Thrifted September Finds + All Black Everything

Hi guys! If you're a thrifter, you know it's that time of year. The seasons are changing and everyone is preparing for fall and winter–shedding all of their spring and summer purchases. I've been picking some really cool things from thrift stores near me lately–some to sell, some to keep.
It's also that time of year when we start wearing more earthy warm colors. And of course black.

Cole Haan Air Laneys

October's Very Own Tee (OVO)

Russell & Bromley / Stuart Weitzman 

Chevignon boots

 Zara top

Vince Camuto pumps

UGG Australia Sandrinne flats

 Jeffrey Campbell studded flats

Trapstar bomber jacket

The £1-£5 sales just ended so most of these items were under £5 and all were under £10  

I've had such good luck at the thrift store lately. Have you guys been thrifting lately?

What are your finds?

Thrifted: Sarojini Nagar Market + Delhi, India

India was an amazing place full of sounds, smells, flavors, and sights. Ever millisecond was a cacaophony of sensory overload. I have trouble describing our trip because it's impossible to give an adequate snapshot of the range of emotions I felt just being there. I thought this feeling of not finding the words would subside once I had time to really digest our trip, but I still feel the same way weeks later. Much like being in New Delhi itself I guess I'll just have to jump in.

Mr. Thrifter and I travel quite a bit these days and we aren't overwhelmed by much, but India was the closest I've come to being like..."Kay, I'm gonna need a break from this trip".

 

If you know me, you know that I'm a pretty easy going person. You may even say you know me as shy or passive. In India there was no time for any of passive me. There was no time for me to be meek at all. From crossing the street to queing for the train, or bargaining for a ride every step had to be a bold one.

While bargaining is something I'm learning to do as I travel, Mr. Thrifter is already good at it. In fact he's really good at it everywhere we go. He engages in this sort of dance easily and by the end we have what we came for and he and the sales person are laughing or chatting about something entirely different.

One market that gave me lots of practice in the art of bargaining was Sarojini Nagar market in New Delhi.

 Much like many of the markets in the world this one was full of beautiful vendors and shops of every kind. New and 2nd hand, handmade and export rejects all layed out in winding capital "I" shaped corridors. Everyone is trying to show you something, but after a while you know to kind of stroll and focus on what it is you want. Touch anything and you best believe someone is going to swoop in and try to sell it to you. If you've ever worked on commission at the mall, it's like what we learned in training but a bit more aggressive with the selling tactics. Lol! You learn to be firm but respectful in your "No" and walk away when you are no longer interested.

So that 150 Indian Rupees sign is about $2.25 USD and the 450 sign about $6.70 USD... just to give you an idea of where some of the prices were.

For times sake I'll run down the list of pieces I purchased and save the rest for a future post!

This dress was nearly new without the tags and I believe that it was probably a factory defect or export surplus piece like many of the pieces hanging up. I saw the bright red print under a few denim dresses and I had to have it. There's a blue dye spot just before the hem, and after some barging for just $1.50 I could not refuse. The best part about this tunic dress is that it has pockets! Here I styled it with the oversized woven clutch from shop Thriftionary.

This black and white oversized dress is going to be my aesthetic all summer. I've been wearing oversized and loose fitting things for the past year and a half. I think since we began moving around so much traveling in sneakers and casual loose fitting clothing has been my M.O. 

I've already worn this dress 3 times with jeans. 

Mr. Thrifter and I both wanted this men's shirt, we decided to buy the largest size and see if it shrinks down. lol! I tend to shop in the men's section more and more these days, so we don't mind sharing.

The pop of red on the fold-down collar and the inside of the sleeves caught my eye. 

I nearly forgot about this top because I wear it so often!

This is what I'm wearing today by the way. I've styled the lotus flower top with my necklace from Rokus jewelry. Remember me shooting for them?

These next  3 skirts were from a vendor selling all handmade skirts made from fabric scraps. You could tell these were made pretty quickly, and had little fabric and sewing imperfections but I actually really liked that about them. No two skirts were exactly the same! I think I spent the most time at this booth because every skirt was so hard to put down. 

I love little details and the fact that each skirt had a unique lining made of different scrap material made me smile. It's the little things man...

I styled this white eyelet prairie skirt with the concho leather belt from Thriftionary and the purple leather fringe jacket. Festival season is upon us ya'll! 

I'm so glad I bought this skirt because now It's my favorite. The black strip is a velvet clipping and the top stretch band is a navy waistband from a pair of sweats. So cool. You know I love a good upcycled piece. I styled it here with my favorite necklace and a raglan tee–which I live in these days. 

How cute are the joggers? They are made by a brand that is sold almost exclusively in Oman. These will be gifted because they are just a bit small.

At another market in Delhi–I'm blanking on the name–we purchased a few pieces of art. This is the most we've ever purchased on a trip. Typically when we travel we don't buy much at all; we like to pack light. 

When you travel you will see some of the same art and crafts over and over. In India we found a few art stalls selling the same pieces. While that may seem strange I found it quite cool! The art is meaningful and doesn't lose its value in my eyes because the same deities and significant symbols are being represented in similar ways. That's what gives it life and meaning. In each painting you knew what was being represented, but the brush and pen strokes were so unique. I love that. Anyway these are the Madhubani paintings that we purchased. One of them depicting Shiva and Parvati or Ardhanarishvara and another Radha krishna rasleela/ "Dance of Love". 

 This last painting was one I just had to have. Honestly don't know very much about it but I love the female energy, the balance and how it's monochromatic but very detailed.

I hope you guys enjoyed this long post. I will try to think of ways I can share my travels with you. 

I need so much time to digest my trips before I can really share, but I'll find a way. 

We just got back from Accra, Ghana and I'm still reeling. Hope to share soon! 

Have a great weekend ya'll!

Oh, use my link to book your next Airbnb stay in Delhi or anywhere else! 

Thrifted: Mid century modern valet chair

I am so excited to talk about my new furniture piece you guys! (This totally fed my chair obsession.)   I was on my way home this afternoon and I decided to stop into my local Value Village. And boy, am I glad I did!

Purchasing this piece was lots of fun, and kind of scary. When I thrift something I like to know at least what it is, and something of its origin if i can.  Needless to say I had no idea what this thing was. After staring at it for a few minutes I decided to ask an older lady that walked by me to browse the scarves. She said that it probably held pants, a suit jacket and cufflinks in the little tray in the back. She also began to tell me how cool it could be if I was into decorating with unconventional pieces. Then she opened up the seat. I had no idea that it even opened up for storing "shoe polish and things" (that's what she told me).

I was way too excited to get it home and scrub the $24.99 $8.08 off of the leather and wood seat and place it in my living room. I want to use it to create a little book nook by my book shelf. Right now it's serving as a stand for our faux vintage radio/ipod player.

Of course when I got 'er home I had to do some research. It took me about 15 minutes to find out what it was, with the helpful hints of the lady from the store. I just googled "suits stand". "vintage suit rack", "suit holder seat" etc. Finally I found something when I noticed the angle of the legs..."mid century modern suit rack". Bingo. And I just continued to dig around from there. It's actually a mid century modern valet chair.

It's crazy to think that one day someone may find something of mine in a thrift store and wonder what the heck it is. I'm sure some kids today are completely baffled by floppy discs already.

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.