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Hopefully this tip can help anyone

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Ok so just about every summer fast fashion chains bring blouses like these back into rotation:

These particular ones are from h&m and romwe, tho you can find them all over the place, but the thing is that these designs are pretty blatantly lifted from eastern european traditional clothing designs (but poorly made & without a penny going to those eastern european communities). So, if you like these types of designs but hate fast fashion, I’ve decided to compile a list of some alternative places where you can buy them from actual eastern european artisans. Just as a side note, you are more than welcome to wear these designs even if you do not belong to the culture the design is from, the only issue here is with big corporations profiting by ripping off our culture and then doing nothing for our communities.

Also, a heads up that while the fast fashion version of these shirts are generally really cheap, the traditionally made ones are usually start at around US$50 or more, depending on the complexity of the designs & some other factors (but they also last much longer than the cheap ones & are pretty much always made of natural fibers, like cotton or linen). You’ll notice that many of these places make garments to order, so you can often contact them to request a custom size or color.

So, without further ado:

BRS - Here you’ll find a lot of items that are made in the romanian tradition but feel fresh & updated. Gorgeous & ethically made but kind of pricey (with most blouses in the $150-250 range)

De Toujours - This brand is collaborating with romanian artisans on a traditionally made blouse that costs €200

Folklorica - A poland-based etsy shop with some blouses embroidered in the Polish tradition, along with other traditional and tradition-inspired garments (most items are in the $30-50 range)

EtnoSoul - A ukraine-based etsy shop, traditional & tradition-inspired fashion. They have embroidered blouses along with other things, such as dresses & children’s clothing. They also have wedding dresses & men’s embroidered shirts, which both look sick as hell (price range: $90-270)

SvitVyshyvanok - Another Ukraine-based etsy shop, really pretty embroidered dresses!! (price range: $60-200 for most items)

This is ofc an incomplete list, please feel free to add on! Also, if there are local or diaspora artisans of other cultures whose traditional designs resemble that of these types of embroidered shirts, please feel free to add them as well!

[im-and-who]

I said it in the notes on the last post but I’m gonna say it again.

I’m married to someone with severe memory problems. Automation of household appliances & systems helps him a lot and helps me a lot because it reduces the number of things I have to keep in my brain at all times. I love doors that lock themselves, being able to schedule dog food being delivered, a thermostat I can manipulate from wherever. Beyond my little bubble it should be noted that voice controlled appliances can be really good for people with mobility concerns. Appliances that can measure and talk and remember little tasks can be such a blessing for people.

I will never forgive Amazon and Google for taking technologies that could be really helpful and weaponizing them, and fuck everybody who acts like its some kind of conspiracy theory that those devices are spying on you. You absolutely should be distrustful of those devices but just make sure you’re getting angry at the right people.

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Softness requires a lot of confidence. Boldness. Conviction. It is much natural (and easier) to be a hardened shell, because it’s a direct mirror of the pain we choose to not confront.

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in any way humanly possible inject some warmth into your life and a lot of things will become beautiful because of it

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“the only flowers a man will get are at his funeral” wrong and stupid. tell your girl you like flowers. name 3 flowers you like. put vases full of flowers around your house. everyone will catch on.

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removing yourself from toxic situations is lonely. removing toxic friends and family members from your life is lonely. learning to be without the people, or outside of the environment you were in for so long–somewhere that might’ve been unsafe or made you unhappy but was still familiar–is lonely. but it isn’t supposed to be easy. you have to choose yourself and you’ll regret it sometimes because you’ve never felt this alone, and yet it’s the right thing to do. learn to be happy with your own company, learn to support yourself the way you wish others would. there’s nothing others can give you that you cannot eventually give yourself.

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Compliment your spouse

Express love and appreciation towards your spouse

Brag to others about your spouse

Write love letters

Build security

Take the burden off your spouse

Pamper your spouse

Spent undivided attention to your spouse

Plan date nights

Start a hobby together

Empathically and actively listen to your spouse

Long hugs

Gentle kisses

Massages

Hold hands frequently

Make behaviour changes that come up after conflict

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every woman 20 years older than you who you admire had to sit on the floor of her bathroom and wail more than once to get where she is these things have to happen will happen will be useful to you someday

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my life really did improve when i decided to just constantly, casually compliment my friends and family. i cannot recommend it more. it makes everything better. you look incredible in that shirt, you're one of the funniest people i know, you're wearing the hell out of that dress, you're so sexy wtf, you're so talented, i love talking to you, you're so fun to be around, you're so kind, that haircut is amazing, i love you, i love you, i love you

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wish list for people who don’t want anything

aka possessions which are just possessions, but which have noticeably improved my quality of life: for when people ask you “what do you want for your birthday/Christmas/graduation” and you instantly transform into St Francis and pledge fealty to Lady Poverty because your mind went blank

nice. new. sheets. I cannot emphasize this one enough. if you’re still using the same sheets you had in college, you should probably get new ones. get yourself some 100% bamboo rayon sheets—they’re silky and perfect for summer and great for sensitive skin! or, if you’re cold all the time, flannel sheets!

kitchen knives. or even just one really good kitchen knife.

new curtains—blackout if you are a creature of the night like I am

fleece lined anything, but especially sweatpants and hoodies. wool lined socks are also good. if you don’t have the option of coming home after work and putting on an entire outfit that is loose and fuzzy, you should change that, because you deserve that option.

cookie sheets with a layer of air between the top and the bottom. the bottoms of your cookies will never burn again.

kitchen scale!!! no more leveling off flour with a knife and getting it all over the table!! now all your measuring is just shoveling stuff in and out of bowls like you’re at the beach. baking is both more accurate and also way more fun.

coffee bean grinder. if you want to upgrade your coffee experience, this is a great one-time purchase. just-ground beans have a much better flavor than pre-ground.

CDs!! ask for a gift card and expand your physical music collection! or a collection of the DVDs for your favorite show!

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i know we're all sick of self-care being a marketing tactic now, but i don't think a lot of us have any other concept of self-care beyond what companies have tried to sell us, so i thought i'd share my favorite self-care hand out

brought to you by how mad i just got at a Target ad