My Dallas Trip

We had a fabulous time in Dallas. My husband did a super job speaking at the conference. Everyone was impressed with him and asking for compliance and accreditation advice. He's sort of the guru when it comes to that sort of thing. Me, I have no idea what he's talking about. I usually get lost in a decorating fantasy or two within minutes of shop talk. However, he did look very handsome in his new tie (thanks to wifey) :)

We stayed at a large hotel that had numerous conferences/meetings. I was floored when I learned that E&J Gallo wines also was holding a conference on the same date/time as my husbands. Wow, I knew I was going to run into someone I knew. Yup, I ran into a few old friends from my Pacific Northwest days. Crazy, I haven't seen them in 10 years. We use to all live in Eugene, Oregon. Back in college I dated a guy who worked for E&J Gallo wines. He was over the Oregon market and I use to visit the wineries/distribution center with him. I would also attend all the social events/parties/dinners so I became friends with the salesmen over time. Who would have thought 10 years later I would be running into them at conference my husband was speaking at in Dallas, Texas? Small, small, small world.

I did get a chance to run by a few boutiques. And I found the perfect earrings to match my silver necklace (I posted about it a few weeks ago). I always travel with a cloth Gucci bag that I store a good bit of jewelry in. You never know what you'll need when traveling. I'll let you in on a little secret....I LOVE JEWELRY! Not just any old thing but the loud, obnoxious, gaudy kind. I think I got that gene from my Nana, LOL.

I found a little antique shop that I purchased a couple estate pieces from. I picked up another set of pearls. A gal can't possibly have enough pearls. I plan on wearing the black strand with a silk black top. Simple accent to make it elegant. A beautiful circle brooch surrounded by white pearls. At first I wasn't interested but I thought I could use it with a long silk scarf I picked up in Paris a few years back. I like to drape it across my shoulders but it always seems to slip off. I though I would try to pin it with the brooch. I tried this afternoon and it looks fantastic. It really made it pop and brooch doesn't look dated at all next to it. But my favorite piece is the bee.

I love bee's. Royalty (mostly French) used bee's in their clothing. However, using the symbol of bee's has been dated back as far as 350 BC in Egypt. They would even have golden bee's engraved in their tombstones. Napoleon's famous red robes were embroidered with bees and many claim that's where Fleur De Lis originated from. Bee's are very French. I have bee stationary, bee paperweight, and even bee glasses. So I was excited when I saw this little golden bee. I'm planning on wearing my little gaudy piece on my collar of a white cotton shirt. It will definitely be a conversational piece. I adore estate jewelry because it reminds me of classic Hollywood. When Jean Harlow, Marlene Dietrich, and Joan Crawford were walking the red carpet. That's when Hollywood was glam and fabulous. Not trashy like it is today. I could so see Joan Crawford wearing my bee pin. She was the ultimate diva, LOL!

Jean Harlow

Marlene Dietrich

Joan Crawford