Do You Ever Think Outside The Box?
By dismalgrin
@dismalgrin (2604)
United States
April 6, 2011 12:29am CST
I went shopping today. Twice. Before and after school. Before school I ended up buying two flat twin sheets and some thumb tacks. I did this to make some 'redneck curtains' I have gotten very good at fashioning makeshift curtains over the years in this way and make them look nice... not like I'm trying to hide a bad habit. Lol. I have 3 large windows in my bedroom and they are set up so that it would be easier just to get one long curtain rod and hang curtains that way. But I cannot find a long enough curtain rod so I'm going to pin up sheets to look like curtains instead. It will still look nice and I will knit some tie backs for them as well. I'm excited to get started!
The other thing I did was after school I picked up some clothes. But, I didn't get them in the plus sized department because I'm having issues with plus sized clothing. The shirts are never long enough. They are SUPER baggy and cropped short and it annoys me to no end. So, I was browsing racks of clothes and trying to think back to a time in my life when I felt comfortable in my clothes and I realized that after I had each of my kids and was still wearing a few of my favorite maternity shirts and the jeans with the low elastic waist was a good time in my life. I also remember picking up a cute shirt and bringing it home only to realize that OOPS! It's a maternity shirt. Then it struck me, today's maternity clothes are made to look like regular clothes just to give more room for expanding bellies. My belly is expanded, but not due to pregnancy. It's just sort of stuck in that position. So, I went away and hopped into the maternity section and picked out some t-shirts and a cute pair of cargo pants that I think will be cute and yet be comfortable for the Summer season. I for sure want to lose some weight, but I don't want to feel restricted to ill fitted clothing or ugly clothing while I wait to lose the weight. So, shoot me... I'm going to wear me some maternity clothes. It will be our little secret. Lol
Do you ever think outside the box when you are shopping for home or personal items? What are some of the most interesting things you have every done?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@moondancer (7431)
• United States
6 Apr 11
Hey, you are doing what works for you and there is nothing at all wrong with that. I have done that myself a number of times, lol.
I use to have a tummy so big that I could not see my feet when I looked down towards them. That did not make me happy. What I did was turn to exercise for months on end I did them. I even used the treadmill, the other machines. Nothing!
So I started something different. I start raising my knees to my chest, first one to the count of ten then the other, then both. I'd do that a few times as many times a day as I could get a chance to Like in the morning when I woke up. Later in the day and at night when I laid down.
See my health is not good so I can not do the exercises most others can do. I even raise my knees when I'm in the sitting position sometimes. I have found that when I put one of my arms across my stomach and use my other arm to help bring my legs up to my chest that helps too.
I lost a lot of my stomach! I was so surprised that it was that simple for me to do. I can see my feet!!! I can. I also have a waist again because I have been doing leg lifts and have lost most of my bottom. I am so pleased.
These simple things have made such a difference in my shape. So many inches are gone.
Oh, I wanted to let you know that you can by a piece of wood for something to hang your "curtain" on. You can buy dowels in many sizes. Just go to the lumber store.
Good luck on your decorating and losing inches.
1 person likes this
@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
11 Apr 11
Yes, my tummy wouldn't bother me because my boyfriend seems to LOVE it. Lol... but it gets kind of old after while explaining to people that no... you are not pregnant. And no you aren't just 'that fat' My issue is that I was on a birth control for 3 years that literally tricked my body into thinking it was pregnant. But, I waited it all out because I figured that it was better than actually being pregnant. But, 3 years of that and dealing with the after effects... I'm not ever using this type of birth control again. Don't get me wrong. I am overweight. Just not as overweight as one would imagine given that I have to wear such huge shirts to cover this belly. Lol. In jeans I'm in a much smaller size. But, I do plan to start working out again. Two summers ago I was swimming for 5 hours a day. I didn't reach my goal weight at all... but I looked so much better in my clothes. And it encouraged me to continue by walking after the pools closed down. Then all the stuff went on with my family and then I met my boyfriend who actually LIKES fat girls, and the rest of the body was filling out around my stupid rounded belly. So, I'm going to go and get a scholarship to the YMCA and my boyfriend is actually planning on doing so as well. He knows how much I like that his arms are built and he is afraid of losing them so he is going to lift weights and I'm going to take his son swimming with me. And we plan on doing this every day this summer. So, that will help out a lot.
Well, my push pins idea didn't work for the curtains because this is an old building and the wood is really sturdy. compared to the stuff they use nowadays for walls. So, I'm using leftover nails from other projects I have done to nail the curtains up. It's looking pretty good. Although kind of straight across on top. But, I have some really pretty hot pink yarn and I'm going to finger knit some tie backs with it. I think that hot pink and brown look cute and different together.
@moondancer (7431)
• United States
12 Jul 11
I like pink and brown together too.
Thank you for giving me the br.
Thank you for giving me the br.
@kwylima (451)
• United States
6 Apr 11
I like clothes that are confortable and cheap. However I like different clothes. I don't use them to go shopping or go to school. I use to use them when go to parties or do something different. So the fact that I don't use all the time I don't buy a lot. I have more normal and confortable clothes in my closet.
:)
1 person likes this
@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
11 Apr 11
My school likes us to dress 'professional' for class time so on school nights I wear something more suitable for that. Although I do tend to stretch the rules a little with jeans and a nice shirt. But, on my off days it's time for me to kick back. And I'm lucky that my boyfriend finds my most attractive item of clothing my yoga pants that I've had for about 3 years now. Lol. So, I get some tank tops to make me look 'sexier' for him. Lol. If he is that easy to please I'm not complaining. I usually just swipe on some eyeshadow and mascara and use a little lip gloss or lip balm. I don't go all out. But, now that my brother is getting married in two months I'm a little worried about what to wear to that one. Grrr.
@dpk262006 (58679)
• Delhi, India
6 Apr 11
HI!
I normally do not think out of the box. I prefer to buy those clothes which are comfortable and suitable. I do not want to experiment because if I buy unconventional clothes, there are chances that I may not wear them regularly.
@dpk262006 (58679)
• Delhi, India
6 Apr 11
dismalgrin!
Many thanks for making my laugh by quoting your sister's incident 
. I enjoyed reading it and I did not know that there are such shirts available for pregnent mothers. It is a good idea to buy from thrift store and then buy something unconventional, if it suits you.
. I enjoyed reading it and I did not know that there are such shirts available for pregnent mothers. It is a good idea to buy from thrift store and then buy something unconventional, if it suits you.
@shaggin (74988)
• United States
7 Apr 11
Hehe. Maternity clothes are very comfortable but would never fit me now. I agree that sometimes its hard to even tell what is maternity and what is not. I've made the same mistake while shopping but in your case you found that these clothes work for you right now and thats awesome.
I cant figure out how to get my old sewing machine to work so instead of sewing curtains to put up I literally took yards of white material cut it to the length I needed then pinned it over the curtain rod with safety pins. These are just white panels that go under my other curtains to create more privacy no one can see the safety pins.
@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
11 Apr 11
There are some maternity clothes that are just way too obvious and I wouldn't wear them, but for the Target T shirts they are very simple and my boyfriend couldn't even tell they were maternity. I ended up telling him after a couple days of wearing them and he laughed and said that if it works he is cool with it. So that was a plus. Walmart claims that they are making their plus sized shirts longer now, so I bought one to test it out. For the first wear it was a nice length, we will see if it still is after it is washed and dried. The problem I have with a lot of plus sized shirts is that I don't feel they are appropriate for my age... or the age that I look. So, I'm always on the lookout for something that works, but maybe isn't where you normally would find appropriate clothing. I even have some teenage clothing that works for me because it was supposed to be a short dress, but I use it as a long shirt. Lol.
I used to sew on a sewing machine all the time as a teenager, but as an adult I can't get them to work. So I end up sewing a lot of stuff by hand. It is so tedious because I can still hear my mother's words echoing in my head to make 'mouse stitches' Lol. But, one year I hand sewed an Easter dress for my daughter. It took me two months to finish it because I didn't have a pattern. But it was adorable when it was done.
@yoyo1198 (3641)
• United States
7 Apr 11
Ha! I've done the exact same thing. Not because of an oversized belly but because of the ridiculous styles that were being put on the racks. I like loose-fitting shirts, blouses, tees, etc. When all I could find was stuff like you described, I went to the maternity tops department or even into the men's sections of the stores. Some of the women's and girls' pants and jeans are much too little-girlish to me so I go to the boys' department for those things. The cargo pants on the male styles have more room in them than those of the female's and I like cargo pants and shirts. (And I've also been known to go to the male restrooms when the female ones were full or just too dirty.)
@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
11 Apr 11
Ha, when I was pregnant with my second daughter I wore my ex fiance's clothes all the time. I mostly stuck with his huge button down shirts and I just rolled up the sleeves. It worked out so well that even after I had here I was forever stealing his shirts. It drove him nuts! Lol and then when I started my periods back up again and the pads that I needed to wear just wouldn't fit in my dinky girlie panties I started wearing his boxer briefs instead. One time he hit the roof because I wore his boxer briefs and a tank top of his to bleach down the kitchen floor in the middle of Summer. Hehe, yes there were bleach stains all over the clothes, but I figured it wouldn't matter since they are undergarments anyhow. He didn't see it like that.
This last time I was sick really bad at my current boyfriends house I ended up soiling myself. Grrr. But, he was so sweet. He went and got his underwear out and some scrub pants and a T shirt of his for me to wear. It felt nice to actually be offered those items to wear instead of having to deal with a screaming maniac because I just helped myself. Even though I bought most of my ex's clothes anyhow... so I didn't see anything wrong with wearing his clothes.
@sender621 (14889)
• United States
6 Apr 11
I think i have spent most of my life thinking outside the box. i always seemed to hear a different drummer than most people i know.@dismalgrin (2604)
• United States
11 Apr 11
Me too. I've always had some crazy style for the times. But, most of the things I do end up being popular later. About 7 years ago I was always wearing black nail polish. I loved it! The guy at the nail salon would laugh at me when I requested it. My cousin and my Granny were exasperated trying to get me stop. They begged that if I had to be so different couldn't I wear fire engine red in the Summer or something... nobody does that. Ha. But, I liked the black nail polish. It matches everything. Lol So I refused to change. It wasn't long before I started noticing everyone else wearing black nail polish too. Even my cousin and my Granny picked up on it! Lol. So, I'm always different in my style. And I'm never afraid to check out the racks in the wrong clothing isle.
