Boom.

Remember this post? And this one?

Or this smart little number?

Well, I made a commitment to donate 60% of the sale price of this bow tie to Not for Sale Campaign. (That percentage allows me to continue making these ties once the ones online have been sold)

Guess what? I've sold THREE of these Glasses Help You See ties. Huzzah!

So, being true to my word, I have gone and made a donation.

Let's run the numbers.

Each bow tie is priced at $30.

60% of $30 is $18.

$18 x 3 = $54








First, I went to the Not for Sale Campaign home page (found here), and the first little tab link at the top says "Donate". I clicked on that and selected the option to make a one time donation. That brought me to this page:








After I filled in all the information (billing address, money, DOB... just kidding about the DOB), I hit "donate" and voila! donated. Brilliant.

Seconds after, I received this nice little email:

So the donation has been submitted.

To all who purchased this bow tie-- THANK YOU. I hope that you enjoy your tie and that you can spread awareness about human trafficking every time you wear it.

As Not For Sale said, "Your partnership empowers us to fight modern-day slavery in the United States and across the globe."

Keep shining that light.

dressed

I made a list of things to do before I turn 25. As I learned all through my middle and high school careers (This is for you Mr.'s Johnson, Tovar, Luedtke, Frerking(s), Ms.' Gertz, Chandler, Henderson, Smith and so many more!), that goal setting was the thing to do. Because goals give us something to work toward. Now that I don't have someone setting an outline of those goals for me, and less tangible milestones (ie. passing an AP exam), I can see the benefit of having goals.

Now, coming back to my little list. I thought I had relatively few things crossed off (translation: one), but it turns out, I had actually begun work on a few and finished them!

So without further ado, my self-made dress.

There are many tutorials online about how to do this. I didn't really follow any of them. I kind of read a few and just winged it. Except for when it came to pockets. I used a guide for that.

Unfortunately, I didn't take pictures of the process because I wasn't even sure this was something that was going to work. All I knew was that I had some beautiful batik fabric that I hustled sweetly asked for and received from my aunt. And I had a green top that I didn't wear very often because it shrank and was too short to really be decent/modest/attractive/flattering. But I didn't want to give it away because I'd only worn it twice.

Here are my attempts to show you the elements that I was working with after the finished product.


There are plenty of tutorials out there on how to make dresses out of old t-shirts and tanks and other things. I improvised a little, blending a few. My shirt had an elastic bottom, so that had to be worked in. I learned how to place a gathered fabric onto something with a set length and pinned away. Then I sewed away.


Then I tried it on. And it sagged. The little green shirt that was meant to have some flow was pulled out. Not so attractive. Essentially the elastic in the shirt was too weak to hold up the weight of the batik fabric. My solution? Buy heavier elastic and just sew that sucker on.

It kind of worked. The dress fell in the right places and all that was left was to add pockets. I followed this tutorial, but I altered the shape of the pockets to be deeper.

Then I was done!

On to wear my little dress and check that item off the list! :)

What do you think? What items can you rework? Ever made a dress?

P.S. The first time I wore it out and about, I noticed that the skirt it a little wonky. Meaning off centered. Not obviously, but the pockets are a little... locationally asymmetrical. Oh well. Something to work on next time I get a hankering to recycle my clothing. :)

click

Photography is wonderful. There are images that can make you laugh, cry or become angry.

I've always liked to take pictures. Pictures that show beauty, that tell a story. But I'm no pro, and my experience is limited to my own tinkerings. So, I put it on my list.

Then I started looking for a class.

I found one place associated with a museum. But as I looked through the instructors, I wasn't overwhelmed with them.  Some were beautiful, but so glamorous. I want to take pictures of real life. See the beauty in the everyday. So I held off. The price point also gave me pause.

So I kept looking. And I found a class that met in single 3 hour classes and was an affordable rate.

I registered to take an "Outdoor Portraiture" class.

The instructor was very kind and personable. Most of the attendants seem to have taken classes previously, but I was pretty clueless.

I got into the flow quickly and learned some things. We shot a model outside for a while and then went inside to talk about what we learned. I learned a little about flash, about camera position and about lighting.

I enjoyed it. There's a lot of skill (people and technical) that goes into it. I enjoyed being in a learning setting again, especially about something that I enjoy so much. I would really love to get more into photography. Good thing it's something I can work at in my own time.

So be prepared if I start asking for models!

bespectacled

A little while ago, I shared an issue that weighs on my heart.

I mentioned that I had a couple ideas of how to contribute to eradicating slavery.

Well, one of those ideas came to fruition! As you may know, I have an Etsy shop. Right now, I sell earrings and bow ties on there.

So I thought, why not use the things I enjoy doing as a part of this process? So, I scoured the web, looking for a perfect fabric. I found one that I think to be not only an attractive print, but also meaningful.

Allow me to introduce my first trafficking fundraising bow tie. Glasses Help You See.

Glasses to open your eyes.

The print, as you can see, is composed of various spectacle (glasses) frames. I chose this print because one of the biggest issues surrounding human trafficking is awareness-- most people don't know that it exists or how widespread it is.

This issue is one that is hard to confront and contribute to, and it's so big! But I wanted to do something. I want to help people open their eyes to see this issue. To look around their own lives and neighborhoods and places they frequent and to become aware. So, I hope that in some small way, I'll help a few people put on their own glasses to see human trafficking. Because if you don't or can't see it, how can you help fight it?

This fabric was bought from Spoonflower, a place where you can design your own fabrics and buy from other people who have unique designs. The fabric is 100% natural, the ink eco-friendly and water based. I tried to find information about the working and wage conditions of the workers actually producing the source fabric, however, that information was not available and indeed, the fabric industry has very few standards and measurements concerning fair trade. I was told repeatedly that although there is some slight movement to creating standards and checks, nothing is widely recognized and adhered to right now. Knowing that, I chose Spoonflower for being local and for its support of individual, independent designers.

I have designated 60% of the sale price to go to the Not For Sale Campaign, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting slavery. They don't know I'm doing this, there's no agreement, I'm just going to write a check.

And guess what?! I've sold two already! Whether because of the cause or because of the print, I've made two sales, so the count thus far is $36.00 to go to Not For Sale.

I hope that those who have bought these ties will use it as a conversation starter, or even just as a reminder when they wear it, that they can open their eyes to see human trafficking.

I hope to add to this and I have a few more ideas, so stay tuned!

UPDATE: I have sold 3 of these ties! You can read all about it here. (10/18/12)