Lovely Leather Chair & Wicker woven tray

Aaaand we're back! 

Hey guys,  good to talk to you again! I've been on a bit of a hiatus, but the thrifting doesn't stop. I have some new goodies to share with you too!

That said... you might not know, but I am semi obsessed with chairs. I haven't really figured out why yet but, the love is definitely there. Last week I was strolling through Goodwill and I saw this beautiful leather and wood chair, right next to another leather and wood chair. Two different styles and centuries, but the same color wood and leather! I knew that I had to get the older of the two, and after some cleaning and light re-upholstering of the bottom, It was good as new!

 A steal at $12.

I just wanna put a soft, fuzzy white pillow in it. ::sigh::

You could tell that the owner of this chair also donated a few other great pieces. Among those were a neat wicker and leather bench (that got snatched up before I could get to it) and a really neat metal, horse hair and leather stool/ottoman. I wanted the ottoman but I used my editing skills to make sure I didn't over-spend. The legs were bent and would be an unpleasant surprise to sit or place something on.

I love this tray and it will soon be a wall ornament! I found it at a thrift store called FODAC (Friends of Disabled Adults and Children).  They provide medical supplies to disabled adults and children, which are funded in part by their thrift store. This place is very cheap on clothing, and they often have great furniture. I'm talking $3.00 brand new $69 jeans cheap. (More on that later)

And last but not least....

I wanted a magazine rack...specifically one that looked like this vintage gold faux bamboo one. I was too excited when I saw it on my way to purchase the leather chair. I just think this magazine stand is really classic looking. Pretty sure I saw it in a decor magazine and the craving started from there.
After I get tired of looking at it gold, imagine how cool it could be spray painted cerulean blue, hot pink, or tangerine.

6 Thrifting Tips you should use!

6 Basic Thrifting Tips

1. Check the price... Is it more or less than you are willing to pay? Does the price make sense?


2. Quality and condition... make sure these details are somewhat proportionate to #1.  Does it need repair? Does it actually fit? Does it have holes in it (be thorough if it's wool!)?  How do you wash it?


3. Uniqueness quantification... I randomly happened upon this term. In mathematics it basically means that there is one and only one...which is probably next to impossible when it comes to anything that isn't vintage or handmade. Basically, when it's time to make tough decisions at the cash register  think about this:

The cost of a top is between $5 and $6 at Goodwill, so if you have to choose between a plain white No Boundaries tee, or a chartreuse, ikat, beaded Free People tunic top, don't make it harder than what it is. White-tees are ubiquitous and most likely you can find a brand new one for less. Free People. Problem solved. 

4. Do you need it?... of course not. But if you are in the market for a specific item maybe it should take precedent over some, not so awesome impulsive finds.


5. Try it on or try it out.... You have to! Go. 


6. Heads up!  What I mean is, you have to pay attention and get while the gettin's good! Items at a thrift store have a very short shelf life. Some people thrift and sell for a living, so they are your "competition"! If you see something you love, get it before someone else does. I have learned this lesson time and time again.
One too-long text message can mean the difference between a $3.00 Oscar de la Renta handbag and a sad-face... sad, true story.

 Also... if you see something you know you can't haul, ask the store what their policies are on buying and holding... sometimes they will hold an item for up to 24 hours while you find a way to pick it up.  I've known some smaller stores to haul it for you if you live nearby.

Of course these steps are easier said than done some days, but you get my point. Now you are on your way to becoming a thrifter extraordinaire!

Thrifted: denim floral print top, dressy to casual OOTD

Wednesday I decided to wear the jean, floral print top that I purchased over the weekend.. To be honest I usually buy things I absolutely fall in love with, but this top was more of a "fun challenge".

I want to see how many different ways I can wear it. 

Don't get me wrong, I think its adorable, but not something I would usually pick (over a cool geometric pattern or animal print anyway). 

Here I'm wearing it with a pink floral print scarf, a blazer, pumps, and my favorite pencil skirt.

This outfit was fun, but polished; my favorite of last week.

Jean floral button-down- Goodwill

Pink floral scarf- Mom's

Fa'brik blazer- Goodwill

Snakeskin waist black pencil skirt - gift

Tahari heels - Goodwill

Today we had lovely weather and I wore the floral top with white and pink geometric patterned Old Navy shorts, and cow-print, haircalf loafers. It was a cute, relaxed way to celebrate all of the

premature summer weather.

 Geometric Old Navy shorts- Goodwill

Haircalf loafers- Goodwill

Outfit of the day... Vintage rust vest and twill pants

Over the weekend I treated myself to a thifting/yardsale day. It was an all-day affair and I picked up a few great pieces! Among those were this silk top and vintage knit pull-over vest that I wore today.

For some reason the yardsales in my area were few and far between. In fact I only got out of my car once. Even so, it was a great day for it if you recall how beautiful the weather was. 

Whelp, maybe next weekend! 

 

Silk button down- Max Studio, Goodwill

Rust colored knit vest- vintage, Fodac thrift store

Brown twill pants- Body by Victoria, Goodwill 

Scarf- Gift

Pearl earrings-Angies

What I like about this outfit is how the orangey-rust vest and light-blue belt play off of eachother. The scarf plays with the patterned shirt, but helps balance the dark brown of the pants. I admire someone who can put a good and shirt tie combination together; this is my version I suppose. Lol. Maybe I'll figure out how to tie a tie and wear one of the ones I have... who knows.

I'm excited to dress up this week! More pics and posts to come.

Hopefully I will be able to keep up the enthusiasm as 6am rolls around. 

That said, I'm off to get my clothes ready for tomorrow.

Thrifted: Tribal print embroidered handbag... and bathroom accessories

Today I stopped by a thrift store near my house to find some glass containers. I was just about finished in housewares when I came upon this beauty in the luggage department. It was crammed inside of another bag, and only a neon orange corner poked out. Just enough to catch my eye. Just enough. 

Needless to say I was ecstatic! I wouldn't say that this is a "tribal print", but it's got a cool ethnic pattern on it. It reminds me of some of the embroidery I saw in Guatemala.

On to the true nature of this particular thrifting adventure...

Lately we have been trying to use less and less plastic, by buying things in glass or reusing glass containers. One of my favorite interior decor bloggers  (here) is also revamping her bathroom and uses many of these glass elements and it inspired me to create a little display of toiletries.

 I like how it's starting out... Of course I'll be adding and editing for a while. I bought all of these pieces from Value village, and Goodwill (for under $2) except for the back roller thingy, and the "wheat grass". Those two items came from United Dollar.

I had an old glass jar left over from coconut oil, so I decided to make my own soap dispenser. I've seen people do this for years.... so why not give it a try?

So here's my mason jar soap dispenser. My bf drilled a hole in the top, then I took the spout out of the old plastic bottle, and inserted it in the top of the mason jar lid. ...And voila! Soap dispenser.

WI$H List... Fashion n' things.

Okay so I am in L-O-V-E with this little guy. Meet Logan. He's super stylish and he has a huge personality. I want to dress up my doggies now! They probably won't be as sweet about it.

Check him out here

This is amazing stuff... I'm just in awe...I want it all and that's quite uncharacteristic of me. :)

The Burberry Prorsum Winter 2012/2013 collection is sooo amazing. Who wouldn't love most of the pieces? I love them all. 

 

Another collection that I've been in awe of lately....Balmain Prefall 2012. 

I found this collection while cruising the pages of one of my favorite blogs here.. and I haven't been able to stop looking yet. 

Ahh the textures, and patterns. So much to love, but I want all of the pants first!

I have a shoe DIY date coming up soon (hopefully)! Yay for crafts and friends!

I need to go ahead and decide what color shoes and what types of materials now, because a craft store is a dangerous place for me to be (and th e person sitting through the painstaking process) when I'm feeling indecisive.

Okay so I know it's random, but I really want a card catalog. I know you remember...that wooden box of drawers in the library that you stopped noticing about 10 years ago.

They would be great for organizing all of my art supplies, especially ribbon and beads!

I need to get organized!

 I'm sleeepy.... early day tomorrow.

Thrifting Adventure... "Sensible shoes" and decor

I stopped by one of my favorite Goodwill locations on Thursday and ran upon these lovelies. I felt that I needed some "sensible shoes" to work in because a pair of black flats that my mom has been trying to dispose of for a couple years was not cutting it anymore. I mean you can't wear flats like flip flops, it's not good for your feet. And heels aren't either.... anyway....

The "nude" and black pair are great because they are neutral and "go" with anything I would wear, and the brown ones are outside of my "zone", but at the same time they aren't. I like how they're so "mature"... can't wait to make them look "fun".

These brown Circa shoes are cute on AND super comfy, which I wasn't expecting.

They are actually one of those stylish comfy shoe brands I think... and I guess you pay for that because they're $89.00 online.  Needless to say I paid under $12 for both perfectly new pairs, together.

 

•  Nude shoe- Tahari, Goodwill
• Brown shoe- Circa Joan & David, Goodwill

 Okay guys...we finally settled on a paint color for the tv room and bought some paint today. Buuut...it's a surprise! I'm kinda nervous about it too. lol. It's so much easier to decorate someone else space.

These are two 24x24" throw pillows that I thrifted from Goodwill the other day. They were pretty much brand new, besides the fact that someone tried to snip an rip the tags off.  I hadn't bought pillows from a thrift store until about a week ago. A good decorator friend of mine basically gave me the 411 on thrifting for linens n' things. After a couple really good washes I felt completely at ease about them. 

Are they still throw pillows if they're too large to throw?

I also found this wicker sun mirror. I think this piece is so adorable. It reminds me of something my grandma might have above her dining room table, and that's why I love it. I've been debating on giving it a nice gold coat of paint...

Closet Poll

One thing that thrifting does, if you aren't totally into name brands, is teach you what brands you do like. Surprisingly I went through my closet and found that I gravitate towards Anne Klein, Kimchi Blue (which I hadn't heard of) , JCrew, and one particular vintage brand that I can't recall at the moment. 

What brands do you find yourself gravitating towards unexpectedly?

Work Wear Thrifted, Outfit(s) of the Day

Last week I had a few outfits that I wanted to post, but time was not on my side. Here is a look from last week... and one from today!

 

 

• Blouse, Kasper - thrifted, Goodwill
• Slacks, Express Studio - thrifted, Goodwill
•                                                   Pearl earrings, Angie's                                                  
• Scarf, Gift

 

I love this blouse and scarf combo... together they look like one of those pussybow blouses that I like. I heart this outfit because It's simple, but the patterns and colors kept it from being too boring. 

It was perfect for that particular day too, because It was one of those "I just rolled out of bed with the intent to wear what I picked out the night before, but now I hate it" mornings.

 

Today....

 

• African print men's/kid's shirt - thrifted, Goodwill
• Purple vintage stretch belt- yardsale
• Skirt- gift
• Thigh high boots- Burlington
• Red cube earrings- gift

 

 Lately I've been wanting to wear more skirts so today I actually made it out the house without changing into pants. It was cold today, but I was comfy in my thigh high boots that I rolled down, fishnets and this long flouncy paneled skirt. (It does that thing when you spin) lol. 

 

The men's top was placed in the women's section in Goodwill, and against all of the things around it, it stood out. I love a busy print so I had to have it. It wasn't until I tried it on (that moment when the buttons on the wrong side totally trick your brain) I realized that it was a man's shirt. Actually I think it was a kid's shirt. Eh...whatever. I love it either way.

 

This purple belt came from a yardsale years ago in Arkansas. ::Memories:: Yardsales used to be so much fun, I have to start going like I used to when I was a kid with mom. :)

 

Who wants to get up early with me and go?! Getting up is the hard part.