Whaddya know!

Wow, it's been a while.  Since I got back to school after spring break it's been positively nutty around here.  But lots of stuff has been getting done!  First up:  some schoolwork.

Here's a figure in a "slim satin bias dress with beaded embellishment" which was the assignment.

Her hair is done in eye shadow, as is her skin.  She is a foxy lady.

After that, we were assigned a figure in a velvet top and a BIG satin skirt.  The BIG satin skirt made me very happy.

I liked her pockets.  And, luckily enough, so did my professor!  Woohoo!

There have been other assignments, too, such as my GIANT PROJECT, my military-inspired outerwear project.  Which I forgot to take pictures of before handing in.  Nicely done.  But!    Now the suspense is on.  I'll post pictures when I get it back.  It came out pretty well, all things considered. :)

The next project for Fashion Art and Design is our eveningwear project.  The theme for the class is "Queen Victoria Meets The Muse," and we each had to pick our own muse for the collection.  I chose Amelie, from the movie Amelie, played to perfection by Audrey Tautou.  I got the movie out of the school library last Saturday morning, and I've watched it 8 times in the week since.  I want to know it by heart so that I feel like I'm designing clothes for a close friend instead of an imaginary person. Here are my fabrics (though I can only use 12 of them eventually). 

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Soooo, last week, I engaged in a little retail therapy.  I had to, okay?  I CAN STOP WHENEVER I WANT!!!  :D  Anyway, I went to H+M to no avail, and then I went to my old stand-by, Charlotte Russe.  I'd already picked out this dress to include in my next blog entry, and I ended up buying it, because it is just.  So.  Cute!

Obviously, I had to get a sweater to go with it.  And earrings.  And a bracelet.  And a belt.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find pictures of the sweater or bracelet.  So I'll just take a picture next time I wear them.

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This last week was a hard one.  From here until I leave school for the summer, on May 18th, it's going to be pretty stressful, and I kinda had a meltdown this week.  It felt like everyone else was thriving off the insanity that is second semester fashion design at FIT, and I was the only person falling apart, though I now know that's not the case.  I was ready to transfer schools and major in English, because, well... who really wants to be crying for an hour every day?  It's a drag.  But after several agonizing days, a really sweet ukulele performance (though not by me), some unexpected support, and some not-so-great feedback on my transferring idea, things eased up. Or I adjusted my attitude.  Or both. Either way, I'm feeling much better about things.  Here's to finding comfort in the most unlikely of places.  Thanks guys. :)

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Things I Collect:

• Sylvanian Families figures:  


• Anything  Alf


• yarn


• journals


• pens


• Sanrio stuff


• and soon:  vintage teacups!

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When I went home for Spring Break, I forgot the cord that makes my camera attach to my computer, so no uploading for me!  But now that I'm back... Lots of pictures!!!

Went to my brother's college, and was very comforted to see this in a construction area. :P

And some other pictures from that day...

Pictures of my street taken out the window of the car

Some fliers...  flyers...  posters currently hanging in the Honesdale Public Library.

The smiley face totally makes it.

Charming.

And, of course, EASTER!

My basket... cutest parents ever.

Our Easter eggs have a tendancy to be a little... unusual.

Dyed For Your Sins.

Gathered satin skirt egg? !  Why yes.

Aren't they festive?

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What I've Been Listening To Lately!

• Black Pus, discovered when they opened for Ratatat Tuesday night.


• Amelie soundtrack


• Cherish The Ladies, since I saw them at Lafayette.


• Scarface : Please Excuse My Attitude


• Wicked soundtrack


• Newsies soundtrack


• She And Him: Sweet Darlin', Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?, Black Hole

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And now, back to my chiffon!

<3 Julie

April showers bring...

Oh, how I love spring break!  I go to bed at 10 p.m., and wake up at ten a.m. the next day.  And, because I have the best parents ever (and I am not just saying that because they read my blog!), I am not forced to cook my own food.  Because putting that home-cooked food that my mom freezes for me when I am at school on a plate and into the microwave is really exhausting.  But anyway, spring break could not have come at a better time.

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As you may or may not know, I ended up being an RA Alternate.  I am still desperately hoping that an RA will drop out and I'll get called in to take their position.  One thing I'm not sure of, though, is if I am automatically considered first to be an RA for my junior year, by being an alternate for my sophomore year.  I hope so.

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April showers bring SPRING FLORALS!!!!   Here are some of my favorite takes on the floral trend, which really took off this season.  This makes me very, very happy.Scarf, Charlotte Russe, $8.99

Dress, Forever 21, $24.80Dress, Forever 21, $24.80

Skirt, Alloy.com, clearance $9.99

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Sooo, On Wednesday morning, I got a perm!  AAAAH!  I know, the word 'perm' conjures up visions of old ladies with blue hair, but I had just gotten tired of my long, straight hair, and it was time for a change.  And what better way to celebrate a new 'do than to get all dressed up and take pictures?

Apparently there is something really fascinating over there.  :)  I lurrrrve my curly hair!  In the pictures, it's brushed out into fluffy waves, and if I just comb it while it's wet, it's in a lot of loose spiral curls.  I don't know how many people who read this are in the Honesdale area, but if you are, I got my perm at Apple Day Spa, with Gretchen.  It took abut three and a half hours to do, and all the girls who work there were really friendly and it was a lot of fun.

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In other beauty news, I have finally, finally discovered what works for my skin.  And it makes perfect sense.  Goat milk soap!  I'm allergic to cow's milk, so I drink goats' milk (from my very own goat, milked by my dad) and whenever I'm home and drinking a lot of goats' milk, my skin gets very soft and clear.  The soap I'm using is Canus Fragrance Free Goat's Milk Soap, found at http://canusgoatsmilk.com/eng/index.php/Bar-Soap/canus-original-bar-soaps.html .   It leaves my skin feeling clean, but not tight, and while it says frangrance-free, the soap has a slightly creamy scent.  I've been using a bar of goat's milk sop at school and then this soap at home for a total of about two weeks.  I'll definitely continue to use this, it's working out very well.  Yay!  You can purchase it for $2.29 at CVS.

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Spring always makes me want to run around in sweet, flouncy clothing, especially dresses.  Some of the cutest I've seen are at http://necessityisthemother.etsy.com .  The shop sells adorable pinafore-style jumpers and skirts.  Here are my two favorites!  I want to learn to ride a bike just so I can wear this jumper while carrying flowers in a basket on the front of a pastel yellow bicycle.

This is the cutest (and least trendy) way that I've seen to wear the buff-check that's all over the place right now, for those of us who wore it first!  :)

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Phew.  That is enough for one post.  More to follow!

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's...

I'm finally home on spring break!  It's been a really crazy week, from last Friday until today.  But now I am back in lovely, farm-country PA, and I've never been happier to see it/hear it/smell it.  No more of the phantom pockets of bad smells that characterize midtown Manhattan!  It was so nice just to get in the car last night and fall asleep and not have to worry about anything.  Hooray for spring break!!!

The ABSOLUTE BEST part of the craziness of the past week, and probably my best weekend in New York, occurred when my best friend Marissa came to visit.  I picked her up at the Port Authority bus terminal on Friday afternoon, and we went to go see Phantom of the Opera that night.  We got ourselves all gussied up, me in my former prom dress, her in her graduation dress, both of us in heels, and we.... took the subway over?!  It was Marissa's first experience on the New York subway, and she was Not Pleased.  We were heading over at about 6 p.m., so it was the time of day when everyone is coming home from work, and the trains were packed.  Standing on the subway in 4" heels in fluffy dresses?  Not so easy, it turns out!

Phantom of the Opera was *fantastic.*  Here we are waiting for it to start! 

I was very intrigued by the ceiling, and consequently took lots of pictures of it.  

Saturday morning, we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, one of my very favorite places.  Marissa tried on some ancient armor.



The next day, we went to the Museum of Natural History, and imitated the faces of all the dinosaurs.  I hope we ended up in the backgrounds of a lot of other people's pictures.  We had ourselves a grand old time.

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A week ago this morning, I had Photoshop class, and handed in the project we've been working on up until this point in the semester.

Mood board:Mission Statement: Figures:

Flats:

Stripes:

Plaids:

Repeat Patterns:

And that, ladies and gents, is that!

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So, last Friday, I also made a purchase about which I am still ecstatic.  Ever since I saw this Seventeen cover---- I have wanted that flower ring.  However, it was being sold at Steve & Barry's, and there's not one near me.  But las Friday, I was returning from a visit to the library when I finally, finally found flower rings!

(Pardon the rather crappy picture quality, I left my camera cord at school, so I had to use my parents' camera, which uses a floppy disk. )

And the obligatory artsy shot--

I'm not sure where else hese are available besides New York, but if you are in the city, you can pick these up at Gem Story NY, located on 14th St. between 5th and 6th Avenues, for $2.99 each.  Nearly everything in the store is $2.99, and they have a HUGE selection of fun jewelry.  It's not, y'know, heirloom quality stuff, but it's cute and if you need a piece for a costume, this would be a great place to go.  Unfortunately, their website has given people malware in the past, so ordering online is out of the question if you're worried about that.  Which I am.  Still, great store, fun stuff!

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What I've Been Listening to Lately!

• Ingrid Michaelson, especially "Overboard," "Corner of Your Heart," and "You and I."  Incidentally, I cannot find "You and I" anywhere except Pandora.com, anyone seen it floating around?


• The National, especially "Driver, Surprise Me," "The Thrilling of Claire," and "All Dolled Up In Straps."


• Songs from the early '90s kid show, Fraggle Rock!  I found them online someplace, and they're hysterical.  I highly recommend "The Doozer Knitting Song" and "Do It On My Own."

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Recently, a friend of mine told me that a major reason she dislikes one of our mutual acquaintances is because she feels that this person talks down to me.  There are few things more heartwarming than hearing someone else's righteous indignation on your own behalf.

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I have a lot more to talk about, but this post is getting extremely long, and I've been working on it for a day and a half, so the rest will have to wait until next time.  Coming up, look for my opinion of Spring Trends and where to find them inexpensively, artsy pictures taken while home on spring break, and much more!