I like baking because I can make a few tablespoons of butter and a cup of flour turn into golden cookies. I can transform mushy peaches into tart jam filled pastries. The before and after of baking is beautiful.

I like that contrast in clothing too. The pieces you wear to work and then you can flip around and wear out to a party without going back home. I like finding things that no one else wants – and then voila… it’s mine and it’s beautiful.

A week ago, my mother received this dress as a gift. And no offense to the gift giver, but the dress is just really ugly. It’s made of this stretchy crepe and it is this weird shade of gray that isn’t quite twilight blue or just slate gray. It has this unfortunate length sleeves and it has this amazing ability to make a size 2 look like a size 10. See?

And just imagine… this dress hits 3 inches above the ankle. Such a weird length.

Well, my mother was intent of sticking it in the back of a drawer and never looking at it again… but curiosity got the better of me and I put it on. And then looked in the mirror. And, as always I had to fidget with it. So I grabbed a few pins and a silk triple wrap belt and voila!

The skirt is folded under and pinned in a bubbly skirt. The belt is wrapped around to give definition. And those sleeves! They were pinned just so to give interesting folds and texture. So… it’s not so bad.