this is DIY

so today i'm definitely cheaping out on fashion. you can't see in the picture, but i'm wearing black Ked sneakers i bought at a thrift store back in october (wow, it feels like i bought them last week, my, i haven't gone shopping in a long time).

my pants were hand-me-downs from a taller friend of mine. she said they were wayyy too tight and she only wore them once or twice. i tried them on and they fit perfectly! but then i put them through the wash and they shrunk a great deal. so i tried to stretch them back out a bit, and i did, but they still weren't in their original glory. after much thought, i decided i wouldn't jump on the bandwagon and buy ripped jeans, i'd make them with my old hand-me-downs. so i slashed them. cutting them also served a purpose. with smaller strips of denim, the jeans stretch out a bit more. see? a very practical case of DIY.

my shirt was also free... or next to free. my friends and i bought some white, huge, mens' tees for something we were going to do at school. but we never did. so i was thinking about it last night and i came up with a plan for the shirt. when i got the shirt i cut off the neck to make it off shoulder. but the rest of the shirt was untouched, except for some blue that ran from another article of clothing in the wash a long time ago, much to my dismay. so this morning i cut off a strip of the bottom, including the seam. then i cut two slits at the sides on the bottom. and i tied the shirt up, created a "bubble" shape. i did the same with the top part of the sleeves, so they cut be a bit more fitted. i did this because i noticed mens' shirts always stick out on the sleeves, instead of staying fit to the arm. i only like this in small doses and i wanted this shirt to look soft and folded, to play up the spidery light blue-grey stains along the back shoulder. it came out well, in my humble opinion.

it's still morning and i haven't loaded myself up with jewelry yet, but i'm thinking some cuffs and bangles and a long chain necklace.

going shopping later today with the boyfriend and a couple other awesome folk. last minute holiday shopping, i suppose. i already have a little but of what i want and need, but.... i feel lack. i always go all-out for my friends and family on holidays. it's much better to give than to receive.