Fashionably Broke

So yesterday as I was bemusing the "I spend too much on things I'm not really sure I actually need" blues, I happened to be viewing my own blog, and remembered that I linked to the Wardrobe Refashion site run by the fabulous NikkiShell. So I was browsing this morning and thought to myself "hmmm, this looks like a way for me to spend less $$ on unnecessary things." Basically you can only use what you already have, or you can make things from fabric and patterns you already have, or you can shop second hand and use those in your refashioning. So I figured that I spend a good 300$ on crap- not necessarily clothes, but tights here, a handbag there, cute shoes, crappy lunch in the cafeteria, you get the picture. granted 300$ isn't a huge amount compared to some people, but by golly it is for me! So I took the pledge this morning and starting September first I cannot and will not be buying any more "things". I realize that I only signed up for a thing to not buy clothes, but I'm extending it into other things. I have plenty of cute shoes to last me through the next 6 months, and more than enough bags (I bought two at Forever 21 the other night), and I'm sure I can make my clothes into some pretty rockingly fabulous stuff. Besides I'll have a new sewing machine soon! I guess that means I need to buy everything for school this week.... oy school, how you taunt me.

Back to the work on my desk,

Tootles!

Why did they even invent college?

I finally bought my own sewing machine. I bought it on ebay. Here's the link. It's really nice and I cannot wait to get it and maybe finish my skirt? I really want to make a dress before school starts. Oy. Less than a week before I start. I have this forboding feeling of doom regarding the coming semester. Which could mean one of two things: I'm either going to do really well, because everytime I have a great feeling about the semester I end up doing bad, or just so-so, or I'm going to flunk out mid semester. I'm really hoping it's the first one. I started panicking last night because I have Theory this semester and couldn't remember how to invert chords. I registered for that class last spring and then dropped it because I couldn't remember like anything from the music fudamentals class I had taken a year and a half before. I'm still trying to figure out how I managed to get a B in that class. Of course I really do remember how to invert chords, but I'm just panicking. I think I'll get a tutor at the beginning of the semester and just pace myself with making sure I do well. It's all going to be fine, I just have to stop freaking out! But anyways I have a couple of patterns for dresses that would be easy and fun to make, but I have no fabric that I really want to use on said dresses. On another note I need to start making myself follow a strict budget. Also I need to read everything before I do it. Like if you are buying something on ebay and have never used paypal before, and for some reason it asks you for your debit card number, you should probably stop and say wait a minuet, I signed up for paypal to be taken out of my savings account where I've been saving for a sewing machine, so why is it asking me for my debit number which is not connected to my savings account. If you don't happen to ask yourself this you will end up having to move money from your savings account to your checking account because the machine you just bought was 199$ and you had exactly 139$ in your account. I would have had more money but I stayed the night in Oceanside on Friday and had to pay for a motel 6, plus food, and pajamas, and an unreasonable amount of gas. I need to deposit birthday checks right away. I also need to find my birthday checks right away..........

I just got back from JoAnns. I was writing that at work and now I'm home. But I did get two Built by Wendy patterns and some very pretty fabric to make one of them. it's a dress. I'm hoping to get it done before Tuesday, and the other I'm going to do a shirt out of that polka dot fabric. I gave up on my own pattern, and this one is similar. I'll let you know how it goes. So Tonight is Project Runway! I think I'm going to start mt dress of shirt while watching it tonight, that or clean my room, do laundry, or start to pack up my stuff since I'm moving into a room with Bri this weekend..... In other words I'm getting off the blogging..... tootles

Three days in Wonderland

Sorry I didn't do this yesterday. We went to San Diego for my Birthday and didn't get home till very late, but here you are. Three days in Wonderland. (I'll post about yesterday later)




"If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?"
~Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland



"No wonder you're late. Why, this watch is exactly two days slow."
The Mad Hatter from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland



“There is no use trying; one can't believe impossible things."
"I dare say you haven't had much practice. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
Alice and the Queen from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland


Ciao Darlings!

How Surfing saved my life, By Ashley "Lee" Barrett

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Lee. She had another name but her friends and family called her Lee. She was a genuinely happy child, always very content. She had a way of seeing beauty and happiness in everything, even when it seemed that there was no hope. She was friendly, even a bit too friendly. Lee could meet a girl at the beach and in five minuets they were best pals, and never know each other's names. Lee was always the leader, who seemed to have no qualms, or prohibitions to do crazy and random things. She also had an incredible gift for getting what she wanted. Lee was defiantly a lover, but she was also fighter. She would fight to get what she wanted until there was absolutely no chance left. She never gave up. Lee's greatest love was music. she had always loved music. Even as a baby she responded to music differently than all her music loving siblings. Music spoke to Lee in a way that few can really understand as there are no proper words to describe it. Lee studied music and loved the shower of praises she received on her talent. Music was the only thing she had ever felt was "hers". Lee wanted to go to Julliard more than anything in the world. She wanted to go for the wrong reasons. but wanted it nonetheless. So Lee applied to go to Julliard, and didn't make it. Lee's whole world crashed around her. she had been going in one direction since Jr. High and now at age 18, she had no path, no plan, no idea what the hell she was going to do. Lee was scared. She lost almost all her confidence in herself and her voice. She wanted to curl up into a ball and die. Lee spent the next two years drifting. She did music, only because it was all she knew. She was more lost than a stranded man on a raft in the middle of the sea. She shut out everyone, and could hardly see the beauty and happiness she had always seen so quickly. She gave up, and gave in to her fears.

Lee had always been a tad on the lazy side. She had never been sporty. She didn't really enjoy going to the beach as much as her family did. They surfed, so Lee went along with them. It was a year to the date since one of the darkest and greatest days of her life. She had lost a job that was holding her down and back, and had been forced to realize some of the problems she had brought on herself due to not getting into the school of her dreams. Since that day Lee had realized more and more of those things. She could feel the tension and pressure of something building, something freeing, something big. It was a lovely August day one week from her 21st birthday. The family had gone to the beach for the evening. Lee had been a muddle of indecision as to whether she should go, but she ended up going. Lee drove into the parking lot listening to a great new CD she had bought which was called She & Him, which she highly recommends. Now Lee was a fat girl, and disliked exerting more energy that she had to, but for some reason she walked down to the water with her youngest sister and played around with her for a while. Now there are rumors that the next turn of events happened only because Lee had recently Netflixed all the Gidget films as well as the TV show, and also the Beach Blanket movies, but no one will ever be sure of the reason why Lee picked up the surf board sitting next to her mother. But she did.

The water was much colder that it had been all summer. a wave crashed in to the blue board Lee carried and punched her in the chest knocking the wind out of her. Normally Lee would have given up. It hurt too much, why should she do it. But she pressed on. She hopped on the board and tried to paddle out. her weakling arms flailed about offering little real help. a waved crashed over her head and knocked her off the board. Lee jumped back up. Normally she would have headed for shore. "maybe someday when I'm stronger." she would have said. But she didn't. She kept on. wave after wave flew over her head, frustrating her. Splash! a small wave splashed Lee in the face, leaving a piece of sand that felt like a rock in Lee's eye. "damn." she said. she tried to rinse it out. bad idea. she tried to wipe it out. worse idea. the small whoosh of a small wave began behind her. "next one." she thought. finally she got the sand out, just in time to realize that the small wave was now a very large wave that was heading to knock her over! she began to paddle for her life, as a tsunami force wave crashed over her forcing her half pony-tail over her head and into her eyes. For a few seconds lee didn't know what was going on. She got her hair pulled away from her face in time to realize she was in the process of riding a very nice long wave all the way to shore. a giddy yelp broke loose from her lips, then a smile. Then the adrenaline rush kicked in. Lee knew of one other thing that gave her a rush like this, and that was singing on stage, something she missed dearly. Lee's 16 year old sister rushed out to congratulate her. she rode a wave. on her stomach, but nonetheless a wave. Lee's sister laughed at her. "you're like a giddy little girl!" "that was the most incredible thing! and it was all on accident!" "you're beaming! you're just like Gidget!haha!" Lee rushed back into the water. She only caught one more wave before she left, but made it to a knee this time. As Lee sat on the board looking out at the blue horizon she realized why she had been so upset and depressed for so long. She gave up. She no longer fought for what was right or what she wanted. she knew she could live with whatever everyone else chose, so just let them do it. But that day on that ocean she didn't give up. She knew she could surf if she set her mind to it, because she wanted it. and what a reward! it wasn't a tangible reward, it was better. it was the kind of reward you cannot describe unless someone else had experienced it. The rush, the high, was worth all the hard work that had gone into catching that wave (even if it was a bit of an accident). But if she had turned back during one of the moments when it seemed so hopeless that she would catch a wave, she never would have felt that. Maybe it was the water, maybe the sun, maybe the salty air, but something cleared up Lee's mind that afternoon. She could see clearly the things she wanted and loved. and she realized that if she put her mind to it, she could to any damn thing she wanted to. Lee had always believed in a kind of magic that comes from blissful realization, and that moment was magical. This was the moment she had been waiting for, when all the tension and preassure broke loose into the ocean peacefully. There was no drama, no huge epiphany, just a thought, that was true. She closed her eyes and felt the last few beams of sun on her face, took a deep breath and paddled into a wave.

And so today Lee is a happy girl who knows who she is, what she wants, and how to get it, all because of a silly surf board and and invisible push to get into the water. And a little luck with an accidental wave.
The End

Three days in...

You'd never know it, but I absolutely love the Olympics! I've always wanted to go (mostly because I have a life goal of kissing Michael Phelps). Every penny in my savings account it going towards the 2012 Olympics in London! So here is three days at the Olympics!

This is my Opening Ceremonies outfit. Dressy, Understated,and in my country's colours!


Dear Michael Phelps, Marry me. Love Ashley.


I love gymnastics! Second favourite event, next to swimming of course. By the way. Those Chinese girls are about as close to 16 as I am to being queen!

So there you have it! Enjoy your week and the Olympics. My Birthday is next Sunday and I've something pretty special planned for TDI. I have to deal with Jury Duty in the mean time. Well I'm off to the beach again!

Ciao Darlings,
Peace love and save the bees

Rain, Rain, don't go away

I'm over summer!

I love rain. Abnormally so. I am a happier, brighter, more jolly person in the rain. I think it's so peaceful. It's like the world is getting a bath, washing away all the dust and dirt, and letting things get nice and soaked. There's nothing more glorious than sitting in front of a fireplace with a good book, good music, a lovely sweater, and pouring rain.

I love the kind of melancholy romance that rain brings. I love the pitter patter on a window and I love the soft woosh on the side walk. I love how life goes on in the rain, but just a little slower. I love how almost no one in California can drive in the rain, making me look like a glorious driver for once. I love how things are quieter. I love it when my toes get cold from walking around the house barefoot while it rains. I love turning off the heat and just sitting listening. I love them smell of the heater going on, and the low rumble it makes.

I love how the air is clear, and clean and breathable. I love the smell after the rain. the cleanness. I love how still the night is when it rains. I love looking out over cities in the rain and seeing all those sparkling lights covered in soft wetness. I love the must smell of the sweaters I let sit in my dresser till winter. I love sipping coffee or hot cocoa, or tea in the kitchen as I look out in the yard. I love how dreamy the world seems, how everything feels paused, how day and night slowly fade into one another with little difference.

I love the gloomy greyness of everything. I love flowers with drops of water on them. I love to jump in puddles, big deep, glorious wet puddles. I love how I can hear myself think. I love the sparkle that everything gets from the water. I love the water spots on my car. I love the free carwash. I love the break in the rain when the sun shines through a sliver in the clouds, then disappears. I love the rainbows that are left behind. I love the thick fog like the kind I drove to Disneyland through in February when I was glad for the person who thought of putting red lights on cars.

I love lightning and thunder. I love how at night the rain turns into a lullaby. I love having my window open when it rains. I love how the rain sounds in the choir room at RCC. I love the music building in the rain. I love how dampy and dank and musty it is. I love my hair in the rain. I love how makeup stays put and doesn't sweat off. I love it when it just rains relentlessly for days on end. I love rainboots. I love my polka dotted umbrella. I love wearing unconventional shoes in the rain.

I love seeing people bundled up like eskimoes. I love little kids who get a rush from puddle jumping. I love laughing at moms who freak out when their kids get wet. I love just standing in the rain. I love singing in the rain. I love dancing in the rain. I love to stand out of the rain and just watch it. I love dawn in the rain and how nothing moves. I love how people have to keep their headlights on all day in the rain. I love sticking my face up and just letting the water fall into my mouth and all over my face.

I love soup on a rainy night. I love Chilli and corn bread on a rainy night. I love to bike in the rain. I love windy rains when the water splashes you in the face. I love the beach in the rain. I love little towns in the rain. I love driving in the rain. I love driving through forrests in the rain. I love camping in the rain. I love when I have to go do a show or sing when it rains. I love wearing scarves in the rain. I love going to starbucks in the rain. I love going to coffee bean in the rain. I love going to the drive-in in the rain.

I love how people think I'm crazy for loving rain. I love how people laugh at me for posting a bulletin everytime it rains, but when I happen to miss one someone calls me out on it. I love remembering Ireland in the rain, standing over the Cliffs of Moher and being attacked by the biggest rain drops ever. I love remembering the day we were supposed to hike this really horrible 5 mile hike in Worchestershire, England and miraculously it rained so we got to go to an indoor swimming pool then have lunch under this huge gazebo.

Basically I love the rain. I love everything that comes with it. I check the weather report everyday hoping for a chance of rain. I love alot of things about all the seasons, but rain is something wonderful that can happen in any season. So I'll keep watching the sky and waiting for happiness in the form of wonderful rain.

Ciao Darlings,

Peace, Love, and save the bees (and maybe a little rain too!)

Y'know what they say about shoes?

Here are some incredible shoes I just bought from this store. J'dore them!

They were so cute I bought them in this color too!

I love shoes!

When In Rome

This weeks TDI takes place in the incredible city of Rome. I'm a huge history nerd. For ever Christmas since 6th grade I have received history books, mostly about the Vikings (because they were cool, and I'm a Viking decedent. Don't believe me? notice my under eye bags, no upper lip, meaty thighs, broad shoulders, grey eyes and pale skin.) and about the Romans. Did you know: the ancient Romans invented both the bikini and the flip flop? Oh yeah they also invented this thing called the arch. One of my life goals is to go to Rome, have a glorious love affair with a man on a Vespa, get involved in a jewel heist where I am mistaken for some very important person, then find out that my Vespa man is actually a secret spy, who also thought I was this VIP, but still fell in love with me, and then have him attempt to rescue me from the evil clutches of Vesppuccio(the jewel heister pronounced Ves-poo-chee-o. (cc = English ch and ch= English ck)), but I being the clever female I am use my feminine wiles to escape, and help bring down a huge mob group, then realize that I don't really love Vespa man (who is of course an Antonio Banderras look alike), because my heart actually belongs to the poet I met in Glasgow. Another life goal is to Sing at La Scala, though, so I'm good with either.

Three Days in Glorious Rome:


It has to be a red Vespa by the way. Otherwise he's just not worth my time. He'll be posing as a flower delivery man and when notices that though I am an American i don't look lost at all. He'll be so sparked by my unabashed confidence that he'll have to speak to me. Then he'll volunteer to show me around the city: all the none tourist spots that take your breath away. We'll have dinner at a little corner cafe, and he'll tell me he happens to have to tickets to see Tosca at La Scala for the next evening and would I like to join him. I'll coolly accept never letting on that I absolutely love Tosca and that someday it will be me up on that stage singing. We depart with a simple kiss on the cheek.


The next day I'll dig into my life's savings to buy this Oscar De La Renta dress to wear to the Opera. Of course this is a key plot development (I love plots that involve shopping), because Vespa man will think that I have the cash to buy this kind of thing, thus aiding my mistaken identity. The Opera will be incredible and afterwards we will take the limo to his favourite spot: a desolate tower that looks over the city. He'll pour out a story of love and loss and I'll tell him of Gavin, the Scottish Poet I had to leave, and how now he'll never speak to me again. Vespa man will comfort me and I'll look into his deep blue eyes, which remind me so much of Gavin's and we'll have a passionate kiss. Then we'll go back to the little apartment I'm staying in. We'll promise to meet the next day. When I enter my room, Vesspuccio's men will be waiting and will kidnap me and thus the story will go off into a loop of twists and turns, until I escape, by wearing poisoned lipstick.



After Vesspuccio has been busted and a few good men lost, Vespa man will proclaim his love for me and I have reject him, because being so close to death so many times all i could think about was my Scottish poet. He'll say his goodbye and wish me all the love and happiness in the world here and plant a lovely kiss on my cheek. Then I'll have to throw the inscribed necklace that he gave me in the fountain: a symbol of the love that could never be.

Among other things I wanted to be a writer when I was little, so this is my outlet.
Happy Sunday every one. I'm off to the beach again.

Ciao Darlings,
Peace, love, and save the bees

Smile cuz what else are you gonna do?

Ugg. That about sums up my day. It really wasn't horrible, just.... Well I've got alot on my mind and alot on my plate and absolutly no focus power and my back is KILLING me. So how can do I deal with the "is this week over yet, cuz I sure as hell don't think I can take much more of this" blues? With pictures of things that make me smile! So here you are.


Poppies are my absolute favourite flowers ever! Which is funny concidering that my favourite movie of all time is The Wizard of Oz. I'm fairly certain there is a corrolation, but who cares! They're just so pretty!


Yellow Sundresses represent everything good and happy in this world. *sigh*


I could live off cherries. I Love, LOve, LOVE them!


You can't beat this movie. Or the TV show. My favourite Gidget movies are Gidget Goes Hawaiian and the one where she interns at the UN. Anyone know the name of that one?


Man oh man I do love The Office! I work in a law office and every single one of the characters have a doppleganger in our office. Oh it makes me laugh!


I love the movie Big Fish. This is my favourite scene in the movie. If you haven't seen it rent it!


If you don't like Amelie I cannot be your friend.


Ireland. *le sigh*


It's 90something today. I need rain.


Oh London how I love thee.


Nummy.....
Note to self: rent Braveheart.


this
and
this

I bought this shirt in Portland. Best buy ever.

I think this is enough to get me through the rest of the day....

Ciao darlinga,
Peace, love and save the bees

How do you know Mermaids exisit if no ever lived to tell the tale?

On my lunch brake and taking a much appreciated breather from imputing bankruptcy information. Nothing puts me to sleep faster than bankruptcy information. Sorry for the quickie post yesterday. We went to the beach and I knew I wouldn't post after we got home (at 11:30). But wasn't it fabulous! The Wizard of Oz is my absolute favourite movie EVER. And what girl doesn't love red shoes? I have some glittery red heels that I wear for all most all concerts and singing things that I call my Dorothy shoes. I never got those glittery red shoes when I was a kid so this is my way of living a childhood dream.

In other semi-related news I bought a book up in Oregon by L. Frank Baum called The Sea Faeries. I haven't finished it yet, but so far it is one of the best books I've ever read. It's about a little girl named Trot, who visits the mermaids with her old friend Cap'n Bill. My youngest sister Grace is convinced she's a mermaid. There may be some truth to it too. She taught her self to swim before she could walk, or talk. She's three now and has long curly red hair, so of course she is Ariel. We were at Disneyland once and were walking in the Ariel garden thing where they have a statue of King Triton. she pointed to it and said "look there's my dad!" We call her the red haired fishy girl, and she owns everything that could possibly ever be related to mermaids, including a horribly ugly mermaid doll from the Oregon aquarium who I was informed yesterday is named Emily. So I am looking forward to reading this book to her when she's a little older. If you love Mermaids you should check out Calamity Kim's Blog.

So what got done this weekend? Almost nothing. I did plan my class schedule which consists of 17 units(eek!) and will bring me a little closer to being able to transfer! I have Theory 1, and chamber singers on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and Speech, and College Choir on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And I'll have a Voice lesson on either Tuesday or Thursday, plus I have a Piano class on Wednesday nights and I'm taking Anthro 2 online. Plus I'll be working anytime I'm not in school. So I'm putting everyone on notice that starting September 2nd I will have no social life. Oy. September 2nd. On a happier note my Birthday is in 20 days! It's on a Sunday this year to that Sunday's TDI must be AbFab, because it is my 21st birthday! I still haven't decided what to do. Alas.

I tried to work on my shirt pattern, but it got very confusing (unnecessarily so I later realized). So I went to my mom and pleaded and she and I figured out how to do it, now I just need to cut it out. I am asking for a sewing machine of my own for my birthday so I don't have to use my mom's.

Here's a picture of the fabric:

I'm really excited to actually finish this shirt, hopefully soon.

Well it's back to the boringness of imputing bankruptcy information.

Ciao Darlings,

Peace, love, and save the bees

TDI

I have to be quick so here is three days in OZ:

Weekend To Do List

Here's how my weekend is looking so far:

• Cleaning my room and bathroom
• Laundry
• Continuing to work on my shirt pattern
• Hopefully making my shirt
• Making hair bows( cuter than it sounds)
• cleaning garage to make room for craft stuff
• painting my dad's new office
• planning my school schedule

Sounds exciting right? Possibly. I'm hoping to get to the drive in this weekend. And I am SOOOO excited for this weeks TDI!

A big happy 19th to my sis Bri! I'm so proud of her! she is recently engaged to a wonderful guy and will be attending UC Riverside in the fall! Happy Birthday Bri!

Ciao Darlings!

Peace, love , and save the bees