This month we met a group of friends for our summer reunion which was held at the Finger Lakes. What a great place to vacation. There are all kinds of things to do. Lots of boat rides and activities on the lakes, viewing a bunch of falls (all of which were dry when we were there because of a drought and they did not start “falling” again until the day we left after there had been some rain!) The wineries are fabulous and the New York Finger Lake wines are really coming on. All in all it was a fabulous trip.

And on one day I got all of my creative juices flowing! Our first stop was at Note Fragrances.  Note is a perfumery where you can make your own scent. Last June I wrote a blog titled A Woman’s Good Scents. In it I discussed my love for fragrance and my interest in the fragrance notes. This place was made for me.  Here one can go through scent families and the note classifications. I was able to “discover your scent story”.  First you sit down and go through the various categories of scents: floral, sweet and spicy, earthy/woody, herbal, citrus, fresh and clean, fruits and berries. Then you decide what notes should be: top notes are “the first notes you smell”, middle notes are “the heart of the fragrance”, base notes are “the depth and longevity of the fragrance”. Then I got to work.  Knowing all of the scents that I like (and like me!), I selected each scent. Mark told me the best way to test it out was to dip the stick into each of the scents and clip them in a holder they use and fan out the sticks. Then you fan away and see how you like the result. Both my husband and I liked my combination and I was ready to turn it over to Mark to blend. Your personal scent is registered and numbered with them so that you can reorder as needed. I named it “Elaine’s Mix” .  Not terribly original, but I will remember it. Here is my scent Top Notes: bergamot and sweet orange; Middle Notes: lemongrass and chamomile; Base Notes: sandalwood and amber. I was so excited with my creation. Note Fragrances is located on the East Shore/Seneca Lake, 5930 State Route 414, Hector, NY. Well worth a visit if you like fragrance and are looking for originality.

From there we went to The Corning Museum of Glass. Here there are many exhibits of glass art, history and technology. We went to a live narrated hot glass demonstration which was fascinating. But, here comes the best part. My friend Julie and I made our own glass with the help of their glassmakers. We both made pendants. We each picked the colors we were interested in and then, like a real glassmaker, we made the piece melting it over an open flame blending the colors and determining the shape. So exciting! I can’t wait to get the piece I made. It had to cool for a 24 hour period and then they mail it to you if you can’t get back to pick it up.

In one day I got to experience two of my passions, creating my own fragrance and making a piece of jewelry. And then to be able to come back to our hotel (La Tourelle in Ithaca) and share my day’s experience with our friends over dinner made it to my “best days” list.

Life is good.

This summer we were in Italy, France and Spain. I thought for sure I would have lots to write about what was worn on “the street”. To tell you the truth, I feel there is more inspiration and interesting outfits seen in New York and New Jersey!

But, this was not a complete non-event. There were several items that I saw repeatedly and I thought I would share this with you.

Dresses, dresses, dresses!! Maxi’s were all around. Many were strappy or had cut outs in back. The look was good! Very flowing and a lot of white.

Stripes- everywhere-mostly black/white, navy/white. Stripes were in dresses, skirts and tee tops.

Lots of skirts with high/low hems. I have been talking about that as a big look here too.

Lacey short shorts- on the right legs this is a fabulous look

In shoes a popular look is caged styles. Heels, wedges, sandals and even a gladiator or two (why am I surprised since I was, after all, near the Colosseum!!)

Accent color for accessories was Yellow. Loved that. Very fresh.

One of the most interesting looks was in hair color. You see lots of red in Europe. A particularly good look was brunette chin length loose curls with deep red only on the tips of the curls. Looked really good.

Fashion is becoming so universal now with global coverage and availability. It is fun, though, to see how different countries interpret trends.