Today's Thrifty Style

Despite the winter weather advisories today, I made the decision to venture down to South Street yesterday. Thankfully, by the time I left the house, it had stopped snowing and what was on the ground around my area was gone. It was still insanely cold. Cold in Philly means layers!

To keep me warm, I had a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt skinny jeans ($5 at Goodwill), my 3/4 length Gap t-shirt (free from my friend who was cleaning out her closets), my absolute favourite fair isle Coldwater Creek fair isle swing cardigan (brand spanking new, $6 at Goodwill, one of my best scores to date) and my covet-worthy glittery skull scarf ($2 on clearance at Claire's.)

Oh, and I cannot forget to mention the accessories. In my ear is my singlet earring that I made (free, mainly because I'm too lazy at this point to try and figure out what it cost me a year ago to make it), and my super cute picnic pie necklace, which was gifted to me by my friend's mom for my 30th birthday.

Total for this outfit: $13
Did I stay warm? Oh yes!

Til next time! -Erika

Exciting news!

With the help of my dear partner (thank god for people who are much more technologically savvy than me!!), I have been able to make some pretty significant upgrades to my portable communication device. In other words, I gots me a shiny new phone.

What does this mean for you?

Remote blogging! Direct from the stores! Please note the excessive use of exclamation points to denote just how incredibly excited I am to try this out.

The steals and deals in store!
The outfits that don't make the cut!
The weird and random stuff that I find that I can't figure out what it is, but I kind of want to buy it anyway!

Yes, peoples! It's time to start using my unlimited data plan to its fullest.

Til next time, here's a picture of a T-Rex and penguins. -Erika

It's the End of the World As We Know It

So, doomsday types are saying that tomorrow is the end of the world. Do I think that this is the case? No. I don't.

But it's an interesting proposition, isn't it? We often hear that we should live each day like it's our last. What if tomorrow was really the case and you had less than 24 hours left on this planet and you knew it? What would you spend it doing? How would you feel about how you spent your life?

I thought a little bit about that today. What would I do if I knew I had only one day? Hmmm, that is a tough one. I would probably try to spend as much time as I can with the people I love. Given that most of them live far away, I'd probably be heart broken that I couldn't actually see them. The idea of that hurts, I have to admit.

If I looked back on my life, I would probably think that I did the best I could at any given time. Ok, sometimes I tried a little harder than others. Would I have regrets? Yeah. I wish I wouldn't have been so hard on myself all the time and would've cut myself some slack once in a while. I'd regret letting my fear of what could be control my actions and thus, control my life. I'd regret not letting myself just be human and make mistakes and move on without beating myself up about them.

But I would also look at how lucky I was to have had a life where I was surrounded with people who loved me, regardless of how neurotic I could get. People who were willing to wander out into the woods and bring me back, metaphorically speaking, when I let my brain get too far ahead of reality.

And just because I could, I would probably also take advantage of the world ending to do something I've never done before, like streaking. I'm sure I wouldn't be the only person having the same thought.

I'm sure I'll be blogging again after tomorrow. If not, I'll admit now that I was wrong. Not that it will matter by then.

Til next time...I hope! -Erika

Spiders and the Realization of my Abilities

If I can drive down 95 with a spider on my steering wheel and not kill either myself or anyone else in the process, then I can do anything.

How to Paint Your Room on the Cheap

I've lived in my little 900 square foot house for over 3 years now, and it has taken me this long to finally get my rear in gear and get my back room painted and converted into the studio that I have always wanted.

As of now, its about 80% complete. There is still some additional work to be done painting, moving in some more furniture and books, and hanging shelves. It feels so good to have a space of my own where I can create beautiful things to share with the world. In a few weeks, my partner will be joining me to help me finish up the remaining work that needs to be done in there. I promise to get more pictures for you.

Right now, I'd like to talk about my super-incredible-can't-believe-I-got-it-so-cheap-yet-its-so-pretty paint deal.

For those who know me, I tend to live by a "I'll know it when I see it" kind of mentality. I'll wait weeks, months, and yes, sometimes years looking for the perfect "fill-in-the-blank" until I see the one that is just right. Or until my hand is forced. I'm especially this way with paint for the house. It's a huge hassle to pull the furniture away from the walls, throw down drop cloths, tape off borders, blah blah blah...all to get the paint on the wall and realize the colour is worse than old cat food.

I thought I had settled on a colour, one called "Fossil Butte." I wasn't totally in love with it, but I figured it was good enough because I couldn't settle on anything else. I headed over to my local Home Depot to get it mixed when, lo, there appeared in the paint aisle, a rack of paint that were marked at 50% off. And there, on that rack, the most beautiful blue that called me to it! I was intrigued! I was elated. I was suspicious...what was wrong with this paint that it was half off?

I spoke to one of the women working at the paint counter and found out that any paint that is mixed that day and left behind is remixed as a different colour and marked down for quick sale. Perfectly good paint, half the price...if you can find a colour you can live with.

One gallon is more than enough for my tiny room, but what if your rooms are larger than a shoebox? They can mix more up for you, but any paint after the first one will be full price.

At the end of the day, I spent a grand total of approximately $64 (not including supplies like brushes and rollers, which are reusable) painting my room.

• $28 for primer
• $22 for chalkboard paint (what's a studio without a chalkboard wall?)
• $14 for my pretty, pretty blue enamel paint

I am looking forward to getting the rest of my studio together to show you all. Til next time! -Erika

Things I Learned Being Locked Out of My House

1. Being locked out when you can't get to your spare keys kind of sucks.
2. I do not have a future as a burglar. I was completely unsuccessful in breaking into my own house. 
3. The bright side of this? The doors and windows I spent so much money on have REALLY good locks on them.
4. No one around in my neighborhood questions a person in all black standing on trashcans and sticking rods into windows of houses. I'm kind of hoping this is more related to my neighbors knowing that it was me, rather than apathy.
5. I am really lucky to have such good friends who are willing to help me out, even in my dumbest moments.

Never fear gentle reader, I was able to get back into the house without resorting to a crowbar, brick or battering ram.

Til next time! -Erika

A Small Prayer

Some things in life defy explanation, defy logic, defy belief. Some things you that read about, you cannot fathom really happened.

And yet, they do.

A million things go through your mind when you see the news and hear children have died. Horror that children could be taken from this world so brutally. Sadness for the families that it happened, let alone so close to the holidays. Anger at the monster who would do such a thing, such a thing that no one could ever think to imagine to do, and yet they did.

Tomorrow is the day to ask how this all could happen. Today is the day to pray for the families of those who lost loved ones. Today is the day to pray for the recovery of those who were injured. Today is the day to pray for all those who are affected in any way by this incident.

Everyday is the day to hold those that you love as close to you as you can and never forget to tell them how much you love them.

Discount Notice!!!!!

This is a heads up for anyone in the Philly area who might be looking for a ready-made crafting table (read: not like the one I cobbled together from side cabinets and a 24x49 inch piece of compressed chipboard with a white finish.) I saw some Martha Stewart crafting tables similar to this one that were on clearance at Home Depot for $100 on Aramingo Ave.

I'm sorry that I cannot tell you definitively that this is the same one, but if you're looking for something like this and it's in your budget, I'd jump on it soon. There were only a couple left.

Til next time! -Erika

Twas 3 Weeks Before Christmas...

...and my tree was up,

 

there was knitting on my needles,

and my studio was finally starting to look like a studio instead of, you know, a mess.

There is still more work to be done in there, but at least I have my craft table set up. I managed to save a boatload on the paint. I'll share my cost saving secrets for setting up my studio in an upcoming post.

Til next time! -Erika

Treasures at Goodwill? You betcha!

I was going to tell you all about decorating Christmas trees and knitting socks, but I found something MUCH more interesting.

So, this woman walks into Goodwill in Milwaukee. She plunks down $12 for a painting that ends up being a $9,000 painting by Alexander Calder!

This, ladies and gentlemen, is my dream. The closest I've come is a pair of brand new Lauren by Ralph Lauren pants with the tags still on for $4 that I was able to resell online.

Keep on thrifting! Til next time. -Erika

A Limerick (I mistyped this as a Haiku...oops!)

  On Greyhound or taking the train
  a classic engages your brain.
  Transit News has selected,
  great books here collected,
  to help you more wisdom attain.

This is from a sign in the Transit News shop at the Harrisburg Amtrak Station. And yes, they really did have some classics in the store. A Dorothy Parker reader next to Aldous Huxley, two shelves over from John Steinbeck. It was a mini reader's sanctuary.

It was hard to remember that I was there to catch a train, not buy books. I left with two new books.

Til next time! -Erika

Black Friday

It's just before 2AM. The wind is howling outside my front door. I can hear the leaves and bits of trash that were haphazardly discarded by people who never thought about where it would end up being blown around and almost sounding like a torrential rain.

Today was a good day for me. I spent the majority of my day with my friend Meg at the greyhound rescue she works at. I got to spread some love to puppies who are definitely deserving of some love and a good home.

Other than playing with adorable puppies and hanging with Meg, I had to get myself ready for a wedding that I'm in this weekend. Tonight, I'm finding myself working on my manicure. Thank heavens for quick dry nail polish!

One thing I did not do today? Shop. Black Friday is entirely too crazy for me to deal with holiday shopping. I prefer to do my holiday shopping (and crafting) at my  own pace. For me, holiday gifts are something that I give to the people I love not because I am obligated to, but because I want to. I want to share a little love, a little something special.

What's in it for me? The satisfaction of sharing a piece of myself with those I care about. Christmas has always been one of my favourite times of the year. I like to share my joy in the time with others.

Well, I think my nails are finally dry. Time to head on to bed.

Til next time! -Erika

What I'm Thankful For, 2012 Edition

Tis the night before Thanksgiving and here I am, sick as a dog. Being sick during the holidays, I'm not really thankful for this.

This has been an absolutely intense year for me. I started a new job on January 1. I became a godmother a couple weeks later and found out that yeah, I might want one of these little poop machines of my own.

I turned 30 in the most spectacular of ways! I may be a little biased, but I think I had the best birthday crown ever.

I found an amazing partner whom I adore and with whom I am looking forward to what is around the corner. (Sorry, no pictures of us to post here.)

This year has not always been easy. In fact, there have been some pretty damn depressing times when I thought I had hit the end of my rope. In those moments, when I've needed people the most but didn't always know how to ask for help, that's when those who care for me were there. That's when I was reminded of just how loved I am.
 
This year, I am thankful for all of the good things in my life, and I am thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life who have helped me appreciate the good things and work through the bad.

I am wishing all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels!

Til next time! -Erika

Free Advertising

If you ever find yourself in Sacramento (gorgeous city, totally loved it there!), make your way over to Beers Books.

I would have bought out the entire gender studies section if I could've. Their selection of new and used books is amazing! The prices on the used books are generally around 50% off retail.  I only wish I had more time and money to spend there (and more luggage space too.)

I promise, I WILL be back for more!

Til next time. -Erika

Sharing the Thrift

I had a nice experience the other day while shopping for new pants at Goodwill. I had planned to shop for new work pants since I'm down to 2 pairs that actually fit. This whole losing weight thing has been great for my self esteem, but wreaking havoc on my wardrobe.

If you remember in my post about getting what you want at thrift shops, I mentioned that some days, you might not be able to find anything. Saturday was one of those days. At least it started out that way.

Before I left for the store, I asked a couple people whether they needed me to keep an eye out for anything. One of my friends was looking for a rug for her and the hubby's living room. We really didn't have a whole lot of high expectations for finding a nice rug, but it never hurts to look.

But, there it was. The rug she was looking for, draped across a couch that was for sale. It was a beautiful rug, golden tan with a pattern woven into it. It was perfect. I texted her to let her know and she came up to the store to take a look at it. 

We ended up spending another hour wandering around the store, talking and catching up. It's been months since we've seen each other. So, I didn't leave with the pants I had come for, but she found her rug and I got some much needed quality time with an old friend. Sometimes, you go into a thrift store not realizing what it is that you're really looking for.

Weight Loss Check-In

I've been a bad girl. I've slacked on writing new posts each week. I'm going to blame it on Kelly Cutrone. If she hadn't written such a good book, I wouldn't have been so distracted for the last couple of weeks. (Yes, I am highly, highly recommending that you go out and get yourselves a copy of Normal Gets You Nowhere and read it immediately. Read it with a pen and highlighter next to you. You'll want to take notes.)

So, I am back. The last few weeks have been tough, but they have paid off. At the start of this new regimen, I weighed 203 lbs and I had waffled between 201 and 203 for months. Ahh, the dreaded plateau.

I've made a few tweaks to my food and work out routines to help get me off the stinking ledge and start dropping weight again.

• First, I plan out my menu for the entire day in the morning. I write out the food and the calorie count in a little notebook that I keep in my purse. As I eat the food that I planned for the day, I check it off my list. This keeps me honest and helps me avoid picking at the candy jars that people keep on their desk at work.
• Second, I schedule my gym visits a week in advance. This helps me plan my whole day and the menu of what I'll be eating. I schedule 4 visits a week, with no more than 1 day off in between a visit. I will do at least 30 minutes of cardio at each visit (usually 45 minutes if cardio is all I'm doing) and will incorporate toning into 1-2 workouts a week.
• Third, I have a good support structure who is there to help me through the bumps in the road, whether its not feeling well, slipping on me daily caloric intake or need a push to go to the gym. Having folks there who care about your well-being is crucial.

Is it a lot of work? Yes. Is it worth the effort? Oh hell yeah! I started this new routine about 3 weeks ago. Since then, I have dropped from 203 lbs to 195 lbs. I've finally pushed past the plateau! In addition, I'm generally sleeping better at night, and the time I give myself at the gym allows me time to read, to think, and yes, to sometimes watch TV (but more often than not, you'll see me trying to highlight a book while not falling off the elliptical.)

My ultimate goal is to lose another 25 lbs. If I keep following these general guidelines, I am pretty confident that I'll be able to make it and this time, keep it off.

Til next time! -Erika

Just Because

When I was a little younger, in my early 20s, I used to shun being given flowers by people, particularly men. I always thought "Well, they're just going to die. What's the point?"

As I've entered my 30's, I've realized what the point is. It has nothing to do with the fact that the flowers are "just going to die" in a week or so. It has everything to do with the fact that it doesn't hurt to sometimes do things just because. Today, for example, I went to the grocery store and bought myself a $6 bouquet of flowers simply because they were pretty. They look lovely in my kitchen window.

Source: confettigarden.tumblr.com via Nicole on Pinterest

Buy yourself, or someone you care for a bouquet for no apparent reason. Treat yourself to a massage. Send someone a card when there isn't a holiday to let them know you're thinking about them.
Doing things just because adds a nice surprise, that beautiful touch, the happy ending. It's that little something extra that you should do for yourself because you're worth it, and the sweet notion that will remind someone what they mean to you. Til next time, do something just because. -Erika

Today's Thrifty Style

Today's thrifty style: bridal luncheon meets art student.

I was dressing for a college friend's bridal/birthday party. She's moved to the West Coast, so it's been forever since I've seen her. Its wonderful when you have such good friends, you can go for years without seeing each other and pick up right where you left off. It was like being right back at the Starving Artist lunch table again.

Here's the details for today's style:
Black tank top (under the wine shirt) - free from a friend's closet
Xhiliaration wine off the shoulder sweater - $4 at Goodwill
Gloria Vanderbilt skinny jeans - $5 at Goodwill
Nude heels - $30 at Marshall's

Total for today's outfit: $39.00

Less money spent on outfits for the bridal luncheon means more money to spend on the gifts! Many thanks to my friend Little Miss Arty Pants for her patience while I modeled.

Til next time! -Erika

Today's Thrity Style

Today's look was comfortable, casual Friday with a touch of rockabilly.

Here's the info:

Gap boat neck, 3/4 length t-shirt: free from a friend who gave it to me when she was finished with it (never underestimate what a resource your friends' closets can be!) If you purchase this at second hand, a shirt like this might range from $2-5 depending on the individual store.
Old Navy Jeans - $5.00 at Goodwill
Cherry earrings - $0.97 at Goodwill (I cleaned them really well before I wore them)
Swallow tattoo necklace - I bought this on clearance a million or so years ago at Torrid. It was around $5 if I remember correctly.
Snazzy purple sneakers (which you can't see because I don't have a full length mirror) - $5.00 on clearance somewhere a couple years ago. I forget where though.

Total for the outfit - $16.00!

Simple, casual, but awesome! I love this look! Til next time -Erika

My Weight Loss Journey Begins...Again...V18..3.98.736...Beta

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows that I have struggled with my weight over the years. At times, losing and maintaining weight loss has kind of felt like this:

Yeah. You know the feeling, too, huh?

I'm going to share something with you. At my heaviest, in 2005, I weighed 250 lbs. That is the absolute most I have ever weighed. My weight has been a roller coaster my entire life.

Over the last 13 years, my weight has fluctuated from 240, down to 170, back up to 250, down to 210, shooting back up to 240.

Over the last year and a half, I have shed some weight again. I have lost 39 lbs and currently weigh 201 lbs, but I've hit a plateau. I haven't gained any weight (yay!)...but I haven't lost any either. It's like seeing the finish line of a race but not being able to get there because a T-rex is gnawing on your foot. You want to keep going but there isn't much you can do til Rexy lets go.

The difference this time is that I want to maintain the weight loss. I want, I need this to be permanent and stable.

This week, I've decided to give Rexy a better bone to gnaw on besides my foot so I can complete my goal of losing another 30 lbs and keeping it off. For the next two weeks, I am planning out my menu for the day in the morning and writing a gym schedule for the week to include at least 4 workouts a week that are 45 minutes long.

Sound scary? Well, it IS October. I'm almost through the first week. I'll check in on Sunday and let you know how I'm doing.

Til next time! -Erika

October's Here! Time for a Pedicure!

October is here and you know what that means! Halloween is around the corner, cooler weather, pumpkin spiced...well, everything really, Halloween...oh I mentioned that already.

I LOVE Halloween. Probably more than I should at my age. Last year, I was a zombie pin-up. This year, looks like I am reprising the role.

I couldn't resist celebrating the beginning of October with a ghoulish pedicure. The work was incredibly simple for the final effect.

A quick side note - all of the products listed below were purchased out of pocket by me. I am not endorsing these products, simply giving a listing to make it easier to find in the event you don't have one of the products or wish to use the same.

Here's what I did:
- Apply a base coat (I used a sampler base I received from Sephora) and once that's dry, put down 1 or 2 coats of an orange polish and let dry. I used L'Oreal nail color in Boozy Brunch and, since I was planning to put the crackle coat on top, I only used one coat.
- Apply a black crackle polish and let dry. I used China Glaze Crackleglaze in Black Mesh.
- Apply a matte top coat. Mine is NYC Color Matte Me Crazy Mattifying Top Coat.
- Once everything is good and dry, use a striper or paint pen in white (Kiss Nail Art Paint in White) to paint the ghost on. To do this, I painted an upside down U shape, then filled in the middle, flicking the striper towards me at the end to create an uneven, ghostly form.
- Use a dotting tool (or a toothpick, pencil point, knitting needle, anything pointy) dipped in some black polish to dot some eyes on the ghost. (NYC Color Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Black Lace Creme)

Oh, in case you're wondering why my pinky toe isn't painted? My nail on that toe is so tiny, I would need a single hair brush to paint it. I have never bothered to paint that toe.

That's it! Super easy, pretty fast and I've gotten some nice compliments on it!

Til next time! -Erika

True Words Against Bullying

I saw this link today on Facebook. Take a couple minutes and watch it. For anyone who has ever experienced bullying, these words will ring deep and true.

Mini Goodwill Score

What can you get for under $5 at Goodwill to wear to work on a Monday?

A plaid cotton Gap shirt and silver earrings. To this, I added a pair of blue  bell bottoms (remember those?), a blue cuff, a hand crafted rummy cube necklace, and patent leather penny loafers.

This shirt is versatile, chic and oh, so comfy (important when you're running around an office like a crazy lady all day.) 

 

Now, to give you some perspective, when I went to the store, I tried on about 6 tops, 2 skirts and a dress. I left with 2 shirts and 2 pairs of earrings. This is just a reminder that editing in the dressing room is vital. 

Til next time! -Erika

Wow!! Thank you!!

I've been publishing this blog since June. In those few short months, I have been welcomed with open arms into your homes through your computers to share my words and experiences.

In return, you have replied with your experiences and feedback through your comments, Facebook messages, and emails. Being able to have these conversations with you is important to me. You've given me tips on new thrift shops to check out, shared your own steals and planted ideas into my brain for what you would like to see next.

Seriously, I could not ask for better people than you to read my blog! So, thank you for reading my blog so far. I am so excited to continue writing and sharing my experiences for you.

Thank you!! Til next time -Erika

Today's D(st)eal

Yesterday, I took a trip with my mom to Cherry Hill Mall to do a little shopping. While I was there, I managed to score a gorgeous maxi dress for myself.

I've written before about thrift shopping. Let me take a moment to say something about clearance shopping. Basically, the same principles apply. There's a few minor differences, for example, you can often combine clearance sales with coupons to multiply your savings. Overall though, the concepts are pretty similar.

Ok, back to the incredible deal I got. Macy's generally has some great clearance deals and yesterday was no exception. On top of the marked down price, they were taking another 25% off. From their clearance racks, this Jones New York dress came home with me:

This dress was SCREAMING to be accessorized. My dress was missing the belt, so I added my own from my pop-pop's closet (no, that's not a store, it was really my pop-pop's belt), a green bangle from Philly Thrift for AIDS and vintage Avon bangles, feathered ear clip from Claire's, and single chain earring from my own collection.

A $139 dress for under $30. With the accessories (all of which were previously purchased) this entire look was less than $40. I know the woman on the website was wearing espadrilles, but I prefer the barefoot look. Given that most stores require shoes in order to receive service and that cooler weather is just a moment away, I'll add some nice brown boots and a jacket to take this look straight into fall.

Til next time! -Erika

Finally Settling Back In

I spent the last two weeks travelling like crazy. Well, it feels like it anyway. I've spent 7 day of the last 14 days either travelling or off site from my office. I was never so happy to come home and melt into my bed as I was last night.

Two weeks ago, I travelled to Orange County for 4 days (I'm sure you guys remember this post.) This week, I spent three days in New Orleans at a client conference.

Wow!! What an amazing few days! I was able to meet some awesome folks and network with other people within my industry. I stayed in a fabulous hotel with a fabulous roommate and had fun with fabulous people.

And then, there was Bourbon Street...

The infamous Bourbon Street. Millions of people before me have experienced Bourbon Street. Now I can say I have. And it was an experience, to say the least. There is no pretense there. Everything is for sale at just about any hour you want it. I ended up leaving Bourbon Street with a story that involved a doorman, my overly abundant front and a questionable "accident", but what I learned from it is that its safer to walk in the street.

I was pretty disappointed with the lack of beads being tossed from the balconies though. I guess you know the economy is bad when you have to go buy your own beads.

Til next time! -Erika

Things I Learned in Laguna Beach

Just over a week ago, you guys know that I went to California. Since I returned back from my excursion to the Western coast, I was running around trying to catch up from everything that I missed at work while I was away. Now I have 30 seconds to sit down, breathe, and write about my full excursion to Laguna Beach. While I was there, I learned a few things as an East Coast girl traipsing through the West Coast.

1) Drive. Very. Carefully. Driving on the West Coast is completely different than driving on the East. This was not the first time I've driven on the freeways, and they still scare me. And there are a lot of hills, for those manual transmission types.

2) When you park in Laguna Beach, if you're planning to stay for a while, bring lots, and I do mean lots of quarters. I ended up missing out on a lot of sightseeing because I wasn't prepared.

3) Use the crosswalks, but always use caution and common sense. Believe it or not, cars will stop for pedestrians (sometimes not right away, but they will stop eventually if they see you waiting.)

4) People are generally nice. Like really nice. Like scary nice. It's nice.

Now, back to what actually brought me to Laguna Beach. What lured me to the mountainous, oceanfront beauty that is Laguna Beach?

Yarn. It's that simple. I was lured there by yarn. When you're a knitter, one of the first things you will do is find the local yarn shops. For me, it was Strands and Stitches. It was a bright, beautiful, friendly shop filled floor to ceiling with every type of deliciously coloured fiber. It was gorgeous!

After looking around with Dona and picking out a couple different yarns that I was debating on purchasing, she found a yarn that matched my eyes. One look, one feel and it was all over.

400 beautiful, silky, sensual yards of Hand Maiden SeaSilk. Holding it as a hank of yarn was one thing. When Dona wound it for me into a cake...oh, it became a work of art worthy of framing. I think it really matches me eyes, don't you?

This won't stay as a beautiful cake forever though. This yarn will make it's way to becoming Fragile Heart. A wonderful recommendation (again, from Dona at S&S.)

After all of this, my mom and I were talking about my trip to Laguna. It went something like this:
Mom: Did you go to the beach?
Me: Yeah. I bought some yarn and a pattern.
Mom: So you went to the beach to buy yarn???? Really?
Me: In my defense, the yarn is made from seaweed.

I don't think she bought it. Til next time! -Erika

The View

On Sunday, I found Strands and Stitches online after some extensive (ok, maybe not that extensive...like 10 minutes worth) of searching and filtering out the yarn shops that were either closed on Sundays or just plain closed. It looked warm and welcomeing, so I decided to brave the California roads and make the drive from Garden Grove to Laguna Beach. (I'm apologize if I offend anyone who lives in California, your roads scare me second only to NYC. I'm sorry, New Yorkers, I will never, not even if my life depended on it, drive in NYC. There isn't enough time for me to write why, so I think it's safe to say we're all happier with this truth, so let's move on.)

First, I want to say something about Laguna Beach.

It. Is. Absolutely. Breathtaking. I'm not talking about the beautiful people, and expensive cars and the fancy hilltop real estate. No, what I am talking about is the amazing landscape upon which it is built.

Source: juliapelish.com via Erika on Pinterest

The mountains and the ocean in the same breathtaking view. Driving down to the South Coast Highway, I was 2 blocks away when I caught my first sight of the Pacific ocean and it took my breath away. Although I've been to California a few times before, I've never actually seen the Pacific Ocean.

It may sound silly, but having grown up on the East Coast, I had yet to see anything like it in my life. From hearing people talk about it, it sounds like people around here really appreciate the beauty of the area. I can definitely understand why.

East Coast to West Coast

I've safely made it to the OC. It's been a really long day consisting of one really long flight, one almost missed flight, three really heavy bags, a car rental upgrade and, hopefully soon, some pizza.

Even though the flights were long, they were productive. I finished reading The Happiness Project. I made progress on American Rose. I got some knitting done. Sleeping, a little, but I definitely need more. I guess I should have known when I referred to "sleeping park of the way to my layover" in my last post. Yeah. Good editing there.

I am absolutely exhausted, but I'm hoping that some food will rejuvenate me enough to go enjoy one if the wineries in the area. I guess we'll see. Let's hope the pizza guy shows up before I start eating furniture.

Til next time! -Erika

Early Morning in an Airport

It's quarter of 5 in the morning...4:45 for you "normal" folks. I'm sitting at a gate in the back of B terminal of Philadelphia International Airport. On the monitor above me is a commercial touting the fabulousness of Philadelphia, the tax free clothes shopping and the awesome night life. I guess it's the skeptic in me that wants to say "Yeah, we have all that...but..."

It's early and I haven't had my coffee. I'll leave that rant alone.

I am heading west, to California, for a client visit. 

I'm tired. Very tired. I'm looking forward to maybe sleeping park of the way to my layover. If I can't fall asleep, I brought plenty of reading material with me. Some client materials, of course, but also some fun stuff too.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin and American Rose by Karen Abbott. I've been reading The Happiness Project off and on for about a year now. It's a great read. I've started to go back and re-read the beginning again, this time taking the time to highlight and notate the sections that are important to me. The first time, I was hesitant to mark up the book. I need to think about why that is.

American Rose was a library book that caught my eye. I kind of need to hurry up and finish this one up because I only have about 2 weeks to finish this up and I need to return it before my next trip. No pressure or anything.

Ok, I smell something cooking. Time to find some breakfast.

Til next time! -Erika

What Has She Gotten Into Now?

If you leave me to my own devices too long, if I don't have something to immediately keep me occupied, I will find something to keep me occupied. I'm like a little kid...I'm into EVERYTHING!

Tonight, I got home from work and was too tired to really do anything else except melt onto my couch with my laptop. I checked my email, my social media sites and texted a couple friends. Then...nothing. The cat is asleep and doesn't feel like playing. I'm waiting for my OH to finish up work. Until then...what do I have to do online???

*twiddles thumbs*

*twiddles thumbs some more*

*tries twiddling toes, realizes toes are too short to twiddle and is saddened by short toes*

OOH, I know! I'll see if Coursera has anything new listed! So I toddle over to the site and find that, yes indeed, they do have new ones! YAAYYY!!! So I browse the listings and within 15 minutes, I have five, count 'em, FIVE new courses I ended up signing up for.

Computational Photography  - For the photo nerd in me who is longing to come back out.
Organic Chemistry Part 1 and Part 2 - For the chemistry nerd in me who wishes she had taken organic chemistry.
Rationing and Allocating Scarce Medical Resources - For the medical professional in me.
Introduction to Logic - Because it sounded interesting.

I should not be left alone with access to this website.

Til next time! -Erika

Doing Some Good, Sharing Your Skills

September has begun. Kids are heading back to school, the sun is setting earlier and earlier, the evenings are getting a little bit cooler and soon, there will be a chill in the air during the day. This time of year has always been one of my favourite times. I was incredibly lucky growing up to have handmade scarves and blankets from my mom and grandmom at my fingertips.

In fact, getting a crocheted blanket from them became a way for me to mark important milestones in my life. When I was a baby, grandmom made me a green, yellow and cream chevron blanket. When I was accepted into college, my mom made me an afghan with the logo of my college crocheted into it, in crayon colours of course, since I was an art major. Two years ago, mom made me a Halloween afghan, simply because I wanted a Halloween blanket.

When I take a step back, I realize I am incredibly spoiled. I have a mom who makes sure I have the blankets, hats and scarves that I need, even though I'm 30. She passed along her knitting and crochet skills to me, so I can share the same feeling with those I care about, including my incredibly spoiled dogs.

There are a lot of people (and animals) who have no one to make sure they have a nice snuggly blanket or the enveloping embrace of a handmade scarf. There are a lot of ways you can get involved in charity knitting and crocheting if you want to share your gift with others and let them feel the same way I feel everytime I wrap myself up in one of my afghans.

The Red Scarf Project
Project Linus
Snuggles Project
Newborns in Need
Knots of Love
Knit A Square

Til next time! -Erika

For That REAAAAALLY Deep Clean

I love the feeling of clean skin. Given that I wear make-up everyday and live in the city with the pollution that goes along with it, I especially love the feeling of a nice, through, pore sucking deep clean. If I had the money, I might consider heading to a spa to have my skin steamed and worked by an esthetician.

There's only one small snag with that idea; those pesky things called bills that need to be paid first. There's always a hitch.

So I came up with my own facial so I can have my cake and eat it too. Here's how I do it.

What you'll need:
-Whatever facial cleanser you normally use
-Lush Toner Tabs (I use the Tea Tree tabs, but pick out ones that work for your skin)
-Face steamer or a pot of steaming water
-Pore cleansing facial masque of your choice (I use a Mint Julep masque)
-Facial moisturizer (pick one that works with your skin)

Step 1 - Wash your face and pat it dry. Don't rub, pat! Be gentle to your skin.

Step 2 - If you have a facial steamer, get that puppy going. If not, boil up a pot of water, then let it stand for a minute so that it's not boiling anymore, but it's still steaming. Add your Toner Tab (follow the link for more info/directions) and let it get nice and fizzy. While it's doing its fizzy thing, allow the steam to work over your face. (If you're using the pot of water method, make sure your face isn't right up next to the water. I keep my face at least 8 inches away.) Steam your face for about 5 minutes.

Step 3 - Once you've steamed your face, apply the pore cleansing masque and let it set according to the package directions.

Step 4 - After your've basically vacuumed your pores out with the masque, apply the moisturizer to your face.

I love. Love. LOVE doing this! Best of all, the cost of the materials is less than the cost of one facial! I try to do this at least once every week or two so that I can make this face at my family:

ERIKA MAD! ERIKA SMASH!!!! Ooh, Erika have clean pores! Erika happy again.

Til next time!

How to Get What You Want at Thrift Stores

Thrift stores have become a main stay in my shopping repertoire. I started regularly scouring thrift shops when I was a broke art student working two or three jobs at a time and barely pulling in enough to cover my bills. My friends and I would make trips to some of the local stores to find clothes, household goods and stuff to repurpose into art.

Years later, I still shop at thrift stores fairly regularly. Thrifting brings a sense of adventure, a sense of accomplishment and, yes, a sense of uncertainty. You never know what you will find when you go. I've gone into the store with the intent of trying to find a pair of jeans and left with not only the jeans, but a dress, some work clothes and a couple books. I've also gone looking for a dress for a wedding and come away with bupkis.

Here are my tips to be a successful thrifter:

• Know your wants versus your needs. Thrifting takes a certain amount of luck. It's important that you are aware of the things you really, truly need and can't really wait for and the things that you need, but can maybe wait for. There may be a point where you have to give up looking in thrift shops and move onto a retail store. Only you'll be able to determine what that point is. 
• Again, know your wants versus your needs. It's also important to know your wants versus your needs so that you don't end up on an episode of "Hoarders." The point of thrifting is to save on things you need or can use, not to buy things "just because."
• Be patient. Thrifting is a little bit of a game of chance. Some days you might leave with half of the store. Other days,  you might not find anything at all. In a way, it's kind of similar to shopping in a retail store. The key difference is that if you find an awesome dress that you LOVE, but it's a bit too tight, you might not be able to just go grab a different size from the rack.
• Be consistent. Given that the stock is constantly rotating in thrift shops, it doesn't hurt to stop in on a fairly regular basis to check out what is in store. I've been looking for a bread machine. Every time I go to the thrift shop, I take a look for one. I haven't found it yet, but at some point, I'm confident I'll find one.
• Keep your mind open to an items possibilities. About 2 years ago, I tried on a GORGEOUS white eyelet dress at Goodwill. Everything fit, except the bust. A good friend of mine bought the dress and had it altered to become her wedding dress.
• When it comes to trying on clothes, look at the sizes...but don't look at the sizes. You'll be shopping a multitude of designers and brands at thrift shops. Every one of them have different sizing scales. If you're a size 10 in one brand, you might be a 12 in another, and an 8 in another. DO NOT freak out over this. Use the sizes as a guideline only and focus on the fit. If the piece doesn't fit well, don't buy it, regardless of the size. 
• Most importantly, don't buy something just because its cheap.

So, there you go! These are my tips for successful thrifting. I hope that they help you out, whether or not you've ever stepped into a thrift store. Please let me know if these tips help or whether you have your own recipes for success.

Til next time! -Erika

Wanna Take a Free Course?

Do you like to learn? Do you take a strange pleasure in taking classes? Would you like to take ivy-league level courses? And would you like them to be for free?

My answers to those questions, of course, are a resounding, "DUH, YES!!!" And a couple of months ago, I discovered the answer, courtesy of This is Hell on WNUR in Chicago.

Coursera. You can sign up to take courses through different colleges and universities. For FREE!

Now, one caveat here. You don't get college credit for these courses. For some of the courses, you get a certificate stating that the course was completed. When you're selecting a course, there's a synopsis provided, so check the requirements and what you'll get from it.

I'm signed up to take Modern and Contemporary American Poetry next month. I'm probably more excited than I should be. I hope you find something you enjoy as well!

Til next time. -Erika

To Match or Not to Match?

One sock of my Welsh Flag Socks for the Ravellenic Games is completed! I've cast on for the second sock and am plugging away as quickly as I can to get them finished. I'm not sure whether they'll be finished in time for the end of the Olympics. I'm ok with that though.

I was having a conversation with the recipient of these socks (who is half Welsh, hence the Welsh theme) and we had a discussion about the theories behind matching hand knitted socks. There are two schools of thought, at least as far as I know, on the idea of matching socks when making a pair from self-striping yarn.

The first school of thought is that a pair of socks should match. I've seen knitters go to great lengths to ensure they end up with a pair of socks that match up perfectly from cuff to toe. This dedication, to me, demonstrates a level of commitment and skill to their craft and the finished product.

The second school of thought, and the one that I subscribe to, is that it's ok for a pair of socks to be fraternal twins rather than identical. I get a thrill from seeing how the yarn works up based on where the repeat starts.


In my humble opinion, I believe that a person's hand-knit socks can say a lot about a person. For me, knitting a pair of socks is knitting two individuals. Two experiences. Two different pieces that come together to make one set. I also think that it adds some personality to my socks.

And I like personality in my socks. And, thankfully, so does he.

What are your thoughts on matching your socks? 

Today's Goodwill Score

Today proved that, even when it seems like nothing is going your way, a little bit of positivity (even if it's coming from someone else) will go a long way.

I decided to make a quick run to Goodwill to drop off some stuff and look for a drying rack. As soon as I got on the highway, I realized I had made a big mistake. The traffic was all but moving. It took 45 minutes to make a 15 minute drive. I was not a happy camper.

Things got worse when I got to Goodwill and saw that they had stopped accepting donations 20 minutes earlier.

I was ready to leave when my mom suggested that we go in anyway to see if they had the drying rack since the store itself was open until 9:00. We went in and mom convinced them to take the donations since we had gotten stuck on the highway. Three bags of stuff out of my house!

The bad news is that I didn't find the drying rack that I needed. The good news is that I was able to find two other pieces of furniture I have been in desperate need of: a microwave cart and a bookcase that could fit in a nook of my dining room.

With a little bit of cleaning and some bolt tightening, my $20 purchase was transformed into some much needed space savers.

I have my kitchen counter back!

And I again have space on my end tables! And my entertainment center. And the shelf behind my couch. And under my couch. Yeah, I have a lot of books.

In an upcoming post, I'll talk about strategies for successful thrift shopping. Now, back to knitting for the Ravellenic Games!

Til next time! -Erika

When is a Heel Not a Heel?

When it's knitted on the wrong side of the sock.

I've made great headway today on my Welsh Flag Socks. I finished the leg, turned the heel and started the gussets. Then came the realization that I had knitted the heel on the wrong side of the sock.

This is the side that the heel should have been knitted on.

This is the side I knitted it on.

Tomorrow, I will be ripping the heel out and reknitting it on the right side. Tonight, I'm pretending this sock doesn't exist and that I still know my front from my back.

Til next time. -Erika

Procrastalympics 2012, Live from Philadelphia

Last night marked the opening of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London. During the opening ceremony, thousands upon thousands of knitters cast on their projects for the 2012 Ravellenic Games on Ravelry. I signed up a couple months ago for Team Final Frontier. I was excited! I was pumped! I was...taking Qualitative Analysis. I was a little preoccupied for about 10 weeks while I was writing the longest papers of my life.

I finished up the course on Tuesday. It was perfect timing. The course was over and I had 17 days to knit a pair of Welsh flag socks. I had managed to find the illusive main colour, Regia Nation Color in a white and green stripe that had been long since discontinued. All I needed was a beautiful rich red for the contrast. No problem, right?

Well, not normally. Unless you are a procrastinator like me.

I found myself sitting, watching the opening ceremonies without the contrast colour. Oh yeah, and without the needles I needed. And without a pattern. Yup, totally unprepared. So I stopped at Loop today and found a ball (only one...they only had ONE!!!!!) of a lovely blood red Spud and Chloe Fine. Phew!

So, I have the yarn. I have the needles. I found a pattern. Time to cast on! In between blog updates, you can follow my updates here.

Til next time! -Erika

The Value of Art

I've seen some memes floating around Facebook and Pinterest the last few weeks about the value of art. More specifically, about understanding the value of art. My friend Little Miss Arty Pants posted about the issue of people haggling prices with artists at shows. This has been an issue at one time or another among artists and crafters I know who regularly do shows. I want to put my two cents into this issue.

When you buy something from an artist or crafter, you are buying something that is unique, that is only available from that person. That person has put time and effort into every aspect of the design, the execution, the packaging, the marketing, the sales and the follow-up. A lot of times, they are the entire company.

To ask an artist or a crafter if they can give a better price on a piece is an insult to their ingenuity, their creativity, their passion and the hours of hard work and dedication they put into each and every piece. An artist's creativity is their livelihood. Please remember that there is value in that livelihood.

Til next time. -Erika

Easy-Peasy T-Shirt Blanket

If you're like me, you have a ton of t-shirts that are kicking around that you never wear, but you can't bear the thought of letting them go. One way to save them while actually making use of them is to sew them into a t-shirt blanket. There are a lot of great tutorials online and books available with information on sewing t-shirt quilts and blankets. One book that I highly recommend is Generation T.

This is a pattern I came up with when I realized that the t-shirts I had available couldn't be cut to even sizes without losing some of the logos. It's a fairly easy pattern that could be finished in a weekend at most. Cutting the t-shirts will take the longest.

I did run into a small technical issue while I was working on this tutorial. My serger died. I don't know what I did before having a serger. I'm thinking that I'll be finding out in the upcoming weeks. So, unfortunately, I wasn't able to finish the sample that I had planned.

What You'll Need

• 10-15  t-shirts (you may need more or less depending on how large you want the blanket to be)
• Fabric shears
• Rotary cutter and rotary mat (not necessary but it makes squaring off easier)
• Ruler or tape measure
• Thread in a coordinating colour
• Water soluble stabilizer

What You'll Do

1. Cut your t-shirts apart, separating the neck and sleeves from the body. Then separate the front from the back along the seams.

2. Decide how wide each strip will be and begin cutting your pieces from the t-shirts. I cut my pieces 12 inches wide. If you aren't worried about everything being squared, the length can vary per piece. At the end, you will even up the edges of the blanket.

3. Once all squares are cut apart, lay the pieces out in strips, like the picture below. 

4. With your serger or sewing machine (or by hand if you have more patience than I do), sew each long strip together. To make it easier, pin each piece together with water soluble stabilizer to keep the material from stretching and puckering as you sew it. Whether you have the seams facing in or out is totally up to you.

5. Once each long strip is sewn, pin the strips together and sew them. If you sewed the strips on a sewing machine, I recommend opening the seams when you reach them. If you used a serger, just serge right over the seam and the serger will finish the edge.

6. If you any uneven edges, measure the shortest strip and square off the edge using a rotary cutter or scissors.

7. To finish the edges, I simply ran them through the serger. The edges could easily be finished other ways, like fringing or binding. Let your blanket and your personal style guide you!

8. If you used water soluble stabilizer, wash your blanket to remove it.

That's it! Simple, quick and useful, my t-shirt blanket has come to be an absolute necessity in my house when it's too warm for a quilt but cool enough to have a little something on me at night. I've made one for my godson and I've started collecting shirts for a Queen size blanket. Hopefully by then, my serger will be working again.

If you make this, let me know! I'd love to see how your blankets turn out. Til next time!

-Erika

I Looked to the West

Last night, I flew from Philadelphia to Greensboro. I was just beginning to let slumber settle into my head when I glanced out my window and was immediately woken by what I saw.

Out in the West, above the softly tussled blanket of clouds that laid over the Earth, there was the faintest trace of the Sun in the new night sky. It was lingering there on the horizon, like lips leaving the gentlest of kisses on the forehead of a sleeping lover. The red of the horizon faded into a palette of orange, green, purple and blue before finally becoming the inky black velvet of the night, adorned with thousands of little diamonds that showed the history of the Universe.

It was simply beautiful.

Altering T-Shirts: The Beginning

Like a lot of folks I know, I have a fair amount of t-shirts. They end up accumulating over time and before I know it, I have more t-shirts than drawer space. Or closet space. Or basement space. Or outer space.

When the collection gets a little out of control, it becomes necessary to bring it down to a more manageable size, say just slightly smaller than the room that held ENIAC. One could make a donation to the local Goodwill or have a yard sale.

Or instead, one could make them into something awesome and useful. So how does one decide what to do with those shirts that don't make the cut? I think about two things.

1. First I decide how much I want to keep the shirt. What does it mean to me? Why am I considering taking it out of rotation? Once I know the answer, I separate out the keepers.
2. After separating the keepers from the donations, I decide what I want to do with them. Often the decision will be made based on whether I want to keep wearing the shirt and whether I can do anything with the current fit.

After I wrestle them away from my dog, there are a lot of possibilities for old t-shirts. I've made purses, place mats, shopping bags, tote bags, pillows, blankets, dog beds, skirts, scarves and new shirts from old t-shirts.

In my next post, I'll give you directions for making a super simple t-shirt blanket. You'll need about 10-15 t-shirts, a ruler, scissors or a rotary cutter and a sewing machine or serger (or enough patience to stitch it by hand.)

Until next time! -Erika

What to Drink on the Hottest Day of the Year

I cannot stress enough how important it is to hydrate. I've already written about my recipe for lemon water. Today is the hottest day of the year here in the Philadelphia area. The high today was over 100 degrees, with high humidity that made it feel even hotter. I caught myself feeling dehydrated today, so I feel the need to take this moment and remind everyone how important hydration is, especially on days like today.

As I type this, I have a pot of tea steeping in my kitchen. That pot of tea will become some lovely iced chai tea before the evening is out. In the meantime, water continues to be my friend. I still feel a little dehydrated from earlier, even though I've been drinking nothing but water since I got home.

Remember folks, the last thing anyone wants is to be stuck in line at a bridge opening on the hottest day of the year with nothing to drink. If you're going to venture out, go prepared. And hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Here's the recipe for Iced Chai Tea

• 2 tbsp of rooibos chai (mine is from Teavana, but you can use any kind of chai tea, just double the amount of tea to steep)
• 8oz of hot water
• honey

Bring the water to the recommended temperature for the tea. Add the water to the teapot with the tea, allow to steep. Once it's done steeping, while the tea is still hot, add honey to taste. Let cool to room temperature, then place in the refrigerator until cold. Then drink up!

Super Comfy Lovey-Dovey Tattoo Sweater

A few weeks ago, I was perusing my favourite Goodwill and found a really cute oversized sweater that met two of my very important criteria for good fashion: it was comfortable and it looked good.

While I was trying the sweater on in the dressing room, I kept thinking that it was cute, but it needed a little extra something.

I thought about it for a day and decided that what I wanted was a sweater that had edge, sparkle, comfort and wearability. After some consideration (and some perusing the local craft stores) I came up with my design. I call it my Super Comfy Lovey-Dovey Tattoo Sweater!

What you'll need to make the SCLDTS:

• A sweater (the one I used was an oversized cardigan that I purchased secondhand)
• Foil iron on transfer (I used one that I had in my stash of a traditional sailor pin up)
• Iron on patches (I used some sequined roses purchased at a local craft store)
• Stretch sequin ribbon
• Invisible thread

Keep in mind that these are more guidelines than instructions. What you want and where you want to place things is personal preference, so have fun with it! Remember, there is no wrong way to do this.

The first thing I did was to decide where I was going to place the iron on transfer. I used I put on the sweater and placed the transfer slightly to the left of the middle of my back. Follow the directions with the transfer to ensure the best results.

After that, I decided where I was putting the sequined roses. I placed two of them directly over my shoulder blades,  evenly spaced from each other. The third rose went on the shoulder of the pin up. (Come on, every pin up needs a rose!)

The sequined ribbon was sewn to the pockets of the sweater using the invisible thread to give it a little more sparkle. Remember, everyone, sparkle is good!

 

There are a lot of things that could still be done with this sweater. Changing the buttons, adding some more sparkle, dyeing parts of the sweater....ideas are still running through this little head of mine. Until I decide what else I want to do, I'm pretty happy with the way it came out. I'm definitely looking forward to cooler weather so I can wear it. Heat waves are not conducive to cute sweaters.

Take a look! And love my dog!

Tomato Soup in a Test Environment

I have awesome work friends. They graciously volunteered to test my tomato soup recipe and give me some good, honest feedback. The people I work with are good to each other like that. One of my co-workers routinely brings in some pretty amazing baked goods for us to try. I guess the reality of the situation is that we're an office full of guinea pigs who are willing to put our tastebuds on the line to help each other succeed.

Hungry....hungry guinea pigs...who REALLY just...love success...so much.  Mmmm.....

But I digress.

Three of my friends tried my tomato soup and gave me some pretty good feedback.

First review - Said it was really good. It was so good, in fact that her fiancée ate half of the sample I provided to her. And HE liked it too!

Second review - Said it was good, a little thin in consistency and needed more pepper and basil.

Third review - Again, said it was good. Consistency was fine, but needed more garlic. We played around with adding some garlic powder and pepper to it and the added garlic helped to bring out the basil more.

My friends are nothing if not honest. So now I have some ideas for how to tweak the recipe. Time to take that information back to the kitchen and work on Tomato Soup V2.