Real People

Last weekend was our Holiday Show. Whew! So much fun. It was a two day party. So many good friends stopped by, some from way back [grade school no less!] some brand new.

My space all set up and ready to go.

Maybe our guest of honor? Little Manny stopped by. I mean, how cute can you be? He’s such a sweetie.

He brought Joan, his mom. This lady knows knows how to style! She tried on this shawl collar coat and found all kinds of ways to wear it.

Below, the way I had envisioned it, the collar laid out wide across the shoulders.

A new way, the collar folded over showing the bright red underneath.

I love it!

This pretty lady showing off her new trench coat. Can you see? It’s covered with cranes. Cranes, for good luck, long life and fortune.

What a treat! Carol arrived wearing a gold swing coat she took home a few years ago.

I love seeing my pieces out and about!

You must remember Junko. I’ve never seen her in anything but a beautifully put together kimono. Needless to say, I am always blown away by her gorgeous combinations. She always looks fabulous!

These fabrics, so subtle, up close you see the amazing detail.

There was so much energy bouncing around. Energy and fun. I wish I could bottle it.

Thank you everyone for stopping by!

Every fall, the Smithsonian’s Women’s Committee puts on Craft2Wear, a fundraiser for the Smithsonian. It is held in the magnificent National Building Museum.

It’s a spectacular space, enormous columns in a four story tall atrium. The Women’s Committee knows how to put on a grand show.

All set up and ready for the evening Benefit and Preview party, my booth is in the lower right corner of this picture.

Thursday evening, the night of the party was so much fun! Lots of people came to support the Smithsonian, check out the clothing and jewelry of the some 70 artists and find treasures to bring home.

The next day, Friday, started as usual. Customers and friends stopped by.

But there was a buzz, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was going to come to the show.

The news that she had arrived spread fast. We were all hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

The Women’s Committee had thoughtfully provided a buffet and I was piling up a plate with sliced cheese and carrot pieces when I heard that she was close to my booth. I rushed back just in time.

She stopped to look and I showed her what I had in her size.

She quietly said, ‘OK, we’ll come back.’ And off she went with her security guards, the chairs of the Women’s committee and her assistants.

I thought, ‘Wow.’

I caught any breath. And did my best to remain standing.

People say they’ll be back all the time. Sometimes they really do return, but often something happens. They find another treasure, their phone rings and they have to leave, they tire and decide to go home.

I played the waiting game like a hopeful girl waiting for the phone to ring.

Wonders of wonders. After what seemed like an eternity, Justice Ginsburg and her entourage did return.

She tried on quite a few pieces. Me helping her.

Let me say that again: me helping Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, one of our nine supreme court justices, to try on the clothing I had designed and made.

I could feel her strength, hidden within her small frame, like a super hero. She’s sharp and chuckled at my little jokes but her focus was on which piece she liked best.

No wishy washy, maybe, maybe not, Justice Ginsburg was as decisive as you would expect. After trying on the various options, she chose this one.

What an experience! I felt higher than the moon. Such an honor.

We had one more day for the show. Although I was floating a few inches off the floor, I did manage to stay tethered to the earth enough so I could visit with and help all the wonderful people who came by that final day.

Thank you Women’s Committee for creating such a fabulous event!