Many years ago, when I attended a Catholic high school, we were required to wear navy and white plaid skirts, white blouses and navy sweaters. We also were required to wear navy or black shoes. If it was very cold or we so desired, we could wear the uniformed navy slacks. By the time I finished high school I had had enough of navy to last me about twenty five years!

It’s only recently that I’ve been wanting more than a handful of darker blue pieces in my wardrobe. I also like the color teal or a softer shade or a deep turquoise blue. Several weeks ago I came upon a vintage large pocket wrap skirt at Stellah’s Vintage Groove in Bedford Stuyvesant. It was handmade so the quality caught my eye. It is that deep turquoise kind of blue, with little yellow apples with black stems. When I saw that hanging on the rack I immediately thought of how those colors could liven up my fall/winter clothing. It was a mere ten dollars and I am not sure when it was made. It has those large pockets like in the late 1940’s. If it was made later the fabric is vintage. I believe it was made about 1948 when those little apples seemed to be a popular pattern. I have enjoyed wearing it with either a white blouse or a deep golden yellow tee shirt . In the cold winter I will wear it with tights and a bulky sweater.

Picture by Angela Delacroix

Several months ago I bought a teal, navy mixed plaid dress with soft green and purple lines in it. It’s a vintage Prince Charmer dress, from the 1950’s. I find it kind of fun that it reminds me of my old Girl Scout dresses when I was very young. It is in good shape, other than a bit of fading from wash and wear.   There are times it is difficult to deal with the pressure of trying to dress appropriately for offices and still trying to retain one’s own style. This dress is perfect since it has a lovely office look, yet is vintage and plaid. I always like plaids!

Picture by Angela Delacroix

I also have this lovely pale blue Fifth Avenue Mussallhem Product apron from the 1970’s. It is so pretty that sometimes I am tempted to upcycle it onto a skirt. The scene on the front is so cheerful ! It reminds me of Vesuvio Bakery on Prince Street in Soho, NY even though it is a different scene on the apron.

When I used to live in Colorado, my favorite apartment that I have ever lived in ever had a turquoise antique stove! The building had another just like it across the way, both used to be a 1950”s hotel. Then later it became a residential apartment building. When apartments there were for rent either people came to see them and loved it, or they took a look outside, saw that it looked like an old hotel and split. The people who lived there all loved it. Our neighbors tended to be other artistic and creative people. We had picnic tables between the buildings, and each apartment had a swinging love seat outside. It was such a quaint place to live. I could sit and watch the snow fall in winter from out my kitchen window. Often as I was cooking dinner I saw packs of raccoons or a couple of deer out in our yard between the two buildings. From my neighbor’s apartment on the second floor patio, we could at night and watch the sun setting over the mountains. So that turquoise stove remains fondly in my memory for inviting me to live in such a lovely place for several years.

I cannot think of blue without thinking of my Southwestern silver jewelry. I like to wear silver bracelets and turquoise with new clothes, thrifted outfits and even vintage. I enjoyed the nature and mountains out in the west. I loved seeing animals every day when I lived in Colorado. Often I saw deer, rabbits, raccoons, and even foxes on occasion. It is a beautiful feeling to be walking on a road and come across a family of deer.   I remember one family where the mother or father looked me in the eye, as to see what my decision would be about allowing them to pass. I waited for the traffic to pass and crossed the road so they felt safe to continue. I also really thrived on the feeling one gets when digging and growing plants in a large garden plot such as I had in Boulder, Colorado. I rented it from the city for a small fee every spring. It was only three blocks from my apartment. I grew lots of herbs and flowers. I miss those kinds of feelings so much living in the city; so my Southwestern jewelry is a reminder of that spirit. I think the jewelry has become incorporated with who I am. I have carnelian pieces as well, or little red stones, prehnite pieces, yet they all have that Southwestern feel.

Life in the city for me is often brings up conflicting feelings. There are times I feel like I am on a long business trip.  I came here hoping for more financial security. The recession has been a rough tumble. Perhaps things will turn around. I am in a state of flux, looking for more steady work right now.

I also wanted to be a part of Bedford Stuyvesant (in Brooklyn), NY, becoming more diverse as a neighborhood. It is a great neighborhood in Brooklyn, at least in my opinion. Years ago it used to be an area with a huge amount of crime and violence. Even twenty years ago I used to walk as far as I could, (one had to think of one’s safety) within the area and look at the old brownstones. I saw such promise there. Now I have actually seen the brownstones being renovated, I became a part of the community as well.   I don’t live in that area anymore, but I am within a twenty minute bus ride away. One of the things I love about that neighborhood is that it is religiously and racially diverse area. People are respectful of one another, and very neighborly.

One of the hobbies I have during my time off is taking pictures of old brownstones and old houses. A couple of the houses in this post were built around 1903-1910 in the Ditmas Park area of Brooklyn. For this post I chose houses with lots of blue! This neighborhood is filled with lovely, old Dutch homes. The subway came to the Ditmas Park area around 1903, and during the 1900’s many homes were built. I have a lot of pictures of brownstones that I have taken through the years. I will share some of those in later post. The first few years after I moved back to Brooklyn I lived in two different brownstones. I wanted to live in a brownstone so much, to have that experience. It was great in some ways. Walking around and looking at old brownstones is really fun. I didn’t have a whole apartment living that way though, so eventually I moved further into Brooklyn. Now I have more space and rent stabilization; yet in order to get that I live in a larger building.

I hope you are enjoying fall where ever you are! It is such a lovely time of year. The changing of the season is an experience that I have always enjoyed.