The Importance of Thrift Store Shopping

We're going to take a quick break from the usual stuff to discuss something that's been on my mind recently. It seems to me that all of these fads, crafting included, go in cycles. This is perfectly alright and natural, because there's nothing new under the sun. Sure, there may be a different interpretation of the original idea, but I'm sure Homo erectus pretty much got the entirety of the world down pat as far as story telling, clothing...not sciences, of course, since the world used to be flat.

I'm rambling.

The point is, there are so many resources available to our generation. We're becomming adults in a world that's losing its dependence on fossil fuels, we can travel into space as tourists, and everyday there seems to be some giant improvement to the world.

This is all wonderful, but does that mean that we should disregard anything that's a little aged? The thrift stores in my area are always filled with books on crafting, huge bolts of fabric, odds and ends for every hobby, and they're great resources. It's discouraging and very sad to hear people my age dismiss thrift stores because they sell 'old' or 'dated' merchandise.

So, stop by your local Salvation Army and see what you find.

List of things I've found in a thrift/second hand store:

- Pierre Cardin yellow leather jacket
- Black Valentino cocktail dress
- 3 costumes
- A bonsai pot
- My patio furniture
- More books than I can count, including ones by contemporary authors

Carry Boo

Getting back to handmade cuteness, I recently stumbled upon CarryBOO!, a store that specializes in animal-shaped toys, accessories, pouches...and so on.

Run by Mary Bajika, CarryBOO! is one of those stores that you find and wish that you had found when you were looking to buy a new cover for your cellphone.

My personal favorite is the banana hammock (and by that I mean a banana-shaped pouch that you carry bananas in).

Look for another update tomorrow. I have some time between classes and I mean to make up for today's scrawny post.

Towel Folding 101

Ever had that day when you wake up, realize that life is sadly much less interesting than you originally thought it was, hide in the bathroom and fold towels all day? No? Maybe you should, except perhaps the part about life being boring.

In Towel Folding 101, by Deanna Campbell, the magical adventures of towel origami are opened up to the novice who may just be wondering what to do with the moss-colored towels Grandma sent them for Christmas that don't quite match anything but may just be the right color to bang out an alligator complete with pink, fuzzy tongue.

I think this post just serves to prove two points:
- Giving yourself an alias that encourages small, flightless reptiles to jump off buildings holding umbrellas is a bad, bad thing
- And, there is always an excuse to invite people you dislike to your house if you can scare them off with a 5-foot long hippopotamus in their bathtub. Never you mind it's made of cotton-rayon blend.

Regarding Virginia Tech

I'm sorry, but the blog will not be updated this week due to the chaos in my part of the world. Keep them in your prayers.

The New Crewel by Katherine Shaughnessy - Review

I found this book in Barnes and Noble the other day, and skimmed through it. The directions and designs are comprehensive, if you can get past the bad puns (Like, "It's a crewel world out there, but you can do it!")

The designs are pretty basic, and nothing that would win the creative art award of super-cool, but they go over all of the basic stitches taught in the book at least once, and are useful. I reccommend this book for anyone who wants to learn the modern embroidery technique known as crewel.

The book currently costs $10.17 on Amazon.com.

Mock U from Takara

Doesn't that just say it all?

Sorry about the posting! Wouldn't you know I got stuck in a hotel that had no wireless internet? There was, thankfully, wireless at the miniature golf center across the street, but I didn't figure that out until today. Tomorrow I'll be back home, though. Vacations. So stressful!

Generation T

Ah yes..Megan Nicolay's book that brought the media's eye to DIYers all over the world. Who couldn't love the all-inclusive, all-encompassing, and oh-so-easy to understand manual of T-shirt reconstruction that is Generation T? Megan Nicolay may not have started the reconstruction craze, but she certainly brought it to the next leve with her book, which contains 108 ways to spice up your favorite T-shit.

I really love this book, the only problem is my lack of T-shirts to play with. There are simply too many projects to take on with your normal wardrobe...the only way to make it work is to go on a shopping spree of indefinite proportions.

That being the only set back to buying this book, I really don't have much to complain about.

Some of the projects are, unfortunately, derivative, but the majority of them are interesting, and certainly not things I would think of myself - at least not without a pencil in hand and some serious fashion brainstorming. What I love about this book is that you don't have to be a super DIY goddess to have some fun with it. There are enough slashing/cutting projects to keep even the least talented of us occupied.

Generation T will run you 15 dollars, unless you take advantage of a super-nifty online discount or something. I, myself, used my B&N members discount. That thing is worth any and all spam email I may get because of it.