Material Posessions

Though I haven’t joined her support group, I’ve been hugely inspired from a distance by Joslyn’s resolution for (the first bit of) 2009 to “Don’t buy anything new”. This spending hiatus has a support group with progress tracked on her blog and practically performs the exact functions a real-life support group would and, though digital in nature, seems to be very very powerful! I’m definitely still hugely inspired by the resolution which started it all, and we’re almost into March now! Cutting down on the impulse purchases or on buying stuff just for the (short-lived) satisfaction of a new acquisition to tote home in a shopping bag(s) is so healthy!

With my now-improving sewing skills and sewing machine set-up and readily accessible, I’ve taken to modifying, re-engineering and re-constructing (a tonne of) existing clothing which I haven’t worn in ages but just haven’t had the heart to throw out (I’m a pack-rat).

Honestly, who actually absolutely needs all those new material possessions? Not buying anything new (unnecessarily) is almost habituating into a lifestyle! Coincidentally, this results in greater budget for foOoOooOOd!!

I’m so satisfied with this non-purchasing PLUS re-cycling. On top of that all, I’ve been trying very hard to overcome my internal pack-rat by attempting to ruthlessly declutter my wardrobe and my room. I’ve put all my handbags into their dustbags to keep them clean and to lengthen their livespans generally; prior to which I cataloged these bags!! I’m so pleased with myself. This enables optimal outfit co-ordination and maximizes utilization of existing bags.

Imagine my shock when I came across this catalogue of EVERYTHING:-

By Simon Evans || via A Cup of Jo and Black Eiffel

Inherently Stylish

I think Michelle Obama is inherently stylish and has got this subtle but always-present awareness of aesthetics. I love checking out her outfits; always classic but never boring and promises a burst of colour every so often. She doesn’t attempt to be dramatic and is ever so natural and appropriate. She’s 6″ tall and has a Harvard law degree and it shows on her face that she’s intelligent, strong and capable, yet she doesn’t come across as big, fierce and scary.

“large pattern houndstooth short bolero jacket with a large pin over a black turtleneck dress”

Love the blue belt.

Belt look familiar?

Belt look familiar?

Can’t say the same of the husband though.

All images above from Mrs O.

Organisation

Do you come across, every now and then, items which evoke hope that they may cause life to become more organised, less cluttered and prettier?

from the regional assembly of text via toujours dimanche

I love Kate Spade!

All images katespade dot com

slicing away at the unhealthy qualities, from shyness and lack of confidence to…

Extracted from The Red Book by Sera Beak

When I first encountered the fierce Hindu goddess Kali by way of a vibrant poster that one of my professors had pinned up on the blackboard, I was immediately hit by a sort of kinesthetic whap. I had no idea what or who she was, but I did know she my heart flutter and pay attention, so I decided to check her out. I took a class on Indian goddesses, read some books. And eventually even lived in India for a while, and for my birthday that year was given one of the fiercest-looking goddess icons I’d ever seen. For a while, my ishta deva (my personal deity or divine face of choice) was this intense Indian warrior-goddess, a four-armed, sword-wielding, completely naked (well, except for a skirt made of human limbs and a necklace of human skulls) female deity who actually predates Hinduism. Kali’s blood-soaked tongue sticks out at us (as my favourite transgressive professor Jeffrey Kripal would say); she has wild hair, likes to be on top, and, if she so chooses, can dance the universe to death. Unlike most Hindu deities, she is not married, she traditionally likes to be worshipped in cremation grounds, and she pretty much scares the bejesus out of neoconservative Texans and those who are not willing to face all of themselves in order to become enlightened. But for those who worship her, she appears beautiful and loving. (In this case, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.)

To worship Kali – or maybe a better way of saying it is, to embrace Kali mojo in your life, is to tap into a swift transformative energy that’s all about cutting through illusions – like all your personal issues and fears and domineering ego – so the real you (divine self) can come out to play.

Meditating on Kali and being intentionally aware of her wild energy as I remained a modern American gal and went about my daily grad school business was not always easy. Obviously, she ain’t your typical soft-focus, pink ‘n’ fluff goddess type. No matter my stress level or relationship status, Kali kept me slicing away at the unhealthy qualities, from shyness and lack of confidence (in the classroom and the bedroom) to fear of change (and elevators) to unhealthy eating habits and a whole host of other personal crap I consciously or unconsciously clung to.

To this day, she encourages me to write – to live – fiercely and from the heart.

What to do with scraps of fabric

I got a bunch of fabric scraps from a friend some years ago. The fabric scraps had been bought for cheap at a (flea) market of sorts in Sydney when she was in university there and had since sat unused. Upon her discovery of my foray into sewing, the bag of fabric changed hands and sat unused for a few more years.

This evening, I pulled it out and made a cushion cover:-

Re-construction, De-construction

I’ve had this sewing machine for probably 3 years now, but it hasn’t seen much daylight during this time. I took it out from storage and set it up yesterday and have been sewing non-stop! Mostly de-constructing and re-constructing old clothing and some linen. So far:-

(1) cut up and hemmed a few pairs of trousers into shorts, some with large cuffs. Life in the tropics doesn’t call for trousers, especially not the tweed ones, which I’ve had from living in more winter-y climates.

(2) shortened some sweat-pants into capri-length for yoga (I kept stepping on and almost slipping on the hems)

(3) Converted a queen sized quilt-cover for the single quilt.

(4) Finally sewed the pink-checked lining of my laundry hamper basket into a proper lining with circular base and tube-like sides.

As I was sewing, Living Etc came on TV and the stylist was doing a photo-shoot with re-cycled stuff and was sharing a tip of glue stain removal using lighter fluid for glass jars and bottles saved from the kitchen. She says recycling is almost like a hobby and will be the new knitting. I found myself nodding.