Shopping Detox

As my most recent order from J. Crew arrived last Saturday, it hit me exactly how much of my monthly income I put towards clothing.  It's not extreme, but it could be better. 
So now I've decided to spend three months with no new clothing purchases.  No new accessories, no new shoes, and no new tights. 
I'm lucky enough to have a wardrobe full of clothing I love.  Clothes I love and never have time to wear. 
It'll force me to be creative with the clothes I have.  And since I won't allow myself to wear anything new I make, it'll force em to take time on my sewing projects.

The rules include no new clothing purchases, no sewing new clothes to be worn within the 3 month time frame, and trying to work in all the pieces I've ignored in the past.
I will be able to alter clothing I already own and haven't worn because of its fit.

Here goes:

Monday 

 

Tuesday

 

Wednesday

 

Thursday

 

Also Thursday

More to come, but goodnight for now.

My Gleek-dom is complete

I have taken the next step to complete Gleek-iness.  Just this fall, I scoffed at those who obsessed about the show.  I could not understand why they'd want to listen to a bunch of teenagers sing these classic songs, rather than the artists themselves.  But I am capable of admitting I was wrong.  Which I was.  So wrong...

Glee has grasped my by the shoulders and pulled me in.  I cry, laugh, and awww in every episode.  I spend more of my time than I care to admit on this website, "WWEPW" and along with my dear friend, have designated Thursday as dress like "Emma Pillsbury day".

Needless to say, I was beyond impressed with the Christmas episode costuming.  I added more than one item to my wish list after viewing the clips.  But the one item I could not get out of my head was this:

I'm not sure what's wrong with me.  I've always categorized Christmas Sweaters as bad.  Same with Acrylic.  And yet, I couldn't get these out of my head.  I spent a few days trying to track down who made them resigned that they'd most likely be out of my price range anyway.

No luck.  So I did the next best thing. 

I made it.

I started with this base from Hollister.  (Side note - It was my first time in that store and also my last.  Not only was it dark and noisy, my sweater smelled like too much body spray when I got home.)

It was long, burgundy, but slightly cuter.  It's form-fitting and a thinner knit so I'm not drowning in it.  It's got sparkles on the buttons. (Umm, yay!)  And the cute ruffles on the pockets add both personality now and when I remove the trim for later.

For the decorations, I used white fleece I had lying around.  I wanted something that wouldn't fray.  I decided to skip the green underneath for fear that THAT was the deciding factor between quirky-cute holiday garb and get your "mom-jeans" I'm wearing a Christmas sweater territory.

The stripes on the sleeve were simple to sew on.  I used a black embroidery thread and long stitches.  I think the visible sewing gives it a collegiate feel. 

I spent HOURS longer than I should have cutting out snowflakes and I'm STILL not super pleased.  Snowflakes are so simple even kindergartners can do them, add polar fleece and it just explodes.  Goodness.  But I finally got an acceptable one and stitched it down.  Then to add a little bit of continuity, I added one on the opposite hip pocket.

It was a simple project and so much cheaper and easier than searching for the official version.  I think it's way more flattering than the original would have been as well.  And once the season is over, I can easily rip out the stitches and add the cardigan to my embarrassing large collection.

As a side note, the Glee episode was adorable!
Glee: A Very Glee Christmas

Happy Veteran's Day

A thank you to all the brave men and women who have earned our country the freedom and greatness we take for granted.
Thank you.

Matching coats...

I swear getting Josie a coat was not my idea.  While part of me wants to be the doggy momma that dresses her up in little clothes and bows, most of me realizes she is a dog.  That being said, she sometimes gets cold and so I had gotten her a silly little jacket to keep her warm.  It was pink and little Josie must have complained to Grandma because next thing I know, she came home wearing a little red and grey fleece complete with racing stripes.  Now, we match.  And while it's kind of embarrassing, I think we both strut just a little bit more with our matching red coats on. 

Samantha and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad morning

My morning started with my phone alarm going off at 5:35 precisely one hour earlier than planned.  I grumbled, reset my alarm for 6:35 and rolled over.  Only to wake up at 7:00 without the help of an alarm.  Ugh.
Turns out this is a result of Daylight Saving's time.  The iphone has been slow to sync up to the time change resulting in numerous European workers arriving at work late yesterday.  That was funny.  You know, until it happened to me.  Did I mention I am in the US and this should not have been an issue at all until NEXT week?! 
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/11/01/tech/main7011829.shtml

My last step in the morning before actually leaving is taking my dog, Josie, for a walk around the block.  While she is by no means the cleanest dog, she is generally pretty clever about where she steps.  Meaning I've never had to clean dog poop off her feet.  That streak is now ruined, granted it was more of a "tap, nope, move" than an actual step.  Just to be on the safe side, I walked her for another 10 minutes just to get any possible residue that may remain off.  Bathing would have worked but would have taken longer and required drying and a change of clothes.  Not happening.

I then arrived at the transit center to discover that my bus left 2 MINUTES EARLY!  Buses aren't supposed to leave early.  In fact, one can assume they'll always be about 3 minutes late.  But my "One Bus Away" app confirmed it.  I had 15 minutes to wait. 

Thank goodness for Starbucks and sugar-free vanilla soy steamers.  Also, for those of you keeping track at home, I am ONE drink away from my gold card!  That sweet little cup of liquid protein turned my day around.  Mmm....

Post Halloween

I had a wonderful Halloween.  And am super proud of how the costumes turned out.  They were a hit.  I even won a prize at work for mine!

The first one is a costume I made for a friend to be Tippi Hedren from "The Birds."  She's a huge Hitchcock fan and loves the more traditional conservative styles.  Normally getting her to dress up requires bullying on my part, but this year, she jumped at the idea.

Front

 

Back

 

Hopefully I'll be able to get ahold of a picture of her IN costume.  M looked amazing.  She had the beautiful blonde hair and long lean build the costume required.  With the addition of an updo and a few crows, she was good to go.

The Original

 

 

 

I was beyond excited about my costume.  After 2 months of work and 14 yards of fabric, it came out beautifully.  This is one of my favorite pieces yet.  I love the detail on it and I love the style.  Now I just need somewhere to wear it...

At home on my dress form

Before the department party

I'll work on getting ahold of some pictures from the actual party Saturday, just so I can illustrate the costumes in action.  Mine included a long blonde wig and Josie in a Mad Hatter's hat.  

Undoubtedly the best part of the costume was the size of my skirt.  It was so large that it took up the entire front seat of my car.  One of my co-workers even offered to help me go to the bathroom.  (Don't worry, I managed it myself.  A huge armful of tulle was involved.)  The petticoat underneath is a store bought tulle one with a huge amount of black and white striped fabric attached to both make it long enough for and more accurate to the costume.   It also looked fantastic when spinning.  An activity I engaged in a lot this weekend.  

And since Halloween is sadly over, it's time to look forward to my next favorite event of the year.

Candy Canes!!!

Speak Now

I'll admit it.  I joined the Taylor Swift game more than a little late.  It wasn't until a little over a year ago that I heard her song, "Love Story."  And I loved the way she wrote a song about a happy ever after fairy tale.  Those who know me, know my affinity for fairy tales.  My next song was "White Horse," which was especially meaningful to one of my friends at the time, so I was able to form a connection with that one as well.  So I bought the album and loved it.

Flash forward a few months and I started to discover more about her relationship with her fans, her style, and her interests.  So completely lovable.  When I saw that she had a new single out, I had to try it.  "Mine" took me a few listens, but I was singing along within a week.  Then "Back to December" came and I was loved it even sooner.  Finally "Mean" came and, of course, I loved it.  So much, I shared it with my girl scout troop for our journey on relationships and bullying. 

Last night I was lucky enough (meaning could not get to sleep) to be awake when her full album hit iTunes and like the fish caught on the hooks of her singles, downloaded it.  Cannot get enough.  She is amazing.  Her music is so sweet and charming, but it's not too much.  She still puts so much of herself into these songs that done by another artist may seem unoriginal.  But she has the traditional stories and then shows her spunky side.  My favorite example of this is "Better than Revenge."  So much fun.

Cannot help but love her. 

Shine My Shoes, Please

Newest find.  Bass's brown oxfords.  Love them. 

It reminds me of elementary school.  Except, now they're cute and I can wear them with something other than a plaid skirt.

Ahh, freedom...

Preventing Goosebumps

This time of year, I always get excited about the prospect of tights.  They enable me to wear my skirts and dresses year round, tone down dresses too bright for work, and add an extra layer of color.

Each year I pick up my basic blacks and greys then try to add a few colors or prints in.  Last year it was a brown pair with orange and grey squares all over it.  LOVE them.  Still lack the nerve to wear them, but love them all the same.

I went to Macy's this weekend to scope out the new colors for this winter and found a pair that has changed my life.  It's by a brand called Lemon.  And they are called "brushed tights."  Imagine this.   A nice pair of opaque grey, black, or even navy tights, lined IN FLEECE!!!  It's not actually lined, but made from a material that is fleecy on one side and smooth on the other, similar to sweatshirts.  They are the warmest tights I have ever tried.  As soon as I put them on, my post-shower goosebumps went away.  They blocked the wind better than I'd expect and were a perfect darker grey. 

I'm in love.  The only problem is, I CANNOT find them online to order more tights and see what other colors they offer.  So in the meantime, you'll find me at Macy's.

I give up

So I kept waiting until I had time to actually update this and really write. But it's going on two weeks and still nothing.

My fashion design program has begun and I'm not really liking it. I can see where it could help me but I'm not sure I'm ready to just jump right in. However, I need to continue because Luly Yang is coming to talk in 3 weeks. Luly. As in my favorite modern designer. She's local and high on drama and vintage leanings. So excited. Feels like the biggest thing in my design "career" yet.

http://lulyyang.com/

More recently I went on a murder mystery cruise with my friends. It was a blast. It gave me a chance to go all out. I wore vintage lace and fur. Loved every second of it. The interactive part of it allowed me to get my drama on. I love that kind of thing when I'm with my friends. Not in front of other people though. Goodness no.

 http://www.argosycruises.com/themecruises/murdermysteryseries.cfm

On a less exciting note, I'm trying amazon fresh for the first time. Here's hoping it allows me to plan out my week's dinners and lunch better. That'd be great for my poor budget.

I'm working on taking better pictures to start posting up here.