The lucrative fashion industry

08/29/2011

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Photo Source: gettyimages
I have been a magazine junky for years. I love fashion and entertainment magazines. Recently fashion blogs have taken the place of magazines for me. Blog advertising isn’t as blatantly obvious as with magazines. As well blogs are more environmentally friendly than magazines. I have stacks of outdated magazines that I have no idea what to do with. My current magazine subscription of Elle Canada and Flare are coming to an end this month; and I am not renewing.

However, I struggle with condoning the fashion industry. I can’t see the sense in spending $1,000+ on shoes, hand bags, or other fashion items, especially when our economy is so volatile. It sickens me to see celebrities spending so freely when the citizens who pour money into their ventures are having homes repossessed and their positions tossed in the trash.

Not to mention the negative effect the fashion industry has on young women. We don’t all look like the models on the runway. I once heard a fashion designer comment that models are mere garment racks to display the clothing. How degrading to be considered a “clothing rack”. Not all women are over six feet tall and weighing just over 100lbs.
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Photo Source: Cartoonstock
Facts are that many designers are now using youths to promote their garments that only adults can afford. Advertising and marketing have always said “hook them while they are young”, as is the case with the controversial lingerie line geared toward toddlers that has come under critique lately. Personally I feel it’s a pedophiles wet dream.
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Would you believe this model is only 13 years old? Photo Source: Marie Claire Magazine
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Photo Source: Jours Apres Lunes
I also find fashion designers, magazine editors, and trendsetter’s adorn themselves with these lavish items and set themselves above the rest of society. That by some means wearing a $10,000 outfit makes them better. To me it’s just foolish, snooty, and a bit insecure.

As well, why are we force fed the need to be trendy? I believe in unique style. Fashion magazines, or blogs, should be used as sounding boards. They are the extreme; you can use them as inspiration and find inspired items at your local mall, super market, or thrift store.  

There you go… my struggles with the fashion industry. I enjoy reading and following fashion trends, however I do not feel the need to drink the Kool-Aid so to speak. My money can be better invested.

How about you, what are your views of the lucrative fashion industry?
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I made these feather earrings!!

08/25/2011

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How to make feather earrings

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I made these little gems for my friend Rochelle. They were really easy to make and fairly inexpensive. All you need is:

 Supplies: 
Earring hooks
Metal Clasp
Beads 
Eye pins
Feathers

I get my feathers at Whole Sale Sports, but you can find loose feathers anywhere from dollar stores to fly fishing shops. The nicer quality ones you would find at fly fishing shops or outdoor/sport type stores

Tools:
Pliers 
Measure the two feathers up against each other and cut them the length you want them

Attach the metal clasp at the tip of the feather and squeeze it together with your pliers

String some beads (optional) onto a an eye pin and make a loop 

Attach the beads, the feathers, and the earring hooks together

And voila some beautiful trendy feather earrings
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Looking at buying...

08/25/2011

7 Comments

 
Russell and I took a Jeep Sierra 70th anniversary edition out for a test drive last night. It was absolutely beautiful and it drives so well. Living in Northern Alberta where its winter 8-9 months out of the year it is very important to have a four wheel drive. There have been times I couldn’t make it to work because we had a blizzard and there was so much snow on the roads I would get stuck within a house or two of my own house. I currently drive a Toyota Matrix which doesn’t have four wheel drive. It’s a great spacious little car and has treated me very well, but it’s time to upgrade to an “Albertan” vehicle which means 4X4! We will be shopping around a little bit for the next month, hopefully we find something before the first snow flies.
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I really would like red, but I would be happy with the army green as well
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The top comes off like a standard Jeep, it comes with both a soft and a hard top
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and it's fully loaded! Blue tooth and USB are very important to me for my next vehicle
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I want to live in a tree house

08/17/2011

2 Comments

 
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While I was home this summer I attended my step brothers wedding in Eastport, Maine. The rehearsal dinner was not your conventional dinner; they held it at a local home known for their stone oven baked pizzas and hand built tree house. After the wedding my dad took us to see the beautiful tree house located behind their home. I was skeptical at first about seeing this “tree house”, but was pleasantly surprised at what we got to see.
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Jim our tree house tour guide
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Me hiking along one of the many paths
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Loft bedroom
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I wore 4" heels to the wedding, half way through our tour I had to stop and change into my back-up flats.
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Russell making himself at home
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It took Jim and his wife a year to build the tree house, during good weather, and only in the afternoons. They spend much of their time within the tree house, even though they have a fully functional home. When asked if they slept there Jim replied, “we bought a Serta mattress and sleep comfortably”. The detail and craftsmanship is amazing, with drift wood railings, paths and patios, and antique accents. It’s hard to tell where imagination ends and nature begins.
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When it rains this room becomes a waterfall, with the water running down the wall, into the tub and back outside
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The vegetable garden, made out of culvert material. He says the black plastic heats up and helps propagation
If you are ever in the area of Eastport, Maine I suggest you look up Jim and his wonderful sights within his 6 acres of land; if only to order pizzas (which by the way are delicious!). He is a very interesting accommodating man, and after meeting him once you feel you have known him all your life.  
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Patchouli

08/11/2011

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I am a dirty hippy wannabe. I sold out to the man a long time ago to afford my cozy lifestyle, hence the wannabe. But I still try to bring nature, peace and harmony into my life. If I had to choose an element to represent myself it would have to be earth. I love all things green, the sound of water and the freshness that comes from nature. And I wear patchouli oil. I actually love the scent of patchouli and my boyfriend loves it as well.

My new favorite TV show is Shameless, and last night I watched an episode where one of the characters was talking about how he followed the Grateful Dead on tour. Not because he enjoyed the music, but because he loved the patchouli soaked females that danced so gracefully in front of the stage. It got me thinking about how much I love patchouli and in the spirit wanted to wear it to work today.

We’ve hired quite a few new female employees to our ranks since coming out of the recession and one of them graced our floor today. She starts ranting that it smells musty and moldy up here; causing one of the managers to go around checking the fridge and garbage for moldy food. But she insists it doesn’t smell like moldy food, but musky outdoorsy smell, she’s always been told she had a “keen sniffer”.

So what do you do? Say “ya, that is my perfume, its called patchouli, you like?” I guess I am partly to blame; I did put a lot on this morning. Because like I said, I enjoy the smell and I wanted to be able to smell it all day. I hate when you put perfume on and you can’t smell it after an hour. My response was to gracefully step away from my desk to wash the back of my hands, where I had applied the excess perfume. Hopefully now I don’t offend her senses with my dirty hippy perfume.
 
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Diamonds are a girls best friend

08/10/2011

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If you didn't know, I work for Finning (Canada) which is the Caterpillar dealership for British Columbia and Alberta. Our dealership business is in parts, service (where I got my start), powersystems (engines, generators, etc.), sales and rentals (where I work now). Our customers include road construction, independent contractors, oilfield and mining, amoung several others. Every week the internal employees receive an email on what's new and happening company wide. One of the entries this week peaked my interest and I thought I would share.

The below image was included in the email along with the following comment:

"...Diamond zone: Paul Yasinski, Edmonton and northern mining manager, recently visited our Ekati branch and noticed something new in the lobby display case. “It’s a bunch of Caterpillar miniature models,” he explains, “but the material they put in the boxes and buckets are real diamonds.” It’s a sparkly reminder of why our work up there goes on. Thanks for sending this in, Paul..."
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Ekati is located about 200 km south of the Arctic Circle in the North West Territories, and is the home of the Ekati Diamond Mine. We provide the mine with new caterpillar equipment, as well as parts and service to their fleet. A close friend of mine, whom I also work with, went to the mine on a split shift rotation of 14 days in and 7 days out to provide service on their caterpillar equipment. He told me the security was intense, he said “you have to check everything before you leave, even the mud in your boots. Because you don't want to get caught with a stepped on diamond in your boot”. The entire mine site is under heavy surveillance and upon exiting the premises you need to go through a vigorous security check to ensure you aren’t smuggling diamonds out.
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Mining equipment is HUGE in size! Here is a comparison of a articulated dump truck to your standard size SUV.
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Four open pits, along with the Ekati airport
When you think of Canadian diamonds the above picture never came to mind. When I think Diamonds I think Audrey Hepburn eating her bagel in front of Tiffany’s.
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A good summer read

08/04/2011

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I am currently reading a P.C. Cast book called Goddess of Spring. I am over half way through it now and am really enjoying it. It is a story of a lady named Lina who is struggling to keep her bakery afloat. She finds an old cook book in a store and brings it home to try out a pizza recipe. The recipe calls for a bit of a spell and the next thing she knows she's face to face with Demeter Goddess of the Harvest. They work out an agreement that Lina will possess the body of her daughter Persephone Goddess of the Spring and in turn Persephone will go into her world to turn around her bakery. Lina agrees and is requested to bring spring to the Underworld and visit Hades at his palace. It is a fun sensual read about the Gods and Goddesses, and is the second book in the Goddess Summoning series (8 books in total). I recommend it and you may learn a thing or two about Greek mythology.

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