Look What Tasha Did Today

Growing up, my parents used this refrigerator magnet affixed to a clothes pin to showcase the A+ papers and "artwork" I'd bring home from school. The magnet looked like a teddy bear holding a sign that said, "Look what TASHA did today," with the letters of my name handwritten probably by one of my parents, or maybe by the dude manning the personalized magnet stand at Silver Dollar City.

There are no refrigerator magnets in the blogosphere, so I'll just post pictures of what I did today right here.


I didn't make the shirt, of course. But, I did dig it out of a giant pile of clothing at Tulsa's inaugural Swap-O-Rama-Rama this afternoon at The Collective (11th and Harvard):

...and milled around the room for half an hour trying to decide what to do with it.


Swap-O-Rama-Rama was an afternoon-long, giant clothing swap and series of DIY workshops on how to remake unwanted clothing into rad new ensembles. Getting in was simple: lug in a bag of your gently used, unwanted clothing. A host of talent was on-hand to teach swappers how to transform those used duds into unique, handmade garments.

The core of the swap was, of course, the gigantic pile of free clothing. There were shirts, skirts, sweaters and pants - even a pair of biking shorts and a retro bathing suit. What remained at the end of the swap went to Youth Services of Tulsa for homeless teens.

Whoops! Pit stop. Had to have a sit to enjoy some of the yummy coffee and muffins available at The Collective. That place is so cool, by the way. A coffeehouse, a cafe, a concert venue AND a bar? Right next to a college campus? Brilliant idea alert.


There were a few instruction stations at the Swap for inspiration, to help people like me get started.

You know - people who get distracted very easily by sparkly things:


And sexy little 40's-inspired dresses (both handcrafted by Weather & Noise):

Ultimately, I decided I was meant to spray paint something.

I made the entire room smell like a chemical wasteland, but I had a great time. In fact, it was one of the best times I've had around town in a long, long time. I got to chat with some of the members of Tulsa Craft Mafia (hosts of the Swap) and their cool friends; I met a few friends in person who I'd previously known only on Twitter or via this blog; and I walked away with a sack full of sweaters I plan to salvage for yarn and a cute little pink tanktop to wear to family reunions to convince them all I have finally flipped my lid.

Either that, or I've suddenly gone really clumsy with my paper dolls. At any rate, Swap-O-Rama-Rama made me feel like one of the hip kids. I really like feeling like a hip kid.

I heard the TCM plans to give the Swap another go next year. Check back here for a date/time/location, because I will definitely be a repeat offender of the ready-made clothing establishment.

Hello, Inspiration! It's Swap-O-Rama-Rama

Got a pile of underwhelming threads crowding up prime real estate in your closet? Mark your calendars for March 21, the date of Tulsa's first Swap-O-Rama-Rama, a celebration of reusing and recycling clothing the crafty way! 

The event, hosted by Tulsa Craft Mafia at The Collective, will be an afternoon-long giant clothing swap and series of DIY workshops on how to remake unwanted clothing into rad new ensembles. A host of talent will be brought together to teach festival goers how to transform new/used duds into unique, handmade garments. Six DIY stations and several local designers will be on hand for sewing help and modification tricks, silk screening, stenciling and original designing. 

The core of the swap will be, of course, the gigantic piles of free clothing! There will be pants, shirts, skirts, sweaters and more (oh, my!), which will be the collective total of each guest's donated clothes. Feel free to clean out those closets, let go of what's no longer inspiring and take home as much clothing as you can carry. What remains will go to Youth Services Tulsa for homeless teens. 

At 8 p.m., the designs that came off the sewing machines during the day will come to life during a participant-modeled fashion show. Local music acts Tops of Trees and Low Litas will rock out the rest of the evening, when food, coffee and beer will be available for purchase from the folks at The Collective.  

Wondering what to bring? Visit the Swap-O-Rama-Rama Web site to get the low-down. Still have questions? Get in touch with Christine Crowe, the mind behind Indie Emporium and a founding member of Tulsa Craft Mafia, at christine@indieemporium.com.

WHAT: Swap-O-Rama-Rama

WHEN: March 21, 1-6 p.m.

WHERE: The Collective, 3148 E. 11th St. (across from TU stadium)

COST: A bag of clothes for donation or $5

Thanks to the ladies of Tulsa Craft Mafia for putting together hip community events like Swap-O-Rama-Rama and Indie Emporium. T-Town would be much less feisty without you.