THANK YOU!

Photo credits: Kim F.

Today marks the 1 year anniversary of “My Ten Cents.” (Whoooot!) I cannot believe time went by so fast. Although this blog is all about my take on self-expression through re-purposing fashion and creative DIYs, its roots lie deep in my personal past. This positive medium was inspired by a negative past. Like many people, I grew up with a low self-esteem and confidence. I was made fun of for the way I look. Compliments were unheard of for me. Like I mentioned before, I have suffered from acne for almost half of my life. Before then, I had a ridiculous overbite and even with braces, signs of it still linger. Growing up, I spent most of my summers helping my family outdoors, so my skin was several shades darker. Being Vietnamese, I have been mistaken as being Cambodian, Laos and Filipino. There is nothing wrong with those ethnicities, but I never fully felt accepted by my culture to the point where I felt like a disgrace. Harsh as it may sound, but I never felt comfortable in my own skin. 

Photo credits: Kim F.

During middle and high school, I started to play with make-up. Many of my friends used it and I thought it can be my holy grail to look somewhat presentable.  Not only was I bad at it, but it became a torture. With my acne, the make-up sometimes made me look even worst, and I thought that wasn’t possible.

Photo credits: Kim F.

 After calling it quits with make-up for awhile, I swapped it with clothes. Being my introverted-self, I did not have the courage to make a radical change. I slowly did it by switching my old flare jeans to some skinnies. I still remember my very first pair of skinny jeans and being a no-name pair, I managed to wear them out for 3+ years. It sounds lame now that I put it into words. By the time I got into college and with the glorious Forever 21 in walking distance from my campus, I became a little more creative. I thought to myself, “New school=new start.” Nobody knows me here, so I thought I might as well make the change that I always wanted to do, and that is when my wardrobe evolved. Although I lived on campus during my first year of college, I frequently went home on the weekends to go garage-sale-shopping with my mother. Furthermore, now that I am mobile, I went on adventures to the thrift stores more often.
                                  

Photo credits: Kim F.

In the midst of things, my brother also started to dress better and we ended up shopping together a lot. My family is quite artistic and creative, so I love shopping with my brothers because I get really good feedback about colors and fit. From there, we would show off our outfits to each other and of course, my outfits were always cheaper. We would break down our PPWs and that was when the idea of “My Ten Cents” started.

Photo credits: Kim F.

If you look back at my early posts, then you would notice that my poses were minimalistic. I was not comfortable with showing my face. I lack awkward poses and facial expressions. I would secretly take pictures of my outfits at 3 AM when my whole family is asleep. 

I had no idea that I would receive so much positive feedback about my blog. I still find it weird when I get compliments. From family, friends to strangers, I cannot thank you enough. Thank you for opening the link and reading my childish thoughts. Thank you for supporting me and inspiring me with new ideas. Thank you for helping me realize how much I love my culture. Thank you for helping me realize how much I love my skin. THANK YOU!

DIY: From Placemat to Pollock-Inspired Clutch

 

School is back in session.../lesigh. I'm already getting busy, but I've been itching to make this for sometime now. Actually, I bought my placemat from the Dollar Tree with the intent of making a clutch for two Christmases now. I was recently inspired by an old post by Dare to DIY and I have a soft spot for Pollock. My photography class in high school studied his work and we actually imitated his technique by reversing the process of developing a photograph in the darkroom. I love Pollock's style because you cannot make an exact replica and the vibe is too rad (do people still use that word?). It's chaotic and dramatic; it depicts my perspective of my mind well. Anywho, enough fangirl talk..

 

I saw this idea through youtube two years ago, but I still think it's incredibly smart. I did absolutely no cutting. The shape was already there; I just had to fold it. It cannot get any easier than that. All you need to do is sew the sides or use adhesive tape and you are done!
Painting it, on the other side, was such a pain because I lack common sense. Please do not repeat my mistakes:
1) Do not try this on carpet. When I splattered the paint around to create the "Pollock" effect, I got weird droplets around the areas that were not covered with newspaper. Now, my carpet reminds me of a dalmatian or a cow.
2) There is no such thing as too much newspaper.
3) To create the splatter effect, you kind of have to whack your paint brush around and use a lot of force.
4) My paint was really thick, so be careful about being too generous. I had to use both black and white paint to create some negative space because I used way too much black paint at the beginning. I tried to fix it by physically drawing in the lines.

Overall, it may not be ideal, but I still think it's unique and different. It's definitely chaotic, so I guess the vibe is still there.

My ten cents #32: Don't buy fabric for a DIY project from a fabric store unless you really have to. Unconventional materials or pre-exiting items can be re-purposed at a cheaper price.

(Winter) Haul + How I Wear It: The Essentials

HOLY COW, IT IS 2014 AND THIS IS MY FIRST POST OF THE YEAR! HOW EXCITING! :) Since the occasion is so important, I gave this post a lot of thought. I definitely wanted to do a winter haul and I was going to showcase each item in a different outfit, but what if I combined everything I got this break and solely this break into one outfit? Each item was purchased at a different store at a different time. Does the combination work? You can be the judge of that.

Furthermore, each item I purchased this break is practically an essential in my book...especially for the winter.

I might as well address the elephant in the room first. Yes, a pair of sunglasses is still relevant in the winter and so is your sun screen because even though the weather may be gloomy, the sun is still there. Also, if you are like me, then a pair of sunglasses is your second weapon of choice when it comes to allergies (first weapon of choice being allergy meds, of course). Windy winter days are thee worst. My allergies act up during the winter and they continue into the spring. I might as well look good on the outside if I am going to die in the inside. I got my pair of sunglasses from Forever 21 for $2.

The most important winter essential item is definitely a coat. This should be a no brainer; it's cold and a good coat provides great warmth. I just picked up this cinch-waist canvas coat from Old Navy for about $21 on clearance (original price was about $70, ouch!). I have been looking high and low for one of these bad boys for some time now. The drawstring in the coat gives a nice A-line silhouette that is oh so flattering.

In addition to a warm coat, I would like to stress the importance of a big 'ol bulky cable-knit sweater for a good deal of warmth. I have a bunch of thin sweaters, but thick sweaters are thee bomb. If I can wear this sweater every single day for the rest of the season, I would, but that would be impractical and very unsanitary. I guess I have to buy more! Tehee. I got this one at Thrift Town for $0.75 thanks to one of their promotional sales.

As for my bottoms, I would wear this pair of F21 leggings with suspender accents if the weather is kind to me. If not, then I would wear a skirt along with it or swap it for some pants/jeans. I have been meaning to DIY a pair, but I found it at F21 for only $4, so I couldn't pass it up. It is definitely out there, but since my outfit is almost covered from head to toe, I thought a bit of skin wouldn't hurt.

Now to my favorite part of any outfit--the shoes! I actually got this pair of Candie's boots today at a garage sale for less than $1. The pair is a bit beat up, but I still see the beauty in it. I mean, the color is gorgeous. It's like a chestnut-like color. It also gives me a bit of height and that's always a good thing.

Oh, I almost forgot; I am wearing jewelry this time around. I own a bunch of jewelry, but I usually forget to wear them...oops. If you click on any of the pictures, then you should be able to see a necklace with a fan pendant that I got from Hobby Lobby for $3 with their 50% off deal. Hobby Lobby sells beautiful jewelry and DIYing them can be as easy as finding a gorgeous pendant and chain.

I may not be a huge hat person, but I am starting to love beanies because they keep my head warm. They are also a plus for rainy days where you forgot to wear a hoodie. Been there, done that. I picked up this grey beanie for $2 at a flea market.

My ten cents #31: I may sound like a hypocrite for saying this because I own a LOT of clothes, but I am going to say it anyways--you do not need a lot of clothes for a good wardrobe. I am practically wearing the same thing twice for the two sets of pictures, but they look a tad bit different because I swap the accessories and I tied my coat around my waist. I changed my hair from being up to being down. It's really that easy to jazz it up.