Tragic to Magic

To begin my blog this week is a tragic story. The story of a how my favorite pair of jeans became destroyed. This weekend, on the beautiful Saturday we just experienced, my friends and I decided to go downtown to enjoy the day. However, as I was getting dressed, my favorite pair of jeans, aka my boyfriend jeans, decided to rip to the point of no repair. I now have a hole that extends down half my leg!

I was so depressed about it, and when I was looking for another pair of jeans to wear, I found a pair I had bought from a thrift store for $6 that I forgot about! They were purchased from Salvation Army over the summer, and I hadn't done anything to them so they were pretty plain. I was pumped, not only because I now had another pair of boyfriend jeans, but that I could do one of my favorite things, which was distressing them. One of my favorite things to do is to buy old pairs of jeans, and make them into shorts or more interesting jeans. Now you might be wondering, how do you make a pair of jeans into better ones? Well, let me explain. It is a simple process, but takes some practice.

My first pair I did this too was back in the eighth grade, and since then I have perfected the practice. To create your own pair of ripped jeans, the first thing is to find a pair. You can either use a pair you already own that you want to spice up, or you can go to your local thrift store or consignment shop and find a pair, which is what I do. One of the perks of doing this is that if you mess up, t's ok because they were super cheap anyway. So the next thing to do is to find a pair of scissors you don't mind using on denim, as sometimes the scissors can take a beating from the thickness of the fabric. You will also need a good surface to do this on,  like an sturdy table or stool.

                                          finished rips once they have gone through the wash

Next, decide how distressed you want your pants to be, just keep in mind they will become more distressed over time, the more you wear them and wash them. I find the easiest way to begin the cut your pants is to pinch them, and begin the cut there, and then unfold. Continue doing this for a little until you have the desired length of that particular area of rips. You can alternate lengths of cuts, so it looks more natural and asymmetrical. You can also do this on the pockets, both front and back. To make these cuts more rugged, you can run your scissors along the cuts, and don't be afraid to be tough on it, it's not supposed to look perfect! The final step is to run your new pants through the wash, this will really make them look newly distressed. I hope this small run through helps anyone interested in doing this! It saves you a bunch of money, gives you a fun hobby, and you can proudly tell people that you created your jeans yourself when they ask where you got them from.

Fate? Destiny?

This past week I have been non stop thinking of home. Spring break is only three weeks away, the Patriots have won the Super Bowl (I hear you all booing),  and there was a snow storm remaining me of good ole snow days. Being home means lots of things, but for me one of them is exploring. Home means the house you live in, but also the places surrounding it. The Maine coast for example, where my friends and I adventure off to every so often, and we explore. Hiking, shopping, eating, drive in theaters, going to carnivals, you name it. Maine is one of the places that is chocked full of funky consignment shops, in little tucked away houses full of vintage tee shirts and old books. However, my favorite thing I have ever gotten from a consignment shop, was this necklace. I was filling up my arms with books and flannels, when a small pendant caught my eye. It was the shape of a wave, and I fell in love instantly.

The ocean has always been a special place, as it is for many people. I have grown up by water always, and have gone to the beach every day in the summer since I was a baby. My family lives there, so I am always by the sea for holidays and birthdays, and while the beach is quite different in the winter, it is still just as special. So finding this random pendant, in perfect condition, was almost fate. Yes, I do believe in things like fate and destiny. I just knew it was made for me. And so, I have worn it every day since then; it has endured swimming in the ocean, jumping up and down at football games, and traveling almost 300 miles away from shore.

                                                                 http://ycsame.org

Going to unsuspecting places like hidden consignment shops on rainy days in March is always going to be something I love to do, and I have never been disappointed by it. Exploring and adventuring, (as small as this adventure was) is something I strongly believe it, and I encourage you to do it when you can. You really never know what you could find or do or create. I found something I will always cherish for 25 cents. Can you believe that? It makes it even more special, that I don't know where it came from or who wore it before me, or how old it is. It is all part of the thrifting fun, the mystery of it all, and how cool it is that it is now your time! The most unexpected thing can become your most special object, something made for you. Explore when you go home for spring break, explore this weekend here at school, there is always something to be discovered.

Proud to be a Penn Stater

If you are feeling more curious about thrifting after my previous post, I hope this next post intrigues you more. Something we can all relate to here, no matter our other differences, is Penn State. Along with going to college, especially a school as large as this, is owning some apparel. I am sure everyone owns at least one thing that says Penn State on it somewhere. A few days after I committed to this school, my mom gave me a box full of Penn State things, ranging from vintage shirts to a new hat and sweatshirt. I was so excited to not only have committed to a school, but to wear it proudly. This wasn't the last time my mom went crazy for Penn State apparel; over the next few weeks, she continued to find some of the coolest things online and in consignment stores. My friend from high school that also goes here was constantly asking me where I was getting these cool shirts, unlike the ones you see in the shops downtown today. She was shocked to learn that they were not new, but that they were from eBay and some consignment stores.

When my parents came here for parents weekend, my mom and I went to one of the local thrift stores, Goodwill. It is in the Westerly Parkway Plaza, which is a ways back if you take South Allen Street. This is just one of the many I have been to here in Pennsylvania, although the others were farther away. This one, and the others in PA, are full of Penn State apparel, including athletic teams and THON clothes. Some of these places I have found brand new Penn State clothes with the tags still on them, which is always a great find.  I am about one hundred percent positive that if you go to any thrift or consignment store in Pennsylvania  you will find some school apparel. I always find some even at home, which goes to show the extent of people that love this school too.

some of the shirts I have gotten from eBay and thrift stores

sweatshirts and sweatpants

Something i forgot to mention in my last post I have been to plenty of thrift stores in Pennsylvania on my way to orientation or just visiting in general, and every store is different. While I go to these places to shop mostly, it is important to keep in mind that many of them serve a great purpose. Purchasing from a thrift store like the Salvation Army allows them to use the money to help families and people in need of housing, clothes, and food. While many consignment stores are independent businesses, some of them donate their money to animal shelters or homeless shelters. So you can almost always feel good when you are shopping at these places. So if you are looking for a new way to find nittany lion apparel, try one of the thrift stores nearby!

Goodwill
424 Westerly Pkwy, State College, PA 16801

St Vincent De Paul Thrift Store
526 Westerly Pkwy, State College, PA 16801