Thrifted D.I.Y.: Alterations

To be original, you have to go back to the origin.  And, if you need to, improve or alter it to suit your individual taste.

Take this shirt for example.  It's a beautiful cream frilly shirt with princess sleeves. 

I love everything but those sleeves.  Soooo, I ripped them out with my seam ripper, folded the edge down, ironed it and bonded it with my stitch witchery.


I tried it on again and it was boxy, so I sewed in a tuck right under the armpit to give it an hourglass figure.

Next on the list is this Black lace dress I purchased for $1 at Volunteers of America.  Very billowy...very 70s...very big...and may be very time consuming.

It's proof that not everything can be solved with my nimble fingers, sewing kit and stitch witchery! But, I found a local seamstress who I hope can help alter this into a multi-purpose LBD. Wish me luck!

Lastly, I'll be leaving Blogger for Wordpress and Tumblr. PLEASE check me out!

As always....Happy Thrifting! 

Man, Oh Mannequin!

I finally have it!

The one 'THING' that will take my blog away from amature to the professional.

A dress form...aka a mannequin sans appendages!

A friend is a craigslist aficionado  found it and about 10 others for $50 a piece which is a lot so I said no.  But, two weeks later the seller slashed the price in half and here 'she' is!  ;D

She's about a size 6 and an instant mind opener.  It didn't take me long to come up with today's very conservative outfit.  It's definitely not going on my favorite thrifted list, but at least you can get an idea of how I'll use the mannequin.

I can't wait for the heming, altering and styling that's to come!

Thrift Gold Mine: Volunteer of America's 10 for $10

Volunteers of America is one thrifted store that is undervalued and unappreciated.  It's my little secret weapon for jewelry.

I went there last Thursday after the post work traffic and after my migraine/allergy/body ache tri-fecta subsided.  The stores weekly 10 for $10 sale was exactly what the fashion doctor ordered.

First this rainbow spaghetti strapped dress with only the "union made" tags attached.  I would say it's early 60s...

Then this royal blue midi shirt dress that's clearly from the 70s.

This mint green shirt dress. It's missing a belt and is extremely boxy without it; luckily I have several brown braided belts.  I also tucked the dress into a printed skirt that has tiered teal green border.  (That picture will be in an upcoming post!  ;) )

This black dress doesn't look like anything special at first glance, in fact it looks 2 sizes too big but somehow it fits! Its a typical 70s party dress, a-line skirt, elastic in the waist to cinch and billowy up top. But, I know something you don't know...the lace hits my chest so perfectly that I called a professional seamstress to have a fitting done asap!

Now onto the blazers. These two were a serious steal. The first is a perfect condition, black polyester jacket with sateen finish by David Benjamin (whose clothing can be found on ebay).

Then there's this perfect fire engine red Pendelton blazer, which should go for about $250.  And look at those beautiful buttons!

And of course I also found some skirts to add to mystery growing skirt collection. LOL. First this scarlet red midi-maxi skirt that has the most peculiar, but flattering, upside-down handkerchief design at the waist.

And second skirt is out of my fashion comfort zone because of the fruit/flower pattern all over the skirt. I know, it's too sweet. Too flowery...too pink. But I loved how it sits on the curves of my body. I'll make it work somehow. ;D

Lastly, this navy blue blouse by Woolco. It's bright and simple; absolutely perfect shirt to pair with a snazzy skirt.

That's it. I know you only see 9 pieces but the 10th was a tan slip. Thanks to Volunteers or America for your super thrifty sales and divine jewelry.

I hole you guys enjoyed my first Dollar Day haul.  I know I did.  ;D

Keep on thrifting!

Favorite Thrifted Outfits of the Week

I have been thanking the fashion "gods" for that 10 for $10 sale at Volunteers of America.  Some of the pieces I found blended perfectly with some thrifted pieces I bought when I first started, but couldn't find pieces to create the "look" I was going for.
First up...

This is a crazy pair, and this is why: The satiny shirt...it's a nightie that I plucked from the middle of the women's short sleeve shirt section at the Salvation Army.  It has this killer v-neck that would normally be inappropriate for work, but has a gorgeous lace embroidery to make it sexy and fitting for the workplace.  The skirt is from my most recent "Stitch Witchery" fun, and makes a great skirt, unfortunately it wrinkles too easily...*sigh*

This outfit is "Accidental Inappropriate Work Attire Gone from Wrong to Ohhhhhh SO Right."  It started out with that top...well you may know it as the mint green dress from the 10 for $10 post.  I don't know what I was trying to do that morning by wearing the cream slip and the dress with a brown braided belt.  Fashion luck would have it and I was finishing up making that skirt smaller...the mint green "top" actually matches the dark hunter green border on the tiers of the skirt...the shoes were in the trunk of my car!



I call this My 70s Summer. I wore it with a neutral cardigan that matched the shoes making this perfect for business casual and change into strappy gold high heels to match the long gold chain (sorry...you can't see it)




That's all I have my Fashionables!

Thrifted D.I.Y.: Clean Your Baubles with Household Products!

If you've spent time in a thrift store, you know how dirty your hands can become very very quickly.  So I get why some shy away from jewelry.  It has laid on or been inserted into someone's skin and most lack shine.  I have a simple solution.

You need:
Microwaveable cereal bowl
Aluminium foil
Scissors
1 tbps table salt
1 tbps baking soda
1 tbps dish detergent
1 cup hot water

This is a super simple recipe. Microwave the hot water on high for 2 minutes, cut the aluminium foil so that it covers the bottom of the bowl and then place it there. Pour the hot water in the bowl, then add the jewelry. Promptly pour the last three ingredients on top of the jewelry. Give it a stir with the measuring spoon. Allow the jewelry to sit in the mixture for 10-15 minutes. Pat dry. I did this twice because thrifted jewelry can be very grimy. I would say it worked out very well!

I just picked up some mint jewelry so I'll be at all of this again!  :D

Thrifted D.I.Y. - Hem It Up!

I don't know if you've noticed, but I've been spending more time fixing my thrifted goodies and less time...ahem, hoarding. ;)

And, I have this sneaky little suspicion that I'm missing out on some great finds. But common sense says I can't keep buying more skirts if I already have a stockpile of beauties that aren't hemmed.

So the solution: Ultra light Stitch Witchery...aka Instant Hem. It's super easy to use and ultra effective.
For this thrifty D.I.Y. I started with the cranberry skirt below that needed 4" cut off, plus an additional inch for the hem.

I simply cut the skirt to the desired lenghth, ironed the inch wide hem, placed the stitch witch in the crease of the ironed hem, turned the skirt inside-out, placed a wet cloth over the section I wanted to hem, and held the iron (on the wool setting) for 10 seconds. And, voila!

It worked so well I hemmed this perky green but shapeless frock below to a very flattering skirt that's above knee-length. And this almost-maxi black and cream polka-dot number that turned into a very flirty addition to my closet. ;D

More stitch- witched skirts to come! Til next time, Keep on Thrifting!

Thrifted Revamp

Hello my fabbies!

I thrifted all July 4th.  Except Monday (July 4th) :( but everyone needs off one day, right?
I'll show up what I got in an upcoming blog entry, but first I wanted to do something different. I have a nice little talent for taking a special item and make it look new with a fresh coat of paint or a stain.
First is this awesome hand-carved trinket box from India.  It's beautiful, right?  But it needs some work!

It's extremely dusty so I sprayed an All-Purpose cleaner directly to the box so I could get the crevices and blotted it with a papertowl.  (Didn't realize the cleaner is not meant for wood, so it stripped it down some.  I see this as a possitive because I need the wood to be extremely naked for the stain.)
Then I stained the box with some leftover stain from a distressing kit, which took 3 coats thanks to that cleaner. Each stain coat took 45 minutes to dry due to the high humidity, so did the glossy top coat.

Lesson learned: Stain a wood on a less humid, cooler day and never.use a multi-purpose cleaner again!

On to the next thrifted project.

As always, Keep thrifting!

My Thrifty Style - Brown Is the New Black

Every year there's a new color...this Spring it was soft colors like pale pink, rose, peach and pale neutrals.  While this summer it's all about punchy bright colors like coral, cobalt blue and various neons.  And every year everyone says black is in...Black never goes out of style...Black goes with everything.  It's a classic.

Just like everyone else, I used to own so many black articles of clothing people used to ask if I was from NYC.  Now I say Brown is in.  I'm kind of obsessed with converting and transforming myself and my closet with this earthy color.

Yes, black it can be chic.  But an all black outfit is harsh and doesn't fit the feminine look I'm going for.  So, I opt to trade out some black accessories uch as a belt for a brown suede with gold detailing.  It nips in my waist and is kind of quirky curve ball.  Love it!

I want to celebrate my womanly form and express my chicness is softer ways.  So brown it is.  What I've been doing is slowly styling items with brown; slowly fazing black out.  Now I have more brown purses, accessories and shoes than before and they come in a various shades of brown...cognac, auburn, mahogany,  etc.

Maybe I love brown because it compliments and warms my own shade of brown, a mix of sepia and sienna...or maybe its more of a dark cognac.
Whatever the official shade, this earthy color is bees knees to me.

Last Thrifted Outfit Standing

Okay...more like the only thrifted outfit.

I only styled one thrifted ensemble this week...thanks to two half days and very little to inspire me at the first half of the week.  I think I made up for it yesterday!

It's very country club/Desperate Housewives-ish.  The top I got from New York and Company last Spring.  It's deep teal, with crochet/lace on top (strapless bra necessary!), and it warms up my skin tone.

Thrifted items: The tan and white skirt (dry clean only...ugh!), unworn shoes from Target and a taupe suede belt with gold accents.

Accessories: (Thrifted) Polished white quartz and gold beaded necklace and faux pearl necklace from  Old Navy.

Hopefully I can get the creative juices flowing so I can style more thrifted outfits for you guys!

Til then...Keep on thrifting!

Thrift...For Your Wallets Sake

Since I've rediscovered my love for thrifting and rekindled my talent for finding the fashion needle in the uninspiring haystack. I've been trying fruitlessly, to encourage my fashion forward girlfriends to join me, and what I got what this…

Aren't you worried someone will consider you CHEAP?!

Cheap? CHEAP?! I don't know if they've been looking at the news, reading the papers, checking their bank accounts or empty gas tanks. But, the economy isn't in a better place. Gas is going up, along with food,
clothing, electronics, and anything that's driven by a big gas guzzling truck.

So in the spirit of being frugal, economical, prudent, cheap…and parsimonious (;-)), here are my top five list of why it's important to thrift:

Thrift Store Prices Don't Change with the Price of Gas or Oil…YAY!!!
Because people donate goods sold in thrift stores are sifted through by volunteers. Since there's no one on the payroll, prices don't have the gas or labor tied to them.

No Coupon, Text Message or Code Needed to Enjoy Discounts
Most thrift stores, like my favorites Community Aid and Salvation Army, offer 50% off every day (depending on the designated tag color). And of course there's Wacky Wednesday where the entire store is half-off, except collectables or extremely new items.

Thrift Stores Change with the Seasons
People have to remember, thrift stores are still retailers. They know you're most likely not going to buy a $2.99 cable knit sweater instead of a lace cami in the beginning of summer. Thrift stores are marketing to you the consumer, just like any other store. So when you come in that sweater will be rows away, while the tanks and shorts will be some of the first rows you see.

Access to VERY Deeply Discounted Vintage Items
Thrift stores are a fantastic way to add individual style to your wardrobe and set yourself apart. No one is going to style pieces you buy the same way. Especially if you deliberately, but successfully, search for brands
that don't exist anymore, like me!

Thrift Stores are Inspirational
You may be surrounded by odd smells and you may sneeze every time you shift a hanger, but for those of us who don't live in New York, Boston, Philadelphia or some other metropolitan city, we need inspiration! Take the items below...

The dress is imply 70s; what some call a Midi (not really full-length, not short, just in the middle).  It fits perfectly at the smallest part of my waist and flares out at the bottom.  As soon as I saw this, I stood in awe. I pictured this cool rosie color against my milk chocolate skin and I thought, rose bush. I needed something green…leafy green so I when I found this cloisonné necklace I knew my vision was meant to be.

After those two significant purchases, everything else fell into place easily. The earrings were free, something I found in my mother's jewelry box, the cognac belt from Goodwill broke up the dress and the cognac wedges complimented everything nicely. What a pretty rose bush I made!

As always…Keep on Thrifting!!!

Thriftily Outfitted: Week 1

Hello fabbies! I may have topped myself already!

I've been so excited to share what I've styled for this week, but I held off so I can try something new. Instead of rushing a "outfit of the day" post everyday, I'll be posting them once a week. It will save me time, allow for thought provoking and visually pleasing content, and the addition of more articles about my thrifting adventures.
The Thrifty Run-Down
What we have in this weeks collection...Monday: red and white animal print skirt and frilly 50s inspired sweater.  Tuesday: a gauzy, semi-sheer pink blouse paired with a nautical skirt for a look made for the 70s.  Wednesday: a peridot green dress from a big name brand that has a drop waist and soft polo collar that screams 20s and...Thursday: a navy mini polka-dotted skirt from the 90s coupled with a blouse from the 80s!

Main Attraction
My gams! (FYI: Retro speak for legs. ;D) I can't get enough of them, and working at a conservative and fashion illiterate environment won't ever stop me.

Red, White and Cute All Over

1970s Thrift Done Right

Green with Thrift Envy

Button me Up and call me Thrifty

Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear from my readers. Enjoy!!!



Thrifty Date Night

I've always been the type of woman to take the "bull by the horns," but never until this week did I ask a guy out on a date!  He's super shy, so I figured dinner at low-key and laid back diner was the way to go, and a movie afterward. 

Shy guy+simple date=FLORALS!!!  I had to keep the outfit floral, shapely, and flirty.  Starting from top to bottom:

This floral shirt has a cream background with red blossoms and brown leaves all over.  It's light polyester fabric, long sleves and colors make it easy to wear this fall too.  ;)

Brand: College Town - $1.49 (Salvation Army)

I had to pick up the red blossoms with this scarlett red and brown leather purse.  The brand is called Leaders in Leather, from Paraguay, and they hand etch all of their goods.  

Brand: Leaders in Leather - $1.99 (Community Aid)

I found these precious cloisonne earrings in my mothers jewelry box and I always passed them up for hoops, dangly earrings or other accessories that I was used to wearing.  These earrings perfectly match my outfit, without trying.  They're delicate and perfect for spring.

Cloisonne earrings (Free)

I snagged this bracelet on one of my "Thrifty Inspiration" trips to my favorite stores...in other words, I didn't mean to buy this bracelet, but it wanted me to.  What kind of thrifty fashionista would I be if I didn't take this dear home?  ;)

Peachy Pearl Bracelet: $.99 Salvation Army

This outfit was everything I've been trying to do for my Spring thrift collection.  It was light, airy, form fitting and had plenty of texture.  It's everything I'm trying to do for Spring.  It was perfect...And hopefully lucky!  ;)

Til next time...Happy Thrifting!!!

Confessions of a Thriftaholic: Blaming It on Being Single

Just because it's a $1, it doesn't mean you should buy it.

That should be my mantra when thrift shopping. 

 I will admit it.  I, Shelby, am a shopaholic. Being real with myself has me trying to figure out why.  Since there could be several reasons,  I'll spare everyone a lengthy blog post!

First: Single People Shop More

Yes, yes we do.  Admit it.  If you are or when you were single you had more "you" time. And what did it look like? Something like this:

• 5:00 PMT - Change for the gym
• 5:30 PMT - Kickboxing class
• 5:45 PMT - Hypothicizing possible date outfits
• 6:00 PMT - Realize that you are missing a certain something for the possible date
• 6:30 PMT - Rush home to change...thrift store run in "need"!!!
• 7:45 PMT - Walk out of the thrift store with about 5 certain somethings that you never really needed in the first place and none of them work for your "possible" date outfit
• 7:50 PMT - Justify thrift purchases until your buyers remorse goes away

How do I know?  Because this was me yesterday!  But, I don't have remorse about a single purchase! You wouldn't either if you bought all of these thrifty beauties!