Shared scented moments

This whole thing started because I was looking for this Jo Malone ad for inspiration for this year's Hutch Holiday Gala. Yes, we are all ready beginning that designing process this early! Feels like we just finished last years weeks ago, hey, we DID!

Before I knew it I was reading this post by The Non-Blonde about vintage Lauren perfume by Ralph Lauren. Which reminded me of mom and our shared experiences over perfume.

I remember when I started wearing Lauren that in the 80’s. But more than anything, I remember one hot West Texas day opening my mom’s car door and that fragrance hitting me, me thinking, “nothing smells better than that in the heat”.  She wore it well.

I have a full bottle of Jean Patou’s Joy Eau de Parfum, my mom’s favorite. I bought it for her every Christmas. My dad would buy it for her every Christmas when they were together. I wore it once in her honor but it does not smell as good on me as it did on her. My mom also wore Tea Rose for everyday, smelled great on her. Interesting history about Joy.



Our shared memory. I have an empty bottle (now two because I bought another almost empty bottle on eBay) of NM Eau De Toilette. I remember the day mom and I bought that at the downtown Dallas Neiman Marcus. My mom did not work far from there and we walked through the store all the time. I always felt so special when we made a purchase there. I don’t remember wearing the perfume myself but I love the fragrance. Very, very spicy. (It reminds me of Fendi). We loved it then they quit making it. I am not sure who kept the empty bottle but we still have it some 40+ years later. Occasionally, I would bring it out for mom and I to have "sniff", smile at each other and remember that day.  Quickly close the bottle in case any of that wonderful scent escaped. An of course talk about why they did not make it any more.

I realized the other day that that shared memory is no longer a “shared” one. I am the only person remembering that day, that smell, that story. So I shared it with someone at work the other day, we had a sniff and I told her the story. Gaia shared this lovely post about Scented Memories of Our Mothers. Thank you!

My mom also wore Zig Zig by Zsa Zsa and I think they quit making that too. One Christmas I surprised her with a couple of old bottles I found on eBay. Just for fun. My mom wore the parfum bath oil. It smelled wonderful on her. Ah, funny! It looks like Gigi also loved it and also bought her mom Zig Zag from eBay for a present. I love that!!! And I can't forget White Shoulders! Mom and I also always have a big bottle of 4711 splash for after showers ;)

I still wear Lauren if I am feeling like something heavy. My favorite, affordable perfume now is Banana Republic “W”, a light, breezy, floral (a hint of violet?) scent style without it being overpowering. I still wear Fendi at times, my husband loves it.

What I really want to find is a wonderful Honeysuckle fragrance for summer. I have ordered a few online, but they were not to my liking. I am still searching

If I would loaded I would wear Jo Malone, every flavor!

I bought a tiny size of CB I Hate Perfume's Wild Pansy and it was wonderful, but again, a little out of my price range. If you have a couple of hours to kill, go read the fragrance stories, they are a must!

Interesting blog about Yesterday's Perfume, talks about What Perfume Did Your Mother Wear?

Smells like nostalgia: Why do scents bring back memories?

This sounds interesting enough to buy for a sniff - The Dead Writers Perfume, blend evokes the feeling of sitting in an old library chair paging through yellowed copies of Hemingway, Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, Poe, and more. Suitable for either sex, Dead Writers makes you want to put on a kettle of black tea and curl up with your favorite book. This perfume contains black tea, vetiver, clove, musk, vanilla, heliotrope, and tobacco.

There are so many fragrances out there. Most are too sweet for me, but when I read the descriptions, I want to try them all!

More than diamonds

Thanks to the team at Invaluable.com for inspiring me to do this post. Invaluable is an online auction marketplace that has art, collectibles, and jewelry for auction.

My mom loved bling. Big, bright, sparkly things — the bigger, the better.

But my story is not about expensive diamond engagement rings or priceless heirloom jewelry.  My story is about two 18k gold pinkie rings and the women who wore them.

My first piece of jewelry was an 18k gold pinkie ring with my name engraved on the front. My mom had one made for each of us when I was around nine years old, our script names engraved upon them. I wore mine on my ring finger for most of my middle school years, then on my pinkie finger during high school and college years.  Much later, when I outgrew it during pregnancy, it moved to my special jewelry box.

My mom recently passed away and, while going through her jewelry, I held her pinkie ring in my hand, worn down with years of constant wear, no engraved name to be seen. She wore that ring every day for the last 50 years. I held her hand so many times while she was sick and twirled that little ring around on her finger. So familiar, always there, it seems I have always seen my mom’s hand with a small gold ring on her pinkie finger.

I have a theory that the decorative, “hip-dresser” gene passes through alternate generations. My mom was always the presentable one, never a strand of hair out of place. She was always encouraging me to comb my hair and use a little “product.”  When I was leaving the house, she would plead with me to me to add a necklace —or two — and a few more rings. She was the “bling” of us and I am more the “moss on rock” person.

I have had many expensive rings. An eight-band, gold puzzle ring from Libya, gifts my mom and I both received from my stepfather. A big raw emerald and diamond ring that I bought with the money left to me by my grandmother. My grandmother’s beautiful gold, dome ring. 18K gold, Cartier tri-color, three-band rings. A very large amethyst ring in 18k gold that belonged to my mom.

Sadly, all of the above rings were stolen.

Mom and I both loved jewelry. She wore hers religiously and I just collected. After we lost a lot of our “real” jewelry, we turned to less-expensive, costume jewels — less stress and heartache when those pieces were lost or stolen. Much more fun, less commitment, less hassle and you can own so much more of it!

Buying my mom costume jewelry was such a thrill. I could never go shopping without seeing something very shiny that I new would make her very happy. Her opening a gift of rings and seeing her face light up was the best time ever. 

I have lots of stacking rings that happens to be my ring-soft-spot. I cannot tell you how many stacking rings I own, but it is many. But I don’t really wear mine. My mom wore her jewelry every day! I mean, every day. She would not leave the house without being completely dressed and decorated with all of her (costume) jewels.

So today, only a few months after her death, I see rings that I should buy. I think, “Mom would LOVE this” and then remember she is not here to open the box and shine with excitement. I really miss that!

 

Some rings I have bought over the years.

My mom

Two weeks has not eased the pain. Hard to write these words. My mom passed away on June 18, here in her home surrounded by love. My mom loved Édith Piaf, Joy perfume, reading a newspaper from cover to cover, traveling, horse racing but especially she loved dressing fabulously from her Goodwill finds (in that one aspect, I was a great disappointment to her). She was a "Thrift Shop Fashionista" way before it was hip. If one charm on a necklace was good, then 10 was great. The bigger, the blingier, the better. The most fun I could have was buying her jewelry and seeing her face light up when she opened the gift. Her repeated message to me about my looks was "just comb your hair and use some product". 

More than anything she loved to feed and take care of everyone. She would coolly cook Thanksgiving dinner for 30 people dressed in her best and still look fabulous and unmussed when dinner was served. Mom wasn't just about glamorous dining though. She was just as comfortable cooking from a chuck wagon in her overalls. We will no longer get to savor her asparagus soup, Chiles Rellenos, grits (my comfort food), chili (the real Texas kind), red beans and cornbread. I was lucky to have eaten food from the best cook I have ever known. 

She loved taking care of us, cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping with her coupons, laundry ... all of that and more. I could not have done most of the things I did the last 15 years without her help and support. I will always be grateful for that! 

Her life was not without trouble and some despair, but she was not one to dwell on bad times. She would much rather move forward with her "Pollyanna" outlook of cheer. 

Thank you, to all of my family and friends for remembering my mom in such wonderful ways. I would read remarks when I posted photos on the blog or Flickr or Facebook, and it always tickled and astounded her. She loved my blog. She will be so very missed. 

New hair-dos

Mom's other new blouse

My mom can make anything look good. I found two very inexpensive blouses at Burlington the other day. I just happened in there and ran across one blouse that I LOVED for my mom. But it was an XL. So I spent the next hour pouring through aisles of racks crammed full of clothes to find her size because I knew it would be beautiful on her. (The red one, previous post). Also found this cute little number in the hunt. These are probably the only cute things I saw there. And knowing her, knew she would dress it up just right.