Flip Flops

So I'm hoping to gather some opinions...

My favorite pair of flip flops are these plain black Tevas with skinny straps. Very simple and they're super comfortable. I've had them for a few years and they're almost done; I'm practically walking on the ground and my feet hurt if I walk in them for a while. I've been daydreaming about a new pair, but in brown. So last Friday, when I was out and about on the 'Whirlwind Wisconsin Wildman Tour' with Kris, I found the exact style and color I had been dreaming about; and only $12. After arguing with myself as to whether or not this purchase was justified under the Nothing New Project, I bought them anyway. I don't really think they are justified, but my feet were hurting in my old pair and I really, really wanted them. I decided that flip flops fall under the same category as underwear; you can't really buy them used.

So, am I a total sham? Any thoughts?

Inside Out

After a conversation with Stuart Hyatt a few months ago about clothing and his constant quest for a uniform, I agreed to make him a shirt. We hit up some thrift stores, he talked about his likes and dislikes, and I was left with a stack of shirts and the challenge to make him a favorite shirt. I ended up doing three.

To paraphrase my artist statement, I've been thinking about how fabric has a "right side" and a "wrong side" and how it's similar to how we interact with other people; we have a "right side" that we let others see and a "wrong side" that we keep hidden. In an attempt to create honest clothing, I turned the shirts inside out and exposed the seams, the insides of the pockets, and the undersides of the buttons; all the parts that are typically hidden. These shirts represent the beauty in being honest about our imperfections.

"The inside-out shirts are an honest attempt at honesty, as well as a homage to good craft."

Out of Debt

I've been getting a lot of response to my post about how I've been able to get out of debt so quickly (not on the blog, but a lot in person and on the phone response). Some of my friends are now considering taking the challenge as well. Amy told me about her sister Darcy, who is practicing being mindful of her purchases. She and her husband, Tommy, are getting out of debt fast with the help of Dave Ramsey. I had read an article of his a while ago when I was trying to learn to manage my money and I found it to be very simple and do-able.

New Frock

I've been thinking a lot about the number sizing system. My observation is that women stress about the number that is on the label of their clothing (Confession: I have bought pants because I fit into a size 4 and was excited to own a pair of size 4 pants). And the cruel irony of it is that women's bodies fluctuate in size regularly; from week to week, even day to day. What if our clothing didn't notify us of our bodies' minute changes? What if, instead of feeling a little too tight or a little too loose, our clothes were designed to give and take?
This top is my first attempt at such fashion utopia. It ties in both the front and the back, can be worn forward or backward, and is able to accomodate a range of sizes. The armholes fit a little strangely so I haven't worn it in public yet, but I'm going to try it out tonight.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

I've taken up gardening this year for the first time. Seriously. I'd never planted a seed in the ground in my life until 6 weeks ago. Since the apartment I'm renting doesn't include any land, I'm sharing a rented plot with Erik at Mrs. Krause's community garden. It hasn't produced much of a bounty yet, so I still buy produce elsewhere, (namely the Farmer's Market on 8th and Erie). But I now understand why so many farmers use chemicals. Weeding is so much work! Not to mention all the bugs chomping holes in my leaves.

Sublime Spaces

I can't help but plug the new show at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Sublime Spaces and Visionary Worlds: Built Environments of Vernacular Artists. The show features 22 artists from the museum's collection, all of whom transformed their living environments into works of art. These artists were mostly self-taught and used whatever materials they had lying around. These two pieces are from Emery Blagdon's Healing Machine.

Independence Day

July 4 may be the day that America celebrates its independence from Britain, but July 5 will go down in my personal history as the day I declared independence from my credit card debt. God Bless America! Nine months of just saying no to frivolous spending, and I've completely paid off my debt (student loan debt is in a different category). And now that I've learned to live within my means, I'm not worried about falling back into it.

So, this is what freedom feels like!