Happier Thoughts :)

I've been told by my "Council of Readers" that lately my blog has been more rant and less rave. As I think balance is a wonderful thing, I will attempt to keep away from writing an imbalance of negative and positive posts. That being said... Thrift Stores!

Have you ever walked into a Thrift Store and found a TOTAL STEAL??? You know what I mean - something super nice or just what you needed/wanted for a super awesome price. That has to be one of the coolest feelings in the world (aside from the Spiritual Feelings that are way more awesome, like the Holy Ghost, and Baptism, etc). I love Thrift Stores (as I've mentioned before, I adore bargain hunting). The only thing better than finding an awesome steal at a Thrift Store is finding the same thing in a department store for roughly the same price (it's new, instead of used). It's pretty cool when you find something new at the Thrift Store, too. Here's a few things to keep in mind when thrift-storing:

- If shopping for fun, without something specific in mind, look for unusual items that will help create fun, unique outfits. If the store has a Vintage rack, this is a great place for unique and potentially fashionable outfits (Vintage clothing is super in right now). Vintage clothing is usually more expensive, though
- Don't let your creativity be dampened by sizes. Lots of things can be altered to fit you better.
- Don't let yourself be excited by the prices - some things look awesome inside the store, but hang in your closet for years. If you can't imagine yourself wearing it, don't buy it
- Take a friend! It's much more fun shopping with a friend, and you can each take a side of the aisle and look
- After you take your goodies home, remember to wash everything thoroughly. Wash your hands after leaving the store, too
- If buying shoes, (which I haven't done, but obviously many people do), sanitize them with Lysol spray or some kind of disinfectant. If the shoes are washable (tennis shoes, etc), throw them in the washer. No sense in being careless about the kind of germs that can be hangin around in shoes that belonged to someone else.

Unfortunately, I've never found a coach or burberry purse for $2 at a thrift store, but I'm holding out! :)

Happy Hunting!

Re: Pondering

I knew that last post "Pondering" would be a comment-attraction. Thanks to all of you who have commented! I read and appreciate all of your opinions! Please remember that everything posted here is merely my opinion, and it may not jive with yours (or your pastor's!). I don't have a problem with people disagreeing with me, as long as you can do it civilly! (I have published all the civil comments - if you would rather me take your comment off so people can't read it, let me know! Remember, you can always email me at apostolicfashion@gmail.com for a more private convo!) To respond to some of the comments: I haven't seen guy purses! do you have a picture you can send me? Are they, like, satchel/briefcase kind of things? While I understand the point about high heels (I like flats, personally, they are comfortable! lol), there haven't been many preachers (none that I can think of, offhand. If I'm wrong, let me know!), that have preached against heels! Though I have heard Elder Moody preach against stilettos, because they make one...uh... "wiggle" lol. Tights are awesome for staying warm! I wear them myself for warmth sometimes. The problem isn't when one wears tights, it's when the tights become merely a fashion statement, and really serve no needful purpose (such as keeping warm). The kinds of tights I was referring to are the wildly outlandish patterns that really draw attention to the legs. (Most of those patterns probably aren't even found on the warm type of tights). To respond to a comment I left unpublished - spellcheck is always helpful when trying to spell the words "Muslim" and "Amish"
Hope to hear from you all some more!

Pondering...

There are certain trends in Apostolic-ism right now that confuse me. These are rather popular, so I might offend a few of my readers. For this, I apologize in advance. Just remember, you can't go to Heaven if you don't forgive me!!! :)
The first thing is a guy thing. Why do guys wear pink? It just looks sooo wrong! Pink is not a guy color! Girls don't wear ties, guys don't wear pink - that makes sense, right??? Every time I see a guy wearing pink, it just makes me wonder what he was thinking. I've heard that color-blindness is common in males, so maybe they are just color-blind and someone told them it was red or something?? No...no...no... they HAVE to know. Why, guys?? I don't understand it! I was at a wedding, and the groomsmen had to wear pink rose boutonnieres. They freaked out! They felt unmanly wearing them. OK, so maybe that was a little extreme, but I'd rather all the Apostolic guys felt that way than the other way! Frustrates me...

Next up, girls' patterned tights/nylons/whatever you wanna call them. We as a movement have stood against tatoos for generations, so why are some girls wearing stockings that look like tatoos?? Nylons are not supposed to catch the eye - they are supposed to be covering! Some of these girls look like they have tire tracks all over their legs! Let me pose the question: should women be wearing things on their legs that attract attention??? Most of the people wearing patterned nylons don't wanna cover them up with a long skirt - they are fashion statements! Therefore, short skirts are worn, and attention is brought to the legs... do I need to make myself more clear???

On to happier notes, I've heard of an awesome message preached at a conference a while ago that goes along with the "Spirit of the Style" post. If I can get a copy of it, and figure out how to post it online, I will share it with all of y'all.

Death to Spandex!!

Sometimes, as I am people-watching (I love to people-watch), I am struck by how wonderful Holiness standards are. Seriously - if we didn't have our holiness modesty standards, WE MIGHT BE WALKING AROUND IN SPANDEX!!! Do these people NOT look in the mirror before leaving their house??? NO ONE looks good in spandex - NO ONE!! I was watching a girl walk by the other day, and she was wearing the now-popular(but completely revolting) spandex-leggings-with-long-shirt kind of outfit. Has anyone but me ever noticed that the shirts are NEVER long enough?? Come on, people! NO ONE wants to see it! Spandex should be killed - burned - destroyed forever from the fashion industry!!
Sorry, I know that apostolics don't wear spandex (THANK GOD), so really, I shouldn't be posting about it, since this is an apostolic fashion blog, but it was driving me crazy!!
If anyone ever has some twinges of rebellion regarding our holiness standards, and why we do it, all you have to do is point out to them someone wearing spandex, and they should get a revelation...

Spirit of the Style

When I was 14, I became infatuated with the Goth style. For those of you not familiar with it, Goth clothing is mostly black, and can usually make people feel like crossing to the other side of the street, because the wearer of said clothing looks scary, depressing, etc. Anyway, to continue my story, I began wearing a lot of black. I probably didn't strike people as Gothic, simply because I didn't own much black, and I was trying to be careful so as not to alarm my parents. When I put my black long-sleeved shirt and black skirt on (I still dressed modestly – perhaps it could be called “Apostoli-Goth”), I felt different. I felt a little “bad”. OK, I know you're probably laughing, but I was 14! I felt like a different person; almost as if I had put on a costume for a play and was going out to act like someone else. This “costume” of mine, unbeknownst to me, had a spirit attached to it... a spirit I wasn't prepared to deal with. Thank God for godly parents that prayed and prayed for me during that rough time in my life! I made it out of that phase, only by the Grace of God! (so there's a little bit of my personal testimony). Just for the record, it was a very short-lived phase... Maybe a few weeks.
Now, do I still wear black? Of course; in fact, I have a super cute black suit that I love to wear with a big black hat. The difference? The spirit. For those of you out there who don't think there is a spirit involved with what you wear, you are dead wrong (no offense...)! While I at the time did not realize what it was, I was flirting with a spirit that didn't jive with my Holy Ghost spirit. Clothing is very much linked to the spirit world. Think about it. When I put on my Goth clothes, I was putting on something else – the spirit associated with it. I won't try to figure out exactly what spirit it was – probably the spirits of depression, anger, and rebellion – but I do know that the spirit wasn't Godly. When girls dress provocatively, they are putting on the spirit of a harlot; for men dressing in the metro style, they are putting on the homosexual spirit. These spirits come with the outfit – you cannot wear the outfit without the spirit affecting you! Be wary of the spirits you keep in your closet!
Just as ungodly spirits can come with clothing, clothing can come with a bonafide Holy Ghost approval. The kind of clothing with the HG stamp of approval will help you keep your Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost is our guide in all areas of our lives, including clothing. If we are full of His Spirit, we will notice a different feel in the clothing we pick out. That skirt may be long enough according to your church's standards, but sometimes you may not feel comfortable in that skirt. You may not be able to put a finger on why that skirt is not good, but your Holy Ghost will help you make godly decisions.
I know this was a long post, but I felt this on my mind, and knew I needed to share it. Until next time!

Cute!

I saw this dress on a little girl at a conference last week. Super cute! Look at the ruffles on the bottom! I want a dress like this!!! :)

Converse All-Star RAVE

OK, I must say that Converse All-Stars are my FAVE shoes! They are so comfortable, and super stylin! Chuck Taylor, you are an inspiration! :) Lookin down at my black low-tops, I never get over the amazement I have when it comes to these shoes... They aren't too expensive (just for the record, I have bought most of my many Cons off the clearance rack - I love bargains!), they look awesome, they come in a myriad of different colors, and they are so stylish (did I say that already?)
I can't begin to express how snazzy these shoes are. For those of you out there that love these shoes as much as I do, you rock! For those of you who haven't taken the plunge and bought a pair, you do NOT know what you are missing out on! Comfort and style in one canvas and rubber package.
These shoes are so versatile - wear 'em with jeans and a t-shirt for casual Friday or at school, with a pair of jeans and a suit jacket (guys) for that dressy-casual look that is really hot right now, or with your gym clothes for church gym night or a jog! Only place I wouldn't suggest would be at church...