Love Letter to Marc

I don't look at alot of fashion shows; I used to cruise style.com alot more religiously, but I feel like I can get alot more inspiration from fashion bloggers and magazines than straight from the runway. However, Marc by Marc Jacobs has always been an exception. He never fails to inspire me, and make me want to spend ridiculous amounts on his clothes (Can I rationalize it, now that I have a job?!? Questions, questions...)
And I'm looking at these pictures and being reminded of exactly why I love him so much...

I love how he mixes prints, and this (along with alot of other looks) makes me want a crazy patterned sweater for winter. Right now I can't even think about wearing layers, but when the temperature starts to drop, I'll definately be going thrifting.

This look really stood out to me because the design looks alot like the skirt pattern I'm making. The fabric I'm making it out of is very different, but no less crazy; maybe I'll wear it with a button down like this?

I know, I know, I'm not  boy. But I would wear this in a heartbeat, on one of those days which sometimes happen when I'm not feeling girly at all. Or, maybe I could just get a new boyfriend and coerce him into dressing like this? Hmm. I think if I could just get hold of that cardigan, I'd be pretty happy.

This one's from his Fall/Winter show; see why I need a big thrifted sweater? This seems like such an easy and accesible winter outfit for me. You know, on those lazy days when concocting something super interesting seems out of the question, just throw on a big sweater and go...

Oh Marc, you never fail to impress me with your awesome prints and basic amazingness.

Love, Christine

Humidity and an Epic Pattern

It's so humid today that when I stepped out of the house into the outdoors, my glasses and camera lense fogged up. So, please forgive the wierd quality of these photos.

(Shirt; F21, Tank, Shorts, Shoes; Target, Purse; Vintage, Sunglasses; Urban Outfitters)

Detail shot of the purse; another super pretty, old beaded purse I love. This one seems more fragile to me, because I broke the strap to another one just like without even being rough. So I don't use it alot, but it's gorgeous. Also, literally half of all the things I'm wearing here are from Target. I love Target clothes to a (probably) odd extent. But hey, whatever.

Yesterday I was sick, so I stayed home from work and basically laid on my couch and watched Desperate Houswives and knitted. I rarely ever watch tv, normally just movies, but I watched about 7 hours of it yesterday. Today, I'm feeling mostly better; I'm starting to cut out the pieces to my skirt  muslin, and later I'm gonna go hang out with some friends. No work for two whole days; I feel rich!

Anyway, I was browsing Etsy this morning with my coffee and came upon the best pattern ever:

Doesn't this pattern just scream, "Make me in a vintage floral, Christine, like the kind your great Grandma just gave you, and I will become an awesome Katy Perry-esque top you will love and treasure and wear out on crazy adventures?" I thought so too. Can't wait till it gets here! I'm gonna make it in view 3 (the blue polka dotted one). So excited, but must finish the epic skirt first. I want to wear the skirt so badly, but yet have no motivation to make it. Is that odd?

Outfit Post

Oh man, getting to wear real clothes after my gross Sonic uniform feels great. I dressed up just to go to Joanne's and buy some zippers; I'm starting on a muslin for a skirt which is going to be EPIC when I'm finished.

(Shirt: Vintage, Bag: Vintage Dooney and Bourke, Belt: made by me, Skirt: made by me, Shoes: thrifted) 

I love this shirt. It says "Hold on to Me: Someday I may be Valuable" and it's a tourist tee from the Virgin Islands. Well, shirt, you will be glad to know that 30 years after you were made, you are worth $15 at Cheap Thrills Vintage. It's so soft and nice.

Back from Camp, New Project

Just got home from summer camp yesterday, and I'm TIRED. Of course I have to work today, though, which kinda sucks but at least I'm making alot of money from my ultra-tiring job. Anyways, camp was awesome, but no real pics to show from it- I brought my camera, but I ended up being too occupied with having fun to remember to take pics. It's a shame, because the camp is beautiful. Sitting on a huge lake, surrounded by thick woods, we're talking picturesque stuff. It rained alot while we were there, but luckily it was always sunny during our four hours of free time a day, when we swam in the lake, played on the Blob (huge lake inflatables), went tubing, climbed on ropes courses, and explored a cave. So... yeah. What did I accomplish when I wasn't being outdoorsy? I started a new scarf.

This pic is with flash- it's not this bright, and in real life it's not shiny. This yarn is super non-fancy, it's like acrylic and some other synthetic, because my, umm, teenage budget didn't allow for wool? Okay, that's a lie, I had just spent my money on other things. Anyway. I almost feel guilty working on a knitted project for myself, because I have a literal waiting list of people who want one. It's crazy. But I really wanted to make this, so that's okay.. .right?

This photo's kinda blurry, but more true to the color.

Detail shot!

The scarf will be in stripes in these colors. They won't be small stripes; I will keep knitting in each color until I run out of that yarn, then switch to a new color. Big, fat, chunky blocks of color. That's the plan. Oh, and also, if you want this scarf pattern, it can be found here.

Generous Gifts

Today we went to see alot of my family in a town I'll refer to as Middle of Nowhereland, Oklahoma. We went to my great grandma's house. She's lived in this small town all of her life, worked at the school there, had kids there, and she was also an avid seamstress the whole time. She's made literally hundreds of quilts in her life; everyone in town has at least one, I kid you not. She's older now, 94, and she can't do things like that anymore. She is finishing up what she plans to be her last quilt. So she asked me if I wanted any of her fabric... She told me I could have whatever I wanted, although most of it was in very small scraps. Everything shown below was in large enough pieces to make at LEAST one garment, although some of the pieces have at least 3 yards. I'm so grateful right now.

This is actually super shiny in real life... Don't know what I could possibly use it for, but it's pretty awesome.

This is a very small piece, but I loved it and its vintage-y look.

This is the first piece I plan on using; I'm gonna make it into a high-waisted skirt with a tie belt and pockets. Perfect with a plain white V-neck, right? It's also a bit shiny.

I envision this sweet old floral as a soft button down with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of old jeans. Just like a Gap ad.

This big, beautiful floral reminds me of the Golden Girls. right?

May make this one into a skirt for my little sis, she LOVES it and the colors look great with her skin tone.

This lace was the smallest piece, I will probably use it for more crafty things instead of garment making. But, no plans yet, it was just too pretty to leave behind.

Maybe my favorite. I believe this piece is from the 50's, and I'm in love with the print- birds and baskets? Cool!

Honestly, I have 3 yards of this crazily awesome and doubt it can be made into clothing. At least, clothing appropriate for me to wear. However, I took it for purely sentimental reasons. A quilt my great grandma made me has this same fabric in it, and I remember a long time ago when I was at her house she gave me a scrap of this, and I made it into a little dress for a clothespin doll. I thought it was so beautiful then, and I still like it....

I have alot of projects ahead of me now. It's a good thing I love prints. I need to learn how to mix them better in my outfits, or else I'll run out of things to wear....

In the Garden

This skirt used to be almost floor length- I bought it at Goodwill in some wierd state of mind that I would look good in a skirt skimming my ankles. Well, it sat in my closet (of course), and I suddenly had this mental image of what it would look like with  a peplum- so I chopped off the bottom nine inches, hemmed it, and re-sewed the extra fabric onto the top. It's only in the front, though- there wasn't enough to do it all the way around. Whole project took about an hour.

I didn't even wear this today. Working 5-6 days a week means I'm normally in my Sonic atire, because when I get home from work I normally watch movies with my friends at home. No attractive outfits reqired. I actually made this skirt a couple of weeks ago, just didn't get around to posting it.

My little sister has a garden- she's growing peas, zucchini, beets, tomatoes, cucumbers, and some other stuff I forgot.

That's her checking something out. I absolutely can't wait to have some fresh produce to cook with....

A duck watching over tomatoes.

Mint growing in our stock tank- it's taken over really fast. I don't actually know what to do with it....

Unripe zucchini.

Unripe tomatoes.

Zucchini blossoms. Summer's so beautiful...

In Praise of Vibrams

(Me and my Dad, the Narrows at Zion National Park)

So, these are pretty much the best shoes I've ever owned. Well, not even pretty much. They ARE the best. They cost almost $100, depending on the style, but that ended up being completely reasonable. These guys are so comfortable, and they're healthy for you. They exsercise your toes, and also whole new mucles you didn't even realize you had in your calves. I go jogging in them, and it's great. My legs hurt for DAYS, guys. I mean, in a good way.

(The Virgin River, Zion National Park)

The best part is that you can't even feel that you're wearing them, once you get over the initial awkward feeling of jamming each individual toe into its tiny respective slot. It feels like you forgot shoes, and you've just been running around barefoot- the way we originally did. Sounds cheesy, but it's a great feeling. You can feel the textures of the ground beneath you- when you're walking on grass, versus tile, versus carpet, pebbles, or pavement. You can feel the cracks in tiles through these guys.

(My feet at an outdoor concert)

Basically, I love taking pics of my feet in them. They're awesome. I hiked the Grand Canyon and Zion national park in them, and it was way better than any tennis shoe or hiking boot I could have worn. They're grippy yet lightweight, and they offer protection without taking away the feeling of the terrain.

(Same concert, now henna'd up)

I know they're far from fashionable, and to be honest, I don't wear them out much when I'm not excercising. But they have a special place in my heart, and when I'm going on an adventure, they're what I immediately slip on. With a little bit of toe effort, of course.

(Note: About Eclipse: I hate to admit, but I really enjoyed the movie, although the farther the films go the more I hate Edward. Really, girls, why DO you like him? He's clingy, overprotective, jealous, obsessive.... His face leaves alot to be desired too. And it really seemed like everyone in this movie was determined to be, well, pissy. I just want Bella to legitimately smile, even once, and look like she means it. Too much to ask? Maybe. Anyways, liked the movie but mostly liked Charlie. And the Harry Potter trailer.)