What's my favourite book?

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I'm subscribed to Anobii...
Simply because the other day, writing those ten random things about me, I realized I wouldn't know how to answer a "what's your favourite book?" question.
Because of two main reasons: there are a lot of books I've loved and that left me something special, it's very hard to choose.
But most of all I don't have in mind, always there, all the books I've read and, given my crappy memory, there a big risk I don't remember all of them properly, the risk I may forget the important ones, I would leave those out and then, to the question "Have you ever read that book?", I'd slap my forehead and say "ooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh (yes, with that many letters) Of course I did! I forgot".

Embarassing, definately embarassing. I had to fix this.
So I thought -also thanx to a huge annoyan... ehm, the kind suggestions from a friend philosopher- that having a free tool to organize books with covers, generes and authors isn't that bad... when I'll be done maybe I'll be able to write down a short (?) classific.
In the meanwhile, if in the next few days I'll be a little absent minded, it will be because I'll be adding titles and stars to read books :)

Oh, and I also like the fact that you can display the books like they're sitting on a real bookshelf, I know, it's a silly thing, but it's a cute silly thing *_*
If you want to, please add Euforilla.. let's see if you can answer this readily: what's your favourite book?

PS
I've edited my post on Ubuntu. I've added a 7th good reason I forgot (speaking of crappy memory), it's about viruses :)

DIY makeup (and recycle)

In topic with this week style post, like I promised I'll tell you the secrets behind my dvd eyeshadow palette.

I want to make it clear that it's not my genuine idea, other genious minds are to be credited for my enlightment. 

I knew that there had to be a way to make your own palette at home: depotting with a candle (Euforilla's Advice: put a scarf over your mouth and nose, keep the windows open and pause each two or three pans. Then remember that the pans will be hot, so handle with pliers and wait a while, unlike me who forgot, and that's how some pans got chipped) and use a dvd case, I don't have a specific tutorial for this, I just read about "palettes in dvd cases" and I figured it out on my own (E'sA: hotglue doesn't work that well, don't even think about vynil glue, just go for superglue. then just slide a pretty paper in the cover part, and you're done!).
This is the result:

(in the background there are a brown, a burgundy, some "skintone" ones, and a pink blush...let's see if you can guess my eye colour based out of the shadows I use :P).

But there's more DIY, in a recycling way: what do you do with super old shadows, or shadows you don't use for the unfitting colour, or shadows you want to substitute with "green" products? Use them to paint! Or hand them over to someone who paints, with these instructions: mix the powder eyeshadow with vinyl glue, et voilà! Supershiny opalescent acrylics ready to use!

An then, am I giving you the colours but not the brushes??? Never! This summer I finally sew myself my own brushroll, two fabric rectangles with a slightly elastic strip applied in the center, with all the casings sewn on. But this is not the interesting part! This video by EnKore will tell you (I bet there are several more, but this is the one I used) how the most high end, big name, professional brushes are totally like common painting brushes, and you can buy them for a fraction of the price, in any art department store.
(I had to cut the handle of the big fluffy one, but some sandpaper and black nail varnish and could you tell? And the angled one was a regular one that I bent with pliers)

Watching makeup videos may leave you with the urge of having tons and tons of different brushes, but if you think carefully about it, you can be ok with the brushes you'll use most! 

Happy Birthday!

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Happy birthday Profession: Muse!
Even though now I don't use that blog title anymore... so happy birthday Euforilla!
About the giveaway: thanx to Joanne's suggestion I'll keep it running a little more, so to give more time to those who want to jump in and most of all to those who are helping me spreading the news (girls you're wonderful, thanx, thanx a lot, I hope I haven't left anyone out. Thanx again, I'm speechless!).

Anyway, I want to bore you with a sum up of a year in blogging, I learned plenty of things.
I had blogs before, but nothing regularly updated, nothing productive, I used to write weird and teenage-y stuff.
This one, instead, taught me to write a little bit more "like me" (if you pick up the very first posts... brrr... I shiver at the thought! I was so used to write for university papers that I could only write like I had a broomstick stuck... well).
I learned to organize myself and plan things ahead.
To edit layouts and posts to be more funcional and catchy for reading.
To appreciate things that grow slowly, before I couldn't stand thing that weren't "all a now", I calmed down here.
I learned also to reach out a bit, pouring something mine too, browsing other blogs and giving my two cents, using social networks, even asking for help (risking to piss off people)... I think I can try to promote this blog a little more now.
And most of all I learned to put myself on trial: I wanted to write a blog because I realized that there weren't many blogs like this in italian, and I thought it was fair to share those resources that are so abundant in english, because I hoped that my overthinking would be useful to others in my same situations (seen I've tried on my skin what it means to think you're the only looser who's overthinking something and after eons hearing "oh yeah, mee to" "whatever, it's nothing, I've been through it"... tell me! No? So I won't feel alone!), and because I wanted to prove myself that I could have a project, and keep it going, other than those things I saw as duties, therefore as absolute priorities (at the time: graduating), this brought from two to three posts a week, all translated, to "21 days challenges" (that are going slow, but it's 21 days each, they're still on, promise!), to a giveaway with email requests, to a real positive mind-set, I keep telling this: lists of things you're grateful for really work!
In a year I feel slightly changed, and I like the changes I've done, I really like them, and I hope to keep on this good track!

But most of all I've realized that everything I'm writing, I'm writing it for myself first: I need to sort these things out, I want to help you, but I'm walking right beside you, very same path, and "having to" write them down so that you can understand too gives me clarity, stating things like they are not only my thoughts and issues, but someone else's troubles in need for advice really helps me in reframing what I'm experiencing, remembering I'm not alone, and that I don't have to take everything so seriously.

So thank you all, to all of you, those who come here regularly, those who left my very first (and thrilling: wooooh comments!) comments, those who step here by mistake, those who read my "away with shiness" four times a day but are too shy to say anything (even that it's all rubbish), to those who are new... thank you!
Happy birthday Euforilla, and a very merry unbirthday to all of you! :)

Theory of colour - chromarmony

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Colour theory is now really widespread, (and I've made up the word chromarmony, or armochromy to copy the italian one... laaaame!) but for those who have no idea: concearning your looks, colour theory is there to create harmony between your natural colours (hair, skin, eyes) and the colours of your clothes/makeup/etc. Carol Jackson found four main types, associated with seasons, and each type has three subcathegories a light a strong and a deep one, just to give you an idea.
Pointing out your own type is tricky, but fun: you take a sunny day, makeup free, and you determine your colours: natural haircolour and eyes is pretty simple. But then you have to look carefully to your skin and spot out the undertones: look at your lips, at your nails, at your veins: we are all, usually, some shade of brown (from birch to ebony) but we have yellow undertones and green veins, or pink undertones and blue veins. So, back to that sunny day of ours, take a mirror and tons of coloured scraps of fabric. Tie back your hair (because it's not always true that Mother Nature gifts you with the perfect palette) and place, one at a time, the different colours near your face: the ones that stand out the most, making you look sick and ill, are definately not your colours, the ones that blend with your tones and make you look healthy and well rested, are the ones you should look for. (If you sneak peek the book I've linked you can see some details, or you can go here and read a copy of what the book said ^_^).

There are colours that work well with everyone: other than white and black (and look out, because there are warm or cold undertones in black and white too!) we have true red, indian teal, eggplant purple, or true purple, and rosy pink, that powdery/fleshy pink. They work because they are some sort of "pure" colours, not too warm nor too cold, they're like coloured neutrals, if this sentence makes any sense to you! (Here's the original article).
Now, this doesn't mean you have to forget about that electric blue you love so much but that makes you look simpson-yellow, or that sugarplum pink that makes you look nauseated. You just need a couple of quick tricks because, luckily, Johannes Itten's colour theory comes to rescue.
To start off we need just some common sense: if a colour you love makes you look sick, just don't use it near your face (i.e. keep your aunt's mustard yellow cardigan, but place some scarf between it and your face, in a colour that suits you). Easy peasy. Or choose a different hue of the colour you love, warmer or cooler depending on what you need.
But I get it, matching colours can be such a nightmare that a total black looks safe and easy. And there's nothing wrong with a total black, really... though watch out because it can be a real pain in the... to match different blacks (ex goth-y girl word), and if you don't move it up a bit it may look boring (as you may learn here, they're so inspiring!)

Back to colours, you have to know some things: a colour has (mainly) three qualities: tonality, saturation and brightness. Playing with these qualities will allow you to afford any colour.
Let's go on: there are primary colours, red, blue and yellow, secondary colours, orange, purple and green, and third colours that come out the mix of a primary and a secondary. (If you where wondering, mixing three colours gives you brown/black).
Take a colour wheel, you'll notice how each and every colour has a warmer or cooler version: red, which is the hottest colour ever, can be warm if it goes towards orange, or cold if it tends to purple.
Warm colours catch your attention, they tend to be first liners, whilst cool colours tend to stay back, giving a feeling of distance.
If you take a tonality and take out some brightness but not saturation, you'll have a darker or more opaque colour (if you add it you have it brighter or intense), if you do viceversa, taking out saturation but not brightness, you'll  have a subtler and weaker colour that tends to gray (if you add it you'll have a brighter and more vivid colour).
Complementary colours are the ones that are opposite in the wheel of colours, when they are close they reinforce eachother. Colours that are close in the wheel are called analogous, and create harmony between them.
Usually to match two different colours you want to stick to a defined "temperature". Wherehas with similar colours you want to keep at least two of the three qualities (Colourlovers is a great help!). Neutral colours, like black, white, gray and "nudes" help a great deal in toning down strong colours. And remember that bold colours are eyecatching, so you may want to use them wisely ;) (check out the blogpost about shapes. I've added useful links :))

And talking about links, I've used tons in this blogpost, to sources and to useful and super well-made websites, if I were you I'd save some time to check them all!

Meet the host

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Guilty were the lappish slippers.
You don't know, but this is how I thought to begin my blog with, almost a year ago... talking about boot-like slippers my brother gave me for Christmas. Ugly, terrible, but oh-so-warm. A thing that, given that we reached -10°C, finally pushed me buying, on sale, a pair of those super fugly ugg-y boots... and well needed skinny jeans to tuck into them.
Now, in the previous sentence you have a summary of things to wear I loathe: those boots and skinny trousers tucked in. But the freezing cold came to toll what was due, so I had to figure out some ways to wear that stuff, ways that I could like, and that could keep me warm.
And let's face it: people change, if I'd never changed I'd still like red vinyl mary janes and circle skirts... well... I still like mary janes and circle skirts, but I've been through phases in the meanwhile!

"If you want to choose what to wear, learn to dress yourself!" oh, is that all mom? At three I could dress myself, forget those black and gold poofy skirts (oh gosh, the eighties!) with which I couldn't run and jump and play with my brother because I had to "be careful not to ruin them!".
Then there were: my brother's hand me down clothes. And gym suits. You know those terrible things in acetate silk? Yeah, I know... Oh and I also had super short hair. Then one day, one pretty little french girl with curly blond hair told me "Excusez-moi monsieur"... I figured things had to change.
Slightly longer hair, italian punk bands in my walkman, yellow docs with purple corduroy trousers and red hoodie. And a big "whatever" worn on my face. Or how to forget one blue shoe and a maroon one (the blue one was my friend's shoe, of course she had my other maroon one) or chequered shirts?
Goth-y phase, the quantity of black in my wardrobe went triple (not that hard, except for a small yellow period, like a flee market's Picasso...), my mom's muttering made history "It's like a widow's wardrobe". I had black lipstick to go to pizzeria... and white velvet shirt to go to clubs. Yeah, I liked to be the white fly.
Very hippy phase, I'm saying "very" because I reckon I've always had some sort of hippy-ish do, but this time it went huge: ME in white blouses with blue flowers on it (no seriously, me with blue? Teenage hormons make you do the weirdest stuff!).
Then I settled on a quiet and plain jeans and tshirt.

After two seasonal drastic cleansings in my wardrobe (there's an echo in it, though what's there I use it till it sheds), and also because of work-dressups,  the thing here is: when I dress up, I find myself so dang boring! I could be prosaic and say that this is a reflection of my late artistic/creative impulse: almost turned off it's coming back in all its might. But I really feel like, when I can, wearing more fun and interesting stuff.

So, all this blabbling to let you know who's talking here, to let you know that I won't be judging, nor telling what you HAVE TO wear. Instead! I want to treat this topic with all the shallowness and depth it requires, because it's like entering a new experience and needing travel-mates to share it!
Therefore in this *amazing* semi-serious course we'll see things like: body shapes, colour theory, types of fabrics, how to take inspiration from things, how to determine your own style, accessories these unknowns, hair and makeup, vintage advice, age-appropriate (but also era appropriate) and also sewing tips.

Hope you like it!!!

Euforilla's Style Guide for Dummies

 

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In october I said I would have wrote about "style", we're in january and nothing has been said yet. I know, my bad, partially it's me: I want to do too many things at a time. An partially as soon as I started writing, this topic rose higher and higher.
I thought I had just a couple of general and a couple of personal things to say, add a couple of sewing advices and I could call it quit. But I started overthinking, and things started needing details and organization.
So here we are with the first lesson from my semi-serious Euforilla's Style Guide for Dummies. Lesson one, we'll see a huge and F U N D A M E N T A L distinction.
There are "fashion", "trends" and "style".

Fashion: I don't know about english, but the italian term for fashion is the same as the mathematical one, were it stands for the most common and frequent number you can find in a statistic, and I think we can say so of clothing too. Fashion is that disembodied entity that every two seasons showcasts new productions, more or less artistic, more or less wearable in real life, and imposes its new diktats.
Maybe you've already noticed from how I write about it that I'm not particularly into fashion. I could never stand the idea of someone that decided -in my place- what was to be considered good looking or not. And in the end what I could find in shops and how people would have looked at me.
I think that haute couture creations are some sort of wearable sculptures, sometimes almost pieces of art, I truly admire the abilities and the techniques required to create such things.
Yet it's not clear to me how we can deduce, from those grand dresses on the runway, those quirky things we find on the stores ranks.
I need to tell you something now: my job is to proof read articles for various magazines, I was hired back in september and this week I'm going through my very second "fashion week". In the meanwhile "fashion" articles have been countless.
But I've learned one thing: EVERYTHING is "fashionable" right now, simply because it's the papers that choose how to arrange the article, that choose what is going to be used (or who paid enough to be featured), that, in the end, put together what has been seen on runways.
Otherwise I can't really see how, every single year, these greate creative minds inside the designers can come up with very according things. Do they do briefings at the beginning of the season? Is there any kind of spy-business? Or do they just do whatever they feel inspired to, and then someone else starts noticing matching things here and there?
One last thing: the cost. I've never been interested in saying "It's a shirt from this and that", also because even though sometimes the quality of these garments is really at the top, you have a huge extra cost to pay only the label, and I'm not interested into this (let alone the fact that sometimes even though there is a big, known name written all over a garment, it's so poorly made that it's almost shameful, yet it costs you a little fortune). I'm interested into what a piece of clothing looks like, how it's made, how it looks on me, not who signed it.

Trends: are tightly bound to fashion, an abundance of some given item on the runways it's very likely to cause an abundance of said item in the stores. But I've also noticed that if in one season something goes viral, there's a good chance that you'll see it declined in every way possible on the runways as soon as possible.
This takes me to something that irks me very much: is something is trendy (regardless of what is actually fashionable, therefore considered "ugly") you will not be able to find anything else into the shops... So, if yellow tartan is your life, this time you're lucky and please stock up now that you can. If it's not... well I hope you stocked up when your longing was everywhere!

Style: we're finally here! I said I was never into fashion, this doesn't mean I was never interested in what I wore. Let's bore you with some geekyness: style comes from the greek "stylos" and it was the name of the stick used to write on waxed tablets, literally something to leave a mark with.
Somehow style, at least to me, it's still the same: something you use to leave a mark, to mean something, to be noticed.
I need to tell you something else: we can be as well spoken as we might, saying not to judge a book by its cover, saying it's wrong to judge people from their appearance. But in the end it's all we do, and that's perfectly understandable: appearance is the very first thing we notice about someone, because sight -usually- is the first thing that's put in action when we're meeting someone, and our brain is bound to try and understand that someone for what it looks like to us.
Don't fret, we're not hopeless: knowing this you just need to be smart enough to say to yourself "Ok, he/she looks like this, now let's hear what he/she has to say, 'cause I may change my mind, or find proof of what I thought".
So, style: that tad bit of very personal you to speak about yourselves. That something that makes you stand out in a crowd, not just very big very bright hats though!

Wow, this was long, but I had to let it out!
Next times (I think once a week, the other posts will be my regular Box and another proper post) we'll talk about things like shapes, colours, hair&makeup, accessories, how to establish your own style, and so forth... full optional my darlings!

Open letters

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Dear you,
15 years old, more or less. Going out with the same corduroy trousers and huge scarves, like the ones I used ten years ago, like the ones other wore ten years before that. Reading Efraim medina Meyes on the train, when I used to read  Martin Millar, anyway, anything goes as long as it has some rock in it. With kohl around your eyes, and writings all over your old sagged backpack. With your head full of thoughts, deep ones too for your age, and you know that, full with expectations and ideals.
Know that you'll be hurt from then to now, but know also that you'll become stronger and wiser each time. Know that maybe the toughest period still has to come, but it ends eventually, and you step out of it with your head up high, I know you don't believe me right now, but you'll also be happy, satisfied, smiling.
Know that underneath the tucked trousers and the office purse, that I wear 'cause I have to and that you look at with scorn, there still is the will to crack the world open to see what's inside it and then to put it back together as you please.
And even though I can tell you "sheesh girl, you did it!!!" I can also tell you no, you won't find answers to all those contradictions and oddities you've just begun to collect... but you learn to pour something yours in it, give it your print and go on like that. I can tell you that it's a good answer, when people ask you "how do you see yourself in ten years?", to answer "twentyfive years old", because now it seems an endless time, but they fly away and everything turns upside down and inside out, like a sock. And I can grant you that inside you'll feel still the same, yet a bit changed, and that these words will make sense, clearly.
Well, I'm on the edge of obvious and tacky, and you already have a hard time giving me trust, because it's widely known that being somewhat cynical works as a shield, but it also damages a little on the inside. Nothing dreadful, don't worry.
So here it is, I thought I would write to my old 15yo self, but then I looked around and saw lots of teens like I was, and I wanted so much someone who could tell me "you're doing fine, don't worry, keep up with it, it's not easy, but it worths it". Got it? ;)

And now dear you,
or better, me, in ten years, therefore 35. Maybe now I do have some idea on how I see me in ten years, but I don't have as much to say as in the previous letter. If I were to list everything I hope for it would turn out like a wishlist to Santa. A pretty cheesy one. Anyway I'm committing to try my bes, and now let me jump into a space-time paradox: I hope you're happy with what I've done, how I made things turn out for you, I mean to follow my passions and expectations, 'till now it worked out pretty well. As of now I ask but true independence and the ability to not turn grey. But knowing where we come from... it's very unlikely ;)

Post-christmas recipe

 

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Post-christmas recipe (apply at least a couple of these points)

- sleep in
- take a loooong hot shower, with essences, beauty masks, deep moisturizers, scrubs and home made treatments (hot bath works even better)
- drink 2l of water
- eat lots of fruits and vegetables, but do not skip meals (it works for the worst), magari integral pasta with vegetable sauce
- have a walk
- wrap yourself up into baggy, soft and warm clothes, don't even tie your hair, don't wear makeup nor contacts (I'm going with hidrating drops!)
- password: lay back. Nap, read one of the books you found under the tree, paint, dig your hobbies, listen to music, do whatever, basically! And if you want to you can do nothing, too!
- we accept suggestions: what's your best post-christmas remedy? I'd really use some, today I was one of those who had to go to work!

The Labyrinth

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Happy birthday to me!!!
And to celebrate I'm going with one of my favourite topics! The Labyrinth!!!
Since I can't reproduce all the movie here for you, I've decided to write a "did you know that...?" kind of post.
WARNING: if you've never seen this movie I could spoil you some things, so please jump at the mark * at the end.

Here we go.
Did you know that...

...it's a veeery '80s movie (you just need to look at Sarah's shoes and eyebrows to know it!)? Precisely it is from 1984
..."she" is Jennifer Connelly, and she was only 14 and super super gorgeous already?
...the soundtrack is almost entirely by David Bowie, aka Jareth the gobling king, a-to-the-mazing?
...other than these two (almost unkown uh?) actors, we have names like Jim Henson (The Muppets), Brian Froud, and George Lucas (Star Wars, anyone?)
...there is no computer-graphics involved, it was all made with robots, puppets and costumes?
...there is plenty of online communities where you can find out what shoe size the biting fairy had? With fan fictions, clues about the book that has been written after the movie (which I've found used, thanx again Spleen for pointing me at it!) or about the mangas that make a sequel of the story (I'm quite curious, but I'm afraid to know what they have made of it), and the eternal question "If they were to re-make it, who would they call?" and the usual answer is "God forbid a remake!"
...the worm, in the italian version, has a french accent, and all the other creatures have quirky voices, not different english accents?
...the stair scene is based on Escher's drawings?
...Toby is Froud's son, and is really named Toby?
...if you look really well into Sarah's bedroom, at the beginning, you'll see all the characters she's going to meet
...it's a modern fairy tale? I mean, at least she's not one of those sappy princesses that need a kiss from prince charming to be rescued: she's a teenager, she screws something up and she has to grow to make things up, and doesn't fall for a charming yet cruel goblin king... though, to be honest, with a goblin king like that and his "forget the baby", given my non-existent maternal instinct, I would have gone for it quite happily!
...the labyrinth itself has really old history and meaning (starting from labyrinths from five thousand years ago, to modern garden or lunapark labyrinths, they are still amusing), usually they are a geometric design with an inextricable path... and the point is to get to the center and then exit it again. It's easy to understand that it's a symbol for an initiating journey, or using more modern words, therefore more psycological instead of alchemic, a path for becoming, the path of life. Oh I'm so deep! And did you know that the word labyrinth comes from the greek (or so it seems) lebheris, hare?
...the ball scene in the crystal ball (no pun intended) is the only one with real people?
...I think it's a logical/philosophical movie? It may sound silly, but think of Hoggle: he's not giving Sarah any right answer untill she asks him the right questions; she's giving everything for granted, she can ask to just one of the four creatures at the doors; she can talk with doorknobs, yet one can answer but not hear, the other one can hear but it can't talk; the creatures that spin the tiles; Jareth speeds up the time 'cause she said "it's a piece of cake"; the solution to the "vow" made by Sir Dydimus; the useless answer from the Wiseman; Sarah's closing lines; Jareth's promise ("do as I say, and I'll be your slave"... it sounds strange, but it has it's own logic)... wow, I could have written a thesis on this!!!

Ok, I'm stopping here, it's better! And now I feel like watching it again!
What about you, have you seen it? Did you like it? Are you happy now whenever you see a labyrinth, soap bubbles, striped pajamas, crystal globes, Bowie's songs and thirteen hour clocks? Show yourselves! You're not alone!
Oh, and I've asked Sadako to tell it her own way, I'm looking forward to read what she comes up with! ^^

* You've never seen The Labyrinth? Let me rephrase.
YOU HAVE * N E V E R * SEEN THE LABYRINTH?

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And what the heck are you still waitin for, you're still here???

On why I've unsubscribed

 

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Some time (we're talking months) ago I unsubscribed to some newsletter I had and I deleted a ton of old emails I still had. This is to say that e-cleaning is no news to me, and it's always satisfying.
Despite the fact that lately I had some kind of "social fever" (the last drop that made me fall for FB was nostalgy for people I met during my erasmus, they're as far as a click now, otherwise, before, I had to chase emails and such... this is a reason that added up to my brother's "give up, with your studies you'll need it for work" and to "it may be useful for my blog") and it ended up with me having plenty of subscription I didn't know what to do with.

What's the point in promoting yourself through channels you're not using?
It's obviously better, to me at least, to use just a couple, but to really use them. That's why, if you've noticed, I'm left with FB and the blue birdie.

Also because, after trying Networked Blogs and seeing it's a follower-machine (90% of the posts you could see were titled "I need followers, I'll follow back" and variations) I realized I really am not interested in having tons and tons of subscribers... hear me, if it happens, I'm more than happy! But I want that those who decide to follow me do it because they are interested in reading what I write, because they like what they find here. And not just to "follow back",so long and goodbye...

I'd rather have four but loving readers.

Followers ain't numbers, they're people ;)

Mad Hatters' Day

Hey!
Today's the second international Mad Hatters' Day!
(Sixth of October... 6/10.. the other one is obviously the tenth of June... 10/6... or switch the dates, depending on how you write them ;) )

How are you celebrating it?
I have the flu, so I'm celebrating with meds and toons... anyway, this is just a small reminder to think about those insane things we now came to accept as normal.

Normal is just a word.
Find your own rules.

Oh, and about hatters...

Yes, that's me! And a bit about sewing, clothes & co is coming along this way.

Happy Mad Hatters' day everyone! And a very merry unbirthday ;)

Shop Your Closet

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I do not have a closet, I have a wardrobe, nonetheless this winter I read a lot of articles about shopping in your closet to answer the neverending "I have nothing to wear" issue, (while staring to a full loaded wardrobe) so this springtime (to be honest: a couple of weeks ago) I decided to give all these advices and tips a try.

It took me five hours, but I did it.

1) I took everything, yes folks, every single thing, out. Then cleaned racks and shelves.

2) I started "throwing away" stuff: following the articles I had three big bags: give away, toss and keep. I had to get rid of thing I didn't wear in less than a year (I had stuff sitting in my wardrobe since five years at least...). This was quite easy, I had no pity.

3) Then I had to try on what was left... a bit boring to me, but this way I got rid of some more stuff... discoloured clothes, dull fitting ones &co.

4) Time to separate the "give away" stuff: I gave a bag to a younger girl I know, then I have two bags of clothes for goodwill and one bag of stuff I might sell

5) In the end I re-arranged what was left back in the wardrobe... still following the instructions from the articles I kept trousers together, skirts togheter, tshirts, tank tops and jumpers (well, these ones are in a big box... the articles I read suggested not to separate seasonal clothes, but my wardrobe isn't that big and most of all we have winters with -10 C° and summers with +35 C° so there's no point in keeping heavy jumpers around in june!).

6) One last suggestion from those articles is to try on all the possible combinations with your clothes, this way you'll be able to spot new "outfits" without having to buy and spend money. I skipped this part, I was tired and bored and most of all my clothes have few colours (Black, gray, purple -to fuchsia-, green -to teal-, black again!) and they all match together.

In the end I'm happy with the result, my wardrobe is lighter and it's full with stuff I do wear... ironically enough despite my late attempt to add more colour to my wardrobe what I need to buy now is a couple of black tops!

Going a little deeper (just a little): we can't deny that clothing is an expression of personality (it happens to judge the book by its cover), add this to "less is more"... using only things you really wear may push you to a little more expressive effort... or at least it makes me feel like I'm not wasting stuff and space, and be able to donate, recycle (and yes, also earning a little money) it's a nice thing!

Ok, after all these deep words of wisdom you are free to go and meditate with your head in your closet!

"To-do-after-graduation" epic list

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° format my laptop (uuhh gives you chills uh?)
° sell old uni-books&co
° visit Satura @ Turin
° visit Icon @ Pescara
° visit Vale @ Dublin
° repete purifying diet (well it's not a diet, it's just me eating less junky stuff)
° write my CV
° learn gaelic
° things to sew: circle skirt out of my written fabric; circle skirt out of a hotpink chinese like fabric; convertible/infinity stuff (a tank dress with a scarf, dress with two straps, and a tubular huge scaf); hotpink & candy pink tulle pettycoat/tutu (I still don't know what I'll be using it for... but I love halloween so much!); a fairy skirt with a ton of scrap fabric I have left; my band's mascotte; my hippy-summer tote bag; a brushes case roll thingy stuff (in order to keep them tidy); repair all the stuff that is piled near my sewing machine waiting for repairing
° order some supplies on etsy
° finally craft something with resins
° find a job
° move from home
° clear up my makeup bag: throw away old stuff, keep only the things I always use (and maybe make my own palette)
° organize my 25th birthday
° organize halloween party (yes, I always start quite early)
° have an holiday?
° keep up with running/anything that keeps me fit
° taking some weekend off with Faun
° bake real macarons
° bake flat cupcakes and cover them in icing
° spring clean my closet
° add a blog roll
° henna on my hair, and keep doing it regularly
° buy a pair of sandals, summer's coming and I have none (maybe a pair of greeks?)
° sell good clothes I don't use anymore, recycle what I can, donate the rest
° start a visual book, making a collage of thing I think will fit in my ipothetical future steampunk home
° build a shadowbox
° "Classics are those books everybody whishes to have read, but nobody wants to read" therefore, pick up my old anthology and read old classics
° listen to that list of bands and musicians I'd like to listen to
° watch cinema classics
° to sum up: re-build my culture
° go back playing the piano
° why not? write a book
° ending my mom's picture
° collect prints from my favourite illustrators
° make a real musa's box
° try to be more minimalist: learn to be more organized, learn that I can be more organized; deep spring cleaning (get rid of stuff that I don't even know is there) and maybe keep lists shorter

Very good advice

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This is a very good advice.
And paired with this it makes good guidelines...
After all, if something seems plain dull, why waste time with it?

Tell me more tell me more...

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Since today I'm kind of sick I'll simply entertain you with a funny test, join me if you like and add the results in the comments!

1. set your mp3 reader on "shuffle"
2. Press "forward" at each question
3. The title of the song will be your answer, even though it doesn't make any sense!
And no gambling!


HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
"Belzeboss" Tenacious D

WHAT WILL YOU ACHIEVE IN LIFE?
"Devils" The 69 Eyes

HOW DO YOUR FRIENDS SEE YOU?
"Gloomy Sunday" Emilie Autumn

WILL YOU GET MARRIED?
"Set me free" Velvet Revolver

WHICH SONG BEST SUITS YOUR BEST FRIEND?
"Jaded" Aerosmith

ARE YOU HAPPY?
"9:28 a.m." Queensryche

HOW WAS HIGH SCHOOL?
"Deep water" Charon

WHAT'S YOUR PHILOSOPHY IN LIFE?
"Rose Red" Emilie Autumn

WHAT'S THE BEST THING ABOUT YOUR FRIENDS?
"Grace" Within Temptation

WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING FOR THIS WEEKEND?
"Hide and Seek" Himogen Heap

THE SONG TO DESCRIBE YOUR CHILDHOOD?
"Personal Jesus" Depeche Mode

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO IMPROVE YOURSELF?
"November Rain" Guns n Roses

WHICH IS YOUR SECRET SUPER MAGICAL POWER?
"Tauntin' Cobras" Savatage

HOW DOES THE WORLD SEE YOU?
"Rope around my neck" Pain

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS REALLY THINK OF YOU?
"Car Chase City" Tenacious D

DOES PEOPLE SECRETLY WANT YOU?
"Jane Doe" Within Temptation

HOW CAN YOU BE MORE HAPPY?
"Enjoy the silence" Depeche Mode

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR LIFE?
"Where is my mind" Maxence Cyrin (The Pixies piano cover)

WILL YOU HAVE BABIES?
"Mutter" Rammstein

IF A MAN ON A TRUCK OFFERD YOU CANDY, WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE DONE?
"Gigantic" The Pixies

WHAT DOES YOUR MOM THINK OF YOU?
"Evolution 169" Nevermore

WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
"Just a girl" No Doubt

WHAT'S THE SONG OF YOUR WORST ENEMY?
"Find the Real" Alterbridge

WHAT'S YOUR PERSONALITY LIKE?
"Helter Skelter" The Beatles

WHAT SONG WILL BE PLAYED AT YOUR WEDDING?
"Chemical Youth (we are rebellion)" Queensryche

Wow... I come out pretty wicked! Anyway, I'll do it again in the italian post, the questions will be in the same order, so you'll see how funny this can turn, anytime you want!

Memory Lane

Bonus post this week! (Just to catch up with the one missing from last week).
I found a .gif with four dancing skeletons some days ago, they were from a cartoon I used to watch when I was a little girl.
So I searched for them on youtube... here's what I came up with, I remember all of them, and I remember I liked them very much (and felt brave because they were kinda spooky, but I could resist and enjoy them!).

And this explains (at least to me) maaaaany things about my grotesque self... I love it!

While seraching I also came across these two... oh roaring twenties, how I love thee, your flappers, your charleston, your pearl necklaces, your movies... and now also your toons!

Grumpy

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We're all so good writing lists of happy things to do when you're sad, if we write them when we're happy.
We're all so good telling ourselves that depression is repressed anger.
We're all so good also telling ourselves that getting angry is useless, and to be onest with ourselves to figure out what makes us angry... 'cause if we understand that in theory we're ok.
We're also so good telling "the hard part is to start, but try some, little by little, and you'll find yourself unable to stop".
Ok.
Granted.
How do I start?

HOW. DO. i. FRIGGIN. START?

After all we all need some grumpy time once in a while. Indulge in the guilty pleasure to give rough answers, see all negative and effing off this and that.

In those times I also feel the need to hear nasty noises, loud, disturbing, annoying sounds... and possibly smash something in the meanwhile.
So I found myself thinking about some safe destruction. Safe loud destruction.
Your mom's pottery: feels good, but no. NO.
Clothes: not loud enough.
Punching walls and doors: it hurts, so, no.
Then I found out.
Glass.

Pile up all the empty bottles and jars you have, then head to the diversified harvest thrash can you have... and toss them in, as violently as you can (watch out for flying pieces though!).

Then breathe deep.

Oh, I do have an answer for my question above.
And I don't like it.
Just start, even force yourself if you need to.
There is no other way.
I'm sorry, granted I am.

PS
Some Pow Wow wise words (or so it seems, if I'm wrong correct me, thank you)... Women used to gather once a week, discussing their problems and givin each other advices on how to solve them. But if the next week you complained again for the same, exactly the same, problem you only had two choices: deal with it, really dealing with it.
Or stop complaining.