OMG! Shuze.

I was about to give these comfy flats away (I never wear them) when it dawned on me that I could replace the not-so-chic bows with oh-so-sophisticated buttons.

(Did I just write that? I swear, if I don't get anything out of this project, at least I'll get offered a job as a caption-writer for a fashion magazine.)

Defeat.

After 2 failed attempts at an improvisational tam, I'm going to use a pattern. I can't wing it. (There, I said it.) I'm even making a swatch like a good knitter. I guess I have to learn to read a pattern eventually and I might as well do it while living under Amy's roof.

My Trip Through Oz

Friday night was the opening for Yuletide at the 1305 Gallery. I had my plastic purses in the show so I wanted to dress up for the opening. I had a simple outfit in mind, but at the last minute decided I needed something new (well, new to me). Amy and I hit up Valley Thrift and I found this brown and white wool jumper that fit me perfectly. New dilemma; I now needed brown tights to match the jumper. After frantically rushing from store to store to find a pair in my size, I got home and tried on the outfit that looked great in my head. I looked ridiculous. So I put on the original outfit, which looked more like me anyway, and I was ready to go in two minutes.

I drove to the show cursing myself for my wasted afternoon. All that effort and stress and money spent and all I had to do was click my heels together three times. I had what I needed all along!

My new goal is to scale down my clothing and accessories so that everything matches each other. That way everything is interchangable and I don't have to worry about having a pair of tights in every color.

New Buttons

This sweater came from the thrift store about a year ago and I'm 99.9% positive that it's handmade. I realized I had been avoiding wearing it because it was missing two buttons. I missed my sweater, so I bought these "new" vintage buttons from St. Theresa's Textile Trove (in it's new College Hill home) and it's my favorite again.

What's Happening to Me?!

I don't want to buy ANYTHING! Nothing is good enough! I'll go into a store with someone, and everything I see is...

a) poor quality
b) too expensive
c) i could make it
d) all of the above

And what does a girl have to do to get a freakin' used pair of size 9 winter boots that don't suck?!

You've Been Outbid!

So I tried ebay for the first time and it's effin' hard! There's strategy involved! I bid on a pair of snow boots for my winter in Wisconsin (btw, I'm moving to Wisconsin)and with two hours left, I was the only bidder. I went to bed thinking I had a new pair of boots, only to awake to the "You've Been Outbid" email. Next thing I know, I've spent the bulk of the morning obsessively looking at every single pair of size 9 snow boots, carefully plotting my revenge. I don't know if I like this...

Watchband

A girl on the bus had a watchband that looked like this and I coveted it (sinner). It's an old T-shirt cut into two long strips that wrap around the wrist one and a half times each. Then they're knotted.

Headband

I saw knitted headbands at Anthropologie (great source of inspiration) and just had to make my own.

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!

According to Recycling Fun Facts, "The highest point in Ohio is 'Mount Rumpke,' which is actually a mountain of trash at the Rumpke sanitary landfill!"

The Center for Land Use Interpretation tells more.

And don't forget the Rumpke Mountain Boys.

1 Down, 11 to Go...

It's been a month of living outside the radar of consumerism and so far, I haven't even suffered. Not even a little bit. I've been in stores and browsed, but I'm getting really picky about style and quality. If I'm going to spend money on something brand new, it had better be hot and built to last.

Most of all, I'm excited to keep pushing this thing further. I want to start using a hankerchief instead of tissues. And make my own lip gloss. And reuse my sandwich bags.

This is a fun game.

Frames!

(Above)
Since I can't afford new glasses, I had to improvise with nail polish.
(Below)
Amy made this earring holder with screen stapled into an old frame.