Fashion

Trash Craft – upcycling clothing

Imagine taking old clothing and turning it into something new and useful?

Donnielle does this with tshirts.

recycled tshirt scarf

“I use tshirt yarn which I hadnt seen a lot of when I first made a scarf with it 2 years ago. Now it is more and more popular  – but still gets lots of comments and interest when I wear a piece out or am working on one in public.

I wash and hand cut the fabric I’m using wind it into a ball, and then knit it. I have an entire section in my store of upcycled / recycled items – mostly old tshirts mixed with some sheets and even a dupioni duvet cover!”

Donnielle                                           Recycled Knits by Design Knit Fun

You could turn old dresses, bed covers and coats into vests, hats, hanging organizers, or rag rugs. The only limit to using these items in other ways is you individual creativity and daringness to try.School children and their teachers have, for years, known the value of discards. I remember many an art project that started with some food container or other household item I had been instructed to bring to class that day. Why is it only children are “allowed” to be so creative and thought so cute for doing so? Why should we teach our children such creativity and ingenuity, only to stifle those same qualities in adulthood? It just isn’t fair.

Even our grandmothers learned how to recycle old clothing into new clothes for the kids, or into the warm quilt you lovingly have across your bed. One of the favorite all time blankets I’ve seen is the one my step son’s gramma made out of old jeans. It’s heavy, but really durable and really fun.

All you have to do is look around you with a creative and non-judgmental eye.

Why do you buy expensive things?

This post was going to be about name brand designers and how they probably started out as no-names. It was going to be about how all designers started out as handmade. But it quickly turned into something about how shopping and buying certain things can make you feel.

How much should good clothing cost? What about style? I suppose it’s subjective and based purely on how each person places value on objects and emotions. Yep, emotions.

If I were to buy any of these evening dresses which all cost over $200, and some up to $3000, I might feel empowered, or I might feel stupid. Empowered that I have enough money to buy a 3K dress or really stupid for having spend 3 grand on a dress that I could buy somewhere else for a lot less.

There’s also the emotions that come when you wear something that you know you look good in. When a dress hides all your flaws, you can conquer the world! That in itself might be worth the price tag.

So, now I’ll go back to my rant about paying for a name.

You see there are tons of designer handbags that cost hundreds and thousands of dollars. This to me is preposterous! If each handbag was actually put together by hand by the designer and a small staff, it could be worth that much to me. However…… aren’t they made by underpaid, overworked people in foreign countries? Maybe, just maybe, I’m wrong about that. I also don’t mind massed produced items, but I’m not going to pay thousands for them when there’s less attention to detail.

Am I being cheap? Call me what you want, I appreciate good craftsmanship but I also know what materials really cost.

The one thing I might ever spend large amounts of money on is shoes. Back in the day a pair of heels might make me empty my wallet. Now days, I’d pay through the nose if my shoes keep me from hurting at the end of the day.

My body thinks it’s old. My mind doesn’t agree and that makes my eyes bigger than my pain threshold can handle some days.

So, tell me about you. Why do you spend money on things like fashion?

Easy search for fashions at Become.com

Become.com caught my attention because of what they say on their comapany overview page. They couldn’t find a site that offered all they were looking for when shopping for something. Granted, the internet has evolved so much since they started in 2004, but the premise is still great.

I love that! Turning a need into a service or business is great. It’s how most entrepreneurs start out, don’t you think? Need is what created all my own businesses. So, what does become.com offer, you ask? Fashion.

Let me show you some of what I found while looking around. It has occured to me lately that I need a backpack to carry my Nook, my notebooks, my phone, wallet…. all the mommy junk. But I don’t want a bulky kids pack and I don’t want a tote bag because my shoulders can’t handle the physicall stress, and I need hands free while doing all the stuff that those gadgetts require.

So, I thought I’d get a backpack purse. I had one a long time ago and really liked it. They come in different sizes and shapes, but are normally smaller and less bulky than the traditional back pack. This site offers several options which is great for me to find what’s actually available and what I can afford.

Another thing I’ve been considering is the need for some rain boots or welly’s thanks to all the rain and our swampy yard. It’s messy to walk from the porch to the shed in spring or winter. Add in some dog poo. Yuck! Become offers a variety of totes boots from rain boots to winter warm boots.

For all you name brand, high end, merchandise lovers, they carry lots of michael kors leather jacket and other designer items.

So, what’s your favorite business that was born out of necessity or need? Please share your comment below!

Fashion Friday: Blowfish Shoes spring styles & review of boot

A few months ago, right at Christmas, I won a free pair of shoes from Blowfish Shoes. They have a weekly give a way and pick a winner and show tell the winners through video that they won. It was the coolest winning announcement ever! My name is at 1:21

Walsh in black

I chose the Walsh in black and I can’t be happier! These boots are comfortable to wear all day, but they aren’t super padded and cushy. The best part is that the back part of leg is elastic. So it stretches to fit someone with muscular calves, likes me.

They work great with jeans even though the top front is longer and goes up over the knees, but they look great with skirts and dresses too!

So, Blowfish announced their spring styles a few weeks ago and I’m in love with a new pair of shoes.

Roman in black

Roman. They come in a dark brown which is the perfect color to go with a dress I got last year and never could find the right shoes to wear with. However, I love that grey color too.

The Roman sandal features a 4.5” platform wedge, overlapping straps and a zippered back for easy access.

Can’t wait to get a pair!