Whatevs

So, as you likely know, I'm going off to university in August, and I'm going to be staying in a dorm. As such, I've been thinking about decorating and stuff like that, and I decided that, hey, I want to make a banner.

So I did.

The funny bit is that it's in my school colours, and it was completely on accident. I like accidents like that.

Anyway, here's what you need in order to make this:

• Fabric, in coordinating colours or not. Your call.
• Scissors
• A rotary cutter, which isn't necessary, but super useful for cutting your triangles
• A straight-edge, which will make your life better when cutting those triangles
• Ribbon or bias tape
• Fabric marker, or a really soft pencil, or whatever will mark on fabric without lasting forever
• Embroidery thread
• Embroidery needles
• Sewing things, which might just include a mom willing to sew everything together while she's sewing anyway.

I totally changed the fabric midway through. Not even sorry.

Dream Big

We're all dreamers, more or less, right? I mean, at least at some point in our lives, we've had a million and seven big dreams that carried us through boring math classes and people saying it worn't work and boring days where nothing gets done.

I like to think that my dreams, big and otherwise, are more like ambitions than anything, though. And I have a lot. And, since I'm a bit bored and feel like writing (which makes this blog especially handy, really), I'm going to tell you about some of my dreams. Cause why not?

• To get published. You know I've finished my first novel, and I'm fairly certain I'm done with editing (unless someone says otherwise). I've finally had someone read the whole thing, and she absolutely loved it. She's told me that she hates me, and I'm thrilled that she's emotionally invested enough to do that. (She doesn't actually hate me, of course.) I have another person reading it, which is great. I'm still game to have more readers, so feel free to drop me a line if you're interested. I might start looking into a literary agent soon, and a few publishers. I'll keep you updated here!
• To design a clothing collection. I'm not particularly good at sewing, and I just don't like it, much to my mom's eternal chagrin. However, I do love designing. They're not particularly technical, and I don't draw croquis or anything, but I love coming up with new clothing designs. I would be fantastic to work with a brand and come out with a line, but as I've got no technical skills, I doubt anything would really come of this. It's still fun to do, though. Maybe one day I'll post some of my doodles.
• A doctorate degree. Yeah, I'm going to be in school until the end of time, but I want to be Dr. Sarah Springer, scientist extraordinaire. I really just want to be among the best in my field.
• To travel the world. Every single place I can physically step foot on, including Antarctica. I'd actually really, really love to go there, and I'd love to do it with my one-day job.
• To own a sailboat, which needs no more explanation.

So, yeah, that was fun. What kinds of big ol' awesome dreams are swirling around in your head? What gets you through sociology classes you don't take seriously because of the professor and his annoying fonts? What makes your life a better place aside from cupcakes and campfires?

Feeling Antsy

Sometimes, I get these compulsions to go somewhere. It's always a fairly specific somewhere, and it's always inspired by the most ridiculous things. I've wanted to go to Marfa, Texas for a few years, mainly inspired by this documentary I once watched (and the fact that I've dreamed about it before I even knew it existed—Casey says it's aliens). A few nights ago, my family and I watched a TV show about a barbecue restaurant, and now I want to go eat barbecue in Texas.

I've already discussed my propensity toward wanderlust, and I mentioned that going to Sedona would only make it stronger. It's entirely true, and maybe a bit distressing.

Honestly, if I had about two hundred dollars and a car (and a license), I'd take off and go...somewhere. Just drive in one direction and hope I end up somewhere cool. Now that I'm finished with the semester, I doubt I would be sitting here in bed typing this up if I had either of those things. I'm not sure where I'd be, and it's a beautiful thought.

One of my friends wants to just pack up her camera gear and go somewhere on a photography adventure. Of course, she lacks a car and money as well, but who's to say that it can't work out? As long as I'm back in August, there's no reason not to try.

Someone told me to go for it, to "go somewhere supremely scary and uncomfortable and carry the memory with you forever."

I want to go somewhere I've never been. I want to stay in mediocre motels that haven't been updated since the 70s. I want to see obnoxiously lame tourist things like "The World's Largest Thermometer" (which I've seen, it's as lame as you would think). I want to see hours and miles in the rearview mirror.

Honestly, all I really want is a nice little car with a tent and sleeping bag always stashed in the trunk.

I'm antsy now, and I really want to try. I just have to find a way.

Big Ol' Bank Slips

It's Marvelous Monday again! If you're curious about what that is, exactly, then you can go here and find out.

This week's theme: inspired by a song!

I spent nearly the whole week struggling to decide just what song to use, actually. I wanted to go for something by Balmorhea, then by MXPX, and then Sunday rolled around and I hadn't figured it out. Ludo, however, decided to save the day.

My outfit is inspired by their song, "All the Stars in Texas." Mainly, it's inspired by one specific like: tall grass, short dress. Well, hey, I've got one of those!

Plus, the whole denim-on-denim (chambray, really. My shoes are chambray) thing.

All in all, we can thank Ludo for a lot of things, like this super simple outfit.

Dress: mom | Shoes: Payless

Now, let's go find out what the others did. We might even find some new music today! Yeah!

Sian: Sort Life Out; Buy Milk

Jocelyn: Fat, Fashionable, and Feminist

Cheri: Cheri'z Angel and Style Luvin

L: goodbye hollywood

Calling All Californians!

If you're a fat babe in and around LA (I live two hours away, so don't think distance is much of a detour, okay) then prepare yourself. There's gonna be a meetup on July 21st in Downtown LA, and there will be pizza, and I will bring cookies, and we can all hang out and meet each other and everything will be beautiful.

For more info, go here (it is a closed group, but you can request) and join us!

I'll make another post closer to the event, just to act as a friendly reminder. I hope to see some of you lovely folks!

The Epidemic

Today, the American Medical Association officially classified obesity as a disease.

That's right, my body, as well as so many others out there, is home to a terrible, awful disease. I am made sick by my body. Unwell. Ill. Less than okay.

I read this post on Fat Heffalump about an hour ago, and I'm still a lot of things. Angry, for one, that the AMA went ahead and gave the okey-dokey signal for even more pressure to change my body. Disheartened that this option was on the table in the first place. This feels like a major blow.

Reading the LA Times article is a significantly less than fun experience. If we can all get past the many, many pictures of Headless Fatties scattered throughout the page and just focus on the text, then good for us. The Times seems ambivalent toward the move, as they well should be. On the one hand, they're excited cause, yay! we're gonna "do something" about fat people! On the other, the acknowledge that we will all face more pressure from weight-loss drugs and even more stigmatization.

The AMA is adamant that this is a good move, despite the fact that members of their own council were urging them not to make it. How good a move is it when your own people are telling you not to do it?

The AMA is certain that this will light a fire under medical professionals' butts, ensuring that they deal quite actively with overweight patients. Which is funny, considering the number of horror stories I've heard related to fat bodies and medical professionals, like doctors denying their patients medical care in lieu of telling them to lose weight. While there certainly are doctors out there who are more than willing to actually treat their patients instead of telling them to exercise, fatty, I can only imagine that this will make it that much harder for fat people like me to get medical attention for things not caused by being fat.

Despite the fact that fat does not equal unhealthy, despite the fact that my body hasn't stopped me (and despite the fact that people have because I'm fat), despite the fact that this is entirely not okay, my body is a diseased one.

Right.

There's a petition against this ruling now, and you can sign it here.

Old Faithful

Oh, wait, wrong Old Faithful.

It's Marvelous Monday again! If you're new, you can find out more.

This week's theme: old faithful!

Now, I'm not referring to the above geyser. No, this week is all about a stalwart old piece of clothing. I have a lot of things that have gotten me through high school, most in the shape of worn-to-the-bone tees. But I rarely wear those anymore, which makes them more fickle than faithful. But, I looked in my closet and found the first of the two dresses I wear all the time. I bought them both during my junior year of high school and still wear them regularly during the summer. They were the first cute things I got from WalMart, and I'm still struggling to find anything half as cute on a regular basis.

The jewelry is all relatively new, and I usually pair this dress with a belt but I couldn't find my belt I decided to mix things up just a bit.

And I've discovered that I have a real soft spot for those delicate little necklaces from Forever 21. I like that.

Dress: WalMart | Shoes: Payless | Headband: Dollar Tree | Necklace, bangle: Forever 21 | Earrings: Mudd

Now, let's go check out the others' looks. I'm actually really curious to see what their Old Faithful pieces are!

Sian: Sort Life Out; Buy Milk

Jocelyn: Fat, Fashionable, and Feminist

Cheri: Cheri'z Angel and Style Luvin

L: goodbye hollywood

The Composite Project

You remember that thing I was really excited about a week ago? Well, it's finally here.

This is The Composite Project. It is, simply put, a bunch of pictures of things you like. Although I guess the simply-put version isn't particularly useful. So a story instead!

This was inspired by a couple of things, truth be told. First off, I'd been having a bad few body image days. We all do, it's human nature, or something like that. I'd written up a love letter to my body, and in it was a list of the things I absolutely loved about my physical body. I'd come up with the idea between writing the post and putting it up, and I went to Casey the second it hit me.

She was very, very enthusiastic about the project I proposed it to her. Her message had caps and mis-typed punctuation—that's how you know someone's stoked about something. But she immediately volunteered to be the photographer.

Finally, yesterday, we were able to hang out. After watching Star Wars and eating cereal, she grabbed up her camera and we went outside to shoot. The photos turned out beautifully, if I do say so myself, and I am so grateful for her enthusiasm and faith in the project.

So here's what the project actually is. It's about pieces of the whole, sort of. You write out a list of the things you love about your body and you take pictures of them. Simple, right? Except sometimes, it can be really difficult to accept those things surrounding the parts you love. There was a breakout on my chin when Casey took the pictures, and I wasn't at all pleased with my bra straps showing, but then, when I finally got to see what I loved and at such a different angle—it was something else entirely.

To have a photo shoot devoted entirely to the most ridiculous little parts of your body that you love just feels amazing, even if it's weird to have your best friend say, "Okay, left forearm!"

Enough chattering from me, here's my list, and here are my photos.

Responsible Blogger Announcement

So I guess GFC is disappearing soon, and those sounds you hear are my anguished sobs. And when I say soon, I mean in a couple of weeks. Luckily, there are alternatives:

• You can bookmark my blog and check back when you feel like it. There's no shame in that.
• You can follow via Bloglovin', which I'm actually a super mega giant fan of for no particular reason.
• You can follow along via email or other things (helpful, I know). Both options are hanging out on the right sidebar for your following pleasure.

So there is absolutely no reason for you not to continue to feed my ego, all right?

All right.

Continue about your day, lovely folks.

Mix and Match

'Sup, guys. As you may well know, today's Monday! You know what that means! And if you don't: it's Marvelous Monday, and you can find out just what that's supposed to mean right over in this direction.

This week's theme: pattern mixing!

Now, if life was a bit lovelier, I'd be able to wear my heart sweater, but alas, I live in the desert. Which is currently made of lava (and fire, actually, although I'm fairly certain the Powerhouse Fire has finally been contained). Not fun.

So instead, I've had to make do with this. And that's okay.

Top: thrifted | Skirt: mom | Headband, bangles: Forever 21

Just because. Also, I really love Roranicus Pondicus.

And this week, I've gotten into a new hobby. Like, of of nowhere. I've been embroidering for the past two days, and things might be getting a little weird. Whatever, I love learning new things!

Anyway, enough about me and my new thing. Let's go see how the others mixed and matched their patterns!

Sian: Sort Life Out; Buy Milk

Jocelyn: Fat, Fashionable, and Feminist

Cheri: Cheri'z Angel and Style Luvin

L: goodbye hollywood

Coming Soon

If you follow me on Instagram or tumblr, you'll have seen this picture that means nothing to you. Worry not, it will shortly.

Yep, a new thing. Details and a proper introduction will be forthcoming. Expect more within the next couple of weeks. I'm just too excited about it, okay?

Body Love Conference

Have you seen this post on The Militant Baker yet? If not, listen up: there's going to be a body love conference in Tucson next April, and they need help funding this. We've all got thirty days to help raise $10,000 to get this thing off the ground and happening.

There are all kinds of goodies to get, and actually, if you contribute at least $35, you get a ticket to the conference. I snapped that up pretty quickly, actually. Not only does the event sound awesome, it seems like a real game-changer. Gathering hundreds of people in one place to discuss body positivity would be such a tremendous boost to the movement. We all know that this has been a major fight on the internet, but to have something like this go on in the real world is incredible.

I'm just really enthusiastic (as we all know), and I think the idea behind the conference is amazing. So, even if you can't contribute financially, you should share this all over the place and let everyone know that something awesome is going down next April.

My Dear Body

Sometimes, out of nowhere, you get hit with thoughts that are significantly less than cheerful. They're a slow blue-green poison in your veins, and they last for days, weeks, months.

I have anxiety, and it likes to manifest itself in some really unpleasant ways. One of the most common: decisively un-stellar body image. While this it doesn't always happen because of my anxiety (everyone has days where they just don't like the way that skirt or dress fits), that certainly doesn't help to make it any less annoying and awful.

Sometimes, the best way to get rid of these toxic feelings is to pour them out and hope that the light can fill the gaps and take over. That doesn't always work, so the Next Best Thing is injecting some sunshine into that blue-green venomous darkness and hope for the best.

The Most Human Colour

Guys! It's Marvelous Monday again! Go here to find out just what that is if you're new here.

This week's theme: monochromatic!

I'm a sucker for some monochrome, guys. It's not that it's put-together or endlessly in style (the colours may change, the idea doesn't), or anything like that. I just like cohesive schemes and themes, and there's nothing like some monochromatic clothes to make theme dressing less costumey and more fashion-y.

I could have gone for some classic black and white, but I chose a slightly different route. I'm shaking things up a bit and playing with a different colour entirely.

It's no secret that blue's my favourite colour, is it? Because it is. And let me tell you, I really enjoyed wearing it from neck to toe. Even if I just wore it for some grocery shopping.

Opals forever!

Dress: WalMart | Blouse: Forever 21 | Sunglasses: Tilly's | Earring: Sedona | Necklace: gift | Shoes: Payless | Cuff: Vintage

Now, let's go check out the others' wonderful single colour looks!

Sian: Sort Life Out; Buy Milk

Jocelyn: Fat, Fashionable, and Feminist

Cheri: Cheri'z Style and Angel Luvin

L: goodbye hollywood