I can’t help but wonder if the resurgence of The Great Gatsby-ish glam isn’t helped a little bit by Downton Abbey‘s fashions. Squidoo agrees with me — the 1920s were soo elegant. Click on the photo, and it takes you to Fashionista.com and links to the film trailer. The new movie is just weeks away from hitting theaters.

“The Great Gatsby,” F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel published in 1925, returns to the screen for the sixth time. Scroll to the bottom for Wikipedia’s entire list of who’s who in the films.

Gatsby brings us lace, drop waists, satin and flowing, fluid style. Femininity reigns. It’s big fashion news in London – click here for more on that. One quirky thing is this movie was delayed in release … a few times, but fashion houses were ready. So some of us already have our Daisy Buchanan duds and frocks. I know I have at least four lacy numbers that look remarkably like what I wore in the 1970s when Gatsby was released. The colors, the fabrics — welcome back, Daisy.

Brooks Brothers is into the fashion – click here for the men’s side.

I remember the 1974 movie and the style. Daisy Buchanan was played by Mia Farrow — she’s now 68. Click here for an update on her. Robert Redford was Jay Gatsby. Farrow  married Frank Sinatra and then settled in with Woody Allen. She was a fixture on “Peyton Place” and played the mom in “Rosemary’s Baby.”And who doesn’t know Robert Redford?

Direct from Wikipedia– here are the six movies all sort of based on the novel:

1. The Great Gatsby, 1926  – a silent movie of a stage adaptation, starring Warner Baxter, Lois Wilson, and William Powell. It is rumored ot be the best adaptation of the novel, but we’ll never know. A trailer of the film at National Archives is all anyone can find.
2. The Great Gatsby, 1949  – starred Alan Ladd, Betty Field and Shelley Winters.
3. The Great Gatsby, 1974 – the most famous screen version and memorable to folks like me.  Sam Waterston was narrator Nick Carraway, with Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan and Robert Redford as Gatsby. Get this – script by Francis Ford Coppola.
4. The Great Gatsby, 2000  – a made-for-TV movie starring Toby Stephens, Paul Rudd and Mira Sorvino.
5. G, 2002 – sort of based on Gastby and starring Richard T. Jones, Blair Underwood, and Chenoa Maxwell.
6. The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, and Tobey Maguire. Coming our way  May 10.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three and stepmom of three.

It’s a great weekend to celebrate Erie history! The Erie Times-News celebrated 125 years of delivering the news yesterday, and we are celebrating all year. We want to hear your stories of home restoration. Click here for all the details on our Historic Homes contest. The grand prize winner gets a weekend stay in one of the oldest brick buildings in North East — The Grape Arbor Bed & Breakfast.

We have plenty to celebrate in House to Home this week. Countryside has a grand opening of its Phase II section in Summit Township. The Maleno development is a neighborhood of patio homes. It is something to see, and the design center, housed inside a patio home with a walkout basement, gives house hunters a look at all the latest and greatest ideas for building a new home. It is a must see — visit Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. Natalie Washburn gave me a tour, and there is always something new at Countryside.

More great House to Home stories include:

Sue Scholz celebrates award-winning zinnias this week.

Daffodils can make artistic displays, and they are finally in bloom!

Hotel spa-style baths and bedroom decor ideas are easy to incorporate into your home. Read the story here.

Raised gardens appeal to all gardeners even the host of GardenSmart — read it here.

Kitchen faucets have gone high tech.

Tulips are coming! The tulips are coming — read about the fiery orange variety here.

You can add a vacation home feel to your home. Here are tips from designers..

Plastic has become a novel furniture design tool. Look at what folks are doing with it.

Don’t forget all the open houses this weekend. I’ll be out there looking, too. Here’s a link to the open house map.

Pam Parker has written about real estate, home improvement and remodeling for 25 years. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three and stepmom to three. 

It’s the lap of luxury this week in House to Home. More than 75 luxury homes — priced from $400,000 to $2.5 million — are on the market right now in the Erie region. They are certainly well above the average home price, but the interesting thing is: This market is active, and some of the homes are selling — fast. See the homes at www.realestateerie.com website.

Tom and Ortrud Torti of Coldwell Banker Select in Erie sold a stunning $470,000, 2,400-square-foot home on nearly 12 acres in McKean Township in eight days. The photo above is the living room.

Another $600,000 home that Loretta Schaal of RE/Max has listed is getting a lot of traffic. Read my article here.

Sue Scholz gives us news on the latest award-winning vegetables and the schedule for the 53rd Annual Builders Association of NW PA Home Show at Family First today and tomorrow. Read it here. We have a lot more for you in House to Home. Enjoy!

The sun is shining. I’m hoping my daffodils pop open in the next few days. I need to see some yellow flowers!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

This week, House to Home takes us to some interesting places. I visited a gorgeous bit of history at 614 Cherry Street in Garden Court. Read about it here.

Plan a patio – don’t we all want to sit on that patio right about now? Even thought it’s a little chilly, you can plan for warmer days and decorating with tips from local decorator Marie Feltz Click here for some great ideas.

Sue Scholz gives us the dirt on the upcoming home show at Family First Sports Park. Read her column here, and check out the Builders’ tab in today’s newspaper.

We have much more for you this week. How do you decide on countertop heights? Many homeowners choose multiple heights, and it makes a great home remodeling design. Read about it here.

Look what one designer did with a tiny kitchen. Move the walls and voila — read it here.

Make your own stained glass, and get the value of a wake table — a table that, well, holds some deadly value. Click on the links to read all about it.

The sun is shining as I write this. Let’s all enjoy it, and have a wonderful Easter weekend!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one. 

Check and checkmate for style this spring. Checkerboards and windowpanes are back.  Some of this I like, and some of it is way off the charts for me, but the geometric patterns are hot this year, and some are throwbacks to the 60s …. and the 80s and probably decades before that. In fact, I had a red and black checkerboard skirt and vest suit my mom wore in the 40s. It was awesome. I think Twiggy wore some of these.
These images are all from Elle magazine. Check out the rest of the runway images — some are very entertaining – here.
On the local front, AJ’sin the Colony Plaza  is hosting a trunk show today with Geiger coats today from 1 to 5 p.m. Enjoy!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one. 

Here’s your chance to be a designer. The Ninth Annual Cheap Chic Weddings Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest Rolls Out — sponsored by Charmin. Don’t laugh — look at the impressive pictures of the dresses that won, and yes these are all toilet paper!

Make a beautiful wedding dress, and you just might win $2,000. Laura Gawne, Susan Bain and Roxie Radford operate the popular website www.Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com, and they are giving contestants until May 10, 2013 to submit toilet paper masterpieces.

They select the top 10 entries, and then the public gets into online voting for the top three dress designs that get showcased at a live event at RK Bridal in New York City on June 6, 2013. Celebrity judge Kate Pankoke, owner and creative director of Elaya Vaughn Bridal and Season 11 contestant on Project Runway, will crown the top designer. “Our world famous TP contest is attracting some amazing talent. We are excited to meet the finalists in New York City!” said Laura Gawne of Cheap Chic Weddings.

The Grand Prize winner will receive $2,000, the second place winner will receive $1000 and the third place winner will receive $500.

Here’s a glimpse of last year’s winners. Grand prize of $2,012 went to Susan Brennan from Orchard Lake, Mich., above. The 26-year-old aspiring artist, designer and member of the Detroit Pistons Cheer Team used 10 rolls of Charmin with hot glue, packing tape and needle and thread. Susan was the 2011 Grand Prize winner as well.

Second-place went to Katrina Chalifoux, of Knoxville, Tenn. The 50-year-old electronics technician and certified mechanic enjoys making costumes. She created a garden of flowers on the gown and used 28 double rolls of Charmin with medical tape, glue and needle and thread. A three-time contestant, she was the 2008 Grand Prize winner. She received a $1,000 prize for her entry.

Third place went to Jennifer Henry of Las Vegas. Henry, 31, is an alternative material designer and stylist who has made more than 70 different designs out of unconventional materials. She called this creation Flockflockflock, inspired by the velvety texture of Charmin tissue and ribbons of whipped cream. She used 36 rolls of Charmin, packing tape and double stick tape. This is her first entry and she won $500.

Here’s How to Enter:

First: Plan your design.

Second: Grab some Charmin Toilet Paper (Ultra Strong, Ultra Soft or Basic), tape and/or glue and/or needle and thread (that’s all you can use)! To help offset the cost of designing theses memorable creations, Charmin is providing coupons via the Cheap Chic Weddings website for those who enter.

Third: Make the dress and headpiece on your model or mannequin and take some digital photos (front, back and side).

All photos are to be submitted to Cheap Chic Weddings at TPdresscontest@gmail.com by May 10, 2013 at 11:00 PM EST. There is no entry fee. The Judging Panel at Cheap Chic Weddings with past eight years here: http://www.cheap-chic-weddings.com/wedding-contest-2013.html

Official contest rules along with lots of other wedding cost saving tips and information can be found at www.Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com.

Pam Parker is the mom of three, stepmom of three, GramPam to one and editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Styling for the waistline? Love this one at left — it’s $40 from JC Penney, and it’s Liz Claiborne — gotta love this one. It’s one of eight styles Oprah features in her picks for waist whittling styles — see the rest of them here.

Cosmo UK has the top 12 fashion must-have items right here – beanies  are still rocking runways. Other cool trends include round sunglasses and neon sneaks — I am way ahead of the fashion curve on this one. I’ve had bright neon kicks for years — pink, green – right now — mine are purple. Take a look at these cool shoes on Zappos.

And the jeans that supposedly eliminate cellulite from our friends at Wrangler were chatted up and blogged in January by nearly everyone. Here’s a link to purchase them on asos.com. But this is the European version of asos — it’s the only place I could find the jeans. They are not available on the US version. Nor are they mentioned on the US Wrangler site.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Dresses, dresses, dresses. I am loving the dresses. This one from ModCloth.com speaks to me because it is called Author Outings Dress. It has a vintage feel — here’s the ModCloth.com description: “goldenrod-yellow fit-and-flare frock! Its retro hue, lightly textured stretch fabric, and see-through, crocheted details make this dress as intriguing as your latest work. You know it’s not fair to judge a book by its cover … ”

I had a dress that color many moons ago, and I also had that collar on another dress. It’s all back!

It is $79 and it is one of a million dresses I love. I am also coveting many frocks from Ruelala.  The site has numerous BCBGMAXAZRIA designs. Click here to see a few. I have friends who told me about these sites. Thanks friends.

Just a heads up — you do have to join to see all the stuff, but it costs nothing — just your e-mail address. So far they have not been stalking me like Zappos does (I get reminders that they miss me on nearly every web page I open — it’s a little creepy!), but I am a huge Zappos fan.

If you’re going to shop online, here’s the full glossary of terms I never knew, thanks to Recessionista.com. Get the full story here:

• B&M = Brick-and-mortar (aka, this deal is redeemable at the store’s physical location).
• BOGO or B1G1F = Buy One Get One Free
• C/O = Cash Off
• CPN = Coupon
• DND = Do Not Double (aka, no doubling up on coupons allowed!)
• GDA = Good deal alert
• GWP = Gift With Purchase
• H/F = Handling Fee
• LPG = Lower Price Guarantee
• MIB orNIB = Mint in Box or New in Box (aka, the product is brand new).
• NAZ = Name Address Zip Code (to see if you are eligible for the deal).
• NED = No expiration date
• NOCC = No Credit Card
• NWOT = New WithOut Tags
• NWT = New With Tags
• POP = Proof of Purchase
• PP = Purchase Price
• SMP = Specially Marked Packages
• TMF = Try Me Free (samples, anyone??)
• UNL = Unlimited
• YMMV = Your Merchandise May Vary

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

Fashion statements are red this month — and today’s Valentine’s Day mantra might be “buy something red.” Take a look at the red dresses rocking the runway during The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection Fashion Show 2013 right here. The New York Daily News covers it in style with 27 fabulous fashion ideas modeled by everyone from Gold-medal Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas – pictured above — to Kelly Osbourne.

Today is the perfect day to buy a little red dress. Here’s a link to the terrific selection at Macy’s – for teens to women in styles for career, casual and glamorous evening wear.

Here’s a link to JCPenney’s red dresses – one adorable peplum number from Bisou Bisou is only $35 — how can we choose just one?

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

I remember when flooring was very obviously a laminate, wood, stone, tile or something else. Not anymore.

I’ve seen incredible concrete and other materials that look like natural wonders. To catch up on what’s out there, read the cover story this week in House to Home right here. If that vinyl flooring story doesn’t surprise you — here’s another on leather — it’s on floors, doors and much more.

In the next few weeks, I’ll be taking you inside some breathtaking homes and showing you the ingenuity of a grandmother who made clever play kitchens for her granddaughters.

Check out all the stories this week in House to Home – click on the links below. And there are a lot of new listings out there to see.

Tree seedling sale begins in March
Digital prints become wall coverings
Room for Romance
Parents create housing for disabled
What you should know before buying antiques
Rustic reno makes one suite bath

Pam Parker has written about real estate and home decor in the tri-state region for more than 20 years. She is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.