A Year of Blogging: October 17, 2011

October 17 was 'Wear Something Gaudy Day'. My first thought was that I don't have anything gaudy. And then I thought about my sweater collections, and realized that while I don't think they are gaudy, others might. After all, gaudy is defined as "brilliantly or excessively showy, flashy, or ostentatiously ornamented." I love Quacker Factory. It's a line of clothing that was developed by the late Jeanne Bice and is sold on QVC. If you aren't familiar with it, look it up. Only in recent years has the line taken a more demure tone, including subtle sparkle into every day pieces. My favorites remain the sweaters with personality. I like to dress for the season. It's not just Quacker Factory. I also like Breckenridge from Elder Beerman and sometimes I can find seasonal pieces at Kohls. For winter I have snowflakes, penguins, and snowmen. In the spring I wear pieces with flowers. In the summer, I like patriotic items. Fall is for leaves, scarecrows, squirrels, and pumpkins. But my favorite by far is Christmas. I have about 30 Christmas sweaters and tops. I know this because I start wearing them the day after Thanksgiving, and have enough to wear a different one each day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Many of my sweaters are more than five years old, but still look very nice because I wear them once or twice a season. I like to be festive. Which is quite funny, because my personality is more of a wall-flower than the center of attention. But when it comes to my clothing, my favorite pieces are a little bit loud. I have a fall sweater (from Quacker Factory of course) that has a dog playing in a pile of leaves. There are sequined leaves running up and over the shoulder. The last time I wore the sweater, someone actually asked if I had bedazzled my sweater. Hearing the word 'bedazzled' made me think perhaps it was a little over the top. But I'm not going to stop wearing it. My sweaters, whether gaudy or not, provide a smile during the day. Take the chance today to find your own gaudiness! And if it makes you happy, then embrace it and wear it more frequently.