everyone's talking about pcg
well, according to what's on my refrigerator. the best friend made me these supercute magnets out of fabric scraps she found around my apartment. it's hard to see, but my web site address is written in silver ink in the orange bubble. just darling.
pork chop girl b-sides means...
more clothes for me! sometimes i buy fabric to make things for the store but then some sort of major flaw pops up, foiling my plan. for instance, recently, at the thrift store, i found beautiful silk fabric rendered in old lady sports tops. i planned to reconstruct them into cute little tank tops. the first top was the most promising, as i adored the print, and it already had darts sewn into it. however, my helper accidentally cut one piece too small, so everything was thrown out of whack. i really had to fudge/stretch the pieces to make them fit, yielding ugly wavy seams. i didn't have any stabilizer on hand to help the problem, either. so--the wavy seamed top will now be another addition to my malnourished wardrobe.
the other top was a breeze to work with, that is, until i took the pocket off and discovered a reddish stain underneath it. a permanent-looking stain. i made this top a bit larger, so it's pretty baggy on me, but i guess i'll have to make it work.
i'm always complaining that i never have time to make my own clothes, but maybe if things keep getting messed up like this, i'll come out with an entirely new wardrobe.
a skirt for spring
here's a quick muslin of a sort of skirt i'm making for spring:
i definitely have a few changes to make but i'm on the right track. so exciting!
big apc sale happening now
i just ordered:
raw denim jeans
and this super cute patchwork sundress
the dress was on sale for only $58. i can't wait to get them!
shopping smart
i recently came across a funny and informative blog that discusses personal finance in a completely accessible manner. i've always been daunted about retirement and stocks and such, but i will teach you to be rich got me thinking about my own finances, and how i need to get on that NOW.
whenever i come across articles about saving money or college students in debt i always read them because 1. i'm young and 2. i don't have any money so any tips on how to get some/save is greatly appreciated.
i'm proud of myself because i haven't bought anything non-thrifted in months. it really is a lifestyle change for me. before, when i had lots of disposable income i bought many dumb things i didn't need. and now, not having a steady paycheck forces me to live as a minimalist. i like it that way.
so, inspired by the financial blog, and thinking of my numerous mistakes and mishaps, here are some observations on how to get the most out of your shopping money:
-it's ok to spend a lot of money on things, only if you LOVE them. how do you know when you love something so much you need to have it? first off, like in romantic relationships, many people confuse 'love' with 'intense lust.' as a test, whenever i can't decide whether or not i should buy something, i'll leave it (hide it, maybe, if it's the last one in my size) and go home. if i'm stilling thinking about it the next day, two or three days after even, i'll go back and get it. if it's not there, sure, i'll be bummed for about 20 minutes, but then i'll realize that i am not in possession of whatever 'material' thing i wanted, and yet, i'm still living. you won't die without it, at least i hope not, and you'll eventually get over it and actually be relieved you didn't get it because you saved money. i'm glad i didn't buy it every single time.
-alright, so you think you love it, but are not sure that it will still be around when you come back to buy it. so, just buy it, but whatever you do, don't take the tags off it and keep the receipt. try to keep the tags on for as long as you can. also- check the return policy and keep it in mind. this way, you can return it and get your money back. .
-investing in clothes=good. buying lots of trendy clothes you'll get sick of next week= bad. my old co-workers once balked at the fact that i spent $185 on a plain white button-up career shirt. do i regret this? hell no! i consider it an investment piece, because it's classic, and it was exactly what i was looking for. i don't know how many $20 white shirts i've bought in the past and then quickly discarded due to poor quality/fit. i could bet that i've bought at least 6. that's $120 i wasted because i settled for whatever was good enough, rather than holding out for what i really wanted. my best friend "crazily" bought a pair of jimmy choo black flat calfskin leather boots. their price tag? $500 (the orig. price tag was around $800 so like a good girl, she did not pay retail. most people cannot fathom paying this much for a pair of boots; i'm not sure i can, either, but the thing is: i know for a fact that she had been searching for flat leather boots for several years. if you think about it, i bet the total value of many people's 'for now' shoes exceeds $500. how long will you have them/love them? rather than settle for a few pairs of so-so boots for $150 or so, she waited for the real thing. and if you're going to get leather boots, they should be high-quality ones anyway.
-never pay retail. stalk the sale section always and forever. if you want something that bad, check up on it, and see how it's doing. has it been marked down? does it look like they've been selling? if so, now might be the time to snatch it up before someone else does. if it looks like it will still be there, and will get marked down even more--play the waiting game. who knows, you might have gotten over it by then or found something better. if you really don't want to wait, buy it for full price, keep the tags on and then see if it goes on sale. if it does, return the old one and go grab the recently-discounted one, or ask for a price adjustment. this is semi-sleazy but hey, you'll save money.
-if i'm going to make a big purchase, say, $400 for a pair of shoes, i try to ebay some of my old things for which i think will yield the amount of my future purchase. that way, you're not really losing anything, just exchanging a few old things for one thing that is infinitely better. also--this is a good system to work off of if your closet is bursting at the seams.
-don't buy stuff unless you know exactly what you're going to wear it with (something you already have in your wardrobe). many times my friend will buy some outrageous thing that doesn't go with anything she already has. i don't think buying something and then having to buy new stuff to go with the said item seems like a wise idea. no matter how many times you try to convince yourself you'll wear you won't. work with what you have. and if it doesn't work then don't buy it. besides, there's nothing sadder than a lonely garment hanging in your closet with the tags still on it.
-family is real; good friends are real. shoes ARE NOT real. and if you think they are, then you need to get your priorities straight.
-buy vintage. the quality is better, and its value doesn't plummet the way most modern clothes do.
-LEARN TO SEW. don't be scared of it. you'll be terrible at it at first, like anything you've never done before, but you can only get better the more you try it. i've noticed that a lot of people in my classes and such are afraid to learn to sew/don't know how to go about it. i find this ridiculous. just buy a sewing machine from a yard sale or off craigslist. i always see tons of them on craigslist for $80 or less. i think the older all-metal ones are the best for beginners because they don't have confusing extra features, are slower, and sturdier. the older ones might be clunkier and less fancy but if you're a newbie then you don't need anything more than the basics. it always seems to me that people are afraid of books/learning on their own. i don't believe that you need a formal teacher. read the machine's instruction manual, look through well-illustrated sewing books, go online, join sewing communities/forums, and most importantly, look at how your own clothes are sewn. you'll figure it out. personally, with little sewing experience and training, i'm not as good at it as i want to be, but seeing how i've improved is such a natural high.
i'm going shopping tomorrow because it's winter sale time. let's see if i can follow all my own rules!
my new year's dress cost 14 bucks
when i found out my friend had been working on her new year's dress for nearly two weeks i thought to myself, "uh oh, i haven't even started my dress, and new year's eve is tomorrow." good old slacker me. well, i don't take things like holidays too seriously anyway, and i was planning on having to staple something together, but considering the time restraints i don't think i made out too shabby at all. i started the dress at 10 am on the eve and my friend finished it for me that evening while i took a shower. i originally wanted to make a one-shouldered dress but making the pattern for something really fitted takes more time that i had. i pulled together this simple dress of silver organza in a tent shape and asymmetrical collar. i had to rush, so the construction isn't the greatest, but it does have a lining and zipper. i wore it with black wool tights, chunky clear bangles, and black short heels with huge fake diamonds on them. so wonderfully tacky i was.
looking like it came from outer space...
it likes to get crinkly.
and in action. excuse the weird mid-dance shot:
i definitely was the shiniest girl wherever we went; i almost didn't want to take my coat off since everyone else was wearing black, or jeans and halter tops. maybe my concept of new year's is a little different. we're supposed to be looking toward the future, right? so why not dress like it?
japanese street fashion
i don't have cable, so i don't get to watch tv. lately, when i'm really bored, i've been into watching asian dramas via the internet. seeing all these wacky outfits on the shows got me wondering if real people actually wore stuff like that. so, after the good old internet research, the answer is yes, some people really do dress like that, and it can look amazing. here are some outfits i liked on style arena:
yeah, that's right, this guy is wearing zippers as necklaces! definitely not something most people can pull off, but i love it when people make use of seemingly mundane things.
i have a soft spot in my heart for pixie-ish girls, especially ones that dress up in boy clothes. very cute.
that colorful dress looks secondhand to me, and anything vintage gets me every time.
i see a lot of guys sporting this look but this guy can actually pull off the hat. also, i like that he's wearing a brown belt with grey and white.
for nostalgia's sake--the hair and the saggy sweater bring me back to the grungy 90s.
there's nothing in particular i like about this outfit, however, the clothes FIT the guy really well, and there's something really genuine about it. it seems like the clothes fit his individual lifestyle. sometimes people come across as "impostors" when they wear out-there clothes, but he seems like the real thing.
