Recent Acquisitions

Do you ever get that "out of it" feeling? When you feel like you're working and you get tired, then realize you haven't actually accomplished the things you were supposed to?
No? Me neither, I was just asking. I'm a legitimate blogger, I'm totally with it... I'll just show you some stuff.

I love these little sewing boxes! My mama has one that she's had since the 70s in this same color, but it's the flat shaped one. I feel like I always pass these up when I see them because they're usually kinda price-y. So, when I saw this one for $2, I got excited. It wasn't until I was washing it at home that it occurred to me: hey, this is missing it's little removable compartments. It's just a box.
I came up with several alternative uses for this box besides holding needles and thread. I already took some pictures of it with lotions, craft paint, lunch, etc in it with hopes that I can sell it with it's cute, retro factor alone.

Speaking of cute, retro factor...I like this ceramic fish. For $1.99, he swam into my cart because I like the colors and how it looks like it's got aqua bubbles on it. It's diamond shape is so MCM, and I like that. I'm gonna promote this guy as wall art, or maybe a trivet (that's a fancy word for a thing you put on your kitchen counter to rest spoons on), or maybe a thing you put plants on top of?

This fabulous dress. Such a great vintage style and color palette. I actually did get around to listing it. Spring blue dress

The polyester and long sleeves aren't exactly spring like. But, look at the butterfly belt! Also, it's cold and rainy here. 70s pink ruffle dress

I listed this horse head. ceramic horse head wall hanging

...and this cat head. ceramic cat head wall hanging

I don't want to talk about the heads. I promise to do more listings this week and less fooling around. On that note, I can't decide if I should list or keep these two:

That pale green, gauzy one would be such a cute summer refashion. And the other one is for fall, obviously. But, I really wanna take the sleeves off. My seam ripper's ready.

Linking up with Sir Thrift A Lot

I don't have "musings"

I don't have "adventures," either. I have this green tulle skirt:

If you take all your blog pictures at night; you're gonna have a bad time

It's a big pouffy skirt in a green tone. Look, I started this post one week ago, and found it very difficult to do. This post isn't about skirts, it's about life and shit. I started feeling depressed during the summer of 2012. It is now spring (allegedly) of '14 and still...I feel the pain.
Yeah, whatever. These poofs came into fashion at some point a while back, I don't know, I'm not an avid follower of trends. Of course, like many women of my age, I see things on the pinterest and think, "Hey, I want that." In fact, last October, I found one for cheap on the Goodwill Halloween rack. I made this outfit:

Remember that one? It was from my confessional, bizarre, "stories behind the blog" series. I put that outfit together, snapped some pics, and then promptly changed back into something more comfortable.

Here are some images I collected as inspiration (click for finding sources). A tulle skirt--it's all twirly, it's ballerina wear, and it screams "I'm femme as hell!" But there's something unabashedly badass about this article of clothing. It's like; if you see someone in one of those you'll think, "Girl. Did you just put on an old prom gown, throw a t-shirt over it, and just walk out the door like it ain't no thang?"
And I'd be like, "yeah, and you wish you had one"...probably. I digress. When I saw this skirt at Savers during one of the 50% off sales, I figured I should buy it for $3.50. Here's the thing: it looked like lettuce.

Do you see it? With those little layers?

So, I started with a seam ripper, but that wasn't "cutting it" (sorry) so I used my scissors and gently removed those strips of delicate fabric, one at a time. I wanted the skirt to come higher on the waist, so I started folding the bare waist part over and pinning, like I was going to add a thick elastic. It wasn't working.

To hell with that; Imma use this wide belt.

The skirt slid away from the belt a little, I might consider sewing that thing right to the skirt. Or big belt loops. Or nothing, because here's the thing....
Two of my favorite blogs are Refashionista and New Dress a Day. If you're into sewing, I highly recommend these blogs. They've provided a lot of inspiration for me. In both blogs, the women take ill-fitting, ripped, stained, or otherwise ugly/unwearable articles of clothing and revamp them into fun outfits. First, they show themselves posing in an ugly dress; then the process; then the "after" shot of the finished product. Finally, both bloggers end the post with pictures of themselves wearing their new outfit out at an event, party, bar, art gallery, etc...
Hmmm...what's missing from my refashion posts?

This is me, in my lettuce tulle skirt, drinking coffee alone. I only make outfits so I can blog about them. I stage self timer-ed photo sessions and put the results here.

No one can say I didn't try. Even my therapist is concerned about how long I've been unhappy. I did what I was supposed to do; I started therapy, took medication, got a new hobby, started a blog, and even started my own Etsy business. I was trying to cure my depression, but at this point, it seems that I'm just coping with it.

I think that I've been sad for so long, that it's no longer just "depression." This is part of me. This lonely, sad soul is who I am now. I feel like it's too late. I can't think of anything that would really make me happy. There's nothing left but pain.
Nothing can fill the void left by the lack of social interaction. It's very embarrassing...I cringe when co-workers ask about my weekend, but it's the case. I have no friends. It's just the reality that I have to deal with.

There's a couple actual outfit pics. Don't have a tripod, so I had some issues.
"Go out and meet new people!" you say, as if that's a thing. And share what?

There's a reason depression is a cycle. Sadness=loss of activities and friends=lack of confidence, and so on.  It's like I don't even want no new friends! (throws laptop)

That's what it looks like when you wonder about the people you used to care about and love that no longer love you. They move on with their lives. They go out and enjoy the nightlife, driving right past the place where you suffer all alone. They leave you behind. And they don't miss you.
It's ok. There are people out there who have it way worse than I do. Of course, people suffering more doesn't make my sorrow any easier.

That picture of me looking all forlorn at a smiley face sticker isn't just there to be ironic or something. There's a story behind it. Next time I make time to write, that's what I'll tell ya about.

Turn around...backwards dress refashion

Damn, I had a lousy day. Students misbehaving, unable to fill a prescription due to insurance hold ups, and it's St Patrick's day, and I got nothing to do. I wore my green dress to school. Under a big sweater because, oh yeah; March 17th and it was zero degrees out. I'm constantly being told, via facebook statuses that we all need to stop complaining about the weather. No. This is my home, I was born and raised here, and I live with the inclement weather. But, after 5 months, I'm done grinning and reserve the right to announce this weather is bullshit!
It's not like I'm ready to wear this dress anyway. I bought it last year around June. At a thrift store, probably the little one near work. It's currently quite snug, due to a medical condition that makes donuts delicious. Here's the dress:

I took those pictures before I had a blog, so I guess I wasn't thinking about quality. Looking back, I wish I had kept those sleeves. I could've just made a new neckline, I bet that would've made it cuter. But, I took the sleeves off.

Not only did I remove sleeve, I also attempted to fix what happens to the bodice, once sleeves are gone--a problem I call "wonky sleeve." I think I slapped a sweater on and wore this once during the fall.
Back to the drawing board. Yeah, right, "drawing board" seems to imply that I plan ahead.

I pulled out my original "fixes" and repinned the arm holes. It doesn't look half bad in these cheesy selfies, but that's the magic of bad photography. What annoyed me was the bunching pockets. A dress with pockets is usually a great thing, but the hip area was at max capacity.

Also annoying? The buttons up the back. I kept having to undo then redo. What if I flip this thing around? I've seen experienced refashioners do it. Of course, those pockets would never work in the butt area. I sewed them up, and removed them from the inside. Goodbye, pockets...
Let's see...

Not bad! I can live with this. That's a dress on backwards, all right. The butt is in front. It's ass-backwards.

 

Without the flash on, my pictures looked kinda dim and "soft." With the flash on, the material looks kinda shiny, and either way the cool print didn't show up. 

By the way, I always end up taking a million shots, in hopes that I get a few decent ones. Then it seems like a waste not to use as much of them as possible. 

Don't I look a little bit tall? And mad? I can't help it, I just look that way. Also, I'm mad.

Psst...wanna hear a secret? The buttons go up to the neck. I didn't do any stitching, I just folded them down. I couldn't decide on two different ideas:

Should I try and fashion a collar? Or attempt to fix wonky sleeve with an armpit fold-under deal? Or leave it, maybe...

Thrift Hoard: big-ass wall art

I stop into a Savers to kill some time and make myself a little happier and sometimes it works. You ever find a treasure that stops you dead in your tracks? Then, you see the price and yell, "Oh my god, get in my cart!" This didn't actually fit in my cart, but I grabbed this thing fast. (And it was $4.99).

That image is kind of a teaser. It's one of them Turner Wall Accessories. I've heard people say "those things were mass produced, they're a dime a dozen, mad lame, etc." Yeah, whatever, they are awesome. I mean, check this out:

I've spent some time trying to research an accurate price for this thing, but similar items seem to be of higher quality. I feel like I have no idea how to describe this thing.

It's very lightweight; like... thin plywood? The surface is pretty smooth, it doesn't feel painted on. It looks like some kick ass faux-bois, cubism, decoupage; but it's not. It has an artist "signature" deep in the corner: Arno? Maybe "Arnold" and part was cut off by the frame?
All I know is that it's a beautiful, mid century looking piece. It's in very good condition. It's almost 5 feet long but it's not heavy.
Does anybody have experience with a piece like this? I don't know how I'd go about shipping, either, but I suppose Etsy could help there. If anyone has information regarding the pricing of this thrift score, please come forward! I'm very poor and would like to make a few schillings.
By the way, I got this green tulle skirt that I might wear tomorrow. I removed that ruffles along the top there, with a plan to refashion that didn't quite work out. I might wear it.

 

I got this cute little purse for $3:

I love those old timey closures. I gave it a polishing and some leather wax, I'll list it this week.Oh, and this was the other item that gave me pause:

It's really fun, with its sparkly stripes, lace detail, and bow...but is it vintage? It doesn't have any tags. It looks very Betsey Johnson to me, but for all I know, it's some lame Halloween costume. I don't want to get a bad rep on etsy for selling non vintage items! Someone will be like, "Vintage? Bitch, please, that's the 'slutty stripes' costume I wore to Sorority Halloween Drinkathon!"

I have plans to sell a few things on ebay on of these days. But, not now because it's bed time. So, any info on my big art picture will be rewarded with good karma.

Linking up at Sir Thrift A Lot and Thrifter/Maker/Fixer/Farm. And a week later at a living space! (It's bi-weekly, now.)

Thrift Hoard: Dress Love

This week has been pretty blah. I got new glasses.

And then we had a really nice Saturday with beautiful weather. It will always be winter in my heart...
What?! What's the big deal? You know, a lot of people go through rough patches that last a year or two. I don't think I want the spring to come :(
Look at muh dresses!

 It's so beautiful. It was probably made in the 80s with an old timey retro look. It's a good thing I'm just not into pink, I would have a hard time parting with it. Listed! pink, silk dress on Etsy
Look at this one.

I just love it's stripes. And it's comfortable fit, with belted waist. Also, it's new with tags. Listed it. black with stripes knit dress on Etsy

You know what that is? It's a cummerbund slung over a pillow. Sadly, it's not there because some groomsman got lucky after a wedding. I got it for a couple of bucks for a DIY clothing project. Soon...
I've never listed jewelry, but I like brooches. Anyway, look at this.

I like vintage brooches, but I also really like boats. This $1.00 pin isn't exactly my style, so I want to list it. I have a sneaking suspicion it could be Bakelite. I don't have any of the necessary chemicals for testing it, and the internets told me not to do the hot pin test. I'll get the stuff to test it, eventually.

That one was only $0.69. So, I'm guessing it's not antique 14k. I just like the atomic-looking sharpness.
I'm tired. Time to get ready and go to bed early in order to deal with the time change! I say with a clenched jaw smile.

One of the most somber songs ever; Winter by Tori Amos

Tie One On: Extremely Easy Obi Belt

This is a DIY made from ties; actually my first. I think I've been turned off from using ties in refashions because unless you're planning on really tearing one apart, an upcycled tie still looks like a tie. I don't usually like when you turn one item into another item and it's quite obvious that the finished item was once something else (make sense?).
Anyway, I heard the term "obi belt" on a blog somewhere as a solution that helps cinch a waist. I was embarrassed when I realized that it wasn't this:

I don't know how to make the belt worn by Obi-Wan Kenobi

Apparently, an obi belt refers to the Japanese word for "sash." They might look something like this:

find source

I love belts, specifically ones that cinch a waist. I looked up a few tutorials. They were like...ugh... (that's me trying to convey the feeling of dumbness/laziness I get when looking at difficult tutorials.) I was all, "use interfacing." Use what now?
So, I literally took two ties and attached them so I could wrap it around my waist a couple times. A monkey could do it. I showed you the two ties that I bought for the project ($1 each) but I decided to switch out the small dark green one for a plain black.

He he. It looks like that big tie is eating the black tie. Anyway, that's the first step, feed one tie to another one. Make it look like that by pushing that one tie into another just a little bit.

Then, you gotta get some matching thread. I had some because of all the free sewing notions given to me! Hell yeah, thread the machine.

 I stitched around the edge of the blue tie which is the one on the outside. So, it looks like that from the back.

I circled it, because I guess it's not really visible, but I stitched a little bit right there, holding the edge of the black tie in place. I could've made some button holes, or belt loops to help the whole thing stay in place when I'm wearing it, but...nope.

 So, do you have any dresses or big old tops that don't fit?

Do you also need a better t shirt bra?

 I don't even know why I own that, it's too big. Here's the belt around the too big top.

 

Yeah, like I'm gonna take the time to iron out the wrinkles. Also, you can tie it in the back or the front!
I can't believe I've never repurposed a tie before. I'm gonna go make lots more tie things.