Thrift Hoard: First of the Fall Season

This is a pillow sham with colors/design I really liked for $1.99. I'll try to use the fabric, somehow. Moving on...

That's some pastel colored lace fabric, I'm gonna try to use that curvy edge for the bottom of a skirt or dress. (It's a nice minty color, which is hard to tell on account of my cheesy cell phone pics.) $1. Again, moving on...

Woah, look at those cool space curtains! That's just one valance, there were two, priced separately for $2.99 each. I plan to try and cut out some planets and make them into appliques for a skirt.

Cool, Sea Glass

That, people, is a big ol' bag of sea glass. You know; busted bottles and such that have been weathered and softened by the ocean's tide. And I found a huge bag of it for $1!
Here's some "research"
Not impressed? Whatever. As a child, I had a bff whose family was like my own and they collected this stuff. I've always envied it and marveled at the beautiful shards of frosty looking pastel glass. I've found smaller quantities of the stuff before and I usually just dump it in an apothecary jar and let it sit there. Maybe I'll try to make some art? I thought. Yeah, "art."

What I'm Wearin': Mustard Yellow/Gray/Blue

Not all self taken photo shoots produce decent pics. Here I am in part of my kitchen! (Note to self: buy paper towels) I'm modeling a lovely black pleated granny skirt. I also got some yellow/gold/mustard tights, a plain gray t-shirt, and huge blue bead necklace.

What I Didn't Buy at the Thrift Store

I've seen other bloggers do this. I took some cell phone pics of things that were cool but not coming home with me.

Look at those adorable owl shoes. My god, they're incredible. But, I honestly didn't see myself wearing them too much and they weren't all that comfortable, considering they're flats.

 Oh! Ooh! That's my six-year-old self getting all excited about that She-Ra game. I loooved her and would've really wanted that piece of sweet merch.

So, You Like Them Fall Boots? Here's a DIY

Yes. I love them fall boots. Comfortable and flattering with pants, leggings, skirts, dresses, and even shorts with tights! All the fashion bloggers be struttin' around with their fall boots and pumpkin spice lattes.
Problem: when not worn, tall boots flop over, taking up precious floor space and causing creases in the material.

Oh noooo!

The solution: buy these things:

Boot shapers, $11.95

 

What? $12 for some plastic thing? No way, I'd rather buy snacks and more clothes. Solution: Make boot insert things out of cheap stuff.

I was trying to think of something cylinder shaped and foam like for an embarrassing amount of time before my sister was like, "duh, pool noodles." Those long cylinder shaped foam things kids play with in the pool! I hope you have some on hand, because I'm guessing they'll be hard to find this time of year. 

Materials:

pool noodle, cut to fit

newspaper

tights, long socks, or any some kind of hosiery 

scissors

tape

These Dresses Are Too Damn Big

 The black polka dot dress is from Pinup Couture and the red is from Bebe. That Bebe was priced $9.99 on half off day!

The one on the left was spotted alongside the green flowery one from yesterday. Except, it should not have been there, because that dress is an X large. Imagine my disappointment, I see that cute polka dot pattern and red details only to find that the garment wouldn't fit me. Unless...I didn't actually have a plan, I just tossed it in the cart. It was so cute, I thought it might be worth attempting a re-size.

This is what it looks like when fitted properly.

The Bebe dress was something I picked up at Savers during their Labor Day half off pre-sale. I had just tried on a bunch of stuff and was hanging my head in shame because I wanted to bring home so much. I saw the woman hanging this on the put back rack and stared a minute. She offered it too me like some drug pusher to an addict.
It has this gorgeous satiny material and prints that remind me of bricks. Also, this interesting boning (giggle) around the waist that made it look like it was flatter. But, zoom in on that ticket, eagle eye. It says 13-14. "No way; mislabeled," I scoffed heading for the dressing room stall.

Look at those details! That fabric.

My Theme Song for Crafts, Sewing, and Cleaning/Organizing

After yesterday's refashion-a-thon, (posts coming, ok?) the place is all messy. I'm going to clean up a little today. Here's my general outlook; if there's an easier way to do something, let's do that. Everything is easier when you do a half-assed job!
Take it, Sherry Bobbins.

What I'm Wearin': Spring Dress for September

This Target store dress is a recent purchase from Goodwill. A few years back, I wouldn't have dreamed of wearing something this...pleasant? Spring-like? I fancy myself a badass and I like my clothes dark. But, the large lily print had a unique 60s look and I tried it on for funsies. Even though it was a medium, I figured I could tighten the adjustable straps and use that belt to cinch it up. Aaaand, it was out of season, but I could darken it up a bit by adding black fall accessories.

What I'm Wearin': Granny Skirt

This was Monday's look. I got the skirt at Goodwill after actually searching it out. I had recently bought a black, pleated, midi length skirt and found it adorable (much to my surprise.) The top is a cropped knit thing from Savers that I hadn't work because it was a little thick for summer months. I pinned it in the cleavage area for school :( The red beads (Savers) were a last minute touch.

Click more for a better picture.

Big Necklace Update

I was supposed to post this about a week ago, but ya know...I didn't. I was remaking jewelry from old parts and such and one thing was going to be a bunch of things glued onto some felt and then attached to a chain as a large statement necklace...Here's what I started with:

 

This was my inspiration:

 

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What I'm Wearing: Possible Sunday Shopping with Mom

I'm seriously going to try and do "outfit of the day" posts, ya know; like real bloggers do. Today, I'm wearing one of my favorite t shirts even though the anchor on the front clearly makes it nautical (thus for summer) and it's definitely mid September. This top was once a girl's dress from Gwen Stefani's Mini Harajuku line which they sold at Target. I found this kid's XL dress at Goodwill, where such items are $1.99! A quick scissor hack and it's a small t shirt!

 What I'm Wearin'

 The pants...I'm a little unsure about them. I bought them from Savers over the summer for $5.99, and really didn't have much opportunity to wear them because they are tight at the top and it was so damn hot. They looked like pants I'd see on retro fashion online stores and worn by rockabilly chicks that I wanna be like. They're from a brand called "Vintage 1955" and when I Googled it, let's just say it's not high end. When pressed for an opinion, my sister referred to them as "not totally flattering." She asked me if I could remember that time Jessica Simpson got teased for wearing "mom jeans."

Thrift Hoard #1: Old Cameras

 I recently picked up two old cameras to add to my little collection of old things that I find visually interesting and I decided to snap some pics of each one. Since I only collect them and don't actually know how to properly use a camera, the photos are not stellar. Anyway...
Here are some pictures of things that I like to curate as I peruse a thrift store. That's pretty much it--pictures of old cameras from the 60s-80s that I have sitting on shelves acting as decor and collecting dust. Check it.

A Kodak Instamatic! Apparently, these were as common as a food pic on Instagram back in the 60s and 70s. I always find them at Savers in that section where they have things in clear plastic bags hanging on the wall.

That one is called the Polaroid Land Camera. I guess. (Read these words in a faux expert voice, because I'm just winging it, I don't actually know anything about cameras.) They called it a land camera because you used it to photograph items on land, not sea or air. I remember purchasing this last Christmas time at Savers. They had several cheap-ass old Polaroids, so I brought two home. I kept this one and gave the other to my ex, John as part of a housewarming gift.

Jewelry Hacks

After picking up some tacky/awesome clip on earrings over the weekend, I was inspired to make some jewelry. When I say," make some jewelry" what I mean is, "I want to break multiple pieces of costume jewelry and then use glue and pliers to assemble other pieces of jewelry from the parts." Shall we?
 
Look at that cool charm necklace from an etsy seller! (no longer available to purchase). I like the idea of a charm necklace and this one really reminds me of Betsey Johnson.

 

 via styleguru
That one is also quite fun looking and elegant. Perhaps, I could do something like that.


That one's cool, maybe less orange and fewer flowers (I'm not sure where that image originated from, "Pinterest" isn't exactly a source.)
So, after looking at some pics and reading some tutorials, I decided to gather my materials...

First Week of School

This past week found me staying at my parents' house due to unforeseen circumstances that made me cry a lot. My car (Subaru, of course) was in the shop being repaired  thanks to a check my dad wrote out for me before going to Boston for two heart valve transplants. I was experiencing some heart issues of my own, courtesy of an end of summer kick to the curb.
Anyway, school started. I'm a teacher.

dress: Savers, buttons: Martin's House of Cloth, necklace, bag, shoes: all from Savers

More of What I did on my Summer Vacation: Two Dress "Fixes"

I'm sure many thrift store addicts and fashion lovers can relate to that fear that you are becoming a hoarder. It makes perfect sense that in a time when I felt depressed, anxious, and insecure that I would do a little over-collecting. When I have no where to go and very little money, but still want to leave my apartment I know there are many thrift stores in my area where I can get a little endorphin rush from acquiring something kick-ass for a small amount of money. Apparently, I spent my summer hoarding dresses, many of them I even refashioned in an effort to be creative. Take this adorable little gingham thing:

End of Summer (and summer outfits worn in my apartment)

Even though I hadn't been blogging all summer, I had spent the good part of my days hitting up the thrift stores, attempting refashions, and taking pictures (not good ones) of my little projects, because I figured I would make a blog one day.
When I finally got around to it, it was late August. I had a lot of catching up to do if I wanted to show my shorts and nautical stuff before Labor Day (It's Labor Day now.) So, as I mentioned in my last post, I had an unexpected setback in my battle with depression. My boyfriend dumped me. And this week, my dad will have two heart valves replaced. I am seriously having a hard time coping and my family and I agreed I would stay at their place for a while. Today, my mom and I went back and I got my computer to I can upload a few pics. I'm just pleased that I'm out of bed and actually working on this dumb blog thing.

Playing with collage editor. Blue striped handmade skirt from Family Outfitters Thrift Store $.50!