Let Me See Ya Grill

So my birthday was last week. The big 2-7. I kept it low key not really doing much, just the way I like it. That’s just in terms of celebrating. I wanted to treat myself to a present that was a little off beat. For years I wanted a gold cap tooth, and that’s exactly what I bought myself. I researched how-to’s and where-to’s and found a local place not too far from work. It felt strange walking over to take a mold of my teeth during my lunch break.

But before I jumped into it, I wanted to make sure I wasn’t being another ignorant white girl. The last thing I want to do is to offend people with my choice in fashion/jewelry. Turns out, the history of gold teeth is just as you’d expect. Or maybe not. I don’t know what you’re expecting.

Gold was first used in dentistry, and was used as dental castings. Pretty basic and makes sense. They’re sturdy. In other cultures, grills were worn as a status symbol. Gold teeth and gold caps were a sign of wealth. Not only gold, but diamonds and jade as well. Jade stones were directly inserted into their teeth. So teeth jewelry was a thing in AD times.

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Rain Gear Set

I’ve been quite a busy bee and I’m happy I finally get to share projects I’ve been working on. I don’t talk about my 9-5 life too much. I like to keep work thoughts at work and I stop thinking about work as soon as I leave the building.

But, when exciting things happen then I’m cool to talk about it. I work for a small shoe company. We make affordable footwear, mostly in kid sizes appealing to lower income families and parents who need something cheap since they watch their children grow out of their shoes in the blink of an eye. For now, I’m the only designer which has plenty of tough and busy moments, but is also rewarding when I see some of our products in stores.

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Illustrated Women In History

I’ve been busy the past few months working on a bunch of stuff on the ~dl~. At the same time I’ve been getting reacquainted with drawing and illustrating. I went to school for illustration, so I feel a little shameful when I say I’m a bit rusty. I’ve been loaded with personal crafty and sewing projects that it felt weird focusing on drawing everyday.

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Meals On Wheels // Twin Peaks Edition

Sometimes you come across a tweet that stops you in your tracks. This tweet ⤴ is one of those, especially if you’ve watched Twin Peaks and think the world is turning into a shriveled up heartless, bitter blueberry right now.

The current state of our country is (to quote the “president” as of now) – SAD! Their justifications for taking funding away from programs that we all know actually DO work just doesn’t make sense. We’re living in opposite land and these days anything seems to be possible.

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Depeche Mode Meets Anton Corbijn

Depeche Mode Where's The Revolution GIF

I think it’s been said and well proven that Depeche Mode is one of the most influential bands from the 80s, appealing to so many genres, including metal. Their sound is iconic as well as their bondage and leather fashion. For years they worked with photographer/director Anton Corbijn who created their iconic visuals. I just love them so dearly and I think Dave Gahan has the best male voice ever. It’s so soulful and soothing which is show in the songs he recorded with Soulsavers. FACT!

The band just released their 14th (!!!) album and it’s great. It has a fair share of their usual love songs plus a decent amount of political ones which is pretty appropriate for today between Trump & Brexit. People often complain about bands singing about politics when it’s not a usual topic for them. They’ve wrote some known political songs in the past, so this doesn’t bother me and I feel like it shouldn’t bother anyone else.

With their new album and video out now, it’s got me all hyped on all things Depeche Mode. Since they’ve worked for so many years with Anton Corbijn (which kinda reminds be of the Tim Burton/Danny Elfman relationship), I made a list of my favorite Depeche Mode videos directed by Corbijn.

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This To That // Menu Holder

Organization is important. It’s so easy to get messy, making it hard to find what you’re looking for in your own home sometimes. I’ve been buying the occasional plastic container to store things, but truth is I haven’t been paying much attention to keeping the kitchen organized.

I was in the kitchen the other day and noticed the lack of free magnets on the fridge which made me realize we just had too many restaurant menus on the fridge. If they weren’t there, we’d have so many free magnets.

So, with that thought, I figured if i just constructed something quick with cardboard, I can use command strips to hang it on the wall. Luckily there was a cereal box in our recycling bin which made things so much easier.

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Crazy Little Thing Called Love Notes

It’s been some time since my last graffiti post. I’ve spotted a good amount of graffiti and collected a bunch in my phone. I concluded I really like grafitti on trucks. It’s as if people put so much thought into it while the execution looks quick and raw. I love the raw look. That’s the cool thing about graffiti.

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Why I Strike

Every day that passes, I get more and more frustrated with what’s going on out in the world. The women’s strike was last week and as you could imagine, there was backlash and condescending questioning of what the point was and if anything was actually accomplished.

Growing up, it was me and my two brothers. I grew up with parent’s who were old fashioned in the sense where women stay at home and men go out and work. I was raised to be the “girl of the house” helping my mom with chores while my brothers played their video games. Being in a house with brothers, I made it very clear that it’s all or none of us that will do the chores, and I fought against the double standard up until I moved out.

My parents lightened up when I left for college, but their old school mindset and traditional ways got the best of them sometimes. My dad told me recently that he raised me like that so I can grow up to be a “tough cookie”. I can’t tell if he was sincere or if he was making up excuses. Whatever the case, I was surrounded by the double standard, and fought tooth and nail to be acknowledged as an equal.

Since I was five, I’ve been conscious of double standards and sexism, and while my stories and memories are nothing compared to what other women have dealt with, I still fight for equality and against the double standard. Things need to change, and everyone who speaks up can make a difference.

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White Hair, No Care

I’m 26 and I would say 45% of my hair is now growing in white. How I feel about it? Undecided. For me, it’s all or nothing, so it’s just awkward.

Genes are a funny thing because my mom started going white at a pretty young age too. I’m sure dyeing my hair since age 11 hasn’t helped the situation either, but I’ve accepted the fact that my genes aren’t so great when it comes to hair.

Dyeing my hair black when all my hair wants to do is grow in white is kinda the worst thing. I feel like an old lady trapped behind a baby face, which has such a juxtaposition game happening. I imagine it throws everyone off. It still throws me off when I look in the mirror. And I especially feel odd when I use black spray to cover up my roots every morning. I feel like that’s an old lady move.

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International Women’s Day

(Credit: ITV.com)

In celebration of International Women’s Day, here’s short story about an entire country who made HERstory.

October 24, 1975: The women of Iceland went on strike. It was reported that about 90% of the women participated in this strike! Just as we’re still fighting today, 42 years later, these women wanted to demonstrate the importance of their contribution to society. They left their paid work, left their home duties, and left their families to go on strike to make their statement that women deserve the equality that all human beings deserve. Something that should be a simple concept is what they fought against then and crazily is something we’re still fighting today.

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