end product, but we were doing this for them so I was not going to tell them 'no,' -- we were in it for the memories, not appearances. 

There were no shouts of 'Pizazz!' or singing''S Wonderful' or dancing around, but we did leave in one piece with no fights or meltdowns so I was pleased.

Dreaming about Halloween

For years I've wanted to dress as Penelope Tree at

Truman Capote's Black & White Ball for Halloween.

Every time I propose this someone will bring up the fact that NO ONE will know who this is. Which is ridiculous because that was a magical night for Penelope -- Diana Vreeland discovered her at the Ball and her career was launched.

So back to 2011. What to be for Halloween?

I've already been a Harry Potter character for 4 years in a row (I have a thing for British uniforms).

Marie Antoinette (Ash was 'Red Riding Hood')

Frida Kahlo (Ash was 'Ashes')

Hester Prynne (Ash was Dana Barrett from Ghostbusters)

(Baby Pearl wanted a costume and since it

was 2008 she chose The Joker from Batman.)

Karen O (Ash was a Belligerent Bar Maid)

The White Swan (Rachel was Black Swan)

Alright, no Penelope Tree -- yet. Maybe if I ever get invited to a Diana Vreeland party I can break it out.

So I guess the next logical choice would be Lydia Deetz.

But will people know who I am if I go sans Beetlejuice?