Running for Roses, the End of Hat Week, and Mother's Day

The sun shone bright on this first Saturday in May, so lots of people donned their hats, poured their bourbon, and spent the afternoon getting ready for the most exciting two minutes in sports (aka, the Kentucky Derby).

Today also marks the end of Hat Week, a celebration I invented to mark the week that was bookended by the Royal Wedding and the Kentucky Derby.

So in honor of the Run for the Roses, I wanted to highlight some of the pictures from today's Derby that featured hats with flowers (there's a rumor that there were also some horses at Churchill Downs today, but depending on where you looked, you might not have known it!).



This next hat looks very much like the one my daughter wore today, though hers was completely ivory. So pretty! When and if I retrieve my camera, I'll share the picture I took before she headed out this morning...




Start 'em learning early...(isn't she precious?!?!?)


And since today's Derby champion was Animal Kingdom, here are a couple of hats that combine a nod to roses and to the horses that want to wear them...


If you're interested in seeing more (seriously, hundreds more) photos of the hats that graced Churchill Downs today, from the wonderfully fabulous to the truly bizarre, check out the galleries from the Louisville Courier-Journal here. Last time I checked, there were 9 galleries of photos, just of people and their hats.

Again, to bring the post back to jewelry, here are a few pairs of earrings I've made for an upcoming show. Many more pieces with flower beads in my inventory, just not that many on the memory card of the camera (and since the camera went to Derby with my daughter and her boyfriend, I had to make do with what I'd already taken...)



And in case the part of my family that was able to get to town for the weekend sweeps me away for a fabulous day of brunch and fun, I'll wish everyone an early Happy Mother's Day!