6 posts tagged “stuff i love”

(The title of this post brought to you by this beautiful SNL skit.)

 

 

 Do I have enough fabric? Hmm. Let's see here. One bin of odds and ends--wools, silks, corduroys. One bin of solid colored cottons. 4 bins of various colored printed cottons. The need for one bin more to hold the black, white, and gray prints. (The bins are each 18" wide by 24" long by 7" deep.) A large stack of flannels on top of my cabinet. One would think that indeed, I have enough fabric. Enough for what, I don't really know. Several quilts? Copious dresses? A roomful of handbags, aprons, and various craft projects? Yes, probably all of that, with quite a bit left over.

But still, the stash grows. And grows and grows and grows. Most of it is purchased with very good intentions. I will buy this to make that new dress, I say to myself while gripping a particularly appealing bolt. And this one will go into a baby quilt for my friend's new baby. And this one will be perfect in a scrappy scarf. And so it goes on and on, until my cart is filled to overflowing and the ladies at the cutting counter see me coming and quietly argue who gets to take their lunch break right at that moment.

But then, even by the time I get it home, the good intentions get pushed out of the way by life's demands, and soon the fabric is tucked away neatly in its color-coded bin, and I am doing that big stack of dishes, headed off to my day job, or working on a paper for school. It may seem like I have forgotten already about all of those things I had in mind, but oh, I never have. I remember every dress, every baby blanket, every apron or scarf that I originally had in mind when I put that bolt in my cart. And it keeps me sane. It reminds me that I am more than the dishes and the day job and the schoolwork. And that makes me happy.   

Beauty products have always astounded me. I think as females in this society, we are bombarded from a young age by ads for this or that, promising to keep us pretty, shiny, and looking young. But how many times have you bought a product with high hopes, only to be let down when it's no better or even worse than the products you've tried before? So I would like to make a proposal: If you'd like to, list your favorite tried-and-true beauty products on your Vox and why they merit a space on your bathroom shelves.

Without further ado, here are mine:

 

1. Avalon Organics shampoo & conditioner. (I like the peppermint scent & the lavender scent, but whatever one you choose is your business.) These smell delicious and leave your hair soft & shiny. Just don't expect a huge head full of lather with their shampoos, because they don't have any sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate (which is good, because while these are the top ingredients in most conventional shampoos, they are unnecessary to get hair clean, and they cause a lot of damage to hair). You only need to use a tiny dollop, and the bottle seems to last forever.

 

2. Oh, how I love my Palmer's Shea Butter Lotion. I get the kind in a pump bottle, because it's less greasy than the stuff in a jar. And um, I'm a little OCD about washing my hands all the time, and my skin is nasty and dry in the winter, and this lovely stuff keeps my skin soft for a long time and keeps it from cracking. It smells good, too.

 

 

 

 

 

3. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Nail Polish. I like the Natural Pink tint, but it also comes in clear. It makes your nails shiny and lasts for weeks at a time. But I think that the website on this says it all:

Go bowling, play basketball, or spend a glamorous night on the town. Nothing is too much for this super-hard finish that is resistant to chipping, splitting, and breaking.

Because when I'm picking out nail polish, I'm always like, hmm, which of these could I go bowling in? This one is clearly the winner.

 

 

4. Herbal Essences Dangerously Straight Mousse and Totally Twisted Curl Boosting Mousse. I use these alternately because they pretty much do the same thing, regardless of what their titles would lead you to believe. I love this mousse because it's light and leaves your hair bouncy and shiny, but it still leaves your curls or waves defined all day long. And no crunchiness! Mama don't like crunchy hair. That's just gross.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5. Alberto V05 Straight Hair. Oh my God, how I miss this stuff. You can still find it some places online and sometimes tucked into dusty corners in dirty Wal-Marts, but I think it's been discontinued in manufacturing. But it's miracle gel. It literally gives you model-shiny, straight hair when used in conjunction with a straightening iron (my hair, at least, gets sort of fuzzy when I straighten it without this stuff or with other straightening products). Luckily, I still have almost one full bottle left that will probably last me for a couple of years. Phew.

 

 

 

6. Naturally Fresh roll-on deodorant. Okay, so most hippie deodorant is embarassingly ineffective. But this stuff is amazing. It doesn't contain the (okay, still unproven) cancer-causing aluminums that are in most conventional deodorant/anti-perspirants. But it works! All day! And as an aside, conventional deodorants make my underarms burn and sweat (um, not kidding), but this stuff keeps them dry as a bone.

 

 

 

 

 

7. C.O. Bigelow's Mentha Lip Tint. Goes on smooth and leaves makes your lips incredibly shiny. And when the slick shine goes away, your lips feel soft and smooth. The tint (I like the red, but it's available in different colors) gives your lips just enough color, and the peppermint oil in the formula makes it seem like you have fresh breath, even when you don't. lol.  

Dear Maggie & Jake,

Next time you go for a walk arm-in-arm, please put me in the middle. Thanks.

What do you collect?

Fabric, fabric, fabric. Hmm, let's see. If you have ever been into my house you will know that fabric is everywhere in it--I frame it like it's a picture, cover furniture in it, make household items out of it (placemats, napkins, curtains, etc.), make quilts, sew clothing, make gifts out of it, and on and on and on. Pretty much if you ask me what the meaning of life is at any given time, I will probably reply, "Fabric."

Oh, and also, magazines & books, Melmac dishes & cups, vintage plates, vintage hankies & scarves, old sewing paraphernalia, and last but not least, hair products. Okay, so that last one is more of an addiction than a collection. Hmm. Whatever.

 

I also *love* knowing what other people collect, because when I go thrifting and garage-saling, I like to keep my eyes out for them for those little gems for their collection that I know they'd just love. Comments welcome. Hint, hint. ;)

All I want to do lately is sew, listen to Elvis songs, and cook. In that order. I have been seriously contemplating calling out of work every morning so I can stay home to do these things. I haven't done it yet, but the time may be coming when I do.

Last night, instead of doing my homework, I made the teeny tiny housewarming present that I had been envisioning for a certain someone . It turned out so cute that I almost died, and had to fight the urge to keep it for myself. (I hope she likes it that much, too!) And it involved sewing, and fabric, and I listened to Elvis tunes while I was making it, therefore putting me into a state of near giddiness. And right before that, I spent a few hours in the kitchen making smashed potatoes and a meatloaf. Yes, my friends, yesterday was a good day.

 

 

After receiving an invite from the lovely Erin, I decided to come see for myself what all of this vox craziness was about. And now, here I am. As Erin said, it's just like Livejournal, but for big kids. Hee.

I am about to foray into making a dress using a real pattern, with the materials shown in the picture. I am so, so excited about this, and although I am a bit slow when it comes to following a pattern, I still have hope that it will turn out to be the vintage-y dress of my dreams. (And maybe even be wearable.)

Speaking of making clothes, Kelly is in the other room watching the first season of Project Runway on dvd. She is even more addicted than I am! I can't believe I didn't know about this show before. We pretty much live tucked away in a cave, surrounded by schoolwork and regular work and housework, secluded from the mystic outside world of cable television and wireless internet and all other modern technologies. But aw, hell, I know how to use a sewing machine. I guess that's what's important.