the sunday session 20 - up up and away

i honestly feel that there can be no more emotional baggage or shit that i have to deal with in regards to my old life. i'm late posting my sunday session because on sunday, some events occurred that i needed to address - and it was in relation to the ongoing emotional abuse that i was subjected to for many years. i find writing such a great way for me to have a very objective view of a situation. i can think, analyse, review and release.  it's very powerful.

i decided to publicly address the torment i endured which people never knew about. i kept it very private. i was the wife who left and if anything i say can help someone else to find their freedom and voice, then i hope my courage to speak up gives them theirs.  i'm sure i have tried to close this door before, but for fucks sake, it is C L O S E D.

now lets go on with fashion. Variety is the spice of life they say and this was last week's spice.

there was a fair bit of upcyling last week. sometimes it doesn't take much to give an outfit a new lease on life and i'm sorry i didn't take some before and afters. Restyling could be as simple as using some strategically placed safety pins to change hem lines for example.  i've done it before.

and here's what i did this week.

this top was a dress on the morning i decided to wear it.  i am crazy when it comes to just deciding to do this stuff. i really wanted to wear the dress ( i hadn't worn it all summer) so i decided to take it up to mid thigh, in between eating my vegemite muffin and making a coffee. it's now a dress and a top. i really love this piece and think it's likely to get another overhaul at some time.  i can see some elastic being added to a shorter version, or even some kind of frilled skirt added to it to make a restyled dress.  so many options.

geez i love this one. i really wanted to take part in the #cotd (colour of the day) challenge that i am involved with. i do love a style challenge, so would be happy for anyone to share any they are part of.

the colours for this one were easy cheese and yellow. i fucking nailed it....

and who wore it better, i say!

well in the morning of the easy cheese challenge, this skirt was ankle length with a wide elastic band at the top. bad 80's style.  so i unpicked it and added a new piece of elastic.  i then decided to cut it shorter.  what i didn't do, was measure or mark it correctly to make a good cutting line. never use any sharp implements before having coffee. it was  FAIL 101.  my cutting line moved, and the length of the skirt ended up about 4 inches shorter in one part.  FUCK.  not to be defeated, i decided to hem it anyway and wing it and i have to say i was pretty stoked with the short/long hemline. i teamed it with my thrifted shirt and vest, shoes from django and juliette and i was sharp and cheddary, just like aerosol cheese. out of that failure came something great.

now this one....saturday

the top was  made by me using fabric from spotlight.  The striped skirt was a dress under construction and had been sitting in the pile for a while.  i would look at it, sigh, then put it back down. and repeat, repeat repeat.  sadly the fabric that i was using on the top of the dress just wasn't right.  So i cut the fucker off. ran it in to fit my body, whacked in some elastic and voila...a fab fabbo fabulous skirt.

i started taking salsa lessons some months back. people have been asking me all the time if i have lost weight and i'm not really one to buy into size or body shape discussions, but i know there are a lot of people who would like to make change and don't know how. so yes, i now have to say that a lot of my clothing has actually got a bit baggy. yes my body has changed. as a plus size designer, i'm now changing the way i think about what and how to create.

i have found salsa dancing to be an amazing way to enhance many aspects of my life and here's why.
1. i like to dance
2. it's a great way to connect with people
3. i am using my brain in a different way as it's like learning a language
4. i am learning a new skill
5. it's fun....i like fun
6. it's in my budget
7. it's a great form of exercise. even the warm up drill we do each class is a workout in itself

i started a couch to 5k running program a few years back and i'm still not the greatest runner. the key is to take it slow, run slow, go slow but just go. i go to the gym monday and tuesday and run for no more than 20 minutes, i then do some yoga stretches, wednesday and thursday nights i do salsa and i'm doing a lot more walking and eating very different food then i used to - homemade budget food, but good food.

i'm not consciously doing anything to make this happen, it's just happening.

as for my wardrobe that means i am need to do some more upcycling, as i love my clothes and would rather freshen them up and recycle, and reuse then discard them.  won't this be fun.

I'd like to thank everyone who contacted me and privately shared some of their stories following my previous post.  such similar stories that it just reaffirms what i always knew to be true in my kind heart and my rational brain.

I just want to go up up and away and continue to thrive and bask in this feeling of peace that i am loving so much in my new melbourne life. i wish you the same peace and joy.