tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33275552439664988522012-02-16T20:53:29.495-08:00Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.comBlogger781100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-52270001963171787452011-01-24T21:31:00.000-08:002011-01-24T21:36:14.724-08:00

Here's my new blog: http://threadandbread.com.I apologize to everyone! I've left you staring at a mayonnaise recipe for over a year! The only way I can make it up to you, dear readers, is by giving you daily posts at my new site. I hope you enjoy :)

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-84029927965647108252009-12-31T11:52:00.000-08:002009-12-31T23:26:58.214-08:00

I loooove to dunk a warm, salted french fry into a creamy pillow of mayo... Mmmmm... (and you have either made a disgusted face or nodded with understanding).It's Belgium's fault. Handsome and I would have never acquired this habit in the United States. Yet in Belgium, sweet Belgium... Handsome and I devoured swirled pyramids of the creamy dip with steak fries and washed it all down with tall,

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-90616894255503192312009-12-19T21:23:00.000-08:002009-12-19T22:05:42.996-08:00

Oh goodness, I owe a big apology to you readers out there! The holidaze have sucked me under!Poor Mothra, Godzilla, and King Kong are completely dismembered and piled together in a brown grocery bag. Sewing is definitely an ebb and flow of creativity and time. I want to finish these monsters, but my time is very limited at the moment.One of the reasons:  Two and a half months ago, I joined (no

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-73442613477396482452009-10-22T20:08:00.000-07:002009-10-22T20:26:00.890-07:00

Dear friends:Okay, ever since I started this sewing blog, I've inherited the Franken Family. The Caped Crusader has stitches! Five of them to be exact. The poor kid fell on some rough concrete and landed directly on his chin. In the ER, I got a $125 front-row seat to watch how in the heck a doctor sews up skin. The needle is very tiny and curved--almost like a clipped toenail. But I have to tell

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-62060990481879139542009-10-17T20:53:00.000-07:002009-10-18T11:08:35.545-07:00

Kong Looks Smashing. In an attempt for victory, Godzilla throws punches to the left, destroying its shoulder pads......and to the right, nuking the tag:Kong returns with a right hook, mutilating its neckline:  Whoa! Godzilla is breathing fire! These buttons don't have a chance!With Chibi's help... ...Gozilla's buttons are incinerated:But wait! The Green Machine helps to complete the total

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-20145990268168828782009-10-15T20:39:00.000-07:002009-10-15T21:40:51.580-07:00

Dear friends:I signed up to participate in Blog Action Day which occurs today on October 15th. The topic of this year's discussion is on climate change.Okay, hmmm.... Well, you've already heard about how greenhouse gas emissions will make our earth warmer, causing crazy hurricanes and famine. And you've probably heard that one way to create more greenhouse gases is by burning natural gas, coal

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-65707403339829970092009-10-13T22:07:00.000-07:002009-10-15T20:36:11.474-07:00

A Larva, Not a Fighter.Completely ignoring its foes, Mothra continues to shed its appendages. With the help of a tailor's chalk......and some fabric weights......and a quick snip from Slice, Mothra turns its full-length sleeves into 3/4 sleeves:Has Mothra lost its mind??? Apparently, Mothra has lost all strategy. Mothra discards these additional entrails......and then rudely goes into chrysalis:

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-70428294786201579102009-10-11T21:06:00.000-07:002009-10-11T21:19:34.895-07:00

Mothra Cuts the Competition in Half.Mothra oozes onto the scene, toppling Kong's lead. With Jacques assistance...   Mothra sheds its hideous shoulder pads:Next, Mothra moves onto the blue trim and slowly worms it off: Wait a minute, Mothra's not done!Whoa! Are we really witnessing this???!!! We are! Mothra has just divided into half!!! It's a daring move, but will it pay off in the end? 

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-13780677486226407472009-10-09T22:30:00.000-07:002009-10-09T23:53:37.776-07:00

Kong's Got It Covered.In a raging fury, Kong maintains the lead by replacing its former buttons:With these covered buttons!B-b-but how did Kong manage such a feat??? Let's rewind the tape and watch the action in slow-mo.First, a covered button kit was purchased at the local fabric store. These buttons have teeth to grab the fabric--an excellent move by Kong! If covered buttons without teeth had

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-21002175830519356502009-10-07T20:44:00.000-07:002009-10-13T22:26:02.515-07:00

Wash the Beasts.While the fabric on these three dresses felt dainty, the smell emanating from them was beastly. Nothing that a little soakin' in the sink couldn't cure:Ahhh, all washed and dried and feeling refreshed...But wait! Kong's making the first move! Slice helps by cutting six-inches off the bottom of the dress--let's make this thing sexy! It's a nice but predictable move on Kong's part:

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-41527148446452381052009-10-05T14:42:00.000-07:002009-10-06T12:26:12.126-07:00

One thing about being a stay-at-home mom:  for the first three years of your child's life, you never--and I mean never--get to wear dresses. Your kid's life becomes your life. This includes running in the park, climbing play structures, and sliding your snug derriere down tiny slides and tunnels because your kid is too scared to rough it alone. The payoff? Purple and red bruises the size of your

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-62733331091982851712009-09-24T13:32:00.000-07:002009-12-27T12:30:13.581-08:00

I'm one of those individuals who enjoys living in a small space. I don't want my lifestyle oozing over mountains of square footage, therefore, everything in Handsome's and my life is compact, including our kitchen. Although petite, this heart of our home (ah, corny, but true) bustles with energy. You can practically hear the phantom clanging and banging the moment you enter. Ceramic and stainless

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-25674276102906508752009-09-22T20:44:00.000-07:002009-09-23T20:35:01.756-07:00

Fantasy (what I felt like wearing)...And reality (what I actually wore):Thanks to Josephine's Dry Goods, dressing up for my friend's funeral was a cinch! The blouse is truly a one-of-a-kind. There are so many details to it! Here's a closer picture in case you have old lady eyes like mine:I'm sooo in love.Let's tally the results:Total Cost:  $26Josephine's Dry Goods blouse: $25flower: $1silk skirt

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-45274282155303133672009-09-14T20:39:00.000-07:002009-09-21T22:33:25.308-07:00

Step Two:  Make Cute Blouse Look Morose.Okay, first things first: I'm so, so sorry for the massive delay in my blogging life. I thought I had a reprieve, but things got busy again with Handsome's business. Freakin' dead friends. Sooo high-maintenance! The Caped Crusader begins school at the end of September, so I'll have free time (woo hoo!) to share my new projects coming down the pike. Preview:

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-78697772520112565422009-08-14T21:31:00.000-07:002009-08-23T11:02:58.825-07:00

Step One:  Get the goods.Sometimes, you just gotta meander outside of the box for used goods. And what's better than high-quality garments with zero body odor, zero stains, and minimal wear and tear? Too good to be true? Nope. So this place really exists??? Yep.But... with a glitch. All the clothes have previously been worn by creepy, plastic Stepford Wives. So if you freak out about clowns and

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-76703942280266081782009-08-12T21:51:00.000-07:002009-08-12T22:08:42.385-07:00

Hey all! I just wanted to apologize for my virtual disappearance and to let you know that I'm up and ready to blog again. Our friend's death was a little more serious than I let on--he also happened to be Handsome's business parter. During my absence I was tending to a lot more of my SAHM duties: more caring for a more emotional Caped Crusader, more cooking for more people, more energy needed for

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-42213728495434250282009-07-22T21:53:00.000-07:002009-07-23T11:41:38.128-07:00

The two things from which we cannot hide. Although taxes are far more responsible and reliable. We are provided due dates, charts and tables, and usually have a good understanding of how much we need to pay before the big day. Death, however, is a total punkass. Handsome and I recently lost a dear friend of ours to a car accident. Ever since, we've been wandering around our place like comatose

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-25440430131138971932009-07-12T21:08:00.000-07:002009-07-12T21:37:00.712-07:00

The infernal tchotchke before......and after!B-but... WHAT IS IT???!!!! It's an Eco-Friendly I Spy Bag! (duh) I mean, really, can't you see how this plastic soup is a useful and educational toy?Okay, maybe this shot will clarify it:Um, or maybe not... But, hey, here's four of them cuddled together:Okay, okay, I think this is a case where a video is required. But before I sign-off for the evening,

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-66595800877351907682009-07-10T22:36:00.000-07:002009-07-12T21:37:16.947-07:00

Step Three:  Combine IngredientsIt was time to make some sense out of the nonsense. Handsome and the Caped Crusader kept wondering if I had gone insane. After all, I was vigorously cutting up straws, milk jugs and sour cream containers with the kitchen scissors. Not very healthy behavior when viewed by an outsider. I needed to combine all the ingredients of my experiment.After the tchotchkes were

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-83148663479706762802009-07-06T21:25:00.000-07:002009-07-12T21:37:35.699-07:00

Step Two:  Make Cloth SquaresMy experiment was going well albeit a little slow (Who knew that cutting up plastic could make your hand so tired?!). Handsome began looking at me strangely as if I was going a little looney. Too bad. I was on a mission. My experiment... my precious experiment... my Precious...My experiment required an old pair of pants. So I cut out cloth rectangles the size of my

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-51677532842826562342009-07-02T15:54:00.000-07:002009-07-12T21:37:58.950-07:00

Step One:  Release the Anger & FrustrationOkay, so I had a little problem: my plastic heap in the bedroom was making Handsome rethink my cute idiosyncrasies. I was even having a hard time justifying it as an odd hobby or a funny quirk. And every time the Caped Crusader passed by the plastic mound, he'd remark, "Garbage. Yuck." All around, this strange collection of plastic was downright

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-52445719841360481162009-06-30T16:00:00.000-07:002009-08-23T11:06:55.762-07:00

It's a virus that lurks in every pediatric doctor and dentist office, inside cereal boxes and at birthday parties. Banks sometimes pass them out. Businesses call them "office shwag." And because of the Caped Crusader, they're invading our home. It's the infernal tchotchke.They live in the Caped Crusader's cooking pots, inside his trucks, and on his nightstand. Geez, the kid's only four years old!

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-27130890399813849702009-06-23T15:56:00.000-07:002009-07-12T21:43:10.877-07:00

If you haven't heard about the Eastern Garbage Patch, let me turn you on to it: a floating sea of discarded plastic twice the size of Texas, located in between California and Hawaii. But that's not all. Oh no. This article is very educational--and horrifying. If you are a consumer of plastic, I suggest reading it.I'm not posting this to make you depressed right before bedtime. There are some

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-81120610109002978102009-06-21T10:20:00.000-07:002009-06-21T16:58:27.956-07:00

'Fess up, I know you've got 'em: mountains of slender plastic tubes filled with rejected colors. Even if you don't wear make-up, I bet there's at least one renegade cylinder rolling about in your drawer.So what do you do? If you're like me, you go out and buy more. Because nothing screams "frivolous spending" like piles of junk lipstick. But difficult times are among us, and our lips still

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-39674602579059046042009-06-19T20:43:00.000-07:002009-09-23T20:55:36.558-07:00

Your eyes are not fooling you:  yes, my girlfriend shot this video sideways. The entire evening's tomfoolery can be blamed on a small handful of drinks. And on another note:  I called my top a corset whereas my girlfriend called it a bustier. Is there a difference? Only slightly. I call this a case of tomato, tomahto. But if you're a purist and want to get technical, a bustier pushes up the

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-49520139784323826042009-06-16T14:20:00.000-07:002009-10-03T09:07:11.994-07:00

The dress before...And after!It's too bad that the photo of this get-up was taken with a flash because the dress and corset aren't particularly shiny. This photo was also taken post dinner and auction, so the dress is wrinkled.And here's a sliver of the back (with the lacing a bit undone after having sat down for large meal--oops):The wrap was discovered on a fluke only a few days before the

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-59083532775495186942009-06-12T22:46:00.000-07:002009-06-12T22:46:00.408-07:00

Step Five:  Steam and Press.Looking at the above photo, you probably guessed that Moose got the dress properly ironed. Who's the man??? Moose is the man!!!But I had to violate Moose in twenty-five different ways in order to get the job done. Faithful Moose cooperated, but that cantankerous dress required a few spankings. I wasn't about to give up my boss-itude after I'd come this far. Poor Moose.

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-57959617102769814312009-06-10T09:58:00.000-07:002009-06-14T14:20:02.672-07:00

Step Four:  Complete Row of Hook & Eyes.Six years ago, I decided to try my hand at making a corset. My pregnancy bump rudely interrupted the project, and then raising the Caped Crusader further complicated my hobby of dangerous, sharp objects and fragile fabrics. Alas, my poor corset was forced to languish in our all-purpose closet. It's sad to have such a beauty locked away in a cave... Until

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-71370066679895630172009-06-08T09:54:00.000-07:002009-06-14T14:19:47.809-07:00

Step Three:  Clean Dress.Before I unveiled my secret weapon, I figured I should give the dress a quick scrub. With only a few days before the auction, I had no time for the dry cleaners. Besides, if I could save a few dollars, all the better. Especially if those dollars could be applied to the evening's fun (translation: cocktails).  With my faithful Biokleen, I washed the dress in our kitchen

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-2213840479954208712009-06-06T08:11:00.000-07:002009-06-14T14:19:36.502-07:00

Step Two:  Tighten Straps.Those pesky spaghetti straps were constantly falling off my shoulders. I thought about removing them all together, but then I envisioned a scene where I was at the auction, elegantly dressed, and I raise my arm to wave hello to a friend--but something else is waving freely, as well. The straps were staying. My ladies, under no uncertain terms, were going to escape.The

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-30395570945157015482009-06-04T15:21:00.000-07:002009-06-05T21:47:51.252-07:00

Step One:  Lift, lift, lift!I know some of you can empathize with this (and if not, do yourself a favor and try not to visualize what I'm about to say--and by the way, I hate you):  ever since I gave birth, my ladies have spread and migrated underneath my armpits and around my back. It's like I'm constantly wearing a shrug.And now I was stuck in the embarrassing situation of trying to squeeze

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-12422844775633317812009-06-02T22:13:00.001-07:002009-06-02T22:27:54.301-07:00

If you've noticed my absence, my dear MIL recently had emergency brain surgery. But what's creepier than someone poking around the jello insides of her head, is the fact that she's recovered and behaving as if nobody had ever cut out a hand-sized hole in the side of her skull and dug around with a set of brain pliers (or whatever instrument is used for such occasions). I'll return within a couple

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-45861600415131968152009-05-28T15:45:00.000-07:002009-06-04T15:20:57.041-07:00

I had tickets to a hot date--with my girlfriend. For the first time since giving birth, both of us planned to celebrate the momentous occasion of a Girl's Night Out. Freedom from our kids! Freedom from our men! Absolute Unencumbered Freedom. Our destination:  one of Portland's hottest auctions; a huge money-maker that generates over $500,000 in a three-hour evening from the city's biggest

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-66240472935669064632009-05-26T09:14:00.000-07:002009-06-05T21:37:14.854-07:00

You've probably guessed by now that I'm not the only Second-Hand Rose of the household. Handsome and the Caped Crusader are in the business, too. In fact, this used-clothing lifestyle was instigated by the Caped Crusader's arrival. When he was an infant, I'd pack him in the stroller and walk to the thrift stores to pilfer through mountains of kids clothes. Gradually, I built a marvelous arsenal

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-81136136755952423192009-05-22T10:37:00.000-07:002009-05-22T21:00:17.134-07:00

The Miss dress before......and the Ms. jacket after!Ah yes, this is another one of those outfits that required less cutting and more decorative accessories. But that's good, right? It demonstrates that amazing finds exist in our thrift stores. A majority of these outfits don't require much of anything to make into something. On the other hand, it also demonstrates a huge amount of consumerism and

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-71267347303330857332009-05-20T15:36:00.000-07:002009-05-20T15:36:00.260-07:00

Step Five:  Small detour before replacing buttons.3 hours and counting...The detour wasn't that egregious--just a hole in the upper shoulder. But monkeys were now screeching and dancing around my time monolith, giving me a raging headache. I popped an Advil, whipped out the Green Machine from its storage cave, plugged it into the wall, turned the dress inside-out, and quickly stitched the hole

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-51985748595222478522009-05-18T14:03:00.000-07:002009-05-18T14:03:00.529-07:00

Step Four:  Kiss the Wii.11 hours and counting...  The Caped Crusader woke Handsome and me up on a bright, sunny morning at his (not our) standard time:  7:00am. The morning routine was fast and noisy. Handsome punctuated its end with kisses and a door slam as he left for work.Then silence.I looked at the Caped Crusader and quietly debated what we should do on this beautiful day. Walk to the park

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-8567899991923820522009-05-16T12:49:00.000-07:002009-05-16T20:47:37.209-07:00

Step Three:  Alter sleeves.After spending hours in La-La Land pondering the possibilities of this former hard-core partying dress, I faced a serious time crunch. The baby shower was the next day, and I was unsure if I could meet the deadline. The party had been removed from the garment, but I still had half a nerd on my hands. I had to decide quickly which piece was next to go: collar or sleeves.

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-65599909332749205632009-05-14T12:13:00.000-07:002009-05-16T20:48:00.838-07:00

Step Two:  Remove pocket.I desperately needed to remove the nerd from this dress. The first item to be eliminated was the double-stitched pocket. Yes, these poor things have a bad rap, but in their defense, they can be very utilitarian. They can carry so many things like wallets, hankies, pencils, tiny rulers, and protractors, providing the wearer with free hands to manipulate beakers and jot

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-45492805811979505602009-05-12T11:40:00.001-07:002009-05-16T20:48:18.864-07:00

Step One:  Wash, wash, wash!Yick--this dress was dirty! (And I don't mean in the proverbial naughty sense). It was filthy. Seriously filthy. There were areas that I didn't want to touch. Maybe this dress really was a bar-hopper from the '90's--one that slouched around too many ash trays and clung to too many public toilets?I couldn't justify a dry cleaning bill that would be higher than the cost

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-45632062186454887832009-05-07T20:58:00.000-07:002009-05-16T20:48:35.548-07:00

For those of you without kids, a playgroup is just how it sounds: it's a group of kids and their primary caregivers who get together on a weekly basis to play. And we do indeed play. Playgroup is my mid-week haven. It's a day when the Caped Crusader will run off with friends while I reclaim some precious time to sit on a couch and chat about some seriously random stuff with really cool moms. I

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-47789605704715982442009-05-05T07:46:00.000-07:002009-05-05T07:46:01.329-07:00

Teacher Appreciation week is May 3rd through May 9th, and I can't think of a better gift for two of the Caped Crusader's amazing preschool teachers than a couple of fun scarves. So here goes... (And bear with me because my creative streak occurred on a busy Saturday with the Caped Crusader running all over the place, and me occasionally pausing to help Handsome with parenting tasks. Read: few

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-27339857788945859192009-05-03T16:45:00.000-07:002009-05-03T20:58:14.960-07:00

When working with clothes and fabrics you can usually be guaranteed of one thing:  remnants. Those chunks of fabric that are cut off to make way for the latest creation. Most of my remnants get tossed into a bag of other unloved fabric bits--too small to repurpose, yet too big to throw away. But when you get that perfect combination of large fabric hunks plus a creative streak--wham!--something

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-79613662101815665012009-04-28T12:04:00.001-07:002009-04-29T12:46:35.844-07:00

The dress before...And after!Yeah, yeah, yeah. Disappointing, I know. Not much has changed (except the accessories and larger slit in front). And the After photo is blurry to boot. I've let you down!But sometimes life is just one giant pile of disappointments. And the real let-down is that this Cinderella didn't go to the ball after all. Yep, no party. Zilch, zero, nada.Whatever happened?! you

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-75377133971426972362009-04-26T16:25:00.000-07:002009-04-26T16:25:00.582-07:00

Step Four:  Act your age! This dress was a good dress, something I could grow into. It's a long-term keeper. It will age well. But I couldn't hold my own in it. Not yet.The dress required fun and interesting accessories for one reason:  I wasn't fifty years old. Heck, the dress was practically screaming for a youthful shot in the arm. My medicine included four items.Vintage earrings from my

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-37853870719141538852009-04-24T16:23:00.000-07:002009-04-24T16:23:01.098-07:00

Step Three:  Attach lining.One thing that surprised me about this dress was that the interior lining wasn't attached to the exterior shell. If I were to kick up my heels and dance a little jig with Handsome (after a glass of wine or two), the lining might unwittingly creep up my body. I'd be labeled The Drunk Mother with The See-Through Dress. Maybe the previous owner had made this embarrassing

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-43770010146294190362009-04-22T21:32:00.001-07:002009-04-23T08:02:16.650-07:00

I'm going to interrupt The Tease series to give a salute to our whirling diva in her signature colors of blue, green, brown and white!And for all of you dear readers, here's the most unusual, hilarious, overly-dramatic yet scientifically accurate pornography (yes, pornography) vignettes by Isabella Rossellini, entitled, Green Porno.Strange indeed. But it gets the message across that life is too

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-37021182293649872532009-04-21T13:09:00.000-07:002009-04-21T13:09:00.979-07:00

Step Two:  Create slits. No! It was all wrong! I threw Slice down on the carpet.If I cut off some of the black fabric, the savage red underthing would be permanently unleashed. Besides the look would be an unusual union--like Jackie O. meets Ricky Martin.This was a classic, demure dress. And I decided it needed to stay that way. I just needed to Whore-It-Up a bit with some higher slits.The front

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Step One:  Make them see red.I had to show off the gorgeous red silk fabric hidden underneath the bottom half of my dress. But how, oh how, was I going to do it?First, before touching anything, I had to marvel at my dress' quick personality change: one minute, demure; the next minute, gregarious. I flipped up the bottom of the dress, and what did I get? Salsa music, cocktails, birds, butterflies,

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-79126414307994886962009-04-17T12:04:00.000-07:002009-04-19T07:53:45.057-07:00

When taking care of a small child, it's so easy to fall into the Soccer Mom rut. It's so easy to opt for comfy shirts, sporty pants and athletic shoes. It's so easy to favor one shelf and one drawer in the closet. And it's so easy to slight all the pre-motherhood clothing that hover in the corner with hanger marks and dust around the shoulders. Yet too many years down the golden path of relaxed

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-50754449012625537402009-04-15T21:15:00.000-07:002009-06-07T10:50:50.820-07:00

For those of you who sew or craft, you'll probably agree with what I'm about to say: even the most persnickety of us are hoarders. We just are. I'm always saving things for that Great Creative Occasion. It's easy to justify--Oh, this fabric is gorgeous, I've got time next week, It's cheaper for me to make, blah, blah, blah.Well, those cloth sandwich bags had me thinking:  maybe it was time to

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-54655357582789500882009-04-13T15:45:00.000-07:002009-04-13T15:45:03.129-07:00

If you are tired of using plastic baggies and have made the switch to those environmentally-friendly, wax paper ones, here's something that will trump those throwaways: reusable sandwich and bulk item bags!Creator, Evelyn Fields, makes these cloth bags from 100% unbleached cotton. This is a mom everyone should support! Yes, yes, yes, I can hear you now: But why don't you make them for yourself? 

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-23363620878780654412009-04-08T22:00:00.000-07:002009-04-18T21:39:23.089-07:00

The merino wool jammie pants before...And after!This is not the outfit with which I wanted to display the shrug, but I figured it would be best to show off the details with a white top. If you have 20/20 eyesight, and if you look really, really hard, you might notice the tiny frog closure and pleats (careful not to let your eyeballs get sucked into the black vortex!). Here are two close-up photos

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-15489544136252485312009-04-04T16:09:00.000-07:002009-04-28T13:24:53.981-07:00

The viscose jammie pants before...And after!I have worn these pants everywhere. In fact, at the beginning of their reincarnation, I wore the jammie pants for six days straight--every morning I'd pluck them up from their crumpled existence in the corner of our bedroom and slip 'em back on. They are so easy and versatile. I bought the button-up cotton shirt a year ago. Its colors are so bright and

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-10863138823094151032009-04-02T21:53:00.000-07:002009-04-02T21:53:00.942-07:00

Step Seven:  Always, always give deference to your ladies.The shrug was looking hot with one sad exception--it made my ladies look lukewarm. If there's one important lesson to share from my trial-and-error sewing experience, it has to be this:  a garment's cut and shape is what makes you a star. A well-cut polyester dress will look far superior on you than a cashmere hack-job. And the ladies--the

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-39690938580311430382009-03-31T21:42:00.000-07:002009-03-31T21:42:03.054-07:00

Step Six (Part II):  Use Anything You've Got.Call me what you will:  a sellout, a fraud, a phony. I'll agree to it all because I did the unthinkable--I pulled out a roll of iron-on hem tape and, worse, I used it (okay, okay, this isn't the most egregious seamstress act, but I bet it ranks up there).Honestly, I had not idea how to use the iron-on hem tape because I had never purchased it. The roll

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-76008771754552097722009-03-29T22:06:00.000-07:002009-03-29T22:06:02.917-07:00

Step Six (Part I):  Add embellishments.I didn't come this far to give birth to a plain Jane. I wanted this shrug to stand out, so off to the fabric store I went. My mission:  procure pretty little ribbons and baubles for the shrug. This was the fun part. And yet I had to proceed carefully because my shrug deserved to be tasteful. But trying to act restrained in a fabric store while staring at all

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-66778149319232245212009-03-27T15:56:00.000-07:002009-04-17T16:23:06.741-07:00

Step Five (Part II):  Hem pants.The viscose jammie pants were feeling mighty good, but the hem had partially come undone during the pant's remodel. The final step was to get the hem back in place, so I could take these pants out for a test drive. I could hardly wait to wear them.I finished the hem with what I think is called a pick-stitch. Then I sewed a little applique onto the back side of the

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-15674274101970493962009-03-25T21:53:00.000-07:002009-03-25T21:53:06.061-07:00

Step Five (Part I):  Adjust garment and darn holes.When I looked at my creation in the morning light, the shrug looked... hmm... okay (certainly not the triumph I had in mind when I went to bed the previous night). I decided some adjustments needed to be made.First of all, the shrug was a bit boxy. It was baggy around my ladies and frumpy in the back. I created some strategically placed pleats to

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-77030007859200462672009-03-23T21:46:00.000-07:002009-03-23T21:46:07.128-07:00

Step Four (Part II):  Make an elastic waistband.While the shrug took a much needed rest, I tackled the viscose jammie pants.There was no reason to install another zipper in the pants. I mean, really, do you sleep with zippers in your pajamas? I had plenty of fabric to work with, so I decided to make these pants ultra comfy with a good ol' granny elastic waistband. It fit into my grand scheme of

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-70881481047559560332009-03-21T21:34:00.000-07:002009-03-21T21:34:04.743-07:00

Step Four (Part I):  Make a shrug.I'll admit one thing:  I'm a hack. I've never taken a pattern making class. The only sewing class I took was in high school. I learned all my skills on the job. So I picked the perfect time to begin chopping away at a pattern--10 pm and really tired. The Caped Crusader was sleeping the sleep of the dead, Handsome was watching a Hunter S. Thompson documentary, and

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-4415856907234913012009-03-19T22:37:00.000-07:002009-03-19T22:37:03.284-07:00

Step Three (Part II):  Remove zipper and waistband.After the merino wool slaughter, the viscose jammie pants project seemed like a piece of cake. First things first:  I had to get rid of that faux johnson. Jacques helped me remove the zipper and the waistband. Aaahhh, much more lady-like...Unfortunately, the zipper was destroyed and needed to be tossed in the garbage. The waistband remnants were

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-1015488022919246482009-03-17T22:11:00.000-07:002009-03-17T22:11:03.943-07:00

Step Three (Part I):  Cut Up Merino Wool Pants.  To make this a really corny pun:  I decided to cut my losses. The merino wool pants with the exquisite finger-feel would have to turn into something else. Slice chopped them up in no time. The areas with the most egregious holes were cut off and stored in a bag with other fabric remnants (remnants make great stuffing for other projects).While I was

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-77490546099759194382009-03-15T22:17:00.000-07:002009-03-15T22:49:19.108-07:00

Step Two:  Replace Occam's Razor Theory with Chaos Theory.Thwarted! I thought I'd be able to cozy up with my jammie pants by the end of the day. Instead, the fashion gods had me stymied. Both of my precious pants required more work than a simple shrinkage. They fit, yes. But did they look good? Noooo.For one, the merino wool pants were holier than my dear mother-in-law and her two sisters

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-45061165490635091702009-03-13T22:10:00.000-07:002009-03-13T22:10:00.401-07:00

Step One:  Shrink to Fit.There's a theory--a really good theory--that argues that the best answer is the simplest one; a straight line from points A to B. This doesn't preclude you from flitting around from points A to T and back to H again. Hey, it's your choice. But the Occam's Razor theory keeps you succinctly on track by asking an important question: why in the world would you do such a

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-49658740507380141272009-03-11T21:11:00.000-07:002009-03-11T21:11:00.466-07:00

You gotta love a girlfriend whose walk-in closet is so large, certain outfits get lost--for years. I have such a girlfriend. And when when she decided to spring clean said closet, I was rewarded with fashion manna from heaven. My car's trunk was loaded with piles of luscious goodies.Sifting through my treasures, I found two pairs of pants that looked so cozy and scrumptious, I just had to wear

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-80703247700534063712009-03-10T22:10:00.000-07:002009-03-11T16:44:35.113-07:00

Here's another NY Times article I just have to share. It was written by Thomas Friedman.Regardless of what you think about the dude, his succinct article is very relevant. Friedman argues that our growth model has been wrong all along. There are two players in this delicate Ponzi scheme: the market and the environment. To put it simply, we got rich depleting Mother Nature. And because of this,

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-74729392968395630822009-03-09T21:19:00.000-07:002009-04-26T10:54:20.219-07:00

One of my girlfriends justifies spending large amounts of money on luxury clothing by following her trademark mantra, Investment Dressing. I couldn't agree more.If you feel like learning something new today, I suggest reading this New York Times article about the disposable clothing industry and its impact on the environment. The article says it better than I ever could. So, the next time you're

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-53825605588959655372009-03-05T15:26:00.000-08:002009-04-28T13:31:23.823-07:00

The bomber jacket before I touched it...And after!And here's a picture shot by the Caped Crusader (Just the clothes, no head, Sweetheart). Not bad for a four-year old. But then, he is a kid of the twenty-first century (just yesterday he asked Handsome and me why the number that indicated the amount of tissues in a box didn't change every time he pulled out a tissue--sheesh).I've been able to test

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-37325515126892402632009-03-04T15:19:00.000-08:002009-03-04T15:28:51.252-08:00

No, your eyes aren't fooling you. I've been tinkering. I thought I'd make this blog more readable, and I think this might be a better format (please let me know if it's more difficult for you).Where were we? Oh right, ahem, back to the bomber jacket. Drumroll...

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-92202791960827845652009-03-03T22:37:00.000-08:002009-03-03T22:37:00.682-08:00

Step Four:  Final CheckBefore I could declare this bomber jacket project done, a quick run-through of everything was in order. I tested all the zippers. They glided up and down with ease. The smaller zippers (one on the sleeve, another on the hood) had these silly little metal J's hanging from them. The effort to remove the J's would have been way to much hassle for what it was worth--they were

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-2908277948049102822009-03-01T15:23:00.000-08:002009-03-01T21:18:34.325-08:00

Step Three:  Close everything up.By nature, I'm a lazy person. I know Handsome might disagree--he might even go so far as to say I'm Type A. But here's proof where I get lazy:  pins. I just hate using them because they take too much precious time to tack fabric in place. In my mind, pins are such a chore that I suddenly get tired when thinking about them. The end result:  I become cavalier and

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-33771962372575440542009-02-27T15:18:00.000-08:002009-02-27T20:51:29.716-08:00

Step Two:  Mend all wounds.The two three-inch tears on both sides of the bomber jacket were, thankfully, right along the seam. My sleuthing predicts that tension pulled the fabric away from the seam, making it fray and break apart. Kind of like what happens to some countries (and marriages for that matter)...This is where that extra flap became useful. I used Slice to cut two five-inch rectangles

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-53060404564051456932009-02-25T14:43:00.000-08:002009-02-27T20:51:58.694-08:00

Here's how to be the boss of this bomber jacket...Step One:  Strip the jacket of all undesirables.Chibi came in handy and snipped off the large Juicy Couture buttons (I really dislike clothing that are billboards for their labels). Get those things outta here! Then it was onto the palm-sized heart hidden inside. When the jacket was zipped up, it intentionally rested next to my real heart. How

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-82451390136620551722009-02-02T20:56:00.000-08:002009-02-16T21:01:13.998-08:00

The first time I donned a bomber jacket, Handsome-then-boyfriend, looked at me, his heart jumping backflips, and said, "You look like a Rude Girl!""A rude what?" I asked, not knowing anything about Mod culture and lingo. In his early college days, Handsome used to wear skinny ties and an army-green parka, and he scooted around on a Vespa.So when I spotted this Juicy Couture rendition of a bomber

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-61727277105869755262009-01-29T08:41:00.000-08:002009-04-02T21:41:14.467-07:00

To help you follow along, here are the most important characters in my blogging life:Garbage Cinderella:  The name I call myself to maintain anonymity. Handsome:  My fabulous husband of ten years and purveyor of all dull sewing projects that I dutifully complete (AKA: hemming pants and sewing buttons on shirts). I consider it karmic retribution for all my handyman questions that kick-off the

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-67189674938505407322009-01-26T22:12:00.000-08:002009-04-17T16:20:12.024-07:00

Naturally, a five-year moratorium on purchasing new clothes requires some ground rules. Here they are:1.  Fabric and notions, good; new clothes, bad. While the majority of my outfits will come from redesigned second-hand clothing, there will be times when I'll need to buy new fabric. Reviving a hand-me-down from the nineteen hundreds into the new millennium is hard work and might require some "

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3327555243966498852.post-65002644810379705932009-01-25T21:14:00.000-08:002009-05-12T11:39:50.166-07:00

Really, a vain Recessionista turned environmental steward? Sure, there are many of us lurking behind our sewing machines.I've always recycled, occasionally repurposed items, turned off unnecessary lights, and scorned running water--especially when Handsome brushes his teeth (much to his annoyance). But since the birth of the Caped Crusader, my commitment to clean air and pristine land has

Garbage Cinderellahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04458055084045511272noreply@blogger.com1