Wednesday, January 12, 2011

The Paper Bag Lunch Girl

blog by: kim


School Cafeteria

Me: “what did your mom make you for lunch?”

Little girl next to me: “peanut butter and jelly on wonder bread, fritos, a twinkie with soda. why are you staring at my food kimmy? what do you have in your paper bag?”

“uh…a sprout sandwich, an apple for dessert and some warm apple juice. raisons for snack. wanna  trade?”

“no weird paper bag girl!”

And so it was my cafeteria life in grade school. A few times it was Triscuits with raw veggies. Whaa? No wonder why I can’t get enough peanut butter as an adult.



When I was really little, I’d dream about those crunchy greasy things that kids called potato chips and secretly wish my mother didn’t sprinkle wheat germ on my food. What  was that anyway? 



As a kid I wanted  junk food and I was not pleased that I couldn’t just have a normal lunch like the rest of the kids. The friday pizza looked so good. If I was given a little money to buy white milk in the school cafeteria, I’d sneak and buy some sort of chocolate hostess cake instead and then lick my little fingers clean. Yummy.

It’s funny how our eating habits as kids makes a difference on how we eat as adults. Even though I didn’t grow up with both parents, years later I remember my father being  good about eating healthy. I was utterly horrified by this. He and my step mom would juice things, fruit, veggies, you name it- it went down that little tube and came out in liquid form. I’d stand there and shake my head and scowl. "Pffft… how odd" I’d say. 



What little I knew. But to this day, I still stick to my coffee as you can see... 



And why oh why did dad work out almost daily? I understand it now, but the time it made no sense. Talk about discipline. I was more interested in boys.

Nowadays I have finally settled into a happy medium. I’m not overboard with the healthy stuff,  you still have to live and enjoy life! But I  also choose whole wheat over white, virtually no greasy fried foods,  chips only on occasion and so on and so forth. I am not disciplined enough to eat all non fat /gluten free/sugar free foods that I cannot pronounce. One must live a little now and then, yes? 

Which brings me to the issue of dieting. I have heard of some of the funniest fad diets. No matter what, even if you take off the weight- if you don’t figure out how to eat healthy and moderate the calories over the long term, it’ll just creep back on. Losing weight AND maintaining it, is about lifestyle. Healthy eating habits and routine exercise are the only way to go. I know. Don't look at me that way. I didn’t write the rules.

Check out these funny fad diets:

The Twinkie Diet- Eat junk food and lose weight? By sticking to 1,800 calories a day - around 600-800 fewer than needed to maintain weight – the guy lost 10 lbs in the first three weeks of his "diet". It shouldn't come as such as surprise. After all, you could lose weight eating two candy bars a day: it's the calories-in verses calories-out that matter.

Eat Backwards and Lose Weight- The Reverse Diet has you reversing the order of what you eat: a heavy dinner for breakfast, regular meal for lunch, then a light breakfast for dinner.


The Lemon and Lime Diet-
According to this diet's rules, you are allowed to only ingest two things (besides water): lemons and limes. The diet's creator believed that this diet would promote health. However, the smarter people out there realize that only eating lemons and limes will cause a serious diet imbalance. No, really?




The Master Cleanse
- It’s has become famous due to the variety of celebs that swear by it. This diet involves drinking water along with maple syrup, cayenne pepper, and lemons. While you'll certainly lose weight by just ingesting these four things, you're looking at a serious imbalance in your body. Just thinking about it makes me very grumpy.

The Toddler Diet - Just eat toddlers. Oh my, that is funny.

But focus back over here. Fad diets don’t offer a healthy, long-term weight control plan. They are so very restrictive. They aren’t a healthy form of dieting that can be incorporated into life for the long haul.
Many diets buy into “yo-yo dieting". Yo-yo dieting is the back and forth gain and loss of weight from excessive dieting. Real weight loss is slow when it is finally done from a healthy perspective.
People who go on fad diets are putting their body at risk for disease and illness. Most fad diets restrict you from eating foods that are packed with the vitamins and nutrients the human body needs to protect itself from fatigue and sickness.

 So maybe, just maybe those people that raised me were actually onto something. Perhaps now I’m a little more thankful for my embarrassing, sprout- filled cafeteria days after all. 



love, the weird paper bag girl

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Confessions of a Thrifty Fashionista


blog by: kim

Oh how I love clothes shopping for a good deal and being eco friendly at the same time. Being good to the environment doesn’t mean that you have to do without comfort, style or nice clothes. Thanks to vintage & thrift stores, it means being kind to your environment while you shop.



Upscale resale boutiques are great. These places accept newer, gently used clothing that is current. Thrift stores require more sleuthing, but it can be well worth it.

Me in my $4 BeBe White Hoodie. . .


I think BeBe is a bit over priced in the malls if you are paying full retail, so I was happy to find this.

Me in my American Eagle T shirt today...$3.00 




...and the American Eagle T shirts retail for $24.95!
Cute jeans were $9. Name brand.




My new cotton sun dress with embroidered flowers. Too cute to pass up! I won't even tell you what a great price this was.


Plato’s Closet offers American Eagle, Hollister, Aeropostale, Gap, Juicy and other top name brands.


Once Upon a Child for little ones. You’ll find Limited Two, Justice and other hot brands that are otherwise over priced.

I found these black knee-high boots that would have been over $100 retail at the mall. Got them for $8. Yes really!


Being environmentally savvy or "green" involves renewal, regeneration and giving back.  Here’s ideas that are eco-chic and high on style:

Reused Clothing-

All reused clothing is green, since – by being salvaged – it doesn't find itself piling up in a landfill for all of eternity. It may take a little time and patience to hunt for individual items, but when you uncover those truly one-of-a-kind pieces that rival many of today's mass produced fashions, second-hand shopping is totally worth the work. So go ahead and shop with wild abandon in your local thrift or vintage clothing store.




Thrift, Consignment & Vintage Shopping Tips-

Every fashionista knows that clothing made prior to the mid 1960s was usually top quality, which is why much of it is still in excellent condition at the local thrift or vintage shop.  

Thrift Stores versus Consignment Shops versus Vintage Boutiques-

Consignment stores –  where the original owner retains some of the revenue from the sale, as opposed to making a straight donation to the shop – will often have equal quality to vintage boutiques, however thrift stores – with their hodgepodge collection and crammed racks of donated clothes – are where you must truly become a fashion sleuth.


Vintage shops will more consistently yield the best selection and the highest quality but prices will be higher than consignment shops or thrift stores. You are paying for a knowledgeable staff and a selection that is usually grouped by decade.

Until the 1960's most clothing was made to measure by major fashion houses, local seamstresses and even department stores, so definitely do not overlook unfamiliar labels. With this garments made prior to the sixties, higher quality is a given, especially if the label is woven and has been completely sewn down.


Another indicator of a high quality garment is the buttons: jet, brass, bone, pearl and the button holes themselves are a sign of good craftsmanship. Look for details such as quality lining and well-sewn seams, it will set excellent garments apart from the rest.


Thrift stores and resale stores are basically shops that sell resused items, in this case clothing, shoes and accessories.

Of course the cutest accessories that are a combination of vintage, handmade and upcycled costume jewelry are in my Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Studio50

I have a handful of new items. I also keep the prices LOW so everyone can afford to look good. Here's a few....


This cute silver clutch




This Rocker Chic multi colored stone bracelet




These pink glass bead silver earrings. 




And for Hello Kitty Collectors, this change purse.




Recycling Vintage Fashions = “preloved”


Ciao