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!