the fruits of days off

Despite the financial burden, four days off of work is a kind of nice thing. Everything has been slow going, but after three days I have a clean apartment, some cute baked goods, the beginnings of an inspiration book, and some finished clothing alterations that had been put off for months and even years. Oh and currently watching The Science of Sleep for the 100th time.

 Cupcake size pumpkin pies

 Shortened vintage dress

 The sleeves on this dress were really big which made it look frumpy. It is much better now that I look the sleeves in.

 fur hat just needed some weird ties cut out of it.

This skirt was a kids dress now its just for me!

To be a kid again

Sitting by the fire with a hot cup of chai spice blacktea (someone once told me "chai" just means tea) stressed as all get out on a Thursday evening. Actually that "fire" is just a fan propelled electric space heater, but hey our last gas bill was only $40, and believe me Chicago is cold in January. Thrifty.

Nearing the end of winter quarter in school and that means a lot due. Stats tests, sales talk in professional selling, Persuasive speech in effective speaking, and a nice big business plan and presentation in global marketing.

Tomorrow morning I will be presenting my Art lovers speech to a class of Chicago 5th graders for my effective speaking class final.

This involves a speech on an artist and an art project for the kids.

I will be having the kids create charm necklaces based on jeweler Gijs Bakker's Rose Necklace..

Rose Necklace: Gijs Bakker

My adaptation for 5th graders (I made this one)

It is patterns cut from magazines and origami paper in simple shapes (circles, squares, triangles) glued to a strip of white poster board (glossy side up!) holes are punched at either end and shapes are cut out leaving some space around the edges. The charms are then tied together with thin string and a long string is attached at either end, long enough to slip over the head. Cute, right? I'm not so good with kids so I'm a bit nervous. I need to keep them occupied for an hour.

Side note: today I realized the big difference to going to school for fashion in Chicago and going to school for fashion in New York. In New York they are interning at fashion magazines during their freshmen year. In Chicago we are happy if we get to dress models for a fashion show once every other quarter.