betty hits facebook

after much prodding by friends and consideration, i've decided to take betty to facebook and create a page for my jewelry/accessories line, Boho Betty. check it out!

https://www.facebook.com/bohobettyks?ref=hl

Like the page for more about rad Bettys, new stuff and all things awesome. thanks for your support!

seamstress betty

remember that betty emergency i told you about a few weeks ago? when i couldn't quite fix my beautiful vintage velvet gypsy skirt in time for my friend's wedding? well, i found a solution and with the help of my mom's nice sewing machine, everything is all better now and ready to wear.

original

thrifted for material

as i was perusing the racks at my favorite Twin Cities thrift store (which i could reveal but i'd be giving away my secret), i found another velvet maxi skirt in a similar burgundy color for $2. i immediately bought it, with the brilliant idea of using it as my added material to lengthen the skirt.

when i finally got around to this project the other day, i made sure to take measurements before beginning, so i knew if i would have enough material or not. i measured the hem of the original gypsy skirt (as a bell-shaped skirt the measurement around the bottom is pretty big), and also measured the replacement material skirt. i cut the replacement skirt into 4 sections of even width, attached them to form one long piece, and hemmed it. when it came time to attach it to the original skirt, i was just a hair short but had enough material left over to fill in the gap.

finally came time to attach the long piece to the hem of the original skirt, for which i used a heavy duty zig-zag stitch, since the velvet materials are fairly heavy. et voila! it turned out great. though the colors are just a hair different and the sewing is not perfect, it's perfect for me and will do just fine for me to wear. yet another way to make use of my resources and efforts for an entirely custom piece of clothing.

finished product!! adds about 4 inches to the original length

organizing betty jewels

if you're anything like me, you are constantly digging through multiple piles/containers of jewelry to find the pieces you want to wear at any given moment. my biggest annoyance is untangling the many long necklaces i own (for an idea of my style, check this out) whenever i want to wear one or more of them. the other day i remembered that i had seen something easy to make, with few materials, many of which are probably already lying around your house. i'm talking about a super awesome necklace organizer, made of a tree branch, nails and string.

my materials: found tree branch piece, heavy-duty string,
nails and a hammer

be sure to find a fairly thick tree branch that will be sturdy enough to hold the weight of your jewelry and also hang from the wall. if you have nails lying around somewhere in your house, they can be 1.5-2" long, or head to your local hardware store to buy some. also be sure to use a strong, thick string that can hold some weight.

step 1
decide how many nails you want to use per necklace hanging section. mine has 4 but if you use a slightly longer branch you may be able to add 5. any more than that and you risk putting too much weight on the branch so i recommend you be a little cautious. next, start aligning the nails so they are evenly spaced throughout the length of the branch.

all nails hammered

step 2
start pounding!! hammer each nail in carefully so as not to break the branch. be sure to leave enough room on the ends where the string will be attached and the branch will hang. after you've hammered the necklace hangers, attach one nail on each end (leave about 1 inch).

step 3
wrap one end of the string around the branch and securely tighten a knot around the nail. do the same on the other end so you have a piece to hang on the wall. it should form a triangle shape.

                                                      step 4

hanging on the wall (sans jewels)

hang the piece on the wall, and get to organizing those necklaces!! hang those jewels, girl!

homemade skincare (for next to nothing)

lately i've been noticing that my skin has been breaking out more and reacting to the change in climate (Northern Cal to Minnesota is quite an adjustment - in many ways). Trevor suggested that i was washing my face too much but i dismissed it months ago, since he's a boy and probably doesn't know anything about skincare anyways. i try to be very careful about the products i use and of course, good skin comes from within, but nothing was working. some of you may know about my skincare routine and how obsessive i can be about it sometimes. i've written home spa posts before, which you can refer to for further resourceful ideas about natural, homemade skincare.

lavender 

the finished tonic

i started going down to 1 wash a day at night, which is crucial to preventing breakouts. going to sleep with makeup on is the worst thing you can do to your skin. i'm also cutting back on sugars and trying to switch to more tea and less coffe, though as a grad student that will be hard to do.

in the mornings now i use a homemade lavender facial tonic that i whipped up in about 30 seconds. using a small glass spray bottle, a pinch of fresh lavender and filtered water, i made this super easy, all natural tonic.

betty negotiates

today i was faced with the issue of a miscalculated cell phone bill, due to a mistake made by a phone company employee a month ago. the old me would've gotten angry and started to take out my anger with customer service reps, who probably would then be unwilling to give me what i want. instead, i called, very nicely explained the situation, and firmly explained what i wanted the outcome to be. i can tell i'm a grad student on her way to becoming a full-on grown-up by doing this. turned out i had to call one more time, at which point i explained everything again, very nicely but firmly, and before i knew it i had credits on my bill and exactly the outcome i had requested. funny how being nice will get you what you want.....


to top it off, i found some AMAZING vintage boots on Etsy that i had been searching for, and finally had found my size. but the price was wrong. they were $25 more than the other pair i had looked at, so i sent a message to the seller to see if she was willing to negotiate. 3 hours later, she responded positively. i get the magical vintage boots that are the perfect size, and she still makes a decent sale to a fellow Etsy member. ta-daa!! negotiating can definitely contribute to my resourcefulness. and it feels so good to get a good deal!!

a resourceful betty emergency

yesterday i was set to attend the wedding of a dear friend of mine and her man, in the woods of central Wisconsin. i planned to wear this amazing vintage velvet long gypsy skirt, since i could layer it properly and still be warm during the outdoors ceremony. i had tried the skirt on previously and knew that it was a little short, but figured it would be perfect to wear with flat ankle boots. i was mistaken.

applying the tulle around the hem of skirt

i didn't follow one of my own rules: TRY EVERYTHING ON. i didn't try it on at Savers, and after not wearing it for months i forgot how it actually fit me. when i went to get dressed for the wedding, it was just an inch too short even to wear with ankle boots. i had a backup of these cute high-waisted black plants, but i desperately wanted to wear this skirt with the amazing vintage lace bolero jacket my friend had given me.

getting a little help from our dog Bettie White
(note the amazing vintage lace bolero)

SO, i called my mom and asked her to pick up some materials to add to the hem of the skirt for added length. she came home with a roll of black tulle, black ribbon and an iron-on adhesive material. with very little time to spare, i started to unroll the tulle, figuring i could skip the iron-on stuff and just use simple masking tape. i planned to layer the tulle 3 times over. it took me about 30 minutes to do the whole thing and when i went to put on the skirt, all the material i had painstakingly applied came right off. i went to the backup of black pants, which my mom proclaimed were 'adorable.'

i learned my lesson, and even though i was hoping that the vision of velvet gypsy skirt and lace bolero would become a reality, i'll have to go back to the crafting table. i'll look for a fabric that can add about 4 inches to the hem and i will sew it on next time, making sure to have enough time to try it on again before i wear it out.

mass transit, mass benefits

i know i have been so delinquent in the past few weeks in posting, since school has somewhat taken over my life. now that i have a schedule in place and am on top of all homework, i have a few things to share about being resourceful.

since i've been in Minneapolis i've started using public transportation again (Tahoe is not exactly great for those without cars). as an urban area its incredibly easy to get around by bus, and very soon the Light Rail will be expanded to cover more area in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. though its great to save money and energy, there are a few pitfalls to public transportation.

1. timing

in order to make it to my classes, i have to give myself a minimum of one hour to get to campus, usually more to be safe (i absolutely hate being late to class, especially as a professional-looking grad student). i actually have to take 2 buses to school which can delay things even further, especially when i'm done for the day and i just want to go home. it is, however, a great time to practice patience and remember why i'm taking the bus in the first place.

2. waiting

waiting for the bus goes hand-in-hand with timing, but i also feel like there's a decent amount of waiting while i'm on the bus. sometimes passengers need extra assistance getting on and off the bus, or maybe there's a lot of people getting on or off the bus. in addition, just waiting to get to my stop can sometimes feel like eternity. to combat this, i bring a book (unrelated to school) that can draw my attention away from the waiting. by nature i am not a patient person so i try to remember to do these things and not drive myself crazy.

3. bus etiquette (or lack thereof)

personally, i prefer to ride the bus with headphones and keep to myself. other people want to make conversation. as politely as possible, i smile and pretend like i can't hear them, which usually i can't anyways. i certainly don't want to offend anyone but i also am not interested in talking to a stranger about nothing while i'm commuting to school. it's also important to be courteous to everyone and their space, though some people have a harder time with this. i always make room in a seat for older folks, and i politely excuse myself when i arrive at my stop and i'm sitting on the inside seat. people who often ride the bus are usually on the same page, so this hasn't really been an issue for me. just to be safe, i make sure and practice my best manners.

all in all, riding the bus and public transportation is better for my wallet and the environment, though it can sometimes be trying. when possible, i think its a great option and certainly much better than trying to commute into or through a major city, and pay an outrageous amount for parking (unless your company or firm is willing to pay and you don't mind traffic). it's a great way to save money and energy and be resourceful!!