Johnny & Felix

One of the cutest pictures I ever snapped......my little brother and the family cat, Felix...the big black cat.   This was taken years ago with my Brownie camera given to me by my sister.  It was the start of my interest in photography.  Felix belonged to my older brother but I wanted him to be my cat so badly!

Speaking Out About Unnecessary Plastic Surgery

This blog is mostly about my store...what new clothing and jewellery has arrived in the store, ideas about how to wear Tattered Rose clothing, upcoming events and such; however, I DO show the more personal side of me...like my love for cats and boots and old trucks....because it is a package...me, my store....we are one.

Today, I am expressing my dismay at the sight of Bristol Palin after she has had plastic surgery...supposedly to correct her misaligned jaw.

Look at her "before" picture....a beautiful, young woman with a full face, gorgeous eyes and a sweet smile.  She looks so natural and lovely....simply stunning.

Then look at the "after" picture, after the "corrective jaw surgery".  She is almost unrecognizable, and is no longer the natural beauty...her face looks "done" and her outward appearance depicts someone else...someone whose face is a bit "off"...and I have to say I do not like it.  

I know it is HER face but it is MY opinion that she has taken something beautiful and turned it into something not so beautiful because it is no longer her.  Yes, she is still pretty but where is she gone...the young woman who WAS Bristol Palin?


All of this may seemingly have nothing to do with my store and this blog; however, since I feel that Tattered Rose is about embracing a romantic lifestyle and being beautiful women who are comfortable in their own skin, this really DOES have something to do with it.

I am saddened by society's obsession with youth and the pursuit of perfection, for one thing.  But even more, I am greatly disturbed by the desire of an already attractive person/celebrity to have plastic surgery to theoretically look better, younger, more desirable, more acceptable.  I think it often makes them look worse, not better. At the very least, it changes the way they look and alters our perception of who they are.

When you see a celebrity who has had OBVIOUS work done on their face, such as unnatural plumping of the upper lip, or having their eyes tweaked or their chin narrowed, it is immediately obvious to me.  Their face is not quite natural looking anymore.  I'd much rather see a person look like themselves and/or age gracefully than have them get plumped and injected and cut up to resemble some other person.  I want to see that person as they are...and aging as they should....not become a distorted version of their former selves.

I'm all for doing whatever you can to maintain as youthful appearance as possible sans drastic surgery or injections.  For people who really DO need corrective surgery to feel better about a disfigurement or an overly large nose (for example), it can be a good decision...if all goes well.  What I object to is celebrities (and regular people) who have nothing wrong with their faces choosing to go under the knife and end up looking like someone else.  When they change the proportions of their faces....the ratio of all the parts to each other that make them who they are, they are messing with nature...and usually not for the better.

Below are examples of how surgery changes the proportion and character of the face:
Rupert Everett, Joan Van Ark and Bruce Jenner

The specifics of what they have done is not important.  What matters is that they have forever lost themselves...the way they were, the faces they had that made us love them and feel comfort in seeing an old friend....and for me, it is a sad thing.


*I promise my next blog entry will be about the new arrivals at the store.

Beautiful Images

It's Official....Tattered Rose is Moving!

We got the final word yesterday and it is now official.....some time this summer, our new store space is going to be in this condominium building, located on 110 Street, south of Jasper Avenue (on a one way street) It is a charming older neighbourhood across the street from the oldest Catholic church in Edmonton, close to Pariliament buildings, lawyers offices in converted older houses......not too far from Jasper Avenue and only 3 or 4 minutes from our present location.

Above is a "BEFORE" picture of the what will be Tattered Rose's new home some time this summer.  The "AFTER" pictures of the outside of the building will not be very dramatic...I don't think they will want me painting the brick like my current store (shown below)  Of course, the owner of the building where Tattered Rose currently resides knew that at some point he would be demolishing the building so he didn't really care. Can you imagine me asking the condo board if could paint the brick around my store?  

The real difference is how the new store will look INSIDE once renovations are complete...here we go again!  Considering that the new store at 1600 square feet is almost twice the size of the current one and to keep myself from being too stressed about this move, I have to look at it as a new chapter in the life of Tattered Rose...an opportunity to incorporate many of the ideas I have had in the space we are in now, such as:

* a devoted & expanded wedding/special occasion area complete with carpeting!
*a seating area for husbands, boyfriends, guests
*more home decor with emphasis on the eclectic and one-of-a-kind items that are currently only display props that so many of my customers want to purchase
*more display mannequins to properly show off our beautiful clothing and jewellery

We will be notifying all of our customers on the email list once we have moved.  Stay tuned for the latest developments!!

Random Sunday Lineup

Spring Jewels by Zuka