What I'm Wearin': Fall Stuff; No Pumpkins or Anything

Here are some pictures of some outfits I thought were fun. That's about it. After viewing them, I recolored my hair with a quickness. Sorry they're indoors with no falling leaves, pumpkins, and/or pumpkin spice lattes to imply it's Fall-ness.

Sweater: Goodwill $4.99, skirt: Family Outfitters $2.00, tights: Express found at Marshalls $2.99, shoes: I've had them so many years that I no longer remember acquiring them.

I love my teal colored tights. I also like the teal/gray color combo.Bows are also pretty fun to wear.

Sweater: Goodwill $4.99, dress: Savers $5.99, necklace: Savers $2.99

 

The black maryjane shoes are vintage '90s (lol, I know that's not vintage, but people are wearing style from this era as if it was.) I don't remember buying them, but I have a feeling they were secondhand. I remember wearing them to stand at ringside during a hardcore (weapons used) wrestling match many years ago, like 2005. I got some thumbtacks stuck in the bottom of the soles and left them there, where they remain to this day.

I Bet I Can Wear this Skull Shirt to Work Tomorrow

I made this shirt, but I made it fast, right before bedtime. So, I neglected to take pictures of the process. However, it's mind-numbingly simple, I think anyone who likes the idea can follow without a step by step pic tutorial.

Basically, I cut little sparkly skulls off of one shirt and attached them to another.

I got that black shirt at Savers, probably. It was recent, but I honestly don't remember. It's a size large, too, how did I even end up with it? I really like the drape of it, and how it covers my butt when I want to wear leggings (the cool kind with the pockets.) Anyway, after a couple wears, I was devastated to find a little hole in the front.
I had this unflattering, polyester top that I bought while I was still involved with wrestling and my colors were black and gold. I don't think I ever wore it, but before getting rid of it, I scavenged the three sparkly skulls. I just cut them out of the shirt.
I'm gonna call this project, "easy-ass 'appliques' shirt" and applique is quoted to imply that you can't really call this technique that. Step 1: cut design or designs out of a shirt, sheet, curtain, or whatever you got.
Step 2: arrange your little cut outs on your shirt in a way you'd think they will look good and pin them in place.
Step 3: Try it on before permanently attaching to see where the designs end up. I almost made skull pasties, it's a good thing I tested the shirt first.
Step 4: Make sure the shirt is laid on a hard surface and place something like freezer paper or wax paper in between the layers.
Step 5: I chose not to use the iron-on method because of the hard sparkle things. I didn't think it would work. So, I used a paint brush to apply fabric glue to back of the cut outs before pressing them in place.
I let them dry and that was about it.
I love the outfit because it's allegedly "badass." The pants are those leggings by Hue that come packaged like tights but are pretty thick like real pants. My parents bought them for me for Christmas and they are actually pretty flattering for a fat-bottomed girl like me. 
By they way, this was one of those days, when my pics were just coming out lousy and I was pretty "meh" on fixing that. Also, my hair was in desperate need of a color touch up (done). So, here, I saved a few with retouching.

look how annoyed I look

But wait, there's more. See that necklace? I made that, too. I had that black chain with unbreakable links that I didn't know what to do with. I folded it in half and attached it at the top and bottom with jump rings.
For the bow, I cut two pieces of ribbon and for each, I folded the sides over so that the ends met in the middle and glued them. Then I took my two pieces and crossed them over each other, gluing them together. I cut a smaller third piece of ribbon and folded it over the center of crossed ribbons and glued that in place, leaving some room in the back to fit it over the chain. I made little holes in the ribbon with a pin and used that hole to attach jump rings to hold them in place on the chain.
Have an easy-ass DIY Halloween!

Cross Post? $.50 Dress Refashion

I just joined another blog. It's called Refashion Co-op, and I guess you just ask to join and they let you! Here's my first post over there: Teacher's Dress into...Still a Teacher's Dress

I guess that's not really a teaser, I just gave away the ending. Sorry for the spoiler.

Dress to Skirt Refashion (Not very Fall-like)

I really, really like dresses. I just think they're great. So, I'm always disappointed when I check out refashions on others' blogs and see a dress turn into something other than a dress. But, that's what I did here and I'm pretty happy about it.

I bought this summer dress with some sort of lilac-ish flower print in early fall at the Goodwill for $4.99. I looked at the shirred elastic waist and thought it would make a nice skirt, then thought it should stay a nice dress.

As you can see, it's actually not all that flattering as a dress, I tend to avoid empire waists. So, I carefully used the seem ripper--lol, who am I kidding, I grabbed my scissors and started cutting.

I saved those triangle pieces, in case I want to turn them into pockets. Unlikely. I didn't take pictures of the process, because sometimes, I forget things. Basically, I took the elastic shirred center of the dress, which is now the waistline of the skirt and and folded it over, so that the raw edge wasn't sticking out. I hand stitched a few places around the front of the skirt.
Then, I got bored with that, because who wants to stitch by hand? I wasn't about to wait for a sewing machine with elastic threaded, either. For the back, I used about four safety pins to keep the fold over in place. Whatever, I was planning on wearing a belt with it anyway. Then I was so pleased, that I took some pictures. A lot.

 

 Skirt: Goodwill $4.99, top: Savers $2.99, belt: Savers $2.99, necklace: some thrift store, don't remember,

boots: Marshalls $39.99

Arrow Sign DIY

I love old signs, and I always think they look cool when hung up as wall art. I found this "antiques" sign in the wood section of Goodwill a while back. It was $1, I believe.

I liked that it was arrow shaped, and I liked the shadow font, but it struck me as kinda cheesy. Like a country cottage look with stuff made to look "primitive."
First, I slapped some light minty green paint on it. Then I had to decide what word I wanted to replace "antiques" with. Then I had to decide which way the arrow should point (which would indicate which way my letters would face.) I chose to be classy and make an arrow pointing to my bar cart. Of course, my bar cart is rarely fully stocked, so rather than "bar," I just went with "liquor," because it seemed more accurate and would look cuter.

Here's what I used to revamp the sign:

craft paint, stencils, a paint marker, some little gem stickers, and a glue gun to better secure the stickers. The little gems I used are actually more gold colored, they look reddish in the picture.
I don't think anyone actually needs a tutorial, I'm assuming that like most of my DIY projects, one can just look at it and keep up. So, here's the finished product:

Not bad, I guess.

Thrift Hoard: Cute, Not Necessarily Useful

Very few of the items I bring home are actually necessary, but...I don't know where I was going with that. Here are my things!

This adorable owl clock with its faux wood and half done paint job on the leaves. I just couldn't pass it up, maybe I can sell it some day. Until that day; welcome to my kitchen, owl mom and baby. (I used an "effect" to edit this photo, for some reason.)

 Owl clock- $3.99 from Savers. Not sure if it works, I don't have any spare D batteries around.

 String art! (Yes, I have too much light in this picture, my bad) I have never purchased string art, but this old car on black felt is in pretty good condition and cost $1.50! At first, I didn't notice that stray nail, now staring me in the face.

What the hell was attached to that nail?

This is...some sort of mushroom sculpture...ceramic mushrooms on wire, stuck in a cement slab or something. $1, Goodwill? OK. Maybe I should paint them red?

Unusual, Adorable, Easy, One Piece Outfit Refashion

I have a strange affinity for one piece articles of clothing. Dresses make sense, but the pants+shirt as a single unit type items can come off as a little unusual. I plan to do a post with pictures of all my items like this. They go by many names: jumpsuit, romper, jumper, catsuit...uh, onesie.
Anyway, I did a quick Goodwill trip last week and I grabbed this vintage (probably late 80s, but that's old) jumpsuit for $4.99.

It was all loose-fitting at the top, and had to be worn with a little tube top underneath. The pants are freakin' huge. They look like a dress, but they're totally pants. I was told that they are called "palazzo" pants. I can't explain, but I really liked them. Not as much as this lady liked hers, though:

I don't do weird stuff either

Of course, as is, that jumpsuit wouldn't do. By the way, that woman keeps calling hers a pantsuit. Pantsuits are what Hilary Clinton wears, that's not a pantsuit. So, using my method of hastily making cuts and pinning together, I got started.

The top was too long, and the waist kinda low, so I just made a cut in the middle of each shoulder.

Then I put it back on and pinned it the way I thought it worked best, before sewing it up. Of course, I hand sewed it messily, so I sewed a ribbon over that.

The Story Behind the Blog: part 4

Part 4: Heatwave of '13 Leads to Flare of Tempers!

In unexpected moments of high intensity, one often stumbles on words and omits things that should've been said in favor of blurting out.That's why it's better to talk things out calmly, before tensions boil over. It's better to think about what you want to say before you say it. Those were things John used to do, but as I've explained; those days are gone. He doesn't do that any more and I'm slowly coming to terms with the death of the person he was. 

In my last post, I recalled John's angry fear as he ran from me in the alley. I don't know what it was in response to, but he snarled, "I don't owe you anything." It wasn't in his voice and it caught me off guard. 

"Oh, I owe you something!" I shot back, like George Costanza with a bowl of shrimp. The jerk store was calling, all right. 

For a while that phrase he used lingered in my mind. What does that mean? He was absolving himself of any responsibility for my pain...I guess. It made me think of how I could've responded had we been having a civilized adult conversation, like I had always requested. I would've said, "yes you do. When you are a friend, you owe it to that friend, not to stab them in the back. When someone comes to you with a horrible accusation, you owe it to that person to hear them out. You owe me the truth. You owe me treatment with common decency that I deserve as a human being.

Sorry About the Delay; Here's a Planet Dress

Here's why I'm a jerk: I start some big, long story and then leave it hanging. I took Monday as a rest day and then every other day this week, I came home from work with a migraine (technically, I was fine yesterday and made a quick Goodwill trip after work--then I got the migraine.) For once, I don't care that I'm home alone on Friday because my head hurts. For those who have never experienced a migraine, check yo'self with a quick wikipedia click.
Luckily for me, I live in an age where medicine is available and I'm insured. The drug, Imitrex, that I use to treat my migraines takes care of the symptoms (pain on one side of head, pain behind the eyes, sensitivity to light/sound) but causes side effects like tiredness and weakness.
I completed and photographed this project a few weeks ago. Then put together most of the blog post, but I've been sitting on it until I've completed my writing. Just starting a three day weekend, surely I'll finish My Story quite soon.
Ladies and gentlemen, I present; the planet dress!

I made it out of the curtain I got a few weeks back

I had that plain, black dress (and apparently, I only took one bad quality picture before the project) that I saw as a blank canvas for a refashion. I thought that curtain would be an easy place to try this applique technique..

Thrift Hoard: Check out this sweet rack

I'm sorry, that was off color. Innuendos like that have no place in the thrift blogosphere, right?
Yeah, anyway...what you're looking at is the only item I purchased this week. I'm really not supposed to be purchasing at all for the moment, but there's a little thrift store that I drive by on my way home from work every day. Like I'm not gonna stop in. Check out that sweet magazine rack! Now check out the price!

Two bills? Well, that hardly counts as buying. I'm kind of a sucker for stuff like this. You know, the obvious repurpose, something to use for storage. It's kind of counterproductive for someone like me. I'm collecting stuff to hold stuff that I already collected in order to make room for more collecting. It reminded me of that Xzibit meme we used to share back in the day. Remember that one?

Something to that extent, I didn't work to hard on the wording. So, when I brought it inside, I just dropped it next to a record stand that I'm using to house shoes (it's not very functional as a shoe rack, actually.)

My Story Behind the Blog: part 3

Fancy dark, retro, sparkly outfit

I would like to thank everyone who has given me such great feedback on my little "tell all" posts. I'd also like to a apologize for being so long-winded, as I've apparently left some of you hanging, waiting to read what happened next. Believe it or not, I'm not exactly dying to sit back and rip the man who was my hero--the love of my life-- to shreds. But, my story is long and true and I need it to be told. Little by little, it's unfolding...
As I type this, it's Saturday night and I'm all alone. The rest of the tenants are out, the only soul in the building is me.

Part Three: Trauma! The Horrible Realization! Calm Before the Storm!

 The most horrifying part in this story is when I found myself waiting and pleading for the help that never came. "John, please come here, it's an emergency. She and her friends are yelling at me as I'm locked in my car," I texted to him. I waited in vain for the rescue that would never arrive. He never even replied.
The next day, I somehow went to work. I arrived home after school and immediately began writing down exactly what happened the night before, while it was still fresh on my mind. It was a rainy, sad night. I shared my story in a facebook note, allowing only a few to see it. I looked up restraining orders and eviction laws. I stayed calm and motivated for justice. 
At 5:30, when I knew John would be getting out of work, I sent another message telling him that if he didn't respond, I would be forced to ask Colleen to throw Meredith out. I told him not to dismiss me. He said he wasn't and was waiting to get out of work or something. Seeing her car wasn't in the parking lot, I took the opportunity to go out and grab a few things at the nearby Market Basket. John and I exchanged a few texts and he mentioned doing laundry at his parents' home just a short distance away. While driving, I pulled over in a parking lot to respond to him. It seemed like he was cooperating for a minute, just not understanding the seriousness of what I was telling him. Then he texted this: "I have a hard time believing that you're not just making this up to make me miserable."
Aaand there went my calm motivation. I started driving up the street towards John's parents' home. I barely remember how I made it, I was in a rage. I remember the Monday after he broke off our friendship, I dared him to come outside and tell me to my face that he no longer cared about me; he declined. It was as if he was too scared. When I arrived at my location, I parked on the dead-end side street right next to their house. I called his phone: "Come out and tell me to my face that I'm a liar!" I demanded. I was enraged. I was struggling with depression, barely hanging on; and then, thanks to his ladyfriend, I had been the victim of some bizarre adult bullying. I'd be goddamned if I was going to sit by and let him tell me I'm lying.
Once again, John refused to come out and meet me. Even worse, he fired back at me with anger for daring to come to him with this. The phone call was heated and lengthy, but I remember most of what was said. I asked him what kind of motivation I would have for fabricating this scenario. "Because you're selfish!" he snarled with anger. "You always have been."
His words were like slaps in the face, each time he spoke. I reacted in tear-filled horror and he immediately took it back. I remember saying that I knew I was not a well person, but after hearing what he was saying that I was honestly worried for him. He told me not to with an angry tone. That voice, those words...they were not his. It was as if I was talking to another person. He was hiding inside the house and I felt so frustrated to be so close and have him refuse to come out. I felt like if I could get him to look at me, to see me, the girl he's known all these years, it would be the slap that he needed to realize the truth of what was happening. He accused me of "going after" them. The very thought was ridiculous. At the time, I was so weak, I could barely function. I was completely powerless. Usually the lifeless, crying mess of a person wouldn't go confronting a group of four drinking, loud jerks. That's not really how bullying works.
"It's me, John," I pleaded. "It's Erica." I reminded him of how just a short time before he was saying I was a good person. In the previous months, people were literally excluding me from events. In one disgusting scenario, a friend made a facebook event inviting people to go the movies on a Friday night. When I responded to the invite on the night of, I was told that since Vinny, the guy I allegedly had a falling out with said he was going, my invite was rescinded. When I told John this, he took the event page in my defense. He was my hero. How in the hell did he change his mind about me like that?

My Story Behind the Blog: part 2

The Next Part of my Strange Sob Story!

(Continued from part one)
So, I began my descent into sadness in the summer of 2012. The trigger was my crumbling relationship with WAW. The founders--John and our friend, Chris, as well as Billy-- were out of the picture and things felt very different. The family atmosphere we once had just wasn't there any longer. First, I had a small falling out with one former member (which wasn't actually a big deal, but others thought it was.) Then, another member who had been there as long as I had, whom I considered a close friend for many years went on a teenager-like tirade against me, accusing me of some sort of trash talking. (That was difficult, because we were both adults and it was way out of line. Also, I just wasn't accustomed to being spoken to so rudely in a text message.) Basically, one after another; things went wrong for me within my closed community-like social circle. I had my allies, but it felt like the whole world was against me. I began lashing out like a caged animal.
The cycle of depression raged on. In August, I asked John to meet me for lunch to discuss my feelings towards WAW, the promotion he helped build. John was furious that anyone there would ever judge or mistreat me. He threatened to get in the ring and spill all of their evil deeds. I told him I wanted to quit and he agreed I should. During an intense meeting a week later, I unleashed the depths of my rage and pain at our roster, before breaking down in tears...again.

Pyro (with title), myself as Moody Starr, Falcon on right

My Story behind the Blog, part 1

Sometimes, I get angry. You wouldn't like me, when I'm angry.
Well, you might; because then I'll look fierce like this:

Yes. We are dealing with a badass over here.

Over the weekend, I found myself feeling kinda rage-y. I thought I'd put together a few outfits to reflect that. something that looked more like the younger, edgier me. I've been showing off my quirkier, creative gear, but on Saturday; I was in no mood for retro prints and apple necklaces. I changed clothes, and I tried out a new background. I took a few pictures outside in my parking lot.

Now, I've been wanting to do that for a while, but something has held me back: the unbelievable true tale of why my parking lot is not a safe place for me...