Bedroom Blogger

fourf a jou lie

2011-07-04T20:27:00.000-07:00

today just so happened to be my day off, but unfortunately i didnt end up doing much in the way of family-time festivities. the fireworks have yet to go off and i'm actually quite content in my drunken food cave here in my room, recovering from a day of walking in the hotter-than-hell's-hinges sun.

originally i expected to end up in riverside today, then when those plans failed i was prepared to receive company here and when plans fell apart for a third time i ended up brownbagging (or more like h&m bagging) a bottle of wine and trekkin around my city, treading through an antique mall, work, urban outfitters, a barnes and noble (more on that later) and ending up in a park for an hour chain smoking and flipping through a magazine, furiously texting my friends from afar.

it's funny to have the bedroom blog's title remain, yet change settings. heh. well it's a bedroom, still, and this bedroom belongs to me (for a month!)today i tried to be semi-festive, with a rust-hued petticoat, striped tank and sunhat. what you don't see is the red ferragamos and the mother mary pendant as well as a tortoiseshell bangle and of course, the aforementioned brownbagged bottle o booze

the fireworks are beginning to go off and i truly feel just so lethargic that i can't even muster up the strength to go outside. my only real motivation would be seeing my hot skateboarding neighbor, who happens to have seen me boogieing down in mere knickers this afternoon (honestly, completely unintentional)

the highlight of my fourth of july was stepping into whole foods on a whim and coming out with a bag of fancy new groceries, which i may or may not have been completely hammered when buying..gosh i love that place. too, too much. afterwards, i collapsed into bed in a dizzy spell and ate too many popsicles and peanut butter..if i can't have hotdogs and potato salad i'll pig out on my own special treats!

i picked up a french vogue today and i will never be the blog to tackle "big important issues affecting women today" but i will say i admired the magazines more realistic perspective to sexiness, which in the end was so much more seductive and actually sexy than the adverts and spreads i see in mags here. there were models about 10 lbs heavier than american models, with wider torsos and thicker legs and more sturdy arms and within these healthier bodies you actually responded to their musculature and skin and fat on a relatable level, more than you would seeing a human unlike one you're ever seen in real-life. i've always been a fan of a thinner is better motto in print, under the impression it was more posh, but it's just not true! it is 100 times more effective to watch a woman work her functioning, healthy (that's not to say it isnt ideal) body into clothes, to see the life inside of the fashion. these was another similar but different situation regarding a model's body hair. probably the most sensual, effective, summery picture i've EVER seen was a shot of a model's back of the knees to her derriere in a really, really skimpy pair of high-waisted shorts but the kicker was she had this deadly duo i always associate with surfer boy babes, the beachy, low-maintenance combination of a deep tan with downy, sun bleached leg hair trickling up into her bum cheeks and over her venus dimples. PERFECTION, i'm telling you.

i had an opportunity to really assess the move today when i was feeling loose in the park, but i decided to hold off judgement until a later date. for right now, i like taking care of myself.

cacklin'

2011-07-02T08:11:00.000-07:00

as long as there are stars above you

2011-06-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

generally, i find it to be pretty silly and shallow to be a woman to just doesnt like other women because it's so transparent and obviously a competitive thing, but there is one breed of woman (and i suppose there is a male equivalent to this that doesnt nearly irritate me as much) who just makes me want to claw her eyes out. it's the "mama bears". i just think that women who find themselves in situations where they're surrounded by men or younger, less experienced women and proceed to take control of all household chores and enjoy lecturing others/offering up their halfwit "pearls of wisdom" which are mostly based on cliches that theyve overheard other adults say their whole lives are just the lowest, creepiest, most un-liberated people. the term "my boys", when used in a sentence like "making lasagna for my boys" or "these boys just can't do anything on their own" makes my skin crawl. BUT, since this move ive had several situations where ive had to remind myself that i will, under no circumstance, clean or tidy up for anybody other than myself. even if leaving cute notes for my roommates or folding laundry or excessively scouring the bathroom gets me a little more authority over my living situation, i just can't let myself be that "mama bear". even if it makes my life easier, because my time is worth more than that and i'm worth a lot more than "the maid" or "mom". it's been truly terrible to be here with these dudes sometimes, they sleep till 11 and never say thank you, they don't do any chores, they leave the garage door open all night or day and leave the front door unlocked when they go to bed (who does that!?), they leave the fans on all night long and instead of opening a window (which i assure you would work just as well) they turn on the a/c.. but i refuse to get anyone to do anything for me by selling my sex appeal or guilt-tripping someone into doing something by applying some faux-maternal attitude.

there was an incident last week where i believed there to be a ghost in the house- i'd come home really late from work and one roommate was asleep, the other in seattle. upstairs, the lights were on and some mainstream r+b was playing and i assumed we'd gotten a new roommate..but then in the morning nobody was there. was it an intruder? a ghoul? i haven't ouija-d in my new place yet, though you'd better believe that was the first thing i packed into my car.

it's been a little less than a month and i still don't have any friends here. i try my best to spend time in public places and people watch, i know my crowd and i'm so lonely i feel pretty comfortable talking to strangers, but i havent yet gone to a rager/date/trip to the park/bake sale/hike/passion party since my arrival. i'm waiting for school to start to have common ground with people and hopefully come september, if nothing else, i'll gain the social interaction i hunger for.

i'm still not even completely set-up here, i have a ton of pictures that still need hanging and thats fine by me, i'd rather be totally sure about where i want these puppy/kitten portraits and paint-by-numbers than deal with what i did at my last place, which was covering up holes in the walls with pictures, which took aesthetic priority over the actual position of the wall decor.

i don't have my sewing supplies here at the moment, which kills me..i have resorted to safety pinning things when i need to, and also i don't have an iron/ironing board (though i do have a steamer) so i couldn't press seams or anything even if i wanted to..but my job's dress code has presented me with several new wardrobe dilemmas which would be so easily remedied by a few basic pieces that i could whip up in a minute, like a black, basic dirndl and a seersucker or gingham shirt. i am not allowed to wear shorts so a lot of my basic bottoms are out of the question.

and now, for something completely different:

" There was a man in the place and it seemed good!"

2011-06-22T16:24:00.001-07:00

when i'm feeling extra romantic and feminine, i like to sit on my windowsill and pretend to be Madge from the movie "Picnic" and brush and shake out my hair.

moving on up

2011-06-22T09:02:00.000-07:00

rarely do i have anything to post about anymore, i've been trying to focus on making real things happen with the inspiration i draw from images i spot online and with the angst i feel rather than cataloging it here..but i do have much to share and considering the fact that i don't really have anyone to discuss my life's developments with at the moment, i suppose this would be a good place to gab.

i decided on a whim 2 weeks ago that i would like to move to pasadena, california and so i did just that. i am working (right now im in training) as a buyer for a buy-sell-trade, which has been fun. i will say that there is a certain pleasure that comes with earning money to pay for rent and basic needs, rather than puttering around, saving and spending frivolously. it's challenging to budget but i cut corners where i can. everyday i walk to work, an hour round trip. i come home exhausted but sleep wonderfully and i truly feel as though i've experienced an opposite reaction to the stress that most complain about with a move. ive lost weight, my acne has disappeared, i sleep, like i said, like a baby..i'm deeply calm and content. it's just been fabulously relaxing. much of this has to do with how trapped and misunderstood i felt at home. i don't yet have any friends, which has been the one downside of this move. i would love for my experience to be full of getting to know the area through people who live here, but i just independently explore and take myself out when i can.

last time i had a day off, i took myself out to whole foods for a coffee and vegan movie candy. then, salvation army for a 1970s print of a super leisurely, curly haired babe to hang above my bed and finally the early bird special movie which was full exclusively of old folks..which i wouldnt have thought anything of were it not for the sexually explicit nature of the movie. haha.

i got a cold which put a damper on things this week but there's not much you can do about that.

so far as my living situation goes, i am having difficulties with my roommates in some areas like how filthy the house is, which i end up cleaning always, but..what can you do? i live with all college-age boys so it's a challenge. however, if i didnt clean nobody would do it and they'd be more than happy to live with dust stalagmites collecting on the blades of the overhead fans and crusty, mooshy gobs of soap and mold thriving in the corner of the shower..my room is beautiful and makes me happy, and that's the most important thing to me.

as insensitive as it is, i don't really miss my family at all. i really do not miss the stress, tiffs and strained communication. what i do miss, though, is my kitties! so i've hatched a plan to charm my neighbor's tabby which ive seen sitting on the fence outside of my window, and we can be pals.

eye brows, i browse

2011-04-15T20:05:00.000-07:00

i bought a mannequin that the gap had for sale the other night, i'm so glad i did cause i've been playing with it almost nonstop. it's basically like a barbie but for my clothes. it's a little bit of a hassle to take the arms on and off but other than that it's priceless to me at this point. i named her Char Treuse.

also like barbies are my models for the fashion show at school. i got to pick out shoes for the models the other day, which was a pleasure. beautiful shoes for beautiful girls.

acquired on a trip to san francisco some years ago.

vintage Guy Laroche, real with serial number, estate sale-d for a mere 5 smackers!

horse fight

2011-04-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

after all this weird, emotional stuff i've been dealing with i've really put sewing on the back burner. so, today i'm picking out a little pattern to make to get me back into the swing of things. i'm thinking something with 2 pieces, sort of a 60s tunic and boy short set of some sort, which i happen to have several versions of. i'm also toying around with the idea of using this pattern from an adult halloween couple's costume package of mark anthony and cleopatra, the latter of which has this really dramatic swatch of fabric draped over the left shoulder and down the back. the only thing that's preventing me from using that pattern is my concern with the attractiveness of the pattern itself, there are no darts and i dont want to waste my time on manipulating a pattern today. it's quite a pleasure to work on something non school related, anyhow.

my fashion show is on the 21st of april, but i'm so freaked out about it i dont even want to touch on that.

also, i've recently crocheted a way great tam-o-shanter from a pattern off www.freevintagecrochet.com which i LOVE and highly recommend. it's too bad summer's almost here and i wont be able to wear it for a long while!

whenever i've cut my hair short, i've gone through a phase of ONLY wearing it up, somewhere in the growing process between shoulder and clavicle length. i actually love having my hair up, i think it's more attractive and flattering, at least for me. i can't wait until it's long again, but i'm still really enjoying having it lighter. i've been sporting that little pompadour-ish, top-heavy volumous up-do constantly since discovering it a week or two ago.

today, sinead and i are going to do a photoshoot with her buddy morgan, inspired by the ellen rodgers photos that she discovered through missmoss. it should be beautiful, especially considering how gloomy and wet it is out today and we're especially excited because we dont have any "friendship photos" i'll pick flowers to put in our hair. i'm very much into cut flowers in every corner of my room, the more rustic the better. my yard is up to your shoulders in chrysanthemums, so always those, plus a good amount of sweet peas and foxglove and huge purple roses and bottle brush.

doom and gloom

2011-03-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

been listening to a lot of Billie Holiday, my sad single girl tunes of choice.

it's rained all week, i'm always cold and i cant really remember any of the days that have passed. i've spent time indoors sleeping, cooking vegetables (i'm really into sauteed zucchini right now) and playing with my hair, which is growing. it's interesting to me to measure my roots as the inches of mousy blonde build up. i dont mind if it looks funny.

last night i curled my hair and sinead and i went to thirsty thursdays at a restaurant we kind of sneak into. my curls lasted overnight and today it was raining, so i piled my hair onto the top of my head, like a mock gibson girl. i really enjoyed it.

forgetting about it

2011-03-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

meeting people is tricky stuff, and i am certain that the pain of failed relationships is, though worth the effort sometimes, just as painful if not more painful then long-standing loneliness, especially for the fact that it poisons your thoughts and day dreams about how wonderful it will be when you do find someone to appreciate.

i'm still young and i have a whole life ahead of me, i have all the time in the world, every second that i'm alive could be spent finding companionship but thats not what i want because building my understanding of myself is more important than finding someone to fill in the blanks. nothing about knowing men makes logical sense to me, nothing about being in love makes me nostalgic and girlish but when i ignore what i think i know, i feel strongly that i need someone in my life to appreciate with the vigor that i already enjoy what i love. how can i read books or listen to music without becoming depressed when i dont have anyone to relate those feelings to? i feel as though i'm trapped in a state of prolonged adolescence, my love life is every bit as underwhelming and depressing and desperate as it was when i was 13. i guess i'm just waiting for my turn.

so now i've got to try to learn how to dance in 2 days

2011-03-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

dreading this.

you're mine, ermine

2011-03-10T09:22:00.000-08:00

a few nights ago i went on a trip to lozz angelezz with my fellow guilty pleasure seeker zachary. it was an alright time and i got my picture taken.

i wore the crepe jumper i had previously mentioned with a rust colored garter belt from LaMeow and black stay-ups. i had my favorite scarf in my hair, a print of gold-hued faces melting into dead leaves. to keep warm i wore a velvet jacket with a little fur stole. my mom bought me one of those ermine stoles where the creatures are chained together biting the tails of the one in front of itself. it's very creepy, the way their dead legs flop around.

lately ive been reminiscing about my high school years and how much i now wish i would have attended my prom. this was brought on by an invitation by my best friend to walk in a prom fashion show for the mall, which is going to be really fun. at the time i wasnt even attending normal high school and neither was my then boyfriend, but i was still invited to attend the normal high school's prom, and opted out partially because i didnt like any of my classmates, but also because i wanted to please the guy i was dating and be too cool for that. i would have probably donned something completely hideous and regrettable but i'm pretty sure everybody else did, too. anyways..

i found out this week that i'm gluten intolerant, and since updating my diet to be gluten-free i've dropped a considerable amount of weight and feel spectacular. my brain-fog is decreased and i am just so happy that i've found the solution to this weight problem that has been torturing me for the last year or so. i have to take handfuls of vitamins right now in order to clean out my system and help my pancreas and spleen recover but i really look forward to seeing the change in my physical appearance and feeling the physical difference after a while.

it's definitely spring here and the way the air smells is just so nostalgic and delicious. there's a familiar smell that the porch outside my window gets in the spring and summer: warm wood with tar and some evaporating moisture. that plus my garden smells, all the flowers and oranges and grass and wet pavement. it almost makes me emotional. i dont know if it has something to do with my new positive outlook that's making me just want to close my eyes and breathe all day and be happy but i really feel like my life is going in a bright, new direction and i look forward to living the net few months with a skip in my step.

all in the details

2011-03-04T13:16:00.000-08:00

i wish i could pry myself away from the thrift spots, or at least cut it down to once a month, but i suppose when you factor in that i dont go to estate sales anymore (work) nor do i make the trek to the flea (work), it all evens out. lately, i've been accumulating a ton of straw hats and miscellaneous lingerie. one straw hat i had to give up today, sadly. maybe i should go back and get it, actually.. it had a sash running through it to tie under your chin, so romantic and summery

i've been wearing lots of lacy underpinnings in day wear to extend my wardrobe for work. i like layering them under dresses with thin straps, in exciting color combinations. last week i wore a robin's egg blue crepe jumper dress with a lantern and fan print with a cherry red lace vest. today i brought a huge haul: 2 bustiers, a black full slip with lace-y cups and an eyelet embroidered onesie. so good!

i wish i'd had a little more moolah, there were a good handful of things i would love to own other than the previously mentioned hat.. i found a cute little pendant of a pear, there was a floral velvet maxi, a few really good sweaters, a tatted choker.. i did buy my brother this amazing denim jacket though

the green shoes read in the sole "Red Cross Shoes- this product has no connection whatsoever with the american national red cross" heh

i want to eventually sport a mantilla, or at least use one for a photoshoot. so good! i figure if i find the comb, i could use the black lace shimmy as a mock-mantilla.

mmmmmmmmmmm so dreamy..

late valentines, news

2011-02-16T13:47:00.001-08:00

my relationship with nonverbal magazine has been such a great one- it's an absolute pleasure to style spreads through their online publication. unfortunately, the magazine is taking a breather and the february shots were never published. they turned out beautifully, though. here are some favorites

shot by angela dietz, makeup by tony moura, styling by yours truly

in other online business stuff, half of the items in my online store are being clearanced until theyre gone, so if you see anything you like, go ahead and take them off my hands! there are some really cute ones, i just want the store to have a more definite look once i'm done getting rid of all this stuff, which will be exciting.

finally

2011-02-06T12:55:00.000-08:00

today i had the first sunday off i've had since starting work at f21, and you can bet i spent it at the flea market! my favorite treasures are a couple of books i got- a french textbook from the 70s full of wonderful images and a baby's firsts book from the 50s. other sweet things from the haul include a tapestry corset, plaid dropped-waist dress from the 70s and a great floral raincoat.

i've come to terms with the fact that i can really only feel secure in pants if they're culottes (or some other highly voluminous shape) or teensy tiny hot pants.

other than that, no news, really!

2011-01-23T22:41:00.000-08:00

the biba playing card necklace sinead got me is an absolute gem

i love it

trying to decide...

2011-01-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

which do you guys think?

im leaning towards the green pair, on account of the color is so unusual and they look new and modern, as opposed to vintage and thrift-able.

BUT i would probably get more wear out of the tapestry pair, and they might look better with the types of clothes i like to wear.

marble marvel

2011-01-18T06:08:00.000-08:00

..so my birthday wasnt much of a success, unfortunately.or at least the party part. i ended up hanging around with 6 or 7 coworkers that i dont really know or want to know, and left at 1:30, after having drunk a few (actually really delicious) jungle juices (obviously with time to get sober between drinking and driving) and overdrawing on my card AGAIN for gas.

i got really dressed up, which was fun but nobody seemed to really understand why i was all fancy.

i've sort of renewed my excitement for fashion, after trying to adapt a new look without really having the resources to completely make myself over. for right now, im transitioning into more black, a dropped waist (which happens to be a better cut for me than a full skirt at the real waist) and lots of fun hosiery and shoe combinations.

i've realized the root of the issue with my hair (accidental pun) is the slight a-line the lady who cut my tresses last gave me. it's not very flattering for my already long face, but im unwilling to go get some more length taken off so im just going to deal with it for now.

groovy gal gulch

2011-01-15T14:58:00.000-08:00

yesterday, sinead and i partook in some pre-birthday festivities in a little wierd town between our cities, called Rainbow. we went to a cafe where they serve alligator, and she got me a rad kitty sand picture (and an AMAZING biba card necklace thats in the mail) then took pictures in an outdoor antique store in the same lot. there were a series of houses that were especially creepy and we got hit on by bikers.

i wore an outfit that didn't make a whole lot of sense..i wear this bustier a lot and im sure ill wear it even more in the summer. but yesterday it was 85 degrees out so it basically felt like summer. what a perfect day for a birthday party! that, plus a homemade skirt from ages ago, before i understood how to use gathering or create closures. i also made my headband from some silk flowers, and it's based off of a barbara hulanicki illustration.

also, sinead got me some balloons, which were so fun! i lost one along the way, though.

sinead wore a loopy knit jacket,white lace skirt and anthropologie tights plus the bessst jeffery campbell shoes

i'm a little envious of her hair right now! my current cut makes me feel a bit like a pig in a wig.

today is my real birthday, though, and im planning to have my first big-kid party! my buds will be there and im wearing the cutest outfit ever. unfortunately, im a little tired from working late last night, so hopefully ill be able to take a nap before i have to start getting ready.

at home

2011-01-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

i've been semi-excited for my birthday. i'll be 19 on the 15th and it will be the last year of being a teenager. even though everyone else is coasting off the holiday good feelings, im basically miserable. so,ive been treating myself to nice clothes, leisurely naps and sleep-in days.

today my mom and i celebrated our joint birthday by taking a trip to the rose bowl flea market, which, if you havent heard, has been talked up to be the best flea market around for vintage clothing and furniture...and i was honestly really disappointed. not in the clothes, they were absolutely marvelous, but in the people and general attitude. when i first walked in and spotted soooo many handsome guys and pretty, hip girls cruising around i immediately thought "ahh my people!" but soon after i realized they were all basically wearing army surplus jackets and combat boots + some 90s inspired piece and a strappy, light leather bag. and when i shopped next to them, i saw them passing over gorgeous vintage in favor of the same thing: army jackets, pendleton-type serapes and what have you...and that's all well and good, but it was discouraging to me because i thought these were the sorts of people i was hoping to sell vintage to online, and i was SO off.

also, the flea market shoppers were sort of clueless about what an actual flea market/ thrift store is like, complaining about "rummaging through junk to find the good stuff" when all of the kiosks were vintage sellers..but i also appreciate it when people confuse vintage shops for thrift stores and vintage events like this for flea markets because that means more .50 cent vintage for me.

one thing that this sort of flea market is great for, though, is finding specific styles of clothing or any item that needs to fit a description. ive seen many posts through the years about Biba style, a art deco/psychedelic style based on Barbara Hulanicki's inspiring and revolutionary shop, so i've been adopting a darker, moodier color palette with velvets, laces, deep murky florals and romantic makeup and hair. i brought a gorgeous, i930s style gold, crocheted body stocking that perfectly fits the bill. i plan on wearing it with black sheers, pointy booties and a turban.

other than that particular dress, i saved my birthday money and found on the other side of the market the bargain, 5 dollar section (at last!) and indulged in 12 delightful vintage pieces. a pajama jumper, a red satin skirt with christmas appliqués, and a handful of wonderful vintage dresses, some of which match the romantic, deep Biba look im excited about right now and some that dont really suit that look (but are softer, more pastel-y, and still very romantic and nostalgic) sums up my haul. my parents found a 1947 Turner that they love, and my brother got a heap of albums which he always enjoys finding.

after all of this, we went out for burritos and i fell asleep in the car!

the goods <3

for christmas, my parents bought me a vintage 1960 Husqvarna sewing machine, which im in love with. i havent tried sewing with it yet, for i want to work on any important pieces for the fashion show with my old machine (that i know so well) without worrying about messing it up while still getting to know a new machine.

i'll miss my old machine, though!!

..she'll be at sinead's soon, since sinead needs a machine so much.

it rained for like a solid 2 weeks or something nutty and my chickens and cats are so excited about the sunshine..it's the cutest.

lil Dot, the baby of the bunch.

one last thing- i've settled on my new year's res. and that is...
...figure out a vitamin regimen and take my vites every day
yay!

shells

2010-12-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

the semester from hell has officially ended, and i couldnt be more happy. ive cleaned out my sewing room/clothes rack, uploaded new items to etsy, got my hair did (more on that later) and rekindled my friendship with my best girlfriend.

the collection turned out very well and im glad i worked so hard that every detail that i wouldve wanted taken care of was indeed tended to and everything looked fabulously complete. tonight my iron is broken and i really cant do anything, but im sewing up a jumper and the piece that comes after that, im not sure about yet.

my last day of class for the semester was emotionally turbulent, i guess you'd say. in retrospect, i was probably weighing out the not great final grade i received based on the standards of the people around me, not by my own methods of feeling good with my academic performance. im not a star student and dont strive for the best grade in every class, but i ended up crying over my teacher's harsh critique and how vastly it contrasted with the a++ my pal got. i was upset and jealous and we talked it out, but yeah definitely a super stressful, emotional conclusion to this last few months.

after all that, we went to the mall i work at so that i could fetch my work schedule, and my favorite pumps ripped so i had to buy new ones. i settled on black crushed velvet platforms, even though im not a big fan of platforms in any casual application, i DO enjoy a platform with tights, preferably in all black, and my old black not-platforms are no longer with us so id say it was a necessary purchase.

i wore this outfit, which you can read all the deets of on my lookbook.

so now that the semester is over, im going to lose that last 7 lbs worth of the freshman 15, which im looking forward to. isnt it a shame that when your bod looks its best, your face looks too thin and creepy? how do you fix that?! drives me nuts.

2010-11-24T21:56:00.001-08:00

hey you guys

Im so embarrassed right now and honestly im so tired of humiliating myself with my big mouth. ive always wished i could be a quiet girl and be really mysterious, but thats not who i am. im a loud mouth, i always have been and i probably will stay that way. i cant restrain myself from over-sharing every bit of my day or whats on my mind with whoever i come into contact with, whether it be a classmate, family member or whoever else. in some ways its a good thing because i never have to worry about awkward silences, or not having a lot of common ground with someone, but at the same time its not my job to rescue the situation with an anecdote or joke and i resent how i immediately jump to the chance to keep everyone talking and happy.

ideally, id like to be a super breathy, whispery angel-voiced mystery girl who is full of secrets and is hard to get to know. id like for my life and my thoughts to be little gems that friends and boyfriends have to work to hear. even if that would prevent me from furthering myself in the workplace and put me in a follower-not-leader position for the rest of my life it would be worth it.

its nearly impossible (at least it has been for me) to change your overall approach and attitude. in the end this is the personality thats gotten me to where i am right now, which whether good or bad is the hand ive been dealt. i just tire of the same worries of people's opinions of me and how awful i feel after hanging out with a group and being ashamed of how people must think of me. im really anxious, in general, and im sure my problems are amplified by my paranoia and over-analyzation.

rarely do i get so personal on my blog anymore, and i try to not put anything out there that someone would find and embarrass me with, but sometimes its the only thing to help me.

this is a little teaser photo of a photoshoot i did on tuedsday, im really excited for the results and ill share the pictures with you eventually.

<3

heart to heart

2010-11-07T19:06:00.000-08:00

at the end of another reasonably productive (i.e. restless) weekend of homework, work and limited social engagements..tonight was nice, though. i watched The Omen with a couple of cups of coffee and sewed on embellishments to a skirt i'm making. the buttons im talking about had been stored in an old pickle jar which made them smell like dill, garlic and vinegar..it was comforting in some weird way. the omen was actually really fun and i dont mind watching a spooky movie all by myself.

after work on saturday i went to sinead's for a little birthday party with her boyfriend. i had a PB&J and we watched strangers with candy, which was hilarious. the only problem was i couldnt stay for long because i hadnt written down my work schedule for the week and i was afraid i had work on sunday, so this morning i woke up way too early to check and make sure i wasnt working. i wasnt scheduled for that day and i wont work again until tuesday, so it was just a fat waste of time.

i started a lookbook, which will be nice for encouraging me to take pictures for my blog and for the lookbook, but i havent been hyped and im a little bummed about how little attention the two outfits ive posted have gotten..here's my profile, for looksies:

http://lookbook.nu/user/434361-Marina-L

so on wednesday ill be meeting my new bud angelina for a fun stylist collaboration through her magazine. ill have to skip class so that means im gonna get as much stuff taken care of tomorrow as possible, like the faces for my fashion figure class and the pleats for a skirt i have to pattern in collection class. the look for the shoot might be fashionably disheveled railway orphan teenaged hobos with tweed and other fall-y wovens (vintage, of course) and weve also been tossing around the idea of a pastel-hued super decadent boudoir-y marie antoinette spread. whatever direction we decide to go in, itll be really fun and look great.

for the rest of the night ill try to tidy up a bit and maybe hit the hay early.

halloween happenings

2010-10-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

it's halloween and im home alone, eating my vegan version of halloween candy-dried pineapple and almonds. i got off a bizarre 2.5 hour shift that basically consisted of me putting away clothes. it sucked because i got dressed up for our employee costume, we were to dress "fashion-nerdy" and i looked totally cool..then we shut down early. i went to an off-the-wall work party last night though and i had a really good time! there was a dj and everybody was really mellow and nice and i met alot of people. my coworkers are so cute and funny.

heres an older picture from san francisco taken by sonja's friend, fuchsia!

i havent been taking any of my own pictures lately because i dont have any batteries.

its sunday and tomorrow starts a new workweek..itll be a rough one but thats ok. im hoping my life will calm down when im done with this top and skirt for my collection.

halloween hotshots

2010-10-27T22:20:00.000-07:00

last weekend sinead, sinead's boyfraan and i went to a halloween party which was pretty fun until the police came (one of the problems with trying to get my groove on while being underage) so we instead went to karaoke night at friday's which was hilarious and even more fun than the party, actually. sinead belted out a tune which made my night, and i got home early enough to get to work the next morning. i have work on halloween, though, so sunday sinead and i might go to our fashion illustration friend's party which ill wear a different costume to, probably.

we went as a lion (me) and a ring leader (sinead) and sinead and i put together her boyfriend's bullfighter costume with an awesome bolero we found at st. vincent's.i crocheted my hat and sewed fur spats with claws on it and a tail and furry cuffs. sinead wore a leotard i lent her from my perrrsonal costume collection which had awesomely bad sequins and fringe on the sleeves.

as usual ive been really stressed out with my collection and homework (which truthfully i should be working on now) but i love the weather lately and i wish i could get out to go for a walk in the nature preserve or something tomorrow. as usual fall brings back alot of memories for me and it makes me sad sometimes. i like the fall alot more than the end of summer, though.

mmmm bedtime. im eating some lime jelly my daddy made.

dirndl diva

2010-10-17T15:59:00.001-07:00

erika my vintage pallie came up on a whole stockpile of vintage Hawaiian dresses, skirts and bathing suits. the good stuff. i modeled for her the other afternoon, which was a ton of fun and i didnt even get tired of taking off and putting on clothes for a few hours because her pieces are so great.

after our hangout, i went to an open classroom thing for my design collection class so that we could work on our pieces..im making pretty good progress as far as that goes, out of the three looks i have to present ive done most of the work on a skirt, im midway through a sweater, and ive made the front of a drop-waisted paisley dress. im not so stressed out anymore.

then on saturday, last night, i went to a little party thing that my friend threw at a house he was house sitting. i got pretty hammered, which i try to not do, but since ive lost my whole sunday recuperating. i think im going to stop drinking unless its a special occasion (not that i even drink that much anyways) because it throws off my diet (which is going really well, by the way) and i cant be productive.

i dyed my hair a fluorescent yellow which im really digging, its Manic Panic Electric Banana and its pretty awesome. eventually ill get to blonde, but i dont mind dying my hair kooky colors while i gradually transition to blonde..its kind of necessary.

sinead and i are going to be a lion tamer and a lion for the halloween costume party were going to..im going to be the lion, since my hair is so kooky i think its fitting, and im going to wear a brown leotard and make furry ankle bands, wristbands and a mane out of faux fur (which i might work on this rainy sunday if i dont do anything else). itll be super duper cute!

work is still totally rad and i love it.. im working alot and its nice to make money. i havent thought of any big purchases im dying to spend my first paycheck on, so itll just go into saving i guess. also my etsy (which you should check out on the sidebar by my blog header) is going alright and its been pretty steady.

i sent a little care package to this girl who wrote me a cute type-written letter thanking me for some things she'd purchased on my etsy, i love sending those out! does anybody want to be pen-pals?

bubble girl

2010-10-11T09:09:00.000-07:00

at some point this week ill do a video hair tutorial for this sorta bubbly, curly look..at the moment ive been way too exhausted to film myself putting in my curlers before bed, so ill probably do one on wednesday.

my first day of work was yesterday and it was so much fun!! i work at a really really huge forever 21 but im so glad they didnt fire me after this weird social security fiasco i experienced on the day that was supposed to firs be my first day. the work environment is totally fun and all my coworkers were really sweet to me. some lady even pulled me aside to tell me that i had "tons of personality and great style sense" which really made my day. i love working at a store instead of in food! yay!

i made a turban this weekend, which i probably should have made when i first was getting excited about that look but sadly ive put it off until now, which means ill probably only be able to wear it for a couple of months until everybody has one..its crocheted in a goldish green yarn thats really beautiful and autumnal..i used a picture of barbie in a turban for a reference. it turned out great!

on saturday sinead came over so we could work on our terribly boring collage assignments for fashion illustration..i stayed up really late but it was ok. i took pictures of my coif to give an idea of the style ill be demonstrating in the tutorial.

dreamy

2010-10-08T15:56:00.000-07:00

My heart belongs to Little Joe Cartwright..

<3 <3 <3

parking lot pals

2010-10-04T19:58:00.000-07:00

rarely do i do anything exciting on a friday night, but last fridays festivities were more fun than most. sinead and i met up with our friends ian and anthony who weve been hanging out with alot lately. we hung out in the trunk as the cars filtered out and the mall closed for the night, and ian (who is responsible for the photo shoot from the other day) took some funny pictures.

i set my hair in rollers and ive been really liking the somewhere in between short and medium length of my hair at the moment. i finally broke out my gold tinsel hot pants with a black bustier, black tights, black kitten heels, and a collegiate-inspired cardigan. plus a gold locket- i enjoy separates when i can put a good look together and i thoroughly enjoyed the marching band theme in this little get-up.

sinead wore a purple blouse and a neon, hawaiian 1980s beach coverup skirt with black boots and scrunchy socks.

today it rained, which is a weird thing to have happen after this heat wave. it was more of a sprinkle, but it still left me soggy and miserable. i also ran into my ex which was uncomfortable. then i just left school because i didnt want to run back to my car to get my stuff..and id still be there, so im happy to be home on this chilly night.

im still lonely, though.

if i cant have a pretty girl, i wont have one at all

2010-09-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

class was once again cancelled due to those pesky paint fumes, so i havent been to school all week and wont be back again until next monday. i got the job at forever 21(yay) which will be occupying my free time starting next wednesday, so im going to spend the weekend working on my collection which ill start to post about as soon as theres something to write about..right now i have no pieces completed aside from a skirt i expect will be done this weekend. itll be fabulous as soon as its all put together!

i have been in denial about gaining weight and its getting to be really uncomfortable when i see pictures of myself and think "wow i cant believe thats me"..this is all a part of the usual cycle that i go through every 4 months or so..i get really happy and as a result i dont think about eating so i lose 10 pounds, then a month later im back to being my old depressed self and i have a really hard time getting back to where i was. being in college means that i have to eat every period or i become way too tired, and eating packaged foods (which are vegan and by most peoples standards healthy..however that doesnt mean theyre not calorie and fat laden)
has pretty much become a part of my schedule..its just very frustrating, im hoping that when i start work ill be out of the house more and standing all day and will somehow lose weight..i dont have enough time to exercise, either, so i guess im just going to have to switch over to my cereal only, twice a day diet which has always worked for me.

one of my chickens was killed in a coyote accident, which is very sad. my dad says that coyotes wander around in the daytime only during an extreme weather change, which would make sense because the last chicken death happened during a rain storm. my mom's friend brought over a new chickie that she couldnt take care of anymore (she got a bunch of baby ducks) and her name is dot. shes very exotic looking.

last night was vivien leigh night on tcm and i watched Ana Karenina..the variety of fur hats was so overwhelming but totally wonderful. i only wear vintage fur, and i know alot of vintage-wearing gals go by the same rule. im not ignorant to how fur is acquired and at what cost, and i dont want to support the fur industry by wearing it. i think thats my only beef with wearing vintage fur, is what message am i sending? the last thing i want people to do is see me wearing fur and go ahead and buy a new fur stole..even though im sure nobody i know could afford new, real fur. anyways i feel like im educated enough on the subject to say that i wear fur but only secondhand fur.

this weekend ill be sewing up a storm, hanging out with ronni and kitty before she moves and hopefully going out at least once.

seizure salad

2010-09-27T16:02:00.000-07:00

here in fallbrook its 111 degrees or something outrageous and i had to go to school..i almost blew chunks all over someone i was talking to and i blacked out in the bathroom. then i didnt even have class, which is sort of a good thing, except for now i have to do work at home and im so exhausted i can hardly get up. the fan only blows hot air in my face..i dont have air conditioning, my house is old. the only things im eating today are frozen, and i cant have coffee, its too hot..which is only contributing to more tiredness.

my classmate showers me with cool vintage treasures all the time and gave me a vintage bikini and cover up, which i adore..i havent tried it on yet. also a bunch of seamed stockings that are so sexy. some are a plum color..how unusual!

i wore a pretty vintage patterned dress, i thought the swirling bright colors would be really refreshing like a popsicle! after about 20 minutes in the heat i was completely soggy and pitiful and probably would have been better off in a mini and flats, but i want to make the most of my summer wardrobe before i cant wear it anymore.

this is a tulle christmas decoration that reminds me of the sun today.

golden krinkle

2010-09-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

no, a golden krinkle is not a delicious dessert, its a new hat i just made! i didnt come up with the name, i found the pattern on Tea With the Vintage Baroness' blog a few months ago..i wore it today for a trip into san diego to sell some of my old clothes at a buy/sell/trade store.

the pattern was super easy..just a crocheted tube. the difficulty was trying to understand the draping and pleating instructions, so i got sort of creative with the instructions..either way i love the way it turned out and i couldnt be happier. it brings me back to when, in highschool, all i did was crochet hats for my friends and myself..i havent made a hat in ages, its nice because its such a quick thing to do and for me, its nice to have an urge to make something and have a finished product in a short amount of time.

i used an avocado green yarn and a super tiny hook, and a vintage hat decoration, im not sure where i bought it. i also used some milliner's feathers my ex's mom gave me ages ago, these particular ones were very downy and actually secured themselves to the hat easily, im not worried about them falling off.

i wore it with my 'Hungarian madame' outfit..a bustier, shimmy, costume dirndl, black tights and heels (my favorite combination for a cotton skirt/dress)and a carpet bag. my friend chaz gave me 2 giant boxes of really fabulous vintage and the bag i used was one of the gems of the bunch, not my usual carpet bag. i would have liked to wear this if it wasnt so hot out. i expected it to be cooler since san diego is closer to the coast, but guess not. parking was terrible, so i went to whole foods and bought a cookie to use their customer parking spot, which wasnt that far from the store i had to take 3 trips to, but in high heels, with the heat, carrying garbage bags full of clothing..it was not a great scene.

i ended up making 50 bucks and bought my friend ronni a pretty dress for her birthday, which is on tuesday. we'll be going to a thai restaurant i think, just me and her pals, so itll be really nice. i also bought an orange and white striped pinafore for myself and a pair of red flats with giant beaded bows, which arent really my style but ive been wearing alot of embellished flats lately.

etsy and ebay have been really hot and cold..i accidentally set up my ebay listing incorrectly (my first time) and sold a really cute dress for 1.75..such a bummer. then, last weekend i made 70 bucks on etsy, and i havent sold anything since. its annoying, but at least its money. i have an interview at a forever21 on thursday, hopefully i get the job because its not local and i wont have to see anyone i know.

bummer post

2010-09-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

it seems to me that alot of the girls whose blogs i follow are either happily independent and single (and successful, finding fulfillment elsewhere) or are in super stable relationships, because i never, EVER hear about anybody dealing with the same single girl woes that i have..

first, nobody ever wants to approach me other than old men (im talking 50+) or really nerdy guys who confuse me for like..some live action role player who is walking around in their costume. second, i have a really hard time after meeting someone, trying to get them to understand im not like a thoughtless idiot who just hangs out looking at blogs all day and thinks about clothes! im a complex, artistic, thoughtful, analytical person, you know, and just because i dont know about the latest buzzbands doesnt mean i dont have anything to say...people get an idea about me that i have some holier than thou mindset, or that im objectifying myself and have no self respect, because i clearly only want attention and positive reinforcement...neither of which are true.

as you may have seen in my last post, i met this really nice dude and we were talking every day then he just stopped communicating with me completely..i feel like he probably didnt understand what i was about and didnt think i had an opinion, but the truth is i just dont have an opinion on the things hes interested in.. and honestly im okay with the fact that he doesnt want to get to know me after getting the impression that we dont have anything in common. im just pissed that i will more than likely deal with this dilemma until i find someone who is on the same page as me (and im not looking for some vintage-wearing boyfriend who shares all the same interests as me, no way)..i just want someone to get to know me before deciding im uninteresting. i want someone to value me and i want someone to think the things im spending my time doing are cool and...blegh anyways. being single sucks, i hate dating, and the fact that i live in loserville,califoria where nobody is hip and any fella who wears cool clothes and has interests in obscure crap thinks hes the number one stud makes me wanna forget about finding a guy as long as im here.

vote for meeee

2010-09-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

hey y'all! im competing in a stylist competition through the mall and in order to win i need as many votes as possible, so of course i turn to my gal pals in the blogosphere! please honeys vote for me every day until the 14th of september! i gotta win..think of all the lipstick and pantyhose i could buy with 1000 dollars (probably the only things id ever buy through the mall hahaha)

love you all!

xxx

:)

2010-09-03T19:48:00.001-07:00

supremely happy.

san francisco treat

2010-08-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

me and my best friend took a trip to see my cousin in san francisco..

my best friend and i went to china town, which wasnt very fun mid-day and we ended up leaving in like 10 minutes, but there was this really cute mural called 100 china town babies with these really cute babies doing baby stuff..i wore my hair in curlers and a scarf one day because it didnt set, and i actually ended up really liking it. i try to not wear double wool, as in a plaid wool skirt with a wool jacket, or a plain wool jacket with a plaid skirt where the two wools have different textures..but it was sort of necessary, so i tried to make it look intentional..

now, school has started and so begins the job hunt to save $$ for moving out next semester..

30 bills

2010-08-15T12:26:00.000-07:00

last night sinead, sinead's friend hannah and i went to san diego to go see some bands, but we were denied entrance since none of us are 21 so we just went home..it was a bummer and a waste of a good outfit. at least i got an opportunity to wear one of the capes i got at an estate sale about a year ago, which i havent worn yet..embarrassingly, i left the price sticker on it and didnt realize until i was home later that night.

i did my makeup real cool..

i followed the same procedure that i saw on youtube for edie sedgwick makeup, but this time i extended my eyebrows out with brown pencil and darkened my own beauty marks.

this weekend has been a major bust, since sinead and i got kicked out of a party by some wierdo who started crying when we got there, and we didnt even know why..so we bought some red vines and watched Antoine Dodson in our friend Richard's cull-de-sac.

i went on a terrible date last weekend, and homeboy is still harassing me for the cigarettes he planted in my purse (obviously just so that he could see me again when he would have to get them back)..and i didnt even know it was a date, so even if i didnt dislike him as much as i did, it grossed me out that he was so eager to like turn the night into some emotional, romantic thing when i wasnt prepared for it or expecting it. and if he had asked me out on a date i would have refused, so i was pretty annoyed by that..dating sucks.

also, im pretty sure i didnt get the job at the vintage store since i still havent been called back, even though i went in four times (you would think people would be courteous enough to at least let you know when you dont get the job) so today or tomorrow im going to try to run into the diner in town cause my friend said theyre hiring..waitressing sounds alright, and ou make tip$!

kitty kisses

2010-08-06T22:15:00.000-07:00

I got a new kitten! i am so in love with her. Shes very perky and frisky and sometimes a little annoying when i want to sleep in and she bites my face, but for the most part i love her to pieces!

I quit summer school..which im happy about. i failed spanish and couldnt recover my grade, but at least i did pretty well in my other class..better luck next time, i guess. I went through some crazy break-up and bad situation with my ex boyfriend, which made concentrating difficult, especially at the end of the semester (i quit 2 weeks before the end of the course)

In the time i have off before fall semester, Sinead and I are going to visit my cousin in San Francisco, which will be amazing, and as soon as we get back well start working to move out next semester..ive been trying to apply in all sorts of places, and tomorrow im going to return my application to a vintage shop an hour away, which may not be worth the drive, but im still hopeful ill be hired there, otherwise its time to make some follow-up calls to the shoe store.. :(

I did really well at my last trip to the thrift store with sonja and jens! i got three really cool dresses ad a bunch of other stuff, but im thinking of making a tumblr so that i can just post pictures of the stuff i bring home and i dont need to have a story to go along with it...if that is what i end up doing, i might just move over to tumblr and use that as a place to chronicle my shopping adventures and other outings.

this dress was a little girl's princess dress that had cigarette burns all over it (??) and so i hemmed it..i wore it to a photo shoot that my friend and i did for a stylist competition were entered in.

Sunday is my father's birthday so we'll all go to little india, which should be a treat, as usual. theres lots of cool vegan-friendly restaurants and grocery stores..my family loves to go to foreign food markets and bring home cool treats. lots of the sweets are vegan, which rocks my world...mmmm candy

black dress

2010-07-28T16:01:00.000-07:00

today has been stressful,tiring and traumatic..but because i knew it would be this way before i stepped out of my house this morning, i put on my tuff guy boots, which some gardener on campus complimented me on almost immediately. i got to sit in a police car, if that gives you any clue as to just how insane today actually was. It sucks alot that my schoolwork has been made so much more difficult to focus on since all of these crazy things have been happening to me, but at the same time id rather have my social life and important things happening concerning people and things be setting the tone of my weeks as opposed to homework, tests and waking up too early.

velvet dress-estate sale
monogram pin-flea market
riding boots-flea market
hose-flea market

I like to wear black dresses when i find one i actually like..this one is really easy to wear and the velvet makes it more cozy and a little bit fancier than any normal black day dress. Sinead has converted me and now i prefer tie or sash-style belts to leather ones.

now ive got to try and practice my Spanish and i dont know any of it because everyday this month ive been so stressed out i just sit in class asleep or daydreaming..im shooting for a 6-hour practice, since i know im gonna fail my final. Oh, one good thing that ive gotten to do in my Spanish class (other than learn tiny bits of Spanish) is watch pan's labyrinth, which im enjoying alot.

Enchanted Sea

2010-07-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

summer school is beginning to wind down, which i look forward to. Accelerated-pace Spanish and Philosophy classes have completely overtaken my life and left me with no free time and basically forced me onto a super-strict schedule since i have to wake up super early to be there a half an hour earlier. Normally this wouldnt be a big deal but since i finally have places to be and people to see its really unfortunate that i cant hang out as much as i'd like to..anyways. Next semester will be a blast if i havent already said ill be taking Patternmaking, Fashion Illustration and designing a line! Sinead and i are also both competing in a stylist competition through our local mall, but since were trying out for different months were not up against one-another. ill post her video as soon as voting starts so you guys can vote for her..

other than that, ive been working still on my afghan which is turning out really well, but it hass taken me since the first week of last semester to get to this point! im also working on a rag rug which is near completion. i am, for the first time, really enjoying every bit of these long-term craft projects and im really proud of my work. Im always hemming and altering dresses, but on top of my usual projects ive started an etsy not long ago, which i never got around to linking onto here because i havent uploaded too many items yet!

here is an outfit i wore to a little thing sinead, ian, derek, thom and i went to on a sunday of last week.

late/mid eighties dress is from the thrift store, vintage cardigan is from an estate sale, headband is from an estate sale, pearls in a vial on a chain from the flea market..shoes are from the mall.

soon, we might be getting a kitten and her name will be (if we do decide to get her) Miss Yvonne, who is a character on Peewee's playhouse.

this is one of my favorite songs.

Start of summer school

2010-06-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Alot has been going on in my life over the last month of breaktime between regular school and summer school..looking for a job and being awful in interviews, getting a car, starting up my etsy account and ending and beginning relationships. its all been really fun, for the most part, and i feel like ive experienced a handful of eye-opening things over the last 5 weeks.

Sinead and i have been hanging out all the time and trying our best to go out and do things on the weekends. Normally our efforts dont bear any results but this weekend should be really fun..saturday were going to san diego, tomorrow im going to the estate sale to end all others and sunday i might find something else cool to do..im looking forward to it! right now i have a banana cake baking in the oven so tomorrow i can bolt out of the house as fast as possible..if i dont have my breakfast in the morning before an estate sale, i get even more overwhelmed and crazy..so just to maximize my efficiency, im planning ahead.

Last weekend we hung out with my old bud Ryan and his friends..we stayed up really late and his roommate is getting kittens, so you can bet well be back soon to play with them.

Ive been putting my hair in curlers about every other day, and i was forced to do a wet-set one night when i didnt have alot of time. eureka! it took very little time and stayed in 2 or 3 times longer than my regular type. But i still feel like other girls are getting way more life out of their curls than i am..do you guys know of any special magical potions that could help my curls stay in place all day long?

i love having a car!

summer cut

2010-06-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

The weather just keeps getting warmer and warmer, and now im even more happy i cut my hair off! summer cuts are good ideas.

Today was a sizzler and i went to reggae fest (some lame reggae event held downtown, marketed towards the younger fallbrook citizens) just to check it out. Then i headed off to the mall to enjoy the air conditioning and found some cosmetics at sephora worth saving my pennies for..High Beam, which ive never tried before, and some pretty, pretty eyeshadows and NARS lipsticks that looked so nice. Im filling out an application online for a job at F21, or some sort of weird store that sells it's merchandise. Hopefully, that works out. Then i made banana bread, dropped off my little bro at his buddy's house for a sleepover, and now im here..praying my parents will want to go to the swap meet tomorrow.. i havent been in such a long time!

My little bro burned me a copy of Yma Sumac's "Voice of the Xtabay" and i couldnt be happier..since getting the car i havent had any good CDs and im excited to drive down the street jammin to her!

here are some pictures of today, and the debut of my new haircut! i love it.

pretty jazzy, no?

the only other time ive had my hair short, i felt like i couldnt wear certain necklines or dresses..but this time i feel like dresses and collars and scarves look better than with long hair! i like it. i feel chic and a little more grown-up.

i bought a new lipstick last night..im becoming a lipstick addict! how did i ever get by without it..

tonight ill try to
-finish my embroidery and pack off sinead's ACC for her final installation
-paint my nails
-clean up my school dressmaking patterns, still lying around a month later :/

summer scarves + summer cuts

2010-05-27T12:17:00.000-07:00

school got out a little while ago, and as soon as i found a gap of time between little get-togethers and errands to run, i went and got my wisdom teeth removed. it was really fun, and the gas mask they gave me for the laughing gas was creamsicle scented..amazing! now im stuck at home for a little bit, working hard on etsy stuff (today im embroidering a banner, i think) finishing up some little knitting and crocheting projects and hemming things..all the fun, cozy stuff i can do from my bed.

heres a picture i took during finals week when my hair was crazy. i threw on a cute bandanna headscarf thing. i love how vibrant vintage pieces of red clothing are, do you know what i mean? its almost like they were dyed in some sore of radioactive goo.

since then, ive got all my hair chopped off! i have been too lazy to curl it and take any pictures of it, but imagine it as some sore of fluffy, puffy round bubbly 60s 'do. i love it! the only thing i dont love about it is that i cant really just wear it natural, or i look like a soccer mom. oh, well!

i went to my first swap meet as a seller with my pal Erika a few weekends ago, and nothing of mine sold at all! except for a pair of gloves. and the two dollars i made on those went into buying a neon purple muumuu, so i had fun, but no profit. erika sold a few bags and things. i cant wait to have my etsy up n running!

oh, and i forgot to mention that i now have a license and my dad's old car! thrifting, garage saling and all those things i can do all the time now! as soon as i recover from my late night and early mornings of this last semester, ill be a force to be reckoned with.

curly miss

2010-05-05T18:08:00.000-07:00

curling my hair has got me spoiled and now i dont want to have it any other way! this week, my favorite hairstyle has been when i curled it and pinned it up to look like a shorter 'do. i wore it with a hat that i love.

do you guys have a favorite hat? i do, but it would be easier to pick a favorite winter hat and a favorite summer hat, separately. its basically already like summer here! in the day its burning hot and sunny. ive lost my sunscreen, which makes me want to stay out of the sun all together, but ill have alot of time to enjoy the warmth and shininess in the months to come.

have i told you guys i have chickens? well, if i havent, i do. and theyre just starting to lay eggs! freida, the biggest most glorious chickie of all the bunch has been laying double-yolkers. two days in a row! thats supposed to mean good luck. i think shes just a special big girl.

im going to our school's fashion show on friday and the rest of the week will be full of sewing to get ready. i havent submitted a collection but next year you can bet i will! im excited to see what everybody put together.

im embroidering this just to pretty much cover up a bare wall that i now have since ive been re-arranging furniture.

i wish i had a 40s frame, since the pattern is said to be from around then, but instead itll be in a yellow, late 60s or 70s frame from the flea market. i have to clean out all my craft goodies so i can get more!!

girlztyme

2010-04-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

there are few things id rather be doing on a friday night than shopping for drawer knobs on anthropologie.com for my new vintage sea-foam green dresser.

feathered friend

2010-04-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

curling my hair isnt that much of a pain at all anymore, and ive currently got roots-a-plenty and need some sort of distraction from my sorry scalp. feathered flamingo hats help, too.

this blue dress looked super sixties to me, but when i got it home it was a 90s Macy's brand..pretty bizarre. i like it, though, so im breaking out another weird 90s/60s dress hiding in the back of my closet for a hemming and re-fitting.

ive got so many knittin/crocheting and sewing projects im trying to get done now, i dont know where to start, hardly! happily, as soon as this square dance skirt is done and ive presented it, ill be able to hang out for the rest of the semester without a worry.

new blog title and starting a frequent posting regimen

2010-04-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

..as you can see ive decided to go ahead and change my blog's and other stuff..not sure if im going to keep it forevs but for right now im pretty pleased with it.

i actually do my own "business casual" friday thing just because i have a really boring and long workshop on fridays, because i have to take the bus sometimes (and walk home) and because i want to save my cute outfit for going out after school, not waste it for class!im not great at it most of the time (im giving up shorts forever!) but this outfit was certainly comfortable and dressed down compared to how i normally dress for school but i still felt presentable.

how do you guys feel about v-necks? i hate how trendy they were last year, but i also feel like its a really flattering look for me. a little bit of a pickle. i wore it with a high and short plaid pencil skirt and this crazy sweater (are these called dusters?) i got at the swapmeet a few years ago. the necklace is a plastic floral pendant, and im wearing new lipstick called "wine with everything" which is the weirdest name ever and definitely not my policy! during the week its mostly dresses, since its not necessary to wear pants anymore with it being springtime n everything. does anybody else have a major problem with separates? its a hundred times harder for me to coordinate a skirt/top combo than it is for me to like..sew a dress from scratch.

last week i talked a little about gaining weight and im sort of at a wierd point where i feel like i can either become comfortable with my plumper figure or whip myself into shape once again. a big motivator for me to lose weight would be that i cant fit as well into any of my other dresses with my current figure and thats depressing. at the same time i like having a more feminine shpe and my face looks alot better, in my opinion. being thin made me feel like i had a body for clothes, and being heavier makes me feel like i need to start buying clothes for my body, which sort of takes some of the fun out of thrifting. i pretty much would buy anything, any shape and at any size knowing that i could fit into the smallest size or be able to nip it in if it were too big..i dont want to not be able to do that! anyways im being very vain about it all and i dont want to irritate anybody. it is something thats been on my mind enough that you all should know whats up.

today i went thrifting which was pretty good.
final tally
-2 dresses
-1 pair of plaid 60s sheets
-1 pillowcase (which im planning to crochet a scalloped edge on with that new tutorial i think on craftzine..?)
-1 cushion i gave to my friend who needed it
-a couple of zippers. one of them is really big!
-1 thread rack YES i needed this so bad.
-1 pair of boots and a pair of boot-IES
- a cool barrette
also i got a cute orange colored necklace for my friend to take apart.

ive got a little cold, so tomorrow i may either do homework, feel worse and sleep all day or ideally feel better and go to the flea market (followed by homework). i work so hard in my classes, every single day i have like 3 hours of work, its nuts!

an update with old pictures

2010-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

its not that i dont care, i am just so busy all of the time! ive also unexpectedly put on several pounds recently and im afraid of taking pictures!right now im waiting in the library while a classmate of mine emails me some homework assignments. basically ive been having a hard time with getting dressed in the morning anyway, so the outfits id post about wouldnt be that great. there have been few goodish ones, but most of the time i have to change my outfits so many times before i leave the house, i end up looking incomplete. today im wearing a blue sundress, black flats and a plastic flower necklace with a plastic coral-colored cocktail ring. since my face is fuller, ive been taking advantage of my recently plumped lips with lipstick almost everyday, which is nice. pictures soon, as soon as i find the time. im also thinking of changing the blog's name to "bedroom blogger" since all of my photos are in my bedroom, and also because im sick of my current title!

here are some older pictures (from a month back) of me and my new gal pal hanging out. she has a nice camera..

..and a cool apartment and we like alot of the same things.

right now im up to my neck in projcts and my thrift/alteration/wear cycle is way bogged down. right now im forcing myself to make time for one dress each day when i get home from school, which works pretty well but it suprises me to say my work isnt as neat when i havent sat down at my sewing machine for a couple of weeks in a row. im still hard at work on that afghan, have done a few small misc. handwork pojects at school and im knitting a bag with yarn from a sweater project id abandoned. its a dusty pink and will have a green stripe and kitty cat applique. im also using some vintage tortoise shell purse handles.

you guys are the best for sticking around! sorry i havent been present.

springin

2010-03-17T14:10:00.000-07:00

this weekend, Erika and i went down to the Elks community flea market and really scored! We found at the end of the morning a stand selling just theeee best vintage stuff for a dollar apiece! of course, erika and i bought like 20 things..hahaha. i still havent gotten around to sewing my thrift scores from two weeks ago (cause of my cold!) but as soon as all of these things are hemmed and repaired and squared away, ill have many pretty outfits to chat about.

this is a tiered, red, polyester dress which i wore with a donkey necklace and my baby blue hair bow (not pictured). it was the first really hot day id had for a while, since i was in bed all weekend, and it was so nice to get out of the house without a sweater or a coat or an umbrella. Long dresses are comfortable right now.

i went down to the beach and ate a burrito, then when we were walking around i found a decomposing crochet hook in the rocks! it was waiting for me to take home..unfortunately during the weekend and monday that i took off, i didnt feel much like sewing anything or working on my crochet. I can only work through projects little by little now, ill need to adjust to that eventually.

next week is spring break, yippee!

yippee!

2010-03-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

enough time for a blog post!
or maybe less nerves than usual about weather i have enough time or not for a blog post! either way, im finally getting around to posting something and getting the chance to explain my absense.

school has been either fun and enjoyable (and has left me completely drained at the end of the day) or terribly busy and stressful with not a spare minute to breathe!tonight is one of the busy ones (as ive just found out since emailing my teacher about what work i should have done...yikes! finish a teeshirt, start a new teeshirt and work on all of my collar samples..)but i thought it was a good time to write something out, anyways. plus, Sonja asked me to post something!

Ive just started watching season 1 of the Mary Tyler Moore show and i love it! i cant wait till betty white starts coming on, since ive been missing out on golden girls. This outfit was sort of inspired by her, and sort of worn only because im feeling sick and didnt want to wear a dress. unfortunately, my shoes broke when i was getting out of the car this morning (so much for a cool outfit) and i sort of looked crazy limping around from class to class in a broken slingback..basically a platform flip-flop. thank the lord i didnt break my ankle! i wore a sweater i bought for my little brother a year or two ago, which i think was made for a lady anyway, and some brown osritch platforms with a peep-toe. no brooch or hat or anything. i curled my hair, though, which i think made this work.

i guess i havent been keeping you guys up on my hair woes! i decided that the red was just not what i wanted anymore, so i went to the store to buy a box of ashy blonde dye. well, only my roots were dyed so i had blonde/yellow 2-inch roots and red tips, which was unflattering but i put up with it for a couple of weeks. then i bought a highlighter and a box of brown dye so that i could have some funky 60s highlighting job and instead i ended up with fat yellow and orange stripes down my hair..very Heatmeiser. Suprisingly, i got used to that and almost didnt want to get rid of it when i dyed it brown 2 nights ago (waaaaaay darker than what was on the box) and now im just hoping that after a couple more months the red will have vanished and ill never have to do this again!

anyways, tonight's agenda
-finish raw edges of teeshirt
-start new shirt
-melt polyester (textiles bleghrtzudfhgjzdfn)

over n out!

this is your teeth, speaking

2010-02-19T17:09:00.000-08:00

since i dont have enough time to sit down and work on any major projects or even clear out a couple of hours for altering thrifted goods during the weekend, ive sorta started setting aside a half an hour a night (right before bed) to work on a dress to wear the next day. sometimes this works fine, but other times i dont have the energy to even try on a dress before hitting the hay and in the morning when i try it on i am horrified. this peachy dress was a good experience, one purple muumuu was one of the worst.

you cant see it too well because of how bright it was in my room that morning (its been super sunny and warm all week except for today) but i pinned a giant 60s peach flower brooch onto the biggish collar and it was pretty magical.

this weekend (minus homework stuff)
-finally finish the yellow dress i foolishly decided to start on the first week of school
-work on my square dancing dress (im doing an assignment on senior citizen square dancers..needless to say its been super fun and hilarious and inspiring)..which is homework related but it will be so fun i wont even think of it as homework
-hopefully get my hair done back to *BLONDE*..dont worry, itll all be done in very good taste. im so tired of dying my hair all of the time. im really a blonde, you know.hopefully ill get my bang-a-langs trimmed up as well, theyre killin my boyfriend. today he called them my "blinders"
-ESTATE SALE CITY tomorrow.
-organization of my buttons, clothes, trims, yarns and bedroom!

im looking forward to these precious next 48 hours..i probably wont sleep the whole time!

meow

2010-02-10T16:19:00.000-08:00

ive been trying to communicate with people through "meow"s all week, its fun but i should probably stop before it becomes a habit.

this dress ive posted about before but i never really showed you all of it..

for some reason i thought this dress was longer than it actually is..its not too much longer than some of my mini dresses. even though i like it alot i havent worn it since i bought it, which was in october! i enjoy finally wearing the clothes that have been pushed all the way back in my closet, then realizing theyre great!

mm not much else is new..

weekend finds and my monday getup

2010-02-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

school is tiring- i get home and everything seems like bad news. atleast on the days that i go til two thirty, that is. i even got an extra half hour of sleep, but that was because i forgot to set my normal alarm clock and i didnt have enough time to make my bed, which really bugs me.

i wore a homemade, calico, mismatched, patchy-worky dress that came with long sleeves that had mud or coffee or chocolate frosting all over them, and of course a skirt all the way to the floor. i weighted the hem of the skirt (its short and voluminous, which spells disaster for me) with a tatted lacy trim thats very substantial and i bought it at the flea market when a woman who had bought out an antique store was selling their old goods..it was quite a deal and ive still got plenty left.

the collar has two tiny owl buttons, which really sold me on the whole dress when i found it (on my birthday).

i also cut my bangs shorter, for a couple reasons.
1. every time i go over to "rockstar diaries" blog i just deal with an intense urge to cut myself some bangs, but this time i had been trimming them up almost every day and decided it wouldnt be a biggie
2. i like my eyebrows
3. i have intense cowlicks that made it nearly impossible to keep my sideish bangs in place- theyd twist off in either direction no matter what i did..i figured if i cut them straight and forward i could just meet them in the middle.

theyre allllllright, but i liked the side swept version better. we'll see.

i also wore this dress on saturday out with bryan to the Amvets store in escondido. there was massive hype about the whole place and we were expecting to really strike gold, but not so much. i was more excited about the housewares i found than the coat and velvet dress, which are still truly great. the best of those home furnishings was this wall-mounted shelf made from a laboratory chemical crate and decoupaged with floral wallpaper.

next to it is a wooden clog filled with my crochet hooks, a la "dottie angel", check out her blog if you love to crochet, im tellin ya.

now heres the real kicker, all-you-can-stuff-a-fruitcrate-with fabrics, ten buckaroos at the flea market..truly the find of the decade and theyre not just any old fabrics, theyre gorgeous ginghams, plaids and a few florals from the sixties. im not sure about all of them, but im thnking theyre atleast mostly vintage, and even the ones that might not be are smashing. it was like christmas, or more like how i wish christmas was!!

Kreativ Blogger Award and a busy night

2010-01-26T19:07:00.000-08:00

ive been pretty anti-vest at times over the last 4 years or so since they really got popular and were sold at malls and things, and when i did find a vest to love and wear, i never would wear it open. my favorite outfit this week, though,has been my homemade, embroidered dress with a denim vest worn open on top. its not a bad look at all, and it doesnt look at all grungy or sloppy, i dont think, so id say it was a vest success!

today i failed my driving test. im pretty sad about it, but because ive been so crazy and emotional this week i dont know if im even stable enough to say how much of a disappointment this is without taking it over and above any rational reaction. in fact, ive pretty much set the standard for crazy behavior last night when i cried the entire way through "(500)Days of Summer" for no real reason. oh, and today i almost ran over a kid.

before the movie madness, though, i set out to makeover a burnt orange sweater of my brothers using a tutorial from Queens of Vintage, adding a fur collar and nipping it in by several inches and it turned out really nice. the problem is, though, i feel like a total butthead wearing fur, and even though its old and yadda yadda yadda, the fact that im encouraging wearing fur as the hip thing to do is not cool by me, and i cant deny that im doing just that, so for now im going to reserve it for wearing at home or passing off to someone who doesnt have as much of a beef with fur as i do. teehee "beef with fur" vegan jokes.

heres the finished product! today i wore it with jeans and ended up looking sort of sixtiesish, even though the sweater's styling makes it look a little older than that.

movin on, movin on..

the Kreativ Blogger award! its cool that you guys want to award me with cute titles, i appreciate it. its also fun to gain more followers, its been a long time coming! this award comes from Camelias and Crinolines, a blog ive recently found and enjoy.

like the Haute Mess award, ive got to list seven random facts about myself and i should tag seven more bloggers, but to be honest im not a major blog connoisseur and cant think of any more blogs, really, that id want to tag! you guys are all Kreativ bloggers to me, your creativity keeps me interested in your blogs and inspires me every day!

1. I have a problem with unfocusing my eyes when im looking at people, alot of the time when im talking to my boyfriend he just fades out of focus and i think everybody knows when im doing it to them. this is a bad habit.
2. i have probably 60+ hats in my possession.
3. i also have a surprisingly large cape collection.
4. i dont like wearing hoop earrings
5. I have a really good memory of my childhood and can remember a good number of events even back to 2 years old.
6. ive ridden llamas and camels.
7. I quit smoking a few years ago and im pretty proud of that.

back to my homework, then! ive only got 2 textbooks out of the five or something that i need, so im pretty freaked out right now! fortunately, its fun fashion homework and not calculus or anything.

Haute Mess Award + school news

2010-01-21T15:50:00.000-08:00

as you know, i started junior college on tuesday! its been pretty great, i love my classes, the only problem has been the constant rain! one focus in my fashion analysis class today was that "first impressions are lasting impressions" and i hope that nobody remembers me for the impression i left today...i sure was one "Haute Mess" running around campus with my western-style muumuu practically blowing over my head in the wind!

i wore my "sheriff Joshua" pin today to look even more western, which one of my classmates thought was "hot"..hehe.

i cant explain how great it is to be in school, now! i havent been in a school with people and classrooms for years, getting dressed and being out of the house for once are both so nice. when i come home the few hours before bed fly by really quickly, but i still find time for my crafts between classes and when bryan has class an hour or two before me, or gets out late. right now im working on an afghan! the last project i worked on before starting school was this embroidered pillow, for my friend, erika.

ill make one for myself soon. ive been working out this dress idea that i wish i had time to make right now, but ill have to pound it out this weekend or not at all! thats the only shame about not being home nearly as much.

now, to this Haute Mess Award!!

Annie, of "Annie, Time Enough For Drums" has passed the award onto me! If you havent been introduced to Annie yet, you must check out her "Summer Series". my favorite edition is #4, but i covet every dress she owns!

Now, seven random facts about myself
1. I like to think that im sort of psychic.
2. I am always, always wearing socks at home.
3. I am a vegan 4 lyfe and i love vegan baking!
4. When i was a kiddie, I went fishing with my Poppy and when our marshmallow bait fell into the lake, i jumped in to save it and couldnt get back out!
5. Recently, ive re-ignited my love and obsession with Martha Stewart and especially enjoyed her "favorite cookies" DVD, which i highly reccomend to people who like cozy things.
6. Friday is my "clean sheets day".
7. On tuesday, i fell on the crosswalk (which had those raised bumps) and now i have 5 polka-dot bruises on my knee..now i look rugged, which is what i always wanted.

now, 7 bloggers who light up my day with their posts, and who also get to do the same to their favorite seven!

Blog Full of Jelly http://blogfullofjelly.blogspot.com/
Camelias and Crinolines http://cameliasandcrinolines.blogspot.com/
Erica Knits http://erica-knits.blogspot.com/
Tea With the Vintage Baroness http://lettersfromhomefront.blogspot.com/
Vintage or Bust! http://vintageorbust.blogspot.com/
Cornflower Blue http://cornflowerbluestudio.blogspot.com/
Wayward Sewing http://littlethistles.blogspot.com/

<3

saturday evenin'

2010-01-16T16:10:00.000-08:00

monday and tuesday are supposed to be very cold and rainy..for that reason i guess its ok that i couldnt get my license yesterday, because i might not be able to drive in the rain.i cant wait to wear my dresses without sweaters and coats someday soon! but now is the time for coats and all that jazz, so since i always complain about not getting the most use out of them, ill try and make the best of the weather.

heres one dress ive been dying to wear-one of the several vintage children's dresses i always find at one woman's stall at the flea market..i like the cut, its easier to wear than most of the dresses i have.

i cut my bangs the day before my birthday. i got pretty sick and tired of waiting and hoping for my chin-length bangs to start looking good, even though i couldnt stand my shorter bangs at some times. i made the best choice i think. im pleased with them but i think they could be shorter..one of the major reasons i wanted them is because ive been into wearing my hair in a topknot and like to have bangs when i do that.

today is almost over for me. to do yet are my two newest dresses, which are up on the clothes line drying. i got them on my birthday! one is a brown, sixties, peasant-y dress with owl buttons, another is a red and blue checkered muumuu thatll look smashing once ive had my way with it!

what are you guys planning for this weekend? i wont be going flea marketing, i dont think, so my agenda consists of just embroidering, sewing up these new treasures, and trying to get my textbooks online!(when i was flipping through the required books for my fashion classes, i noticed a few of the most hilarious and ridiculous titles ever..i hope they arent as stupid as they sound!)

birthday thrift

2010-01-15T21:27:00.000-08:00

i picked up some new pattern books..

embroidery crazy

2010-01-12T09:04:00.000-08:00

im sewing up a cover for my serger today, and before i finish the outer shell i want to embroider a little design on the front of it. which one should i choose? ive been obsessed with embroidering everything i make lately, so without some cute needlework on the front of this itll never be truly complete, in my eyes. luckily, all of these are great and i couldnt really go wrong.

right now, im sort of into the two smiling kittens, maybe with some text above.

im tired!

2010-01-03T21:27:00.000-08:00

but before i hit the hay, i thought id let you know im taking a vow of internet silence for a couple of days. in the meantime, ill be working on some projects and tomorrow im testing for my driver's license! UPDATE:i am going to have to wait until january 15th, my 18th birthday, to test for my driver's license which gives me only three days between my birthday and the day school starts..im terrified.

this guy has a bunch of pencil-sized holes drilled into his head. i dont know what to put in him yet, i thought crochet needles at first, but the holes are too shallow. maybe darning needles.

lots of new yarns and stringy, twiney stuff for crocheting more necklaces! my cousin and i worked on some this weekend when she spent the night here, and its sort of getting me excited about crocheting, again.

my main project right now, which i just started embroidering tonight. the stitches will be red, teal and black.

be right back!

real life monday night

2009-12-28T17:44:00.000-08:00

tonight, in my real life, i am looking at the ceiling

and pretending to walk around like a fancy person.

i am also flipping through my inventory of pretty fabrics, recently purchased from the flea market and garage sales. im probably not going to make anything new soon, i figure ill only get better when im taking these fashion classes come january, so why dont i just hold off for a little while?

this lace will become a pretty collar.

and this pink, im imagining, will one day be a cute little shift with the matching trim that came with it.

here are a couple more-

1. a jumbo floral
2. loads of pretty, summery plaid for a dress
3. a stripey, nubby guy
4. that salmony-pink, sturdier fabric ive got plans for
5. a lace sorta thing with a coupla stains, but i wouldnt have a hard time working around them
6. i always need chambray!

i am also wearing a fifty-cent sweater, thinking about my driving class tomorrow and glad that my cat wasnt killed in a freak accident today.

flea market sunday

2009-12-27T19:36:00.000-08:00

sonja couldnt come today! neither could alot of vendors! who knew the sunday after christmas was still holiday-time?

but i did pretty well, anyway, and bought a pretty shelf to display all of my pretty stuff, along with some really wonderful clothes like a sixties neon yellow jumpsuit and 2 vintage childeren's dresses, which i can fit into. also, alot of fabric, again! and two pairs of t-strap shoes.

i dont like so much doing these flea market posts, anymore, so from now on, no more of this stuff and more pictures of me wearing the actual clothes! itll be easier, once i start school and get to wear clothing every day instead of pajamas (which isnt so bad for me since i got new pjs for xmas.)

merry, merry, quite contrary

2009-12-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

this has been a bit of a bum christmas for me, as ive been majorly sick the whole time. i had alot less fun this year, my lack of energy made me appreciate my presents less and i had no holiday spurrit to help me forget about all the other problems in my life. ive been sleeping too much, eating too much and feeling bad for myself. also, im getting way to emotional about stupid stuff, like how i couldnt eat the chocolate my dad bought me because it wasnt vegan. now, im not trying to pull anybody down into this slump with me, i did have alot of cool stuff happen to me this christmas and i got alot of neat things and ate yummy food and everything. im just tired of being sick evvvery holiday, it seems, and im not even a trooper about it, i resent everybody who got to enjoy a healthy couple of days when i couldnt. i couldnt even wear the nightgown i made just for today!

wanna hear about all the good stuff that happened, instead?

i recieved a serger from my parents, which is going to help me out alot and just make my life better, and i cant wait to use it! my cuz got me "Handmade Nation" on dvd, im saving it to watch with my friends. i just burned through a visa giftcard on a ton of beauty stuff from the body shop, including a bunch of cool makeup and 3 really nice acne products..and i guess im getting to the point where i pick out my own presents because im hard to shop for, so i got a bunch of previously-mentioned dresses from santa. plus some cool tidbits like caffeine pills (huh?) and super-nice coffee, cute under-oos, Betsey Johnson tights and a paper loom.

*dress from Erika's etsy

pillas, pillas, everywheres.

2009-12-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

this are my kitties. the pillow was knit and done up by me, but i didnt notice how uneven the eyes were till now. xena has adorably and strangely adopted this kitty pillow as her new nappin spot, maybe because its a good size for her, maybe because its knit, or light, or new, but id like to think its because its a cat.

mrrrrrrrow!

today i went to some regular stores with my mom. not thrift stores, which is wierd for me. i actually found a cute dress i really liked, though! i am, again, asking for my parents to save it for christmas. i just have a problem with buying a dress for some normal price, when i could have actually bought like 4 dresses for that price yesterday. and thats sort of typical for someone who is spoiled by second-hand prices, but im serious you guys. it makes me crazy.

tonight im going to finish editing a red dress i got for a buck at the gemological institute's rummage sale, along with a fringed peach bow-tied totally christmassy dress (which is done and ready to wear) and a church robe that im not sure why i bought, or what im going to do with.

brokenhearted

2009-12-21T09:48:00.000-08:00

to protect the not-so innocent, ive removed whatever i posted earlier today. but bryan is still a fat jerk.

this is a picture of the nightgown i made. its made of a hot-pink, eighties-lookin flannel, with pockets and a lil drawstring belt. its comfy! im moving on to undies, soon, and im thinking of making a matching pair out of the extra fabric.

jokes

2009-12-20T18:54:00.000-08:00

today we went to the swapmeet, which we havent been to for a long time partly because the weather's been a little nasty, also because ive been over-spending at estate sales. today we went out of necessity, to find gifts for my cousin and her boyfriend, and my mom wanted to find a funny something for her gift exchange. i tried really hard to make her buy a taxidermied squirrel being attacked by a cobra, but she didnt go for it.

on the way in, i spotted this gent carrying a giant stuffed elk (?) and i wanted to get a picture with him.

unfortunately, he was carrying it backwards, but you get the idea. jens wore an entirely beige outfit, made up of a rejected sweater intended for somebody else, and some once-brown jeans. i asked him if he was going to the beige-ing Olympics. i liked that joke.

anyways, i totally scored on some stellar fabrics and table linens(one tablecloth was an egyptian print i wanted to make a little minidress out of, but then i realized there was an orgy going on in the heiroglyphics, so i dunno about that) and a button box thats just glorious. also, some lady with clothes from a vintage dealer hooked me up with a really pretty green and blue 60s mini dress, which i love, but gave to my parents to give me for christmas. thats what ive been doing with my thrifted stuff, lately, just giving it to them to wrap up for me until christmas.

ive been up to alot, other than this. i made myself a new nightie for christmas morning, and worked on a ton of dresses, and a pillow which looks like a cats head. sadly, as ive been working on all of this, ive forgotten to find a prezzie for bryan! i havent gone berserk yet, but something needs to come together soon, or i might start stressing really hard and not have as much fun as id like.

im going to try to pull together posts for all of these developments.
sorry for the scatter-brained entry tonight!

fiesta

2009-12-12T18:56:00.000-08:00

last night..

.. was pretty fun!
im enjoying wearing my new lipstick out. also, i dyed my hair brown, which wont be a permanent change, i only like to dye it something other than red once or twice a year to shake things up. i wore a newish plaid dress from urban, black tights, black pumps and charcoal socks, my tan sweater, my thimble ring (which i couldnt get off this morning)and a carpet bag and shamrock necklace i had gotten at the estate sale that day. bryan wore a shirt hes worn on my blog before.

bratty wanda's estate sales

2009-12-11T16:19:00.000-08:00

today i spent too much at the first estate sale i went to to go to any others, but the one that i did go to was pretty alright. the best estate sales are the ones with lots of clothes, and this one didnt have hardly any, but it made up for it with a multitude of glorious chotchkies.

the only piece of "clothing" i got was this carpet bag, which is super plush and wonderful. ontop of this pile are:
-a puppy shaped perfume bottle, whose contents ill never use, of course, but he was really cute.
-alot of cool boxes and tins
-some vintage labels with a silver border
-an umbrella-shaped cookie-cutter
-hankies
-crochet hooks in cigar containers
-a pretty napkin ring ill make into something else, like a really elaborate hairpiece or necklace
-a cool measuring tape from a tailor's in chicago
-a tiny picture frame
-pretty earrings
-2 cute tamoshanter-shaped coin purses, one of which ill give to my cuzzie

everything was heavily marked-up, and wanda, the lady who runs alot of these estate sales, really harshed my mellow. shes rude and even though she knows im her best customer, she never haggles with me! i dont like that.

i bought two bags of notions and only glimpsed for a second at each one's contents before adding them to my pile, but when i looked at them in the car, they were stuffed with gems! my favorite bits were these old needle books.

then there were these needles for use in furniture upoholstery and shoe repair and stuff of that nature.

..also, inside was my wish come true and i didnt even know it, tailor's chalk! ive been needing some terribly and always forget to get some. im glad about that.

and all of that goes inside of my new tinny-tin-tin..

..and between taking pictures and waiting for bryan to come over, i hung up my new picture, which i found in the attic of the farm and was given to my twin aunts by their french neighbor when they were tots.

tonight, im going out to some party which may or may not be that much fun. my little brother is going with us, and im glad bryan can come!

2009-12-07T15:05:00.000-08:00

ive just gotten back from the doctor, on the windiest, rainiest day of winter weve had yet, after having had my warts frozen off plus a random spot on my thumb that the doc thought was the wart. before that i went to another doctor. i ate too much today, but im insatiably hungry and im hard-up trying to find anything else that makes me as happy as eating, so theeeeeeere.

now with my fingers stinging and sore, im having a bit of a hard time typing and im imagining ill also have difficulties sewing or knitting, so over the next couple days, hopefully just a day until i get sensation back into my fingers, ill be surrendering my life away in favor of days in bed, sleeping in, wrapped up in my heating blanket (who comforts me when im sad and soothes my back) drinking too much coffee and watching terrible television.

truthfully, if anybody bothered to call me or ask me out or wanted to talk, id forget about my pain and be out of bed, bright eyed and bushy tailed in a moment. but life's been more than a little depressing around here, and no matter how much id like to nip this bad mood in the bud and get to workin, theres an undeniable appeal to just lurking around the house, wrapped in a blanket, feeling lonesome and allowing myself, for once in the last 3 years, to just not..do..anything.

luckily for me, im only seventeen going-on eighteen, and its easy for me to compartmentalize my mood swings and anxieties under the banner of "waaah i hate my life nobody loves me!" to other people and be able to talk openly and freely about how i feel, knowing that folks will just assume im having a moment of self-doubt or there are problems at home and that its all normal, and thats fine with me.

so whatever, annnnnd i hate my life, and my boyfriend's mean to me, and i dont wanna get fat but i cant stop eating, and im bored and i have no friends.

my day off..

2009-11-30T17:22:00.000-08:00

..Went pretty alright, though i still have a sore back. i wont be complaining about it right now, since bryan snapped me into a different point of view with his comment left on "Breakin'". today i made a vegan apple cake that tastes very good, i hemmed a dress by hand, i worked on my sewing machine briefly but managed to break yet another ceramic thing-ive been incredibly clumsy, and this week its been especially bad. during these pictures, i actually threw three things off of a shelf by putting my camera in a bad place, then tripped on one and shattered its feet. so sad! i feel terrible about it. i dont know if i believe people can be just clumsy by nature, but i think part of my problem is that i drink alot of coffee which makes me jumpy and so i tend to knock things over with exaggerated hand gestures, and also my hair is so big it can sometimes obstruct my view and make it so i cant see all around me. im breaking all of my things, though!

the day after thanksgiving, my cousins, brother, mother and i all headed down to the atascadero thrift shops. i found two really pretty dresses-the white one here

and a 60s red and orange shift thats super glamorous and nice. i also found a fire king bowl-with-a-handle that im using as my own personal cereal bowl from now on, it holds the perfect amount! at another charity shop, i bought a petticoat that i didnt check the label of when i bought it, but later i saw it was actually very old, from a company called Mar-Lo of Hollywood or California or something like that. what a nice surprise! also, a skirt and i think one more thing but i dont remember what..

this weekend i also bought a really nice lipstick, which i dont usually wear but i thought, since im going to be eighteen soon, i ought to invest in some big-girl makeup.

today i stole some persimmons and fed them to a horse across the street, who craves them all day, im told!

breakin'

2009-11-30T10:39:00.000-08:00

over the last 3 or 4 months, ive been dealing with a ever-present backache that just wont quit and leaves me bored and angry when it disables me from being able to sew (bending over to iron, taking clothes on and off, cutting fabric on the ground). in the last 4 or 5 days its really gotten a whole lot more painful, though, and the timing couldnt be worse as ive got a stack of clothes in need of repair that just keeps growing and growing. also, ive been wanting to dive into the pile of work to get done so that i can have a whole new coupla outfits come schooltime in january, but alas, ive been forced to cut WAY back on the amount of time i spend sewing and the pace ive always worked at has slowed down from no funny stuff, serious sewing all day every second, to a relaxing, "sewing is a hobby i picked up" type work.

but today ive decided instead of laying on the couch, hating every second of my life and feeling like a failure because im not making the most of my time, im going to give myself a bit of a sick day and do the stuff i dont usually allow time for like mabye a nap, a better blog post, some hand sewing (hopefully!), quality time with my cat and any other lazy stuff and funny business that i dont get around to too often. mabye ill bake some cookies, too. not that i need any since im carrying around some extra blubber from thanksgiving, but its so much fun and i will want to stand up at some point today. i cant think of any reason better for getting up off my bum than to go make cookies...word.

ill probably spend alot of this time on the computer, also, peeking around my favorite blogs and seeking out newer ones im unfamiliar with. does anybody have any suggestions?

ill be back later today.

photo from Erika's etsy listing! somebody bought a dress with me in it, cool.

through jensie's lensies

2009-11-29T20:44:00.000-08:00

jens took some pretty rad photos this weekend up at the pharm.

back in the saddle

2009-11-28T22:11:00.000-08:00

thanksgiving weekend was pretty awesome at the farm. we only got home an hour or so ago, and im really tired and would rather be playing with my cat right now!

one thing that i was hoping for and looking forward to was me and my cousin's matching coats. theyre these cute vintage little plaid wool guys, i love mine. im just drawn to christmas colors anyway, so im always wierded out when people stop and tell me that i look "super festive" or something. sonja's is orange and green, and she appliqued a little granny square ontop of a hole, so in some ways theyre different. i just thought it would be cool to have matching coats. in the middle is my aunt victoria, and while we were up at the farm we went sifting and searching through the closets and the attic, looking for vintage dresses once owned by her namesake, an older aunt vic.

ill post about Hearst Castle and all the rest tomorrow.

hollahollahollaholla

2009-11-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

SO!
im sorry for being so noticeably absent from the blog lately, mostly this has been because ive been busy getting this college stuff finished, but also i just completed highschool (if i didnt already say that) and ive been pretty much in pjs, sewing all day, or havent remembered to take any pictures while dressed and out!

one other exciting thing thats just happened has been that my new friend, Erika, had asked me to model for her etsy shop and we just got around to it. she had a bunch of really gorgeous things that i loved, one of my favorites being this cute cute blue dress. its really pleasant to have a friend who enjoys thrifting and garage saling and handmade stuff as much as i do, and i have none already, so shes sort of my hero.

you can find her Etsy store under the name of "xhereliesbootsx", or www.hereliesboots.com

haha i brushed my hair for these pictures!

this all went on sometime last week. This weekend has been irregularly active for me-today i went to the swapmeet with my extended family and had lunch + dinner at our home, Saturday i saw some friends who i dont get together with and went to some really good yard sales, and friday i went into a bigger city with bryan to buy electronic thingies. that sounds like a really boring weekend, but for somebody with no friends like me, having chores and errads to run and things to finish makes a weekend more busy and gets me out of the house.

..a million posts to come from all the fantastic second-hand things ive found this weekend!

the hive was jivin'

2009-11-09T20:48:00.000-08:00

today my beehive was that of legend

i believe it had something to do with the dryness in the air, or perhaps it was because i havent washed it in a few days, but it reached out and touched the stars.

suprise supplies

2009-11-03T13:47:00.000-08:00

today i was assigned an art class, and after school my mother and i went to the best thrift shop for patterns, scraps, yarns, buttons and the like. i picked up a couple wonderful things that will help me to make a good project, and that ill like to take apart afterward and use for my own purposes.

it was really hard to stay on task. there was a pretty blanket i had my eyes on, and i knew that sifting through the racks would yield many good things. i did get one thing for myself, rather a set of things-a vintage set of separated-section metal trays, painted a pretty red.

keep in mind these bits will be a part of a collage-y thing once completed, but here.

funny old sockies

an embroidered woodland clock. im thinking that afterward i could attach a clock piece to this, insert it into a generic clock frame (im not sure what thats actually called) and put it to very good use.

a wig

a spool of old curling ribbon. "Rippl Tie"..

..and a few more, less photogenic, items like a handful of small candles, a wooden plaque, bells, some patterns and an old crochet book with some really great pictures and ideas within.

other books, pamphlets and miscellaneous reading material that ive been glad to have found lately are my 1973-74 Seventeen magazines that my mom picked up for me at a book sale at the library. the articles are sensational, as are the advertisements and fashion spreads. exciting!

everything else
-bryan and i spent the night at his brother's house on halloween, went to bed early and didnt do anything particularly spooky, but had a nice time.
-jens and i are really into informercials for the Redi, Set, Go! cooker, we like watching the program on youtube alot.
-ive put together a few more dresses, but havent yet worked up the courage to modify this glorious austrian-made fifties dress i found in a garage at an estate sale a few weeks back.
-ive been assigned my last classes today!
-i missed the swap meet on sunday, which is fine, but im currently experiencing pretty intense estate sale and thrift store withdrawls and i cant wait to get to some as soon as i can. i might ask to go by myself this weekend sometime.
-i became ill this time last week, which caused me to lose my voice in a funny way and put me on ear-infection patrol, but its now fading off into a silly headcold with sneezing and a little sore throat.

now that halloween's passed, i can get excited about thanksgiving and christmas and my birthday, which i like. if only it got cold here.

two dresses

2009-10-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

one recently completed

this was a calf legth eighties disaster with giant sleeves. i changed the buttons from gold plastic to wood, re-attached the bottom horizontal stripe bit after taking a whole lot off, shortened the sleeves and a few more things for a better fit.

this one is still in the makes

ive been talking about it alot, but today might be the day i complete it. sleeves and buttons are what i have left to do on this one.

today has been long and terrible, but the worst is yet to come. the not bad parts were when bryan and i want to the cafe, then the airpark. i organized my tights and stockigs into a white vintage suitcase i bought at the swapmeet. working on my dress has helped make today better,too.

it might rain soon!

2009-10-26T11:36:00.000-07:00

things that excite me about graduating so soon..

-junior college, taking interesting classes in sewing and fashion, if i can, and learning new things!
-getting to spend the entire day sewing and mending until i begin these classes.
-actually having somewhere(other than cafe primo and my house)to wear pretty clothing where people will see me. this isnt as vain as it sounds, im not interested in being on display at school so much as id like to get use out of the pretty clothes i have so many of!
-thinking about my someday etsy and all that goes along with having a mini-business, which for me would include selling, sorting, hunting for, mending and making decisions about what to keep and what not to.
-free time to paint my room, which i just havent had the time for and ive sort of lost my steam for such a giant undertaking, but not completely. it would make me happier.
-riding my bike, going on more walks, being overall a more content, relaxed person with not as much to worry about.

...and a couple-a others!

this week has been slightly more relaxed than not, but im still dealing with the same anxieties about schoolwork, current projects, people, robbers, intruders and serial killers and ghosts that i usually do. what has made it better, i think, is that at the end of every day this week, ive had the time to spend a few hours either by myself sewing, with bryan out and about, with my family, or baking.

i started a smock-i plan to wear it as a dress-from a pattern i bought at the swapmeet a few months ago this last week, when bryan was over and drawing a picture. the pattern, like so many that i buy, was ultra massive, which has taken up half of the overall time spent on it just taking it in all over, but im close to being finished. all i need to do now is adjust the pockets and re-attach them, hem the sleeves and the skirt and then comes buttons + buttonholes. i complained about it being the same color as a surgeon's scrubs and looking a little bit like one because the sleeves were so boxy, but im making the adjustments i need to to make it wearable.

this is my very messy closet/sewing sofa area. im holding up some unclear sewing instructions.

i baked some truly delish vegan nanna + peanut/almond butter + walnut cookies this week that i ate for breakfast on some days and through the day until they were gone. i shared a few with bryan and he liked them too. baking is something i love because its unlike sewing in that there arent very many mistakes i can make as long as i follow the recipe, and i dont ever need to take out part of it, adjust, then put it back together. its just step by step, unlike sewing where, at my skill level, everything needs to be done and redone and done again many times before its complete. it makes me feel good to make treats that i can eat and that my family likes too. i sometimes put the two together like theyre alike somehow, but i enjoy them in very different ways.

whether it be for room color inspiration or for fabric and trim and button combination ideas, ive been enjoying collecting ideas from my mom's gardening books and other old books. mostly because i like light greens so much and they use aot of them in combinations with red or black or gold.

cool dishware in a vintage shop in blue, yellow, greens and brown.

yesterday at the swapmeet (for the first time in a while) yielded a ton of pretty things. like ive said before, halloween at any second-hand shop or swap meet is the best time to find cool vintage things that people regard as junky or costumey. in one such stand selling mainly costumes i found a glittery squaredancing blouse with dancers stencilled on the collar, a mod blue dress, 2 paisley peasant dresses (one which isnt as great as the other because its fabric is just so wierd) and a pinafore!

all with their own post soon.

this week is going to be busy with bryan's birthday, halloween and any plans to take a trip this weekend, plus lots of baking vegan treats for both bryans birthday and halloween. since we cant eat candy, i think cupcakes would be a good option for us. im excited and glad to have things to do, and bryan's birthday will be fun! i found him something really cool on etsy but it probably wont get here on time, but thats not so bad. oh, and carving pumpkins! mabye we'll do that tomorrow.

ebaying it

2009-10-18T20:37:00.001-07:00

during my desperate ebay and etsy searches for a present for bryan the birthday boy, i found this really gorgeous charm-a little boys profile with "Bryan" inscribed on the back. i stupidly thought about getting it for him, but then duh what would he use it for, so i might just indulge in the 15.75 pricetag (which could go up i guess..ebay, blegh) and wear it myself. wouldnt that be the sweetest?

mmm...what a good girl id be!

tonight ill ponder this possible purchase, while i finish off a few of my little brother's t-shirts. ive just completed the reba mcintire concert tee,so funny.

family plannin

2009-10-13T18:18:00.000-07:00

today was the first rain of the fall and , suprisingly, it wasnt half as cozycuddly as the days before that i'd spent excited about the weather change and the possibility of a downpour but now that its actually happening, im having a difficult time getting used to the idea of wearing coats and tights. i dont remember what last fall was like with very much clarity at all, probably because i was in my work uniform every night without any outfits to mark important events, which makes it even harder to fathom what weather to expect.

today, it rained and bryan and i went out for a lardless burrito (ohhh how ive missed them) and a coffee. i wore a red sweatshirt dress that i bought at the thrift store last saturday. the burrito was tasty, though quite a bit more expensive than im used to paying for...but hey.

before bryan came over, i sprinted down to the school really quick to pick up my next assignments from a teacher who wasnt my usual teacher, because mr. major has gone missing and i dont know when he'll be back. i came home and started work on one dress of many that i'd bought last saturday, when i went thrifting on foot by myself. this one is a brown tweedy thing with a great collar and a big trio of cream stripes down the front, that im not going to show you yet. i decided to keep the length which im very glad i did, though it took me quite a bit longer to finish this way. but im really happy with the results and it will surely be worn alot this fall.

here im wearing the pretty dress with hiding stripes and a peter pan hat i found for free at the thrift store.

there have been alot of plans being made around here, it seems, and alot of information to be swapped between bryan and i. weve thought about going up to the farm for Spanksgiving, ive been bombed with schoolwork but getting by so quickly that i cant help but to plan for palomar, and bryan and i have been doing a little bit of planning and discussing of our internet lives, which for him includes his music myspace, Bryan Flynn and the West Coast Renaissance, and for me means my blog plus a new project im hoping to get started soon with a fellow avid fallbrook estate sale goer, selling some of my finds through her account on etsy.

you can take a listen to some of the wonderful music created by my boyfriend at

http://www.myspace.com/bryanmakesmusic

and of course ill let anybody who is interested know about whats going on with my etsy at any time and even if you arent interested, ill be so excited ill hardly be able to contain myself so youll be hearing about it one way or another.

spooked ya

2009-10-09T19:43:00.000-07:00

im not proficient at doing my makeup (although ive got my winged eyeliner down-packed since its all the sort of eye makeup i ever wear) nor am i a big edie sedgwick fan, but for my halloween costume this year (im still going as a baby chicken) ive been looking for a makeup tutorial to help me work out a big, bright, wide-eyed look with white eyeliner under and a pair of false eyelashes ontop.

i think this would work well, minus the smudged black under, perhaps? anyways, ill try it out before i get too far ahead of myself and see if it even looks alright, but even if i dont go with it by halloween i really enjoyed watching this tutorial.

UPDATE
so i decided, since im so hellbent not doing any homework tonight,id try this look on for size. sans white eyeliner and falsies.

voila! the finished (sorta) product. it definitely doesnt look as chic or wearable as hers, infact im not sure if to anybody else it would make a lick of sense. i could have benifited from extending my eyeliner out a little, mabye lowering the mark at my brow bone, and the false lashes and white eyeliner would have made, i think,a more cohesive look and a better gradiation of color and depth would have been achieved.

also, now that im comparing her look to mine, i can see that i didnt add any curve by the inner corner on the bottom lid, which would have made it look better. mabye for my halloween costume, ill tone it down a bit and use a brown on the wierd eyebone marking, and keep everything else basically the same except with a rosier cheek or something. afterall, im going as a freshly-hatched baby chick, not elvira.

you got served

2009-10-08T15:52:00.000-07:00

my sewing machine is out of needles. alot of the time i overestimate the amount of fabric it can penetrate, or the density of the fabric it can get through.many coat projects have been halted by a broken needle halfway through the project, or jeans and that sort of thing. it calls itself the "jeans machine" but im not sure thats all the way correct. attaching the belt to the dress during this last project finished off the last of my needles, which is a shame but also a good excuse to get down to the fabric store and mabye pick out a few extras,too. im determined now to learn to do a zipper correctly-ill always use buttons and savor every pack of my vintage ones and use them often-but its high time i figure out how to install one correctly. ill probably pick up a few of those, plenty of sewing machine needles, and im looking for some new buttons for a big ole corduroy coat i bought at the swap meet a month or two ago. the corduroy has perfect buttons for it, its just missing one, so ive gotta replace em all.

this new dress was inspired by a hannah+landon photo, i believe she was actually modeling it for a designer instead of posing with a dress out of her personal stash.. oh well, ill take better pictures later. mabye ill let her know how much i loved it. i used a magenta fabric i had lying around and only modified it a little bit.

today bryan took me out to the palomar campus to see a performer, and afterward i picked up a transcript for my political science class i took over the summer. when i came home, i checked out my email and saw that im expected to attend some ridiculus student representative convention (im representative for my home school program) in san diego...yep i dooooont want to do that. student reps from all of california meet in san diego and eat lunch i guess?and discuss stuff. awesome.

lately the only thing that makes me feel better about my whacko boyfriend, homework overload and whatever other traumatic event that comes my way during the day is baking, though im developing an interest in cooking stuff other than sweets. i made banana bread last night and it turned out pretty fair, i didnt stick to the recipe totally (i used this indian flour i had lying around instead of whole wheat flour) but i think that is the only difference. i found the recipe here

http://thebakingbird.blogspot.com/2009/02/best-vegan-banana-bread.html

after popping around different vegan food blogs here and there, i found a few i really really like, with excellent pictures and opinions i can trust, also they seem to have really keen senses of spice, which always gets my mouth watering to hear someone talk about...mmmm spicy food! ill share any successful recipe here, of course. the only problem with this coking thing is the eating thing, and my lack of control in that department. ill have to watch it.

rhyming!

2009-09-30T20:31:00.000-07:00

jensie and i have been spending a decent amount of time in the car rhyming things like prune+tune, Lueschen(my last name)+secretion and a few others i cant remember right now. i guess its a good thing that i dont always remember the jokes we make because im so boring usually, id probably just say them all over and over again until they werent funny at all.

today has been suprisingly easy goin'-no alarm clock i forgot to turn off set for 6:00, we werent out of coffee when i got up for breakfast, bryan and i had a nice little pow-wow at the cafe which was completely temper tantrum-free, homework was simple and i was finished very quickly..lots of nice things i could have enjoyed just as much seperately but together in one day made me glad. the best part of all and the key to a nice day for me is a pretty getup, which came together well in the last moments. i slapped on a pinkish floral sheer dress with a drawstring that isnt especially old fashioned but is homemade and is quite granny-like, which i appreciate. that, with an orange sweater (i wouldnt normally pair orange and pink but this looked pretty), my capsule necklace, my new navy t-straps, and my favorites: ratty knee-high rolled stockings. i always find myself pulling them on in a pinch-when its a little bit chilly, when my outfit needs something a little tonal or textured or id like to make a bigger visual impact. theyre my favorite of any old favorites.i havent worn them in a few seasons, so itll be nice to transition into the fall with them again.

last night i went to a concert with some new friends which had a very small turn out but was pleasant and fun, though i wasnt a fan of the band playing. when i think about it more, it mostly makes me want to find better music to listen to instead of complaining about not liking anything. this is another time when i wish i had hundreds of people reading my blog so that i could ask for help and some buddies with similar tastes could help me out. i didnt get especially gussied up but i did wear an apron, which have quickly become a staple in my wardrobe since seeing for myself how versatile they are, and with what ease i can take any drabbish outfit and make it fussy (in the best way) and pretty and new. i cant believe that during all of these years spent loving old clothes, i could have been trotting around in my mother's crisp aprons but they were hidden away and forgotten!its still fun,though, because its sort of like having a mini-estate sale in my house, because i find a new one i love every day!

ive also found myself a tiny old loveseat, which ive been scouting around town for atleast 8 months looking for. im very happy with it, and ill re-arrange things in my room just as soon as i have enough time and a good idea of how itll all look. im going to paint also. im thinking a deepish plum trim, with a grayish hazely purple for the walls and mabye a red ceiling? its very daring, but i think its time to take my purple walls into my own hands and a loungey saloony feel would be just right.

one of the busiest days

2009-09-26T15:44:00.000-07:00

tonight im going to ronni's to go and eat dinner with her and give her presents, but this morning has been spent preparing a cake and peddling my bicycle, which has left me exhausted.

after waking up a little bit i thought id get started on the cake, and i was really glad that i did because i dont know when else i wouldve had the time to.

being a vegan i wont be able to eat this cake, but it smelled really really good and i almost wanted to. i dont mean that i wanted to eat it and actually put it in my mouth, it just smelled really delicious and made me want to know what it would taste like. ronni specially requested funfetti, which is like confetti sprinkles. to mix it with i used my new thrifted hand mixer, its avocado green and worked pretty well on this cake, and will work well on other batters, i just dont want to break it on something alot harder to mix. its the first time ive used them.

after i baked the cakes and took them out of the oven, i rode my bike over to watch the kitty and puppies. the ride was pretty miserable, but i ate an extra bit too much last night and certainly needed the exersize. i got there using a secret passageway that my little brother found that will make it easier to ride my bike in the future, probably. i stayed with them for a long time and the kitty was especially nice, laying on my tummy while i sat. she got hairs all over me, though, and i had to wash my dress a second time, which is probably for the better anyways because id like to wear it out tonight to ronni's because it matches the cake. the puppies didnt bark as much and we were friendly and they let me pet them and sat on my lap.

..i came home and frosted the cake

..and put the candles ontop. nineteen of them!

then i sewed up the last of colin's teeshirts. that makes four, and they came out very well. ill be happy to not have to worry about finishing them, too! i then washed by hand all of the halloween costumes ive bought at the thrift stores lately, and hung them up on the line. what a pretty clothesline!

1. thats the dress ive worn before, wore today and got hair all over, and will wear again tonight.

2. this is a chick onesie that im wearing for halloween this year. i thought it was just a dress, so now im not sure if ill be able to fit into it as easily, since it has legholes.

3. a green old dress that shouldnt have been in the costumes. well, mabye it should have been because its so weird, but its old and not a costume. its green and has a kerchief in the back, this triangle that just hangs down. its nice. ill have to take it in, and i dont know if ill be able to. if not, ill find someone who wants it.

4. this is a drum majorette costume that ill wear instead of the chick costume if it doesnt fit well. i have drum majorette boots and a baton, so itd be easy to pull it off. it came with gloves, and i think stuff like that is so wierd i usually just want to buy it to have it.

5. the same wierd, costume, all-that-glitters rule applies to this leotard, which has fringe down one arm and plenty of sequins. i think ill wear it out some night for fun. it has a musical note at the hip and is pretty nuts. ill like having at around, even if it just stays in my closet and makes me smile when i see it.

time flying

2009-09-20T18:40:00.000-07:00

today, like so many days before it, ive been working on homework while distracted by feelings and television, and interrupted by bryan and ronni and whoever else loves me or just feels like talking. things have gotten worse with bryan and, frustratingly, i havent been able to channel this energy into any other important thing, not even geometry which i thought would be easy. i picked up the books at about 1, fnished at 5, and after that i decided id like to do something little for myself. colin has alot of teeshirts he wants me to take in for him, and so does my little brother but its less of a priority with him because hes part of my family. anyways, ive been sort of dissapointed i havent been able to get colin his shirts done quick enough, but i didnt want to work on one when i saved myself an hour to do something nice, so theyll have to wait. instead of getting stuff done that i need to , after taking a break from doing other stuff i needed to, i ironed my hankies and pressed them into little squares.

before

after!

it was nice going through all of them. i have ones that arent so great that i should use more and save the best for special occasions. im glad i stuck with the ratty ones this week as ive been doing alot of sobbing, though! some smelled like sunscreen, and there was one that smelled especially unusual that i couldnt recall the scent of, then remembered i had lent it to someone in science class and he washed it for me! he was bleeding.

i also pulled some little booklets from my shelf this afternoon, knitting booklets and lots of em! one is pretty ancient, from 1929, and insanely inspiring. others contain more basic patterns, which also inspire me and encourage me to learn to read patterns. plus, alot of them have really funny advertisements!

mad 'bout plaid

2009-09-15T19:50:00.000-07:00

today has been a day-off of sorts for me, school, driving classes, a pleasant but nervous call to bryan were a little too much for me to afterward plunge into this week's worth of homework. i could have, but i made the decision not to. instead, i picked up this plaid wool dress ive been working with for a while now, only periodically, though, because ive been busy. the first day i cut it out and began, i got pretty far-i think i got the most of the bra piece done, but little did i know that after attaching a seriously heavy ruffle to the top it would weigh down itself and require some more work. the skirt was easy-ish, but boy, do i need to keep working on how to do a good circle skirt because this gathered skirt business isnt cutting it for me anymore. then came the pockets, which i did tonight, and were always part of the game plan, as well as some more snaps, hooks & eyes that i stitched in while catching up on some food network.

whats left to do will depend on how much of a fight the ruffles put up - im planning to make a criss-cross back jumper-type attachment, which will be sturdily stitched to the ruffle and hopefully support it.after, the snaps create a waffley front which im unsure about how to remedy, i thought a bow across the front could be a quick + festive fix, but i dont know how good that would look right on my bust...? and the buttons, which will be time consuming but relaxing, they'll be a pearly swirly creamy dreamy vintage "sierra" brand set. ill also consider buttons on the jumper straps (which would be mostly superficial to hide any big messy stitches) which may/may not be white now, because ill not have enough to button down the pockets( theyre really oversized) and match them with....yeah lots to think about.

i try not to, like ive said before, post pictures of me in my room but it might be the key more now than ever to keeping this blog up and frequently posted on, because bryan and i have parted ways for the time being and among other favors he did for me, taking pictures was one. i, also, will be puttin on the dog for coffee less,
which means less outfits even seeing the light of day. but ill try. this blog makes me happy, posting usually feels theaputic for me and having ten people even remotely care about what i do, let alone lend their support and commentary also makes me feel good.

im always feeling a little conflicted (i feel like i use that word every other sentence nowadays) about what is appropriate to post and what isnt as far as my relationship with bryan goes. this blog started off about 1 year ago as somewhere where i could talk about what im wearing, what im making, and a huge part of my life at that time-my single life and the misery of pursuiting bryan, in vain (or atleast it seemed that way at the time) after our origional breakup. it also gave me a place to write what i couldnt easily say out loud, and i dont want to miss out on that freedom, for myself. bryan probably will still enjoy reading what i write too, as we're still close and care alot about eachother and eachother's lives, and are, as i see it, in a supportive and loving relationship in which we're giving eachother room to grow.

so there you have it, pretty much all id be comfortable with writing. i dont feel ashamed of any of it or frightened to let anybody know whats happening, especially any tramps trying to make a move, haha.

welllll its a little hard to pick up any lighthearted topic after that and run with it, but i DID want to show you a little bit of some stuff i got at the swapmeet, as i think it would interest you.

here's one of three little stuffed animals from 1965 i bought for a dollar apiece. im not, by any stretch, a stuffed animal person (pillows are a whole nother story), but these were super charming and made me think of cereal box characters, and come to think of it, a few age-appropriate objects here and there might add another layer of interest and variety to the mix in my room. this is a skunk, the other two characters are a seal (which i think is my favorie, with the skunkie in second) and a milk cow, because cows should be loved and cuddled, not eaten. i plopped this skunk up here and immediatley knew it had to stay right there, but the other two made this cabinet look cluttered, so they lie ontop my telivision, waiting to be re-positioned whenever i want a better look.

this is a cabinet, with a hankie used as a doily from the same estate sale. recipe box, old picture and lamp are from garage sales, and the skunk and owls are from the swap meet. the fabrics used in my dress were from misc. thrift stores where i live.

im exhausted, ill do somemore sewing since i cant say for sure when this will ever get finished at this rate.

i dont post as often anymore

2009-09-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

atleast, im pretty sure i dont. you'd rather hear more about what happens to my swapmeet finds when they come home and whatever else, but it just so happens that the dress i wore to this swapmeet today was a find from last week, modified and really cool. it was found by the patterns i have yet to scan, and it was huge, but i wish i would have bought a few more of the same style because i love this one so much. i wore it with some stupid cowboy boots that are alot more comfortable (and are alot less likely to fill up with pebbles) than any other shoe that came to mind immediately. i wore a really light brooch because the dress is so flimsy it cant really suport the weight of a heavy metal pin. the one i chose read "Mother" and some one asked me about it and i told them about how proud i am to be a parent.

ive been really into wearing my hair up like this and teasing my bangs up, i dont know how good it looks to anybody else but i havent been able to rely on my hair looking good down right now, im unsure why, and this requires significantly less teasing which i like. no bald spots, please.

i got my favorite things at one of the first stops i went to- a houndstooth DIY purse with a kitty applique, a big white coat i miiiight just crop off (plus theres no buttons but HUGE buttonholes, its practically begging to be gussied up) and an eighties hawaiian print dress which i would have killed for a few months ago...dont fear, im not about to go on for a paragraph about the seasons change and what that means for my wardrobe. oh, and you can see i piled on a few pretty bangles which ive just recently picked up a taste for, that i had found earlier that morning at a stand. they matched my dress well.

sorry for all the posing with my macy's bag, it was just such a relief to have one big bag instead of 30 teensy ones. i loved it!

colin and wade were there, but sadly i never met up with them, due in part to my lust for new stuff and also the sounds of the place covering up my ringtone sounds. sorry!

1-10, how much do you hate me?

2009-09-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

i have made a mistake this evening with bryan, and for probably the first time in a while i see the err of my ways instead of gladly deflecting my issues onto someone else or some previous excange of words. im remembering that im not in the right as often as i think i am, and seeing that even if i thought my brattitude was something to shrug off, the things i say mean more than what i consider and the way that theyre said mean alot,too. the way im beginning to see it may be alot more realistic than what i expected any view other than mine could be.

so now im hanging out at home and ironing out every thought like i used to do to keep my mind occupied, but tonight to save myself from the lonliness and an even more intense guilt than i would feel if i werent having conversations with myself. i dont feel much like doing anything..taking advantage of this bad time for homework and filling up the time, instead, with sewing doesnt seem right, and i dont feel the urge anyways. i went on craftzine to check on things, clicked on the "bazaar" tab, scrolled through some pages and came upon the shop "myauntdebbie" on etsy, which i love and has given me plenty motivation to get together some energy and hot glue and work out these emotions on a unsuspecting doll.

if you know me, you'd know that first elf is my most favorite current obsession, and the best part about it for me is loving it so much it makes me want to appreciate greens and blues together all over again, instead of feeling like a walking reproduction hawaiian luau rockabilly cd cover. its so awesome.

a new text message telling of tomorrow plans-running and a big favor bryan didnt need to do. praise jesus.

seriously sunday

2009-09-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

my lack of time sense has prevented me from getting the most i could out of this three day weekend. i am still sort of convinced its a saturday and everybody else doesnt know what theyre talking about. my monday off doesnt mean a whole lot, mabye ill be able to get some more homework in between today and 8:30 AM tuesday, but the weekend coming to a close makes me pretty nervous, even if it is sort of like a saturday.

today we went to the first swapmeet in a long time, and while i didnt find alot of the things i look for most in a swapmeet trip, i would still consider it successful. the tally came out to: two dresses, one coat, four brooches, one barette, one pair of earrings, one ring, a framed needlework, along with the regular do-dads that are usually so hard to explain. the real gold nugget was this big ole bag of fifties patterns, which im very proud of and happy to have found. hopefully these patterns arent extra jumbo, because most of the shifts next to the patterns were.

yeah im wearing that dress again. after flipping through some "the uniform project" picures i thought i might as well get the most out of it before summer is over, which is what i said the last time i wore it,too.

2009-09-05T11:02:00.000-07:00

im very bored and tired. i dont want to do any more homework.

thursday

2009-09-04T09:00:00.000-07:00

yesterday bryan got out of school for the week, and started his 4 day weekend. we opted for a few hours out of town instead of the usual cafe primo trip, to get some sunnies for mr. bryan at Vintage Sanctuary, a vintage shop in oceanside thats been infiltrating the oceanside swapmeet much to my dissatisfaction.

sunglasses were right in the front of the store, and with a few turns of the display it was clear we were going to just have to go look somewhere else. bryan is trying on the internet now. we went back to fallbrook through some backroads that were pretty to look at and sometime during the day a fire was set in camp pendelton, which turned the sky intense colors and made it look like a big opal. we got greek food, and, as im super comitted to my diet right now, iced plain coffees (not my usual soy latte with 2 bags of sugar).

i wore a new/old handmade (which i only just noticed) late eighties patterned dress with really interesting straps on the front and pockets. its periwinkle, which i have no other pieces in and i liked it for that reason,too.

when we came home we ate, made more coffee and tea, and turned on the tv to watch requiem for a dream, a movie ive never seen and bryan suggested i ought to.

today we'll meet up with some people we dont know very well for an afternoon, and ive got to, in the meantime, make an outfit for the date and get some homework done!

a day in the week

2009-09-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

today i started on my homework as i promised to myself, my boyfriend, my teacher, my parents..anybody who would listen to me talk, probably. the plan is that if i work hard enough, ill graduate early enough to come to school in winter at palomar community college. perhaps you were expecting something more interesting? the suprise part, i mean. no, just school thngs.

in other generally unimportant but interesting to me news, i bought the first pair of pants i have in eons, and because winter is not for a while i had alot of pants to choose from (as they were not at all picked over). by the end, it was a decision between a black pair of jeans and these brown jeans-y, stretchy pair, which i ended up with. and they were ridiculously inexpensive. why this is important and somewhat of a milestone to me is because...i just dont wear pants ever. its something to remember because i dont wear jeans for a reason, that reason being i want to look fancy, feminine and leggy constantly, and by purchasing a pair of pants i might have just thrown myself into the frumpy pit with every other person alive, and i dont want to stop looking good! and especially looking interesting. i dont care about being comfortable at all. this might be the start of a beautiful relationship, or mabye the beginning of the end for "Marina:fashion know-it-all Extroidannaire". but for me, definitly note-worthy. what are your feelings on pants? p.s. this isnt the best shot of them, mabye another time.

new blankie.

this is us at street scene

2009-08-30T12:39:00.000-07:00

ayayayayyyy, a wasteland. trash everywhere, trashy people. major waste of dough. the best fun was hanging out in the hotel, and i think the lowest point might have been...well, i dont know, the part i remember the most clearly as a stinkin time was when i got sick from a lack of air in a crowd waiting for Of Montreal, but i think alot of the time we spent shuffling in and out of stage areas was not great. like bryan said, our world is way better than when we get out to spend time in other people's space. i dont feel like retelling the stories of drunks or dancers or creeps, its not something ill think about again or remember fondly.

i wore that brown dress i posted about around the fourth of july, which ive been sort of saving for then. tights werent the best choice, but with all of the sitting we did it was worth a little extra sweating, just so that nobody could see up my dress. what i regret wearing most was heels, but mine werent nearly as tall as some other ladies', so i knew i wasnt in danger of losing control and falling or something. bryan borrowed jens' glasses, which he is trying to keep! bryan also wore "old corduroy skinny pants that were very hot and that green jacket I hardly took off. Oh yeah, and Converses. And contraband taped to my crotch."

we didnt take pictures of our outfits the second day, but i wore a homemade dress. im making more, ill post about it whenever i finish.

soon, ill eat lunch, and ill fix a dress up. today we may get together, but mabye not. itll be a nice day,though. bryan if you want these pictures without the rounded edge email me.

not a very valuable statement,

2009-08-27T20:05:00.000-07:00

i keep on making this weird mistake, i try to open up an account of mine, called "im choking" but when i say the name in my head, i type "im joking", always. i dont know. that story wasnt particularly important to me. i dont feel like anything is immediately important to me, everything im involved in just grows on me but never do i feel like putting together a sentence about it. i wish people just knew me and what i was about, then i didnt have to talk as much.

i have no way of knowing what anything i write means to you. i wish i did so i could figure out how to get people to understand.

after thinking about it, im pretty sold on the idea that i might be really shitty person to be around.

which to stitch?

2009-08-26T10:49:00.001-07:00

im finally getting back into sewing, and not just modifications. today im making a pretty pink basic circle skirt out of an old tablecloth, but wanted to dress it up with an embroidery, since thats one of my most favorite things. also, id like to make up my mind while the sun's still out so that i can trace it onto the fabric through my window! the skirt will also have navy blue buttons and pink ric-rac.

its so hard making a decision when i find so many i like. today i looked up vintage childeren's books and vintage valentines. the thing that makes it easier is that i know any one would look beautiful!

i forgot how much i love embroidery.

vacation part 2

2009-08-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

SATURDAY

saturday was fun because i had better shoes on, the weather started out alright and we happened to stuble upon a nice garage sale walking to haight street. we had vegan donuts for breakfast (spelled donuts or doughnuts?) and my mom claimed to have eaten a brownie with pot baked riiight in.

we saw sonja walking on the sidewalk after hoppin on this bus, so we got off and walked from there. i wore that seersucker dress that youve already seen, so id rather not talk about that. i did find out with the help of some family member, i forget who, that there were little beaded embellishments on the inside of my cardigan sleeves, which made my outfit feel fresh to me anyway.

here we are at that garage sale. jens found this really awesome hat with ropes and other pretty things on it, and this cool long wool coat with yarn tassles and big metal studs, it looks like a piece to a band costume, perhaps? i bought two pairs of shoes, a red leather kitty heel and a gold sandal, found some glasses i intended for bryan but which he doesnt care for too much, and some fabric for free. also in the free box we found little gold balls on sticks, and a green curtain or table cloth that im sure will look good made into something. plus, it was free. i forgot what sonja found, but we also bought a stupid looking but handy roller backpack that we had to get just to stuff our things into, but it ended up helping us alot because we probably couldnt have fit the rest of our stuff in our already overpacked bags, otherwise.

vegan donuts were the best things ever, jens and i split a lemon donut, chocolate-coconut donut and blueberry donut together and my favorite was the blueberry. i was really excited about it, but bryan is sick of hearing me talk about it so if vegan treats dont freak you out like they do for me, feel free to skip this paragraph. id like to look up a recipe, but at the same time id only want to make a few, and i dont love the idea of frying myself a whole batch and not having anything to do with the oil? you know? ill just wait until i find myself cooking breakfast for a large group of people. mabye when we go up to the farm i could try out a recipe? ill explain me and bryan's plan for portland/san francisco/wherever else Thanksgiving break exploration whenever the plans get more solid.

after this we checked out some vintage shops and other things and some silly giftshop to kill time, where my mom played candid camerawoman.

we didnt buy anything there, instead heading over to ameoba records where jens bought a "sounds of the ocean" record in a biodegradable bag, which sounds hilarious, and then off to the king tut exhibit. my mom bought scalped tickets which induced a major freakout by everybody, but then got in and enjoyed the alien headed artifacts.

today bryan is off at school, im sittin and knittin and ive made an appointment to meet with the board of trusteees man on friday at ten. tomorrow ive got open house which ive got to attend for my school. just stupid stuff.

fammy vacation part 1

2009-08-24T11:56:00.000-07:00

FRIDAY

walking to the beach (pier? waterfront? shore? im not sure what is the appropriate word)from our hotel was less than enjoyable, as i didnt bring one pair of sensible shoes for the whole trip. these boots might look like the least sensible shoes of any imaginable type, but actually my feet were too swollen from the night before's walk to fit into any other pair, even if they had a shorter heel. my boots ended up ripping on an extreme-o hill, i bought a little flat pair of patent white shoes and the problem was basically solved. other than that dillema, it was a really perfect afternoon, it was sunny and bright outside so we didnt have any problems with cramming in tons of stuff to do.

so, breakfast for my mom was a ghiradelli brownie sundae, and believe it or not it was really easy being a vegan in a chocolate store this time. sometimes, watching someone enjoy a giant fatty dessert is enough to turn off my appetite completely.

at the fountain at ghiradelli square, with gross buttcracks in every picture and cornelius the corn mermaid baby. sonja's face is cute.

walking and wondering what characatures of ourselves would look like.

lunches at the boudin bakery

cool sourdough bread animals

our favorite friends, the sea lions, and jens with a sea lion head implant.

family funtime.

its sooooooo good to be home,though.

to your health!

2009-08-18T20:15:00.000-07:00

im completely sick of sewing. i looked up today whats not allowed onto planes to see if my knitting needles would be confiscated if i were to take them as a carry-on, if so id just as soon take on a crochet hook. i was getting mixed messages from people who had theirs taken, and peple who carefully explained how to avoid confiscation, but im undecided. one thing thats for sure is that im not going to be sewing, not once, the whole trip. i havent made or repaired anything in 4 or so days and it makes me feel akward and worthless but i would rather sit around than labor away at the sewing machine.

when im actually out and about instead of sewing or lazing, im spending time with bryan, but today was a different day for bryan because hes fasting. we spent time with our friends-turned-caterpillar wranglers, then the two of us came back and napped and hung out and i had a tofutti cutie which could have waited until bryan was gone, which im sorry for.

after bryan was gone i decided it would be the best thing to do to start arranging outfits to pack for san francisco, mostly to prevent any confusion about what gets worn when and also so that i dont accidentally wear something tomorrow that ought to be saved for chilly weather, which i have limited clothing suitable for. decision making is hard, planning that far in advance is really hard. but tonight ill sleep well knowing its all packed away and tomorrow ill try everything on to make sure it doesnt look good only on the hanger.

it seems like ive got daytime outfits to last me forever and i could keep adding to that pile, but nighttime ones are the most important cause thats when ill want to be the warmest!

this, im sure i can fit into a suitcase. but what about shoes??

little fruitopia

2009-08-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

i havent been posting because ive stopped liking taking pictures of myself in my room by myself anymore. it almost embarasses me, not that i should feel ashamed of anything. id just rather have pictures taken outside, where i live and where i spend time. i HAVE been wearing lots of new things that would be of interest to post about, its just that im never brave enough to ask bryan to take a picture of me in something im wearing, for a few reasons like i dont want to strike a pose with him in a restaurant or outside walking, its too embarassing..

so today, instead of taking any pictures of my outfit in Little Ethiopia, or anywhere else, its me, in my room, wearing a seersucker dress i was clueless about what to do with up until yesterday, worn with black tights to tone down the "its summer-go nautical!!" theme that i am just not into, with a blue bow, red cracker jack prize necklace and at one point i was wearing my favorite tan pumps, which just exploded when we were walking around. the dress was long and had just so many wierd, unflattering parts to it, but i shortened the waist for one, then hemmed it and because it still wasnt the best fit i belted it.

bryan and i fought tonight but its always about the same shitty shit, so i can expect to feel one way tonight, mostly exhaustion, then tomorrow itll all come flooding back to me and ill probably miserably mozy around the house forever. unless we do something fun and i forget all about it, and ill just remember the stuff that annoys me when we get into another fight about the same junk all over again. you dont need details, i dont need to spill the beans to feel better either.

my new velour robe. it was floor length, but i fashioned a belt out of the extras and made a hair bow,too! im thinking of new ways to use the scraps that i have just such an abundance of after these estate sale edits, and hair bows seem to be the most versatile. check out the sleeves, theres a navy blue trim, and one side has an incomplete embroidery that i considered taking out briefly but have decided gave it character.

bedtime.
who else is tired of scrubbing off their makeup every night? holy god i am.

thocks

2009-08-11T20:17:00.000-07:00

im a nut, but ive got lots of clothes that make me look pretty!

also, i would love a big bowl of noodles, but i will not eat my feelings. no, no and no.

nodding off

2009-08-09T18:47:00.000-07:00

for my first of many, many, many posts of an outfit including one of this last weekend's estate sale finds, here's a piece that was ready to wear and didnt need any modifications. i wore it today for a trip into little vietnam with my mom and dad (it was pop's birthday, plus their anniversary)and bryan,too. perhaps a bathingsuit wasnt the best choice for a day of feasting (isnt it funny how feasting and fasting are only one letter apart?) but i looked good and was glad for the opportunity to wear it before the seasons turn.

i wore it with marroon tights instead of black, which i think was a good decision as they complimented the bright blue so well. black might have looked more "ballerina", and even though the ensemble was very costumey, the marroon tights evoked a very different feel, and didnt colorblock my body so much because of the sheerness. oh, and this looked much better without the sweater on. i posted on my facebook that i looked like a radio rockette, which is a word thats been on the tip of my tongue for a whole week now. bryan was pretty correct in saying that it would be best for a party-too bad my party outfits have no place anymore!

we ate some pho..which is a classification of soup and/or noodle dish, i gather. we were served plates of basil (which is still making for delicious burps), lime, some mystery green, bean sprouts and jalapeno, which we added to our dishes later. since most of us were vegetarians minus my dad, we all ordered their only vegetarian dish which didnt dissapoint. the only bummer about everyone getting the same thing is that we couldnt share!

in other vegan/vegetarian news from today, bryan and i have been cutting sugar out of our diets in most forms other than raw sugar, because of our discovery that most white sugar is filtered through bone charcoal, like i brought up a little while ago in a post. it was sort of bittersweet to have to sacrifice our foreign treats we'd found at the market after remembering about the sugar (we're still getting the hang of it) but my parents did score alot of yum-yums for themselves, and my favorite thing is the fresh tofu baby loaf we purchased! its very tasty and reminds me of the indian cheese my dad and i used to make.

yummy! ill probably eat some for breakfast while its still fresh.

after a dinner at great china a week or so ago, i was inspired to buy these dried mushrooms, despite my lack of culinary knowledge in anything other than cakes and pies. maybe ill ask my little brothers girlfriend about them?

zausted

2009-08-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

currently feeling tired and overworked, and not even in the way where i can look at everything ive done today and be happy about it. id still actually rather be working on something right now than just sitting around admiring the fruits of my labor.

this weekend's search for pretty things has been very good to me and yielded a great harvest. ive picked up 30+ dresses at the best estate sale, in rainbow at the best trailer park for estate sales.

in the bathrooms of strangers, and with a box of beautiful shoes too small for me.

hemming, cropping and fitting all day while my other dress takes a backseat..also hauling a pretty yellow cabinet home for my clutter to live in. talking to bryan, talking to friends, talking about bryan about talking to friends,too.

so many possibilities, it overwhelmes me!

lots of coats, especially! good for this fall and winter, and trips to be taken then, and in a few weeks.