"1. push yourself to get up before the rest of the world - start with 7am, then 6am, then 5:30am. go to the nearest hill with a big coat and a scarf and watch the sun rise.
2. push yourself to fall asleep earlier - start with 11pm, then 10pm, then 9pm. wake up in the morning feeling re-energized and comfortable.
3. erase processed food from your diet. start with no lollies, chips, biscuits, then erase pasta, rice, cereal, then bread. use the rule that if a child couldn’t identify what was in it, you don’t eat it.
4. get into the habit of cooking yourself a beautiful breakfast. fry tomatoes and mushrooms in real butter and garlic, fry an egg, slice up a fresh avocado and squirt way too much lemon on it. sit and eat it and do nothing else.
5. stretch. start by reaching for the sky as hard as you can, then trying to touch your toes. roll your head. stretch your fingers. stretch everything.
6. buy a 1L water bottle. start with pushing yourself to drink the whole thing in a day, then try drinking it twice.
7. buy a beautiful diary and a beautiful black pen. write down everything you do, including dinner dates, appointments, assignments, coffees, what you need to do that day. no detail is too small.
8. strip your bed of your sheets and empty your underwear draw into the washing machine. put a massive scoop of scented fabric softener in there and wash. make your bed in full.
9. organise your room. fold all your clothes (and bag what you don’t want), clean your mirror, your laptop, vacuum the floor. light a beautiful candle.
10. have a luxurious shower with your favourite music playing. wash your hair, scrub your body, brush your teeth. lather your whole body in moisturiser, get familiar with the part between your toes, your inner thighs, the back of your neck.
11. push yourself to go for a walk. take your headphones, go to the beach and walk. smile at strangers walking the other way and be surprised how many smile back. bring your dog and observe the dog’s behaviour. realise you can learn from your dog.
12. message old friends with personal jokes. reminisce. suggest a catch up soon, even if you don’t follow through. push yourself to follow through.
14. think long and hard about what interests you. crime? sex? boarding school? long-forgotten romance etiquette? find a book about it and read it. there is a book about literally everything.
15. become the person you would ideally fall in love with. let cars merge into your lane when driving. pay double for parking tickets and leave a second one in the machine. stick your tongue out at babies. compliment people on their cute clothes. challenge yourself to not ridicule anyone for a whole day. then two. then a week. walk with a straight posture. look people in the eye. ask people about their story. talk to acquaintances so they become friends.
16. lie in the sunshine. daydream about the life you would lead if failure wasn’t a thing. open your eyes. take small steps to make it happen for you."
@1 week ago with 245949 notes
What you need to fabricate a vintage T-shirt: 1/4 c sodium carbonate washing soda + 2 c salt + 1 pack fine-grit sandpaper + 1 new T-shirt
Step 1: Make Your Mix
To create a vintage T-shirt, start by mixing together the washing soda and salt. “The salt acts as an abrasive, making the shirt look older,” says Miyong Noh, who, as head dyer at Gene Mignola in New York City, ages clothing for designers such as Calvin Klein and Polo Ralph Lauren. The alkaline washing soda breaks down the new shirt’s built-in coating that keeps it stiff, crisp, and … well, new. Start with one size larger than you wear; it will shrink considerably.
Step 2: Do The Wash
Throw the shirt into the washing machine with a towel or with other shirts you’re trying to age. Set the machine on the highest temperature. “The heat weakens the fibers,” Noh says. After the water has risen past the top of the load, dump in the soda/salt mixture and your usual detergent. After it’s done, dry the shirt on high heat. Then mix up another, smaller batch of soda and salt, and repeat the whole cycle three to five times, drying on high heat after each wash.
Step 3: Brush It Off
Now for that pesky logo. “Most printed shirts are screened with a resin-based material called plastisol,” Noh says. “You can distress the hell out of the shirt, and the plastisol logo will still be pristine.” Here’s where some elbow grease comes in. Using fine sandpaper, lightly swipe at the logo using circular but irregular strokes. “You have to make the aging look natural,” says Noh.
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@2 months ago
