


January 29, 2010
January 25, 2010
I will lift Your name on high:
- The Snow capped mountains I saw on my way home from Santa Ana.
-The flavor a Chipotle chip can contain.
-Things that work out even when my humanity tries to mess them up.
-How incredibly blessed in friends I am
-Laughter, and how it's the best medicine for pretty much anything
-Girl talk. What a blessing.
-Prayers answered in His time not mine
Today has been interesting and good. I hope your Monday has been wonderful.
January 21, 2010
Rain, Rain
January 19, 2010
MEET: Bonnie
Meet Detective Bonnie O'Hara. The year is 1977. Bonnie's brother is a cop. Her father was a cop. Her grandfather was a cop. Her great grandfather was a cop. Her Great grandfather became a cop not long after moving his family to New York from Cork, Ireland. it was only natural for Bonnie to follow in their footsteps. It was not an easy road though. She began as a desk clerk, while still in high school. After a few years of schlepping coffee and donuts around the precinct to pay her way through college Bonnie graduated from Columbia University with a degree in Criminal Justice. After enrolling in the Police Academy Bonnie had a short lived fling with one Rudy Hannigan. They split over a dispute between the Yankees and the Mets.
Bonnie graduated the Police Academy and was placed on a beat in Brooklyn. While she took her job very seriously, she did not find it challenging mentally, and so she applied to test for a Detective. It surprised no one when Bonnie passed with flying colours. It surprised everyone when she was partnered with Detective Rudy Hannigan. Bonnie soon became the victim of harsh sexism from the other detectives, and even some of the officers. Her "pet name" was Nancy Drew (rumor has it Rudy was the one who coined the name). This only made Bonnie more determined than ever to prove to them, and the world, that she could nab the bad guy, and look great doing it. Despite their taste in sports, Rudy and Bonnie worked well as a team. They solved case after case (mostly due to Bonnie's sharp wit, attention to detail, and ability to tell the difference between real and designer handbags), winning their team a highly respected name among police, and citizens across the five boroughs. At Bonnie's insistence they kept their relationship strictly professional, though Rudy somehow managed to always convince Bonnie out for a drink, or dinner. And even while Bonnie tried to keep the conversation to the weather and their job, somehow Rudy always rounded it off to families, and marriage, and Women's Liberation. The romantic tension between the two was the talk of the precinct (mostly among coffee girls and nosy wives), but Bonnie refused to let it get to her. She merely thought of Rudy as a colleague who had particularly bad taste in sports teams. That is until the day they busted a large Colombian drug cartel and Rudy was shot. After extensive surgery, Rudy was left in a coma as Bonnie stayed by his bed conflicted: did she love him? And if so was it enough to give up everything she had worked so hard for? Of could she really have it all a career and a family? Maybe there was something to this Women's Liberation stuff after all?
I originally had no intention of making this a MEET feature. However then this story popped in my head and I knew it was destined for greatness. The skirt is new and I found it on a whim trip to Goodwill (it cost me four bucks so that technically doesn't count as being out of my non shopping money). I've been searching for a skirt like this for ages and randomly stumbled upon this one yesterday. One of the things I love most about thrifting is those stumble moments. This coat was another stumble find. I bought it this summer when it was far too hot to even think about coats, but I couldn't pass it up. A white princess cut LONDON FOG coat for seven bucks? Hullo! I am very excited for it's debut today!
You'll have to forgive my face in these photos, I have got a horrible cold. It's really annoying. I am never, ever, ever, sick. Usually I just don't get sick, but if someone I know does, I start bulking up on the vitamin c and d, and drink lots of hot teas. Chelsea got it this time and I nursed her back to health all the while making sure I took everything I was giving her. I even invented a tea concoction that led Chel back to health in no time. I think she had it for about four days. Then yesterday I started sniffling, and coughing a bit. I took all my vitamins and pills and felt fine, just a runny nose. Then last night it hit and I wanted to die. I ache everywhere, have used more tissue than I ever have in my life, and my head feels like a balloon. I'm so tired of blowing my nose! haha! Luckily I got to leave work early today, put on ugly old pajamas, crawl in bed with a book (I'm reading Breakfast at Tiffany's and so far I love it. Holly is such a charmingly odd character!), turn on some Bob Dylan, and am now on my way to getting better. I just wish I could stop sneezing! haha!
January 18, 2010
Outerwear-Underware
I'm not a pink girl. I like pink, but I don't love it. I never played Princesses when I was little, or was ever too frilly. I desperately wanted to be a tomboy even though I really wasn't. Even now, I only own about five pink things. Period. It's just not me. But this skirt makes me so darn happy I could squeal! I feel like a fairy. It sounds so stupid, but it's so true. In the summer I fully intend to wear this sans cardigan and with a pair of sandals. I will be a nymph.
Two funny stories in regards to this skirt. I revised my shopping ban to let me shop on a budget and once that amount is gone so is my shopping abilities. Well it's gone. So when we were in LA yesterday my mom found this skirt and my dad said he'd buy it for me. He really liked it so he theorized that if he bought it I wouldn't be shopping right. So As we were leaving I thanked my dad for buying me my "new skirt." "You mean your new crinoline?" he said with a raised eyebrow. "we'll see." I said. And see we did.
When I was taking these pictures (which are from under the awning at work so as to protect my camera from rain (my usual spot is an ally with no covering)), there were these creepy guys in an Astro Van watching me from the Carl's Jr. parking lot behind us. They honked at me, I ignored. when I was putting my tripod away and gathering my stuff they drove into out parking lot and began to turn towards me. I tried to hurry so as not to be human trafficed, but failed in getting cleaned up soon enough. So creepy guy rolls down his window and says "Hey can I ask you a question?" to which I turned and said in a rather annoyed tone "what?" "Do you know where an Arco station is? Or any gas station." "yeah coner of Market and 14th. There's a thrifty gas. It's right around the corner." (and anyone wanting to stalk me may now figure out where my office is). The guy smiled and nodded. "Oh thanks. Can I ask you another question?" I knew where this was going and sighed closing my eyes as I nodded. "so um what was... that?" he asked mimicing a camera. I smiled. "I have a fashion blog. I take pictures of my clothes. I blog about them." He got an incredibly creepy grin. "Oh are there a lot of people who do that?" "yes. Goodbye." and I fled into the building. And this is why I normally take pictures in an alley that no one uses.
January 17, 2010
Pretty (and odd) Little Things
January 15, 2010
Victoriana

January 14, 2010
Windy Havoc
Well I hope everyone is having a really wonderful week so far. Be smart with your money. And remember that losing your house is not call for threatening suicide. Now I've lost my appitite....
January 12, 2010
Ho Hum
January 11, 2010
Monday Inspiration #28: Little Red





January 8, 2010
The Science of Clothes
January 7, 2010
Time Warp
This skirt was part of the great sewing venture of yesterday. I made this last May or June. It was horrid. It was supposed to be a suspender-ed skirt, but well, apparently in May or June I couldn't sew a straight line and the straps were rendered useless. When I took it apart I found a backwards pocket, and an extra panel of fabric. I seriously just sat there trying to figure out how I let this happen. It was horrible! in it's former life it was a couple inches longer, and also was gathered. I hate gathering, so this time I made pleats, which despite being annoying, I'd still rather do than gather. I need a gathering foot for my sewing machine. And due to my apparent former inability to cut straight, I had to take off an inch or so from both the bottom and the top of the skirt. Seriously I think I was drunk when I made this. It was so bad! You can't tell in these photos but the zipper in the side is white (the former zipper was navy blue?). At first this was a dammit-I-want-to-wear-this-tomorrow-and-am-out-of-short-black-zippers fix, but then I decided I actually really liked it. I hate nylon zippers so I always buy up old metal zips when I see them so this one is a white metal zipper. I left is a bit exposed and it actually looks pretty cool. So in the end it all worked out. I have to say this is the first garment of clothing that I've made for myself and loved. Sure there is a hang-up or two (not all the pleats ended up even), but I made it well, and that is the important thing. I've realized that when I'm sewing I have to get myself out of this instant gratification mindset. Sewing's not about whipping out a dress or skirt. it's about making a piece of cloth into something new, and that takes time. And in the end if you do take your time it's really worth it. Also you avoid wondering about your sobriety when looking back over what you've made.
What's the worst thing you've ever made? Do you ever gasp at your past sewing skills?