vive le france

       Dearest friends, you might be wondering why Ollie the Otter (henceforth referred to as Olivier la Loutre) has a beret on. Well, #1. I bought it at a rummage sale for him so it kind of fits in with the thriftyming theme, #2. he is celebrating Bastille day the only way he knows how, and most importantly #3. the time has come for a big announcement.....I have officially received my placement where I'll be working in France this fall! 


       Olivier was pretty upset that I forgot to bring him along to my last trip across the pond to study in Grenoble, so this time he is making sure that I don't make the same mistake when I head to Angers for 7 months in September! (Confused/never heard of Angers? Of course you haven't...see below!)

       Angers is the largest city in the Maine-et-Loire region, but at less than 1/3 of the population of Grenoble, that really isn't saying much.  However, based on my research it is a fun and quaint town that is known for its cut flowers (interesting claim to fame...). While there I will be a teaching assistant to an english professor for middle school to high school aged kids at Lycée Joachim du Bellay in Angers' downtown area.. 

Future lycée!

       It took me a long LONG time to decide whether or not to accept this position in France (and my deepest, sincerest gratitude goes out to all my friends/family/professors who discussed it at length with me back in May) but now that it's getting closer to the date I could not be more EXCITED that I did! I love Europe, I love France, I love cheese, and I love languages so this is sure to be an unforgettable experience.  Before my departure, though, I have many things to figure out and thankfully almost two months to do exactly that!!  Don't fear, though, I will ensure that I make time to continue being thrifty and crafty!

ming.

       

HBD, USA!

        Alright I have something to say in regards to the end of this patriotic week so listen up and take it to heart: we need to let this " 'Murrica " shizzbusiness fucking die. The first time I really heard it was coincidentally last fourth of July on the rooftop of a friend's apartment being exclaimed by a man with a camo hat, a mullet (probably) and some god awful man flops holding a can of Busch light decorated with the American flag. No. No no no. No NO. Guys, no! And the worst part was that he WOULD NOT STOP SAYING IT the ENTIRE NIGHT. Yes, I will be the first to admit that my first impression of this godforsaken catchphrase was clearrrrrly not the best, it's all I can think of when I hear it. Whenever anyone says " 'Murrica " I physically cringe at the mental image of some hoobody from bumfuck nowhere with a gigantic gun hunting squirrels in the backwoods down south or something. I don't know where this shizz originated from, I don't get why it's funny, I don't care, I don't want to hear it anymore, can we all just agree to stop?

       Alright cool now that that is over, happy (belated) 4th of July!  This holiday is wonderful because as far as I can tell, it is the only exclusively American holiday that has retained most of it's original meaning today.  

       For this holiday weekend, I decided to make a loose tank top since the weather topped off at close to 40 million degrees. I started with a loose lightweight silk shirt that I bought at a local rummage sale that wouldn't cause me to fly into a heatstroke during this absurd heat wave.

Smizing professional.

       I also had a sheer scarf from my good friend and BFARM from OWU, Kate, so I thought it would be fun to incorporate that into the tank. I also loved the shiny details and the sheerness and thought the color would go well with the shirt.

SOON TO BE NEW BESTIES!

       After cutting the scarf into strips, it was time to go at the shirt. Out came the seam ripper and off came the sleeves (which were a WEIRD shape -- had no idea they looked that way detached!). After that, I couldn't find my chalk to mark an outline, so I cried, which was weird, (inappropriate emotional reactions are one of my strong points) and then stumbled across some white eyeliner to use instead, which surprisingly worked flawlessly.

Oh god oh god getting nerrrrvous.....

      In my little mind, I was envisioning something with two stripes of the sheer fabric separated by about an inch and a half of the blue silk, but, like most times in life, my reality in no way followed my expectation, which (also like most times in life) was completely fine because what I made something I really enjoyed!

       So instead of having two stripes of the sheer scarf, I only ended up having room for one without the shirt looking really long and awkward. I had paid very close attention to how it was originally sewn when I was disassembling the shirt because it was a slippery silk fabric that I had never had success with tailoring before. As I was going though, I really liked the more unfinished Free People-esque look, and decided to let the hems hang out and not finish the bottom, which was really a blessing because if I sat hunched over at my Janome any longer I probably would have scoliosis today. 

       For the little guy's big debut, he went to a Finkler fam bash at Laura's residence in Lakeview which was full of her hilarious and vivacious extended family, then out in Logan square for an unintentional GG night of making friends with/hitting on/lying to hipsters.  Overall a successful night to remind me of what amazing and beautiful people I have in my life.

ming.

take your time

       Saw this shit in Goodwill, thought it was baller, bought it.  The story is not that interesting, but then again, neither am I (just kidding mom, I know I am, don't worry).

Suburban teen angst....nothing better.

       For the very first time in my life, I took the time to think about what I really wanted out of this dress.  Normally I get an idea, whip out the scissors, go all B. Spears circa 2007, get frustrated, inevitably fail, and then let the sad heap of fabric rot in my 'shit bin' located in the back corner of my closet indefinitely.  Well NOT this time! The other day I spent like 6 minutes reflecting, 23 minutes researching, and 5-7 minutes deciding and only THEN busted out the tools. Turns out that this process actually works!....details below.

       1. I reflected: I figured I wanted something that I could wear to work (read: T's and A away) but also something a leeeeetle interesting.
       2. I researched: I pulled out my fancy internet machine and went ham on ASOS, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie with my desires in mind.
       3. I decided: I picked out my top three that I thought would work easily with the fabric, then used a complicated algorithm ("eenie-meenie-miney-mo" as it is referred to by commonfolk/serfs) to reach a conclusion. Here was my choice:

Ta-da! Find it here!!

       I figured this wouldn't be too hard to make, so I went at it!  The dress was obviously way too long so i took off about 4 inches, and used the extra fabric to make the straps.  I found that it was easiest to sew the fabric together on the down side, flip it inside out (or right side in I guess...), then use a hair straightener to flatten the tubes. After cutting a deep scoop in the back and attaching the straps in a woven pattern I was ready to go!

ming.