Instant Memories: Summer So Far

I was once interested in purchasing instant film for an old polaroid land camera i thrifted for $5. Finding out the sad news that the polaroid company was closing their factories, due to a massive decline in sales, really put a hole in the idea. I shuttered at the thought of never again being able to take a random picture that would develop right before my eyes.

Researching my way around this dilemma, I came up with 3 solutions. 

1) Buying expired film from online locations such as eBay: Beware of this because the film can be so out of code, that it is actually dried out. It really is a matter of luck if it will even work. 

2) Buying film from a company called The Impossible Project: The film is very pricey. We're talking 8 exposures for $23.49. Although the company bought out the last Polaroid location, they are making the film using there own formula, which still is no match to the polaroid legacy.

In October 2008 The Impossible Project saved the last Polaroid production plant for integral instant film in Enschede (NL) and started to invent and produce totally new instant film materials for traditional Polaroid cameras. In 2010 Impossible saved analog instant photography from extinction by releasing various, brand new and unique instant films. Therewith Impossible prevents more than 300.000.000 perfectly functioning Polaroid cameras from becoming obsolete, changes the world of photography and keeps variety, tangibility and analogue creativity and possibilites alive.

3) The final option: Buying a Fuji Film Instax Camera, which I did. I opted for the mini which produces credit card sized photos, perfect when you are out and about to fit in your wallet. I went with a seller on amazon.com. The camera was $59.99 and I also purchased a pack of 50 exposures for $38.00. Fuji Film continues to go strong, making there version of instant film at an affordable price.

There's just something about having a picture that you can't delete. A picture that is tangible instantly, and comes with that feeling of excitement when waiting for it to process. It's all about the moment, and the memory you capture with in it. 

Here are a few of mine.

xo

Closet Collaboration: Thrift Finds and Studs

A combination of my two past posts. Featuring a few of the items I thrifted, other clothing I customized with studs, and a few favorites pulled from my closet.

Drama From Behind: Studded Lace Up Boots

Black Smooth Leather 1460 Boots by Dr. Martens. 

Silver Rounded Spikes from StudsandSpikes.com.

Shredded Black Skinny Jeans by Joe's Jeans. 

Short Sleeve Rust Orange Button Up Thrifted by me. 

Dead Stock Vintage Sunglasses from American Apparel.

Studded Collar 

White Sleeveless Lawn Button Up by American Apparel.

          Brass Round Studs from StudsandSpikes.com.

Shoulder To Shoulder: Lightly Studded Leather Vest

Leather Zip Up Vest Thrifted by me. 

Silver Rounded Spikes from StudsandSpikes.com.

Black Wayfarer Sunglasses by Ray-Ban.

Heather Gray Crop Tank Thrifted by me.

Dark Denim Cut Off Shorts by Diesel. Cut by me.

Red Skinny Studded Belt by J. Crew.

After taking photos with my sister, it was time for a sushi filled lunch date :)

Now Playing:

Artist: Wavves

Album: King Of The Beach

Song: Post Acid

How to stud an article of clothing.

On the menu today, we have an old thrift find I discovered about 3 years ago at The Salvation Army in Middletown, NY. A little black, little boys blazer--a petite young lady's dream, really. I already have two black blazers, this one being more fitted, so i thought why not add some edge to it.

I decided to mix it up and do a combination of brass and silver hardware, that way I  don't have to go crazy about which jewelry matches or not (an old obsession of mine).  The studs i will be using are from studsandspikes.com. Shipping was lightning quick.

Before doing anything, I like to layout the pattern I will be executing. It's acts as a visual of the finished product and gives you an idea of what works for the garment. Of course this is entirely up to you, and what you want the end result to be.

Some of the studs points may be too dull to manually insert into the fabric you are working with, thats where a good knife comes into play. In this case the silver ones needed some assistance.

Here we go! Press the stud into the starting point of the fabric to make a perforation.

Pierce the fabric using the guidelines of the perforations.

Some of the prongs of the stud may need to be straightened out before placing into the fabric. This can simply be done with a pair of pliers.  

Press the stud through the holes you created.

Now bring the pliers back into the game, and get ready to bend the prongs of the stud to set it in place.

The next stud I like to place is what i call "the end point stud". If this is done, there is no way you can screw up the pattern you want to accomplish.

Now you are ready for the brass studs. The points on these were sharp enough to pierce the fabric on there own. You are just going to repeat the whole process as shown above.

One pocket done!

Fin!

Remember that you can always go and add more to your creation, but with a lot of D.I.Y. projects, especially ones involving clothing, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible to go back and make changes. Once you cut into a shirt--that's that. I myself have ruined amazing clothing attempting to create something more from it. It's just a matter of learning from your mistakes, and remembering to do it better next time. Never give up!

I went ahead and added some more. I'm sort of obsessed :)

Now Playing:

Artist: Beach House

Album: Teen Dream

Song: Zebra

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Hunting at The Salvation Army

Hello! For my first post, I thought I would go back to my roots and show off some of my winnings today from The Salvation Army. Not only does the money you pay for donated goods go to a great cause, but you can also find amazing one of a kind "vintage" items that can be modernized for today. I have been thrifting since I was 15 years old and fell in love immediately with the idea of discovering wonderful pieces for less than I paid for a school lunch.  I rarely buy new clothing. Fashion is constantly repeating itself and you can find similar, to exact replica's of clothing that are in trend today. Overall, I wouldn't really call myself a "trendy" person. When i do see a trend I'm into, i try to recreate it, but add my own twist. When It comes to my personal style i definitely march to my own beat. 

But enough about me, back to what I collected today. I found 3 button downs. The rust orange one( being my one of my favorite colors) is in fact a mens size small, but I enjoy the slight oversized fit of it, and it's sleeveless making it perfect for summer. The royal purple is a new color I'm introducing into my wardrobe (for quite sometime, the color purple has been through a hiatus from my closet. Can't remember why?). It is cropped and made of 100% silk. The gray is actually a button down pullover sweatshirt. Loving anything with a collar and with the addition of comfort , it had to come home with me. I also hit crop tank gold today. The amount I had in my basket could have clothed a small army, but being on a budget I had to stop and think. I went with the two neutrals which fit me best anyway. I plan to rework 2 of the items i bought today, but I'll leave them as a surprise for future posts.

Now to the receipt. Payed $15.00 cash money for 5 tops, and saved $4.00, because 2 of them were on sale for half price! Thrift stores usually color code their items with tags and select which color to be on sale for the day/week.

One of the tanks even had my name as the brand, also spelt accurately. Wild! When thrifting brands/designers don't mean a lot to me. I usually go for fit and quality, but when i do come across a designer item for less, it really can't get any better.

Time for me to eat dinner. "Let's get the rhythm of the hotdog!" I'll leave you with a now playing:

Artist: Caribou
Album: The Milk Of Human Kindness
Song: Bees