Challenge Day 17: Repair!

PREFACE: I usually do my hair down and curly, or down and curlying-iron-curls, and only sometimes do it up or to the side.... however, my house doesn't have air conditioning and IT IS FREAKING HOT, so I have been wearing it up most of the time because when I wear it down I sweat so much it looks like I just got out of the shower.... gross.... I know....

ANYWAY, I chose this skirt out of my repair pile because I've been dying to wear it for a long time. I got it for free from this yard sale thing (the lady just wanted to get rid of it lol). It is probably like 5 sizes too big for me and used to be hideously floor length. So, a few safety pins, some scissors, and some duct tape later it looked like this! Whoot!

Sweater: Wet Seal

Shirt: Express

Undershirt: (ok it's really a sports bra) Target

Belt: Thrift

Skirt: Free from a Yard Sale

Shoes: Converse :)

I wasn't kidding about the duct tape.

I carried the rest of the role around in my back pack all day just in case :)

Oh, and I love my mother's dogs.... LOVE THEM.

Multiple Posts

So lately, I have been doing this crazy multiple posts in one day thing! I think it's because I just keep having these days where I feel so many things and have so many things that I love and find beautiful or fun and I just need to write them down! I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing, it's just super crazy to go from one post every couple days or so to 2-3 posts every day! So forgive me for my recent blogging obsession. I just enjoy sharing the beauty I find and my thoughts and feelings. It's therapeutic to write them all down.

Yesterday, I had a pretty good day. Things started out rough, but they ended fabulously! It was just a relaxing, awesome, productive day. After school and everything like that I hopped a bus home and found those lovely, inspiring pictures on the train ride home. When I got home I worked on my project for my Stage Costume class, which consisted of me painting for 3 hours out on my lawn in the shade of my favorite tree. BLISS. I haven't taken time to really paint in a long time and I hope that I will be able to keep painting. If I keep on top of my homework I should be able to :) The trick is keeping on top of my homework! When Brandon got home from his night class we went to our friend's house and picked up the washer, dryer, and portable dishwasher that we bought from them! I AM SO EXCITED!!!! No more waiting to the very last minute to do all of our laundry, no more hauling all of our laundry to my mom's house and staying there for hours on end taking up space and feeling like you're in the way (lol), no more missing laundry because it accidentally got mixed up with my mom's laundry, no more dishes sitting in the sink for days because no one wants to scrub them down, no more spending unnecessary money on paper plates, cups, bowls, plastic utensils, and all of those other great things! YAY! Thank heaven for modern technology.

ALSO, Tanya found out what her baby is going to be! It's a little girl :) YAY! I knew it. Tanya needs a girl to dote on. Not that she wouldn't dote on a boy, it's just different! I'm so excited for her and Jace! And for me, cause I'll have a baby to play with!!!! Selfish, I know.

Wonderful things are happening, wonderful things are around us, and wonderful people are in our lives. I am so excited for life and everything like that. I am grateful for all of the blessings in my life and I hope that I can always be grateful and recognize from where these blessings are coming.

And I find beauty...

I am inspired.

I will be painting something similar soon.

It is needed.

Challenge Day 16: Menswear!

So, maybe this is cheating, but I don't have anything "mens" to wear, and my hubby didn't have anything that tickled my fancy. What I DID have though was this yellow and grey plaid shirt from the little boys section of Walmart :) Yes, I can wear stuff from the little boys section. Don't judge.

Also, white high-top converse! Seriously! It's an obsession!

Shirt: Little boy's section in Walmart

Cardigan: NY&CO

Jeans: DownEast

Shoes: Converse

Jeans are not my favorite.... I'm sure you know that. But yeah.

This is my gangsta face. Impressive huh?

and I love this flower that I bought from a 3rd grader :)

I have the power

Today started off great.

Not really.

I woke up late. Missed the train. I can't even pull up my favorite jeans past my thighs. I didn't get any breakfast. My first class is Accounting with a super dull professor. I can't find my yellow converse. It's freaking hot in our house.

BUT despite all of that, it is only 7:45 and I am going to make today a good day. I have a lot of fun classes today. Hard classes, but at least I enjoy them, and I am going to work hard in them and get everything done that I need to get done. I am going to go to the gym. I am going to eat healthy. I am going to get all of my homework for tomorrow done. I am going to feel good about myself even if I am not where I want to be. I am going to remember how blessed I am. I am going to show love to and be shown love by my sweet husband. I am going to paint. I am going to sing. I am going to be a friend and be helpful to those in need.

Today is going to be a good day!

Challenge Day 15: New Hair-do!

So... I do my hair A LOT of different ways already... so this was really hard. And I started out with one hair do, and ended up with this hair do.... so yeah. I kind of hate it. But there are elements of it that I love. Such as this headband braid made out of my own hair :) It makes me happy. The rest of it is not my favorite though.

See.....? GROSS.

However, I'm digging my outfit today. It's my Remix outfit, also it is mixing causal and classy, also wearing something in an unusual way, also belting it! TA-DA! I'm learning :)

Also, red high top converse.

Dress: Thrift

Shirt: Thrift

Belt: Thrift

Shoes: Converse

Happy!

Ya know, besides the fact that I am fat like a cupcake, hate my hair today, and haven't really had anything real to eat today......

I AM HAVING A GOOD DAY!

I'm wearing a really crazy original outfit that I've gotten a few compliments on, even though I hate my hair it is up today so I'm not sweating to death (which is awesome), I got a good night's sleep last night, I took my vitamin D and meds, I went to the gym and had a great work out, I got cast in an awesome show (yay Xanadu!), I get to take voice lessons with Jim Christian again this semester, I love most of my classes this semester, I have awesome friends, and an amazing husband whom I love!

GOOD DAY!

Today's the day!

Last week we had auditions for the other play going on this semester, Xanadu. The auditions were A BLAST and I felt that I did my absolute best! That is always a good feeling. Everyone in the audition was extremely talented and I feel that I am so blessed to be able to be around and learn from such amazingly talented people. Any of these people could be cast in the show and the show would be fabulous!

Today we find out the results of these auditions. To say the very least, I am a little anxious/nervous. Whatever happens, happens, and is probably for the best. But that doesn't change the fact that I do have my eye on a certain part, and it would be super awesome if I were to be cast as that part. I would probably pee my pants a little. Or a lot. I dunno. One thing I do know, however, is that Jim will make the right decision. Wether or not I am cast in the part that I hope to be cast in, I will be put where I can best serve this show. There are only 9 parts in the whole show... So it may be that my place to best serve this show will be on the Run Crew... I hope not, but if that's where I need to be, then I'll be there.

So here's to being all hyped up on nerves about cast lists! Ah! I definitely have a massive case of the butterflies.

Other news:

Jim just told me that I have been scheduled to take voice lessons from him again this semester! I am SOOOO EXCITED about this! I love taking voice from him and feel that I will really be able to work on progressing this year (now that the stupid birth control isn't messing with my voice anymore)

YAY FOR HAPPY NEWS!

Sigh....

Frustrated.

I just want to lose a little weight.

Is that so much to ask?

I don't think so.

Challenge Day 14: Copy Cat

If you haven't noticed, I have a slight obsession with fashion from the late 1940's - early 1960's. If I had the money I would wear vintage dresses/skirts/pants/blouses/etc... every single day. Seriously. I am on my way to wearing pretty much only vintage (or vintage looking) clothing, but not quite there! So I chose to copy cat this outfit that Amber wears in Hairspray. I unfortunately don't have this exact same dress and needed to wear the sweater all the way on (or else I would have shown my religion lol) but my outfit is "inspired by."

Dress: Decades (actual vintage!)

Sweater: Old Navy

Shoes: Forever Young

Belt: Ribbon :)

Challenge Day 13: Neutral With A Pop!

So, I always wear colors. Usually I wear a color and accent it with a neutral (or wear a color and accent it with another color!) so this wasn't really my favorite outfit. Better than jeans, but still not my favorite. It was hard to find something that didn't make me feel like a fatty... but I eventually ended up with this because it was the most comfortable neutral thing I have :) Still makes me feel and look chubby, but oh well.

Also, I wore my awesome red high top converse!!! They were the first pair that I ever got. I have had the since I was in the 7th grade! I love them!

Undershirt: Old Navy

Dress: Old Navy

Belt: Thrift

Shoes: Converse

Challenge day 12: Jazz Up Your Jeans

I am not a fan of wearing jeans. I rarely do it, and there is a reason (or seven) for that. Some of those reasons include: they make me look chubby, they don't really fit my "style," they're not a dress or skirt, and I don't fit into many of my jeans right now.... Sad day. However, I was glad I got to wear this shirt today. It makes me happy and is very comfortable. I don't know if this counts as "jazzing up" my jeans, but it was my best attempt. These jeans are actually full length skinny jeans, but it was way too hot for long pants so I rolled them up into long-ish capris! Done.

Also, I got to wear my white high-top converse :) I LOVE CONVERSE!

Shirt: Bought it off of a friend for $3

Jeans: Target

Shoes: Converse

Bracelets: Hand me down

Earrings: Gift from a friend

Something Creative

One of the many classes that I am taking this semester at Weber State University is Stage Costume. It is taught by the amazing Catherine Zublin (probably the most talented costume designer I have ever met) and is turning out to be a ton of fun! We had a wonderful lesson on being creative this week (which I will be posting notes about because there is just too much goodness not to share) and for today's class we were asked to write a paper about something that we do that is creative. I decided to write about my little headband business-thing, Forget Me Knot. So that I have it for my "blogging record" and because I want to, I am going to post what I wrote in my paper. So here it goes!

A while ago I started making headbands for my little sisters and a few close friends. These headbands consist of fabric shaped into various kinds of flowers and topped off with a button. I have gradually started selling them to people here and there and have started a blog called “Forget Me Knot” through which I sell these headbands.

This has been a huge creative outlet for me. I love being able to combine different colors, styles, textures, and patterns to create something unique and beautiful. I also enjoy finding stuff to make my headbands out of. I think it is a lot more fun for the fabric to have a story than for it to just be something I bought at the fabric store. A lot of the fabrics I use are scraps from things I have made, my mother has made, vintage finds, and bits and pieces of scraps from costume shops and theaters. The buttons are all as random as they can be and have their own stories too.

I also feel that I am pushed daily to be more and more creative with my headbands because I have made a promise to myself and my customers that I will never create exactly the same headband for someone else. What’s the fun in having something that everyone else has? It is much more fun to have something unique. Therefore I am constantly pushed to combine fabrics in new ways, find new buttons with new stories, and design something that has never been designed before.

Since I started making headbands I have also tried to branch out and be creative in finding other ways to use my fabric flowers as accessories. Thus far I have come up with using them as clips, barrettes, broaches, hat decor, necklaces, and earrings. More ways to use my flowers are in the works. I am hoping that I will be able to make wedding bouquets and bridal party flowers in the near future. That will be a push for more creative thinking, and hopefully it will work out as I’m hoping it will.

If you would like to check out my blog for my headbands you can click here.

Challenge Day 11: Wear a Dress or Skirt!

I wear dresses all the time. Wearing pants is something I rarely do. So this was so easy and so comfortable and so fun for me. I was going to wear a skirt to kind of get out of my "comfort zone" (which isn't really getting out of my comfort zone, but yeah) but then I decided on this dress because I LOVE IT and I needed to wear something that expressed "me" for my costume class. So here it is! My dress.

Oh, and my pink converse :)

Dress: Decades (actual vintage!)

Sweater: Hand me down

Belt: Thrifted

Shoes: Converse

Awesomeness

So I have found some things and learned some things and done some things that are awesome. Here are some examples-

Challenge Day 10: Closet Orphan!

Let me be completely honest. THIS WAS HARD. There are reasons why things are closet orphans! Hahah... But seriously. I only had two closet orphans (because when Brandon and I got married I got rid of most of the clothes I don't wear) and they were a vest and the shirt I decided to wear today. The reason why this shirt is a closet orphan is because it makes me look 5-6 months pregnant. Which doesn't really work for me because I AM NOT PREGNANT (that was for those of you who may be questioning it). However, the reasoning behind me just not getting rid of it is this: It is a beautiful color, it is very pretty, very unique, and I will be pregnant someday, and when I am I would like to have cute things to wear. So I'm keeping it!

And again, I'm wearing converse! Are you starting to catch on to how serious my converse obsession is? I LOVE IT.

Shirt: JC Penny (Elle Brand)

Pants: Express

Shoes: Converse

See? Prego.

NOT REALLY, I just look it.

Challenge Day 9: Monochrome!

Any day that I get to wear ALL YELLOW is a good day! LOVE. Yellow is my favorite color and I am super stoked that I am completely clad in it today! It is impossible to feel unhappy or not have a smile on your face when you are wearing all yellow. I'm super happy! YELLOW!!!

Oh, also, again with the converse- I get to wear my beloved converse again today! Whoot! You'll probably see them a lot more throughout the challenge.

Dress: DownEast (seven bucks baby!)

Over-shirt thing: Old Navy

Necklace: Hand Made (makings from Michael's)

Shoes: Converse

Bow: Hand Made :)