I found this Banana Split thrifted Hawaain rayon skirt in a vintage shop a couple of months ago. Its bright hibiscus flowers, green palm tress, and deep blue water scenes made me want it immediately. This is a perfect skirt for a casual night out, comfy as a pair of shorts, and so easy to combine with t-shirts or tank tops, dress up or down. I have always liked Hawaiian prints. They tend to be so lively and fun; perhaps it is partially the fact that the scenes on them evoke memories of vacations, or relaxation time.

I tend to like to wear this skirt with this Tutti Frutti necklace and bracelet I designed. In late June I will open my handmade Etsy shop and it will be carrying the necklace and perhaps bracelets too. The plastic fruit pieces I have currently are from the 80’s when I had a costume jewelry wholesaling business. They are so bright and cheerful! I hope the distributor is still carrying some beads like this since they are great and I’d like to restock them once I run out of my current stock.

Sorry the pictures didn’t come out so great this time. I have been so busy with the Etsy shop, getting it up and running, I haven’t gotten to focus as much on the blog. I need to get my head wrapped around it more and get better pictures!! Plus I am still working on getting the second Etsy shop running next month. It is a lot to do, at least initially since I have had to learn how to do it.

The floral pictures are from various gardens. Some are from St.Luke’s Garden in the West Village of NYC. Some are from the Jefferson Market Garden. The one with me near a rose bush is my own community garden, which is dry from the sun and not quite gorgeous and full of flowers just yet. The community garden near where I live is very small and we only have a few members. In general it is so lovely to walk around the city, or Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, and see all the beautiful flowers that are in bloom. Some local businesses put out large containers of flowers and it really makes the block more lively.

Well I hope you are enjoying Memorial Day weekend and having fun in the sun. I am headed to Florida soon to see my family. My daughter Emily is coming here first, then we are going there together. I can’t wait to see my grandmother. She is 94!

All photos  and written material by Marilyn Lavender. © Marilyn Lavender, 2016.  “All rights reserved.”