go girl, it's your birthday

By the time I finish writing this post, I will officially be 22 years old. What an incredible year it's been! I have to say I have had a very full (and abnormal) 21st year. I wanted to reflect on what 21 looked like for me, because it was a year of extraordinary change.

19 days after my 21st birthday, I boarded a plane and left Michigan for California. I felt unbelievably exhilarated. It was my first big step into adulthood⎯leaving the town I grew up in to take my first real job, in a place where I knew almost no one.

Taught U.S. History in an L.A. high school for the summer (HAMILTON FO'EVA!!). It was at Teach For America's Institute that I made 8 of the best friends I have ever had. I'm a lucky girl. I couldn't have made it without them. Co-teachers for life~

Came to Oakland on August 1st and started living in my first apartment ever! This included a major step of moving in with my partner, Henrik; he drove across the country to be with me while I do Teach For America. :) Now that's love.

Soon after⎯started my first year of teaching! At 21 years and 3 months, I started teaching high school Resource to 11th and 12th graders at a charter school in Hayward. Two years ago, I would have never thought myself capable of handling the immense responsibility that comes with being a teacher. Two weeks from the end of the school year, I'm happy to say that I made it! And I loved it! I'm so ready to do this again in the fall. :)

Of course, it wasn't all work all the time (though it definitely felt like it on more than one occasion! ;) ). I had visitors, adventures, and big life events. Here's a sampling!

That was 21 in a nutshell! What a crazy, intense, exhausting, mind-blowing, hilarious, humbling, joy-filled, agonizing, beautiful year. Would I trade it? Hell no. I have lived my 21st year in a way that is abnormal, filled not with parties but IEPs and not one-night-stands but 5-day-weeks. I have spent more time with 16 and 30 year olds than I have with people my own age, and I'm good with that. Though I graduated over a year ago, I have learned so much this year⎯about classroom management, about how to manage money, about public transit in the Bay, about the faith of children, about what hard work feels like, about learning disabilities, about organizing events, about making phone calls and trying to speak Spanish, about cooking meals, about utter and complete exhaustion, about not giving up, about being vulnerable, about being wrong, about loving your work so much you can't stand it, about laughter, about how good I have it. 21 was an incredible year, and I'm sad to see it go. I'm proud, though, to say I lived it the way I did⎯and I'm definitely ready to see what's next for me. Cheers to 22!

and ps. my birthday song, awww yeahhhh:

blogger interviews: ron

Ron

@

Dresses on a Clothesline 

 

1) How did you first start thrifting?
When I first started reading style blogs I noticed that some of the best outfits had thrifted or secondhand clothes but I was too terrified to go into secondhand shops on my own. It wasn't until I started university and me and my friends wanted to find some cheap costumes for Halloween that we ventured into all the nearby thrift stores that we could find. In one I found the perfect pirate coat and went as Captain Hook. Ever since then I've been returning regularly.

2) What items do you advise to always thrift (as opposed to buy new)?
The most obvious is statement pieces. Big trends come and go very quickly and there's no knowing how long they'll last. If you thrift the trend (or DIY it) then you're less likely to feel guilty about having spent a lot of money on a statement piece that was only fashionable for a season.

Another item, and this is going to sound odd, is tights. The thrift stores I go to sort though all their items to remove anything old, torn or soiled (even if it smells a little they don't sell it) so their hosiery and underwear are all new or in perfect condition. Often it's brands of a higher quality than I would buy new. For example, I recently bought some children's tights, brand new in their original packaging, with an original price of £26 for only £1. A word of warning though, not all thrift stores are this picky and always examine, test and smell pieces before buying to avoid disappointment.

3) You work at a thrift store--how does it work? Any insider tips?
Thrift stores get a LOT of donations (seriously, mountains of the stuff) but not all of it is fit for sale, so we sort through it all to make sure the stuff on sale doesn't smell, isn't stained or torn and is actually wearable. The stuff that doesn't make it to the shop floor is recycled, it can end up in other shops or end up overseas but only the worst of the worst end up in textile recycling.

The best tip is to make friends with someone that works at your favourite thrift store, or volunteer there yourself! Make a friend who knows your style and they'll be able to hold items for you in the back room so that you get to look over them before they go on sale.

4) What is your favorite "DIY" project you've tried?
My favourite project in terms of the result is the simple adjusting of a dress. It's amazing how quickly a frumpy 80's dress can become cute and chic just by taking off or adjusting the sleeves and bringing up the hem. Other small adjustments such as adding lace or studs adds an air of intrigue to an otherwise boring item.

The most enjoyable project to do is to cover things in glitter. The results can be a little fragile but getting glitter everywhere is priceless.

5) What is something a first-time thrifter should avoid?
Going in to a thrift store with a defined agenda. Keep your mind open, you might not find that sequined maxi dress but you might find something else amazing. Also, if you don't find what it is you want, don't give up! Keep going back regularly and you're more likely to find everything (and more than) you need.

polka

Happy Memorial Day, folks. :) Had a very low-key day. Woke up early to go thrifting with my bestest pal Elissa (50% off sale at Thrift Town in the Mission, aww yeah) and then worked begrudgingly for the rest of the day on my final portfolio. Ick. I managed to get away from the apartment later⎯to go pick up my prescription from CVS. My life is a thrill a minute!

Hope you all enjoyed barbecues and beaches and other things I think people that are cooler than me do on this particular weekend! :) Maybe next year, I'll have a more eventful three day weekend.

blouse: Urban Outfitters ~ shorts: thrifted vintage ~ loafers: thrifted vintage ~ bow: American Apparel

american girl

This Memorial Day Weekend, I'm trapped inside with a lot of work; my final portfolio for my credential is due June 2nd (aka the day after my birthday, so lord knows I need to do it now). I did manage to escape for a few hours today to go grocery shopping. I decided to wear some patriotic gear to show some spirit, so I found my striped shorts and blue blouse and called it good.

blouse: thrifted vintage ~ shorts: Urban Outfitters ~ boots: Urban Outfitters

To be honest, I was a little nervous to wear these shorts today. I bought them a few months ago and have been avoiding wearing them. I gained a bit of weight this year (as most first year teachers do) and went through a period of being fairly self-conscious about it. But⎯to hell with that. No sense in being down on myself. My body will fluctuate and change as my lifestyle fluctuates and changes. I've got what I've got, and I might as well enjoy it! Bring on the short shorts, I'm not scared.

Enjoyed a great meal with Henrik; we tried to make it as "American" as possible, which sort of worked? Instead of burgers, I had a salmon patty and Henrik had a veggie burger. (I'd say that's close enough). We had corn, too, and Henrik has an apple pie in the oven. I have a good life, I really do. Hope you all are enjoying the long weekend! Shout-out to my barely-older-than-me cousin, Johnny, who just got back from Afghanistan. Love the bejesus out of him.

chic for cheap: day 1

Last week was what our school calls "Week Without Walls." To raise morale of both teachers and students, our school has a week where teachers can teach whatever they want and students sign up to join. Staying true to myself as always, I organized a thrift/DIY/blogging WWW⎯"Chic for Cheap."

I was assigned a small group of girls, and given a few days before the week to prep them, get permission slips, etc. Monday was our first real day, and it was a big one⎯the day of the actual thrifting!

After some planning, we walked the 10 minutes to the bus stop down the road. It was an ugly morning, very gray with the threat of rain looming overhead, but the girls were excited to go shopping and so kept negativity at bay.

We arrived at the bus stop and discovered that we would have to wait 20 minutes for the next bus. The kids decided the best way to pass the time would be to stuff their faces with hot cheetos bought from the gas station next door.

After another 20 minutes, we had arrived at Eco Thrift! Eco Thrift is definitely my favorite thrift spot in the Bay (keep a look out for an Eco Thrift info post in the future).

The students were given an hour and a half to thrift. These were the rules:

1. Purchase at least 4 items.
2. No swim suits, shoes, or bags.
3. No "trendy" labels (Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, H&M, Free People, etc.).
4. The total cannot exceed 17 dollars.

Simple enough! With that, the kids were off on their first thrift adventure.

As I'm sure you can imagine, paying for this all was quite the adventure! I have to give some serious props to the staff here for being so accommodating of our very complicated purchase. After 2 solid hours of sorting through clothes, slipping in and out of dressing rooms, and waiting in line while calculating the sales, the students finally had their first thrifted items. The next day's task? To buy supplies to alter them.


I'll post more soon, but now I need to run and get groceries because the only things in my fridge are three gargantuan jars of pickles (not joking). Hope you enjoyed this peek into our first day, the rest is coming asap!

blogger interviews: kathleen

Hey guys! :) See, what'd I tell you⎯feeling much better. :)

This past week, I was working with my students to create some kickass thrifted DIY fashion. Some fantastic bloggers you may (and should!) know were kind enough to do interviews so that the students may learn a thing or two from the experts. As I start posting stuff from our Week Without Walls, I want to also post the interviews because they were awesome and because these ladies rock. With that said, here's Kathleen!

Kathleen 

@ 

Inspirafashion

1) How did you first start thrifting?
I was actually introduced to thrifting and vintage shopping by my Mom.  She has a collection of beautiful thrifted pieces, in particular my favorite are her wool coats/blazers.  Long time ago, she brought me along to first thrift store ever, Goodwill.  It was so fun searching for unique and fun treasured pieces for an amazing price.

2) What items do you advise to always thrift (as opposed to buy new)?
I always love finding cool blouses because they're kind of like a basic for my wardrobe and something I don't want to buy new necessarily.  Also, cool items I love thrifting are structured bags.

3) What is your favorite "DIY" project you've tried?  
I loveloove my recent leather jacket I studded on the collar.  It makes the jacket look more fun and oddly enough, more expensive with silver studs from my perspective.  DIY projects are such great ways to add your own flare to items and make them into something you'd feel more comfortable wearing out.

4) What is something a first-time thrifter should avoid?  
First time thrifters usually are overwhelmed by the amount of clothing available at hand.  I'd say take it in with small steps and go to a particular area you are more interested in finding a nice piece to add to your wardrobe.  Also, avoid just picking out items with your regular size -- thrifted items can either be belted or if they're too long for jeans can be cut off to shorts.

5) Favorite place in the Bay to thrift?
I am obsessed with Wasteland -- every time I go there I always score a great pair of Levi's shorts.  One time I got these cool slashed Levi's denim shorts that were tie-dyed red previously.

6) Current trend you're really digging?
Gotta love the ombre colored tops or dresses, they add this cool effect and make a boring clothing item more interesting to the eye.

via

7) Do you have any advice for fashion bloggers who are just starting?
Blog about what you love -- whether it's fashion design, trends, personal style, or all of the above.  Passion and genuineness are great factors to a blog.  Most importantly, have fun with your blog journey!

melancholy: sad songs for sad folks

Hey all. Had a really full week, and I have lots and lots of things to show and tell you guys, but I've been feeling really off today so.. yeah. I've been having a lot of good days, nearly a year of them really, or maybe even two. This is one of the first bad "down" days I've had in a while, and I'm not sure what triggered it. I'm just feeling really sad. I'm sure I'll snap out of it, but for the moment, I definitely am glum. I hate knowing these moods still live within me somewhere. Come on, brain; get it together.

What do you folks do when you're feeling blue? Henrik convinced me to get up and get some ice cream, and I'm very glad he did. Sometime soon I'll do a post about the ice cream place I discovered this week and now adore, in case you end up in Oakland and are looking for a sweet treat.

Aside from ice cream, I like to listen to sad music. I'm one of those folks who likes an extra dose of something; if it's cold, I crave ice cream, and if I'm sad, I play sad songs. It's as if I want to amplify the feelings so as to rid myself of them. Anyways, most people who know me know that my iPod is filled with:

1. sad folk music
2. slightly cheerful folk music
3. Tori Amos
4. every 90's song that ever existed
5. booty-bumpin' jams
6. anything else potentially tear-evoking

so, I have quite a lot of melancholy tunes to choose from. If you guys are interested, here's what I've been listening to today: a playlist for a gray, gloomy Saturday. Next time I post, I'm sure I'll be in much higher spirits, but for now I'm just gonna eat my lemon sorbet and listen to sad songs.

"I Wish I Knew" - Sharon Van Etten

"So It Goes" - Chris Pureka

"Carry Me Ohio" - Sun Kil Moon

"Fish" - Wye Oak

"Especially Me" - Low

"It's Okay" - Land of Talk

"Simple" - Martha Tilston and the Woods

"The Way" - Mia Doi Todd

"Different Stars" - Trespassers William

"Candyfloss Branches" - Kat Flint 

"Doughnut Song" - Tori Amos

"For The Widows In Paradise, For The Fatherless In Ypsilanti" - The Good Natured

"Holocene" - Bon Iver

"Heartbeats" - José González