Taking a cue from another blog I follow I've decided to make my own list of 10 movies that make my eyes happy. But after drafting a list, I realized it was the director's consistent style and aesthetics across all of their movies that inspire me, so I changed it up. These director's minds get my brain working on how to mimic their styles in my wardrobe, home, or life in general.
Some of the directors, I feel, it's almost cliche to go on about them because it's clear to anyone who's even mildly interested in film that they're aesthetic masters. But who cares, this is just my dopey little blog, I'll get as cliche as I want.
Here they are in no particular order.
1. Wes Anderson, clearly. Let's just get that out of the way. Seriously though, I wish I lived in one of his movies. Someday my home will have walnut paneling, hot pink walls and golden radiators. The 70's are clearly represented more than any other decade in his films and that's a-ok with me.
2. Quentin Tarantino. His movies lean into a 70's look a lot too, which despite my love for more feminine decades of fashion, I find the 70's influence my real-life home more than any other decade. Sometimes I get tired of it, but I just keep coming back.
3. Joel and Ethan Coen. They have this drive to just keep creating and creating that is beyond enviable. I particularly love Raising Arizona, O Brother Where Art Thou, and The Hudsucker Proxy. You know, for kids!
4. Paul Thomas Anderson. Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Punch Drunk Love, There Will Be Blood. His movies are about the most important things in life (usually family, even Boogie Nights-- especially Boogie Nights!) His movies can be so sobering it nearly paralyzes me.
6. Michel Gondry. From Human Nature, to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind, Science of Sleep, Be Kind Rewind, his music videos, THIS MAN gets into my head and refuses to leave. And I love it.
7. Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Delicatessen has a special place in my heart, along with Dominique Pinon. Amelie is a classic. I even loved City of List Children even though it frightened me. Do me a favor and just forget he was ever involved with the Aliens franchise, okay?
8. Julie Taymor. So what, maybe her latest movie, The Tempest, started to resemble the work someone might put forth when getting a little crazy with photoshop filters... Still, she never fails to strike a spark in my chest and sets me wanting to paint or something. Or take up puppetry.
9. Martin Scorsese. I really can't go on, I'm not eloquent enough to describe the quality of his work. But I will say this. Sometimes I feel like it's a chore to force myself to watch his movies because maybe the plot didn't sound appealing or who knows. I'm fickle. But when I finally sit down and WATCH them, I'm awed. Everytime. Even the least profound Scorsese film is still wonderful.
10. Baz Luhrman. He's kind of the one who started it all for me, aesthetically speaking. I remember seeing the trailers for Moulin Rouge and thinking "pfff that looks obnoxious" and then seeing it and falling in love. I had to find his other work, and each movie I got my hands on became my new favorite. Romeo + Juliet, then Strictly Ballroom, the latter of which is one of my go-to movies for a pick-me-up. Admittedly, I've yet to sit through Australia in one sitting but I've mildly enjoyed what I've seen.
--
I wanted to list a couple runners-up. Were this a movie-only list, these might be on here.
+Sofia Coppola's The Virgin Suicides. I wasn't actually a fan of Lost in Translation, but I liked parts. Really, it's The Virgin Suicides that puts me in its own special mood. And again, the 70's!
+Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice. This is my feminine-fantasy at its grandest. If there was a place I could vacation and pretend this was the era I lived in, I would be there every year.
+Tarsem Singh's The Fall. The fantasy world he creates in this movie resembles a lot of what I wished for in my childhood. All things exotic and magical. For me, it's the type of beauty that verges on terrifying.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Friday, August 5, 2011
Movies, yeah! They ...help your life?
Out of nowhere last weekend I was asked if I could attend a two-day shoot for a short film my friend was producing and take charge of makeup. Despite having exactly zero professional experience or training, I jumped on it. Perhaps I'm losing it.
But I had fun, and I think I was competent enough that I didn't absolutely ruin the film. The first night of shooting was the roughest. The actors were in a tiny set, an absolute sauna and the poor guys and girls were just dying. I patted sweat in between takes, caked on the powder to hide the shine. I'm sure they were all disgusted by the time they could get home and clean off their faces.
Even though it was pretty hot, gross, unpaid, and had long hours (a lot of the time of which I was usually just standing around, sitting on a stool or stealing a seat on a couch somewhere) it was a much needed change of environment.
I'm not trying to sound like a martyr or anything, not at all-- but I had been feeling like all I will do in my life is work and work and it will never stop. I work full time in an office, and some nights and most weekends I go and work with my family. I don't often travel, I don't get out as much as I'd like. I spend a lot of time stressing about the state of my house.
That last part, stressing out about my house, has been dominating me. I think about it all day at work, if I could just stay home for 1 day and whip it into shape. Then I get home at night and I feel like it could never be done, there's just too much stuff. I have this clear picture in my mind, a house with few objects, everything in its place, everything has a purpose. Then I get into it, and all the pieces break down into smaller pieces and I lose my vision. It's all just stuff but I can't seem to let it go.
Last weekend Spencer helped me go through maybe 3 small boxes of stuff that wasn't even mine. It was my mother's belongings that she left here. Most of it was rusted scrap metal, literal garbage or broken things that might have been useful once upon a time, but were so damaged now they couldn't even be donated.
We threw the junk out and I immediately shut down. I don't know what came over me. There was a sickness in my stomach and it crawled up my spine and into my mouth and my neck and all I could do was lie on the couch with my head hanging over the side. I tried to focus on breathing and not vomiting. I was irate and taciturn. I'm certain I won't be able to finish the house without help.
Despite this episode, I did actually purge a few things of my own too. I successfully got rid of: a few old rusty metal tables, a huge canning pot full of sticks, a few clothes, countertop appliances we never used, numerous decorative plates, bowls and vases, broken picture frames, and other random trash.
The hardest items for me to let go of are pieces of fabric and gardening things. I have quilt tops waiting to be made into a blanket, projects organized into kits, some mixed together over time, and plenty of supplies. I just haven't been able to organize my sewing room to completion yet. There's still so much stuff. I've have half-finished sewing projects from more than 5 years ago. I hate it.
And gardening, now that I have this wonderful old house and a yard that is literally like a blank slate, I just hold onto all the pots and containers I can, waiting for the patio to be poured, waiting to decorate. In the meantime, it all just piles up, empty and trashy looking, while plans for pouring a patio gets put on the back-burner over and over.
So I work to try and scrape funds together to do these things, and then I buy and accumulate little things that cut into those funds, or I decide I want to focus on the kitchen or the bedroom or the basement more, and then I need to try and work more to scrape funds together again. And the house piles up crap, and I fret and shut down, and I start feeling hopeless again.
It was cathartic to be on the movie set. I only had 1 job, no one else could do it, it was simple, extracted from my familiar world, like being in a backwards therapeutic bubble. Tiresome, unpaid, wonderful labor-therapy. I've been asked to do makeup again on future projects... and I think I'll try to take them.
I think I'm just destined to be poor and fussy. The least I can do is break up the monotony from time to time.
But I had fun, and I think I was competent enough that I didn't absolutely ruin the film. The first night of shooting was the roughest. The actors were in a tiny set, an absolute sauna and the poor guys and girls were just dying. I patted sweat in between takes, caked on the powder to hide the shine. I'm sure they were all disgusted by the time they could get home and clean off their faces.
Even though it was pretty hot, gross, unpaid, and had long hours (a lot of the time of which I was usually just standing around, sitting on a stool or stealing a seat on a couch somewhere) it was a much needed change of environment.
I'm not trying to sound like a martyr or anything, not at all-- but I had been feeling like all I will do in my life is work and work and it will never stop. I work full time in an office, and some nights and most weekends I go and work with my family. I don't often travel, I don't get out as much as I'd like. I spend a lot of time stressing about the state of my house.
That last part, stressing out about my house, has been dominating me. I think about it all day at work, if I could just stay home for 1 day and whip it into shape. Then I get home at night and I feel like it could never be done, there's just too much stuff. I have this clear picture in my mind, a house with few objects, everything in its place, everything has a purpose. Then I get into it, and all the pieces break down into smaller pieces and I lose my vision. It's all just stuff but I can't seem to let it go.
Last weekend Spencer helped me go through maybe 3 small boxes of stuff that wasn't even mine. It was my mother's belongings that she left here. Most of it was rusted scrap metal, literal garbage or broken things that might have been useful once upon a time, but were so damaged now they couldn't even be donated.
We threw the junk out and I immediately shut down. I don't know what came over me. There was a sickness in my stomach and it crawled up my spine and into my mouth and my neck and all I could do was lie on the couch with my head hanging over the side. I tried to focus on breathing and not vomiting. I was irate and taciturn. I'm certain I won't be able to finish the house without help.
Despite this episode, I did actually purge a few things of my own too. I successfully got rid of: a few old rusty metal tables, a huge canning pot full of sticks, a few clothes, countertop appliances we never used, numerous decorative plates, bowls and vases, broken picture frames, and other random trash.
The hardest items for me to let go of are pieces of fabric and gardening things. I have quilt tops waiting to be made into a blanket, projects organized into kits, some mixed together over time, and plenty of supplies. I just haven't been able to organize my sewing room to completion yet. There's still so much stuff. I've have half-finished sewing projects from more than 5 years ago. I hate it.
And gardening, now that I have this wonderful old house and a yard that is literally like a blank slate, I just hold onto all the pots and containers I can, waiting for the patio to be poured, waiting to decorate. In the meantime, it all just piles up, empty and trashy looking, while plans for pouring a patio gets put on the back-burner over and over.
So I work to try and scrape funds together to do these things, and then I buy and accumulate little things that cut into those funds, or I decide I want to focus on the kitchen or the bedroom or the basement more, and then I need to try and work more to scrape funds together again. And the house piles up crap, and I fret and shut down, and I start feeling hopeless again.
It was cathartic to be on the movie set. I only had 1 job, no one else could do it, it was simple, extracted from my familiar world, like being in a backwards therapeutic bubble. Tiresome, unpaid, wonderful labor-therapy. I've been asked to do makeup again on future projects... and I think I'll try to take them.
I think I'm just destined to be poor and fussy. The least I can do is break up the monotony from time to time.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Well, well, well. We meet again.
It's the time of the year where I think I'll start blogging again... for a day or two. We'll see.
I'll just jump back into this like it ain't no thang.
So this last Monday morning I noticed little creepy-creeps around my back door. Ants. Grah! No me gusta. So I cracked open my handy homekeeping handbook and looked up how to eradicate pests, specifically ants. There are multiple solutions, and after observing the critters I deduced that the problem was relatively small. There wasn't a trail, only 4 or 5 wandering around. Research indicates these were 'scout' ants sent out to look for food. Goodness knows I couldn't let them get to the kitchen or we'd be done for.
First things first, I vacuumed errything. Like 5 times. And then I vacuumed some more. The carpet, the walls, the furniture, the baseboards, the corners, under the couches, window sills, the kitchen floor, under the appliances- it was exhausting. I also vacuumed about a cup-full of baby powder (to be 100% sure the ants are exterminated) lest the ants survive and start nesting in my Dyson. One could also just use regular corn starch, since that's actually what baby powder is, but without scent.
Then I got some hot, hot water, the hottest I could stand (I wore latex gloves for moderate protection) and bleach (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) and thoroughly scrubbed and wiped down every inch of the kitchen floor I could manage. Also exhausting. And mildly terrifying.
During this time, two or three more ants had reappeared by the back door. I vacuumed them up (and vacuumed a little more powder) and sprinkled a crap-ton more of the baby powder around my back door. I also noticed the door is in dear need of new weather-stripping.
I've heard about ants not liking cinnamon, and last summer I tried making a cinnamon barrier with little luck. My homekeeping handbook recommends sprinkling talcum powder to deter ants. Talcum isn't widely sold anymore as it's thought to be carcinogenic, so I used baby powder. The baby powder is going strong 2 days now. No more ants. And I have a lovely scented powder so when I vacuum, it leaves a lavender smell in the air.
Now all we need to do is instill some tidier cooking habits in our household.
I'll just jump back into this like it ain't no thang.
So this last Monday morning I noticed little creepy-creeps around my back door. Ants. Grah! No me gusta. So I cracked open my handy homekeeping handbook and looked up how to eradicate pests, specifically ants. There are multiple solutions, and after observing the critters I deduced that the problem was relatively small. There wasn't a trail, only 4 or 5 wandering around. Research indicates these were 'scout' ants sent out to look for food. Goodness knows I couldn't let them get to the kitchen or we'd be done for.
First things first, I vacuumed errything. Like 5 times. And then I vacuumed some more. The carpet, the walls, the furniture, the baseboards, the corners, under the couches, window sills, the kitchen floor, under the appliances- it was exhausting. I also vacuumed about a cup-full of baby powder (to be 100% sure the ants are exterminated) lest the ants survive and start nesting in my Dyson. One could also just use regular corn starch, since that's actually what baby powder is, but without scent.
Then I got some hot, hot water, the hottest I could stand (I wore latex gloves for moderate protection) and bleach (1 part bleach to 10 parts water) and thoroughly scrubbed and wiped down every inch of the kitchen floor I could manage. Also exhausting. And mildly terrifying.
During this time, two or three more ants had reappeared by the back door. I vacuumed them up (and vacuumed a little more powder) and sprinkled a crap-ton more of the baby powder around my back door. I also noticed the door is in dear need of new weather-stripping.
I've heard about ants not liking cinnamon, and last summer I tried making a cinnamon barrier with little luck. My homekeeping handbook recommends sprinkling talcum powder to deter ants. Talcum isn't widely sold anymore as it's thought to be carcinogenic, so I used baby powder. The baby powder is going strong 2 days now. No more ants. And I have a lovely scented powder so when I vacuum, it leaves a lavender smell in the air.
Now all we need to do is instill some tidier cooking habits in our household.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Time Again For My Bi-Yearly Post
So yeah remember when I said I would post tomorrow about that raffle I won?
Well I blew it off and also the posting. Oh well.
It's Day Two of lent and Spencer and I are going strong without meat!
I'm considering making this a permanent change. Vegetarian has so many benefits (other than losing vitamin B12, but I take multi-vitamins, so whatever).
Also it was Valentines Day last week. Probably the least romantic Valentines ever lived, and I have slacked off worse than last year. I had been keeping a tradition of making a fun hand-made valentine every year, which broke slightly when last year I started to sketch one out and encountered artists' block. Then I sort of skipped over this year.
Karlie gave me a lovely simple and yet refreshing valentine along with a mix cd which inspired me to make a Valentine mix for her too.
Here's the track list, for those interested in checking out the songs. Disclaimer: there is a bonus track which comes from a band I love, and who is a guilty pleasure. Embarrassment ensuing.
1. Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) / Peter Sarstedt
2. Oh Yoko! / John Lennon
3. Dis A Ton Capitaine / France Gall
4. In The Orchard / Tiger Army
5. Silver Dagger / Dolly Parton (not a guilty pleasure, Dolly rocks!)
6. Stone Cold Dead In The Market / (I lost track of who sang this)
7. I'm So Young / The Students
8. She / Elvis Costello
9. Take It In / Hot Chip
10. One Life Stand / Hot Chip
*Bonus Track!* Now everyone will know my secret!
11. I Knew I Loved You / Savage Garden
All that aside, I'm a little proud of this mix. Except for the double hit by Hot Chip (I couldn't part with either song), I think it all flows very well together while still being a mix of very different sounds. I hope the two people that read this maybe seek out these songs and give them a try!
Well I blew it off and also the posting. Oh well.
It's Day Two of lent and Spencer and I are going strong without meat!
I'm considering making this a permanent change. Vegetarian has so many benefits (other than losing vitamin B12, but I take multi-vitamins, so whatever).
Also it was Valentines Day last week. Probably the least romantic Valentines ever lived, and I have slacked off worse than last year. I had been keeping a tradition of making a fun hand-made valentine every year, which broke slightly when last year I started to sketch one out and encountered artists' block. Then I sort of skipped over this year.
Karlie gave me a lovely simple and yet refreshing valentine along with a mix cd which inspired me to make a Valentine mix for her too.
Here's the track list, for those interested in checking out the songs. Disclaimer: there is a bonus track which comes from a band I love, and who is a guilty pleasure. Embarrassment ensuing.
1. Where Do You Go To (My Lovely) / Peter Sarstedt
2. Oh Yoko! / John Lennon
3. Dis A Ton Capitaine / France Gall
4. In The Orchard / Tiger Army
5. Silver Dagger / Dolly Parton (not a guilty pleasure, Dolly rocks!)
6. Stone Cold Dead In The Market / (I lost track of who sang this)
7. I'm So Young / The Students
8. She / Elvis Costello
9. Take It In / Hot Chip
10. One Life Stand / Hot Chip
*Bonus Track!* Now everyone will know my secret!
11. I Knew I Loved You / Savage Garden
All that aside, I'm a little proud of this mix. Except for the double hit by Hot Chip (I couldn't part with either song), I think it all flows very well together while still being a mix of very different sounds. I hope the two people that read this maybe seek out these songs and give them a try!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
New Bike!
Ok up the street from where we live there is a cute little "shop" called The Recycled Bike and one time when Spencer ran an errand on our old Huffy Cruiser and the chain popped off, the owner of The Recycled Bike happened to be walking by and helped him with the chain and mentioned that The Recycled Bike did trade-ins in case we ever wanted a more city-appropriated vehicle and we do, so we traded it (that's the gist of the story anyway) and HERE IT IS!
Yep, right there in the background, mind the grainy quality (the only working camera we have right now is the one inside the iMac screen.)
ANYWAYS it's a sweet lemony yellow Schwinn Varsity (vintage) but in great condition, working gears (5-Speed, is that what it's called?) front and back breaks, and they cleaned it all up and oiled it and threw in a rack for free (I attached the milk crate with my extensive resourcefulness) and we still have a "credit" (I want a saddle-basket for when we eventually get another one in the future so Spencer and I can both ride together) from the guy, Mike, the owner and he was so friendly and helpful, SO happy I finally have a street-ready bike to start taking to work and whatnot and long-running sentennnnnnce!
The only thing is that the tires probably need to be replaced in about 3 or 4 months; they're coming to the end of their reign, but still got enough life in 'em. SO EXCITED.
And tomorrow, I'll tell you about a RAFFLE I won!
Yep, right there in the background, mind the grainy quality (the only working camera we have right now is the one inside the iMac screen.)
ANYWAYS it's a sweet lemony yellow Schwinn Varsity (vintage) but in great condition, working gears (5-Speed, is that what it's called?) front and back breaks, and they cleaned it all up and oiled it and threw in a rack for free (I attached the milk crate with my extensive resourcefulness) and we still have a "credit" (I want a saddle-basket for when we eventually get another one in the future so Spencer and I can both ride together) from the guy, Mike, the owner and he was so friendly and helpful, SO happy I finally have a street-ready bike to start taking to work and whatnot and long-running sentennnnnnce!
The only thing is that the tires probably need to be replaced in about 3 or 4 months; they're coming to the end of their reign, but still got enough life in 'em. SO EXCITED.
And tomorrow, I'll tell you about a RAFFLE I won!
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Finding The Right Chef
Spencer and I like to use the library a lot. We check out DVD's, I track down music, we read comics, fiction, non-fiction. We I get to thinking I need to know more about a hobby I might try out, how to care for finches or look up some weird history about Utah, I'll be at the library. And most often, we love to check out recipe books. (Ok, maybe comics and DVD's beat out how often we check out recipe books, but it's a close competition.)
We'll browse the titles, and pick out a few recipes, try them out, make some edits, maybe copy the page if we like it enough. And there are some authors that we love the most, namely Jamie Oliver "The Naked Chef," Sam Stern, who's kind of like the 16 year old version of Jamie Oliver and Charlie Ayers, who was hired to be like a personal-ish chef for the Google staff for many years.
The time has come, I think that Spencer and I have found a good round of books that fit our lifestyle and ought to be made permanent resources in our home. And I've realized that all this time we've watched the Food Network, browsed recipe books, and watched what our grocery budget goes to, it's all been adding up to the time we start having a somewhat basic recipe books of our own to shape our everyday diets. And these three authors cater to us the most.
I should mention Alton Brown. We love him. But more than love his recipes, I think we mostly treat him as the ultimate authority on how to cook what and why. I recommend you seek out anything with his name on it too.
Here's the round-up, the books we've gotten the best results from, are doable and make us realize we have more control we eat than we think and what we just all-around find the most useful:
+Anything by The Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver
+Sam Stern, who caters to my minimalistic, adolescent (but still so good) attitudes
+Charlie Ayers, who can make tasty food work for you
+Alton Brown, Food and Cooking Expert
+and recently, Anything by Martha Stewart, who has never yet led me astray while baking (this suggestion is mine alone since I'm the one who usually bakes out of the two of us).
So I suggest you look these people up, check out their books, try their recipes, listen to what they have to say about food and enjoy cooking. Like Robert Rodriguez said in one of his 10-minute cooking lessons on his DVD bonus features, you have to eat everyday, so why not make it something you love? Or something like that.
Until next time!~
We'll browse the titles, and pick out a few recipes, try them out, make some edits, maybe copy the page if we like it enough. And there are some authors that we love the most, namely Jamie Oliver "The Naked Chef," Sam Stern, who's kind of like the 16 year old version of Jamie Oliver and Charlie Ayers, who was hired to be like a personal-ish chef for the Google staff for many years.
The time has come, I think that Spencer and I have found a good round of books that fit our lifestyle and ought to be made permanent resources in our home. And I've realized that all this time we've watched the Food Network, browsed recipe books, and watched what our grocery budget goes to, it's all been adding up to the time we start having a somewhat basic recipe books of our own to shape our everyday diets. And these three authors cater to us the most.
I should mention Alton Brown. We love him. But more than love his recipes, I think we mostly treat him as the ultimate authority on how to cook what and why. I recommend you seek out anything with his name on it too.
Here's the round-up, the books we've gotten the best results from, are doable and make us realize we have more control we eat than we think and what we just all-around find the most useful:
+Anything by The Naked Chef, Jamie Oliver
+Sam Stern, who caters to my minimalistic, adolescent (but still so good) attitudes
+Charlie Ayers, who can make tasty food work for you
+Alton Brown, Food and Cooking Expert
+and recently, Anything by Martha Stewart, who has never yet led me astray while baking (this suggestion is mine alone since I'm the one who usually bakes out of the two of us).
So I suggest you look these people up, check out their books, try their recipes, listen to what they have to say about food and enjoy cooking. Like Robert Rodriguez said in one of his 10-minute cooking lessons on his DVD bonus features, you have to eat everyday, so why not make it something you love? Or something like that.
Until next time!~
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Back in Black!
So it's 6 months through 2009 and I'm revisiting my new years resolutions. They were roughly to:
Live simply
Keep up my hobbies
Go back to school
How have I fared half-way through the year?
Well I haven't had the chance to go back to school just yet, however I do plan on being up at the U this fall.
Keeping up my hobbies. It's hard because this resolution kind of conflicts with my other resolution: to live simply. Obviously, the more hobbies you have, the more stuff you accumulate, and the more time and money spent doing different things. So I let some go.
I still sew but I don't thrift shop for fun and I scrapped almost all my old projects just because they'd been unfinished for years and I was no longer driven to finish them. I don't shop for clothes almost at all, and if I do, I donate or sell something I already had to try and maintain equilibrium. We plan our meals by the week and I stay on top of the groceries. I have a calendar system for bill paying. I've started finding a home for every knick-knack and if I can't find a place for it, then out it goes.
Simply put: less projects, less things, less clothes, less laundry, less cleaning, less money spent. More time for exercise, hanging out with friends, cleaning, preparing home meals and more time for the projects that are left and actually worthwhile!
However I still have have a ways to go. I'd like to be tighter on the laundry schedule, deep cleaning schedule and daily tidying but I'm at least to a place where I can do things like pick up exercising and cooking and holding 3 part-time jobs.
Cool, I'll be back in December! (Only hopefully sooner, lol)...
Live simply
Keep up my hobbies
Go back to school
How have I fared half-way through the year?
Well I haven't had the chance to go back to school just yet, however I do plan on being up at the U this fall.
Keeping up my hobbies. It's hard because this resolution kind of conflicts with my other resolution: to live simply. Obviously, the more hobbies you have, the more stuff you accumulate, and the more time and money spent doing different things. So I let some go.
I still sew but I don't thrift shop for fun and I scrapped almost all my old projects just because they'd been unfinished for years and I was no longer driven to finish them. I don't shop for clothes almost at all, and if I do, I donate or sell something I already had to try and maintain equilibrium. We plan our meals by the week and I stay on top of the groceries. I have a calendar system for bill paying. I've started finding a home for every knick-knack and if I can't find a place for it, then out it goes.
Simply put: less projects, less things, less clothes, less laundry, less cleaning, less money spent. More time for exercise, hanging out with friends, cleaning, preparing home meals and more time for the projects that are left and actually worthwhile!
However I still have have a ways to go. I'd like to be tighter on the laundry schedule, deep cleaning schedule and daily tidying but I'm at least to a place where I can do things like pick up exercising and cooking and holding 3 part-time jobs.
Cool, I'll be back in December! (Only hopefully sooner, lol)...
Friday, February 20, 2009
Oh Em Geez.
It's been a long time so I'll make this quick:
-Black Chandelier IS NO MORE.
Everyone was laid off, myself included, the store is shut down, the website has been suspended and I have effectively concluded my time with Nexia Holdings, Style Perfect, Black Chandelier and Dan Nappi. It is a RELIEF.
-I am on unemployment/seeking new employment.
-I am also seeking to return to school this fall.
-I have become utterly domestic. Cleaning, preparing dinner and a weekly sweet, it's all good.
-I got a haircut! It looks WAY good.
-WE FOUND SPENCER'S CAMERA.
Pictures to follow.
-Black Chandelier IS NO MORE.
Everyone was laid off, myself included, the store is shut down, the website has been suspended and I have effectively concluded my time with Nexia Holdings, Style Perfect, Black Chandelier and Dan Nappi. It is a RELIEF.
-I am on unemployment/seeking new employment.
-I am also seeking to return to school this fall.
-I have become utterly domestic. Cleaning, preparing dinner and a weekly sweet, it's all good.
-I got a haircut! It looks WAY good.
-WE FOUND SPENCER'S CAMERA.
Pictures to follow.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Help Wanted!
Can somebody (I totally almost just spelled that "someboday" btw,) make this a seamless image?
And by seamless of course I mean if I were to tile the image side to side, top to bottom, it would turn into one seamless image.
Normally I'd ask Spencer to do it but I'm pretty sure our current computer is sans Photoshop... and my laptop has Photoshop but it also has no working USB drive AND I'm lending it to a friend.
SO, if anyone other than the two people I know read this can work thems shops and make my image seamless, comment and I'll send you the clearest copy of it I have? Yes?
Yes. Ok, thank you.
And by seamless of course I mean if I were to tile the image side to side, top to bottom, it would turn into one seamless image.Normally I'd ask Spencer to do it but I'm pretty sure our current computer is sans Photoshop... and my laptop has Photoshop but it also has no working USB drive AND I'm lending it to a friend.
SO, if anyone other than the two people I know read this can work thems shops and make my image seamless, comment and I'll send you the clearest copy of it I have? Yes?
Yes. Ok, thank you.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Ok So There's Actually More To It.
I try to keep certain aspects of my life out of this blog so that they can remain personal to me and that others that I know read this may or may not... well, know those certain things and ridicule me about them. When I want them to know, I'll tell them personally. That being said, there's more to my resolutions than just what I wrote in my last post and I want to list those things here, mainly for my own reference.
Real quickly now:
-grow closer with Spencer and continue to strengthen our marriage.
-return to school and make studies a priority.
-make additional budgets for school and home life, including putting away a percentage of my personal allowance to put back into savings.
-finish ALL crafts projects started in 2008 (including clothing alterations and quilts)
-no more cardboard boxes storing random things, especially if they're not in a closet.
-15 minute clean up everyday.
-----this one I've been trying right after I get home from work, before I sit down or when I wake up on weekends before I shower or eat and it's amazing the difference it makes when I go by time and not task because so much more gets put away and picked up than I thought could happen.
-restrain my diet. this mostly means financially, we eat out SO OFTEN it's almost tragic.
-pick it up on FHE
-volunteer more, and/or donate more often.
-strive to complete my weekly work hours. For a couple months before Christmas I was getting really good at this but I've let myself get lazy around Christmas and New Years and scheduling myself a couple hours less week after week but now is the time to be making habits of saving and budgeting whatever we have and by giving myself those extra 3 or 4 hours a week I'm making a bigger difference financially than I remember sometimes for Spencer and I.
-write Rachel and McKay at least once every two or three weeks. I need to remember that Sunday is the best day to write them because they're p-day is Monday.
-take more pictures. (i.e. find our camera, lol)
-be better at keeping a personal journal.
-visit my brother more often
-help my mother at her home more often
-pray for my dad and aubrey
-visit my kuefner-relatives on holidays. the longer I wait to make a habit of this I realize the more devastating it could be in the future. especially when Spencer and I decide to have kids and I'm still somewhat estranged from most of them. I don't want that.
-grow closer to Spencer more. And then some more.
And that's about as personal as I get so enjoy it!
Real quickly now:
-grow closer with Spencer and continue to strengthen our marriage.
-return to school and make studies a priority.
-make additional budgets for school and home life, including putting away a percentage of my personal allowance to put back into savings.
-finish ALL crafts projects started in 2008 (including clothing alterations and quilts)
-no more cardboard boxes storing random things, especially if they're not in a closet.
-15 minute clean up everyday.
-----this one I've been trying right after I get home from work, before I sit down or when I wake up on weekends before I shower or eat and it's amazing the difference it makes when I go by time and not task because so much more gets put away and picked up than I thought could happen.
-restrain my diet. this mostly means financially, we eat out SO OFTEN it's almost tragic.
-pick it up on FHE
-volunteer more, and/or donate more often.
-strive to complete my weekly work hours. For a couple months before Christmas I was getting really good at this but I've let myself get lazy around Christmas and New Years and scheduling myself a couple hours less week after week but now is the time to be making habits of saving and budgeting whatever we have and by giving myself those extra 3 or 4 hours a week I'm making a bigger difference financially than I remember sometimes for Spencer and I.
-write Rachel and McKay at least once every two or three weeks. I need to remember that Sunday is the best day to write them because they're p-day is Monday.
-take more pictures. (i.e. find our camera, lol)
-be better at keeping a personal journal.
-visit my brother more often
-help my mother at her home more often
-pray for my dad and aubrey
-visit my kuefner-relatives on holidays. the longer I wait to make a habit of this I realize the more devastating it could be in the future. especially when Spencer and I decide to have kids and I'm still somewhat estranged from most of them. I don't want that.
-grow closer to Spencer more. And then some more.
And that's about as personal as I get so enjoy it!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year
I have a New Year's Resolution or two.
One is to just live simpler. Simply-er? What do I imagine this to mean?
Other than physically purging my life and home of clutter, it also means forming good day-today habits that eliminate my life of some stress.
Like saying "yes" more instead of no when asked to help with things. Taking a few minutes day to day to pick up the house, if only for 5 minutes. Toning down my inflammatory tendency to take on multiple projects at once.
Another is to do more. Which, is technically not something I've only just now resolved to do. And by "do more" I mean keep my mind and hands active. Finishing projects when I've started them and trying more new things. I've been pretty good at this for the past month or so. I made some nice curtains to separate the living room and kitchen, and some other drapes for the bathroom. I crocheted a hat last night (just before falling asleep 5 minutes before midnight.) and I also sewed the leggings I'm wearing today. I have 1 quilt top piece waiting to be batted and backed, and 3 other quilts that are coming along nicely, little by little. And I think I'm going to try buying a vintage pattern and giving that a go. I haven't followed a pattern since sophomore year of high school. I also got some cake decorating tools for Christmas to play with which has reminded me that it's been too long since I last made something yummy.
My big resolution this year is to go back to school. Hopefully Spencer and I will get our tax information back pretty soon here and then we can file and apply for some financial aid (what a time to apply though, ugh) and hopefully Spencer and I will haven't run into any big financial trouble and the savings we've been putting aside can allow me to return to college, at least part-time if not full, this fall. Spencer was thinking about taking some additional classes for experience and fun (he graduated from BYU last August if you didn't know already) which I would love because then maybe we could enroll in a class or two together.
So to sum up:
Live simpler.
Keep up my hobbies.
Go back to school.
I think I can manage that, which is why I liked making these resolutions. Normally I'd make resolutions that were extremely defined. Like "lose 25 pounds" and "finish sailboat/tailor's mannequin still life" and things like that were just, meh. As soon as I lost sight of those goals, then I'd feel crappy about it and just put it away in a closet to forget about or eat unhealthily and feel crappy about that too.
All I am worrying about now if whether or not I'm enjoying my life day to day and if I'm not, then I am taking little actions here and there to improve it, and most of all, I'm trying to be patient and focused. I want to allow myself an extra second to react, which allows me to think through my decisions better which causes me to feel a little more confident in myself and my abilities to improve my life and my home life.
And the best part is that I haven't really waited for 2009 for all this to start, but it's nice to put it into words for a reminder when things get hectic or I get impatient. If I have to, I'll write the words "live simpler, be patient and focus" on my arm everyday for a reminder. Maybe I'll just make that the motto/title of my journal for this year. That's probably a better idea.
One is to just live simpler. Simply-er? What do I imagine this to mean?
Other than physically purging my life and home of clutter, it also means forming good day-today habits that eliminate my life of some stress.
Like saying "yes" more instead of no when asked to help with things. Taking a few minutes day to day to pick up the house, if only for 5 minutes. Toning down my inflammatory tendency to take on multiple projects at once.
Another is to do more. Which, is technically not something I've only just now resolved to do. And by "do more" I mean keep my mind and hands active. Finishing projects when I've started them and trying more new things. I've been pretty good at this for the past month or so. I made some nice curtains to separate the living room and kitchen, and some other drapes for the bathroom. I crocheted a hat last night (just before falling asleep 5 minutes before midnight.) and I also sewed the leggings I'm wearing today. I have 1 quilt top piece waiting to be batted and backed, and 3 other quilts that are coming along nicely, little by little. And I think I'm going to try buying a vintage pattern and giving that a go. I haven't followed a pattern since sophomore year of high school. I also got some cake decorating tools for Christmas to play with which has reminded me that it's been too long since I last made something yummy.
My big resolution this year is to go back to school. Hopefully Spencer and I will get our tax information back pretty soon here and then we can file and apply for some financial aid (what a time to apply though, ugh) and hopefully Spencer and I will haven't run into any big financial trouble and the savings we've been putting aside can allow me to return to college, at least part-time if not full, this fall. Spencer was thinking about taking some additional classes for experience and fun (he graduated from BYU last August if you didn't know already) which I would love because then maybe we could enroll in a class or two together.
So to sum up:
Live simpler.
Keep up my hobbies.
Go back to school.
I think I can manage that, which is why I liked making these resolutions. Normally I'd make resolutions that were extremely defined. Like "lose 25 pounds" and "finish sailboat/tailor's mannequin still life" and things like that were just, meh. As soon as I lost sight of those goals, then I'd feel crappy about it and just put it away in a closet to forget about or eat unhealthily and feel crappy about that too.
All I am worrying about now if whether or not I'm enjoying my life day to day and if I'm not, then I am taking little actions here and there to improve it, and most of all, I'm trying to be patient and focused. I want to allow myself an extra second to react, which allows me to think through my decisions better which causes me to feel a little more confident in myself and my abilities to improve my life and my home life.
And the best part is that I haven't really waited for 2009 for all this to start, but it's nice to put it into words for a reminder when things get hectic or I get impatient. If I have to, I'll write the words "live simpler, be patient and focus" on my arm everyday for a reminder. Maybe I'll just make that the motto/title of my journal for this year. That's probably a better idea.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
The Christmas Post
Christmas was pretty awesome considering a few months ago I was expecting our first Christmas together to be humble, small, and in the end, a blip in our memories in the years to come.
Not so.
Those who read this now about Spencer's Black Friday journey and the goodies that yielded. A couple more goodies we got but weren't expecting were:
-a Cuisinart food processor (Spencer has wanted one for years and we didn't even ask for one, his parents are just that thoughtful and generous).
-and a car. A 1997 Toyota Avalon, in wonderful condition, given to us by his Grandpa Holt who drove it here for us from Houston, Texas, in exchange for our paying his plane fare back.
Also, I got that garment rack for the bedroom-- the one that I can sew a curtain around, also it is compact and I love it.
Another great thing was getting to talk to Rachel and McKay. We originally thought I wasn't going to be home from work soon enough to talk to Rachel, but Dan let me close the store an hour early so Karlie and I could race down to Murray and catch five minutes on the phone with her. Rachel's been out for five months already, which she says has whizzed by. I beg to differ. And McKay's been gone almost two months, which is harder for Spencer. He has no one to tag-team holiday dinners with and he's not sure if he wants to go to Richfield next summer because, well, who would he have to hang out with? Other than me and Naomi.
Not so.
Those who read this now about Spencer's Black Friday journey and the goodies that yielded. A couple more goodies we got but weren't expecting were:
-a Cuisinart food processor (Spencer has wanted one for years and we didn't even ask for one, his parents are just that thoughtful and generous).
-and a car. A 1997 Toyota Avalon, in wonderful condition, given to us by his Grandpa Holt who drove it here for us from Houston, Texas, in exchange for our paying his plane fare back.
Also, I got that garment rack for the bedroom-- the one that I can sew a curtain around, also it is compact and I love it.
Another great thing was getting to talk to Rachel and McKay. We originally thought I wasn't going to be home from work soon enough to talk to Rachel, but Dan let me close the store an hour early so Karlie and I could race down to Murray and catch five minutes on the phone with her. Rachel's been out for five months already, which she says has whizzed by. I beg to differ. And McKay's been gone almost two months, which is harder for Spencer. He has no one to tag-team holiday dinners with and he's not sure if he wants to go to Richfield next summer because, well, who would he have to hang out with? Other than me and Naomi.
And now here are some pictures. Just a couple.
This is the only picture of me without food in my mouth.
Spencer and Naomi playing on the Xbox, me eating.
Eating.
Left to right: Jasmine (McKay's lady-friend), Naomi, Spencer, me.
This is the only picture of me without food in my mouth.
Spencer and Naomi playing on the Xbox, me eating.
Eating.Left to right: Jasmine (McKay's lady-friend), Naomi, Spencer, me.
All other photos of me are either me eating, getting food to eat or contemplating what food to eat next so I'm omitting them from this post.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Some Little Notes and Things I Like:
Things I like:
+I like when I get emails from my granny and she uses unnecessary quotations like when she says she is feeling "good" and healthy compared to last year and how she thinks Spencer and I having FHE with Karlie is "great" and she is pleased with our having a set date to specifically spend time with each other.
It makes her sound bitter and sarcastic which is a funny way to think of her if you know how loving and gentle she is in reality. Hilarious.
+I also like snowy workdays at the Gateway because fewer people come in-- I mean, uh, they're horrible for business! I wish it would stop!
+I like not listening to Christmas music when the store is empty.
+I like that I have the schedule memorized for Trax going to and from my house because it happens to be the same either way.
+I like the little fox on my Gmail theme setting, particularly when he has tea with his monkey friend at the top of his pagoda at 4:00 pm.
+I like Ben's Cookies, far too much and have resolved to stop buying cookies. Srsly, it's getting ridiculous.
Little notes:
+I am planning and prepping way too many quilts to sew at once.
+Spencer and I may have our first car soon, that would be the first time I'd have a car to my name in nearly three years. I don't regret it though because living downtown is pretty easy without a car.
+I have recently become a little obsessive with taking proper care of my skin, particularly in the FACE. Moisturize me, MOISTURIZE me!
+I have never formally learned to crochet or sew (kind of... high school courses don't count when you remember exactly nothing from them) and yet it takes up almost all of my nights. How is this happening? It's kind of getting out of hand.
+Spencer and I picked out 12 knobs for the dresser I'm re-vamping. Pictures soooooon. (Ugh, how many times can I promise that and think it's actually going to happen?)
+I like when I get emails from my granny and she uses unnecessary quotations like when she says she is feeling "good" and healthy compared to last year and how she thinks Spencer and I having FHE with Karlie is "great" and she is pleased with our having a set date to specifically spend time with each other.
It makes her sound bitter and sarcastic which is a funny way to think of her if you know how loving and gentle she is in reality. Hilarious.
+I also like snowy workdays at the Gateway because fewer people come in-- I mean, uh, they're horrible for business! I wish it would stop!
+I like not listening to Christmas music when the store is empty.
+I like that I have the schedule memorized for Trax going to and from my house because it happens to be the same either way.
+I like the little fox on my Gmail theme setting, particularly when he has tea with his monkey friend at the top of his pagoda at 4:00 pm.
+I like Ben's Cookies, far too much and have resolved to stop buying cookies. Srsly, it's getting ridiculous.
Little notes:
+I am planning and prepping way too many quilts to sew at once.
+Spencer and I may have our first car soon, that would be the first time I'd have a car to my name in nearly three years. I don't regret it though because living downtown is pretty easy without a car.
+I have recently become a little obsessive with taking proper care of my skin, particularly in the FACE. Moisturize me, MOISTURIZE me!
+I have never formally learned to crochet or sew (kind of... high school courses don't count when you remember exactly nothing from them) and yet it takes up almost all of my nights. How is this happening? It's kind of getting out of hand.
+Spencer and I picked out 12 knobs for the dresser I'm re-vamping. Pictures soooooon. (Ugh, how many times can I promise that and think it's actually going to happen?)
Thursday, December 4, 2008
It's Everyone Though, Right?
When I was a kid and I got new clothes, my mom would have us do a fashion show once we got home. Similarly with my friends, showing each other new clothes was always fun, especially if we had gone second-hand shopping together or something like that.
Even into my adulthood, I still have this need to show what new clothes (and things) I've gotten when I get them. I still can't tell if most girls do this or just people around me though. Some girls I know don't really seem the type to do this, however anytime I am at the Holt's house and either I, Rachel, or Naomi has gotten back from shopping, there's always a show-and-tell.
I do it when I've gotten back from shopping with Spencer, Naomi does it, and Rachel even did it whenever she got new mission clothes. I don't know why exactly it's so fun, it's not like we get to keep the clothes we're showing off, but it's entertaining anyway.
Which is why I'm going to do this here.
I bought the boots in my previous post, along with a few other things (I type that whilst cringing). I really, really make an effort not to go overboard when shopping. As a rule, Spencer and I go shopping with predetermined purchases.
1. Make a list before you go.
2. Do not stray from the list. (At least not too much...)
I am really good with the first rule.
Last night though, I vehemently broke the second rule.
BUT!
I make up for this by DI'ing the differences.
Let's see what I got.
I think most all of my camis are at that point where you really ought to be turning them into cleaning rags because the colors are gross and they're damaged beyond their worth to repair. I usually go to DownEast for basics like this because American Apparel is so expensive but these tanks were all under $5, in fact, the top 4 were all $2.50. Hopefully the price doesn't reflect too poorly on their quality.
The first pair are for me, the second, a stocking stuffer for mother. Solid.
Your standard late 80's early 90's headband. Makes me think of something you'd see an extra wearing in Twin Peaks. If I can't rock it, I'm going to paint it or glue sequins and feathers over it or something.
Those lovely boots! They weren't in the stores, so I tried on similar boots to gauge the sizing. Hopefully, it's pretty true to size as I've deduced. I mostly can't wait for these.
Floral printed tights. I think they're sweet.
I've had my eye on a belt almost exactly like this on Urban Outfitters only it was about 5 times more expensive. I imagine this should be very flattering to my waist.
So. I've done it again. I blew my savings on, what else? More clothing.
But it's not quite like I used to be. I follow a couple of de-cluttering rules.
If I've bought something that I have a lot of, I replace the old with the new and get rid of it. I don't exactly do the whole "buy one thing, throw away one thing" rule but if I've added something to a collection, I in turn slim it down by a piece or two.
For example, the belt. I will probably be going through my belts and getting rid of more than just one. Same with the tights and camisoles.
However I probably won't be getting rid of any shoes just yet. Maybe in a month or two, but I'm satisfied with my shoes right now.
And my jewelry, that's another thing. I'm less likely to get rid of any jewelry because I go through cycles of favoring a piece more than others and even when they become broken, well, then they're just waiting to be transformed. Pendants and brooches don't have the same life-expectancy than a basic camisole. Jewelry can be so much more timeless.
One thing I ought to go through and slim down regardless of anything new bought are all my hoodies, sweaters and cardigans. About two years ago I decided I needed more. Little by little I collected them. Now I have way too many.
Some of them I plan on putting away in storage, to save them for my future kids to ridicule and reject, then later love, alter to their taste and eventually wear out.
A lot of those pieces I plan on storing are from Black Chandelier and Jared Gold. And not just our tee-shirts which I've already sold to consignment shops and whatnot, but the good stuff. The coats, the dresses, the special pieces. I look forward to bringing those up from a basement or out of an attic in 20 or 30 years.
Also I am thinking, to make up for the slow periods where I don't really like to write or the habit gets away from me, I'm going to start posting my week's worth of doodles until I can find the camera to start documenting my sewing projects.
Or would that be lame?
Even into my adulthood, I still have this need to show what new clothes (and things) I've gotten when I get them. I still can't tell if most girls do this or just people around me though. Some girls I know don't really seem the type to do this, however anytime I am at the Holt's house and either I, Rachel, or Naomi has gotten back from shopping, there's always a show-and-tell.
I do it when I've gotten back from shopping with Spencer, Naomi does it, and Rachel even did it whenever she got new mission clothes. I don't know why exactly it's so fun, it's not like we get to keep the clothes we're showing off, but it's entertaining anyway.
Which is why I'm going to do this here.
I bought the boots in my previous post, along with a few other things (I type that whilst cringing). I really, really make an effort not to go overboard when shopping. As a rule, Spencer and I go shopping with predetermined purchases.
1. Make a list before you go.
2. Do not stray from the list. (At least not too much...)
I am really good with the first rule.
Last night though, I vehemently broke the second rule.
BUT!
I make up for this by DI'ing the differences.
Let's see what I got.
I think most all of my camis are at that point where you really ought to be turning them into cleaning rags because the colors are gross and they're damaged beyond their worth to repair. I usually go to DownEast for basics like this because American Apparel is so expensive but these tanks were all under $5, in fact, the top 4 were all $2.50. Hopefully the price doesn't reflect too poorly on their quality.
The first pair are for me, the second, a stocking stuffer for mother. Solid.
Your standard late 80's early 90's headband. Makes me think of something you'd see an extra wearing in Twin Peaks. If I can't rock it, I'm going to paint it or glue sequins and feathers over it or something.
Those lovely boots! They weren't in the stores, so I tried on similar boots to gauge the sizing. Hopefully, it's pretty true to size as I've deduced. I mostly can't wait for these.
Floral printed tights. I think they're sweet.
I've had my eye on a belt almost exactly like this on Urban Outfitters only it was about 5 times more expensive. I imagine this should be very flattering to my waist.So. I've done it again. I blew my savings on, what else? More clothing.
But it's not quite like I used to be. I follow a couple of de-cluttering rules.
If I've bought something that I have a lot of, I replace the old with the new and get rid of it. I don't exactly do the whole "buy one thing, throw away one thing" rule but if I've added something to a collection, I in turn slim it down by a piece or two.
For example, the belt. I will probably be going through my belts and getting rid of more than just one. Same with the tights and camisoles.
However I probably won't be getting rid of any shoes just yet. Maybe in a month or two, but I'm satisfied with my shoes right now.
And my jewelry, that's another thing. I'm less likely to get rid of any jewelry because I go through cycles of favoring a piece more than others and even when they become broken, well, then they're just waiting to be transformed. Pendants and brooches don't have the same life-expectancy than a basic camisole. Jewelry can be so much more timeless.
One thing I ought to go through and slim down regardless of anything new bought are all my hoodies, sweaters and cardigans. About two years ago I decided I needed more. Little by little I collected them. Now I have way too many.
Some of them I plan on putting away in storage, to save them for my future kids to ridicule and reject, then later love, alter to their taste and eventually wear out.
A lot of those pieces I plan on storing are from Black Chandelier and Jared Gold. And not just our tee-shirts which I've already sold to consignment shops and whatnot, but the good stuff. The coats, the dresses, the special pieces. I look forward to bringing those up from a basement or out of an attic in 20 or 30 years.
Also I am thinking, to make up for the slow periods where I don't really like to write or the habit gets away from me, I'm going to start posting my week's worth of doodles until I can find the camera to start documenting my sewing projects.
Or would that be lame?
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
This is Just How it Works. Part Two.
To borrow from Karlie's blog, this post should really be called "Boots."
It's that time again when my old boots are in need of retiring and I start looking for new ones.
Actually, it's been that time since last winter, when I DI'd the old ones but forwent (forgoed?) buying new boots because I was just too picky and couldn't find the right pair. Actually, I did find a pair of boots I loved, or should I say I found a boot that I loved but couldn't get because the store couldn't find its mate and it was the last pair in stock. Mucho de depressing.
So I've been trying to narrow down another pair. This is usually my criteria:
-Water proof (leather or whatever)
-Goes with everything, but is not boring (I love black, but I am also not afraid of color)
-Flat heals, cannot-will not do the high heel in snow.
-tight enough shaft to flatter my chicken-scratch calves.
I usually go with a variation of this style:
I prefer something that's not suede but the style is spot-on. Flat, pull on, flattering, goes with everything, comes in a variety of colors and the price is fine. Your standard indie-girl boot.
However I am starting to feel my childhood wardrobe creep up over my shoulder and I kind of want an almost Doc Marten-y look again. I've fallen in love with the look of rugged (but not too rugged) boots mixed with femmy, skinny tailored jeans and girly vintage sweaters and other chunky knitted accessories.
That is a style I can admire and sport. That combination is sometimes hard for me to find and I can often end up buying something that I think it gorgeous but I never wear it, or I find I am wearing something everyday that I don't think is particularly attractive.
So, the hunt began. I started where I normally do, online. Urban Outfitters, Mod Cloth, Pixie Market, Endless.com, none really have what I am looking for, and most are far too expensive anyway. So I take another chance and check out Forever21.com, renowned for their cheap cheap CHEAP prices and uncanny ability to pump out trendy item after trendy item. It is both a blessing of a store and a curse. Don't even get me started on how it's even possible for them to have so many styles, so fast, and so cheap. The answer is surely not what anyone wants to hear but everyone knows: it's GOT to be sweat shops. Who am I to be criticizing Wal-Mart, amiright?
Anyways, just like when I was searching for bridesmaids dresses on websites like Anthropologie's and finding nothing, I take a chance and what do you know?
Exactly what I was looking for. Even better, in fact.
So perfect, in fact, that I am thoroughly disturbed and somewhat disappointed. I anticipate a long and difficult hunt for these boots because I am under the impression that I am one of the few who desires this particular style and then the only place I finally find it is a place notorious for catering to the masses.
This is often how my mother feels about Anthropologie and hates going there for the same reason as I loathe (and yet love) going to Forever21.
Anyways, all I was hoping to find were some boots that laced up, were primarily flat, but a little rise was ok, had no more of a 12 inch rise, were waterproof/leather, and came in either black or a fun color.
And here they are:
I kid you not, this is almost exactly what I was envisioning, and a plus because while they are not black (although they come in black) nor a "fun color" I think grey is just different enough from black and also goes with everything yet they don't blend into nothingness.
*Grey is lovely for making other colors pop. I think people try this too often with black and end up making the other colors look hammy and cheap. But that is not a rule to live by, I've seen a lot of outfits with all black and a contrasting color that was GORGEOUS and I've also see quite a few outfits where the grey was just SO drab and drug everything else about the outfit into the ethers of infinity. Only maybe not that dramatically so.
And while they're a little steep for Forever21 ($40? If I'm buying a cheap product from a cheap store that is as notorious for cheap quality as it is for cheap pricing, I really only want to buy the cheap cheap stuff, right?) and they're not leather, they're "100% synthetic" which is fine I guess. As long as they're waterproof.
I'm going to stop by the store tonight before heading home with Spencer and seeing if they are in stores at all (the website doesn't say) and seeing how they fit.
What's going to be the tricky thing is avoiding the "punk" look. That isn't a look I am going for at all. The look I want to emulate is classical girl, but with an artistic flair. I think that can be very, very easily lumped into a punk-ish look or something else altogether. We'll see what I can do!
P.S. If you haven't read Part 1 of this post and have nothing to do, read it and leave a comment letting me know which rack you think I should get!
It's that time again when my old boots are in need of retiring and I start looking for new ones.
Actually, it's been that time since last winter, when I DI'd the old ones but forwent (forgoed?) buying new boots because I was just too picky and couldn't find the right pair. Actually, I did find a pair of boots I loved, or should I say I found a boot that I loved but couldn't get because the store couldn't find its mate and it was the last pair in stock. Mucho de depressing.
So I've been trying to narrow down another pair. This is usually my criteria:
-Water proof (leather or whatever)
-Goes with everything, but is not boring (I love black, but I am also not afraid of color)
-Flat heals, cannot-will not do the high heel in snow.
-tight enough shaft to flatter my chicken-scratch calves.
I usually go with a variation of this style:
I prefer something that's not suede but the style is spot-on. Flat, pull on, flattering, goes with everything, comes in a variety of colors and the price is fine. Your standard indie-girl boot.However I am starting to feel my childhood wardrobe creep up over my shoulder and I kind of want an almost Doc Marten-y look again. I've fallen in love with the look of rugged (but not too rugged) boots mixed with femmy, skinny tailored jeans and girly vintage sweaters and other chunky knitted accessories.
That is a style I can admire and sport. That combination is sometimes hard for me to find and I can often end up buying something that I think it gorgeous but I never wear it, or I find I am wearing something everyday that I don't think is particularly attractive.
So, the hunt began. I started where I normally do, online. Urban Outfitters, Mod Cloth, Pixie Market, Endless.com, none really have what I am looking for, and most are far too expensive anyway. So I take another chance and check out Forever21.com, renowned for their cheap cheap CHEAP prices and uncanny ability to pump out trendy item after trendy item. It is both a blessing of a store and a curse. Don't even get me started on how it's even possible for them to have so many styles, so fast, and so cheap. The answer is surely not what anyone wants to hear but everyone knows: it's GOT to be sweat shops. Who am I to be criticizing Wal-Mart, amiright?
Anyways, just like when I was searching for bridesmaids dresses on websites like Anthropologie's and finding nothing, I take a chance and what do you know?
Exactly what I was looking for. Even better, in fact.
So perfect, in fact, that I am thoroughly disturbed and somewhat disappointed. I anticipate a long and difficult hunt for these boots because I am under the impression that I am one of the few who desires this particular style and then the only place I finally find it is a place notorious for catering to the masses.
This is often how my mother feels about Anthropologie and hates going there for the same reason as I loathe (and yet love) going to Forever21.
Anyways, all I was hoping to find were some boots that laced up, were primarily flat, but a little rise was ok, had no more of a 12 inch rise, were waterproof/leather, and came in either black or a fun color.
And here they are:
I kid you not, this is almost exactly what I was envisioning, and a plus because while they are not black (although they come in black) nor a "fun color" I think grey is just different enough from black and also goes with everything yet they don't blend into nothingness.*Grey is lovely for making other colors pop. I think people try this too often with black and end up making the other colors look hammy and cheap. But that is not a rule to live by, I've seen a lot of outfits with all black and a contrasting color that was GORGEOUS and I've also see quite a few outfits where the grey was just SO drab and drug everything else about the outfit into the ethers of infinity. Only maybe not that dramatically so.
And while they're a little steep for Forever21 ($40? If I'm buying a cheap product from a cheap store that is as notorious for cheap quality as it is for cheap pricing, I really only want to buy the cheap cheap stuff, right?) and they're not leather, they're "100% synthetic" which is fine I guess. As long as they're waterproof.
I'm going to stop by the store tonight before heading home with Spencer and seeing if they are in stores at all (the website doesn't say) and seeing how they fit.
What's going to be the tricky thing is avoiding the "punk" look. That isn't a look I am going for at all. The look I want to emulate is classical girl, but with an artistic flair. I think that can be very, very easily lumped into a punk-ish look or something else altogether. We'll see what I can do!
P.S. If you haven't read Part 1 of this post and have nothing to do, read it and leave a comment letting me know which rack you think I should get!
This is Just How it Works. Part One.
So yesterday I made some silly post about how I am on hiatus and now I have something to write about because I am SO cool like that.
Quick insight: as I've mentioned before, Spencer and I seem to be getting a better and better handle on our finances ironically enough in this time of massive recession and economic collapse. Our first Christmas as a married couple looks as if there are going to be one or two more surprises than I originally anticipated and the prospect of buying a car is becoming more likely to happen sooner than I also originally anticipated (maybe even before winter is over? maybe...)
And we do this by budgeting, how else?
20% of our income goes into savings. We use them for Christmas gifts, saving up for a car, and funds for future vacationing... And that's basically it.
We do put 5% of our income into separate savings accounts, 5% each, that we are allowed to spend on anything we want, as long the other isn't absolutely against it.
I would like to set up even more strict budgets to help pay off debts faster, but as of right now, we are doing swell.
I know that we spend, on average about $450/month on groceries/food. Is that a lot? But other than bills and food and trax money, we don't often buy much else. Once in awhile we go out to eat or go to the movies, and rather than buying DVD's so often we'll instead utilize our county library and Netflix, or even just the internet for entertainment.
Spencer has saved up his allowance from the start, I think he's bought a video game with it, but whatever he's saving up for, I hope it's worth it. Or maybe he's just one of those lucky kids who doesn't feel like they need everything they see in a store to make them happy.
Just the opposite of me. Well, not really. Limitation broadens my mind. That is my motto. However, I have had the hardest time saving up my allowance past one consecutive deposit. Every time something is added, I somehow find something I need to get right away!
This time it is two things. This is the first.
One: A Clothing Rack.
The Toss Up: Wide and classically commercial? Or do I go for a updated, made-for-home model?
The contenders:
This above rack is $50. It's your standard commercial clothing rack. It's about as tall as me and its width ranges from about 50 inches to 70. Lovely.
Pros:
-$50, also available in stores (which is so nice as S&H is something like $16)
-quality rubber wheels
-adjustable width, goes really wide
-sturdy build (I use two of them in my store, and tons at the headquarters)
Cons:
-Space hog, even when extension bars are retracted
-No subtlety: everything hangs in the open (but hey, hanging up, on the floor, when are my clothes NOT in the open?!)
Now we have the competition:
This above rack is lovely as well.
Pros:
-Less of a space hog (I don't have THAT many clothes I need to find more space for)
-Top shelf can be a new home to my vintage hats and other accessories that just float from spot to spot in my room
-Bottom shelf can be home to my in-season shoes**
-Structure lends itself to sewing a curtain-like cover for the whole shebang. Yes, yes, I could buy the canvas cover for $30 more but you and I know I could whip up a much more attractive cover than that and with the yards and yards of fabric that plague my sewing dresser.
Cons:
-Steeper $70 price tag, PLUS it's not available in store so we're looking at a grand total of nearly $90. Jeez.
-Caster wheels look kinda crappy.
So that's my dilemma. Walmart and Amazon both have the first rack, and both are priced higher. Amazon doesn't have the second rack, and while Walmart does, it's only $5 cheaper, still not available in stores, and it's from Walmart.
I'm kind of leaning toward the second rack just because of the shelves and the curtain-making possibility. But for $40 more than the first? It's a hard decision to make. I'll probably end up going with it though, because in the long run, it has more of what I need.
**the whole point of getting this new rack is to efficiently separate my seasonal/special clothing and keep searching and tornado-ing at a minimum
Quick insight: as I've mentioned before, Spencer and I seem to be getting a better and better handle on our finances ironically enough in this time of massive recession and economic collapse. Our first Christmas as a married couple looks as if there are going to be one or two more surprises than I originally anticipated and the prospect of buying a car is becoming more likely to happen sooner than I also originally anticipated (maybe even before winter is over? maybe...)
And we do this by budgeting, how else?
20% of our income goes into savings. We use them for Christmas gifts, saving up for a car, and funds for future vacationing... And that's basically it.
We do put 5% of our income into separate savings accounts, 5% each, that we are allowed to spend on anything we want, as long the other isn't absolutely against it.
I would like to set up even more strict budgets to help pay off debts faster, but as of right now, we are doing swell.
I know that we spend, on average about $450/month on groceries/food. Is that a lot? But other than bills and food and trax money, we don't often buy much else. Once in awhile we go out to eat or go to the movies, and rather than buying DVD's so often we'll instead utilize our county library and Netflix, or even just the internet for entertainment.
Spencer has saved up his allowance from the start, I think he's bought a video game with it, but whatever he's saving up for, I hope it's worth it. Or maybe he's just one of those lucky kids who doesn't feel like they need everything they see in a store to make them happy.
Just the opposite of me. Well, not really. Limitation broadens my mind. That is my motto. However, I have had the hardest time saving up my allowance past one consecutive deposit. Every time something is added, I somehow find something I need to get right away!
This time it is two things. This is the first.
One: A Clothing Rack.
The Toss Up: Wide and classically commercial? Or do I go for a updated, made-for-home model?
The contenders:
This above rack is $50. It's your standard commercial clothing rack. It's about as tall as me and its width ranges from about 50 inches to 70. Lovely.Pros:
-$50, also available in stores (which is so nice as S&H is something like $16)
-quality rubber wheels
-adjustable width, goes really wide
-sturdy build (I use two of them in my store, and tons at the headquarters)
Cons:
-Space hog, even when extension bars are retracted
-No subtlety: everything hangs in the open (but hey, hanging up, on the floor, when are my clothes NOT in the open?!)
Now we have the competition:
This above rack is lovely as well.Pros:
-Less of a space hog (I don't have THAT many clothes I need to find more space for)
-Top shelf can be a new home to my vintage hats and other accessories that just float from spot to spot in my room
-Bottom shelf can be home to my in-season shoes**
-Structure lends itself to sewing a curtain-like cover for the whole shebang. Yes, yes, I could buy the canvas cover for $30 more but you and I know I could whip up a much more attractive cover than that and with the yards and yards of fabric that plague my sewing dresser.
Cons:
-Steeper $70 price tag, PLUS it's not available in store so we're looking at a grand total of nearly $90. Jeez.
-Caster wheels look kinda crappy.
So that's my dilemma. Walmart and Amazon both have the first rack, and both are priced higher. Amazon doesn't have the second rack, and while Walmart does, it's only $5 cheaper, still not available in stores, and it's from Walmart.
I'm kind of leaning toward the second rack just because of the shelves and the curtain-making possibility. But for $40 more than the first? It's a hard decision to make. I'll probably end up going with it though, because in the long run, it has more of what I need.
**the whole point of getting this new rack is to efficiently separate my seasonal/special clothing and keep searching and tornado-ing at a minimum
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Hiatus!
Sometimes finding the drive to post is hard, since Spencer's posts regularly and usually are an echo of my posts, or more accurately: vice versa, although we try to avoid that.
Nevertheless, I am a very visual person and this is the cause of my hiatus.
If my day isn't a replica of Spencer's, then it probably has to do with these things:
-work at the studio
-a sewing project
-a baking project
-some other project
All of those, except maybe the first are also visual things, like me. And whilst our camera is MIA, it's very frustrating to write (and I imagine very dull to read) about my life.
Oh sure, I can continue writing about television or films watched and discuss those but that's where we get into that echoing-your-spouse problem because Spencer has usually watched anything I have and he has an exceptional vigor and air of professionalism in his posts that I suspect he loves writing whereas I just gush about "parts I like" or "actors I like" or "how I love to watch this all the time" and go on and on for never-ending sentences.
No, no, the stuff that makes me want to write, ironically must also be visually presented and until such time when cell phones are not the only cameras on hand I suspect these bouts of inactivity will be regular.
That being said, check back frequently because I do intend to find that camera very soon!
Nevertheless, I am a very visual person and this is the cause of my hiatus.
If my day isn't a replica of Spencer's, then it probably has to do with these things:
-work at the studio
-a sewing project
-a baking project
-some other project
All of those, except maybe the first are also visual things, like me. And whilst our camera is MIA, it's very frustrating to write (and I imagine very dull to read) about my life.
Oh sure, I can continue writing about television or films watched and discuss those but that's where we get into that echoing-your-spouse problem because Spencer has usually watched anything I have and he has an exceptional vigor and air of professionalism in his posts that I suspect he loves writing whereas I just gush about "parts I like" or "actors I like" or "how I love to watch this all the time" and go on and on for never-ending sentences.
No, no, the stuff that makes me want to write, ironically must also be visually presented and until such time when cell phones are not the only cameras on hand I suspect these bouts of inactivity will be regular.
That being said, check back frequently because I do intend to find that camera very soon!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
I have decided
Among other things to:
-Do more photo shoots with Karlie. FO' REAL. At least once before the year is over.
-Make a diorama. Of what? Not sure yet.
-Finish ALL of my clothes-in-waiting before New Years. It will be done.
-ALWAYS take my lunch. So far so good :)
-Pick up weekend baking projects again. It stopped before my birthday and then I forgot to start again. This weekend: Russian Strawberry Birthday Cake.
-Dress up for work more often.
-Find Spencer's camera.
-Do more photo shoots with Karlie. FO' REAL. At least once before the year is over.
-Make a diorama. Of what? Not sure yet.
-Finish ALL of my clothes-in-waiting before New Years. It will be done.
-ALWAYS take my lunch. So far so good :)
-Pick up weekend baking projects again. It stopped before my birthday and then I forgot to start again. This weekend: Russian Strawberry Birthday Cake.
-Dress up for work more often.
-Find Spencer's camera.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)