White: The Scariest Color

A part of me fears the color white. White is such a fresh and clean color—which just begs to be spoiled. I have white shirts and blouses, and every time I wear one I’m paranoid that I’m going to get something splattered all over it. Ketchup, BBQ sauce, teriyaki sauce…pretty much any sort of sauce is attracted to the color white. In fact, I may tailor my meals to avoid any foods that may leave an unwanted mark. Or I may button up the (dark) jacket I’m wearing to cover up my white top to minimize any splatter damage that may occur. Yes, white is a dangerous color to wear.

And while I’ll venture to wear white tops, I’ve continually avoided white pants and skirts. I’ll see these items in stores and while I may think they’re cute, I think how impractical they must be. A white top is hard enough to keep clean, but pants and skirts have even more surface area to worry about. I could totally imagine myself wearing a pair of white pants and sitting on a dirty bench, which would then leave an ugly (and perhaps permanent) mark on my backside. White is just such an easy color to ruin.

Yet I like the color white—now more so than ever. I have so many dark articles of clothing that white really helps to make things pop. And while I have yet to rationalize buying a white skirt or pair of pants, I can somehow rationalize buying white (or in this case cream) fabric at the fabric store. A white garment isn’t terribly practical, so I think I feel less guilty about having a white garment if I can make one for about $10.

The skirt pattern I wanted to use required 2 yards of fabric, but I only managed to get about 1.75 yards of challis (as it was what was left on the bolt). However, once I shortened the length of the skirt pattern by about 5 inches, I managed to get all of my pattern pieces laid out on the cloth to cut out. I’ve used this skirt pattern before and it’s a pretty easy pattern to begin with, so it didn’t take too long to make. I’m pretty happy with my cream skirt and think it will be fairly versatile. [Pause.] That is until I manage to ruin it by spilling coffee on it or doing something equally damaging to this light-colored fabric. [Sigh.] It seems inevitable that this will happen…someday.

When Resignation Reigns

I’m not going to lie—I’m particular about things. I was a picky child, and I’m a picky adult. I have very specific ideas of what I want in clothing and shoes. My hunt for knee-high boots has been a two-year string of disappointments because I’m picky. I just can’t help it; if I’m willing to spend money on something, I want it to be right. I want my boots to be:

• Versatile (capable of dressing up or down, whether I’m wearing a skirt or jeans)
• Good quality (made of a nice leather that’s not too rough)
• Comfortable (it can have a heel or wedge, but not too tall)
• Fit (they should fit comfortably snug around my legs)
• Price (I have a price range that I want to keep within)

This really limits what I’m looking for at a store. No riding boots because they’re too casual. No stiletto heels because I need to be able to walk more than two blocks in them. No large bands of elastic that I find so ugly. [Pause.] Let’s just say there’s a lot of things I don’t want. [Sigh.]

Not long ago I bemoaned about big boots and my inability to find a pair that I not only liked but also fit me properly. Recently, I once again found a pair of boots online that looked promising so I went to the store to try them on. I found the boots on display and the leather felt pretty nice and I liked the style of the boot so my hopes were high. However, when I tried them on, while comfortable, they were once again too large around my legs. I was so very disappointed (especially since my beloved old boots and these new boots were the same brand, yet the fit was so vastly different).

After I relayed my disappointment about the fit, the salesperson mentioned that I might consider getting them altered and I told her I’d think about it and left the store. I continued to shop, though mostly my mind was on her suggestion of alterations. I didn’t really want to take that extra step and expense of getting a pair of boots altered, and yet, it seemed my options were limited. The shift in boot size appears to be pervasive; it seems as though the average customer shoe companies have in mind for their boots is not someone like me, and there was little I could do to remedy the situation.

Finally, I decided to just buy the boots and get them altered. I came to the conclusion that the chances of me finding a pair of boots that I loved and fit me were practically non-existent. I’d be waiting forever…and I just couldn’t wait that long. I was so tired of looking for the perfect pair of boots. I just wanted a pair of boots for the winter that would take the place of my beloved no longer waterproof boots. So I just had to suck it up and get these new boots altered.

DIY: Folded Paper Napkin Ring

This is a simple way to create napkin rings that are just made out of paper—no gluing or taping required. They aren’t too hard to make, disposable and inexpensive.

Little Brown Dress

I’ve never really been drawn much to the color brown; it always seemed so drab to me. Given a choice of neutral colors, I tend to gravitate towards black and gray and more recently white, cream and navy. Yet my avoidance of brown has somewhat waned over the years. I have a few pairs of brown shoes (although if I’m being honest had they’d had the option of black, I would’ve gotten them in black). Yet I’m not so opposed to brown now because I can see that it has a warmth that black does not; so wearing brown can be especially nice in combination with brighter and lighter colors.

Sometime ago at a fabric store, I picked up some coffee brown sateen (that was of course on sale). For a brown, I actually liked it—it was so dark and rich and chocolate colored. I finally got around to using this fabric and decided to make a dress with it.

Two Months of Christmas

It’s already begun: the countdown to Christmas. A smattering of Christmas ads have crept their way onto the TV and Christmas paraphernalia have started to infiltrate stores (such as Christmas trees and ornaments). Christmas is slowly ramping up until Thanksgiving hits, and then all hell will break loose with Christmas sales and shopping reminders that'll bombard us in full force. [Sigh.] I’m not really looking forward to the upcoming madness.

Don’t get me wrong, Christmas day is great. You get to eat good food, see family (that you hopefully like) and of course there’s presents. These are all good things. I just don’t really enjoy the pre-game—the two months of impending Christmas preparations that saturates the air. There’s just so much I would like to avoid: the shopping craziness with its never ending lines at stores; the terrible holiday music that stalks you wherever you go; and the saccharine-filled holiday TV specials that are overtly intended to pull at your heartstrings. [Pause.] None of this puts me in the Christmas spirit.

I just wish Christmas didn’t have the prolonged hullabaloo that seems to grow longer with each passing year. I don’t mean to sound Scrooge-like, but thinking about Christmas for two months is just exhausting. It makes Christmas less special to me because if feels like I have to deal with it for a sixth of the year (and that’s a long time). I’m almost glad when Christmas is over because then I won’t be accosted by Christmas reminders any longer. Yes, I’m bracing myself for two long months of Christmas.