If at first you don't succeed try something else

I'm trying (again) to not eat sugar or junk. So tonight I ate an entire bag of brown rice with olive oil on it. Just because it isn't sugar doesn't mean there aren't a bazillion calories in it. I'm aware of the fact that too much of a "good" thing is still too much. I felt so gross that I ate a cookie.

Whatever.

If I could bottle it and sell it, I might make millions

I bought a vintage dress. It is kind of a weird 70's ish thing that is a great orange color with teal buttons. It is really too tight but I can still make it work and in 10lbs it will be even cuter. I'm not really a vintage fan. I don't mean in terms of style. I love anything that looks like it is from another era, I just don't like it to actually be from that era. This dress was so cute that I thought I could break myself of my actual vintage phobia but I simply can't get past the smell. Every thrifty/vintage store has it. I tried washing the dress but not only did it not help even a little, it actually made everything else smell like it. Now I think my whole closet is going to smell like a store with 70 year old group body odors mixed with moth balls and attic.

I so want to be a cool vintage thrift girl. It isn't that I'm snobby. I swear. It is that I have an overly acute olfaction. And I'm not even saying it is a bad smell. It is just a distinct smell and I can't abide it.

I think I can do vintage hats because I may not be able to smell what is on my head. However, that may be even worse now that I think about it.

I have no trouble wearing costumes so it can't be that I don't want to wear used clothes. In theatre that kind of comes with the territory (I do always request pit pads but that isn't a big deal, is it?) I think that smell is more contained to the theatre and is therefore more acceptable to me. I've worn things that have been sprayed with vodka and water in lieu of cleaning so that proves something about me not being a total germaphobe.

I don't know what it is but I better take some vodka and water to this thing pretty quickly because I already have the boots I'm going to wear with it all picked out.

Grrrr stinky frock.

If you were wondering

The cure for severely chapped, possibly allergic to something, possibly sunburned lips?

Pure Tea Tree Oil and a coating of pure vitamin E oil.

Finally.

Lipgloss, I am back.

My eyes eat purple and other nonsense

For anyone who is interested,

I love my new violet eyeshadow but I will say, purple is not a color that fades well (or evenly) over the course of a long day.

One of my eyes faded a lot more than the other making the difference between a punch in the face and a fun make-up choice barely discernible.

Something about that just made me think of the years I would go to Peace Fest with Sandi. It was a good cause/message and I was into peace and vegetarianism at the time. I wasn't eating any meat or fish. Only junk. I was very serious. I guess I'm still into Peace. However, I am eating fish now, but it isn't like I like it.

It is pure vanity.

Dr. Perricone said it would improve my skin (wrinkles), and it has.
I'm a horrible person.

Something about that makes me think about Peace Fest again and I'm suddenly nostalgic about hemp and wooden jewelry and tie dye.

Uh oh.

I'm all mixed up

So today I was making bracelets and I've decided the word of the season is "mixed." That is correct. Mixed media, mixed texture, mixed material, mixed style, mixed genre.

For example:
Tough and Girlie
Masculine and Feminine
Ugly/ Pretty
So ugly it's pretty with it's just ugly
casual with dressy
something old something new, something plain and something completely garish
Hippie crossed with polished
Vintage with a modern twist

There are tons. Life is too short to be just one thing. Mix it up people. This isn't just for ladies either. Boys can mix. Fashion invention is fun for everyone.

If you need help or more ideas, call me.

Back to school really has nothing to do with school

I've always loved fall. Back to School is my favorite time of year and my favorite fashion season. Now, I haven't been back to school of several years (decades) but that doesn't change my desire for all new back to school clothes or at the very least a retooling of my current wardrobe. Fall signals a great chance to reinvent yourself. You can leave behind "summer you" and take on a whole new persona. Boots, tights, blazers, cardigans, tweed, trousers, and my favorite look of all time: layers and a scarf. There is nothing better.

Another great thing about fall is the ability to make up for any style regrets that you had over the summer. I really wanted to make dresses a huge part of my wardrobe. That didn't really happen. However, I can carry this goal over into fall. Add some leggings/tights and boots and I can kiss regret goodbye. It is really a wasted emotion anyway. Plus there is always next summer to revisit the summer frock idea.

I never think of Fall as an end but rather a beginning. Perhaps it is the new school year that is so ingrained. I believe there is a definite connection between "following your bliss" (thank you Joseph Campbell) and style. How you adorn your outside is a reflection of how much you love your inside. I cannot emphasize this enough. No one dictates the specifics except you. The result is individual and does not require specific labels or an enormous expenditure. You simply have to find what speaks to you. Having a vision for yourself is important. If you visualize success, serenity and abundance for your life, you are going to have to have an outfit to match.

The hardest part about this time of year is that the actual weather doesn't match the clothes. September signals an automatic shift in fashion consciousness and yet blazing hot, 100 degree weather makes it impractical to actually wear your favorite back to school looks.

It is the in betweens that make for the hardest style choices. As always, I welcome a challenge.

A life hijacked by "cute idea"

I spent almost all of last week trying to be Martha Stewart and let me tell you, it isn't easy. Not to mention how incredibly time consuming it is. I always assumed that being crafty and creative was less expensive than buying shit outright, and it was a quicker more efficient way to throw a party. I was very much mistaken.

First you have to decide a theme for your event and then you have to figure out how much detail you will add to fit the theme. The possibilities are endless. Sometimes this requires looking for inspiration from other crafty Martha types if you don't happen to have a bunch of brilliant out of the box ideas at the ready. This can suck you into the vortex of the internet for untold hours.

Then you have to purchase all of your materials to bring these ideas into reality. This is not necessarily less expensive than buying something that a machine made but it is "personal." And then, of course, you have to physically construct said ideas using your own brain and hands.

I'm really good at looking for inspiration and exceptionally good at purchasing items that will someday be perfect for all of my ideas. I suck at narrowing down my ideas and actually doing them. I'm a procrastinator and I rarely leave myself enough time for the actual assemblage.

When I wait tables I pride myself on my ability to multitask. I am a super quick thinker and my efficiency is off the charts.

Not so much when I am creating a crafting masterpiece. I can't seem to do anything else but my craft project. I wish I could say I don't even stop to eat but I would just be lying. I also create a giant pile of chaotic mess that lasts for days. My final product is usually "ok" to "pretty good" but the road there is full of many re-do's and re-buying of things I have ruined making the end result a bit of a mixed bag.

This will not stop me however. I will continue to convince myself that I can make and do anything and my love of paper and glue cannot be squelched.

If I were ever to try and sell my stuff the price would have to be exorbitant in order to cover the labor and materials. I would never make a profit. But art isn't necessarily about profit now is it?

Please don't misunderstand. I do not in anyway feel like a failure. On the contrary. I don't believe in failure. I believe in perspective shifts.

I am not Martha Stewart.

I am a virtuoso "slop artist"
and I'm pretty cool with that.