Tag Archives: school bag

How To Sew A Handbag

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Can you sew? Would you ever try creating your own hand bag?

There was a time where I, Amoni B, did seam-stressing and designing. I self taught myself to create handbags, purses and more. Being an activist of sustainability, I started creating bags from reusable, recycled and second hand materials. Today I’d like to teach you guys how to create your own bags. Below are two videos, for the beginner and intermediate. You can use your own materials, I sometimes even use old jeans and dresses, which can be seen HERE.

Video 1: Yankee Tote | Video 2: Motherland Scrunch Clutch

 

QUESTIONS TO THE AUDIENCE: Do you have a hobby, trade, or interest? What is it? | Have you ever created anything? What?

Textbooks, fight the battle win the war

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a stock image of young woman with her chin on a stack of books

used with permission from College Degree 360 some rights reserved

I found this picture, and I was just wondering, are all those books for one class that the model REALLY likes, or does she just really enjoy all five of her classes? To me, both of these scenarios seem a little unrealistic.

I have some classes right now that require four books in addition to the study guides, reference books and style guides. Even if I love the class, I still am not that happy about all the books. I feel like my apartment is drowning in books. In fact, I have been required to purchase an additional two bookshelves just to hold all of my textbooks. I have sold some of these books, but there are some that I need to hold on to or are so old that no one wants to buy them. One thing that is so annoying is when I need to buy a special edition textbook that is made specifically for this school. While it’s frustrating to purchase these books because they end up even more expensive than usual, to me the worst part is trying to sell them again.

Of course I could hang a sign on a random wall and hope that someone will see it and actually need the book. However, I have not had much success with this method. Most of my books, I sell back to Amazon or TextbooksRus. These sites allow me to send them my books and receive money without trying to find a buyer. However, they will not take special edition books.

And, as I posted previously, how are you supposed to carry all of those books? I think that in order to bring my books home from the store I should probably rent a Uhaul. There is no school bag large enough to hold these books. E Readers and eBooks may be useful if they’re available, but what about when they are not? Obviously, there is no perfect solution. Ina an ideal world, we should be able to use one textbook for all the classes in a certain area or even be able to study some subjects without a book at all, but since we do use textbooks, let’s just remember that it’s only a battle.

I’m more concerned about the war!

Lose the Weight

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I know what you think. Even though many of us students have gained weight over the past few semesters, I won’t be preaching about the importance of losing that extra bulge I have enough that I need to lose myself. (Also, in most cases those who need to lose weight wouldn’t realize that I was talking to them, and those girls whose BMIs are close to a scary 15 will think that I am telling them to lose even more.) I’m talking about the weight outside yourbody that you carry with you all the time. And while many don’t know this, that heavy load in your back is apt to hurt you just as much, although in different ways, as the extra layer of blubber that you carry around your waist.

My first semester of college, I bought myself a nice suede bag. I felt that since I am an adult I shouldn’t be using a backpack. Of course, I made sure that the bag was roomy enough for at least two textbooks, a laptop, a looseleaf, notebooks, my planner, lunch. Basically it was a suitcase that I could carry on my one shoulder. However this is even worse because at the rate of what I was putting in to it, I would probably have to pay an overweight fee. I’m sure that at least the ladies reading this know that there is a law regarding handbags. The size of the handbag you carry, is always directly proportional to the things that you will NEED to carry.

By the end of that semester, I realized that something had to be done. The first thing that I did was purchase a more reasonably sized bag. However, there were still some things that I had to bring. I’m one of those students who comes to class prepared. I cannot quite understand those students who show up to class with one piece of paper and not even a pen. How do they plan on writing on that paper? However, by the end of that semester, I also realized that most classes won’t use the textbooks in class. I finally got packing my bag down pat.

The next semester I was thrown a wrench. Not only did my professor want us to bring our books, it was the heaviest book of the program that she wanted us to bring. All of the sudden, I started seeing the tablets, Nooks, Kindles, iPads… in class. Right away that jumped to the top of my school supplies “wishlist”.

I just got a Nook after all this time. It is a miracle. Finally I don’t feel like I’m falling over from the weight. I can actually exercise on my way to school.

If you’d like your schoolbag to join mine on its diet, let me know. I’m sure my bag would love to give your’s some support!