Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (24 page)

Yields:
enough for 1 serving

1.
Place all the ingredients in a small saucepan, cover, and bring to a boil.

2.
Simmer gently for 5 minutes.

3.
Puree in a blender, adding more water if it’s too thick.

Apple and Walnut Porridge

This warming porridge can be given to a baby 1 year and older. It’s perfect for adults, too!

Yields:
enough for 1–2 servings

1.
Place all the ingredients, except the honey and cinnamon, in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

2.
Spoon into bowls and sprinkle each bowl with a little cinnamon and ½ tbsp. raw honey.

I adore beautiful clothes. I’ve spent way too much of my hard-earned money over the years on can’t-live-without dresses, shoes, sweaters, and purses. I’m not a slave to fashion and couldn’t care less about the “it’s sooooo last year” thing, but I have to admit that it can be heart-flutteringly delicious to pull a brand-new little something out of wisps of tissue paper, only to marvel at its wrinkleless perfection. A few washes later, when the excitement has worn off, the cute little something will be relegated to the back of my closet or sit for weeks in the ironing pile in my laundry room, leaving me to wonder what on
earth
I’m going to wear that day!

Growing up in the English countryside, quite a few miles away from the nearest town, if I wanted something—a new skirt, a doll, candy, almost
anything
—my mother suggested that I have a go at making it. When you
need
the new miniskirt that all your friends are wearing and your mom won’t buy it for you, you find a way of making it. I remember Mom’s black and gold hand-crank Singer sewing machine. With visions of a fire-engine red miniskirt that I’d seen in a magazine, I got that thing cranking like never before. I didn’t bother with patterns, no way! I just draped the fabric around my hips, marked with a ballpoint where it needed to be cut, and got going. Admittedly, much
fabric was wasted in my quest for a garment that actually fit, but I did figure out how to make darts, waistbands, hems, and even linings in a matter of days. Sewing clearly wasn’t my strength—and it still isn’t today—so if I can easily throw together the following useful items, so can you.

Since attempting to live a greener life, I’ve had to put away the plastic and seriously cut back on the shopping sprees. I’ve learned the pleasures of window shopping. I go out
sans
credit card and allow myself to just look. I’ve taught my Lola to do the same, and we’ve often come back from one of these little adventures thrilled with ourselves that we didn’t buy that ridiculously expensive skirt that on first sight had made us swoon. There’s a massive feel-good factor to knowing that we
can
live without something—that we won’t spontaneously combust if we don’t get this season’s boots on our feet right away. I’m secretly rather pleased with myself when I see women in the mall decked out head to toe in this month’s fashion must-haves. I just know that those pointy boots or Grecian sandals will end up in the thrift store by this time next year—and I didn’t succumb!

Flicking through the pages of a fashion magazine can be a little depressing: 14-year-old models in sickeningly expensive shoes that were probably made for less than 10 bucks by impoverished workers in India. Moreover, the fashion industry, unless otherwise stated, can be a hideous polluter. If you care about nontoxic water and soil, and the human rights of the workers stitching your sassy purse, you will probably think twice about buying it.

So what’s a fashionista to do? The most important thing is to find your own signature style. It’s important to create a look that expresses who you really are. After all, just because you’re not diving into the latest pricey trends doesn’t mean you must make style sacrifices. A gorgeous women who is sexy, stylish, and comfortable in her own skin (and shoes!) is the furthest thing from a fashion victim. There’s nothing less sexy than seeing someone hobbling along the sidewalk in a pair of excruciatingly uncomfortable shoes—shoes she has to wear because this month’s
In Style
says they are in.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve asked someone where she got that skirt or sweater, and she either says it’s years old or from some obscure vintage store. I’m beginning to think that being a
frugalista
is a great thing. It encourages me to dust off my sewing machine or to trawl thrift stores for some fabulous finds. Becoming frugal in the fashion department also encourages me to use my imagination and find a style that really fits.

Do I still need a shopping fix of the tissue paper and bag-with-fancy-cloth-handles variety? Yes, I absolutely do, but once or twice a year will suffice. And nowadays if I buy something expensive, it needs to be a classic, a piece that’ll last me a few seasons. Beautiful leather shoes and cashmere should be purchased with a very long life in mind. I’ve discovered many ways in which I can make my clothes and shoes last longer, and how to make do with what I’ve got—without feeling hard done by.

It’s Sew Easy

If you can get your sew on, do it! By learning the basics of sewing, you can save yourself wads of cash. You’ll be able to mend, alter, and even put together simple and sexy outfits. I’m not talking about homemade-
looking
clothes, I PROMISE. Trust me, the thought of wearing a dress that really
looks
homemade is abhorrent. You know the deal—bunchy seams, badly constructed darts, puffy hemlines, and stray threads, all rendered in a somewhat suspect fabric. We’re not talking about homesteading or pioneer-style living here. Rather, we’re talking about getting crafty enough to make something that will knock the socks off your friends when they find out where it came from.

I’ve become a regular at my local sewing store in Los Angeles. It’s been in operation since the 1940s and has signed photographs on the walls of stars from back in the day when they all had dressmakers. The women who work there are all about 108 and move extremely slowly. I never go there in a hurry, as they painstakingly measure out each millimeter of fabric with massive scissors hanging on elasticized ribbons around their necks. I love this musty old store with a passion. It slows me down considerably as I wander the aisles of enormous fabric bolts, dreaming of what I could—skill permitting—create. The bargain bins overflow with rolls of embroidered ribbon, outdated buttons, and fabric remnants galore. Best of all, this kind of store makes me want to go home and pull out my sewing basket.

A basic sewing machine is one of the best investments you can make. It’ll cost you less than a fancy outfit, and even if you only pull it out to hem a few pairs of pants, it’ll pay for itself handsomely. I bet you know someone who’ll lend you a machine to have a go, but you might want to ask for a good new one for your next birthday. I love the Brother CS-6000i. It’s a very well-priced machine that’s so easy to work that a total novice can get it up and running
within an hour. It also has a bunch of really fancy stitches to choose from. I had a blast just spending an entire evening trying out all the stitches on an old pillowcase. It amazed me that with one touch of a button and a press on the foot pedal, I could produce embroidery that would’ve given my grandmother a run for her money.

If you can’t get a sewing machine right now, at least pull a little sewing basket/box together. You can use an old shoebox, and if you want to customize it, cover it with magazine photos of sewing/fashion-related things, then give it a coat of nontoxic varnish. You can also line it with felt to prevent everything from sliding around. You can find scissors, thread in basic colors, needles, a package each of straight and safety pins, and a tape measure in most grocery stores, to get your “basket” started. You might also want to include Stitch Witchery (a kind of iron-on tape that’s the cheat’s tool for hemming), a pin cushion, a small
measuring tape, a package of multiuse darning needles, a seam ripper, a small jar or tin of assorted buttons, tailor’s chalk, a thimble, pinking shears (jagged edges, which prevent fraying), and anything else that catches your eye. It all depends on how much you’re going to commit to your new sewing self!

How to Sew on a Button by Hand

You have probably got quite a collection of buttons by now. Extra buttons are provided with most every garment you buy nowadays, and you should always keep them. Even if you don’t lose a button from the corresponding garment, it’s a lot of fun to start collecting buttons for all kinds of craft projects.