Project Rewear: January Edition

Project Rewear has been a breeze so far. Coming off of some serious December pre and post-Christmas sale shopping, I haven't been lacking much fashion-wise. I did, however, make my first non-retail clothing purchase - off of Craigslist.

Craigslist is a thing of beauty. We've furnished 1/2 of our house from Craigslist (the other 1/2 is from Ikea), and generally remain Craigslist stalkers for those "too good to miss" deals. The actual Craigslist purchasing transaction often feels like a shady drug deal (ok, all drug deals are shady). Sometimes you go to the seller's house to pick up something you're going to purchase, like a couch, but sometimes, if the item is small, you'll meet in a central (well-lit) spot.

So, I met this gal, with her convertible Victoria's Secret dress, at my favorite grocery/deli/hang-out spot. After standing in the brutal cold for a few minutes, I saw someone looking equally as lost/guilty as I was, and we made the swap - my $25 for her super cute red dress. The deal was done, I hopped back in my car and shivered home.

So basically I bought this.

(source)

Fun, huh? Supposedly you can wear it in a bajillion different ways, but I've only discovered three so far (and I've only worn it as a skirt. It's waaaay too cold right now for a sleeveless dress). I'll try to figure out some more soon a post a couple of pictures.

I discovered this dress on VS's web site about a year ago, but wasn't about to fork over $100 for it. I am quite happy with my $25 version.

I think the first non-retail adventure of the year was a success. For those wishing to ditch "the Man" themselves and join me on Project Rewear, the moral of this story is: Shop Craigslist.

Changes in Freezing Temperatures

It's been cold. So much so that I've stopped wishing for snow (well, at least cut back) and I'm ready for spring. Our pipes froze this week even though we left a faucet dripping. We hoped and prayed for two days (during which the temperature hovered at or below 20 degrees), and when it finally got above freezing again, the pipes thawed nicely with no bursting. Whew. Hot water is wonderful, and I take it for granted. All that and no snow. Sigh. Maybe I'm not quite over it yet.

It was a frigid day in Washington D.C. yesterday, but that didn't stop more than a million people from gathering on the national mall to catch a glimpse of President Obama's inauguration. No matter what your political leanings, you have to agree that it was a historic and significant occasion, not only for us in America but for people around the world. Now, when we tell a child that he can be anything he wants when he grows up, even the President, it's actually true.

Now Launching: Project Rewear

I only made one real resolution this new year's. Actually it's not really a resolution as much as it's a challenge. For the whole of 2009, I will be attempting to avoid buying any clothes at a retail store. Before you gasp and say, "What?! That's impossible!" - let me explain further.

I love clothes. Oh, how I love them. Particularly anything to do with J.Crew, the Gap, and cute vintage finds. I am also extremely budget conscious, which means I shop for bargains like it's an Olympic sport. Most of the time, finding deals is a very good thing, but that also means if I find something I like that's on sale, whether I need it or not, I'll buy it, because it was "such a good deal." And as my closet gets fuller and fuller, I keep on shopping, and keep on packing it in, because I enjoy it so.

But all those little "finds" add up, not exorbitantly or anything, but to more than I need to be spending on clothes I don't need. Plus, new clothes come with an environmental price tag as well - it takes a lot of energy and resources to make those jeans, and the list of clothing companies that could be qualified as environmentally conscious is still pretty small.

So, this year, I will not buy a single piece of clothing at a retail store. I will, however, continue going to thrift shops and consignment stores occasionally, because I don't really want to give up shopping cold turkey. I've also been attempting to further my sewing skills, so any clothing I can sew is fine, and will be a fun challenge (and you can't really impulse-buy patterns and fabric). Underwear, socks and PJs are exempt from the no-retail rule, for obvious reasons (thrift shop undies? I don't think so).

I hope to keep my thoughts and progress logged here, at least every couple of weeks, throughout the year. I'll also keep you supplied with pictures of anything I attempt to sew, or especially cute items I pick up thrifting. Feel free to comment and share your own thrifting or sewing tips!

I can feel the creative juices flowing already.

Gettin' all Martha Stewart-y

I am in love with all things Martha Stewart. It's kind of like our wedding (and all of the DIY crafts and projects that went into it) switched on some part of my brain that had been dormant for a long time.

I've always been artistic and rather crafty. I owe that to my fabulously creative mother. I remember making pine cone turkeys, clay Christmas ornaments, and cotton-ball snowmen not long after I could walk. So I suppose it's only natural that I should catch the crafting bug again, even if it's been a decade or so since our regular rainy-day craft dates.

Thus, I have plunged myself deep into the world of holiday craft-y-ness. Nearly all of the Christmas gifts we are giving this year are at least partially homemade. And, boy, is it fun. It's been a great way for me to pass the time while Lee is out of town for the ridiculously busy fall sales season. Yesterday afternoon, while sipping hot tea and listening to Vince Geraldi Christmas jazz, I made this:


It's our holiday wreath! I know it's only November 10, but when you're making all of your holiday decorations, you've got to start early. Now, I know what you're thinking: "How did you make this glorious holiday creation?" I'll tell you!

First, I cut a giant cardboard "G" out of a big, sturdy box that was awaiting our recycling bin. Then, I went to walmart and bought $10 worth of red fake poinsettas. With five blooms on each $1 stem, I got 50 flowers for really cheap.

Then, I took a screwdriver with a very small head (maybe 1/8 inch), and poked holesin the cardboard. I pulled each bloom off of the poinsetta stem and stuck it in a hole. after I had covered the whole G, I went back in with the blooms that were left and tried to fill in any sparse spaces I could see cardboard through.

And, ta-da! I could have hot glued each flower in, and I might if I decide to keep the wreath for consecutive seasons, but the screwdriver and bloom stems were so perfectly sized, the flowers fit well and don't seem to want to fall out. You could also paint the cardboard the color of your flowers if you don't want to risk a bit showing through.

That's all for now! Next crafting/design project up: our dining/library/craft room. Now, back to my day job.

I've been waiting such a long, long time

I'm not talking about some glorious achievement, momentous occasion, or life milestone.

I've been waiting for this:

(source)

And guess where we're headed in a matter of days? Chi-town!!

Cubbies, here I come!

The Dog Days of Summer

Flipity, flipity, flipiteeee-whooooooosh.

It's one of those super-cheesy/dramatic movies, where the calender on the wall has just had its pages ripped off and blown away by a big gust of wind, and then you suddenly realize three years have gone by and you have to figure out what's happened in the interim.

I felt kind of like that this week when I looked at the calendar. What? Summer's almost over? School begins in a couple of weeks? When did that happen?

And I find myself wondering, what have I done with my summer?

I've been working, of course, so I can't enjoy quite the lazy summer days of yesteryear. Our workdays are shorter, though, so life has been a bit more laid back, things have seemed less harried. We've spent a lot of time working on the house, which has been good. I've discovered IKEA, and my life will never be the same. And we've actually discovered that we have a yard under all that trash in the backyard. Who knew?

Mostly though, I've been spending my time on this:



Enter my wonderful, energetic, exhausting puppy, Scout! I love her soooo much, and, just as we had expected, she's been a lot of work. It's been really fun though, watching her grow from a tiny, fuzzy little squirt, to a big, gangly teenage German Shepherd that can already drag me around even though she's only about half grown. She may knock you over unintentionally, but she will love and kiss you to death once you're on the floor.

Since Scout is going to be a ridiculously large dog, and I'm a relatively average-sized woman living in a really, really small house, it is crucial that we train her right now. There will be NO taking off down the road after cats or jumping on guests when she is 80 lbs, it's just not acceptable. So last week, we started obedience school. The verdict is still out on how well she's learning, but I'm sure getting in a good workout on Tuesday nights.

I'll keep you updated on how the obedience training is going, but so far she's doing pretty well with "leave it" - that one comes in handy when you accidentally drop a piece of chocolate on the floor, your favorite pair of shoes simply can't take another gnawing, or you don't have the strength to hold her back from that roll of paper towels she's just discovered on the kitchen table.

It's definately been a summer I won't forget anytime soon. :)

cullinary therapy

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I am a firm believer in making soup.

Soup is the best, cheapest kind of therapy available. Eating it is great, but making it and then eating it is even better. Rainy day? Make soup. Feeling sick? Make soup. Budget tight? Make soup. In need of some comfort food? Make soup. Need to feed a lot of people? Make soup. While I tend to make at least a pot a week in the fall and winter, I'm usually less inclined to start boiling broth and chopping veggies when it's 95 degrees outside. But every once in a while we get a cooler, rainy day like today, and I can tune out the news, hum along to some Frank or Dean, and start tending to a pot of soup, and all is right with the world once more - for a little while.