I know a flimsy belt + a ring don’t quite qualify as back-to-school purchases. One architecture degree + one career loss later, I’m back. Nope, not for an MBA or a teacher’s certification – Fashion Design of all things. It’s the first time in my life I don’t have a plan, but it’s probably the first time in my entire adult life I’ve got guts. From the womb, all kids have got guts. They say what they think + they do what they feel no matter how big the audience. They don’t dwell on things, they live in their moment + they don’t laugh at things they don’t genuinely find funny. But when they are truly amused, they laugh with everything they’ve got.

I always felt like I was the kid with so much promise. An over-achiever in high school only to later tackle something tough in undergrad like architecture at a good university. Neither of my parents finished college, so this was an EXTRA big deal for me. But after nearly three years in a career position that I felt I wasn’t ever going to be given a chance to grow or move forward in anyhow, I was let go. I tumbled off that treadmill + the fall feels so much harder when you believe there are people around looking at you.

I’m so damn glad it happened though. Lots of frustrations, questions + low moments. I used to pace slower in store aisles whenever I ran errands during work-a-day hours, secretly trying to catch passerby glances + wonder if people could tell I was jobless. As if it were written on my forehead I guess, lol.  I avoided gatherings with friends the first month JUST because I dreaded the questions they would ask. Silly things like that. Those are the types of  ’silly’ things that people keep to themselves, but no one confesses these misplaced feelings are absolutely normal.

Living at home is really, really old. But I’m blessed to be here. I love my parents dearly + they love and support me back every step of the way. I usually don’t tell all my business like this, but it’s a release. It’s something in my life that isn’t glamourous or impressive, but it is what it is. It’s something I went from being ashamed of, to damn near being proud of.  I can’t afford as much as before, but I dwell on less things. I used to have life planned to a perfect science, but I make it a point to consider all of life’s options + focus on the moments that I have now. I care less about people’s opinions + say more of how I feel because, hey, it’s MY life and I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. And as far as laughter goes – I’ve ALWAYS laughed much + hard. But since I don’t report to work everyday anymore, I’m so glad I don’t have to laugh at things that I didn’t find funny anymore.

So basically no new kicks, no loans this time, no permed hair, no full courseload, no night-before jitters. Just whatever bag big enough I can find tomorrow that will make a good make-shift backpack + an open mind. I’m coming here to learn what I want + I don’t even know if I will finish the program. And that’s ok. I’m part-timing school, continuing to study for my licensing exams, and looking for/trying to create a job – I don’t know what that means yet. That too is okay with me + it feels really good.

]]> http://lipstickandlumber.com/guts/feed/ 8 http://lipstickandlumber.com/face-painting-101-qa/ http://lipstickandlumber.com/face-painting-101-qa/#comments Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:10:09 +0000 admin http://lipstickandlumber.com/?p=1134

Ignore my shoulder-shrugging moment. Me thinks it’s just my nerves momentarily gone awry in front of the cam.

The three lipstick colors I used in the clip were ‘Viva Glam III’ (applied first all over lips), ‘So Chaud’ on the inner part of the lip, and lastly ‘Cyber’ on the outer outline. BLENDING well is extremely important to make your shade gradient naturally without looking color-blocked. I use Mac’s #228 brush (Please note that I’m NO make-up expert, I just picked a brush a year ago that looked like it would be easy to apply color with.) Using the pill-box is a nice trick because you can use the extra compartments to mix down + create new shades out of the tubes you already own. You don’t have to sacrifice your entire stick of color, leave some in the tube to re-apply easily on the go.

As I mentioned at the last part, I only use matte shades. I figure if you want to a apply a statement color + you already have full lips, why add anymore attention? I have no beef with some shine, but it’s a personal preference of mine to try to accentuate my eyes more than anything so I try to refrain from a loud high-gloss hue on my mouth. I’d prefer a rich lip color to appear stained on my lips, not shellacked.

It’s also a good idea to assess your look in daylight BEFORE you leave the house. Before I finish, I usually hold up a hand mirror + step in front of the bathroom window to see if I’m getting good results. Even though my makeup routine is pretty ‘barely-there’, if I’m not careful I tend to get a skosh heavy on the blush in indoor lighting :/

*  *  *  *  *

Now for a long overdue Q&A from the amazing V from Grit and Glamour :)

My father’s long time friend is cousins to celeb sisters Phylicia Rashad (played Claire Huxtable) + Debbie Allen (from original ‘Fame’).  This would also mean that I’m only technically 5 degrees from Lenny Kravitz *sigh* I know, I know. That man could (almost) be my daddy! But he’s still got it though *double sigh*

I’m sooooo passport-ready, but I still haven’t travelled abroad yet *sad face*
Also, one day I want to get my Architect license. I don’t care how long it takes to pass those damned exams – it’s gonna happen!

Chicken + cheese tortellini alfredo. I love breads + pastas….mmmm.

Definitely either my gold or black flats since they’re so easy to pair with any outfit. Sounds dull I know, but I can’t stay 4 inches off the ground without a break. Flats? All day baby.

Twelfth St. by Cynthia Vincent – ‘Callie Bag‘
I must be a wanderer at heart because I’m such a hobo bag lover.  So.darned.cute.

Eva Mendes or Sanaa Lathan comes to mind.

Mojitos. Preferably frozen if they’re done right.

Currently listening to ‘Os Grilos’ by Marcela Mangabeira. I don’t speak a word of Portuguese, but it’s such a splendid little song :)

1. FRONT OF SHIRT – Put on oversized T-shirt, grab your marking pen + stand in front of a mirror.

2. Mark equal dots (with ruler or just eye it) on each shoulder to determine the width you want your tank straps to be. Keep in mind you will be cutting off the ribbed neckline of the shirt, so let that outer edge be your starting point. Then, place a dot where you want your neckline to drop.

3. Remove t-shirt. Mark + connect dot from shoulder to directly under sleeve (both sleeves will be removed entirely). For neckline, mark from outer neckline ribbing + create a u-shape to meet the center dot. If you prefer a v-neck, draw a straight line from the outer ribbed neckline edge to the center dot.

**Please note that the dashed red lines indicate cutting lines.

4. Mark where you want to crop overall length of tee. Be sure to add 2 inches if you are adding the elastic casing for gathering.

5. BACK OF SHIRT – Shoulder markings remain the same. Overall t-shirt crop length should be transfered to the backside.

6. Mark + connect dot from shoulder back to directly under sleeve. As you draw, curve marking inward for a racer-back look, if desired. You can easily freehand this yourself, or it may be of help to put on the shirt and have a friend draw exactly how much ‘back’ you want to expose. Also make a mark around the ribbed neckline. Again, this will be removed altogether.

Cut all lines you’ve marked + you have a perfectly cropped slouchy top!

Please see video below for directions to create a gathered waist :)

D.I.Y. – Turn your classic tee into this (no pattern necessary)

It’s freaking sweltering outside here in Texas, and a bandeau top is the next best thing to sporting your birthday suit. However, I’m just not the girl to rock a bandeau alone while shopping for groceries or meeting up for a Happy Hour. To accompany my bandeau obsession, I have devised a perfect slouchy racerback-cut top complete with a loose-fitting elastic gathering detail on the bottom. I fitted it low enough to show skin above the belt line, but long enough to cover the belly-button.

It’s a perfect easy summer look with jeans or shorts while showing off your bandeau top. As the designer, you can can adjust the length of the top, how low the neckline is, how wide the tank straps are, etc.

I just simply cut up a good quality oversized T-shirt. It looks great cut straight across or asymmetrical on the bottom too, but if you’d like to add the gathering on the bottom, this can be easily done with novice sewing experience. You’re just basically sewing a straight line – nothing fancy.

Plain white oversized tee – JoAnn craft store
Floral Bandeau top – Urban Outfitters (online only)
Jeans – Forever21 dark skinny jeans
Studded flats – Ross (clearance)
Sunglasses – stolen prop (left in my car from a girls outing – I’ll give em back!!)

Stay tuned for the DIY for this coming at ya very soon. I’m almost done editing the video!! :)

Diane: My new H&M dress I got in San Francisco – Silk. Hot iron. BURN….can you make this into a top?
Me: [slight hesitation] I’ve never sewn on silk before. BUT since you already effed it up, sure I’ll give it a shot ;)

That’s the back story in a nutshell. As of today I’ve had the dress in my possession TWO WEEKS + it was only a few days ago that I started actively working on it! Truth is, I’ll sew up + chop up my stuff all day, but I gets all kinda crazy nervous on other people’s stuff. I’m hoping that will wear off over time :/

So a few days ago I dragged myself to the craft store with dress in hand looking for a thread color match. I then realize, I have NO idea what kind of thread to use on SILK! At the risk of sounding cruel, I asked the most white-haired + wrinkly broad in the place, figuring she would know for sure.

Me: So I’ve never sewn on silk before. Would you suggest a silk thread on a silk garment?
Old broad: [adjusting displays] Yes dear that sounds right. I would use the silk thread.

Didn’t sound too convincing, but I bought it anyway.

Just for my own comfort and piece of mind, I began ‘googling’ all about silk care + the best method to sew on it. Turns out I needed a different size needle with a finer point, silk pins as not to snag or ruin the fabric, and to use COTTON or POLYESTER thread because SILK thread is not recommended for use on the construction of garments. It’s used mostly for applique. Silk thread is frequently stronger than the fabric, and it can cut through your fabric at stress points.

Most commonly, the threads you buy for sewing are polyester. Those threads have stretch to them, so when you pull your cottons you don’t start popping seams! Also, the dyes in the polyester threads won’t bleed in the wash. You have to take care with cotton threads because they don’t have the tension capacity polyesters do. I opted to purchase the cotton thread since I’d never used it before.

In a serious effort not to make anymore burn holes in Diane’s dress, I put my iron on the lowest setting + started ironing at the bottom of the dress. I read that when ironing a silk garment, you should iron on the WRONG side. So that’s what I did.

And that’s when I found this…

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?!?! *faints*

Lessons learned -

• Just do it. Don’t let fear of starting a project stop you in your tracks! Had I NOT waited 10 days before looking at the tag of the garment, I could’ve caught this sooner!
• Don’t be ageist. I was wrong to only seek out gray hair + wrinkles to answer my questions.

The bright side? After I make my thread returns, I’ll buy a good ‘ol polyester thread (thankfully this should be an easier fix than I thought). Not only that, as a token of her appreciation of promising to transform her dress, Diane has totally hooked me up with a ticket in a 4-pack she bought for Corinne Bailey Rae’s concert next Sunday.

(!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Update on how the dress-turned-shirt comes out next week ;)

It’s coming to the end of another hot hot summer in Houston + the best way to end a hot one is a group road trip with your girls. We got a great deal through My Table Entree for an all day winery tour pass for $31 instead of $62!

Out of the entire year, there is a window of only 5 weeks available for harvest. This year we are involved in the Messina Hof Harvest 2010. Married owners Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo began this winery in 1977, only then being 1 of 3 wineries in Texas. They now own over 500 acres Texas wide.

90 percent of all grapes in the world are picked by machine, and Messina Hof is one of the few wineries that allow visitors to come pick grapes + be involved in the success of a harvest season. Just a few randoms I picked up about wines:

• With approximately 200 wineries, Texas is the fifth largest wine producing state, behind California, New York, Washington and Oregon
• 80% of sense of taste is actually in your nose.
• If you enjoy fruity wines, you should drink them early. Fruit loses its flavor over time.
• Port wines can easily last 50 – 100 years due to their higher alcohol content.
• To correctly “sniff” your wine, you should only sniff from one nostril. Humans actually only use one nostril at a time.
• Low alcohol fruity wines are paired best with spicy hot foods. Sweet masks heat.

Painting the town red the night before the big stomp. College Station wasn’t ready!

We had such a big group, the owner of the vineyard referred to us as the ‘Ya-ya’ sisters group, LOL.

Here’s a small ‘taste’ of our trip to the winery! Special thanks to Mai, Diane + Suzy for the extra photos!
**And please note – YES we stomped with bare feet on grapes, but NO these are not used in the production of their wine. It’s just a quaint show for the visitors :)

So next bottle of Messina Hof wine bottle you pick up, remember the Ya-yas ;)