Thrift Hoard: All the things

I'm tired from this week off from school. I been cleanin', and pic snappin', and doing crafts. Let's just look at some stuff.
From the previous week's Savers sale, these clothing items:

Oh, hello there. I'm just modeling a dress on Etsy. I have better pictures of it, I just thought I looked kinda nice in these. This dress is not me at all, but it's so pretty with the turquoise print and pleats. I think I may have listed it a little high, but it's so cute! On Etsy

Why is everything so hard to photograph? This is an 80s, silk jumpsuit for a petite lady. So this thing fits me well. When I tried to model it the pictures were bad, and it doesn't fit on a dress form, hanging it on a hanger just makes it droop. I guess the old "laying back like it's doin' a snow angel on my bed" pictures will have to do.

Here's the thing...I got this on a dress rack and tried it on, immediately noticing that there was something up with the color. A laundry mishap? I don't know, but I don't hate it. It looks completely intentional, but will I be able to sell this like that? Also...this isn't a dress. It's a vintage nightgown by Gossard Artemis. But, I want to try and push it like it's a quirky girl's vintage, gown for prom. So, I haven't listed it yet, maybe I should put it on with some heels and faux fur shrug top and style up.
I still haven't shared the kimono and NWT embroidered robe I got that week. Yet, still I continue to accumulate. So many stores...temptation to look!
Hey, here's something one would expect to see on a blog that focuses on the negative sides of life!

Love is beautiful? Dude, no. But, it is a pretty nice piece of crewel work. It's got all sorts of nice colors and it's in great condish. My mom was nice enough to take me to Goodwill and witness the spectacle that is me in a thrift store. This one didn't have a ticket, I figured that they would probably want 5 or 6 bucks for it. The cashier just said, "uh, $1.99?" Shit, yeah. Pfft, "love is beautiful..." Thrift score love, maybe.

Love Stinks by J. Geils Band

Speaking of love, I do enjoy a nice couple. Here's a good pair...of lamps.

 Stupid sucky pics. I'll try again, later. I put them in my carriage, excitedly telling my mom that I never see nice lamps in pairs. Sometimes, I see one decent lamp; but these are in good shape, have a mid-century feel, and a wood neck...and there's two of them! Mom was insisting I put them back, arguing that I was broke. I said told her I was going to sell them. When we went to check out and my total was around $10, she was like, "what?" Apparently, she thought they were around $30. They were $2.99 each. Score. 

My total was cheap, because mom offered to pay for the clothing items I picked out for myself. Look at this 80s, bird print shirt! It was full price at $4.99, but when you find something one of a kind cute, you just let your momma buy it.

It's going to look nicer ironed. I just put it on to get a picture. I'm not actually wearing it because, once again; it's too fucking cold. My bad on the sailor talk, but seriously...

Oh, I also got some ties for a DIY project, that was so damn easy that it's already done. 

 Actually, I did two tie DIYs. I'm not showing them now, I gotta save my material for more posts. I already got the title planned. I want to make more things. Why have I not crafted with belts before? Those were $1 each and thrift store ties are so damn plentiful, you can't not find them. I think of all the kick-ass ties I've left behind...
Linking up Sir Thrift A Lot

First DIY Button Necklace

For the last month, I've been all about buttons. You know; collecting, sewing, gluing, and generally being on a kick ("kick" being that I find a new thing and obsess.) Since I now own a million buttons, I want to do stuff with them.
As per my usual routine, if I don't have an explicit idea, I do a search on the interweb for inspiration. Pinterest and Etsy were overflowing with it. Most of the pieces were pretty detailed. This is one of the first things I pinned:

find source

That shit's awesome. Go ahead Google button jewelry, if you like wasting time with DIY porn. I remembered my crafting/sewing mantra: keep it simple, stupid. As I stated in my last post with a ten point list, I'm kind of a lousy crafter. It's ok, that's my "thing";  a craft blogger who sucks. But, I continued with my plan and assembled my supplies.

Buttons (duh), some eye pins, some large jump rings, some big pliers, and little jewelry pliers, and a chain. Here's the thing: those aren't the right jump rings. They don't work. Rather than waiting until I had the proper supplies, I decided I would try and use the eye pins (those long, pin like things with tiny loops on the end) to attach buttons to the chain.
In  the interest of keepin' it easy, I chose a theme. I went with a favorite color combination; aqua and gray. So, I chose a bunch of buttons in various tones of those two hues. I really like teal, so the few buttons I had like that were the first I chose.
I'm not doing a big tutorial, here, because I don't recommend this technique. I started in the middle on my chain (by the way, I decided to use a different one than the one pictured) and added my first button. I pushed the eye pin through the back of a hole in the button and used my little pliers to twist the pin around a link in my chain. I used those big-ass pliers to break off the excess. 
Next time, I using jump rings. That would be better.
Then, I put a gray button the left, and a gray button to the right, and continued with a pattern. The first button I used was a bigger, shiny aqua one. I decided to layer it by attaching a darker colored one next to it and sewing them together.
I'm not totally in love with my end result, but I'm satisfied because it works and I learned that next time I can use the right supplies. And I'll never run out of the buttons. Here it is:

Maybe...MOAR BUTTONS

Top 10 Reasons Why I Suck at Crafting

( GIFs courtesy of pandawhale.com)

1. I lack self esteem (as evidenced by title)

Picture on the right was taken over the summer, as I was starting this blog. The one on the left was snapped as I feigned satisfaction with my charm necklace.

2. My "studio"

 That's my living room coffee table, at night with a cup of coffee and every thing that I just might use all spread out. Let's see...a ruler, some chains, spool of ribbon, spool of rope, tweezers(?), a tin of miscellaneous things (including Styrofoam for holding stuff in place), an organizer with beads/findings, another organizer/drawer thing with old necklaces and little trinkets, pliers, buttons, thread, a little white tin of the buttons I plan on using, a pincushion, and coffee. Shouldn't I just take out a few things at a time?

3. I cut corners

Before I owned a sewing machine, I didn't wait to borrow my sister's or anything. I just used fabric glue. That's an entire hem that I added lace to because I thought sewing was too damn hard.

4. I have too many supplies.

Oh yeah, I need to keep all of the vintage zippers, what if I need three pink and three yellow zippers? I wear those colors all the time...

5. I don't have enough or the correct supplies

See those jump rings? They look like mini key rings. Except they don't open. Little jump rings that aren't really jump rings.
6. I have ADHD.
Yeah, you're rolling your eyes. I'M NOT SAYING IT'S AN EXCUSE! I'm saying it's a reason that I started this post an hour ago, then got up and got a snack and just a second ago, realized I was three articles deep on Huff Post.

Remember that time I was about to paint these wood things and then I didnt?

7. Too many projects.
I think I can multitask. You know, while the glue is drying on a necklace repair, I can start pinning a shirt refashion, and --  how to clean a lamp

I stopped writing this post half way through and started this boat necklace. I'll be sure to share the finished product by summer time.

8. I like to "wing it" and jump in without a plan.

There's a nice blog post about using mod podge to decorate furniture. Look how well planned it is, with all those little cut outs. When redo-ing wood furniture, tutorials will tell you to clean, sand, measure, wait an hour between thin layers of paint/decoupage...

When I first moved in, I bought a fabulous vintage, 60s, coffee table for $5.99 from Goodwill. I saw it; left it behind; and then ran back for it a few days later. The top was all damaged, like so:

I happened upon some perfect atomic scrap paper and decided it would be perfect for the top of my table! Quick, just throw it on there!

Nailed it.

Should the paper not be overlapping like that? Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking. Did I do this in my sleep? After coming to terms with my fail, I somehow learned to live with it.

Whatever. From a distance one can hardly tell. Also, it has a TV on top of it.

9. I always think something will be easier than it actually is.

 =

10. Because I never finish what I st

More of the same: bird embellishments dress

This refashion is a lot like the last one I shared, only way easier. I pretty much just fixed the sleeves and added dun things. Oh, but here's a fun feature: It's all temporary and can be changed again. Because I hate to commit.
It's so much like the tan shirt dress that I'm even wearing the same belt. Out of all the damn belts that I've acquired, I must really like this one. Anyway; the black dress before:

That's my awkward limbo pose, where I lean back with my hips out. It makes me look legless. This might be after I fixed the little sleeves.

That's nice, clear pic of the neckline in back. A tag that's all smooshed into elastic. I think this dress has already been refashioned by whomever donated it to Savers. I'm refashioning a refashion.

It's hard to tell, but the sleeve is all puckered and frayed. So, I sewed that. Oh, and long story incoming...I actually made this one about a month ago. As you see, the dress was missing one button at the middle. I took the button from the top and replaced it, thinking maybe I'd put a different one up there. I decided against it and went to grab a medium, round button. I didn't have one. The next day, I stopped at the fabric store near work and grabbed a medium, round, black button, even though I didn't have the dress with me to compare.
I got home and got ready to attach; not a good match. It's a pretty damn basic item, I don't know how I was so off. Annoyed, I went and exchanged the $0.99 item the next day, with the dress in hand. I also grabbed some big-ass green colored beauties for decoration. What a completely unnecessary pain in the ass. Because, just a couple days later, I was gifted with an incredible button stash and will never have to buy one again.
Wow, that story took up space. As you might be able to tell from the before picture, this dress has a cute little middle area and that long, midi-length I'm so fond of. I envisioned a fun, pin up style dress, only one that was comfortable and appropriate for school. I was insistent that I needed bird appliques along the neckline. Some inspirations...

find sources

That last one is anchors, but you get the point. I love the image of the swallow-in-flight-tattoo-style bird. It's actually kinda cliche, but I'm ok with that. Yup, the bird print is a favorite of mine and one I'll surely revisit again. What I needed for this dress was a couple of iron on birds, like these:

find sources

You know, something one can easily find on Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, everywhere, etc. But, I didn't have any of those. I'm really trying to use the vast amount of materials that I do have, rather than wastefully purchasing things that I think I need. If you use old scraps, it's like you spent nothing. Here's what I did...
1. Google "how to draw a swallow."
2. Carefully draw a swallow (because I don't have a printer) and then cut out drawing from paper.
3. Trace cut out image onto thick, turquoise fabric.

Not bad, huh? Oh, and make two of them, facing in the opposite direction. I used Fray Check around him, I don't care if he's all stiff. Actually, I thought to myself....maybe he should be more 3 dimensional. I used fabric glue and attached the birds to a piece of matching felt and cut around.
Before attaching the birds, I thought of other ways I could add some crap to this piece. Yeah, don't just "put a bird on it", put two birds! And those big ass buttons!
Instead of sewing them on, I wanted to make them interchangeable.

Ta da. Button, glue, felt, more glue, pin back. See what I did there? I made big button pins. Also, I decided to use a different color, I don't need all that turquoise. After pinning my buttons to the dress's pockets, I went ahead and hand-stitched my birds to my dress. Then, I put that same old striped, elastic belt on. And it was cute.

How about a bunch more pics to crowd the internets? K.

So, basically...the birds can come right off should I decide to get some appliques; the belt ain't attached, and the green buttons are like brooches. I can change this thing up, if I'm feeling the urge.

Look how much taller I appear when I'm in heels and not slouching (actual height-5").

Thrift Hoard: My cup runneth over...

I have so much stuff. So many craft supplies, so much "merchandise" to list, so many posts I want to write, and so many ideas. It's like my brain has too many tabs open. 

This image of a pile of belts is like some kind of mataphor

I'm overwhelmed. It's the eve of February vacation for the kids and grownups who work in schools here in NH. I work hourly and I'm broke, so this week off is really gonna hurt my wallet, but I sure can use the time to catch up on listing. I've got a million projects on my mind. And how could I possibly be doing worthwhile projects, I've only had a bunch of snow days and holidays to put them into action.

When I click on the "beautiful life" blogs about the miracles and treasures of the blogger lives, I wonder how it goes so smoothly. I'm always starting and stopping projects, or procrastinating because I'm indecisive. Certain creative pursuits have to be put on hold because of time conflicts, I guess. 

See this fabric bird? It's part of a dress refashion that I'm almost done.

I love my refashioning, but I wish I could finish more and keep up with the growing pile of stuff. Speaking of piles of stuff...During my last post, I mentioned picking up some spare belts for the dresses I take home that are without. I got the idea to go through my own large belt stash, and search a thrift store or two for some. I could use these cheap, but awesome vintage belts to dress up otherwise boring clothing items to help them sell. Go ahead, scroll up. See that big, red button belt? I've had that in my collection since summer, and I can't find an outfit to pair it with properly. Make me money, lovely accessory...
Last Monday was 50% of clothes, accessories, and bed/bath. I couldn't resist checking out the deals. Found some good stuff, too. Here's what I've taken pictures of, which means I have more stuff to share next week.

Sorry about the lackluster picture, there. It's actually a pretty nice Jonathan Logan vintage dress. See that thing behind it?

That's a dressmaker's pattern board, I think. Is that what you call them? That should come in handy when I'm ready to do more advanced sewing, but I was thinking it could also make an interesting backdrop for my photos. Most of my apartment looks like that table on the left of the picture, that cardboard piece I spent $2 on is quite helpful. I like the red and blue color, too.

How does that work? Sewing is hard

Here's another great dress. I really just wanted to show off that cool green and black harlequin pattern and square button. It's a shiny, silky material that seems to be hard to capture.

 This one of my favorite scores. It's such a cool, ruffled, novelty print blouse. At first, I just saw the safety pins and thought that was pretty punk rock. Then, I saw office supplies, so it lost some street cred. I don't think those pins belong with the paperclips and tacks...junk drawer shirt?

I've never bought vintage shoes, and these will be the first I plan to list in the shop. I saw those lightning bolt zig zags and that green color and I was in love. I'll have to do some research on how to sell shoes.

I gotta sell handbags, too. I'm like freakin' Al Bundy or something. That one was a buck, so I figured I would polish up the old leather and see if anyone else likes that rope design as much as I do.

You know what else was one dollar? This set. That's right, both of those pieces of vintage luggage for $1!
I feel like it's been forever since I've done a fun craft project. I need to make something. My sewing lady gave me even more stuff!

I got lots of ribbon, binding tape, zippers, velcro, and even more great buttons! I also got those lace-y items seen above. Those off-white collars need a good bath, but they look so antique-y.

 Some lace pieces that I want to use for jewelry making...

 Some necklaces I want to take apart and reuse with other supplies for said jewelry project...

Some stuff that I want to attach to clothing!

See what I mean? I'm all over the place. No work tomorrow, but I need food, have a dentist appointment, and can't even pose for blog selfies until my roots are touched up. (I'm vain, what of it?) No more grown up chores!
I plan on inking up at Sir Thrift A Lot, a living space and where ever else I can find a link party.