Job Applications, The Sequel

A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that I disliked writing out job applications. But I have put my nose to the grindstone and finished six in that time period...so I guess it doesn't matter if I don't like it, they still had to be done. 

Plus, who knows what crazy awesome opportunities may open up through said jobs? 8D They're all for dude ranches in Colorado, Montana (I think), and a kid's camp in Illinois. I'm really leaning towards a couple of them for sure, but it all depends on who responds. *crosses fingers*

This might seem like a random career change, but really it's not...when I was 18 I applied for a job out West, didn't get it, and haven't had an opportunity to apply since then. Now I can, and I'm really looking forward to whatever comes out of it. 

Tonight, because I was excited about the prospects of getting a job out West (yes, I know, I might not, but I'm still excited), I started looking up Western clothing on Pinterest. None of these things are ones that I would buy...but I'd probably make something inspired from them.

These are all from an Etsty shop called True Rebel Clothing. It's pricey, but definitely an interesting place to get ideas.

I'm getting somewhat obsessed with drapey, twirly skirts. Considering I hardly ever wear skirts, this may be a problem. On the other hand, this may be just what I need to get the sewing machine whipped out and in operation again.

Some Recent Projects

Last week I took off from work. Originally I was supposed to go with Mom down to Florida, but because I'm sick and we didn't know what I had I just stayed home, both from Florida and from work.

(I went to the doctor on Friday, was diagnosed with acute bronchitis, and put in a regimen of powerful antibiotics. Sigh. Mom thinks I'm developing asthma, because in the mornings I cough so hard I can hardly breathe and have to gasp for air. Ees kinda scary...but I have an inhaler for those moments so thus far it's all good.)

Since I was off work all week, I pretty much did nothing aside from piddle around doing this and that. Though I did make pierogis for the first time, and they turned out delicious. They were way easier to make than I thought they would be, too...let's just say the frozen ones will never be an option again. 

I also made a few things for the heck of it--not as much as was planned, but a few things. 

Item #1: (yet another) denim skirt

I've kinda got these things on the brain. My inspiration was found on Pinterest, but said inspiration was also made out of jersey fabric instead of denim. It still turned out okay. Next time I'll do two tiers of the vertical panels for continuity's sake. Otherwise it's very comfy and I can't wait to wear it more this fall.

All the strips were leftovers from a previous project where I made a blanket for my bed (that cut down on a lot of the prep time), and the entire thing was put together with my serger. I love that thing to death, man. It makes clothing projects go by SO much faster.

Item #2: personal pumpkin pies

Another Pinterest-inspired thing...though I made it with butternut squash instead of pumpkin. And they rather shriveled up upon cooling, to my dismay...but they still tasted deliciously like pumpkin pie. 

Item #3: button earrings

And ANOTHER Pinterest inspiration. I spend way too much time on that website. 

These were taken late at night, hence the mediocre quality...but you get the idea. They jingle pleasantly when I wear them and are just fun.

I've been having fun wearing them, at least. ^-^

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Last Saturday I took some senior pictures for a friend of mine from church--after they're edited I'll be posting them up here. I think they turned out really nice and I can't wait to post them. She's pretty excited about them too (aren't you, Lizard? :D)

For brevity's sake...

"...they called him Bossuet."

Wait, wrong quote. Ahem. Les Mis, step over for a bit.

So I'm on a schedule (self-imposed, really, but still important) to finish several projects. But in the meantime I figured I'd ramble about random stuff, but keep it all somewhat concise.

First off, I got an awesome teapot yesterday!

It's from the Adagio Tea company, and while it looks small and flat it holds 34 ounces and is made of cast iron, making for a nice, heavy pot. It will last me forever and never ever break ever.

I love the finish. It's just so aged-looking. :3

I did have a problem with a spill (the spout was plugged with paper or something, and the tea was spilling out from under the lid. Once it got unplugged it was fine).

Last night I got commissioned to repair a ton of jeans and make some skirts...thus, this is what my room currently looks like:

Am I the only one who thinks it looks like my bed threw up all over my floor? Those are the scraps and contents of a body-bag (okay, it's an under-the-bed storage bag, but it's the general shape and size of a body-bag) of fabric...it's a good think I saved them, all things considered, but it's SO messy.

These are the holey jeans. There's about 7 pairs here, with another slung over the back of my desk chair and two more freshly patched and stuck in the bag of 'completed' items. I get a lot of time to sit and listen to sermons while sewing.

(I'm currently listening to this series on Luke. I just finished part 29 out of 100 last night...it's so cool. I love Mark Driscoll.)

And! And and and! Last week I went shopping for some clothes at a second-hand store (albeit a very classy second-hand store). While poking around I found this awesome black leather bag/backpack. It was brand new, incredibly soft with a large interior, and bolted to the wall so it wouldn't get stolen. XD So I admired it and petted it for a bit, checked the price tag, and decided that I wasn't going to spend $75 on a bag. I went home with some clearance-rack stuff instead. (Yes, I'm cheap. I'm okay with that.)

So two days ago, after I came home from work, Mom said that something came for me and was sitting on my bed. Lo and behold....it was the bag! She had heard me talking about it and got it for me...I have a great mom. :3

So here it is in all its lovely soft slouchy majesty!

There are SO many pockets...and the interior is enormous. And it's so soft that I just want to cuddle with it. I needed a bag upgrade rather badly--my current/old bag is an army messenger style thing that my grandpa used in WWII. And while it's done a fabulous job, it's starting to rot and shred away in places and I'm just waiting for the straps to give way one day. O.e

Last but not least: The Hobbit is going to be a trilogy! At first I was skeptical, because The Hobbit isn't THAT long. But I've been reading through the Appendices at the end of Lord of the Rings and read The Quest of Erebor...and I can't WAIT to see how it all works out. There's so much material and stuff going on in the background that I'm happy they get the chance to tell the entire story without feeling the need to cut bits out so we aren't sitting through two 4-hour movies (though I wouldn't complain at all. Just sayin'.). 

So I'm now excited about that, even more so than I originally was. Yee. :3 

Now it's off to patch stuff...wish me luck and I'll try to update somewhat soonish.

Bread Failure, Impossible Music, Stuff

Yesterday I was trying to make bread for Farmer's Market. (When I say 'trying' I mean 'trying to keep from having a PMS conniption fit while making bread'. It was a rough day yesterday.) The first 3 loaves of white bread turned out somewhat gnarly--they're fine texture-wise, but they had a lot of air bubbles and have weird cracks and stuff so they look meh cosmetically speaking.

The wheat loaves are hardly even worth mentioning...I have no idea what happened, but when I say 'hard as a rock' I'm not kidding. If a person knocks on them, the dog goes running to the door to see if someone is there. It's that bad. (And he did it 3 times, so at least he's consistent.)

All three were like this. O.e I think I forgot the salt or something. But I was so out of it yesterday that I have no idea what really happened. 

Fortunately two of them went into making croutons, and one went into something called an Apple Brown Betty (courtesy Pioneer Woman). So they weren't wasted...but they're still HARD. Ugh.

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Today on Tumblr I found this song:

WHAT IS THIS I DON'T EVEN. 

Yes, it's a midi...but someone DID write that music. And it's completely impossible unless someone had 20 piano players doing different parts at the same time. It's also very catchy, which has resulted in my listening to it several times today. Heh.

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I made a corset mock-up last night. :3 No picture...but it's made out of denim and a zipper because that's the most fabric I have on hand. It fits pretty well--though if I make a 'real' one it'll have a shaped top instead of looking so much like a tube top. O.e There's a bag of blue and silver Japanese-looking brocade in a bag (I've had it for ages but never tried making anything with it--too scared, I guess) that would look really pretty in a real corset...hmmm.

Why did I make a corset? Well. The steampunk genre has me captivated, and I'm trying to making as many things costume-related as possible. The bloomers/skirts are next. >:D And, should I get good enough, I'd like to make a librarian costume based off of this:

Not EXACTLY like this...but I love the bag, and the belt, and the coat, and the earrings, and...and.... *splodes*

Ahem. So yes. Plans and ideas....they are stewing in the brain-pan. More as things culminate, I suppose.

Some more projects

I think I mentioned in passing the other day something about some other projects I've been working on...well, new pictures haven't been taken but that's okay. You can still see what they are without a total visual revamp.

Last weekend there was a city-wide garage sale (so I heard, anyway, but I only saw 2 in my ride around town), so I stopped and grabbed this dress that caught my eye. It's simultaneously huge and, while technically not hideous, it's not flattering at all on me. (Hence no pictures of THAT.)

 (This is the front.)

The woman I bought it from says she used it for an angel costume. I just thought it looked interesting and repurpose-worthy.

There's crocheted stuff all around the bottom of the skirt, along with around the sleeves. I'll figure out a way to incorporate it somehow.

The back has this long train with a faux bustle-type thingy--interesting insofar as figuring out how bustles are made, but thoroughly unflattering when actually worn. 

Thus far I've dismantled the entire thing--the skirt was so long that I was able to separate it into two sections horizontally, and the bottom section is so large that I can wrap it, doubled, around myself twice. I have plans for some bloomers...a slip/shift...something along those lines. 

The bodice had a green velvet lace-up thing on the inside, but it was unsalvageable. The outside of the bodice could be worn backwards like a cropped vest, as long as one doesn't mind having a forest of lace ruffles on the back. And the sleeves might be able to be reused...I don't know. So far, I plan on using every bit in one way or another whether it be in clothing or even quilting fabric. This stuff seems pretty versatile (it's made from a heavy cotton overlayed with lots and LOTS of lace).

It's currently lying in a heap on the edge of the piano. But it WILL be used.

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And the other project! I've wanted to make one of these forever, but preferred teetering on the edge instead of plunging forth and DOING it. (Partially because I didn't have a suitable book.) But now it's done (mostly), and here are the fruits of my labor.

It just looks like a normal book, right? Well, that's the idea anyway.

Ta-da! It's a book safe! Originally it was going to be a normal rectangular hole, but while planning out the dimensions of the inside I remembered that I didn't have a place to put my iPod (I'm forever putting it down and forgetting what I did with it). So here's the solution.

Am I the only one who cracks up at the 'Best of luck, old boy!' quote in the middle?

The little half-moon thing is a finger hole so I can pull it out without turning the entire thing over. The circular hole is for a magnet (I have one, but am not sure how to insert it). And the rectangle at the bottom is for cords and a pair of earbuds (if my pair ever shows up again).

I used the tutorial over at the Art of Manliness website (minus the green felt) with some inspiration from various tutorials on Instructables and looking at pictures of other people's book safes.

I used the book 'Memoirs of an Infantry Officer' because it's supremely dull and probably would have been donated if I hadn't saved it. It's a blah book but it makes a great safe. (I do love books. But boring ones have other uses besides being read.)

So there 'tis. That's what I've been up to, more or less, when not working etc. Here's to more creativity!

Some random things

And they shall be filed randomly. So there. XD More randomness after the break! (This is a rather long post. ^^;)

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens...

I almost broke out into song there thinking of a title for this post...consider yourself fortunate that I refrained. The initial idea was thinking of things of the favorite variety--namely old books and interesting clothing. I managed to acquire both during last weekend's trip to Florida. So without any further ado...

...zee book!

I'm about halfway through it and highly enjoying it thus far. The man who compiled it had been collecting letters since he was a kid in 1915, and published this book in 1940. It is a whittled-down compilation, the 'cream of the crop' of great letters written from 334 BC (Alexander the Great to King Darius III) to 1937 (Thomas Mann Indicts the Hitler Regime for its Secret and Open Crimes). I've left off at a letter by Charles Dickens telling his wife that their infant daughter has died.

They run the gamut from love letters, to angry letters, to letters of war, to letters between friends, to letters between enemies, to letters of supplication and pardon, etc. And believe me when I say that it's really quite fascinating--I get all inspired to write letters again. Meaningful ones, that is--not just talking about the weather and one's health. :p

I love the look of old books. Gah.

And now, moving on to the dress...I acquired it in a thrift store for $4 (it was 50% off) and it's very unlike the dresses I normally wear. But I needs to branch out in adventuresome wardrobe-ness. O.e

Ees a halter-top with a cotton uneven skirt thing--it's sewn in squares, but on an angle so that they look like diagonals. The resulting effect is an uneven hemline that I've come to like very much.

This picture is also known as 'I have a terrible farmer's tan'. But I digress. 

Having been invited to a concert tonight, I decided to go all out and wear this to said concert. I never dress up and hardly ever wear jewelry (mostly because I don't think about it), so this is a perfect opportunity to do so. Mwahaha. Good night all...