too much.

Warehouse sale!!! Or maybe I should say.. Attic apartment sale?

After my totally awesome curtain rod fell down for the last time, I discovered I have no room for all this etsy merch! My binge shopping habits have screeched to a halt and it's time to sell off what I have before I can step foot in a store for more merchandise! (and I'm trying to learn moderation.)

Suitcases, dresses, skirts, shoes, coffee mugs.. I've got it all, and it's all on sale! But only for 5 days because I have to go to St Louis for a week on the 20th!

Any and ALL items will be shipped on prior to the 20th, and all items purchased after will be shipped on the 25th or 26th. Flight Attendants need refresher courses to keep you guys safe, so that's where I'll be.

Enjoy & happy shopping!!

xx

Marjorie

simplicity

If you're like me, then you're a 25 year old female who still gets zits. Yep. They're not nearly as bad as they were in high school, but if I go a few days without washing my face, there they are!

When things just got worse, I was about 19. At the suggestion of my friend, I went to a spa that offered facials and extractions, which is when they just destroy your face every other week for a lot of money. It did work, though! If you're really at a loss, your zits are horrendous, in your late teens/early 20's, I highly suggest facials and extractions if you have the money. The products I bought to compliment that process were extremely expensive (hundreds of dollars expensive) but for the most part, they worked.. and at that time, I would do anything to have clear skin. Along with the extractions and expensive products, I also had a humidifier right next to my bed to keep my face from getting dry. All of this combined curbed my zits but didn't clear them completely.

After I quit my job, though, I had to cut this whole process out. I had to switch to something affordable and hope that the lack of facials and extractions wouldn't reverse everything I've done. I chose the Neutrogena Acne Stress Control line that I could easily buy at Target.

here's the entire set. I'd use these every day. 

The most expensive product from this line was about $10, the rest no less than $5. You had to purchase the whole set for it to work, though - and it never really worked. It would always minimize the zits, but never fully get rid of them. Whenever I travel (which is often since I'm a flight attendant) I'd have to carry all of these products with me which was a huge hassle! They took up space, some would leak/spill.. it was vey frustrating! After about 2-3 years of this, I decided that there was no way Neutrogena was going to get rid of my zits for good. I was still getting them and sometimes I'd get them by the masses, so I was ready to try something new.. which brings me to the single most disastrous thing you can put on your face..

Proactiv. Listen, I think it works. But not only does it cost an arm and a leg, you have to suffer for a few weeks before it starts to work. I'd wake up every day and I would not be able to move my face because it was drying it out. I felt nasty putting pure chemicals on my face, and this only lasted a few weeks before I cancelled my subscription. I came to the conclusion that yes, zits suck, but I'm not that desperate to get rid of them.

Then, one day I ended up in the mall in Manchester with two groupons for the Body Shop. I decided to try something new, and asked the sales rep what she thought about acne control. My face at this point was disgusting - huge zits all around my mouth and chin.. it was embarrassing to even walk around! She took one look at me and knew right away what I was dealing with and led me over to their face wash section. She showed me their products and I figured "why not? I've tried everything else!". I also liked that she recommended using 100% tea tree oil on zits - something pure and natural. I decided to give it a try, and haven't been disappointed yet! 

My simple routine - tea tree oil on each zit for 5 seconds, face wash and moisturizer

My "more involved" routine. Tea tree oil on the zits, then face wash, then exfoliating about 2 times a week. Then "day" creme and of course, moisturizer. Tea tree oil night lotion at night. 

Since I'm on the go constantly, carrying around any extra weight is not an option. So most days, I do my "simple" routine, and when I'm home I'll do the extended. To date, my skin has never been clearer!! 

Less is more? Yes, absolutely. When I was spattering chemicals upon chemicals on my face, I'd often dry out, get red blotches, and the zits would never really disappear. Ever since I switched to something more natural and simpler, it's like my face glows. Yes, I do get a zit or two from time to time, but it's much more acceptable than 40 zits on my chin at any given time. I don't stress about them anymore because I have the confidence in my products (and stress is a huge factor in zits!). 

If you're having trouble with zits and you're in your mid-twenties, here's my suggestion: 

Start with 100% tea tree oil. Use a cotton swab, dip it in the oil and then press on your zit for 5 seconds or so. Then use your facewash of choice after about a minute. After, you can use day creme if you'd like (I used to use toner, but honestly, I don't think it's necessary since I don't wear a lot of makeup.) and get some really good moisturizer. Moisturizer is mostly the same to me - I use the Body Shop, Neutrogena, Target..  I don't think I've never gotten more/less zits from using different moisturizer. 

Note: Use the tea tree oil once a day at first to see how your face reacts. If my zits are really bad, I'll use it twice a day, but for the most part I only need to use it in the morning. At night time, I'll use the Body Shop Tea Tree Oil night creme. 

You can buy tea tree oil at Whole Foods, Trader Joes, or at your local co-op. Tea Tree Oil at the Body Shop is expensive and it's only 15% oil. 

The key is patience. Nothing happens overnight. It took a few days for me to notice a difference in my skin after I started my current routine, and a few weeks to actually get almost clear skin. Once I stopped stressing, that kept the zits away as well. So just relax, and make sure you wash your face 2x a day! 

Good luck! And know this: you're not alone!!! You're beautiful no matter what, and don't forget that!! 

xo

Marjorie 

End of April shop update!

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I discovered a hidden part of Gurnee, IL that has like, 5 thrift stores. It was insanity! We went to a big Salvation Army and a smaller boutique-like store.. I decided to save the others for another rainy day.

I found a lot of amazing stuff, and my boyfriend was such a trooper as he held my stuff and people-watched. I've posted many items on Etsy, and they're quite amazing so don't miss out! More to come as I am working on photographing everything I have before I get more.. (let's see how well this works..)

someone else's cat.. on YOUR wall! 

vintage WWF cropped sweater

plus-size nautical blouse

Tan ruffle purse!

Racquetball Suitcase. 

gorgeous cerulean blue blouse in xs-small 

1980's pink Avon blouse

8-bit kitchen apron

earth day 2k12!

Woah! WOAH! I did NOT forget Earth day this year, people. No way, no how! Earth day is better than my birthday! Seriously! I love it so much that I celebrate it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

What did you do to celebrate? Or what do you do every day to celebrate our mother Earth?

Unfortunately, I was working so that means I was flying around in a jet which is hardly beneficial to the environment! But this past weekend, I worked on my compost, rode my bike to the thrift store (does that count?), supported my local co-op (always beneficial to support local-ish farms and my neighborhood) and donated a mass amount of books, magazines and movies to my neighborhood movie and book exchange. When I get home from this trip, I'm going to start my urban garden - I can't wait!!

If you haven't already, start celebrating earth day EVERY day with these helpful rules! that's right, they're not tips - these are RULES.  These aren't "change your entire lifestyle" rules, though. These are just things you should really get into the habit of. I see so much waste every single day I go to work. Water bottles, coffee cups, packaging - on a 1 hour flight, I will end up collecting what seems like 5 tons of trash! And that's just from 66 people! It makes me weak in the knees when someone comes on my plane and asks me to fill up their reusable coffee mug with coffee. Seriously. I love it.

-get a reusable water bottle already! jeez! there are water fountains everywhere, they're great for the environment and you'll save money because you won't have to BUY tap water anymore. Oh, you're afraid of the water that comes out of water fountains/sinks? Get over it! Seriously! Tap water is regulated WAY more than bottled water is. I've drank tap water in half the cities in America plus in Canada. I'm still alive! And what about all of those chemicals used to make your plastic bottles? Think that's good for you in any way? Nope! Traveler's Tip: Bring an empty reusable water bottle with you and fill it up at one of the many drinking fountains after you get through security. Water in every airport is at least $3 and a waste of money! 

-Use the automatic air dryer next time you wash your hands! Not only are you keeping your hands clean by not touching something else that everyone has touched, but you are saving paper towels from going into landfills. Those paper towels that you use for 4 seconds and then throw away can never be recycled. Their only destiny is to the landfill. Spend 15 more seconds in the bathroom and air dry your hands from now on. 


-People, it's 2012. If you don't have a huge stash of reusable bags by now, I think you've been living under a rock. WHY DO YOU USE PLASTIC? It breaks, it holds barely anything, and it's a waste. Reusable bags can be stylish, they're strong and they can hold like two gallons of milk plus a ton of other stuff. You won't have a plastic bag pile crampin your kitchen's style, either. Get with it! Get a reusable bag on www.etsy.com or at your local grocery store! (and did you know some grocery stores even give you .5 - .10 off for every reusable bag you bring!? what! isn't that awesome!?) 

-Coffee/tea drinkers: get a mug, yo! Listen, I work in airports. I work in one of the busiest airports in the country. The amount of Starbucks cups I throw away on any given flight plus the amount people drink in any given hour is absurd! Get a travel mug. They cost like $10 and if you drink starbucks every day, you'll end up making that money back in a year. (Not only do many coffee companies give you a nice little .10 discount on your drink, but they'll also fill it to the top no matter what size you get. It's totally amazing!) Or, better yet, you can just.. make your own coffee and bring it with you! But again, if you are traveling, you don't have that luxury. But no one is stopping you from bringing your own reusable mug that's empty! No one! Unless TSA is having a bad day.. then you never know what'll happen.

-Bring your own tupperware to the restaurant. Yea, this is a little out there, and it's probably not going to catch on for another few years, but how many times do you go out to eat and bring home leftovers? I do it all the time! And I get a huge styrofoam (shudder) box that takes up half my fridge. I always forget to bring my own containers, but once in a blue moon, when I remember, it feels so awesome. I don't have to feel immense guilt for throwing away a huge styrofoam box, and I love using my cute tupperware so it's a win-win situation.


There they are, four simple rules to help you minimize your impact on the Earth. These are just to begin with - I will be going over some other tips in the future, some that are more in-depth.

I do realize that these rules all involve you remembering to bring something with you. A bag, a water bottle, a coffee mug and tupperware. But that's the thing - we often buy and use things out of convenience because we can't be bothered to remember to bring something with us. It's not easy to carry around a water bottle, tupper ware AND a coffee mug with me every time I go to work, but I do it because I've made it part of my lifestyle. It makes me feel good when I fill up my bottle with water instead of drinking out of a plastic bottle and so forth. Once you begin to get used to the feeling of having a little bit more to carry around, it won't be so hard to practice these tips. And if you have a car, well then you've got nothing to worry about! Throw your reusable bags in the backseat and keep an empty reusable water bottle in there!

Remember, every little bit helps! If we can get one person every day to start using their own tools and resources instead of opting for plastic and styrofoam, we will make a big impact on our Earth and landfills! Spread the word!

Ok.. maybe this can work

Something good can work, right?

I recently took a mini road trip to Eagle/Vail, Colorado. I drove a friend up because I had an 18 hour layover, and well, I like to go on adventures! I was so inspired by the mountains and the cabins and small towns. I never thought I'd ever enjoy the cold, but having a home-cooked meal in basically a renovated log-cabin sort of changed my mind..

My style and eye has definitely been intrigued, and I'm finding that I'm enjoying more of a "ski-lodge but in 2012" direction when it comes to design and what I'm buying for the shop. I'm half tempted to buy 25 sweaters just to turn them into legwarmers. And the most ironic part about all of this is that it's 80 degrees on March 23rd  and all of the ski resorts have been closed for the year.

So stay tuned! The shop has been updated but things are selling out fast! Don't miss out on any of these gems I have.

marjiew.etsy.com

sorry for the half-assed blog post, I'm super tired.

oh hey!

Wow, i'm really not much of a blogger. it was like pulling teeth.. but then again, i was never actually blogging about things I cared about. a lot has changed since I last posted an entry. Where do I begin?

in the beginning of march, i found my dream apartment on craigslist. after numerous emails and texts, i persuaded the guy to show me the apartment first. I loved it, and now it's mine! at the end of march, i went to Portland, Oregon. I took the amtrak there and back, something everyone should try once. I was only gone a week, but in that week, my whole outlook on my life at that moment changed.

When I got home, I moved in to the apartment. I was to start school that week, and after 2 classes, I had this gut wrenching feeling that I was not in the place I needed to be. I debated, posted on facebook for opinions, and after some thought and an email asking me to come in for an interview to be a flight attendant, i dropped out of school.

It wasn't the easiest decision to make because school was my safety net. It was the reason I didn't need to get a job. I could just go to school, get money for rent and do whatever I wanted. But the thought of being in the fashion industry made me cringe. It wasn't for me. In fact, I hated it with a passion! I don't even know how I let it go on for so long, but as they say- things happen for a reason.

Oh, about that interview - I got the job. (or more like, invitation to go through the training in St Louis, because, as I would learn, you didn't actually have the job until you graduate from the program.) I left for STL on May 8th, and wouldn't you know it - I'm still here.

We are on the home stretch of training - we have a larger class (19 people -- we started with 31) so it takes longer to get everyone through each part of the program. I laugh when I remember when they told us "it'll be about 4-6 weeks of training) -- it's been 5 weeks to the date, and we're not even scheduled to graduate until, at the earliest, the 24th (which may be pushed back because we haven't even been called in to go to class yet today). You know, some people here complain - they want to get out of this hotel and start flying. But if there's one thing i know about this industry, it's that you have to take it as it comes to you. A schedule for me is almost nonexistent until the end of summer. I will never know when I have to fly or how long I'll be gone until I get my itinerary. So if they tell me they don't know when we'll graduate, it's not a big deal to me. What's the rush? I'd rather be 100% confident in my knowledge before I start flying than rush through this and make mistakes while I'm working.

So that's what happened. Would I say I'm a lot happier than I was a few months ago? Oh HEALL yes. but ask me that when I start working, because my answer will probably be 10x more enthusiastic.

SNOW STORM!

OMG SNOWPOCOLYPSE! School is cancelled, I can't even get out of my HOUSE! to celebrate (?) 10% off of everything! Use coupon code: OMGBLIZZARD while checking out :)