Open Letter to Pajamas Designers

Dear PJ Designers:

The other day I was in a large national store looking for PJ’s as a gift. I was having a hard time finding anything. As I wandered the department I noticed other women with scrunch noises, a-gasp mouths, scrunch eyes and just plain rotten looks.
Finally I said to one woman; “Having Problems?” Her comment was just my thoughts. “Everything is ugly! There is nothing worth buying!” I went to the next woman; “You look like the rest of us…having problems?” Her answer was the tops: “Did they get this department mixed up with the pre-teens?” The next one wasn’t so nice: “This is garbage!”

Designers… how long has it been since you have walked the floor of a PJ’s department in any store that is not in New York City? How long since you were in any other state but New York? Or are you just sending the junk out to the other states? The one woman had it right…we are not pre-teens and pre-teens should not be dictating what adult women wear to bed!

Just because we are going to sleep doesn’t mean that we have lost our fashion flare. Scotty dogs, ducks, lambs, bears, moose or any other animal on our sleeping or at times, our lounging attire we left years ago! And by the way there are more colors in the rainbow than, pink, blue, extra pale purple oh yes, and GRAY. And why do most of you think we all like to get ready for bed in pastels? I prefer something just a little sexier in colors.
Oh Please, we have been setting the fashion curve for decades. Including the mod designs: which, came to some designer in London on an acid trip during the late 60’s. But the PJ’s of today are an actual shame.

We are not trying to look like our pre-teens, or our teen daughters. You might think that is ‘cute’ but most of us don’t. We want stylish, designs with great interesting fabrics. You can’t tell me that they can’t print almost anything on fabric these days? They print the moose don’t they? Designers; watch what stores are putting on sale and how soon they go on sale after the item hits the stores. This should help you in what you design.

We don’t want the cramp your style, but the last thing my husband wants to see is me coming to bed in PJ’s with ducks on them. It is demining to women that have been setting the style longer than most of the new designers are old. We might have worn and made the mod designs a hit; but that was back in the 60’s when our mothers were still wearing full skirts.

Happy Holidays
Amazingly Yours
Dr Marlene

I sincerely hope that you and yours have a wonderful holiday season. No matter how you celebrate it the only thing that is important is that you do celebrate and enjoy life.

Decorating like Chanel

This is my most favorite time of the year. Almost everyone is in a good mood. Stores are in their best finery, houses are lit up with sparkling lights and there is a mood in the air that can be felt and best described as wonderful.

In the local newspaper last week I read an article about what an interior decorator would do for Christmas in a particular home. One line that stuck in my mind was “Decorate for Christmas like Chanel. When you think you are done, remove something…or know when to stop.” That statement got me to thinking. Why?

When you looked at the house, you can see why the decorator said what they said. The house was huge and the decorations were the same. The fireplace alone had decorations on the mantel that most homes would only be able to put on the floor. And the floor decorations were life size. If I had a place where I could put up a life size Nutcracker like the one that is taller than me at Costco, I would have a great time decorating. The wreath above the fireplace was 4 feet across. But most of us don’t have homes of that size.

How many of us can put a 25 foot tree in one room? My neighbors could; where the ceiling in the living room is two stories. But the width of the bottom of the tree would take up most of the rest of the room. So it is not practical.

What is wrong with a little excess this time of year? Isn’t Christmas the time of the year when we over do almost everything? It is a season of excess! An extra bow here and a tad bit more garland there and more lights…more lights! So what if it takes you all year to pay off the electricity bill! Isn’t it worth it? It is fun and beautiful.

Besides it gives all of us a chance to be kids again. The wide eyes, the hopeful thoughts, the music, the tastes; this is the time of year that feeds all of our senses. Including thoughts that take us back to our childhood.

Decorate like Chanel…not…go ahead add that extra bow, garland or whatever. It’s that short time of the year when we adults can become kids again. ENJOY!!

Amazingly Yours,
Dr Marlene

This would make a great New Years gift. And be a fun read that can also teach you the secrets I learned on losing over 170 lbs. pick up my book: The Thinking Side to Thin: available on Amazon or under links to my other sites. It will be a good one to have around just after the holidays. Or if you want to learn more about color, my book Marketing’s Silent Language includes how to use what the eye sees first, to your advantage.

Decorations from What??

Yesterday I had Bonnie Dell from Design Style Taste on my radio show. What a fun show. What was even more fun was all the similarities we have. What really hit home was the story of her Father bumping into furniture when he came home because her and her Mother kept moving it around. Oh my; what memories. My Father would do the same because my Mother and I were always moving the same furniture around, and I was always changing the decorations in the house.

This is the season of memories. The ones I love the best are the stories behind all the different tree decorations that have been handmade. My Mother made decorations from almost anything and I am sure I got her love of the season and her ‘different eye’ to seeing that almost anything (within reason) could be made into a decoration.

My most fun story is a couple of lovely decorations that I have done from what could be called box throw-a-ways. The story starts with was I received for that Christmas. It seemed that I got enough perfume to last me about 8 years! Talk about like minds! That was the year that perfume manufactures were presenting the fragrances’ in interesting boxes.
As I was cleaning up and getting rid of the papers (etc.) from the openings…these boxes caught my eye. One looked like a little gold treasure chest. It seemed such a shame to just throw this away.

So with box in hand off I went to find something to decorate it with. About 2 hours later I have conjured up a lovely little gold box with several red ornaments stacked in the box with a few greens for balance. It turned out great. And what could be better than instant Christmas decorations. Take out of storage…sit on table…bingo…holiday!

Looking to almost anything to become a decoration with a sprig of holly or a bit of ribbon gives a different perspective. Yes I caught my Mother’s eye. And that eye takes me through the season with the wonderment of a child at times. Thanks Mom.

Oh…that decoration came out of the storage box this year with a broken ornament on top. I already knew the color of those ornaments were difficult to get. So this year in place of that broken ornament, I placed a silk red rose. Voila fixed and beautiful as ever and still an instance table decoration.

Amazingly Yours,
Dr Marlene

If you want to learn more about color, my book Marketing’s Silent Language includes how to use what the eye sees first, to your advantage. Or if you want a fun read that can also teach you the secrets I learned on losing over 170 lbs. pick up my book: The Thinking Side to Thin: available on Amazon or under links. It will be a good one to have around just after the holidays.

Remembering Those Who Serve Us

We are all rushed and stressed this time of year. Most of that is self-imposed. All of it is not others reasonability. This is a wonderful time of the year and it is also the time to remember all of those who help us get all our goodies; the salespeople behind ever counter regardless of the store or restaurant.

It is a wonderful time of year to remember the salespeople are stressed also. In fact probably more so then us as they must deal with ‘us’. Wouldn’t it be a great time to Thank them for doing a great job and putting a smile on their face? Let me tell you how this started.

Many, years ago I was in line during the holidays and behind one of the rudest shoppers I had seen ever. By the time she got finished with the salesclerk the poor person looked like they lost their best friend. (You know the look) So I stepped up, with a smile on my face and chatted with them how great a job they were doing. How I could not do what they are doing, it takes a special person to handle their kind of job and all ‘Us’ shoppers really appreciate them; as I left the counter with my goodies, the person was smiling and happy! Not only did they feel great, so did I!

No matter how many problems I have during the holidays, I complement the salespeople. They feel good and because it makes me happy my holiday shopping goes easier. Happy is a wonderful feeling!

Years later, I tried something new. Each year I buy more cards then I need. (They are all so great!) And I always have left-over’s. So I have taken to carry several with me to hand out to the salespeople with the simple phrase written in them “a grateful shopper”. I handed the salesperson a card as I left the counter. Wow…what a high!!!

Sometimes I feel like that “Secret Santa”. Try some of these this season. It can make your season brighter.

Amazingly Yours
Dr Marlene

Give the gift for the New Year
“The Thinking Side to Thin”
7 Mental Secrets to Successfully Winning the Weight Loss Game
Available on Amazon or www.thinkingsidetothin.com