Sunday, May 13, 2012

CHICK LIT AUTHOR BLOG HOP 2012


This is your last stop for the 2012 Chick Lit Author Blog Hop!  Let's give Tracie Banister a huge round of applause for making this possible.  Tracie, take a bow!  On behalf of Tracie, and all the other authors you have met along the way, we hope you have had a blast.  Don't forget to collect the italicized secret word at each blog you hop to, and email them to CLABlogHop@aol.com ASAP.  We DO NOT want you to miss out on that $150 Sephora gift card!  




What we Wear

     My closet and I have a love/hate relationship.  On a bright and cheery Tuesday morning, I check out my image in the full length mirror that hangs on the back of my bathroom door.  MAN! do I look good!  Lilac cropped sweater with a white tank top peeking from underneath, khaki pants, and my favorite patent leather, purple loafers are the finishing touch.  Did I tell you that I look really, really good right now?  A week later, I put on the exact same outfit, look into the mirror, and the reflection staring at me reads nothing like last week.  This time it reads utter disaster.  So I return to stare blankly at my closet, attempting to find something else to wear.  It’s all downhill from that moment on.  This example of clothes behaving badly is what I define as the clothesfit. 

     A clothesfit is when you try on every outfit in your closet, that you previously loved when framed upon your figure, yet your desire at this moment is to lovingly fold every item you own on hangers, into neatly piled stacks, and then drive a Zamboni right over the crest of your jeggings and capri pants.  In your brain’s current condition, that cute sundress reads Hawaiian Mumu, your oversized sweater could cover you and every member of your Bunko club at the same time, and what were you thinking buying those neon, peep toe pumps?  I am with you; I feel your pain.

     Although we experience moments of clothing discomfort, digging through our closets can also bring bliss.  You rediscover the little black dress you wore when you met your boyfriend at a friend’s wedding.  Your mom happened to save your letter jacket from high school even though you rolled your eyes at the time; now you have a conversation piece at your next 80’s party.  You never could put a finger on why you saved that raggedy t-shirt you wore while bringing your first baby home from the hospital, but you’re so glad that you did.  These are the little walks down memory lane that we happen upon all the time.  We reflect while digging in our junk drawers, perusing over photo albums, and even when the D.J. spins our favorite songs from days gone by.

     Recently, I met a fabulously timeless woman named Ilene Beckerman.  She likes to call herself a “Post-menopausal Cinderella.”  I like to call her friend.  

Isn't she gorgeous?  Next time we are together in NYC, we're getting tattoos!

     Ilene wrote a book in 1995 titled, Love, Loss, and What I Wore, chronicling items of clothing she wore through the decades.  She lovingly sketched each illustration, from stockings to hair styles, and married them with lovely words about the importance they played in her life.  Ilene also discloses personal events taking place while wearing her treasured goods.  Her words and art empower readers to muse over the fabrics of their own lives.  While immersed in the pages, I would constantly drift off remembering my own revolving closet over the years.  The Shawn Cassidy surfer shirt I wore as often as possible in first grade; the puffy sleeved, polka dotted dress I wore to my senior banquet in high school, and the checked blazer I purchased from the Gap which finished off my look the night of my first date with the man I would eventually marry.  Clothing affects us.  Clothing may not define you; however it does give us some definition for the times and moments in our lives. 
If you think this book looks darling, check out Ilene's other books here


     Ilene Beckerman’s little book of clothing sketches was something she created for her daughters and two best friends to treasure.  It was never meant for publication, yet it was destined to happen.  Ilene’s best friend sent her copy to a publisher.  The publisher gathered the women of the office around the sketches where they all confessed the little book evoked their own personal memories of beads and baubles.  The publication of Love, Loss, and What I Wore lead to its birth as an Off-Broadway sensation in the hands of super sisters, Nora and Delia Eprhon.  This “little book that could” also had a cameo appearance on a show you might remember called, Sex and the City.  All of this beginning for Ilene at the tender age of 60.

Jen, Ilene & Angie Klink at the 2012 Erma Bombeck Writer's Workshop

     I am curious what item comes to mind that references an important event in your life.  Whether you share your first purchase of a “big girl” purse or maybe your favorite pair of pink toe socks, tell me about what you have worn and loved over the years that made you smile; perhaps even cry.  I cannot wait to hear from you!


BLOG HOP PRIZES: By leaving your comment AND email address here at my blog, you could win an ebook copy of my book, The Day I Wore my Panties inside Out.  Make sure that you hop on over to the other author’s blogs who are participating for a chance to win a copy of their books as well! 

BLOG HOP RULES: Please read ALL rules and instructions!  
*Each of the 34 participating authors has written a special Chick Lit-centric piece and these posts will go live on Monday, May 14th.  At each blog hop stop, you will have the opportunity to enter to win a FREE Chick Lit e-book from that particular blog's owner/author. All you have to do is leave a comment on the blog post, including your name and e-mail address, and you're automatically entered to win.  If you visit each blog hop stop, that means you have the chance to win 34 different e-books!

*The blog hop will start at Natalie Aaron & Marla Schwartz and end at Jen Tucker.  You will find a list of all the stops on the blog hop at each author’s blog.  Authors' blogs will be listed in alphabetical order according to last name.

*In each of the author's blog posts, there will be a "secret word."  This word will be italicized, so it will be easy to find.  All you have to do is make note of this secret word at each blog hop stop.  Collect all 34 secret words and submit your list to CLABlogHop@aol.com before midnight on Sunday, May 20th and you will be entered into the Grand Prize Drawing!  The winner of this drawing will receive a $150 Sephora gift card!  $150 to spend on make-up, fragrance, bath and body goodies, skin care, and hair products!  How fun is that?  This gift card can be redeemed online, or at any Sephora store in the US.

*Winners of each of the participating author's e-books, as well as the Grand Prize winner of the $150 Sephora gift card will be announced on Monday, May 21st.

*Contests are open to residents of the United States only.

CLICK HERE for the link to the other author's blogs! 


Good luck and don't forget to leave your email and comment below! 
XOXO
Jen

58 comments:

  1. Hey Jen! Love your stop! Thanks for doing the hop! <3 Tobi

    tobihelton at gmail dot com

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    1. Tobi! Thank you for stopping by and spreading the word! We all appreciate you very much XOXO

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    2. Anytime! And I have a pj problem in the winter time! I can't own enough!!!!!!! LOL

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  2. Hi Jen! I used to have a 'sock fetish', my BFFs would tell you (me, I'd just say that one should coordinate from head to toe!)

    jcsites2002 at hotmail dot com

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    1. Ha! Dolly that's fabulous! You and my Gracie would get along so well. Her sock drawer runneth over. Thanks for stopping by!

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  3. Thanks for the contest.

    brn2shop9
    brn2shop9 at gmail dot com

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  4. I am breaking all the rules by starting instead of ending at your site! Great post *by* a lovely woman *about* a lovely woman! As for my own Love, Loss and What I Wore, I sincerely regret my Bay City Rollers phase. Really. ~A
    I shall hop over to the other sites now as well!
    astrag@rogers.com

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    1. Astra! You rule breaker, you! That's why we are peas & carrots XOXO

      I keep thinking about the Frankenberry shirt my Grandma made for me when I was little. I could still rock that today!

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  5. What a wonderful title ... The Day I Wore My Panties Inside Out! That is hilarious! I can't wait to read it. Thanks for participating in the hop!
    Rhonda D
    slinkydennis@yahoo.com

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    1. Hi Rhonda! I am so glad you stopped by :) Good luck! XOXO

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  6. I have a purse problem! Bought my first "big girl" purse 4 years ago. It was scary expensive but I loved it! Luckily I still use it :)
    Great post - can't wait to read your book!

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    1. My first "big girl" purse came to me in college. My mom surprised me and took me to LS Ayres dept. store in Indianapolis, IN and bought me my first Coach purse. It was a bucket style (picture the feedbags you strap on horses), chocolate brown bag that closed when you pulled on the leather cords at the top. I thought that I was the bee's knees! XOXO

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  7. Hi Bethany! Thanks so much for stopping by! GOOD LUCK XOXO

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  8. My husband bought me my first designer purse. I'm not sure why it made me feel like a grown-up to carry it, but it did. I giggle everytime I go to the grocery store in my boxers and old t-shirt carrying my way-too-expensive purse. I love it and I love my adorable husband!

    I’m a new fan! I'm so excited about this blog hop because I get to meet new great authors like you. :)
    caribellacreations at gmail dot com

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    1. Hi Cari! I am so glad that you stopped by and spent time with me. I love that Tracie Banister put this together so that we could meet. I hope you will come back and visit soon XOXO

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  9. Clothing definitely helps to define us, and affects how we feel. Great post! pwriter1(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. So true, Patricia! I definitely walk a little taller and smile a little more when I take off my mismatched pajamas in the morning :) Thank you for stopping by! XOXO

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  11. I remember when I used some Bat Mitzvah money to buy my first pair of Guess jeans and a Forenza v-neck sweater. I couldn't wait to wear it to school that week. On the way back from the mall, as I sat in the passenger side of my older sister's car, we stopped short and I held onto my shopping bag with all I had. I didn't fear my life as much as never being able to wear my new outfit...

    dithythekid at hotmail dot com

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    1. Hi Meredith! I worked at The Limited when I was in high school, and thought I was the cat's meow when I bought a pair of Guess denim overalls with my hard earned money. Who am I fooling? I spent every dime I made on clothes where I worked! Now that I am thinking about it, I'm pretty sure I talked my mom into buying me the overalls as a "reward" for good grades. HA! Thanks for stopping by! XOXO

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  12. Ah, now see, that's where you & I differ... I wore the Cassidy shirt for the senior banquet, and the puffy dress in first grade. ;) Kidding. Totally. :) (atwellerik / gmail)

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    1. I KNEW it! That is so like us Erik; to have the exact same wardrobe over the years... What about turquoise parachute pants? Did you have those? XOXO

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  13. I grew up very, very poor. I didn't have a lot of clothes, much less nice clothes. When I was twelve I babysat for the whole summer so that I could buy Wrangler jeans for school. I bought three pair. I was walking on cloud nine when I went to school that first day. I remember it like it was yesterday. I am 49 now and will always remember that feeling of pride I had. Thanks for doing the hop!

    gatormaryd(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Hi Mary! Thank you for stopping by. I had a pair of Wrangler's too! They were very dark denim, and made me feel like one tough customer :) I think of that commercial every time I say Wrangler Jeans! XOXO

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  14. I saved you for last my sweet friend! It cracks me up how much clothing defines who we are and some of the most important times of our lives. I remember exactly what I wore the day my cousin accidently hit me in the head with a baseball bat and almost killed me. I remember what I was wearing when my parents came and told me my grandfather had passed. I remember exactly what I was wearing the night I met my husband. Those clothes were so important at some of the most important times in my life.

    I had to giggle at your post...I know for a fact you do not own any neon peep toe pumps! :)

    Thanks for encouraging me to participate. It was a lot of fun and introduced me to some new authors I'm going to have to check out!!
    Much love Jen!
    Theresa Crowell
    theresacrowell(at)msn(dot)com

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    1. Stop telling on me that I do not own heels! You are blowing my facade! LOL! Why is it that we remember what we wore for certain events; yet when I get to the top of my staircase I have no idea why I am there. Then once I walk back down, I remember why I was up there in the first place! Thanks for stopping by! XOXO

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  15. I too had a Shaun Cassidy shirt when I was in elementary school. Mine tho had Shaun and Parker Stevenson from the Hardy Boys on it and it was a turtleneck. There were these t-shirt shops at the beach where you could get a decal hot pressed onto any shirt and this was what my sister and I each got as a gift one year for Christmas! I even have proof that the shirt exists as I wore it in my class picture in the 2nd grade.

    thanks for participating in the hop!

    mimirose41209 at hotmail dot com

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    1. You did Mimirose?!? Mine was light blue, short sleeved, and had Shawn's big old head on the front with a small picture of him surfing on the side. His "autograph" also was stamped front and center under his head, which made the shirt super cool to me. I loved watching The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries. I was so mad when they went off the air :( Thanks so much for stopping by! XOXO

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  16. When I was getting ready to return to work after my first baby was born I bought a "big girl" purse. It wasn't my first (heh), and it's entirely impractical for carrying diapers, sippy cups or snacks. But I got it as something special just for me.

    Wendy

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    1. Wendy, that is so funny because I did THE SAME THING! After my daughter was born, I didn't fit into any of my clothes, but you can ALWAYS fit into a new purse. I bought my first red satin, Kate Spade clutch. I was in love. Then I brought it home and had visions of baby puke and sticky Cheerios leaving their mark. I returned it the next day :) HA! Thanks for stopping by Wendy! Don't forget to leave your email XOXO

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  17. For me it is a pair of earrings. I've had them forever and I still love them. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Margaret
    singitm(at)hotmail(dot)com

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    1. Hi Margaret! That is my mom's middle name. So lovely. I tend to gravitate to jewelry pieces like that in my own drawer. My husband gave me a beautiful sterling silver heart necklace when we were dating, and is the one piece I would be heartbroken to part with. He laughs because he said he bought it on clearance at a dept. store. To me, it's priceless. Thanks for stopping by! XOXO

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  18. LOVE your post!! Too funny!!

    Thanks for taking part in the hop! I'm really enjoying meeting such awesome authors, such as yourself!

    Lisa @ Lost in Literature
    llongi717 AT yahoo DOT com

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    1. Hi Lisa! I am so glad that you stopped by! I love that we have the chance to meet new people and that you might win some great summer reading while spending that Sephora gift card! I hope you will pop by again soon XOXO

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  19. looking forward to winning a FREE Chick Lit e-book! i have seem to become a book whore lately!

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    1. HA! I have THE SAME problem! There are so many ebooks that catch my eye and just beg me to put them on my Kindle! I will always love holding a book in my hands; smelling the ink. I love my Kindle too. It might be the way I get the courage to read Fifty Shades of Grey with no one knowing! HA! Don't forget to stop back by and leave your email! I would hate for you to miss out XOXO

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  20. My husband knows to leave the room when I'm trying to figure out what to wear for some event. I always say, "I'm not going." If he doesn't get that hint, I say, "Get out of here. Save yourself!"

    Currently still digging on my rubber chicken purse because it will always make me think of EBWW 2012. So happy I got to meet you there.

    Amy Sherman

    abcdsherman at gmail dot com

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    1. Amy! They day you decide to part with the rubber chicken purse, it wants to come live at my house. It told me so at breakfast :)

      My hubs knows that if there are 3-5 discarded garments on the bed, and he cane hear me stopping my feet in the closet, be afraid... be very afraid. Thanks for stopping by Aims! I miss you XOXO

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  21. Allyson
    I have a purse problem, I love them;) My grandmother bought me my first grown-up purse for 16th birthday. I remember being so excited;) Thanks for being a part of the hop.
    allysonbrann06 at yahoo dotcom

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    1. Hi Allyson! Oh man... purse problems. I totally understand that. My very first purse came to me when I was four, and I still remember it. My grandmother bought it for me as a surprise while I was visiting her. It was black, and had a big monkey head on it! I wish I still had it. Thank you for stopping by! XOXO

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  22. Have heard amazing things about your books! My clothing is my first college sweatshirt I bought - perfectly worn and amazingly comfortable. :)

    klyDOT327ATgmail.com

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  23. Hi Kristen! *Jen blushes because she doesn't take compliments well* That is so sweet of you to say; thank you! I am so glad you stopped by and will visit here often. I LOVE to borrow (I really mean steal) one of my hubby's college sweatshirts. It is faded, HUGE in size, but the cotton is so soft and it feels so when I wear it.

    Good luck, girl! So many fabulous books to be won! XOXO

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  24. You, as always, are pure fabulousness. I can't get enough of you. I wish you were small enough to fit in my pocket! One day I'll have a mini-Jen :D

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    1. You always make MY day because you are cupcake fabulous! *JJ squeezes the cream filling out of JJ* XOXO

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  25. Loved your clothing drama's. lol And your mother is beautiful! God bless her!
    Lmackesy @ gmail.com

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    1. Hi Lauren! Thank you so much for stopping by! Have a wonderful weekend TGIF! XOXO

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  26. Jen, I found your blog post very touching. Teared up a little even. :) Am definitely checking this book out and WOW. Talk about empowering and encouraging! All of this happening at 60 for Ms. Beckerman.

    And I totally know that feeling of loving one look one day, and then detesting it the next. Glad I'm not alone (was starting to think I was a little crazy haha). My husband says what makes an outfit look good one day and not so great another is the 'glow factor.' I laughed at first but I think he's right. The days I don't look so great are the days I'm not very smile-y, or am feeling down on myself for some reason, or just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. I'm missing that glow. It helps me to dig down deep and pull out the inner beauty so I can...well, glow...a bit more and have that outfit look spectacular once again! Or, a little retail therapy also helps. ;) Or pulling out my favorite and only jean jacket usually does the trick, too.

    Thanks for the blog hop!
    -Savannah Page
    info[at]savannahpage[.]com

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    1. Hi Savannah (I LOVE YOUR NAME!)

      I am so glad that you stopped by and were a part of the hop. I love my jean jacket too! It is the go-to place for one stop smiles, isn't it. I wore mine to church on Eater Sunday with black slacks and a white t-shirt. I have seen them paired with darling sundresses for the summer too.

      I hope you will stop back by my blog another time! We have tons of fun here XOXO

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    2. Hi Jen! (All the credit for my name goes to the mama :)

      I will definitely be swinging by your blog now and then and you're on my chick lit reading list! Have a fabulous weekend and keep on breaking out that jean jacket. I'm wearing mine on my (really trying to contain my excitement here) plane trip to Seattle next week. Can't wait!! It'll look just fabulous with my white seashell-ish bracelet and matching necklace, with a little grey sweater-shirt underneath!

      XOXO right back at ya!

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    3. You are going to be seaside deliciousness! Have a wonderful time! I think the jean jacket is my Smithsonian. An institution keeping us beautiful one day at a time :)

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  27. My thing is shoes. I probably could tell you what I bought each pair of shoes to match with. I never get rid of them either. It's nice though because the styles come back after a while.
    Great post. Thanks for the giveaway
    joanna2950@gmail.com

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    1. Joanna, I love shoes too! The lavender colored loafers that I wrote about are from Nine West and I purchased them in 2001, and still love them to death. Shoe lovers always find each other XOXO

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  28. I have a little black dress I wore to several weddings in my mid-twenties that made me feel like a million bucks. I wrestled with whether or not to keep it, although I grew up (and out), but I decided to pass it on to let someone else feel like a super model.
    Erica Kincannon
    EricaLKincannon@gmail.com

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  29. Great post! I'm going to check out the book! Barbara
    bb dash bjd at comcast dot net

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  30. Thanks for doing the hop!

    Ocbride at gmail dot com

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  31. As all good things must come to an end, so does entry for the Blog Hop! I hope you had a great time! Using Random Generator for entries here, the winner is Astra at http://thedustbunnychronicles.com/ YAY ASTRA!

    Tracie Banister, Queen of the Hop, has tallied all of the secret word entries, and the winner of the $150 Sephora gift card is Tiffany White! Congratulations to Tiffany and thanks to all for being a part of The Chick Lit Author Blog Hop for 2012! I hope that you all will come back and visit soon!

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