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It's official. I have caught the "what-stylish-thing-can-I-make-out-of-my-existing-wardrobe" bug.
Personally I blame Mrs. Marple.
It was her class yesterday that got me contemplating the many ways I could transform my old clothing into new things.
Like this plain ivory tank top that I've been wearing for years. Sure, I like it alright, but I think I would like it even more with layers upon layers of polka dot ruffles. Wouldn't you?
Polka dots from this skirt, for instance, that I've had stuffed in a drawer for about 5 years. Once upon a time I loved this skirt. But that time has long since passed.
The truth is that converting old things into new things is virtuous for a number of reasons. The first is obvious: it cuts down on unnecessary consumerism by making good use of things we've already purchased.
Naturally this is good for our wallets and the environment.
But it is also good for other, less conventional reasons. Like exercising our problem solving skills, for instance.
The practice of seeing old things with fresh new eyes is a universally flattering skill, and can be applied to areas outside of fashion. Like work, for instance.
Challenging our creativity is also far more rewarding than simply gratifying someone else's inspired items. Sure I can buy the latest and greatest from Michael Kors or Mark Jacobs (well, I can't because they're too expensive, but you get my point...), but creating something with my own hands from the vision in my mind is Much More rewarding. Frankly, it boosts the ego.
Furthermore, it gives us a reprieve from the consumer auto-pilot that we often find ourselves on. You know the one--like when we (okay, me) walk into Target for toilet paper and walk out with 100 dollars worth of unplanned merchandise (this has happened to me more than once...). 
So often we (okay, me) use our purchasing power to make us feel better after a stressful day or fight with our husband/boyfriend/friend. And then the shopping buzz wears off faster than our tension headache.
What we (okay, me again) often don't realize is that creative expression, and the process of making something from hand (aka actually interacting with the production of the "stuff" in our lives) provides us with a fulfilling outlet that trumps a shopping-high any day.
Plus we still end up with fancy loot.
Gee--this Mrs. Marple is certainly wearing off on me! Here I am going on and on about the virtuous of old-stuff-turned-new when you already know all of this.
So I'll stop talking. After all, I have a plain ivory tank top to convert into a fabulous ruffled number that my husband will undoubtedly glance right over without noticing the design genius.
But he might appreciate the financial savings...
Previous Related Posts:
Day 14: Alterations
Fall Project Preview (making a graphic t-shirt)
Nesting: Nurturing my Maternal Side (making a baby-quilt)
When I was in college, I spent one summer working at a dude ranch (yes--that’s right--a dude ranch, complete with cowboys, horses, and a bubbling brook running through the property) as a waitress for ranch guests. The family that owned and operated the ranch had lived there for multiple generations, and the oldest member--an elderly woman in her nineties named Tillie--still came down to the kitchen from time to time to visit. And to make sure that none of the food was going to waste. I would watch her collect the leftover bread and recommend to the cooks how they could reuse it for another meal. Or see her scrape the unused ranch dressing out of the serving bowls to put back into the storage container (much to the cook’s--and the FDA’s--chagrin). She couldn’t help herself. After growing up during the Depression, she was used to making every ingredient and household item stretch to the last inch.
Admiration
Although admittedly a bit sketchy when it came to operating a commercial kitchen, I had to admire her resourcefulness and ingenuity. And naturally I reflected on how far we had come since her days managing the ranch, with our disposable paper cups and plates, ketchup packets, and soda cans.
No Nostalgia Needed
No one wants to wax poetically about the Depression, or seriously propose a return to those hard times. Instead, we much rather prefer to climb out of this recession as quickly as possible before it does any permanent damage and we, ourselves, start licking the plates clean and saving the leftover salad dressing. But one thing worth noting is the example set by the generation that knew all to well what it was to have the bottom fall out of the economy. The ladies of that time were the first Recessionistas, and they were clever indeed. They remind us that: Good Reminders* disposable living is not something to esteem if it translates to meaningless consumerism and waste. “Waste not, want not” could stand a revival, minus possible compromises to health and safety, of course, and sluggish economies are good opportunities to practice the mantra.
* resourcefulness leads to resilience. There are few from that generation that are not revered for their persevering spirit. Their steady discipline of artfully appreciating and utilizing the resources around them helped sustain their ability to stay hopeful, productive, and even prosperous during hard times.
* and the best defense to calamity begins at home. We joke now about their quirky habits of saving things like newspapers and cardboard for “just in case,” but they know that when difficulty arises, it is good to have supplies on hand and to not trust absolutely in the back-up plans of commerce or government. We are fortunate to have a few safety nets that they did not, like FDIC insurance and credit cards. But we would do well to remember that even well meaning systems can fail to fill in the gaps that only a home can fill.
Acknowledgments
I, of course, want nothing more than to avoid walking in the shoes they walked in during the Depression. But I also want to acknowledge the important example they set, and the lessons we can learn from them as we walk through our own economic turmoil.
I might even reuse the heels of my bread to add some crisp to tonight’s chicken. Tillie would be proud.
Previous Recessionista Posts:
Thinking Outside the Box
Three Contingency Plans
Homegrown Resilience
The Teva sandal made its debut right around the time I entered junior high. Of course everyone who was cool had a pair. And naturally my parents weren’t the type to buy a sandal just for the sake of my popularity. So I was out of luck. Of course there were some available knock-offs at the stores, mainly in solid black. Which was okay, I guess, but they lacked the tell-tale colorful stitching of the originals.
So what did I do? I bought a pair, and using some embroidery thread, I hand-stitched my own pattern onto my generic sandals. True, they weren’t exactly the real thing, and I doubt I was fooling anyone. But I wore them to school every day in the spring with a certain pride that is very difficult to find in junior high.
A Habit is Born
Why do I share this story? Because thinking outside of the box is a Recessionista habit I’ve come to love. A habit that I started practicing back in junior high just to fit in with the cool kids.
Thinking outside of the box (aka creative resourcefulness) is the ability to look at something old or generic in a new and fresh way. And it can be applied in almost infinite situations. Like turning a handful of leftover ingredients lingering in the fridge into a new entree that is surprisingly good. Or covering old cereal boxes in decorative paper to use for storage. Or re-imagining a pile of scrap wood as canvases for art.
Practice Makes Perfect
Probably the best opportunities for out-of-the-box brilliance come from repurposing what you already have, but seeing old things in a new light can be difficult at times. It is easier to glimpse the potential in something when it is packaged and labeled. Practice can go a long way to unveil hidden potential, though. For instance:
* taking an inventory of what you already own may reveal some pleasant surprises. I wrote about this recently during my spring cleaning bout. It is very easy for me to forget about the stuff I already own, but uncovering it from the backs of my closets or under the bed can give me a jolt of inspiration.
* getting into the habit of asking “what else can I use this for?” can go a long way. Can the decorative cup holding your toothbrush be used as a small vase? Would your old sweater make a nice pillow? Can you grow strawberries out of that rusted watering can? Even if you would never turn your CD’s into a shiny hanging mobile (please, please don’t!), it still helps get the creative juices flowing to think about it.
Why the Trouble?
Why go to all this trouble? Well, the benefits seem fairly obvious to me. You can continue to adorn your home and wardrobe without spending a ton of money. You are practicing one of the three R's of conservation: re-using. You are practicing innovative thinking, which leads to invention and breakthrough. And--last but certainly not least--you are giving yourself a chance to be friends with the cool kids.
What is your best thinking-outside-of-the-box story? Share by posting your comment below!
Previous Related Posts:
Vintage Green
Swap Meet Style
Creative Salvation
Modern Benefits from a Vintage Chore
It's official. I have caught the "what-stylish-thing-can-I-make-out-of-my-existing-wardrobe" bug. 
It was her class yesterday that got me contemplating the many ways I could transform my old clothing into new things.
Like this plain ivory tank top that I've been wearing for years. Sure, I like it alright, but I think I would like it even more with layers upon layers of polka dot ruffles. Wouldn't you?
Polka dots from this skirt, for instance, that I've had stuffed in a drawer for about 5 years. Once upon a time I loved this skirt. But that time has long since passed. 
The truth is that converting old things into new things is virtuous for a number of reasons. The first is obvious: it cuts down on unnecessary consumerism by making good use of things we've already purchased.
Naturally this is good for our wallets and the environment.
But it is also good for other, less conventional reasons. Like exercising our problem solving skills, for instance.
The practice of seeing old things with fresh new eyes is a universally flattering skill, and can be applied to areas outside of fashion. Like work, for instance.
Challenging our creativity is also far more rewarding than simply gratifying someone else's inspired items. Sure I can buy the latest and greatest from Michael Kors or Mark Jacobs (well, I can't because they're too expensive, but you get my point...), but creating something with my own hands from the vision in my mind is Much More rewarding. Frankly, it boosts the ego.
Furthermore, it gives us a reprieve from the consumer auto-pilot that we often find ourselves on. You know the one--like when we (okay, me) walk into Target for toilet paper and walk out with 100 dollars worth of unplanned merchandise (this has happened to me more than once...). 
So often we (okay, me) use our purchasing power to make us feel better after a stressful day or fight with our husband/boyfriend/friend. And then the shopping buzz wears off faster than our tension headache.
What we (okay, me again) often don't realize is that creative expression, and the process of making something from hand (aka actually interacting with the production of the "stuff" in our lives) provides us with a fulfilling outlet that trumps a shopping-high any day.
Plus we still end up with fancy loot.
