OOTD - Home Made

 This was a very random day where I felt the need to wear something I made.
Can you guess what it is? Most people would guess the skirt since I do love to drape but it is actually the blouse.  It was something hanging around in my basement that just needed some last touches of elastic  around the wrists to finish it off.  It was one of my projects to finish after Independents day and before my onslaught of Craftin' Outlaws preperations.  I feel like this outfit was a little wonky because it was unusually cold so I grabbed the only pair of leggings I could find which were these marbled wonders I got in Paris.

 

Sunglasses are Vintage bought at American Apparel

Blouse is made by me

Grey Draped Skirt UO

Marbled Tights from H&M Paris

Blue Suede wedges from Karmaloop

Stripey Drapes

I love winter but this is going on a bit too long.  I am having to get more and  more inventive with my layering that I can wear something besides sweaters.  I'll be darn glad when I can wear skirts without leggings or stockings.  Currently it is just too cold when we were in the single digits.

Pulling out some of my favorite shirts I'm forcing myself to wear them in some way shape or form.  This idea came about from wearing my Gaultier Dress the other week.  It's a good exercise in styling and being creative. Some days it works some days it doesn't but that's how you learn what looks good on you.  I have this crazy shopping routine where I try on anything that even slightly peeks my interest in colors, cut, style.  I even try on things that I think are hideous. This way I can either confirm or surprise myself.  You never know what clothes looks like until you put it on.  When I was in retail I loved being in the fitting rooms and personal shopping because then I could do the same thing to other people and usually they were pleasantly surprised that they could pull off outfits out of their norm.

 

Black mock turtle neck - Express

Shark toothed drape stripe shirt - Express

Black Lace Skirt - UO

Grey ribbed tights - American apparel

Grey slouch fringe boots - Steve Madden

Ohio Necklace - Tiger Tree

Candy Kisses and Birthday Wishes

This is my obligatory selfish post about what I want for my Birthday.  There are things that you want, need and would like to have.  Mine is mostly what I view as needs, since they have to do with me producing better and more clothes in general or at least faster I hope!   Hopefully I get my tax return check before then so I can present myself with some of these things. 

I do this thing that is pretty simple and nondescript of making wishlists at all the places I like to shop such as
Think Geek
Anthropologie
Amazon
Urban Outfitters
Nordstrom's
Etsy

All of the above however (minus Amazon) are just wants.  My needs are books, sewing supplies, art supplies and a good SLR Camera.  Oh and some cute looking but good headphones for work while wandering the stacks.  Something that does not go directly into my ear because I seem to frighten myself and other people alot when I can't hear anything else.

From Strapya

My selection of books can be easily be found on my Amazon wishlist as well as some sewing supplies.  But I've posted a few below to save you the anxiety of looking through my long lists.

Next are Sewing Supplies.  I need another smaller serger that I can travel with to my classes in a bind.  I'm thinking Juki or Brother.  Most likely Juki but the Babylock also calls to me with it's patented airflow threading system which would be a DREAM.  Unfortunately I do not think that the machine is small enough to accomadate travel, also the jostling around in my car could be very bad for the lovely airflow system.
I'd also really like the Brother PED program to design my own embroideries and get new designs.

Lastly a gathering foot would be a nice addition to my foot collection.  I talk about it a lot in my CCAD CE class so I feel that I really need one.

Art Supplies.  I really really want to get back into some more classical art practices like oil painting again.  I have no oil paints and majority of my good brushes are missing/gone.  One thing I didn't have before that I would love to have is a nice wooden easel.  This table top one would be great so I can transport it from my upstairs to the basement drafting table and it would be compact also.   It's not like I would ever stand and paint.

Now for the one thing I really feel I NEED is a digital SLR camera.  I know I want a Nikon and most affordable one is a D40.  This is something I think I can get on my own with my tax return but a little help never harmed anyone. 

Just to make this fun I posted some things that I want but don't particularly need!

Like this Piggy Bank! from Strapya

Star Trek Tribbles!

Microbes that I don't have which are on my wish list at Think Geek

The FujiFilm Instax Camera

Lastly I would be kind of great to finally get Final Fantasy 13 with the Guide Book.  And as always finish out my Ranma 1/2 DVD's and get the Second GTO box Set.

The Truth: Bigger is not Better- Part 1

Once again Fashion is reminding me with a sledgehammer of distasteful styles that I am smaller then petite.  Not only am I short but my limbs are all too small as well.

Shopping for Fashionable diggs when you are 4'10" and 110 lbs puts me in basically the kids/tweens sections if I were to go to a Macy's.  Which I only frequent when I need some Makeup on the go and sometimes browse the shoes.  Living in probably the most midwest city that is large but not Chicago or Philly I am left to the internets, Urban Outfitters, Express, Antrhopologie, Forever 21 our tiny H&M and Nordstrom with the occasion Sak's visit if I want to drive out to that particular mall.   None of these stores help with the situation for those of us shorter squat but lovely individuals.  For some reason all theses stores seem to think the wider you are then automatically the taller you become.  OH what a cruel Joke.  Majority of the midwest population are not super models ~SURPRISE~  We are in fact normal ladies with short comings and big personalities.    Due to these literal short comings we have to get creative.  A lot of women pay a lot of money for getting their clothes altered.  I have women taking  my pattern drafting classes at CCAD just to learn how to alter their own clothing and hem their pants without it looking wonky.  Lucky for me I sew and pattern draft so I can usually avoid buying a pair of pants, skirt, blouse what have you that can't be altered.  That is still extremely limiting.

If you want quality clothes they are much harder and painstaking to pick apart for alterations because they were made well to begin with.  Clothes made well are made to last and not to be torn apart.  Cheaper clothes can easily be torn apart at all the seams which makes it easy to alter but then usually the fabric quality is so poor it may not last the alterations process.  It's a battle that us short girls just don't win.

My personal creative way to go around all this is with skirts.  I wear skirts and dresses as much as I can because then I never have to worry about pants at all and their lengths.  I hardly wear jeans even.  Oh and the blessing of leggings coming back into style was superb!  Allowing me to wear all my dresses and skirts through the dead cold of winter and still being warm and cozy and sexy.  Alas my skirt days may need to come to an end at least at my new job.  Working at a library that has a very casual dress code and bending, squatting and lifting books is not so attractive in a dress or skirt.  This has made me realize that I need to get back to wear jeans and pants.

Pants are a problem, even the short lengths are too long for me by at least 2-3 inches.  Jeans are also annoying because they actually have shape these days.  They get wider in the knee and skinnier around the "ankle".  So the tapering on these skinny jeans and cigarette jeans just looks funky on me.  I can cut them off and hem them to the right length but then they are too big around my ankle and my shin has extra bagginess as well.  The best fashion solution to all this is getting wide leg pants.  They make you look taller and are easier to hem because you don't have to worry about the shaping like in a skinnier cut.

The Bad and Good by tornangel012 featuring Fremont pants

What's your color?

I know that everyone has a color they are drawn to, even if it's not your favorite.  Mine happens to be Green.  I feel it is a power color for me because when I see green I feel refreshed and energized.  Things that are green just make me want to touch and feel them.

Some of my green daily items are my Purse from UO by Poverty Flats

Generic Green Digital Camera Case

Knuckle Biter Green monster Camera Case by Abby Did

Lime Green Dell 13" Laptop

And on a Completely Different Story I just wanted to share a little bit of something personal.

If you were aware of this or not I have been extremely unhappy with that seamstress position I had.  Suffice to say they were just insulting to me.  I also found that I could not get all those things done I had originally wanted to with this blog about making my own clothes.  It seemed fantastic at the time but I can see now that it was only hindering me.  I was so unhappy with it that it actually made me shop more and I had less time to myself and sewing machine.

To remedy all this I officially quit Wednesday and picked up my check today.  I have never felt more Liberated in my LIFE!  Since then I have been happily working on my pet project and spending a lot of needed time talking to friends and fellow crafter's and boutique owners.  They are all so wonderful and encouraging!  I know it isn't going to happen over night but I still can't wait to make it public!

In essence I am going to do the two things I love!  Sewing and Teaching.  I am creating a program of DIY fun classes for the more fashion forward and adventurous. It is going to be a combination of unravelling the mysteries that some people feel are pattern making, sewing and knitting/crochet.  All my classes will be BYOB and themed Cocktail Demos.  Like doing a Serger Demo and serving PainKillers (the fruity coconut drink with rum).  Also having simple things like a leggings class and curiously funny like panty sewing.

My Ending words before the weekend are Remember to do what makes you Happy.

If you are upset and bitter it will carry onto the other parts of your life and it is simply 

NOT WORTH IT!  

I know not everyone can just up and leave their job but take the small steps to make you smile like keeping fortune cookies in your desk to crack open when you need a life lift or put fuzzy stickers on daily items to give you a soft reminder.