What's wrong with this picture...

Save for the headlessness of it all, does everything look to be in order? Well, let me give you a clue. My shirt is a shirt, but so is my skirt.

Meaning, yes, I am wearing a shirt as a skirt. What is even better is that I made the shirt a couple years ago.
When worn properly it looks something like this:

(fantastic armpit shot by my mom, on last year's beach vacation).

(shot from Awakening Conference 2011- me and my friend Rachael doing vocals.
Credit to Danielle Crosby)

So not only am I one of those "weird" people who makes their own closer, I also do things like wear them on the wrong part of my body.  Apparently is functions as lower body wear as well when I slap a belt on it. Good stuff, eh?

outfit details: gray tee= target. skirt=shirt I made with fabric from JoAnn's. belt=gift. monstrous wooden heels=bongo, but bought at goodwill. necklaces=handmade from bullets and vintage keys.

As soon as I am done with school for the summer (oxymoronically paradoxical, yes?)- NEXT WEDNESDAY- I am going to be making stuff. Skirts (real ones, not shirts) are on the list. Wicked easy too. Tutorial to come!

Maxi Dresses for Teapots...

Whats a maxi dress? One of those long,  typically jersey fabric, spaghetti strapped summer dresses.
What's a teapot, other than the obvious? I am. Well...no, not really. But remember the nursery rhyme? "I'm a little teapot, short and stout?" Yes. I am short. (barely five three!) Not truly stout, but I have incredibly stubby, not so long and model like legs.True fact: I'd be be like 4 feet tall if I didn't have a long torso. (This is fine, unless I want to wear something long. Then it's a problem.)

Anyway. Maxi dresses. I thought they were cute, but I had been avoiding them for the last couple years, due to the fact I am not 6 feet tall, even with my tallest heels on, and I figured I would just look horrendous in one. But today after school, in celebration of finishing my math final and being done with mathematics for the summer, I stopped at a store I like that was having a 50% off sale. And I came out with this dress for $4.

Apparently I don't look that short in it. I was skeptical of the horizontal stripes (notorious for making you look broader than you are, no matter what size).With heels, a belt, and my hair up I actually look ...like...TALL. Or ...Close enough.

It's a miracle, I tell you what.

Been there, done that, messed around...

On the topic of over-priced things I could make myself...

Ever heard of Elsie Flannigan and the Red Velvet Girls? I think anyone who has a blog, or reads blogs about anything artsy, creative, girly, thrifted, or vintage has heard of this chick. She is sort of the ultimate of all those things amongst female bloggers. A few weeks ago she announced on her blog that the much anticipated renovation of the "Red Velvet" (a business started by Elsie and her sister.) online store was complete. On the site she sells a variety of things, from vintage clothing, to hand made items from various contributors. It is some pretty cool stuff, most of the time.

Much like my Anthropologie "game" I never actually intended to buy anything, but I did look through the site to gain some inspiration. One item on there immediately caught my attention. It was bright and shiny. Glittering metal.

No, hold up. I am not talking golden, glistening jewels. Have you met me?
I am talking cold, hard less-than-glamorous brass. I'm talking bullet casings. 

Listed was a collection of necklaces on chains, made from glass crystals (apparently with some sort of superstitious powers? Yeah. Whatever) and re-purposed  bullet casings. Handmade by some people called "The Lost Boys and Lovers." And it could have been mine (or yours) for the meager price of...$50!?

Whhhhat? Fifty bucks? Are you kidding me, Flannigan? Sure, it is pretty, but it is nothing but a chain, an empty bullet shell, and a piece of glass.

I bet you can guess what happened next, right?

If you guessed I got up, grabbed a casing from the Smith and Wesson .40 I shot a while back, a mess of gold chains from a vintage necklace bought from Goodwill to be hacked up, some wire, a black glass bead, and a tube of superglue, YOU'RE RIGHT (wow, you guys know me so well...)

 20 minutes later (and for so much less than $50) I had what was in essence the same necklace. I am so happy and I have been wearing it a ton.

 Today it is looking awesome with my $1 leather jacket, combat-esk black boots, skinny pants and ridiculously orange shirt dress. Oh yeah, you best believe I can rock a bullet hanging off my neck by chains (and you can also be assured I sing a line or two of "Bulletproof" every time I clasp it on!).

Money saved; awesomeness done. Good times all around.

"I could make that"

^^that phrase is probably the most common thing I say when I am shopping in any store that isn't Savers or Goodwill.

It is a phrase that has been ground into my head my whole life. Never pay (especially over-pay) for something that you could make for yourself. My grandmother and mom both say it all the time. They will flip through magazines and browse through store racks announcing that they could do it themselves. (or better yet, my mom will often say "bella, can you make me this/one of these/this thing/etc").

It is so true though. I am an artsy and creative person from a family of people who are also artsy and creative. We make stuff. I think you have all noticed that I make a lot of things- crocheted, knitted, sewn and otherwise. I think of it as art. It makes me incredibly happy to take an idea in my mind and create a real-life, 3D thing. It makes me even happier if I get to do that and I can also save money. I do so as often as I can.

If you've been around my blog for any period of time you've probably also noticed that I love the store Anthropologie. But I don't mean I love shopping there. I love STANDING in it (and I often do). I don't think I even so much like the merchandise as much as I like the store atmosphere. They do sell wonderful, artistic things, but they are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO overpriced. Maybe non-artsy people like to pay hundreds for that sort of thing, but I know I could probably like 60% of what that store sells myself. And it would be cooler because I did so. Also a good lot of the stuff I couldn't make I could get somewhere (even thrifted) else for a lot, a lot cheaper. Funky sweaters, sundresses. vintage glass wear, old looking jewelry? Oh for sure! I take it as a challenge. People pay for brands. People pay for convenience. Silliness, I tell you.Maybe I am weird and very cheap, or maybe I am really smart and frugal. You pick.

I was in the store this past week, soaking in inspiration and artfulness and afterward I went on the website and composed a list of things that I could (though I don't necessarily ever want to) make. Here it is some of what I found.

Ahmara skirt. $68

I could make this, in a different pattern but same shape. Couple fun fabrics. Done in like an hour or just a bit longer. Way cheaper.

Convergence Skirt- $78

I could pull this off in an afternoon out of a men's XL dress shirt.

Which by the way I am going to do.

Cost probably under $10.

 Zuma shopper bag-$275

If I found a nice fabric I could make this in a day. For like $8.

Knotted Tagalong Tote-$498 (!?!?)

Not that I would ever want a bag with a giant bow on it, but it someone else did I could do it. 

For so much less that $500.

Sometimes always I wonder know if that women are absolutely insane!

Study of Shapes Dress- $158

The colors in this are great, but other than that it is a simple dress.

If I set my mind to it I could pull it off. 

I'm sure I could find a cheap curtain or bed sheet to use as fabric at some place like Ikea.

Merveilleux Necklace- $428

I don't know why ANYONE would wear this weirdness, but even more so 

I don't know why they would pay that much for a ribbon and 5 plastic beads.

I could seriously make 98% of the necklaces listed (though most are unattractive).

Firecracker Necklace-$428

This one is kind of cool. I like all the random stuff.

But what is super random is that PRICE!

I could do that. In a half hour. With stuff I already have. 

I think I will!

Dutch Wax Collage Cuff-$38

So ugly...?

But if I wanted something like that I could buy vintage stuff from Savers, 

all for about $6, stick it on a cuff and get the same effect.

From a Seed Clip-$18

These I have already made.

Scrap fabric, button, glue gun, bobby pin, half hour.

Ombre Gardenia Pillow-$128

Do these all the time. 

Scrap fabric, or better yet, dinner napkins, with some stuffing or existing pillow. 

Probably like $12 at most.

Sari Throw- $198

This is nothing but a loosely crocheted combination of miscellaneous yarn.

Could do it if I wanted to...

Climbing Vines Curtains- $108-$168

I could easily make most of the curtains on there in an afternoon.

The only thing unique about them is the fabric patterns. They are just simple panels.

This would be so simple to duplicate with fun patterned king sized bed sheet.

Like $20.

I hope I just challenged you in your way of shopping. I do understand that not everybody has the craft skills I do, or even the willingness. But maybe next time you are in a high price store take a better look at what you are paying for. The actual product, or the store label? Could you make it yourself? Could you get it elsewhere? I promise you that it is so much more fun (and money saving) that way. And you also get bragging rights. Stuff, saved money and ability to brag? What more can you ask for!?

All that being said I am now off to the 50% off, President's Day sale (clothes for sale, not dead historical figures) at Savers!

Guns and Glamour...

This is my right arm, aka my bracelet arm. Silly bracelets seem to collect there in large quantity. The friendship bracelet is the colors of the Italian (and also Hunagarian!) flag, made for me by my 11 year old cousin. The white and rainbow one was made by me while babysitting a 9 year old (we made matching ones that said our names. But the black letter wore off.) The rope bracelet reminds me of my childhood (I used to get rope bracelets every summer and wear them until they were super grungy.) Under the rope bracelet is a glow in the dark sting ray silly band that was bestowed upon me by a four year old (I jokingly say I am wearing it in the memory of Steve Irwin). And the brass and silver one I made today. It has a cool story too. :)

Look closer. Those aren't shiny giant bugle beads, my friends...

Those were made out of these...

 Which were left over from what did the below pictured damage on this past Saturday morning.

Yup. That is right. :) :) :)

In case you are feeling confused, my bracelet is made out of brass bullet shells from a .22 I shot on Saturday morning (bigger holes are from the .40, which is way cooler, way harder to shoot, and has shells which are impossible to turn into jewelry) when my dad and I went shooting (again!)
Maybe it is super ridiculous to turn something as not girly as bullets into a piece of jewelry but...hey, I couldn't resist. It was far too easy to drive a nail through them and put them on string. I shot that gun and thoroughly killed that papertargetzombieman. I deserve to be able to do whatever I so please with what was left over. Huzzah for recycling!

Come on, you had to admit, it is pretty cool. One of a kind and super edgy (like me!). And it makes a great jingling sound every time I move my arm...

Yeah, I know, I'm a weirdo. But I can shoot paperzombies AND make jewelry. How much more well-rounded can you get?

Birthday Funnanigans.

Today is my best friend "Emikel's" (Emily Michael to the rest of the world) birthday. She is 19, graduates from cosmetology school next weekend, and...she is amazing.

Yesterday, for her birthday, she and our friend Sam(antha) got their noses pierced. My friend Louise and I went along for moral support and to pretend we were their mothers (or something). Em and Sam have been planning to get nose piercings...well...since forever. Like 7th grade or something. And yesterday they finally went and did it. They TRIED to get me and Louise to do it too, but (to quote myself) "My nose is the same yesterday, today and forever."

But still I had fun. Just about anything with those 3 girls is a good time.

Pictures:

 *oops. Finger on the flash. :)

 Nosies, prior to piercings.

 Emikel, PRETENDING she was nervous. As you can see she has had needles shot through her ears many, many times so this was no big deal for her. Honestly, she didn't even flinch. 

 Sam, with a NOSE RING!

 Marked and cleaned.

Checking out the placement before they put the needle to her nostril.

 Final product. Stud in nose, and wearing her new birthday hoodie 

(made by ME! She is a piratical chick, like myself, and this suits her perfectly. Purple is her favorite color, she loves skulls, and if you look closely those are swords, but HAIR CUTTING SHEARS!)  

You're so cute, Emily Michael. And I love you. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

 

Recent Makings.

You know me, I am always either making something or planning what I will make next. Creativity and artful expression keep me sane. So what have I been making lately? Let me show you.

First, after making the decoupaged dresser project, I went on to decoupaging something else: LETTERS.

When I was at Joann's picking up some supplies for the dresser I grabbed 2 cardboard letters that I had a project in mind for. My sister Lacianna's 16th birthday was coming up (it occurred on Wednesday!) and I wanted to make her something unique. So I grabbed her an "L". I planned to paint/decoupage it and hang it over her bed. (Also grabbed me a "B"...yeah, in the real world outside of Bloglandria people shorten my name to Bella)

First, I painted the edges out in "DareDevil Red" (left over from the dresser.

 Next I went crazy with magazine clippings and mod-podge. I tried to make each one unique to our VERY DIFFERENT personalities. It was fun cutting things out and then separating them into piles, trying to figure out what best fit me and what best fit her.(I got all the wordy, English, Literature things. She got all the plaid, girly, dramatic, colorful things)

Then I put some stick adhesive strips on the back and stuck them over each of our beds. Hopefully now when people come over they won't ask "Which bed is yours?"

Fun and really easy project. The cardboard letters of that size were $6, but they came in different sizes (also in wood) ranging from $3 to $12. Very affordable. Quick and expressive way to personalize a shared room! (also I would be GREAT in a dorm room to separate out "zones", don't you think? If I lived in a dorm I'd do it!)

Then yesterday I made something else. After talking to my jewelry creating friend, Lety, I was feeling inspired. I pulled out my jewelry supplies and got to it.

 I took these (I have a HUGE bead collection. For a long time I was really into making, and even selling, jewelry. I took every opportunity to buy beads by the cup, by the bag, by the lot. A good majority of what I have are vintage glass beads.)

 And made THIS!

I combined a TON of my glass beads, all colors, shapes, and sizes, with bugle and seed beads and created this BEAST. It looks like something bigger than it is. Really it is 3 strands (I doubled it over when I put it on, otherwise I would hang down to my naval...), all strung through one giant-holed yellow bead in the back. It is a little heavy, but very fabulous. And I can match it to like 500 outfits because it in cooperates SO many colors.

So is what I have been doing. Anybody inspired to create?

In other news I will be spending this weekend in Cape Cod on a youth retreat (*I'm going as a leader). Hopefully some pictures or videos will appear here on Monday to fill you in on all the fun I had!

Happy almost weekend everyone! May I highly suggest making something? Well, with or without your permission, I think I will. GET CREATIVE, PEOPLE!