The Good Life

Hello again, world! What a refreshing couple weeks of regrouping it has been. I can already tell that this summer has great things in store. For starters, my creativity has suddenly blossomed since the conclusion of the school year. The span of time since I arrived home until now has consisted of a significant amount of me time, largely involving reorganizing my room/closet, thrifting at Goodwill, and remaining by my sewing machine. Of course, there’ve been the chunks of time devoted to spending time with friends and taking trips here and about. But back to the creativity thing… I have been re-inspired! Final exams take up all of one’s focus, how can a girl do any real thinking about the finer things in life? My brain is now making up for lost time by stimulating my senses in an overactive “awareness.” I’ve metaphorically spent some time alone in the wilderness, alone with my thoughts. After contemplating life and its many nuances, I’ve reached conclusions on various aspects and come out a stronger person, I believe.
I may be blowing this out of proportion a bit, there have been no MAJOR life changing events. It’s just been one of those personal revitalizations, you know? I’ve reevaluated ideas, determined goals, and changed my perspective on things. It feels good.

 

I’ve gone raw/organic/vegan, that’s a change! Now, before I continue any further, let me explain the circumstances: my parents are on an all raw and juicing diet due to health concerns. I’ve been consumed by all the benefits (not to mention the simplicity of eating!), and decided it was something I wanted to jump on board with. We’ve grown up eating very healthy as a family, but college doesn’t exactly cater to the needs of the health conscience. I’m not as strict about absolutely everything I eat %100 of the time, I'm not against eating meat or the occasional splurge of "less healthy". I know there will be times where I cannot conveniently eat the way I want to, but I think going into it knowing that has only made it easier to keep on the right path. Because, let’s face it, eating organic is AWESOME!! I have absolutely no problem being vegan as long as the resources are available; it’s fabulously tasty and makes you feel great about yourself.

In the mornings, I make myself a fruit and vegetable protein shake. They usually consist of an assortment of almond milk/some kind of juice, kale, spinach, lettuce, banana, blueberries, strawberries, mango, pear/apple, avocado, carrot, almonds, walnuts, chia seeds, vitamin powder, etc. For lunch or as a snack I alter between natural Greek yogurt, granola cereal, fruit, or something like that. Then dinner is whatever yummy goodness my mother concocts for that night. Endless varieties of soups, bean dishes, and salads fill that category. People ask how I’m not hungry all of the time, to which I reply, “how can I be??” I’m totally satisfied after eating the amount I do.
On a similar note, I am literally OBSESSED with lime, avocado, and cilantro. Just the SMELL of cilantro makes me wild, it is so delicious! We grow it in our garden, and I go out there simply to rub it all over my fingers so I can inhale it daily. Luckily, they're a three-way paired match made in paradise that go together in nearly every dish I eat lately. One of my favorite meals which includes the above obsessions is a Mexican inspired vegetarian taco salad. It's made with lettuce, corn, beans, tomatoes, lime, avocado, cilantro, and tempeh (or a soy based tofu). So simple, so delicious.
I promise this isn’t going to turn into a blog about nothing but food. Even though there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s definitely not my forte. However, you can bet you’ll get updates on this organic meal lifestyle of mine.

 

 



Today was one of those days when I woke up to a text from Erin asking if I’d like to accompany her around town for no particular reason other than wasting time and exploring. Clearly, this was a-ok with me. It soon became a very typical summer day outing: thrift shops, antique stores, froyo, and driving around with the radio blaring.
This outfit doesn’t really have any cool stories. It’s kind of one of those ensembles that can be combined with a lot of looks and still works. The shoes are kind of interesting, I literally found them one day in a box in the attic, and no one claimed them. Score! My shirt was purchased from A'GACI a few years ago, but since then I have removed the sleeves and taken out the elastic in the bottom to make it a freer flowing top. I threw on my repurposed “mom jeans go high-waisted shorts” with it. I seriously love those things, and I’m not saying that to pat myself on the back for creating something phenomenal, it just happens to be that way. They’ve become a staple, versatile part of my wardrobe. Most any shirt looks good tucked into them or hanging over the waist. There’s been something so rewarding about putting on a pair of shorts with a breezy top and being outdoors recently. I’m not one to be wimpy in the heat of summer, I love the warmth of the sun radiating off my skin, so maybe it has something to do with the fact that less is more in the sense of clothing. Sometimes I compare myself to a lizard on a rock, basking in the sunny temperature, and I’m completely at peace with that.



Top: A'GACI, (altered),
belt: Forever 21, purse: Cotton On,
sunglasses: Altar'd State, shoes: vintage

As we walked around Tullahoma, trying to find somewhere interesting to investigate as well as a place to shoot some photos, I was hit by the overwhelming feeling of summer. Maybe it was the strength of the sun’s beams through my sunglasses, maybe it was the fruity smell that lingered from Erin’s froyo, maybe it was the combination of cheesy radio songs I had stuck in my head… I’m really not sure why. But ultimately, that “feeling” of summer had sunk in, and I realized that I want to make sure I take advantage of all the summery-ness that I can afford to bestow upon myself. There may not be a lot of things to do in Manchester to aid in this goal, but I want to make it happen. I'm talking road trips, picnics, bon fires, lakeside visits, hiking, tanning, water gun wars, anything. Granted, I'm limited on money and free time... but when there's a will there's always a way.

How do you DIY?

I've had a lot of people ask "how" I alter my clothes... more specifically, what my process is when I'm working on a project. To answer this, I'll take you on a step-by-step layout of how I go about cutting and sewing things.

Inspiration- got the idea?

Like any other girl of the 21st century, I frequent Pinterest to get ideas for things to "do it myself." I have a board created with the sole purpose of collecting past, present, and future ideas. Some may be exact recreations of the projects, others turn into pieced together creations of several inspirations. Either way, it's a mayor source of getting me on the right track.
My second source is the blogs I follow. One chica who has got this alteration/repurposing thing down pat is the genius behind New Dress a Day who literally oozes of this sort of thing. A Beautiful Mess is very much focused on a homemade life style and offers all kinds of examples for personal creations. Though they only mention specific DIY posts from time to time, Delightfully Tacky and Selective Potential inspire me on a daily basis. Several items and outfit pairs from their blogs spark an idea for me to recreate something similar.
Finally, sometimes inspiration just comes upon you.. not from an outside source. Look at what you've got to work with. If you have an item you just don't wear as often as you'd like, look at it and look at what you could use to improve it. Think of alteration options or details you could add to it, and let your imagination create your inspiration.

 

Creation- the amateur's method  

1. Mark your territory
Before making any permanent decisions, MAKE MARKINGS!! It is extremely important that you're able to visualize what you are about to cut, hem, glue-- anything. You should always have some guide lines to ensure an even/straight turn out.
When making your markings for cutting (particularly for hems), leave at least a couple inches for safety's sake. Give yourself room for mistakes; you can always keep cutting away, you can't get material back.
When sewing one thing to another, make sure you like how it looks/aligns before the permanent joining together happens. But be aware that something may shift in the process. I personally love using pins, I use them like a fanatic. That way, I can keep pieces exactly how I want them to turn out until they are sewn together that way.



Of course, this is a step you take whether or not you know what you're about to do. You may be following a clothing pattern, and that outlines the steps of making marks very specifically.
For patterns, you don't have to worry too much about "if" your work in progress will turn out as you imagine the outcome because it's already laid out in steps for you. You could, however, be changing the length or a few details about the pattern to fit yourself better, which I encourage unless you want the exact cookie cutter result.
Either way, marking your steps before making action is crucial to ensuring confidence in the end result.




















2.Take the plunge
There's not much else to do than to start sewing. The way I always work is by sitting down at my machine and just trying things. Let your instinct kick in and go off book from time to time. Your creative juices will guide you in the moment, don't let fear of messing up keep you too frozen to put the first stitch in your fabric. Once you have your marks set, make your creation happen. Sometimes it will fail miserably, other times it will become something beautiful that you're very proud to have made. Trial and error is a huuuuge part of growing skills. The only way I have been able to know what to do and what not to do is by making plenty of "screw up pieces" in the past. This is why using cheap, thrifted, and old items to begin is smart-- not as much pressure when your garment doesn't have value to lose, only to gain, from the project.
Extra tip: less is often SO MUCH MORE. Don't feel like you have to do some enormous makeover to your clothes to make it worth an alteration. Adding too much to a piece can ruin what you already had. Start small, and see where the changes take you. It doesn't take a lot to pull off a successful tweak.

 

Renovation- compare its "wearability" to what you once had

Remember, the purpose of going through the effort you just did is to make something you can incorporate into your wardrobe. If the seams are delicate or the cut is too stiff, you're not going to enjoy wearing it (not to mention, it will more than likely unravel in the washing machine or you'll split it in half while trying to sit down). Things should be fitting, but not too snug. Like I said, always give room for error... but also leave room for your natural body. So, while sewing, keep movement and space in mind. If you're worried, wear your creation at home a couple times before going out and about with it and test how it will react to particular actions.
Beyond even the fit, the practicality of your newly completed piece should do your work justice. If you've made a darling skirt with your sweat, tears, and blood and come to find that it doesn't match anything in your closet, it doesn't matter how adorable its lace trim or embellished rustic buttons are. Even the best clothing that flatters your figure and fits like a glove becomes useless if it cannot be worn. Pair your creation with at least two outfits that you know you'll revisit fairly often, and your effort will not be in vain.*

*A general rule of thumb with most any clothing you own

Spruce up some old jeans? Sure!

Adding Lace Details to Shorts

An easy way to make homemade shorts more interesting (and look more legit) is to give a border to the pant legs or pockets. You will need:

• Jean shorts
• Border material (lace)
• Sewing machine

These were old jeans that I outgrew and cut off to make shorts, but you can obviously use some that were originally shorts to begin with. I chose to girly them up with lace... appropriately so, lace is kind of my thing. I liked pairing the purely white colored lace with the lighter, washed out jeans; a beige lace looked good with the dark wash jeans.

 

On the darker shorts, I sewed a lace border along the newly cut hem line and trimming the edge of the back pockets. Simple enough.

I gave the lighter wash jeans a side detail on each leg. First, I cut a slit along the outer side seam of the pants, no taller than the lace fabric would cover. I just hemmed the shortness I wanted, adding no borders on this pair. Then I sewed the lace onto the split areas. Then I bordered the back pockets with the matching lace.

I am not advocating staying up until the wee hours of the night in order to finish sewing your pieces. I did. I'll probably pay for my lack of sleep, but I'm the kind of person that cannot stand to leave a project incomplete. So here I am at 11:20 p.m. But they're done!