Beginnings

 All I have to say about these pictures is that they are the beginning of a fantastic project.
And that I love my Wheezy.

 ♥ Happy Working ♥

Patchwork

     I remember nearly a year ago typing up this whole post about my jean vest. Though I thought it was cool before, I never really wore it because of my own insecurities. Sometimes my anxiety manifests itself in clothing; in high school, whenever I wore a scarf to school on a cold day, I would almost always strip it off  when I stepped on campus and stuff it in my locker for the rest of the day. I was convinced everyone at school was staring at me judgmentally, thinking I was over-dramatic for sporting a scarf in Southern California. Even if it was legitimately cold enough to justifying wearing one, I would get nervous about what others were thinking of me as I passed, and the scarf would start to feel like a noose. It's weird, trust me, I know. But I must say that I am falling more in love with this vest the more I work on it. Soon, I'll be wearing it with pride :)

     I bought these swallows MONTHS AGO, along with the Edward Elric patch, so I could get free shipping on Amazon when I needed to buy a French-English dictionary for class. I'm really glad I didn't put them on until now... Cathy gave me the idea of ironing them onto the front! Then, last night, I added some cross-hatching just to make the front look a bit more interesting.

     I did the hap-hazard sharpie work at school, including writing "I put this on before I knew what cultural appropriation was" around the Calavera patch. I'm still debating just tearing off the patch and covering it with something new. Or maybe putting a thing white fabric over it and writing "no cultural appropriation" or something. I'm not sure yet. This is an on-going project.

      Cathy taught me to hand-sew with a needle and thread this weekend! During our trials and errors with making patches with iron-on transfer paper, an S came out unscathed (from the word "Dracarys." If you know what that means, getting fucking pumped for the patches Cathy is currently working on). There was nothing to do with it but throw it away, so I just sewed it on. I'm quite proud - it doesn't look bad for a first try!

     Last night and this morning, I felt the need to paint. I used to do it all the time; writing on T-shirts with fabric paint and handmade stencils was my thing a few summers back. I'm creative, but I can't draw or dance or make music or anything. But I love this sort of thing. Words are my favorite medium of art. They usually mean more to me than images do. 

    And if you didn't know, I'm currently obsessed with Game of Thrones. I took a quiz and am OVERLY EXCITED BEYOND ALL REASON that I was sorted into House Targaryen. That is unreal for me. I'm too happy about this. It's fine. And so on the top panel of my vest, I wrote a quote from A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin, "...like their dragons the Targaryens answered to neither gods nor men." Ughhhh. It's just too good. Even if the quote is in reference to incestuous family practices, damn it's powerful.

     On the lower panel, I painted "Valar Morghulis," meaning "all men must die" in High Valyrian (a language in the Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire universe), simply because I love it so. Then I added Daenerys' response to it, for it reeks of feminism and Targaryen badassery: "All men must die, but we are not men."

Sidenote: I also made a House Targaryen playlist on 8Tracks called "Fire Made Flesh."

Fire Made Flesh from reservoirsnogs on 8tracks Radio.

     So I've been a bit obsessed with patches in the last 24 hours. Though I've always been under the impression that Etsy is quite expensive, it's actually often comparable to Amazon. There's a wealth of patches I want to get. I also want to buy some Disney fabric to sew onto one of the panels. The problem right now is that I don't have any money. Once I get my first paycheck this fall, I've already decided that I am buying this necklace for myself. Perhaps once my savings account bounces back from my trip to Europe, I will allow myself to buy these patches as well. For now, let's just dream:

1. Mini Embroidered "Mom" Tattoo by HeatherOstrow
2. Mouse (Large) Iron on by TheFabricScene
3. Harry Potter Death Eater Dark Mark by MTthreadz
4. Dead Man's Hand Skull by SewMagicStitches
5. Game of Thrones, Minimalist Tyrion Patch by StoriedThreads
6. Embroidery Iron-On Patch by DianaRomeroHandmade
7. 4 PC Rose Dead Skulls No Sew Iron On Appliques by TDFT
8. Game of Thrones, Syrio Forel, Not Today Patch by StoriedThreads

 ♥ Happy Living ♥

Outfit of the Day and Christmas Celebrations!

     
     I'm not much of a Christmas person, but I had quite a good day yesterday! The problem I have with Christmas, I think, goes along with my "Low Expectations" philosophy in a way. All month you're constantly bombarded with the holiday. The songs! The movie specials! The commericals! The sales! During the month of December, I feel like I'm being built up to desire a "classic" or "magical" Christmas; one that doesn't actually exist in reality. I always think I must be missing something when I'm not filled with that magical feeling. Even when I was a child, I never remember Christmas being my favorite holiday. Plus, as I've grown, I've found that spending time with family makes me a tad anxious, probably purely because it's a social situation... Whoops! I don't think I've ever said that out loud, because I'm worried I'll accidentally offend someone. But someone's got to do the tough talk about Christmas! This is a hard-hitting issue, people.

So it's definitely not the "most wonderful time of the year" for me, but seeing my family down by the beach was lovely! Their house is always decked out for Christmas, the ham was great, I cut up a pie for the first time, and we got to watch movies!!! I always feel less pressure on holidays where we're permitted to sit on the couch and watch movies hahaha. I even got to take an hour long nap for the second day in a row, continuing my accidental tradition of never having seen "A Christmas Story" all the way through. 

     I also took this opportunity to do my first Outfit of the Day, mainly because this is the first time I've felt proud of the clothes and makeup I've done since the reanimation of my blog. Also, because holidays make me nervous (now that I've admitted it, I'm realizing how true it is. Wow.), I wanted to waste some time before heading over to my dad's house. This outfit is composed of entirely cheap things, I'm sure, so maybe I can't be a proper fashion blogger, but I can be that cheap, relatable neighborhood fashion blogger... :P

Pictures I took by myself, of myself... Outfit of the Day: 12/25/12

The shirt is definitely from Forever 21, I believe the pants are from Kohl's, and I bought these lovely earrings from Buffalo Exchange last year. And I recently got these beautiful flats on sale at Urban Outfitters for $20. Though I find flats in general to be very uncomfortable, they are not too bad, especially with tiny socks (whatever those may be called... you know the socks I'm talking about, yeah?). And I recently acquired this really sick ring via Cathy's sister, who is trying out Minimalism in 2013! I paired this outfit with a black cardigan right before I left, because even though I'm in Southern California, it's still December!

♥ Happy Living ♥

Cathy's Outfit of the Day: 12/21/12

As you saw in yesterday's post, Cathy and I hung out once again, and we improvised a vlog! Being her usual self, Cathy showed up in the most adorable outfit possible, even after waking up at 7AM and running on six hours of sleep. Meanwhile, I was rocking nine hours of beautiful slumber and still sat around in pajamas all day... Whoops. So here is Cathy's Outfit of the Day! Looking flawless for the end of the world.

 ♥ Happy Post-Apocalyptic Living ♥

A Visit with Wheezy: Part I

     This is my best friend Cathy. She is the most creative and cutest and dorkiest and loveliest and most compassionate person I know, and though I'm not the type to miss people, yesterday I realized how much I've missed her these past couple months at school. And it was the best day I've had since returning to my hometown. Together we traveled to The Camp and The Lab in Costa Mesa in the search of a present and plenty of beautiful goodies to buy for ourselves (well... me. Yesterday somehow evolved into Christmas for me; I bought business casual clothes for myself, Cathy's mother showered me in nail polish, and her sister decided to give me THE ABSOLUTE BEST JEWELRY because she is trying out some minimalism for the coming year. All of which will be featured in a post to follow!).

Outfit of the Day: The Most Adorable Babygirl Ever

Being around Cathy honestly makes me a 203954396468% more creative person. This past quarter, I pretty much reverted to what my friend Rani would affectionately refer to as "hobo mode." I gave up wearing makeup about a week in (which actually did wonders for my self-esteem and my skin, and I spent a lot less time getting ready every morning) and after that went south, my uniform became the same pair of pants with a varied assortment of T-shirts. Not that that is a negative thing whatsoever! This quarter was the happiest I've ever been with the way I look (: But being around Cathy makes my mind go crazy with all of these potential outfit pairings and hairstyles and makeup tricks. Hanging out with her makes my brain want to produce creative things, and it's almost like it forgets the process once she's gone.

Cathy's Perfectly Adorable Hair

      After getting lost in rush-hour traffic because my phone refused to accept any route home that didn't involve paying a toll, and accidentally passing by the residence halls at my school, we settled into the drive-thru at Carl's Jr. to get some well-earned combos. After a struggle to order (I've never been the one in the driver's seat to yell out orders at the drive-thru, okay?! It was cause for many apologies on my part, awkward shouting at the call box, and muffled laughter from Cathy in the passenger's seat), we received our food, which included what turned out to be one of the most satisfying burgers of my life, and headed back to Cathy's. 

     Somehow, like it usually seems to, we ended up on art. As an early Christmas gift from a friend, Cathy got this lovely multi-media kit with an artist's journal inside, and so she wanted help christening the first page. So we... uhm... tried?! With Cathy as a bona fide artist and me as an amateur at best, we ended up with an... interesting... hybrid of Jesus and Frida Kahlo (whose name I affectionately spelled wrong on the painting. Whoops.) If you're in need of a laugh, please direct your attention to the picture directly below: 

  But whatever, it was fun, attempting to use nail polish for his/her lipstick and listening to reality TV in the background. "I'm going to freaking freak out!" "Jessseee!" I have no idea what television show it was, but this girl was certainly entertaining. Bless you, woman! Hahaha. 

     This is the first post in what I think is going to be a three-part deal. Stay tuned for a tour around the ever-in-progress, perfect eclecticism that is Cathy's bedroom, and a haul of the clothes and jewelery I procured today. The amount I was given today was insane, in physical gifts and in love, and I'm so thankful. I wish I could express this enough to Cathy and her family. Happy Holidays ♥     

Yesterday was one of the greats. Driving around, swearing at other drivers, car-dancing to some of the best music, feeling my mind unlock in a way it hasn't in months, scarfing down french fries and Dr. Pepper while steering, and laughing hysterically with my best friend. 

It was the kind of day I've been waiting for.

Invested in the Future

      Though I am now unemployed, I feel justified in saying that I've been decently productive the last week. Despite my body's firm betrayal in our agreement to keep me healthy and top-notch at all times, I got up, re-dyed my hair, attempted to transport my life onto my new laptop, finished The Vampires Diaries, season 3 (I had fallen out of touch after the hiatus last year... today I finally caught up to the rest of the world, and OH MY GOOD GOD, that remains one of the most intense shows I've ever watched. I'd forgotten how brilliant it is: plotwise and character-wise. And I was sobbing during the last episode, even though I already knew the twist at the end. I'm just saying.) and then spent the evening finally ironing patches and studs onto my vests!

     I accidentally put this off way longer than intend... but with the Amazon gift card I recieved for my birthday two months ago, I ordered a beautiful sugar skull patch from Square Deal Recordings & Supplies, a Fullmetal Alchemist patch, and 100 Iron-On, 7mm Silver Pyramid Studs (also, the company sent a bunch of random sample studs along with the ones I bought... very useful). They all arrived on a different day. Combined with the Johnny Cash patch that I've had for months and the Dumbledore's Army patch I picked up at Whimsic Alley this summer... I knew it was time to actually put them on the vests.

 Here's how I created the beautiful and questionable creatures that are my vests: 

• I found two structured jackets that I didn't wear anymore. One is obviously denim, which I bought years ago at H&M, while the white jacket was originally my mother's. I'm not sure what material it's made out of, but its layout is the same at the standard jean jacket would be.
• I cut off the sleeves, using the actual seams as a guide. When cutting T-shirts, I tend to ignore the seams where the arms are sewn onto the body, but with this, it was a lot easier to just cut around the outside of the two sleeve seams. Where the fabric changes thickness... if that makes sense? Don't actually cut through the seam; it's difficult and there's no point. Surprisingly, it actually fits well if you cut where the jacket wants you to.
• I distressed the denim jacket myself, by cutting lines into the fabric with sharp scissors, and then putting the article through the wash. I didn't do anything to the white jacket. Instead, I left it be and used fabric paint to slap a movie quote on the back. I haven't washed it since. 

• Cutting horizontal lines in the denim + washing will result in something like this: 

  

• Cutting vertical lines in the denim + washing will result in something like this:  

 

•  Once dry, it's alright to put on the patches. Place the patch in desired location, place a thin cloth over it, and press your hot iron onto the area. I used some old, thin, worn dishtowel over mine. I kept my iron on its highest setting throughout the process. I held the iron onto the patch for about 10 to 15 seconds, usually holding still. After that, I would press on the patch with strokes, back and forth across the area.
• Check to make sure the corners are well-adhered onto the jacket. It may take a few times to get the patch completely on there. And then you may think you have it on, only to have it start to peel off when you're ready to move on. You should be able to move, ripple, and bend the jacket without your whole, patchy world falling apart.
• When I was sure the patch was mostly secure, I flipped the jacket inside-out and ironed the area where I knew the patch was on the outside. It's a bit strange to explain, like many things in this post, but I basically ironed on the patch from the other side of the fabric. I read on the internet that this would make the patch even more secure. It certainly doesn't hurt.
• For studs, it's basically the same process, except you can't really move the iron once you press it down, for worry that it'll dislodge some of the studies. I came at it from different angles, though never moving in strokes like with the patches. At first, I did all of the studs individually. But it's quite easy to do many at a time. Also, when I removed the iron, the pyramids were covered in adorable little water droplets. The studs will slide around a lot more easily than the patches, so it's best to let them dry for a few minutes before adjusting the jacket. 

Johnny Cash Patch. A cut-out from an A Perfect Circle T-shirt that I accidentally destroyed, generously sewed on by my mother. A sharpie design that kind of accidentally evolved out of a few mistakes, drawn while watching The Vampire Diaries. "I go to seek a Great Perhaps," the dying words of poet Francois Rabelais, and one of the most important quotes in my current favorite book, Looking for Alaska by John Green.

  

   

D.A. (Dumbledore's Army) patch from Whimsic Alley in Los Angeles, California. Purchased right after I re-read the fifth Harry Potter book. Colorful sugar skull patch... which I now realize social justice bloggers will probably have my burned at the stake for... :/ I love the idea of Dia de Los Muertos, and all of the beautiful artwork and celebration involved. Fullmetal Alchemist (not Brotherhood, okay. I grew up with the inaccurate and amazing 50ish-episode anime. I still have a lot of emotions associated with that particular timeline..) patch. I'm currently reading the manga series. I finished Vol. 2 earlier this month. Also, one of the pyramid studs on this side is hanging on for dear life... I'm thinking of hot-gluing it on tomorrow?

          And here is my Inglourious Basterds vest... for a while, I wore it with just the letters painted on the back. Stark red and black on a white canvas. But then I took some spray paint to it this morning and an idea struck me: what if I made it look like it had just been pulled from a burning building? I have to say, I like the look of it now much more... Though the pictures don't do it justice. They make it look like the vest is a mockery of a cow, when in reality, the contrast between the white jacket and the black spray paint is not nearly that drastic. And I added on some of the free sample studs to the pocket and the collar. It's not exactly A+ design work, but I dig it. Those studs seem to be holding on fine. My only advice would be to remember that larger studs need more time to get themselves adhered on!

This post was actually formulated in the middle of the last week, but I've been unable to get on the website! I got the same error message every time I logged on, telling me that I'd logged out from another computer. Nothing worked to fix it! And then magically, I tried while sitting in my new dorm room and alas-- It works! I did absolutely nothing to repair the problem, but I'm happy it worked itself out anyways.

Time Well-Wasted

     I've been falling a bit under the weather over the last few days, and though I am currently working on a movie review, trying to construct well-formed opinions takes a strange level of effort. And mustering my brain power for anything right now is difficult. So have yourself a haul post. Might as well put up the clothes I have recently procured, before the no-doubt long lull in purchases that will come once I start school.

     During the constant and perilous the debate whether to scroll on Tumblr, watch Netflix, read (finally got my hands on a copy of Paper Towns!! Praise my strange dedication to stalking this book's progress; from checked out to sorting on "on shelf." Because up until this week, the book's been constantly checked out. For months it has been like this. For MONTHS. You have no idea the heroic feat I have accomplished... But I digress.), or (attempt to) write, I often get extremely bored and need to get away from my bedroom desk. And so, yesterday, my mom and I went to see "The Words" (which was very 'meh' for me... I don't even really have an opinion on it; it didn't cause any impact, emotional or otherwise, to be honest.) and eat dinner together. (Wow, there are a lot of parentheses in this paragraph.)
However, we had some time to kill in between, considering the film ended at 4:30pm and we are not little old ladies in need of a 6 o'clock curfew. Thus, we spent a little time in the palace that is TJMaxx. My mother bought herself some new pajamas and I picked up three lovely items:

BeBop dress on sale for $20!

Monteau: Los Angeles top on sale for $10! Because I've been watching an embarrassing amount of  Once Upon A Time recently, the first time I put it on, I felt like Snow White. And today it struck me that it could be the vital component of an adorable Minnie Mouse Halloween costume. That aspect of Disney (you know, Mickey, Donald, Goofy-- Them miscreants.) has never really been my home, but I am very excited to get dressed up in it. I've always loved Halloween, but it's never quite lived up to the hype for me. Mostly because I LOATHE trick-or-treating, and for whatever reason, people my age still do?? Since age 10, I have honestly thought it to be the most boring activity in the world. Haha. But this year I may actually get to dress up and attend a party. And I am already ecstatic! Oh, it's the little things?!

Mine button-up top, $14.99. I wish this picture did it justice. This shirt is collegiate as hell, looks great with a flowy scarf, and feels amazing on. Still figuring out how to get the crease out of the bottom. Soon!

This morning, I ventured to Forever 21 to exchange those sunglasses with the weird white marks along the side. Plus, I was also recently emailed a 20% off coupon from H&M, only useable until September 16th. These forces combined, I have been passed on the power to shop! So I took a detour to H&M on the way back to my car in an effort to find brown sandals and ended up with a few other things...

 Adorable and tiny black sneakers by Divided, $12.95 before my 20% off.

Three pairs of hotpants/hipsters, 3 for $10 at H&M.

Sheer black tights by H&M, $4.95.

And here you have it, folks: the literal only pair of brown sort-of-sandals in the store. $5.95. I was hoping for something a little classier to wear with my dresses, but with these on, the straps are actually quite pretty. A lot more dressed-up than my Rainbows, even if you wouldn't think so just by looking at them. The goal is to wear this babies during Rush; because heels and I aren't exactly close friends.

When I wake up tomorrow, hopefully I will possess the motivation to finish my ParaNorman review, and it can finally be put up for the world to see! I have a lot of feelings when it comes to this movie; I really do.