SCRATCH THAT.

this is where you can find me from now on:

http://twelveoclocke.blogspot.com/

BABY COME BACK.

I've recently realized that I should probably started blogging again here because sometimes Tumblr just feels too cold and teen angsty and there's all of those gifs of galaxies and anorexic people smoking and it's all just too much for me! Also, sometimes I worry that "Quirky & Co." is a stupid name, but I am learning to embrace the choices of my eighth grade self and so should you!

So here's some exciting things going on in my life: I am done junior year, I waitress at an old folk's home(LIVING THE DREAM!), and I started an Etsy shop to sell vintage because I have been hoarding stuff that I find at thrift shops that is aweso

me, but doesn't fit me and it was only a matter of time until my mom called A&E to come help me.

NOW, what I have been doing with my summer, in iPhone pictures:

I made a crop top out of this awesome fruit themed tablecoth I found at a local thrift shop. Tutorial forthcoming! No patterns required! (FUN FACT: My mom

informs me that the thrift shop where this was purchased is on the same compound as a drug rehab and in the 1970s, while shopping, a patient tried to steal

some tube tops from her hands!).

I successfully made donuts from scratch for the first time. I have now learned how to deep fry donuts and french fries and home and my life is so much better.

I turned a Mrs. Roper muumuu into a slightly shorter Mrs. Roper muumuu.

Got my hair cut. Look how windswept and cool I look! It's like you can't even tell that I'm sitting in the outdoor eating area of Chipotle!

And, finally, some hot young adult fiction to read.

How is YOUR summer going? I want to hear all about it!

something from nothing

Artist/Blogger extraordinaire Olivia Mew refrained from buying clothing for a month and created miniature felt versions of dresses she wanted and sewed them all together to make a wearable shift dress.

This project is so inspiring! Imagine how therapeutic it'd be to make a miniature version of a Miu Miu dress you could never afford in a lifetime.

WORN: Issue no. 11

When the lovely folks at Worn offered to send me their newest issue, I was bogged down by schoolwork and having one those weeks where you look into your closet and suddenly feel temptation to just give up and become a nudist. I felt like Ali Larter in that scene in Legally Blonde when she's in prison and Elle comes to her rescue by bringing her, among other things, "the bible" a.k.a. Cosmopolitan. Except Worn is basically the antithesis to every ridiculous, Cosmo-like rag I've ever read.

Worn provides intelligent commentary on fashion and its surrounding culture. You will not find articles like "How To Find the Perfect LBD That Will Make You Look Skinner, Younger, and Find You A Man In Just 15 Minutes!" The magazine discusses the historical and social influence of fashion from a feminist perspective and embraces personal style, with a voice that is funny and sincere. Not to mention that it's 44 pages of eye candy!

Some of my favorite parts of Issue 11 include:

+A look at the evolution of the airline "stewardess" uniform and culture.

+An excellent guide to buying vintage glasses frames, as well as a glossary of various styles throughout history. I wish I had this a few months ago, when I invested in a pair of gold vintage cateyes!

+An informative piece on textile conservation that made me scold my mom for storing vintage dresses in our damp basement.

+An editorial featuring a real live Zebra! The perfect antidote to every mainstream editorial featuring a designer's exact runway look against a beige background.

I cannot recommend Worn Journal enough. I have never encountered a magazine that made me wish that I could just play dress up and hangout with its staff.

For more info on Worn, go here! To subscribe, go here!

P.S. What do you guys think of my pom pom necklace? I made it hastily last night and I can't decide if it's cool or looks like I got into a knife fight with Fozzy Bear!

i'm still here post 4 of 949

Hi everyone! I just wanted to let you all know that I am alive and well! BECAUSE I KNOW YOU CARE. One month without blogging turns into four before you know it. Junior year is scary and frightening and every myth you heard about it is true. To quote Daria Morgendorffer, "If I had to do it all over again, I'd have started advanced placement classes in preschool so I could go from eighth grade straight to college."

I am working on some new projects, so stay tuned!

i hang glide on a dorito.

I don't care if you've already seen this, watch it again. I feel like I can relate this half shell so much more than I have ever with mankind.

DIY Couture

Have you ever been to a party where you see a girl in a cute dress, you tell her you like her dress, and she responds "Thanks! I made it myself!" and then you go sulk in a corner and are like "WTF, self, why can't you do that?" I WANT TO BE THAT GIRL!

The problem is that sewing brings out my inner rage. Sewing patterns are basically written in Japanese to me. Most sewing guidebooks seem to be written by a stern grandmother who is trying to teach you how to sew with "tough love." There's just too many rules, so many ways to screw up! I basically get halfway through a project, throw spools of thread in agony, and then go watch the Food Network and never finish it.

Clothes made using DIY Couture books.

Imagine my excitement when the folks behind DIY Couture offered to send me a few books. DIY Couture makes the sewing process easier for beginners and experience seamtresses alike, by offering zine-like books with illustrated, step-by-step instructions on how to create a garment. Instead of speaking in another language, these books teach you visually. Instead of dealing with complicated patterns, the book gives instructions on how to measure and cut fabric using household items and your own measurements, creating a completely unique garment from start to finish!

I was sent the books on how to make a pleated skirt, a cloak, and a gathered dress. While tempted to make a Little Red Ridinghood style cloak, I opted to save that for the fall and try out the pleated skirt using some grey cotton I scored for $1 a yard. This was the first time I've sewed something I actually want to wear! It feels good to create a piece of clothing, from start to finish, for $2 instead of shelling out money for a basic skirt somewhere like Urban Outfitters.

"Inspired by the thousands of invisible pairs of hands around the globe that make the clothes we buy, DIYcouture hopes to inspire people to turn off their screens and get up to their elbows in the 3-dimensional world of creation. It supports the slow revolution. Helping people to produce garments that are precious, rather than disposable, this is the antithesis of fast-fashion."

The book includes instructions on how to create multiple variations of the skirt, including a maxi version that I plan on trying. The killer thing about these books is that one can be used to create infinite garments, like fashion bacteria!

DIY Couture books can be purchased here.