side hustle #14.

y'all know about my hobbies, right? graphic design, cooking, jewelry making, photography, writing,etc. well now i'm interested in sewing. i started a class last week and this is how i feel about it :

there's so much to learn, so many mistakes to be made and so many factors that go into making the perfect garment. and poking yourself with a quilting needle feels like a small death.

i sound like i'm complaining, but i'm actually quite thankful for the opportunity. the instructor is relatively inexpensive, compared to the large commercial classes offered at Jo Ann's Fabric. and she's really patient, which is good for me considering i'm a tard. i literally have a question a minute.

why am i sewing? well, i have a habit of coming up with great ideas in my mind, then i'll spend all my time searching online and malls for something that doesn't really exist. also, i'm tall and curvy. not everything that i fall in love with loves me back. it'll be nice to have tailor-made clothes. as i get older, i'm learning that i have expensive taste. i could literally save 90% by making things myself. so i'm going through frustration now, in order to eliminate it in the future. i hope & plan (& pray) to get good at this. i enjoy being self-sufficient where i can.

my instructor said she was impressed that i finished my skirt in the 1st class, since no one else has made that type of progress. i'm still trying to figure out if she's making that up.
i went back yesterday to add some Elle B flair to it (the vertical ruffle). had to make it fit my personality! i meant to take pictures of the process, but i was so overwhelmed it didn't happen. here's the finished product.

transforming trash.

my latest trip to the thrift store was a good one. (anytime i make a purchase i'm eager to wear/use/display, it's a good trip.) i don't usually have much luck at goodwill, i mainly use them for old school cameras for my dad's collection. but this time, something in the air told me i was gonna get lucky. and i did! when i found this gem, i actually spent a good 3 minutes laughing at it and turning it around and inside out trying to figure out what exactly it was and who would wear such a thing. well, apparently i would. seriously, on the hanger it looked like a hippie potato sack. i tried it on to be funny. though ample boobs are a gift and a curse, that day i felt gifted since this type of dress needs curves in order to define it (beyond a potato sack.)
it ties in the back and the bottom is elastic, so i can hike it up and slut it out or wear it to "meet the parents".
that night, i showed it to my sister - who's older, conservative and lives in a box. she looked at it like it was a freak show at the fair. it was then that i knew i'd picked a winner.
i'm pleased, but it's so very stylized, i fear i won't have a chance to wear it until the spring. *sad face*

i also found this cutie.no, i didn't buy it. but i laughed at it for a while. is this not an old school cell phone case - circa zack morris?? hilarious.

speaking of old cell phones, during my preparation for a garage sale, i found all my old ones. 2000 - 2008 -->
my 1st one, the ericsson, was given to me for christmas during my freshman year of college. i needed 2 hands to hold it because of the weight and it was prepaid. once i called my parents to tell them i'd made it back to school safely, it was pretty much done. ahh, the memories. and i had about 12 different snap-on cases for my nokia. who DIDN'T have that phone at some point? that was when Snake was the best game on a phone.
i feel old.
the one in the middle was cool because i could program the color the light would flash as well as the song that would play for a particular caller. i believe this was unprecedented at this time. so all 4 of my crushes had a song i'm too embarrassed to share and a flashing red light. regular people got blue. i never claimed to be normal.

booby gap.

i have 2 consistent obstacles that make it difficult to shop for clothes - my height and my boobs. this cute, simple, ON SALE dress would have been a nice addition to my closet had it not been for the booby gap. there's no way around it. i've tried pushing through it before and ended up looking like a classless whore. my tots aren't even that big, you'd think i was a double D.
anyway, i shared because i'm pretty confident i'm not the only one afflicted by this nuisance. i guess i'll try to re-create it myself.

like mint & chocolate: sweet harmony

the recessionista in me screams a little every time i hear of a worthwhile fashion collabo. more and more designers have started using their right brain along with the left, to offer more affordable options to the masses. *screaming* YESS!!!
some noteworthy partnerships:



Christian Siriano 4 Payless




Jimmy Choo 4 H&M (which isn't in atlanta because most chicks here just don't get it)




Miley Cyrus/Max Azria 4 Wal-Mart
this tank is great, i got mines for $3

dreams really do come true

jimmy choo shoes from $55 - $140. yesssssss.

exclusively at select H&M stores.

you're welcome.