My friends, we're ending the year on an unexpected success: I made a dress. A for real, wearable dress.

I've had "learning to sew" on my to-do list for years, due to a generous gift from a former coworker, but having no idea how to turn on, let alone thread a sewing machine, is a big hurdle. Especially because I know me - the show and tell of someone showing me how to use the machine was always going to be far superior than reading instructions or watching a video.

So, fast forward and I manage to convince my friend to venture into DC. And after a few false starts and learning to wind a bobbin and such, I decided to do that thing you never do: jump into a project way too advanced for you (god forbid I just like, make a pillow case or something). For years I'd been watching Annika Victoria on YouTube, and the way she explains things is just so damn logical. It makes almost every project seem manageable. So I took my theory from this video on copying a dress, and decided to make a version of an Urban Outfitters dress I bought over the summer. Because while I knew that the skirt layers might be moderately difficult, the bodice shape was simple and easily transferred to paper.

And then, impressing even myself, I was SUCH AN ADULT, and made the pattern, a full mock up, and then pre-washed AND IRONED the final fabric. That I so graciously received from my sorority sister when she was in the Democratic Republic of Congo. And nearing the finish line I also decided last minute to put in a side zipper (slightly shoddily by hand, we won't discuss the work I need to do on my back stitch). I'm too impatient to wait for the season it's intended for, so please excuse the slightly formal styling. My final plan is to wear this with sandals in a super casual way, but hey, at least it admirably performs double duty?

Also, no, before you ask there aren't any pockets in this dress but let's not ask for the moon and stars ok? Double layers of gathered skirt that I cut into to insert a zipper was as much as my heart could take. The original didn't have pockets either LMAO.

Well everyone, it's just about that time of the year, and I'm ready to declare the 2019 Wardrobe Resolution over! It hasn't been a rousing success, hell, as you can see below Fall was kind of a disaster, but it's an experiment and I'm just doing what I can in hopes that by helping myself I can help others.

So, Fall. My mini clothing method of capturing pictures broke down a bit here, so please excuse me that not everything is capture in all it's glory, lol.

Fall 2019 Purchases:
1. White Button Down (American Vintage/YOOX)
2. Neutral Shirt Dress (Matches)
3. Plaid Jacket (H&M)
4. Duster (Anthropologie)
5. Cashmere/Wool Sweater (Everlane)
6. Hoodie (Marine Layer)
7. Cardigan (Madewell)
8. Houndstooth Blazer (Uniqlo)
9. Houndstooth Wide Leg Pants (Uniqlo)
10-11. Wide Leg Pants (Uniqlo)
12. Black Sleeveless Romper (Abercrombie)
13. Stretchy Crop Top (Abercrombie)
14. Scorpio Tee (Meghan Tonjes)
15. Striped Turtleneck (Marine Layer)
16. 3/4 Zip (Topshop)
17. Crew Neck Sweater (Madewell)
18. Boucle Wool Coat (Ganni)
19. Puffer Jacket (Uniqlo)
20. Orange Sweater (Mission Edit)
21.-22. Leggings and Sports Bra (Beatz per Minute)

Basics/Thrifted:
1. Black Wide Legs Pants (Vince, Poshmark)*
2. Gray Boyfriend Cardigan (Vince, Poshmark)
3. Black Double Breasted Blazer (Pendleton, Poshmark)
4. Khaki/Olive Green Trench Coat (London Fog, Poshmark)
5. Skinny Jeans (Everlane)**

Formal:
1. Red Gown (ASOS)

*These arrived too small and my attempts to alter them to fit didn't work and just made me feel bad about my body. So they have been retired to scraps/future projects cause I fucked around with the seams too much to re-sell.
**I wouldn't usually put these in the Basics category, but I lost another pair of Madewell jeans to a thigh rip/hole, so here we are.  

To be honest I don't have a good reason for Fall. Yeah, birthday and "treat yo self", but that's not a super good reason/excuse and I admit that. Ultimately I have accepted that I'm an emotional/bored shopper. I'm working on switching out the hobby/impulse with something healthier and that costs less money, but it's an imperfect process. I asked on Instagram what people did when they wanted to get out of the house but had no specific destination or activity in mind, and didn't get any responses. I think it's a quick fix for a lot of us, and finding better coping mechanisms is hard. It just is.

Annual Round Up: 2019 Wardrobe Additions.
 

Looking at the hard data, I bought 87 pieces in 2019. The most popular categories were Shirts/Tops, Jackets/Blazers, and a tie between Sweaters and Workout Wear. I feel like in a slightly changing style year, this could be worse, but it could always - always - be better. I want to learn to buy less. Or I guess keep less, because the reality that you don't see is that I shop a lot, I browse and buy a lot, but keep a relatively small portion of that. I've gotten down the part where if I don't love it I don't keep it, but I've got to work on the next step, which is a combination of do I need it (which is a toughy because the answer in most situations will be no) and does it add something unique to my wardrobe as a whole.

Next up, digging deeper into the data, I discovered the following:


92% of the pieces I bought this year were new. There are some more stats I shared over on my Instagram, but I think this is the place where I could really do better in 2020. I tend to do well at scoping for deals and the online second hand market isn't actually always the best price-wise if you're able and willing to be patient. At least not at my clothing size. But, in light of the current information we have on hand about the environmental impact of fashion, I'd like to really bring up my second hand numbers, maybe to at least 25%? I'd love to aim for 50% but I'm also trying to be reasonable with a new goal so we'll see. 

If I were to give myself an overall grade for 2019 I'd say C/C+. Not because of any calculations, but just feel. I was mediocre at sticking to my goals and made more justifications than I'd like when I wanted to add a new item that was over and above what my initial count for the season was supposed to be. I do think wrapping Second Hand/Thrifted and Basics into their own category was a good decision though, so I'll have to have a little think about how I want my resolutions to evolve to support both feelings.

You know, I love Christmas and I still went in to this event a little concerned it would be underwhelming. Instead my friends and I were treated to an actual wonderland of lights and cheer and even with a few lines here and there (mostly drink related to be honest) it was amazing. And worth every penny - especially if you buy the 9:30pm "happy hour" tickets like we did. I'm going to post more pictures and videos over on my Instagram, so consider this more of an intro to Enchant Christmas DC!

And so the crown drama continues! I don't really want to stretch this into a fourth post just about painting/aging, which means you're all probably going to be stuck with more pictures than words and I'm sorry in advance if that's confusing.

First up - priming! I was worried the primer I already had on hand, being brown, would mess with the "glow" of the gems so I picked up one in white from the same brand. A couple of thin coats in the alley next to my apartment building (and a round of masking tape goo removal with a cotton bud and isopropyl alcohol) later, and we were good to go!


Here is where I'm going in with a round of  "do what I say, not what I do". Later on in this post you'll see the crown resting on parchment paper, and that was BY FAR the better plan. Trust me. Because the next step is to start painting everything gold (paint available here - thanks kind reviewer for the swatches!) and if you're like me and vaguely impatient then the parchment paper will keep you from mucking everything up. Oh, and I almost forgot an important step! The glass gems along the side were still clear post priming, but before beginning the gold I took some random green nail polish (I think Essie?) painted each one, and then applied a clear polish topper. I prefer this method because the end effect is still translucent and matched the orange stones pretty well. 


I started with a small sponge tipped applicator, but no go, I couldn't get into all the nooks and crannies (and there are so, so many). I was finally relegated to using your typical synthetic brush, and just going at it. In the end it took 2-3 coats of gold to get it evenly coated, and I probably could have been even more meticulous if I wanted.


The last steps are kind of... ephemeral and artistic, so do what you will until you get an end result that you like. First up is aging - take a dry, natural haired brush, dip it in dark brown/black paint, stipple it directly on the crown  and immediately wipe most of it away. This creates a realistic "grime" and makes the final piece more authentic (I think Punished Props Academy has a good example of this in their Elder Scroll video).


After that I went in with some Rub 'n Buff, but I think incorrectly? I applied with a brush in small areas and then took a washcloth and buffed at the areas. But in pictures I've seen since then, of other people using it, it looks like they're applying and buffing at the same time using a microfiber towel? Shrug. I'd probably recommend more research in that department.

After the Rub 'n Buff was applied I kind of felt like it overwhelmed the aging, so I went in again with another super light layer of the dark brown paint and honestly? I kind of think the final result looks great and I'm still a little shocked about it.


I've got some tentative plans for how to make this actually wearable, the one downfall of it being mostly hot glue and slightly too big is that it doesn't want to stay on my head independently, but there you go! A kind of screen accurate take on High Queen Margo's crown [pats self on back].

Next steps include choosing an outfit and then an eye patch, since the second depends on the first. Wish me luck and I'll make sure to keep you all updated!

Don't miss out! You can find the other parts of this series below:

• Part I
• Part II

I know this is a bit of a departure from my usual, but I have to share a secret with y'all. I am having a moment with jeans, and it's not a particularly positive one. It's a very bad season to decide that jeans are too binding and yet... I'm trying to compensate by adding pants (I also don't want to wear skirts/dresses cause tights) but as I'm sure is shocking to no one, that's also difficult. I've got a couple pairs from Meeps and recently a couple from Uniqlo (to be seen later), but it continues to be a work in progress. Especially cause it's cold and I'm cold and even in the below outfit I kind of wish I'd included a scarf. Dammit.

Really, I blame Instagram for this. When MAC released this collection in the UK they invited almost everyone I follow to this ridiculous celestial themed dinner and so when I was in Nordstrom (for a RETURN) I felt compelled to wander by the counter. And then I got sucked in cause apparently I'm getting into the whole glitter thing more as I get older and these Spellbinder Shadows are lovely. Lovelier than how they swatch even, which I guess isn't totally surprising.


"Stairs to the Stars" is a deep burgundy shadow with gold glitter. All my playing with it so far has been using my fingers, though seeing it demonstrated on the MAC website makes me think that a wet brush would also work well. It's actually inspired me to go find new/more tutorials on smokey eyes because I want to really let this shine on the lid and I fall back so much on neutrals to blow out the crease when I think this will play against reds/oranges better.

I didn't trust myself to play too much with the other colors - I have a sizeable powder eyeshadow/pigment collection already and I've proven that like highlighters this will be a problematic category for me -  but I love the formula. Super smooth and practically no fallout, which considering how much glitter is in the final result is impressive.

Ok, so where were we - crown, right? Hot glue.


Well next up after getting the shape nailed down was to investigate the jewel options. Originally I had planned for it to be a much longer search, to be stuck in Ebay and Etsy hell with maybe a long trip to Goodwill in my future. Reality? One Annual Rummage Sale later and I had everything I needed to keep going.

At the sale I found two deals - a pair of orange oval stoned earrings for $15, and a grab bag of clear glass beads for $4. I had already contemplated what my options would be if I couldn't find the right shade of teal/green, and painting glass with nail polish (not totally dissimilar to what I did for Princess Warrior Daisy) definitely worked for me. Especially for $4.



Again, installing these were a relatively simple process - I looked at my reference photos and kind of went with my gut, getting it as close as possible and creating a little "inset" shape for the jewel. I used the hot tip of the glue gun to melt a space into where I wanted it to sit, pushed the jewel into place, and circled it with even more hot glue after that. The  more difficult part here is that this is the point where I really started to clean up my lines and shapes.

When you're applying layers of hot glue, things get bulky and bumpy - fast. I first thought I could use my heat gun to warm a butter knife to shape pieces, but no go. It didn't get hot enough. And it only took about 5 secs of heat for me to realize I couldn't apply the heat gun to the crown itself. So instead, and I'm sorry in advance, I took the plastic guard off the tip and started using the gun itself. Without applying more glue I'd smooth and coax curves into being more fluid, removing extra glue as I went. I even refined the shapes of the leaf tips, because I wasn't sure how much could be fixed later in paint touch ups.

What does this mean for you? It means that I have even less of a "tutorial" to offer you, because there is no right or wrong answer. Hell, even a coworker said that she had a hot knife I could borrow in the future (I still don't know what that is). It's totally up to you to decide if your crown is looking right, which I'm bad it in general because I tend to think in terms of "right" and "wrong". Still, my final result (before painting) is one I'm happy with. It's not "perfect" but I'm satisfied and am happy to keep going towards completion.



Which brings us to the end of Part II! Next up is painting and I'm not sure how long that will take. I backed each jewel with hot glue because I wanted to see how the opacity would affect the sheen. So far so good, but I did decide to buy a white primer instead of the brown I had on hand, because I'm still concerned a dark backing would negatively affect the "glow". After the white primer is gold acrylic paint, and after that aging with brown/black, and then going in with gold Rub N' Buff for that "real" effect (I learned about this stuff from Epbot, and a couple places you can see her using it are here and here).

Not too shabby right?! Though you should have heard the cursing as I was covering the jewels in masking tape, it was not my shining moment. And looking at these HUGE PHOTOS now kinda makes me want to go remove some of the glue on the edges of the orange tones....shrug. It'll happen or it won't but at least it's not a total fail!

Don't miss out! You can find the other parts of this series below:

• Part I

So I tend not to talk about workout gear other than the fact that I buy more of it than I should, but this is an exception. I ran into the brand, Beatz Per Minute Apparel, at a fall market in Ballston, and while I was initially draw in by the colors and fun, empowering messaging, it was the story of its beginning that spoke to me most.

Beatz Per Minute was founded by a young black woman, DJ Beauty and the Beatz, and in the words of her website,

"It's a digitally based brand focused on motivating creatives and entrepreneurs to live fearlessly. Deeply influenced by hip-hop, DJ Beauty and the Beatz produced a brand that is fun, inclusive, and inspirational. Established in 2018, Beatz Per Minute Apparel absolutely loves making you feel good and pushing you into your greatness."

What's not to love there? Black Girl Magic if I ever saw it, in fun packaging that would for sure get a lot of use. I started off with the sports bra/crop top and leggings, and I think I'm freakishly excited to say they're both a little big for me in the XL. I'm ok not being strangled by my workout gear (especially because I'm primarily a yoga girl) and I think these would comfortably fit a size 14-16 woman. I just ordered assuming that the Large would be too small all over, but I'm happy to be wrong! Also, just a heads up that this is a minimal support top and it doesn't have padding. It's not see through, but the lack of nipplage in these photos should be contributed to the Nippies I'm wearing underneath.

And in case you were wondering, YES, it did take everything in me not to buy the matching sweatshirt and I still kind of regret it.

I'm going into this post with a couple disclaimers:

1) I haven't (yet) seen The Magicians. I did that thing where I read all the episode recaps on io9 and watched the clips on YouTube. And even with that lackadaisical education, Margo and Eliot are my favorite.

2) I am not a professional. Like, at all, but especially at DIY related activities. I'm piecing this process together from all the reading I've done online over the years and videos I've watched for fun (though there were a couple videos (one and two) I watched once I decided this project).

Ok, now that that's out of the way, at some point next year I'd like to cosplay as High Queen Margo, from The Magicians.

And with that decided, for some reason I also thought that starting with the crown would be the best thing to do. It might have also been slightly influenced by my kind of ridiculous work life and the fact that sewing is hard and is going to be a much longer term hobby to try and even sorta master, but WHATEVER. Here we are. I did try to be slightly reasonable though, and started with the most important, and also most boring, part of a project where you're trying to make something that looks like a thing that already exists - research. And lots and lots of reference photos.


I really wasn't kidding about the reference photos part, because I wasn't going to go in and spend hours watching the show only for good shots of the crown - that defeats the purpose of enjoying it and sounds miserable. So I went into the crown making business after confirming an organic, leaf/tree inspired motif, with 2 orange stones and approximately 4 teal/green ones. And with a little help from the videos linked earlier, I decided that building a base of wire and bulking it out with hot glue, would be an "easy" way to go about it.

Supplies Needed:
-16 Gauge Wire
-22 Gauge Garden Wire
-Needle Nose Pliers (with wire cutting ability)
-Hot Glue Gun
-Untold Number of Glue Sticks

Ultimately, while it sounds like a cop out, I printed 5-6 pictures of the crown from different angles, and tried to create the general shape with the garden wire. I used the pliers to cut out the base from the heavier 16 gauge wire, and then piece by piece used the garden wire to create the upward flowing bits of crown. I knew this wasn't going to be a project for perfection - the original result is too organic and also, I don't know what I'm doing, but slowly it came together. Doing it this way involved a lot of do-overs (ie, reshaping/curving/moving wire), because I didn't want to do any gluing of pieces to each other until every piece was done. And I knew this tactic wouldn't work for the leaves, so I had to envision where they would go later. Is it creepy to say I was building the skeleton before the person? Probably, but there you go.


The only problem with doing it this way is that depending on how you think about it, you're going to waste some glue. I didn't have a final count going in and you're going to end up hating some of the ones you make - or at least I did. It's a good way to get organically matched-but-not shapes, but if consistency is your jam then I'd vote for creating a stencil or something to put under the parchment paper.

Still, even with all this kind of ridiculous conclusion making, I ended up with a very crown like shape that did (when you squinted at it) look like the original! I mean, the squinting is necessary because there's some shape perfecting and jewels and panting and aging and blah blah blah. Stuff. There is still a lot more that comes after this, but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out and how it wasn't a total headache to build. Crafting is a wibbly wobbly world of existing constantly on the edge of disaster, but friends, I'm happy to say that so far, so good.


And for sticking around with me this long, bonus cat pic! Sophie is generally very good for a cat while I'm crafting, sitting behind me on the floor or sleeping on the bed, but hot glue? Oh my god she HATES IT. Or desperately wants to eat it, depending on how you read those sorts of behavioral clues, and I'm sure the stringy bits that come along with this medium don't help. But sheesh. I have never had to shoo my cat away more often then when I was working on all this.