Win Win

Win Win is a fantastic film by director Thomas McCarthy. Paul Giamatti plays a struggling attorney from New Jersey who volunteers as a wrestling coach. I will not ruin it for you but go see the twists, turns, and surprises in this film. It has great supporting actors and the relationships of the cast are complex and touching. This film takes me back to my friend Chris who has always been passionate about the sport. This one is definitely a Win Win.

Cami's Precious Jewelry

Cami is an amazing artist. She very quietly pulled out these jeweled treasures that she artistically put together and let us go to town shopping in her jewelry trunk. Wow. This is even better than boutique shopping with a Chumash bundle. Her pieces are as precious as she is. She uses vintage chains and brass and silver chains and pairs them with beautifully unusual stones and charms and pearls and trinkets. If you were stranded on a desert island you would hope that if you found some tidbits of food and Cami's treasures you could survive. Earthly meets dainty equals Cami's jewels.

Hoop it Jordy

As you can see Jordy my hairdresser is not afraid of the HOOP earring. She is one of these girls that can pull off just about anything and look great. Hoop earrings resemble a ring and they come in a wide range of sizes. They were worn in ancient times and are still appreciated by fashionistas today. And if you are trying to find a good hairdresser she works at Salon Lux in San Luis Obispo and is not intimidated by the pixie haircut.

Meet Ali and Derek

                                          

 Do you want to walk out of a small business place and feel good about the money you just spent? Then go to Designer Watch Shop at 3212 Broad Street # 100 in San Luis Obispo, Ca. Derek has helped me with my watches, and today I witnessed him replace batteries on an Andy Warhol, Raymond Weil, Bulova, and my Dad's Timex in 8 minutes flat. Derek is a cool young man who has incredible customer service. After I paid my bill I had the joy of meeting Ali Athari the owner of the shop. He is JA Certified as a Master Jeweler and he is a fascinating artist. I had the pleasure of flipping through his custom jewelry portfolio to see the incredible designs he has orchestrated for the rich and famous. I had an instant hot flash just looking at the designs. If I hit a jackpot, I am going to ask Ali to design a custom piece to suit my tastes.  I would probably dream of an Art Deco Brooch made of what else diamonds and sapphires.

Fifteen and Going Strong

Jo Ann and Dean had their 15th wedding anniversary on Wednesday. I was happy to babysit her darling girls. I loved  Jo's outfit for the special dinner date with Dean. She picks colors that really pop her chestnut color hair. This coral color is striking on her. I loved her summery look of pairing the embroidered cropped jeans with some Patagonia type shoes. Her do not worry beaded bracelet was an excellent pairing with her stunning sterling cross from the man of her dreams.

Macro Santa Barbara

These were taken at  noon in high sun and wind at the Santa Barbara Rose Garden about a week ago. I used Kodak 400 speed film and shot with my Canon EOS Elan II and Canon Macro 100mm lens. I have concluded  the more rotten the rose the much preferred macro shot. Enjoy these.

The Roman Girls Vacation

                                                                      




It is about time. Rip us out of our everyday lives in the Hotel Business, the Medical Industry, and the World of Education and here we are the three Roman girls on vacation. It does not take us long to unwind. We really enjoy the California Coast. We started our venture close to home here in Central Coast. We had fun shopping in San Luis Obispo and then we ventured to Cambria. We loved the walk along the Cambria Coast and played and hiked around in the tide pools. After that we headed to the Danish town of Solvang to shop and eat an Aebleskiver with raspberry jam and a dusting of powdered sugar and then hit the Chumash Casino where we all had fun playing the slots. Then off to Santa Barbara to meet our dear friend Lorie who knows the city better than a Santa Barbara cab driver. Life is good. And Life is better than Good on Vacation.

Happy Father's Day

"I wonder if those birds ever tire of their song-I wonder whether a bird ever thinks, today I'll try a new song."
                     By Stanley Kunitz


This blog is for my father Morris Roman. He was the greatest Dad the Roman Girls could have asked for. He gave us many years of laughs and great times. He and Stanley Kunitz would have been great friends.

                                                                

Gallery of Wearable Art Equals GOWA

                                                                                                 
On the Roman girls vacation week, we came across two great fashion boutiques in Cambria. It is worth a trip to GOWA and the Porte House just to find fabulous fabrics from Paris designed and sewn by Dinah Lee and her husband Christopher. They have quite an extensive fashion design background that trails all the way from California to the East Coast, and eventually back to California. This is a mecca of an Art, Clothing, and Artistic Jewelry meeting under one fashion roof.  If I was the mother of a bride, I would go to one of their stores, located at 4009 and 4015 West Street in Cambria to  buy my special occasion dress. My sister Deb bought a lovely chiffon top and paired it with some skinny jeans and steel grey strappy sandals. Life is good. GO GOWA.

Fashionista Debbie

Meet Deb my oldest sister. One of the fashionista Roman Girls. Here she is pairing an Old Stud Handmade Leather Belt that was made in where else Jo Ann Texas, with Boyfriend Jeans and a White tissue tee. Her mixed media necklace has silver tones and gold tones and turquoise. If over 50 gets this good I am there.

Baskets of Love and Joy

These are beautiful baskets made by Regina. She started making these for friends and family. They are festive and beautiful. For a 20 dollar minimum she will put together a made-to-order individualized basket for that special occasion. She will add in products or goodies you want in there and then add a few creative touches of her own. When I try to do something like this I get frustrated and put too much money into it and the outcome is less than the results I so eagerly expected. One time I made some Martha Stewart succulent wreaths for Christmas Gifts and I was so disappointed I threw them away and went out and did the typical buy something routine hoping no one would raid my dumpster in Long Beach to find my awful craft project. Folks lets pay the artists to do for us. Call Regina at 459-7822  for a made-to-order basket of love and joy. PS. Today is my 50th birthday and yes I was one of the lucky ones. It is beautiful and full of lottery tickets, a coffee gift card, and lots of special goodies.

Birkenstock Babe

This one is dedicated to my husband Dan. He has worn these for 30 years. He may have been born in these. I will have to ask his mother. I used to buck the idea of these until I realized how comfortable they are for his feet. Happy feet equals a happy man. Birkenstocks have been around for a long time. Some things in life go beyond style

Noir Style For Bernie Roman

 

Some clothes have the ability to go from day to evening. Chicos is showing gorgeous longer dresses that go from day to evening with Moroccan prints of white,black, and electric blue. The designs this spring are imaginative and feminine. Noir Style highlights film noir from 1941, the Maltese Falcon to 1958 Touch of Evil.  The book demonstrates the force of film noir with striking black and white images that are unforgettable. Throw on a lovely long cotton scarf over that day dress and voila, you are ready for your own film noir. This blog is in remembrance of My Dear Mother Bernie Roman who was born on June 8, 1935. She saw all of the Film Noir Films and enjoyed them all. I used to say to her that I did not enjoy seeing film endings that did not end with a happy note  and she said than you are not preaparing yourself to live life.

Best Boutique Shopping in Central Coast

The Roman girls know fashion. One of our favorite shops is Desa's Store X-Pressions. It is located in Pismo Beach at 260 Pomeroy Ave. Desa has traveled  back and forth to Europe and her style sense will blow your mind. I love wearing one of  my favorite Desa treasures a  jewlery piece that is a White Italian Horn with beautiful swarvoski crystals in it that my friend Nena bought me years ago from the store. As you can see by the photos, Desa carries anything a fashionista would covet in purses, wallets, jewelry, clothing, and hats. This season she gets you in the mood to put on some flat sandals, sport a lovely feminine vintage top and pair it with some studded blue jean shorts. When I visited her store today, I met a lovely woman and her fashionable daughter who seem to really enjoy shopping in the store. When I asked the teen what she liked about X-Pressions she stated the store had 'vintage style clothes no one else seemed to carry'. Today I was good. But on pay day, I am going back for the Chanel-looking pearl and crystal necklace. And if Desa is not in the store Addie or Reanna will be able to meet your fashion needs.

Never Forget Andrew

Andrew Holt passed away on 5/24/11. He was 24 years old. He was on older brother to my friend Julian and a younger brother to Sky his sister and a son to my friend Suzie. He was liked by all. His family describes him as a hard worker, animal lover, and music appreciator. He and his dogs visited our care facility and he volunteered his time working with disabled children. He had a big heart and he was a kind soul. His real passion was punk rock. He frequented the concerts of punk rock stars and loved the bands the Misfits and T.S.O.L. We will miss him and we will never forget Andrew. Here is a photo of Julian, Andrew's brother wearing one of Andrew's favorite tees. Our beloved memory of Andrew. We will NEVER forget you.

Best Art Supply Store in San Luis Obispo

Today I went to San Luis Art Supply Store to return an Art Library Book that my husband Dan had checked out from Neal Breton's Art Store. The experience was positive. Neal is cool, friendly, knowledgable and actually gets up from a desk to assist you. My husband Dan frequents this store and raves about the high quality art materials and enjoys visiting with Neal and shooting the breeze about Bukowski vs.Fante or the local art scene. Neal has the only local 'Anarchy Library' in the San Luis County. You can check out books ranging from Political Science, Anarchy, Communism, Design, and Fine Art Books and Art Instructional Books. You can go to the web site of  the San Luis Art Supply to see for yourself what they carry and upcoming events. Go see Neal. It is definitely worth the trip.

Real Men Quilt

Alan Beck is an amazing artist. He is a quilter and most of his quilts tell us stories. His wife Regina was kind enough to bring one of his quilts to work so we can see this outstanding piece of art. Regina and Alan went to Egypt and Alan created one of three quilts as a remembrance of their experiences in Egypt.
The Path of the Dead
The God Anubis prepares the Dead for the Journey to the Afterlife. The journey begins with the twelve gates. The Dead must be recognized and allowed to pass by a guardian at each gate. Next the Heart is weighed against a Feather. If all goes well then the Dead rides a solar boat to the Sun God RA and the Afterlife.

Amanda's Pic

My friend Amanda put this on today and I was amazed at how pretty the nude color was on her. It looked like one of the Bobbi Brown's nude range lip stains. It is a Dr. Pepper Lip Smacker and it is very hydrating. Thanks for the tip Amanda. We girls need moisturized lips and a little color does not hurt.