A while ago, I mentioned that I was starting a new project. I'm happy to report that I didn't just say I wanted to start a new project but I did, in fact, start it. If you recall, the pattern is essentially nine tile-like squares with coordinating designs. For this post, I decided to take a picture after I finished each color thread.
All outlines are done in this shade of green, which I am not mad about because I love green. I think this is one of the colors I had to substitute to because I didn't have the specific color the pattern called for. This one seems a bit brighter though so I think I prefer it.
After finishing this outline, the real enjoyable part starts which is when you just fill in the outline with all the other colors, no constant pattern checking needed. It's like coloring in one of those adult coloring books but, um, you know, stitching.
This extra calming project has come at a particularly good time for me, as schools let out for April vacation and it was a little crazy during the run up to this point. And, in true Ashley fashion, I'm still unable to fully relax now that the vacation has begun.
I've begun wedding planning again and am reminded that I'm not good at wedding planning. I suppose it's not wedding planning specifically that I'm terrible at but making a high volume of decisions within a short time span. I'm only good for like, one decision a day, two if I'm feeling a little spicy.
When I have something important to do, I have a hard time relaxing and allowing myself to fully enjoy fun things when I'm not actively working on it. While logically I know it's about balance, you have to also do Fun Things in addition to Important Things so your brain doesn't explode or whatever, I still find myself vacillating between doing The Thing and moping around trying to convince myself to do something else while still somehow not getting anything done.
This inevitably leaves me feeling like I'm wasting my vacation. Though I'm fully aware that worrying about wasting time only creates more wasted time, I still find myself focusing a lot of my brain power perfecting the art of that that very specific form of worrying. One of my many talents.
This is why I spend much of time stabbing things over and over. Something about it, especially working on a project like this, really calms me down. I think the key is that it takes just the right amount of brain space- enough to keep my worries at bay but allow them to work themselves out in the back of my mind, if that makes any sense.
Now that this piece has gotten me back in creative mode, I've slowly started to combine my need for creative relaxation with wedding planning- because of course I have to make stuff for the big day- as the perfect way to fully unwind. I've also got a project based on Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics going because despite just now talking about how stressed I am, I felt the need to just completely overburden myself, per usual.
Aaaaaand there we have it! The finished square. I love the colors and can't wait to crack on with the other eight squares. Aside from all the other things I'm stressed about, I've also been putting a lot of thought into what I want to do with the rest of my life (job-wise) for some reason, so I'm sure this'll be done soon enough as I try to maintain my comfortable base level of panic without reaching critical mass.
On that note, I feel the need to share that I got a beer midway though this post because 1) look at this can. Look at it. I love it, it has more of a shiny metallic shine in person and is 100% why I grabbed it off the shelf in the first place and 2) it was a delightfully bitter-but-not-too-bitter black ale, recommended if you're into that sort of thing. I've never had it or anything else from Ten Bends for that matter, but apparently it's out of Vermont and most of their cans are gorgeous. Sure it doesn't matter but art for arts sake is what keeps us sane so I'll take it where I can get it.
Aaaaand I made it! Made it to what you ask? Oh, just-
***February vacation!!!***
Awww yeahhh, it's that time where I get to reap the rewards of working in a school- no more hospital hours for me! I get random weeks off now! Work has been going pretty well (surprisingly? Finally?) but I've noticed that as these mandatory vacations approach, everyone falls into this mindset of just squeaking by until our week off (the "__ sleeps until vacation" countdown on the message board in the teacher's lounge doesn't help), that's all everyone talks about starting about 2 weeks out.
But hey, I have a whole glorious week to just chill so I'm not complaining. I was hoping to be able to travel to visit family but of course that's not the wisest choice right now, even though the vaccinations are finally rolling out (I'll get mine soon!).
I'm not sure why I'm so relieved to be honest because this is New England and we're deep into the sad grey winter which means...
***Snow Days!!!***
Yup, yet another perk of working in school and more unscheduled mini breaks. We've had a few already so I should be well rested and not jonesin' for a whole vacation so much. Like I mentioned before, I used to have to drive into work no matter what but now, at the first sign of flurries, I'm pacing around the house with my phone waiting to get the word that school is cancelled.
Recently we got hit with a nor'easter which dumped over a foot of snow on us pretty quickly, getting me out of a day and a half of work. If you live somewhere that doesn't get much snow, enjoy the following pictures. If you do, cringe with me at all the shoveling I had to do (this is obviously a pretty big downside of a snow day but some forced exercise is probably a good thing considering the rest of the day I'm lounging on a couch).
The sad little trench M dug to get out to his car (poor guy braved this mess to go to work). I later had to expand it but that's what you get for being the asshole who gets to stay home.
Yup, that's my car buried somewhere in there. We had a plow come through of course but that really only piled up more snow around my car.
Can you guess where my car was? This was taken after I broke free of my snow drift after considerable effort. At least that massive pile of snow made it easy to brush the snow from the top of my car.
After a couple hours (!) of shoveling (I suggest getting over-ear wireless headphones for listening to music or a podcast while you do this- it makes the chore slightly more enjoyable and doubles as ear warmers. This revelation has really revolutionized my shoveling game), there's nothing like a big mug of hot chocolate and crackers with fancy cheese (caramelized onion cheddar from Trader Joe's, my ultimate favorite).
And yes, I may have indulged in a good beer at the end of the day. And why not? I'd recently picked up this stout from Left Hand Brewing Co. out of Colorado. I love a good stout but fruity ones? Not usually my thing. I was feeling a little adventurous I guess and their regular milk stout is one of the finest so I figured it was worth a shot. And it was! The raspberry flavor comes out strong but still finds a way to blend nicely with the milk stout base. 4.4/5, would drink again.
The excitement from my recent crafty gift wore off a little as all this of snow and bad weather set in my annual bout of what I call The Winter Blues. I don't need any help getting into a depressive funk but every year around this time I'm hit with The Blues pretty bad and I suddenly can't build up any excitement whatsoever to do anything, I can't even veg on the couch because I don't feel like watching anything particular on TV.
I'm always surprised at how much this barrage of grey days affects me- it doesn't help that taking head-clearing walks is hindered by snow and ice congested sidewalks. I've started taking some vitamin D to combat this and am slowly coming out of my funk a bit just in time for vacation.
I managed to start a couple sewing projects as promised though, and they've been getting me through even though the going has been pretty slow. I feel better at least looking busy. I'm not finished but I'm close enough that I don't want to share progress, I'd rather just wait and reveal it once complete so for now, enjoy my awesome color palettes.
The first one is space-themed and uses a pattern from one of my new magazines. Not my usual colors for sure (I don't hate pink, especially darker pinks, but I naturally gravitate more towards blues and greens) but between that and the interesting style of the piece, it felt good to mix it up a bit.
The second pattern I bought from Etsy and used colors close to what was listed but using thread I already had. I like all the jewel tones here. Can anyone guess the theme based on the snippet of pattern shown below?
This pattern is a sampler so it's easier and more pleasant to stitch. Samplers are generally made up of basic shapes and solid chunks of color so it's easier to turn your brain off a bit while sewing, which suited my level of energy.
As always, I have even more projects in the works, including a Vonnegut piece I mentioned I might want to do. I'm slowly but surely getting my brain back on track, or at least as much as it was on track before (I have a dubious amount of track on the best of days).
Right now though, I'm engaged in one of my weird new relaxing activities which is to watch M play Zelda: Breath of the Wild and yes, I'm celebrating the arrival of my week of freedom with a fine beer. I went a little local this time and got something from Smuttynose's Smuttlab, their experimental side of things. Magic Beans, a coffee porter, is pretty smooth (especially for a porter) and the coffee flavor subtle. Its definitely a solid choice, I'd give it a 3.75/5.
M and I have been to Smuttynose in person pre-covid and if you're ever in the area, I highly recommend a trip. The food was pretty good and the atmosphere fantastic. It's right near Hampton Beach so if you want to wrap up your beach day with something other than the ubiquitous fried seafood feast, it's the perfect choice.
This weekend another small storm is forecasted so I'm going to let myself take it easy but I do want to come up with a semblance of a plan for my days off, or at least put together a list of things I'd like to accomplish to give myself options. On Monday I'm doing some shopping with my good friend and premier shopping buddy which is exciting but the rest of the week I'm free. I'm just sure that, even though I don't expect to do anything exceptionally exciting, I don't want to look back on this coming week and feel as if it was wasted.
No pressure, right?
On that note, I'm gonna log off for the night. For those of you that, like me, long to feel the caress of that warm summer sun once again (and forgot how much you complain about the heat when its here), I'll just drop this song before I go. Enjoy!
(Despite having heard it a million times, I didn't realize how much of a random mish mash the lyrics are to this song until posting it here but having a random stream-of-consciousness litany of vaguely summer themed words and phrases still seems pretty fitting.)
My last post saw me at my grimmest about my current situation (clearly) but I'm happy to report that, not only am I not displaying any physical signs of covid-19 (I've been taking my temperature daily as an additional precaution!), but I've been managing my mental health surprisingly well. I'll attribute it partially to M, my quarantine/life partner, and the fact that I've thrown myself into a project... more on that in a minute.
But first... P E T S!
...that aren't mine. I've had a love-hate relationship with the upstairs neighbors pug. He hilariously looks like this:
I've entitled this piece: "The Loneliest Pug in the World"
But also, he apparently has a lot to say, considering the amount of time I am forced to listen to him bark. I tried to bond with him yesterday but he was mostly interested in trying to come into my apartment, probably, from the size of him, to scout for snacks.
I had slightly better luck with the cat, and by slightly better luck I mean it got within a whole one foot of me, but still refused to let me pet it or move.
Progress.
I'm sure a big part of my positive mental attitude is also due in part to the strangely glorious weather we've been having. Sunny and in the 70's in November?! Probably a sign that our planet is going to like, descend into a second ice age sooner rather than later but I'll take it!
M and I went for a walk, basically the only thing we can do that's not in our house during our quarantine, and I spent the better part of the late afternoon/evening on the porch working on my aforementioned project.
This year, I'm making Christmas stockings for my brand new nephew and M who inexplicably doesn't have one of his own. I've blurred the one I'm working on above because it's a surprise for both of them! I'll be cross stitching the cuff portion of the stocking and my mom is making the stocking itself. I designed and created the pattern myself on my pattern making software which I'm super proud of but I also did not measure correctly forcing me to make all sorts of frantic adjustments AFTER I had already put quite a bit of work into it which I am NOT super proud of.
All I have to say is, these guys better cherish the shit out of these things.
Because I'm in quarantine and can't go anywhere and I'm an adult so I can do whatever I damn well please I enjoyed an afternoon beer. I'm finishing the last of my fall seasonal stash (in very late-spring weather funnily enough) before moving on to the winter stuff, and this Festbeir called Inexplicably Used Umlaut from Singlecut is a pretty decent send off. It was my first foray into Singlecut, a brewery out of New York, but M is a huge fan of their 18-Watt so I thought I'd give it a try. I was not disappointed.
When I'm not stitching outside, I find myself... stitching inside. Really making waves here with all my free time. I've embraced my inner grandma and started re-watching (yes, I've watched them all already) Columbo, one of my all-time favorite detective shows. Peter Falk is great as the bumbling but secretly super savvy detective and the 70s fashion in these are a m a z i n g. They're also long which I like, when I know I want to spend a lot of time on a project.
I've gone full couch potato I guess because we've also started watching the Lord of the Rings movies. I hadn't watched them until now because I've always insisted on reading the books first which I somehow only did semi-recently.
We watched The Hobbit trilogy a while ago but we finally watched The Fellowship of the Ring last night. It's nice to be in that universe again, especially now. It's so comforting to me, aside from just being a good movie. We'll definitely finish the other two movies by the time I get to finally start work (the 20th).
Our big plans for this evening include ordering out for some zero-contact takeout, specific kind TBD. Maybe a movie, maybe more stitching... who knows. All I know is, I'm going to enjoy the chilling as much as I possibly can before I inevitably lose my mind.
Happy Halloween! Well, happy day after Halloween anyway.
Halloween isn't something I usually go out of my way to make a big fuss about to be honest but this year, it was on a Saturday AND there's a whole pandemic stopping people from getting together to do fun things so naturally I wanted to do something fun that involved leaving the house because, of course, as soon as you tell me I can't do something, I immediately become consumed with the desire to do it (what can I say, wanting to do the opposite of what is wise is apparently a popular American trait).
Anyhoo, of course we stayed in because we're Responsible Adults, though we probably would have regardless because we're also Hermit Wannabes. We'd been watching scary-ish movies leading up to the big day but last night we decided to mix it up and play a s p o o k y game instead.
First though, here's my beverage of the night, Rouge's Dead Guy Ale out of Oregon. I thought it would be appropriate for the day given the name but it's been one of my go-to's for ages. I like to stay local usual (New England has me spoiled for choice, its not hard) but Dead Guy ale is such a good, solid option that I can't help put pick up a six pack every once in a while. There are plenty of beers I love but have to be in the mood for given their unique flavors and styles, but there is never a time when I wouldn't enjoy a Dead Guy Ale. Also, I'm super partial to brown ales and their Hazelnut Brown Nectar is an excellent example and one of my all time favorites.
On to g a m e s! Last night we played Mansions of Madness, yet another of Fantasy Flight's Arkham Horror games, like the one I posted about a while ago called Eldritch Horror. Same art style, characters, monsters, etc, but Mansions is app driven, meaning game play is moved along by an app so we have to have a laptop set up to play. This element eliminates the need for some of the million tiny decks of cards and a few of the tokens of Eldritch Horror, making it a little quicker to play (depending on the scenario anyway) and better if you're low on space (or don't feel like taking all your plants off the table).
Speaking of scenarios, here are M and I choosing which one to play. They vary in difficultly and length of play, information that's included in the description. The big draw of Mansions versus Eldritch for me are these different scenarios- most of them involve an investigation of some sort as opposed to just fighting monsters and I do love a good creepy mystery. Also, it includes more puzzles which I love. They're usually used to open safes and locked drawers/chests and are often logic puzzles (for M) or those sliding block puzzles (for me).
Another cool thing about Mansions is the modular game board. You have a ton of different "room" tiles that gradually come out as you "explore" whichever area you're in- the app will tell you which ones to take out. If you look closely, the red tokens indicate a room to be explored and is mirrored on the computer screen.
A little closer view of the board. Like I've mentioned before, I love the art. Like Eldritch, you get various tool/items to help you out along the way. That shotgun on the far right of the line of cards really came in handy for me for instance.
Aaaand here is the board once we finished and won! ...sort of. We got the ending that wasn't ideal but the bad guy didn't win and we didn't die. M was stuck in the future though.
I very much enjoyed the game and it was a good Halloween activity but I still like Eldritch Horror better, millions of tiny cards and all. I feel like in Eldritch you have more control over your own destiny. In Mansions, you can't take an action to heal yourself unless you have an item or person specific action that will let you (so once you start losing health/sanity, you're usually screwed), and improving/gaining skills, tools, items, and spells are done at the whim of the game and not something you can set out to gain yourself. Also, we feel like sometimes our loss was inevitable given the time constraints and vast amounts of items and rooms to search. Eldritch can also be frustrating, yes, but in a less... frustrating way.
That totally made sense, sure.
Finally, Halloween wouldn't be compete with out a treat, right? I didn't feel like putting a lot of effort into it though so I just whipped up some chocolate coconut haystacks. Very easy, just pour melted chocolate over crunchy chow mein noodles and toasted coconut, mix, drop in blobs on a cookie sheet, and put in the fridge until hardened and voila! A super easy (yet ridiculously messy to eat) treat with maximum chocolate and minimal effort.
I hope everyone had a great Halloween! Enjoy a little last minute spookiness with Screamin' Jay Hawkins before you go...
I was supposed to get married yesterday but that didn't happen.
No, don't worry, this isn't going to be some melodramatic broken heart story, we just decided to push our wedding to next August because, you know, Covid. It was most definitely the right decision for sure- not everyone would have been able to come and the people are the most important part of the wedding!- but it still felt strange to think throughout the day what our day could have been.
M and I already live together so I'm not sure how different our everyday lives will be once we get married but it's the principle of the thing. We were set up and ready to take our next big life step but were quickly snapped back and it's another year of procrastinating wedding planning, much to the pure anguish of my mother. We were planning on buying a house once we got married too, and that's also pushed back a year or so.
But ah well, what are you gonna do? Life's like that sometimes but we're both still here and healthy and that's all that matters in the end. To celebrate this fact, and our would-be wedding day, we decided to take the day off and have a fun day out.
About a year ago M proposed to me on a sunset jazz cruise around Boston harbor in a surprising feat of spontaneity and romance on M's part- M said he'd been carrying the ring in his pocket for days looking for "the right moment" and we started the day with our only plans being to walk the Freedom Trail. We picked up random activities throughout the day which included an arcade trip and a visit to Nightshift Brewery at Lovejoy Warf (highly recommended) which is where, after a suspiciously long trip to the bathroom, M asked me if I'd like to take a cruise. Next thing I know, my mom's nagging me to plan my wedding.
Anywho, for our wedding day take 1, what better than to return to where we decided to give it a go in the first place? This time though, we decided to take a smaller boat...
Yup, yesterday we took some kayaks out on the Charles River! It was a beautiful not-too-hot-not-too-cold day, perfect for kayaking (or getting married). I already knew I loved kayaking but it was amazing to be able to paddle around with the sailboats and duck boats, checking out the Boston sights from a new, amazing perspective.
We found a super-calm area of the river called the Storrow Lagoon where we could check out the Charles River Esplanade, an oddly idyllic park in the middle of Boston, while getting mildly harassed by geese.
That's the Longfellow bridge which connects Boston to Cambridge.
Check out the Museum of Science! I didn't realize it was directly on the water like that- were were able to get right up to it. Now I really want to visit the Museum again (the inside that is), it's an excellent one if you're into that sort of thing.
The rental was for 3 hours and we easily used all our time without getting bored or overtired whatsoever. I admit, I was nervous about kayaking around various boats and more open-feeling water but though we did ride some wakes at times, as long as you stick to the sides mostly, it's not scary or dangerous feeling and something I'd even recommend to someone who's never kayaked.
We capped our day off with dinner and beer by taking a short walk to Cambridge Brewing Company which we've been to before and have yet to be disappointed. Guess which beer I got...
If I couldn't get married, I'd say this was an ideal alternative. Cheers to more adventures, someday actually getting married, and many years of totally rad togetherness.
Enjoy a little Charles River tribute before you go!
Hopefully me apologizing for stepping away from the blog for longer than I meant to doesn't become a reoccurring theme but I am sorry and at the very least, I'm able to come up with a good excuse this time.
I mentioned some time ago that my grandmother died while I was visiting her in her nursing home. This past Saturday we were finally able to get all the family together (many had to travel which of course meant tests and arranging for quarantines when they get home), have a memorial service, and bury her ashes. I'm not a religious person by any means but I can't help but think that she's finally rejoining her forever dance partner, my grandfather who died in 1978 and who's spot she never filled, for a much missed spin around the dance floor, and that makes me happy.
Needless to say, I've been busy prepping for all the visiting, spending much appreciated- though brief- time with my family, and dealing with the strange feeling of directly dealing with the loss again after a two month break. It's all back to "normal" now as I dropped my family at the airport yesterday but I have to say, I've been feeling a little aimless since then. I guess it was such a whirlwind few days and a lot for me to take in and now that it's all over I don't know what to make of things. Luckily I had the foresight to take a couple extra days off to recuperate and here we are.
As I sit here on my porch (where else?) sweating bullets even though I'm only moving my fingers to type (its 93F/34C, why am I out here?!), I feel like I'm finally ready to enter the real world, despite all that. My morning was spent cleaning then watching, for reasons I cannot fathom myself, The Highlander TV show from the 90s while I sewed but I think this heat has me sweating out my shiftless mood and I can tell I'm starting to feel better and ready to engage in some sort of activity, with other humans even, and I think I know just the thing...
Yeah, the more I think of it, the thing I'm looking forward to the most today is the arrival of M. This is not just because I'm particularly fond of him (I agreed to marry him after all) but I know that no matter what kind of day at work he had, if I ask him if he wants to play a game with me he'll say yes.
And I just really want to play a board game today.
I've mentioned this before I think but though I've always enjoyed board/card games, I never knew how intense they could be until I met M who's a real enthusiast. Any and all types of games he's eternally, well, game to play and though I'm not quite at that level, its nice to have someone who'll play with you if you're say, in the perfect mood to engage with someone and get out of your head a bit after being home alone all day. Yup, like today.
As a testament to his love of games, here's a bonus picture of M getting crushed by me in a game of cribbage at Night Shift Brewing in Everett, Massachusetts:
But we still played another game right after that one.
How awesome are our Star Trek: TNG cards by the way? Oh and anyone in the Boston area that wants to drink their beer in a place that is not their house while being conscientious of the whole pandemic thing, allow me to whole-heartedly recommend Night Shift. They seriously go the extra mile ensuring everyone's safety, as does nearby Bone Up Brewing Co- they very politely reminded me to re-mask after I absentmindedly forgot to put my mask back on as we were leaving.
Anyway, GAMES.
The one I'm most eagerly awaiting M's arrival for is Sherlock Holmes Consulting Detective. I've linked you to the first box set there, but there are two others which were created much later. Not technically a board game per se but so utterly immersive that it's perfect for my weird brain today.
Essentially, it's a Choose Your Own Adventure style murder mystery game. You play as Wiggins, the head of Holme's street ruffian gang of assistants to help him solve murders by chasing different leads. However, the more leads you go to, the more points are deducted from your final score which is always compared to/based on Homes' always perfect score of 100. For each case, you are given a booklet which has the initial case information as relayed to you by Holmes himself plus all the leads, as well as a map, London directory, newspaper, and occasionally different bits of paper evidence. There are also "experts" you can visit (like the coroner for instance) that are the same throughout the game.
We're currently on a case in the box set pictured above which is the third that was created. Though you don't necessarily have to complete the boxes in any particular order, I wouldn't suggest starting with this one as it has extra long cases and some annoying typos- we had to look up some error corrections for this one but we've already established a deep love of the game so it didn't entirely put us off. If you're just starting out you might find that too off-putting. We started with The Thames Murders box and still have yet to do the Jack the Ripper cases.
It says it accommodates 1-8 players and in the rules it suggests people take turns figuring out where to "go" next but I feel it's definitely a 2 person game- and you better like that other person. Any more heads in the game and I feel like it'd be a "too many cooks in the kitchen" situation.
Usually, our game play consists of one person reading the clues and the other taking notes (oh yeah, you gotta take notes), then we have a discussion about what we've read, what that means to the case, and where we should go next. If' we're deadlocked on where to go, we'll take turns choosing but generally it's a mutual decision.
You decide when you're done the case and ready to answer the questions at the end, though you don't know what the questions are until you've officially quit, adding to the difficulty. Like I said before, your score is calculated against Sherlock's but don't expect to "beat" him. We're usually happy if we're able to answer most of the questions and get something above 60. Its not so much a win/lose situation as it is a "how badly did we do" kinda thing.
Each case takes us quite a while - we never finish in one sitting- and there's a lot of heated discussion. To be perfectly honest, we usually stop when one or both of us gets too cranky. Maybe that doesn't sound like a stellar review but that just goes to show how deeply involved you can get. Some people will love that, some won't, we definitely do.
Liking the world of Sherlock Holmes (so, 1800s London) would be helpful of course but you don't have to have read any of the Conan Doyle stories to play. I have and love them- above is a picture of my much loved copies- and I would definitely say it adds to my enjoyment. M hasn't read them though and he's still just as much into the game as I am.
All in all I'd highly recommend this game if your into sorting out murder mysteries and puzzles. Each box costs roughly $50 new which admittedly is a lot for a game you can really only can play once. If that's an issue for you I'd scout eBay or something for a used version because if you're anything like us, you'll get a great many hours of enjoyment out of each box all the same.
And with that, I guess I'm off to kill some more time with Duncan McLeod until M gets home. If you can just watch this intro to The Highlander before you go so we both can have that Queen song stuck in our heads, that'd be great.
As of Monday, June 8th, Massachusetts entered Phase 2 of its coronavirus reopening plan. You can click on the link I provided if you're super curious as to what that entails but I'll just cut to the chase here:
Retail is finally open. I repeat: retail is finally open.
Over this lockdown situation I, like many others, worked on clearing out my closets of stuff that didn't "spark joy." And it was a lot. My basement is filled with trash bags of clothes, ready to donate. I realized that I do so much mindless shopping, filling very specific "wardrobe holes" I feel I have in the moment without putting much thought into longevity, not paying enough attention to fit, buying things just because the price was good... the list goes on. I decided I wanted to be more particular and thoughtful with my buying. I also decided I wanted to go back to thrift stores.
Back in college, I used to go to one called Carolina Thrift in Greensboro, NC (now, sadly, closed) that was a literal warehouse of a thrift store with tons of treasures. I still have a few silk shirts and a bubble gum pink cashmere cardigan I got there (pink is not a color I gravitate to but I can't get rid of this thing). Once I graduated and moved I didn't hit up thrift stores as much for whatever reason and it was only recently- very soon before the pandemic hit actually- that I got back into it.
I'm definitely a bargain shopper but I don't want to just pay little, I want to pay little for something good. That's where the real thrill is, and that is a huge draw for me and thrift shopping. More importantly, you're lessening waste and supporting a charity when you thrift shop, not to mention the fact that if I do decided the piece isn't for me,1) I didn't pay much to begin with, 2) I've still supported the charity by buying it, and 3) I can support it more by giving it back. There really is no downside so I'm back, baby, and on my Tuesday off it was time to make my grand re-entrance into thrifting once again in celebration of the lessening of restrictions.
I went to Sister Thrift for my first jaunt. I've been there before and really like that they support the Metrowest Humane Society. Plus, the last time I went I bought three richly colored 100% fine Merino wool Brooks Brothers collared sweaters that fit like a dream and proceeded to wear them constantly in winter for $6 each and a framed Wish You Were Here (my favorite Pink Floyd album) poster that I hung up in my bedroom (see above pic) for $10 so I felt good about my chances.
At first, I felt like I was just finding lots of well-loved mall store brand items but I came away with four things I'm excited about as well as a few left-behind things that still haunt me...
First up of my purchases is this aggressively purple 100% silk t-shirt:
Front
The back, with a button closure.
I was immediately drawn to the color of this, peaking out from the rails. As soon as I felt it, I knew it was silk and had to have it. I cut out the small shoulder pads and did a little research on the brand. It's by Anna and Frank which seems to be a brand from the 90s specializing in silk. You can still get their stuff pretty cheap on resale sites- I saw similar blouses for about $20- but I still got a deal at $5. Its thin silk and a little oversized but it drapes so nicely. Definitely something I'll want to live in in the summer.
Next up, this pink-patterned rayon short-sleeved button down.
Like I said before, pink isn't usually my go-to color but I really liked how this pattern looked kinda like some batik cloth my mom gets for quilting. It's comfortable and I really like how short sleeved button-downs add interest in a summer outfit without layering. I'm a sweaty person so layering does NOT happen in the summer.
I might change out the buttons on this at some point to make it a little funkier, since these make the shirt look a little middle school middle-aged art teacher to me (too specific a reference?) but we'll see. I'd definitely understand if someone wouldn't want to buy thrift store items with altering in mind (that can get away from you very quickly and all of a sudden you have a million projects you don't want to do) but if you're handy and don't mind sewing, don't underestimate how much changing buttons can make a difference to something. For me personally, it's a good activity to keep my hands busy while watching TV. And hey, at $5 I have no qualms with messing with it.
Next up is a very confusing but also very well-made wrap skirt:
Full disclosure, I have no idea how to wear this. There are three small slits in the middle along the top that I assume the ties work into somehow but overall, I'm clueless (I should've taken a better picture of the whole thing, oops). I'm sure the internet will help me out at some point though so no worries. I just couldn't leave behind this clearly well made skirt. I mean, that GREEN! There were no tags in it so I know nothing about it. The fabric is slightly iridescent and the assembly screams quality. I can see it might be challenging to style but I think it's ok to buy a piece like that once in a while if you really love it. Plus, it was a mere $10.
Last but not least is this 100% linen shirt:
I could tell this was a good linen shirt and figured I couldn't go wrong with this light blue button-down, it's a pretty good staple to have. It'll be a perfect summer evening layer- I can see myself throwing this over something to grab dinner after a day on the beach, or using it to protect my skin from the sun (don't forget sunblock kids!). It fits pretty loosely but in a relatively flattering way. In the picture above, it's buttoned up as much as possible so it might be a little more scandalous on someone more boob-tacular, but on me it veers more toward subtly sexy (at least thats what I tell myself as I sit here on my porch wearing it with a pair of my lounging joggers I don't leave the house in).
I decided to do a little research into the brand since it's so aggressively branded (there's another tag on the front bottom of the shirt too) and it turns out, this shirt that's in 100% perfect condition that I paid $6 for is originally $228, according to their website (although you can get some styles on sale now for a mere $114). Score! Would I ever pay that much for this? Absolutely not. I love a slouchy relaxed fit and linen makes me feel very old-money-on-holiday but dang. $228. That money is only reserved for bags, shoes, and jewelry in my book.
Aaaand that's it. I also had my eye on some pieces that looked like Punjabi kurtas but although I LOVE the prints, colors, and embroidery found on them, I'm unsure if it would be viewed as offensive or respectful if I, as a non-Punjabi person, wore them, especially since it wouldn't be in a traditional manner. I decided to err on the side of caution with that one and left them behind.
I sat on my porch writing this, as I always do now that that weather is gearing up for summer, and that's usually accompanied by a beer. Today, I have Victory Twisted Monkey, a "Belgian-inspired blonde ale with mango." Emboldened by my last foray into fruity beers, I decided to give this a try and was not disappointed whatsoever. I do love mango so I'm glad I found a beer with a good balance of fruit to traditional beer flavors. It definitely leans more aggressively into the mango but I find myself not being mad at that at all. I'm branching out quite a bit this spring/summer from my usual stouts and porters.
I'll be back soon with tales of a great weekend I'm sure. We're certainly off to a good start which is refreshing as my last weekend I mostly spent time grappling with grief and a strange sense of unease. Not that I'm "over it" by any means of course but between taking advantage of some bereavement time off of work and the kindness of my friends, family, and loved ones, I feel like my fog has been lifted. My grandmother was a very no-nonsense but still very loving person and I can just hear her telling me, with a slap on the arm and a smile, the best way out is through...
