A Micro-Portfolio : Jackets

These are some examples of bound button holes, fabric yo-yos, and volume molding.

Birthday Parcels

This year I made each of my sisters a parcel which opened to reveal a festive birthday party scene, with bunting, messages in bottles, origami envelopes stuffed with notes, clippings held by clothespins, recipe cards on a key ring, tiny birds, and all sorts of odds and ends.

Lessons From Madame Chic : My Thoughts, Pt. 2

When I was in junior high, other girls snubbed me and talked rudely about me behind my back, for lots of reasons, but I unfairly blamed my clothes. There was one winter when I had only 4 or 5 tops and a couple pairs of jeans. I think a ten-item wardrobe was even more than I had to work with!

Now, as a 20-something, I'm thinking about scaling back my clothes to not much more than that again, but this time it's my own choice. For one thing, my closet is full to the point that I feel like throwing my clothes on the floor when I take them off at night, rather than hanging them up; that's a sign that something is out of balance. In general, I want less waste to be produced in the world- and waste is what a lot of that stuff in my closet is. I can live without it. I believe amazing clothing deserves to be worn as much as possible, and if I'm wearing that, then the other stuff serves no purpose at all.

So I enjoyed Jennifer L. Scott reinforcing my feelings. Here are my notes on Part 2.

Part 2 // Style And Beauty

• Chapter 4 // Liberate Yourself With The Ten-Item Wardrobe
• Chapter 5 // Find Your True Style
• Chapter 6 // Perfect Le No-Makeup Look
• Chapter 7 // Take Care Of Your Skin
• Chapter 8 // Look Presentable Always
• Chapter 9 // Practice The Art Of Femininity

Part 2 // Style and Beauty

• 4 // Limit yourself to 10 spring/summer everyday clothing items and 10 fall/winter everyday clothing items. (Not including outerwear, special occasion dresses, accessories, shoes, and tees/camis that you only layer under other items.) I love clothes, and French dress was the whole reason I got this book, so I'm going to ramble a bit about this. ///// A small wardrobe makes perfect sense to me. I don't understand girls who have 50 pairs of jeans; how many days are in a year? When are you going to wear all that? Most Americans think that you shouldn't wear the same outfit twice. Ridiculous. Why should you wear that skirt with a different top each time if there are only two or three tops that really look good with it? What a shame to discover an amazing outfit combination and then never wear it again! ///// She suggests wearing 10 items for two weeks or a month, to test it out. Some people's perfect "10" may be closer to 20 or 25. All of your 10 items must be able to be mixed and matched with each other and of good quality (but not necessarily expensive). This will force you to only buy things that you really love and that really fit you. You will always look good and you won't waste time deciding what to wear. ///// Every season, you can buy a few new things to supplement what you already have or replace those things that will need to be retired soon. She suggests splurging on the following things  (mostly accessories): coats, shoes, sunglasses, handbags, cocktail dresses, jeans, watches, and jewelry. These will last you a long time, and they can dress up the less expensive items. The way I treat my sunglasses, though, I don't think I want to spend too much on them! I would have to get a protective case for an expensive pair, but I don't know that I'd use it! I don't think I would spend much on jeans either... They seem to wear down faster than just about any other clothing. I'm going to sew my own jeans from now on anyway!
• 5 // Name your signature look. Then, only buy things that fit into that sort of collection. Every several years, you can assess your wardrobe, and if you have grown in sophistication, it is time to change.
• 6 // Look as though you're not wearing makeup, even when you are. I am clueless about makeup, so I paid attention to this chapter. It turns out I pretty much have the au naturel look down pat! The au naturel look that many French women have on any given day includes a light foundation (powder or a tinted moisturizer), blush, mascara, and a neutral lip color. The even more au naturel look is just concealer, mascara, and lip color. Define your eye with eyeliner when you want to look playful, edgy, or artistic. Define your lips with a bold color when you want to look feminine. Spritz on a finishing spray so that you don't have to think about your makeup for the rest of the day.
• 7 // Drink a tall glass of water in the morning and another in the evening- and more throughout the day as you remember. Get regular massages to combat stress and clear toxins from the body. (Where have I been? I did not know massages could do that!) Designate a towel just for your face to keep residues off your face. Your ring finger is the weakest digit; use it whenever you need to go gentle on your skin, on your eyelids for example.
• 8 // This could be the day you first meet someone who will one day be one of your best friends, or maybe even your spouse; you should always be dressed for it. Throw out any worn-out or unflattering clothes; if you don't have them you can't wear them! Don't save your best clothes for special times; you can wear them then, but wear them now too! Choose an easy hairstyle (It's nice to know that free-flowing and simple is the Parisian way, but I already fall too far onto the messy and undone side. My hair answers will not come from this book.) Wear nice pajamas, even if no one will see you in them.
• 9 // Beautiful surroundings make you want to sit up, so if you want good posture, buy furniture that demands it. Find a signature fragrance for yourself, and wear it every day.

A Micro-Portfolio : Shibori Scarves

 

All of these were made by me in a fabric design class I took a couple of years ago. Some of the techniques used here were mokume (the stripes on scarf 1), karamatsu (the circles on scarf 1), pole wrapping (scarf 2), board clamping (scarf 3), and simply twisting the fabric tightly onto itself and securing it with minimal rubber bands (scarf 4). The last scarf is my favorite to look at, and the first my favorite to wear.

Heather's 20th

 

 

In the morning we took a girls' day out. Heather wanted to go to Waffle House, so that's where we started. The four of us squeezed into a two-person booth; when our food arrived, we practically had to stack one plate on top of the other, but I guess that's part of the diner experience! We all ordered waffles. I ordered a double waffle against the waitress's advice. For some reason, I thought a single waffle was half a round, and a double waffle was a full round. I don't know where I got that idea! I got two full waffles, but Andrea and Kayley were happy to help me eat them.

After that, we took a spontaneous trip to Kohl's. All of the girls bought a few things each. I am happy to say I did not. That is the French Method at work.

When dinner time rolled around, we had a finger-dipping-food party. Wings, chips, and veggies with barbecue sauce, spinach cream cheese dip, honey-tabasco sauce, ranch dressing, and queso.

I gave Heather a chocolate fountain, which she'd been asking for, and we set it up immediately. We didn't add enough chocolate to get a lovely flowing curtain, but it was still fun. It was more like a game of "Who can hold their skewer in just the right spot to catch the biggest drop of chocolate when it falls?" We dipped strawberries, pretzels, and pound cake. And we played Chatter Matters.

We saved the pretty cake for the following day. My mom copied another cake that was pictured somewhere on the internet, but with a few changes. The silhouettes she cut with a craft knife out of edible paper, and the fun rope border is fondant.

Lessons from Madame Chic : My Thoughts, Pt 1

Last fall, an Italian blogger, who has a sophisticated but youthful and slightly edgy style that I adore, said that she was going to be using the "French method" (or a French something or other) for shopping from now on. Basically, I got the idea that she was going to buy only five items per season. It didn't sound as though she made up this "method", and it sounded intriguing to me, so I went on a search for resources on the French way of dressing and shopping. I don't think I've found the ultimate authority on French style yet, but I did come across this little book, Lessons From Madame Chic. It's like a big sister who is passing down all her wisdom to you, only she's a French big sister.

The author, Jennifer L. Scott, is American, but as a college student majoring in theatre, she studied abroad in Paris in 2001. She has nicknamed the family she stayed with "Famille Chic". They were of aristocratic descent, somewhat wealthy, very traditional and well-mannered and quintessentially French. They were also intellectual, modest, and hard-working, and they seemed to live an ordered, balanced life. Their behavior was so consistent in every area of life it was almost unbelievable. I figured that this family's status would give us a false impression of the French, but then again, who wants to emulate an average person from anywhere? Ms. Scott insists that most of the French people she met follow these same "lessons" that she learned in the Famille Chic home. She shares some of the values and habits that the French have that allow them to go through life with more passion and grace than we Americans manage. There are a lot of "do"s and "don't"s in this book, but I don't mind being told what to do; I decide what to do and what to ignore.

Title // Lessons from Madame Chic : 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris
Author // Jennifer L. Scott
Year Published // 2011

Here are the first three lessons. They're pretty straightforward.

Part 1 // Diet And Exercise

• Chapter 1 // Snacking Is So Not Chic
• Chapter 2 // Deprive Yourself Not
• Chapter 3 // Exercise Is A Part Of Life, Not A Chore

The following is not really a summary of the chapters, but rather a few random new things that I learned and want to remember. This is the practical advice.

Part 1 // Diet And Exercise

• 1 // The French don't snack. They always sit down to eat, even if it's just a croissant and a cup of coffee. Allow yourself to feel hungry and build up an appetite before a meal. This sounds obvious, right? But hunger feels like such a real, immediate need that when it strikes I leave whatever I'm working on to snack. (This tends to happen when I want to procrastinate anyway). She would tell me to treat myself to a fun activity- a walk or a book- rather than snacking.
• 2 // Be mindful of what you're eating, and treat it as a delicacy. The delightful presentation of French food has a purpose. You will approach beautiful cuisine slowly and with appreciation and not eat too much. That makes sense to me. Making all my food look pretty sounds as though it would take a lot of time, but at least I sit down now for breakfast. It's a start.
• 3 // The French don't go to the gym. Walk outside and explore your own neighborhood. I live in a subdivision, so it is quite a long walk to any store or place where I'd have a real purpose for being, but I'm resolved to try! Cleaning your house is good exercise too.

Part 2 is about style and beauty. I will go on and on about that, so that will be a new post.

Dallas Career Day

So many firsts happened last weekend:

• My first time to fly by myself
• My first time to stay in a hotel by myself
• My first time to walk on a runway as a designer
• My first time to win a scholarship because of something I designed

Success in any amount is delicious. It makes me want to keep working, to finish, to do even better. If I could win a first place category like this, what could I do if I worked really hard?

Money Management Fun

I'm not always organized, but with money I am. Super-organized. I actually enjoy making a budget and balancing it... particularly on payday. But I'll do it any day, especially when I have a big school deadline to procrastinate! These are some of the strategies I've learned from my own experience in keeping track of money.

 

• Note every little thing you spend (or make) money on. I take all my receipts, and I even carry a small sticky note pad and a pen inside my wallet for writing down those transactions that don't have a receipt- like loading cash onto my Metro card or getting paid for babysitting. I store them in a couple manila envelopes. For most purchases, I throw out the receipt after a month or two.

 

• Record your transactions in your personal budget software or paper ledger every single evening. That's when it's easiest to remember what I spent and where, particularly when I paid with cash. It's not a big job; usually I don't have more than 1 or 2 transactions a day. This ritual also reminds me of how much I have left to spend in my budget categories; if it's been 2 weeks since I last entered any data, I may not have as much to spend at Starbucks as I thought I did.
• Have a $1000 minimum emergency fund, and keep adding to it. Especially if you drive. When I was 19, I hit another car at very low speed in the parking lot and left scratches on two of his side panels. Rather than have my insurance premium take a hit for the next several years, I paid the owner out of pocket. Actually, I wrote him a check, not a cashier's check, just a normal check. If I were him, I'm not sure I would have accepted that; after all, I was really young, and at the time of the accident I was wearing a fast food uniform! I had the funds in my account though, and while it wasn't fun to see my hard-earned money go to that, it was a blessing to realize I had the money and this wasn't going to hurt me.

• Adjust your budget percentages if they aren't working. I have done this countless times. I don't like constantly borrowing from one category to pay for another; it makes no sense. Sometimes it hurts to see what percentage of your paycheck is needed to pay for a bill or a spending habit you have, but a budget has to work. Make your percentages work for what's going on in your life right now, and if you find a way to cut expenses or kick your indulgent habits, you can readjust then. I'm kind of extreme; if one of my budget categories dips below zero, I'll often rewrite it to zero and pull the rest of the funds from non-essential categories or categories where I've built up excess. For example, I just paid my dad for my portion of the auto insurance. I knew this was the time of year to pay, but I expected that only 6 months' insurance would be due; actually, the premium for the entire next year was due all at once. I paid what I could out of the insurance category and stole the rest from my gifts and spending categories.

My Favorite Healthy Grab-n-Go Snacks

I'm often in a rush when I leave for school or work or even for an emergency trip to the store. I appreciate a snack that is already prepared, packaged, and contained so that I can literally pick it up as I walk by without missing a beat and drop it in my bag without worrying that it will spill everywhere. If I don't bring a snack with me, I frequently buy something far less healthy and more expensive than anything I would have bought at the grocery store and made at home.

Here is what I've been eating recently:

• Baby carrots (I like the ones that come in single serving size bags. Someone once told me that baby carrots are washed with Clorox, so I buy the organic ones. I don't know if they're any better, but I feel safer.)
• Red bell pepper (Needs to be cut open and seeded at home, but at least it's not as sticky and juicy as most other fruits. My sister told me it is the most nutritious fruit there is! I don't know whether that lofty statement is true, but any produce with deep color usually is packed with vitamins.)

• Roasted chickpeas (A great substitute for crunchy, salty, and spicy junk food, because they're all that, minus the junk. I once ate a whole batch in one day. The recipe is here.)
• Almonds (I toasted them once, and they tasted like popcorn, but they're delicious raw)

• Chickpea cookie dough balls (I've made up a few variations of these: almond butter, cocoa powder...The original recipe is here. They're a little less clean, but I toss them in a small Pyrex bowl with a lid and take a napkin. They're best when they're chilled too. OK, so these are not really a good grab-n-go snack, but I keep making them anyway!)
• Dates (I love the bulk Medjool dates that contain the pit. The pit preserves the freshness, so they're sweeter and moister than the pitted ones. I really don't understand people who don't like dates. This is my ultimate sweet tooth satisfier.)

Sometimes (when I've not been managing my time very well) I will bring everything on this list and call it lunch!

The Penny: My Thoughts

The Penny tells the tales of several characters, most of them strangers to the others, but who make choices that bring them to one place on one pivotal night that will change each of their lives, for better or for worse.

OK, I feel as though I'm repeating a promotional blurb, so I might as well quote the description on the back of the DVD case:

"Ten years after a tragic accident, former detective Jack Carter wants nothing more than to be a good father and husband, but his life begins to unravel through the actions of people he hasn't even met. Rebellious teens, a gas station owner, criminals, and a washed up cop all have plans of their own. Suddenly , these six lives begin to fit together in a completely unexpected way. Some would call it fate or destiny, others just bad luck or even coincidence. But is there more to it? The answer lies in a penny."

The film is rather emotional at times. My mom couldn't stand to watch it, but the rest of us enjoyed it, though I'll admit I got moist eyes. I thought I knew in general where the plot was going, but there were surprises thrown in along the way. The acting was not great but good (I'm comparing it to other small-budget indie Christian film projects). The father character impressed me, and I'll talk more about him below.

Title // The Penny
Studio // Filmweavers LLC
Year // 2010

Themes:

No event is insignificant. There are ramifications to everything. Everything and everyone is interconnected. Our own futures are being concocted right now out of people we have never met and events we have no clue are happening. What I do right now will impact someone else another day in ways I can't imagine.

God has a reason in letting bad things happen. Good will come of it later, perhaps in the life of the same person or a different person. We forget that our own life is not the full story of the world; a relatively minor inconvenience to us could be the circumstance that saves someone else's life. We don't even realize how many times our own lives have been saved from dangers we were completely unaware of, precisely because God prevented them from happening.

The old fathers-need-to-be-present-in-their-children's-lives theme was there. It's not that I don't agree with it; I do, but it comes up in almost every "Christian" film, and it's so obvious and preachy. I'm glad I'm not a man; I don't think I'd be able to stand it that every Christian film was trying to teach me a lesson!

With that rant over, I will say the theme was presented a little differently here. The dad really wanted to be involved in his teenage daughter's life, but he misunderstood her. She was pretty spiteful, and even though deep down she wanted her dad to do things with her, she always rejected his invitations when he suggested that they go somewhere fun or work on a school project together. The father didn't realize that she was testing him and he wasn't insistent. Both of them failed to communicate truthfully to each other. While they both wanted a deeper relationship, they seemed to think that it would happen without any effort on their part. It took a near tragedy for the daughter's heart to open up to her dad.

The father was a surprisingly strong actor in a part that must have been very hard to play. We meet him in the first scene as a courageous police detective, the leader who is tough on criminals but who knows how to boost the morale of his nervous comrade. When his plans go wrong and he finds his comrade shot to death, his display of raw grief is just overwhelming. He retires from the police force, and the film jumps forward several years, where we find him working a quiet job as a mailman to provide for his family, then coming home every evening to take care of his wife, who has an undiagnosed, debilitating illness, and his three children. He takes care of the cooking and cleaning and still makes time to play with his kids and tuck the younger ones in bed. There are so many emotions that he feels- weariness, tenderness for his wife, concern for his daughter- yet he handles it in a manly way. He's incredibly selfless and sacrificial. He's the rock for his family.

On another positive note, I was happy to see that the teenage girls dressed modestly, even when wearing their volleyball uniforms. The daughter's friends were portrayed as out-of-control, but in their physical appearance that only manifested itself in heavy make-up and brightly colored clothing.

The Art of Procrastination: My Thoughts

This is a tongue-in-cheek book by a lifelong procrastinator, who, it seems, has come to accept himself as he is and wants to encourage other procrastinators not to waste time trying to change themselves, but to use their natural tendency toward procrastination to get stuff done.

The book is short and conversational and full of funny, relatable anecdotes. It's so nice to know that there are lots of other procrastinators, and they have the same thoughts and habits I do.

Title // The Art of Procrastination: A Guide to Effective Dawdling, Lollygagging, and Postponing
Author // John Perry, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, Stanford University
Year Published // 2012

I'll summarize each chapter and the wisdom I gleaned from it. So far, I have not implemented any of it, but I hope it will become part of my psyche.

INTRODUCTION : The Paradox of Procrastination // A "structured procrastinator" is someone who accomplishes a lot while they are busy avoiding doing something else. Procrastinators, just get rid of the guilt and feel better about yourselves!

I : Structured Procrastination // Often, what we think are the top priorities are not the most important things in life; procrastinating is a roundabout way of doing things that should be done. Procrastinators shouldn't minimize their commitments. Doing moderately important things is a lot better than doing nothing.

II : Procrastination and Perfectionism // Procrastinators want to be perfect, but, like anyone else, they usually do only an adequate job- right at the deadline. Avoid the emotional turmoil by giving yourself permission to do a less-than-perfect job from the very beginning.

III : To-Do Lists // Procrastinators need a constant sense of accomplishment during long projects. Break down your job into a series of small steps. Try to foresee distractions and include things that you should NOT do, so that you can check them off when you avoid procrastinating! Make your daily list the night before and fall asleep imagining yourself getting stuff done.

IV : Get Rhythm // Make playlists of upbeat songs and play them whenever you need to get a job done. It is easier to start a task when you tell yourself that you'll work just for the duration of the playlist.

V : The Computer and the Procrastinator // The internet and TV can create a false sense of accomplishment. Start your session soon before a natural interruption will take place. Decide what a decent amount of time on the internet would be, and set an alarm to interrupt you then.

VI : A Plea for the Horizontally Organized // Procrastinators function best when they can see everything spread out before them, and they have a difficult time putting their things away in the middle of a project; if they do so, they aren't likely to take it out again.

VII : Collaborating With the Enemy? // Partner with Type-A get-'er-done varieties. They will inspire you to be more like them, but they will also take away your power to decide to procrastinate.

VIII : Fringe Benefits // While you're sitting on a task, it will sometimes get done by someone else. Or become simpler or irrelevant. Or you'll learn something new pertaining to how it should be done. Just be aware that it is a flaw.

IX : Do Procrastinators Have to Be Annoying? // Procrastinators annoy non-procrastinators. Non-procrastinators should know that we really do feel guilty about it. The author theorizes that childish spite is at the root of a lot of "structured procrastination;" we want others to know they can't control us.

X : Deep Concluding Thoughts // We are a big bundle of disparate desires; for some of us the desire to be rational is not very strong, and we end up as procrastinators. However, thinking and dreaming is the structured procrastinator's gift, and spontaneity is the only way to do it.

Appendix : How to Kick the Habit - Read at Your Own Risk // If you realize that procrastination is making you unhappy, attack it from the other end and just work on being happy. The author suggests using Google Calendar (and putting in events such as "Quit wasting time and get to work") and LazyMeter.com's to-do lists, but he advises against searching out too many tools or reading materials on procrastination. That will really only be another way of procrastinating.

Banana-Mango Breakfast Milkshake

It's really just a smoothie, but you can almost believe that there's ice cream in it.

Ingredients:

• 1 mango
• 1 pear
• 1/2 banana
• 2/3 c. milk
• 1/4 t. vanilla extract
• 1/2 t. honey

Freeze the fruit for about half an hour, and then whip it together in the blender.

The best thing about smoothies is that your fruit can and should be overripe. The bananas and pears are bruised, and the pit of the mango is splitting open, but once it's blended up and you can't see the blemishes, the fruit tastes sweeter than ever!

Little Black Dress 2014

I entered the Little Black Dress Designer competition on Saturday. Fifty beautiful dresses walked down this runway, and only sixteen were chosen to move on to round two. Mine wasn't one, which was a relief in a way. Losing is less work, and I have a collection to finish!

This is the first time I've competed against students from other schools. It is a tough crowd in which to stand out. Even among my classmates in collections class this year, I've been feeling less talented, less skilled, and less professional than I have in previous years. The closer I move to the top, the more the field narrows. Of the hundreds of students that take the beginner design classes, only a handful go all the way to the end and design a complete collection. When I started, my professors were quite impressed with how neat my work was and how tasteful my designs were. It seemed that no matter what I did, I would always get an A, and I started taking that for granted. I had somewhat of a prideful attitude when I compared myself to 90% of the other students. Now only that top 10% are left at my level, and I'm not the best. That's been a good thing for me to realize. I'm not the most self-disciplined or industrious. I'm certainly not the most creative or innovative. I'm not even the most technical or clean. I'm really kind of average.

I have room for improvement. I like the way that sounds.

I would, however, like to know where the judges thought I fell short. There were some shoddy construction details for sure. Was it that? Was the fit not quite right, or that the darts were too pointy? It was a rather simple design and didn't put on the show that some other dresses did. (But this is the Little Black Dress, for crying out loud. You know, classic. Chanel. Audrey Hepburn. I don't want to sound like a sore loser, but I thought my dress channeled those iconic ladies more than most of the other entries.)

I learned a big lesson that I failed to heed at Career Day. Work and work up until the last second, if that's what it takes to finish, and don't give up until you either submit your work or get turned down. I showed up two minutes after the drop-off window was supposed to close, and there were still several students in line, so I just stepped in behind them. I wasn't turned away. I'm so glad I put in the effort to get there, rather than sitting at home feeling sorry for myself and assuming I had no hope.