Busy Bee

One of my most treasured necklaces--a gift from my boss at a boutique I worked for when I first came to Austin.

Useless belt pocket?  Check.

Random shoes I found while going through my old college boxes.  They're from...Victoria's Secret??

Well, well, another week is close to being over...thank goodness!  I'm almost done giving my Etsy shop a little makeover, but I'm thinking about posting everything I plan to sell HERE first!  That way, you readers will have first dibs :)

I still need to take all the measurements, but here's a teeny-tiny preview:

 

 This gorgeous thing...and more!!  Very very soon :)

South of Heaven

Until recently, I was forced to wear t-shirts and jeans for work for about 6 weeks, while we worked to build new displays in our showroom.  Now that I'm back in the office, it's been such a relief to wear cute shoes and skirts again.  I'm just more comfortable dressed up...especially when there are several inches of added height involved :)

Slayer tee & plaid skirt, Feathers vintage; belt, UO; platforms, Corso Como

Yes, I'm still wearing a t-shirt today :)  I bought both of these at Feathers on the same day with no intention of ever wearing them together.  This morning, they looked so perfectly 70's next to each other in my closet that I had to do it!  I guess I still have The Runaways (movie) on the brain...

The Slayer tee definitely got some attention at work...guess I don't look like your typical Slayer fan?  Ha! 


P.S.  I'm in the process of revamping my Etsy shop, and will begin putting some of my old vintage clothes up for sale (probably this weekend).  I'll let you know when it's up!

Uncertainty & Tie-Dye

I have a long 2 weeks ahead of me.  I'm potentially up for a promotion at work, & waiting to hear back is excruciating.  In times like these, there's no better way to forget the stress than a messy tie-dye project!

I love dyeing fabric; it's like a grown-up version of dyeing Easter eggs.  So simple, but there are so many ways to manipulate the dye and create something really amazing...OR amusing, if you consider the crazy tie-dye skinny jeans I made a few years ago!  They were really fun, but were quickly retired to the "clothes to wear while doing laundry or chores" drawer.  It just goes to show that clothes don't last if they're too costumey.  Oh, annnd I should stop wearing things just because they're hilarious...

I think I've learned my lesson from that first attempt.  This time, I'm tie-dyeing a basic white button-up in just one color--a great terracotta/butterscotchy brown.  This is actually inspired by a cardi I saw on Sea of Shoes earlier last summer.  I loved the cardi version, but I wanted something more summery, to pair with shorts or tuck into a full skirt.

This is the top I brought from Old Navy:

A packet of trusty Dylon in Terracotta:

Yep, just me in my garage with a tarp, a bit of butcher paper, a Nalgene full of fabric dye, and a turkey baster.

 The shirt fabric is super thin, so it was really easy to twist sections into little knots and secure everything with rubber bands.  I started with a damp shirt fresh out of the washer, twisted it up, and then applied dye at frequent intervals for a little over an hour.

Finally, after a hosing off in the driveway, a quick rinse in the washer, and a complete air drying:

Perfect!

A lot of the fun in tie-dye comes from the uncertainty, I think.  You have no idea how it will turn out, and it's a total mess while you're doing it, and then you unroll it and it's perfect (unless you really f*ed it up of course!).  Hopefully in a few weeks, everything will be fine and I will wonder why I was so stressed.  And when that happens, maybe we can all go out for a drink, & I'll wear my new shirt!

Hitomi Nomura

Just a quick post!  It's been a horrible, stressful, overly busy month.  By the time I get to the weekend, I've been too exhausted to really enjoy it.  Hopefully the worst is over.  :)

This weekend I dropped into an Old Navy (a very rare occurrence!) and picked up a basic white button-up that I intend to tie-dye, and a cardigan(?!) that I actually really liked.  I'll do a post on the tie-dye soon.  It's been ages since I've been able to do any DIY, it will be such a relief to get back into it.

Anyway--I just had to share this amazing clip about Hitomi Nomura, owner of the Grimoire boutique in Japan.  It's on the long side (15 minutes) but was so inspiring especially during this particular moment of my life where I am wearing t-shirts and (shudder) athletic footwear more often than is ideal.





Well, back to the grind...have a good week friends!