Missing Katie and Damon: A tribute to Tie-Dye

So last night (Groundhog day) My friends Katie and Damon who are fantastic and quirky and wonderful had a tie-dying party. Katie was my roommate my second year at Snow College and her husband attended there after us. But they are awesome. Anyway. They had a tie-dying party, but since they live out in Nowhere faraway land in Spanish Fork, I couldn't go to said party for 2 reasons: gas money and i needed to study. Well I bought a white hoodie because I thought I'd be able to go to the party, and I really wanted to dye it. So I found some dye I had laying around from other costumes I'd dyed before. 

The white hoodie. (It's from Old Navy, super soft, super comfy, and on sale right now.
They have other great colors as well)

Tie it UP! You can kinda control the way your patterns will look. Lines? Folds? Circles? SQUARES? You can do it! Just THINK about it, you'll be surprised how cool it will turn out.

Put the Blue and the Purple in buckets of Boiling Hot Water. Don't put the Dye Fixative (if you choose to use it) in the dye. Wait, but I took this picture and it showed it all. Tulip has brighter color dyes, but I like Rit. I just trust Rit dye more.)

Dye your garment! You can tie it with tons of stuff, twine, thread, ribbon, rubberbands, etc. I prefer rubberbands because they're sturdy and tend to control the binding a little more. And my mom does a paper route, so i have a pretty good supply.

I ran water over this to get the dye out as much as I could, which wasn't much. :\  But I also soaked it banded up in hot water with the dye fixative.

I let the shirt soak in the dye for about an hour while i read a chapter in my history class.  Then I cut off all the rubberbands. Taking them off one by one just takes forever and your fingers will lose feeling. :) But here's a view of the front

And A view of the back!

Then I soaked it in the water with fixative without the rubberbands. The only thing I don't like about doing this is that it seems to  bleed jsut a little. I don't know if I'll do this step next time.
After this step I taook it out of the fix bath (yes like photography) and I ran it under hot water in the tub for about 5 minutes, then cold water for another 5. Then I put it in the dryer.

Finished! I wore it to school. The front was Okay, BUT

The back turned out way neato!

Anyway! Try tie-dying something! Look for white clothes when you go out. Shirts! Pajama/work out pants! Socks! Hoodies! Fabric that you can sew into something else! Cotton fabrics work the best btw.
Have a great day! 

Current Obsessions

So it's been a while since I posted one of my "current obsessions" posts. But here you go! I usually only do 5, but this time I had 7 I wanted to talk about! Enjoy!

My new bangs. My friend, Jen, is amazing with hair. I've never met anyone who has done my hair and never disappointed me. Even when I feel a little anxiety or apprehension as the process goes on I always tell myself to shut up and trust Jen, because she knows what she's doing. Anyway, I have been letting my super short hair grow out and right now it's at the length of my chin. I hadn't gotten it cut for over 6 months and Jen decided to give me short fringe bangs. At first I was like...what? um...okay I guess..then she did it and I LOVED IT! Totally fashioned after Audrey's Breakfast at Tiffany's bangs! I'll try to post a pic sometime.

For Christmas I finally received something I've wanted for years: CS5 editing suite! It's amazing and I am finally able to do everything I've been trying to do with Photoshop 7 for years. I feel so uninhibited and free with my photo editing and design! Celena even sat down and showed me to use brushes! (I admit, I had never known anything about brushes!) and I LOVE IT! So fun!

Chuck. This show is SO FANTASTIC! I get it in my netflix, so I only get one disc every three or four days, so it's not too interfering with my school work, but I just LOVE IT! Chuck is ADORABLE and charming! And now I love Zachary Levi in Tangled even more now! He's so clever! And I love Adam Baldwin since he was in Firefly! And he's perfect as Casey. Anyway, Love Chuck. Reminds me of something that would happen to Russell.

My new Chucks. I hate getting new Chucks. I love my old broken in chucks and have since I can remember. Also, I haven't bought a new pair of chucks in YEARS because I don't want to appear as one of those girls who wears them now because their trendy. But my black chucks have been worn out for a few years now and I hvae been putting off buying a new pair. But then I found these at Christmas and Santa got them for me. I loved them, because their SPARKLY! (You know how much I love Sparkle!) But they're awesome because it's like I'm just wearing black chucks but then as I move, oh wait...THEY SPARKLE! I love em.

Running. I've been running lately, and while I in the past have HATED running, it feels great to spend 12 hours at school, pent up all that anger and frustration, then go to the gym and run a few miles. while I'm doing it I keep thinking, "wow. I hate this so much. I'm going to die!" and I feel like Homer in the above picture. And there's all these pretty skinny girls and totally athletic boys breezing by me without breaking a sweat, going 4 laps for my every one. But after I do about 2 miles I'm very proud of myself. (And very hopeful that the weight will start coming off soon.)

Love this website. Cutest fabric ever. And I know you probably wouldn't think so, but they are very affordable compared to other websites with quilting fabrics. Check out the whale fabrics. i am going to make a quilt from it. Someday. When I'm not spending hours on homework. :(

The Walking Dead was a TV show that premiered in October about a Zombie apocalypse. Now, believe me, this show is NOT for everyone. It has gory zombie death, gory human death. But let me tell you what I love about this show that you don't get in my favorite zombie movies including Zombieland, 28 Days Later, and Shawn of the Dead. Since this show was on TV it isn't chuck full of the F word. Now I admit (with much chagrin since my mother will be reading this) that the F word doesn't bother me when it's used once in a while in movies or plays. Just doesn't. One of my "liberal artistic downfalls" (yeah right...me liberal) I guess. Anyway, Zombie movies tend to be FULL of them to the point where it's distracting. Also, I LOVE the characters like I have never loved characters in a zombie movie before. Amusingly even a member of the bishopric in my YSA ward loves it too! Anyway, I finally watched it, and had really been wanting to, and love it. If you like Zombie movies, or even just really intense stuff, watch it. It's not on DVD yet, so you'll have to download it. Rumors are that there will be another season this October, this time with about 16 episodes instead of the 6. I hope so. I really want more. That was NOT a closured ending for such an intense season. They have to have more.

Anyway, those are my obsessions as of late!

The Truth about India is....

I don't mean to be redundant, to keep posting about India, but it's important to me that people know about this amazing outreach organization.  It's also important to me that people know they can help. 

Saran Raj was my favorite kid. I just loved him so much!

 Rising Star Outreach is more than a "let's do something to make this icky world better" organization. Rising star is a personal, yet very professional humanitarian aid project with some beautiful goals in mind. Becky Douglas saw something in this world that needed change and instead of just feeling bad and sending some money, she got together with some friends and did something about it. I believe she and brother Brian Andre are right when they told me that when you see something that needs to be changed or fixed, you have a responsibility to do so. It's not okay to walk away and forget.

Look at those faces! How could you NOT fall in love!?

Amid the work, and the pouring rain, volunteers still find
time to have ridiculous amounts of fun!

My mom actually learned about Rising Star before I did. She met Becky in the basement of some building at BYU teaching a class on charity and the leprosy affected. My mom came home and handed me a flyer with a little girl on it (Jennifer was her name) and said, "Amanda. I really think you need to go to India." I told her she was crazy. (I do this very often.) And didn't give it a second thought. But after a few weeks, something kept tugging at me. And while I was sitting in sacrament meeting in church one day, it hit me. I needed to go to India. And I just sighed.

Okay. I was going to India.

All through the preparations I just kept thinking. "Oh my gosh. I'm going to India!" Honestly, I don't think I even realized I was there until a week into it. I had culture shock for the first two weeks, if you read my journals you'd think I was unhappy to be there. Maybe I was. A little intimidated and frightening, sure. It was hot, the people stared at us, sometimes the smell was so horrible you thought you were going to vomit, then there were the other moments. The moments that made me realize I could spend the rest of my life in that place. The moment where it was raining so hard, dancing was the only option. Or the moments when the children would just sit in your laps. Or the moments where you sat on top of the roof, hanging your laundry and took a look around at the jungle around you. And realized, "Wow. I'm in India!"

Mixing Cement the old fashion way. Look at all that sweat!

It was moments like this that made it worth being there. Moments that really changed my life. I had a new understanding of things that i never had before.
The greatest thing about being apart of RSO, about being in India was this: I had never in my life been so happy. I had never worked so hard. I had never faced things and challenges this hard. I had never met people like this. People who were absolutely brilliant and educated and talented, but had been forced to leave their homes and family to live in Colonies for the leprosy affected. I met a man who was muslim who spoke four languages and used to teach philosophy at the university, but because he had come down with this debilitating disease, he had been forced to leave his home and job and family to live in a place full of sadness and disease and pain.

Padma Venkatraman

 I learned that these people are extraordinary. Padma was one of the people that helped us realize that. The Daughter of former India President R Venkatraraman, Padma has long been a leading figure in the national fight against leprosy and its resulting stigma. She does a lot in the way of micro-finances in the colonies. Meeting her was for sure a highlight in my trip to India.
I can't tell you what you'll learn yourself in India. I can't tell you what your experience will be. But I can promise that if you go, and you go with the notion to get everything you can out of it, You'll never regret it and you'll never be the same. There will never be enough words to express what these people mean to me, what these people mean to me, what this experience meant to me, or what it did for me. I really challenge you to consider the possibility of allowing this program into your life. There are more options than just volunteering. There's possibilities for donations and for sponsoring children to be able to attend school. Take a look at the website, and really give it an open thought.  And if there's a little tug at you saying "Oh my word. I really want to do this." Then stop thinking. AND DO IT! :) That's what i had to do. I promise if you decide to do this, the universe, God, whatever you believe in, will make it possible. I promise.
   

Quite possibly the cutest smile ever. 

The greatest thing you'll ever do!

Four years ago, this summer, I had the amazing opportunity to do something that changed my life forever. Rising Star Outreach is an organization that has devoted people's volunteer time and energy to furthering the cause of curing leprosy and teaching those who have been told that they are worth nothing that they CAN do something with their life.
I can't express what Rising Star has done for me. I believe I've gained more from my 4 years of working them than they have. I won't lie, it takes a lot of work to be with Rising Star, but at the same time, it is more fun that words can express. You will fall in love with the most adorable children and humble and grateful people. You will learn what unconditional love truly can be.

I can't praise enough. I have never been so happy in my life than my short 3 months i spent in India. I've never been so sure of myself and sure that I was supposed to be someplace. I've never missed being away from a place than I do India. I hope that someday I can return and stay for a much longer time. The video below shows some of my experience in India and some of the people I was lucky to meet and spend time with.

I promise you this: If you volunteer in India this summer, you will never regret it. You will learn to love these people and love this work. And if you're scared, don't worry. I was probably more scared to go than you will be, because I'm a chicken, but once I got there, the love and acceptance and culture were more than my heart could take. I was extremely overwhelmed by the good humanity of our world. Please take a minute and really think about this. Think about what this could do for your life. So instead of planning your trip to Cabo or Hawaii this summer, give a thought to India.

Help End Leprosy.  Volunteer in India this summer for Rising Star Outreach! Follow this link to see how!

Production Photos

This year, Box Elder High School did Phantom of the opera! A high school doing Phantom? I know right? WRONG! I'm not kidding you guys. This show was absolutely amazing! The talent, the work, the production, everything was fantastic. I was able to be involved in so many ways. Not as many as I wanted, but I was able to do costumes.

If you'd like to see more of my phantom photos just click here and visit my Photography blog! Let me know what you think!

Masquerade!

So recently the LGBS Alliance at USU had a Gender Blender Masquerade. My best friend, Chad, invited me to go with him. For those who don't know what a gender blender is, the girls were supposed to dress as guys and guys and girls. There was a drag show and a costume contest. I went with one goal in mind: Win the costume contest. I've always wanted to go to a Masquerade, and while I knew no one was going to take it quite as intensely as I was bound to, I didn't care. I wanted to go full out. So Chad and I went as Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI. And of course we won. We had a blast, we looked incredible, and enjoyed the heck out of our night.

Louis and Marie. We went with the very dramatic Theatrical Makeup
 like you'd find in a Moliere play such as Tartuffe or School for
Scandal! 

I love my Chaddy! Isn't he so cute!

Sexy Full Shot

Posing Full shot! As much as I love Chad's Costume..I just love mine!

Like my C3PO pants!? :) I love how they turned out

Waiting for Guffman Much? Ah yes. A penny for your thoughts. 

Chad's got some major Versaille bosoms going.  But I loved his dress
His fabric came from India. I've been saving it for a long time!

Chad's wig. I styled it myself, added the feathers and little bird!
And I did his makeup as well! I loved how it all turned out~

Beautiful Bustled Backside! 

Full shot of the beautiful dress! Isn't he sexy!?

Ah yes! and myself! I have to admit I am quite proud of my
own costume! I couldn't believe how well it turned out! 

I loved my hair and my cravat. but oh my gosh Look at my
adorable little tricornered hat and my moostache! I loved it!

Look at that backside! :)

The full monty! I loved them!

WE WON! HOOORRRAAAYYY!

My current obsessions!

I know i haven't blogged in a while. I don't have much to talk about. I bought a new car. Yay! And I helped out with Phantom at BEHS. But here are the things I am currently obsessed with.

Mmmm. Velocity!!!

Mary Kay's Velocity is now in a Perfume! I love the smell of my facewash, and now I can wear it as a perfume! It's a very light fun smell. More of an Every Day wear perfume than my current one!

    

Wishing I were somehow the one wearing this on stage

The Purple Velvet cape I made for Christine to wear in Box Elder's Production of Phantom of the Opera. She wore this cape in the scene where she goes to the graveyard and sings Wishing you were somehow here again. Michelle did a beautiful job and Brady's lights made it shimmer like you wouldn't believe! The night I made it, I walked around my house in it for a few hours. I'm so happy I get to add this piece to my costume collection!

Oh my sweet potato goodness!

My next obsession is  Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole! As soon as fall hits, I skip all the pumpkiny goodness and go straight for these! I don't even wait for Thanksgiving! Besides Sweet Potatoes are a vegetable Superstar! Good source of Vitamin A! Great source of dietary fiber not to mention Magnesium, potassium, and Vitamin C! Even when they ARE loaded with Brown Sugar and Pecans! :)

My Lia Sophia Charade Bracelet! This was my first purchase from Lia Sophia and I LOVE IT! I wear it pretty much EVERY day and matches everything I wear! 

Beautiful Gritty cinematography!

Film Noir. I Love love love this genre of film. The cinematography, the lighting, the grittiness of it. I barely even follow the plot. I'm too busy looking at how amazing everything LOOKS! The women are so beautiful and sultry. The men are so cavalier. It's like my Holga made a movie! Sigh! 

One of my favorite of Marisa's transformations

My last recent obsession is a blog called New Dress a Day! I love 98% of this girls' transformations! I've even adapted not one dress but two dresses! I look at this blog every morning after I wake up. It's one of the first things I do when I wake up. She only has two weeks left on her year journey, but I've had a blast following her and trying things myself. In fact I have one of my own that I'll be posting very very very soon! 

Anyway, There's my obsessions as of late! Hope everyone's doing well and getting ready for such a fun time of year!