What I wore today.....

As mentioned yesterday, wearing one of my new Salvation Army finds today was put on hold due to a little Priority Mail box I received in the mail yesterday.

I try to avoid Ebay, most often it leads an array of impulse buys and on occasion paying more than I normally would at a brick 'n mortar shop. So I try to keep it for when I really need something. My closet was pretty much devoid of "winter" suitable dresses and after coming up dry for several weeks, I took my search to Ebay. I'd been thinking along the lines of vintage wool sweater dresses and found this number for the low "Buy It Now" price of $5.



The seller had priced the dress according to the fact that the skirt had a few small stains (barely noticeable and I think with a bit of elbow grease I could remove them) and the wool knit had become a bit nubbly (nothing a gentle use of a sweater shaver could not fix).

$5 with a few more shipping was something of a bargin for the dress (by Ebay standards) and this fact made it perfectly guilt-free when digging through the sellers other listings I found myself impulsively buying the best skirt EVER for a "Buy Now" price of $25.

Ah... but I'll save the BEST SKIRT EVER!!! for another post on another day. I didn't think it deserved it's first outting to be on a day where I spent most of it finishing up a website template for a client.


The dress was both warm and comfortable for a day spent coding at the computer in the terribly drafty house that I live in. With it I added a recently thrifted cardigan (that I've worn about 4 times already) and heels that I had picked up during my last shopping trip in Paris (which have also been previously posted about).

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In other news, I'll be posting "Thematic Tuesday" tomorrow. After the unexpectedly busy day of rushing to finish a job early, I much rather go play video games with Mister.boyfriend than finish organizing my Etsy book marks for this week's post ;)

Also look out for the post on the clothing I thrifted during my adventures last weekend.

(and the unveiling of THE BEST SKIRT EEEEVVVVEEEERRR!)

I thrift, therefore I am.

I went to two different thrift stores over the weekend and I did something of a mini haul. It is always a thrill when I find exactly what I am looking for such as with my new one person teapot.

I've been wanting one for awhile but just never wanted to shell out the cash whenever I saw one at the store. Andrea (acatofimpossiblecolour) tormented me with her lovely teapot and I almost broke down last week and grabbed one off of Ebay for $20.

Fortunately I stalled my trigger happy mouse finger long enough to come across this baby at the Goodwill for $1.50:



In all honesty I would have bought it no matter what the set looked like since I needed it more for utility than aesthetics but oh how it tickled me that the set was in yellow/black, the colors I'm painting my workspace.


Mister.boyfriend kept mentioning to me how we needed coasters and lo-n-behold I came across this vintage "alcohol proof" set for $1 at the Salvation Army:


I find the whole "alcohol proof" thing to be a bit odd. I'd be more worried by the drunks ruining my upholstery rather than my coasters......


Getting this print mounted on wood, at the Salvation Army, was a slightly impulsive buy. The depiction of the green boxy house surrounded by snow and bare trees came off as intriguing to me. As did the implied texture of the canvas. I immediately could think of no need for such things but for $1, I'll find a place for it.

I plan on painting this frame set, that I got for $1.50 at the Goodwill, black (I'm doing a yellow/black theme remember?) after I fix the connecting chain. The hanging frames are small with about a 2" (vertical) opening and I think some sort of minimal print would look lovely in them. Maybe a small sketch of a solitary object?

Mister.boyfriend and myself both had eyed this paper cutter at the Salvation Army and when I suggested getting it despite not having an immediate need for one, I heard no arguments.

When I still lived with my parents, I always used my dad's paper cutter for various projects. So I'm sure I'll find a use for it soon enough!


This nondescript patent leather purse that I found at the Goodwill is a perfect example how I always find myself wrapped up in the details.

The outside has a nice shape and is cute enough but I fell in love with the lining....

The cute striped lining made the purse totally worth $2 to me.

Despite knowing how to knit, I can never help picking up knitted/crocheted items at the thrifts. When the price is right I figure that it totally wins over the cost of doing it myself. Especially when the knitted item is a mustard colored beret (with a pompom!) for .50!



I thought the beret was my last grab from the Goodwill before I left but while waiting in line I spotted this pretty brooch for $1 in one of the display cases:


Also this weekend I came across a few new dresses, some more tights!, and a few other clothing items for myself. I'll save those finds for my next post. I had planned on wearing one of the dresses tomorrow but a package arrived for me in the mail today and I think my priorities have now shifted ;)

Freaky Friday no.1

It's Friday and time for the first "Freaky Friday". Yes.... I have already "Thematic Tuesdays" and now I've attached another corny name to a weekly post. Do you have any better ideas for name?

If you poked around here enough you'll know that I enjoy thrifting. Some may even say that I am addicted to it. Every visit to a Salvation Army, Goodwill, or other stores, I always come across interesting specimens. Horrid fashion mishaps, weird items that you wonder "who'd buy that?", and other peculiarities that make most people laugh, then move on.

That's where "Freaky Friday" comes in. Every week when I'm browsing for treasures, instead of laughing then moving on from the occasional horror, I'll spend a few extra moments and take a picture. Forever immortalizing the items that are most likely doomed to remain unloved.

This week I found fascinating sweater. In my opinion it totally bypasses "So ugly it's kind of cool" and goes straight to "If you don't stop wearing that right now. I'll gouge my eyes out, then burn your sweater!!". I think this is a real doozy.....

For some reason it reminds me of Mimi from the Drew Carey show....

Would she approve?

In other thrifting news... I'm quite thrilled by my thrifty haul today. I'll be sure to take some pictures and do a post on it soon!

You went thrifting? Thrifting you say?

Do I even need to mention any more that I went thrifting?

"Oh my gosh, Roxanne went thrifting AGAIN!"

Let's face it... I practically live at the Salvation Army near me (and I guess I should consider the nearest Goodwill and Savers to be my second homes).

"Are you heading back home?"

"No, I'm heading off to my second home, the Goodwill, because I'm badass like that."

Mister.boyfriend was kind enough to escort me to the Salvation Army the day before yesterday. Wednesday is the day where 4 out of 5 colors are half-off. Thrifting at full price is still a thrill but getting a 50% discount makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside.

We arrived quite late in the evening after the mad Wednesday rush (and the stock is not always the grandest there anyways) but despite not making a total haul, I did find a few "rarities" for me.

I always feel like a bit of a jerk when posting to 100% thrifted when I pretty much own only non-thrifted tights (though generally bought on the cheap). When it comes to used, I draw the line at undergarments (it's just scary to think of things rubbing on some strangers naughty bits), but I have no issue with NIP leg wear. Unfortunately, try as I might to thrift NIP tights, I totally don't fit the sizes I see 99.9% of the time. Add to that 99.9% of the time when I do find a pair in my size, it's that nasty 1970's Malibu Barbie orange. blech.

The sad part is a lot of the tights floating around thrift stores theoretically should fit me. When I was younger I avoid leg wear like the plague. Either I was stuck walking like a penguin since the crotch wouldn't go to where it was supposed to be or the tights would be distorted since I had to force them into position. In my early 20's it finally dawned on me that I should be wearing one size larger despite what the size charts always told me. I'm not exceptionally tall, 5 feet 8 inches, but my extra height comes from my legs. So when ever I come across leg wear in any capacity, I almost always need one size larger than what the package recommends.

(and of course the thrift stores always have plenty of leg wear that would fit me if only my height was more balanced between my legs and torso......)

but as mentioned, Wednesday was a day of thrifting "rarities" for me. I found not one but three pairs of tights. A lovely ribbed raspberry colored pair, neon-yellow sheers (packaged with a free pair of knee highs in the same color), and a white pair of tights designed for dancers.

The second "rarity" of note is that I also came across two pairs of gloves that actually fit me really well. Much like my sob tale of my hard to fit legs, I have what my dad calls "lady hands" topped off with long skinny fingers. So it's hard to find gloves that I can fit more than 3/4 of my finger into without the glove constantly sliding around my hand.


Thirdly, not particularly a "good" rarity but I found it rather amusing. The whole reason for the trip was my mission to find giant wool sweaters for the purpose of making wrist warmers (my vintage coats leave a frosty gap between the hemline and my wrist) and despite me considering big ugly sweaters to be a thrift store staple, they were wiped out that day! I guess it finally dawned on people that winter is coming!?

Being the crazed scavenger that I am, I did find three suitable sweaters crammed in various locations. I need to pick up a few sewing notions but I plan on starting the warmer making next week.


On the trip, I also scored a new dress (which I'm quite fond of) and two new sweaters. The dress I'm wearing today (with my thrifted tights!), so photos will follow shortly!

Thrifty finds... the male edition

It's thrilling to have a man who both accepts my thrifting addiction (yes, it is an addiction folks) and does not mind browsing for himself (yay company!). The trouble is finds for him are a bit of a rarity.

Mister.boyfriend is a tall and skinny fellow so when we do on occasion come across something that is not XXL, sadly the sleeves are often too short. (At least when we are looking for items with long sleeves. Which we are, since Winter is on the way)

Today my bag of Salvation Army finds included a few things for the man as well...

Pendelton wool cardigan

Vintage L.L. Bean hunting jacket

Everybody likes AC/DC

and look away now if corny things makes you want to barf...

Yes, I also found a ladies AC/DC shirt (after we found the mens one). Am I the only one who thinks thrifting his 'n hers AC/DC shirts is funny? Even the friendly clerk noticed and found it rather odd.

Mister.boyfriend was not immediately keen on the cardigan (well cardigans in general) but I always insist that modern men need to wear them more often, since I'm a gal who tends to crush on men from eras where things like cardigans were cool.

Even badasses like Steve McQueen wore them...

Let it snow (damnit)

The weather has been gorgeous the past few days and part of me hates it. Why? I'm longing to wear the new winter duds I've been thrifting!


My "new" black wool coat is in perfect condition and circa the late 1960's. I picked it up last Friday at the Salvation Army for $12 (pricey for me.. but it is a beautiful coat). The vintage wool cape has a gold/blue houndstooth pattern, that's what attracted to me when I spotted it on the rack for ladies suit coats. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the lovely fabric belonged to a cape! It was priced $3 but just so happened to have the right color tag for half-off that day at the SA.

Much like yesterday, today was spent cleaning. I rearranged the furniture (with the help of mister.boyfriend) in the room next to the bedroom and while I'm not 100% satisfied with it, it's the best that can be done for now and I think the new arrangement is indeed a vast improvement. Next on my to do list is to paint the room and thrift up some spiffy curtains (or at least fabric to make such things with).

I need to get on the ball with the painting before it gets so cold that I have the choice of freezing with windows open or dieing of asphyxiation :P

Hurrah for productivity!

While mister.boyfriend was refinishing a vintage maple desk that we picked up at a tag sale some weeks ago ($20), I bounced (3 cups of coffee) around helping out when needed, rummaging through abandoned bits in the garage, and attempted to wrangle the mess in the second half of our bedroom (too much stuff, not enough storage).

Digging around in the closet, I stumbled upon an adorable pair of baby shoes. It turned out that they were mister.boyfriend's first pair of real shoes! I love the richness to the colors and the contrast stitching. Oh how I wish I could find a pair of grownup shoes like these....

(mister.boyfriend claims that one could find similar shoes in a bowling alley... but I think the shoes have a bit more umpf than that...)

Besides squealing over baby shoes, I uncovered in the garage a pile of new table legs (which is thrilling since I've been designing a custom desk for us and was wondering if we could even afford buying decorative legs). I also found an end table that was absolutely trashed but the legs were salvageable and perfect for another project I've been working on.

The end table after I assaulted it....

As for what I was wearing to clean today... Though the sunglasses and kneehighs keep this outfit from being 100% thrifted, it's amazing to look back to a few years ago and compare the amount of retail shopping I did then to now. I've long been a fan of thrifts but admittedly in the past I was often impatient about getting what I wanted and would resort to retail for a quick fix. Slowly I became more accustomed to ignoring the "gotta have it now" voices (which are good to ignore since more often than not, I don't need it RIGHT NOW) and now I'm quite proud that more often than not I'm wearing at least one thrifted item if not a whole outfit!

The vintage shirt (with sleeves rolled up) and cream colored overalls were both thrifted. I had thrifted the overalls for 50% off at the Salvation Army just for days like today. The "Converse" are hand-me-downs.

My new best friend.....

I pretty much presumed that when I finally obtained a sewing machine it would be purchased purely because it fit the budget and had the functions that I needed. Since it was an object that I required to continue my various projects, the longer I looked, the longer I'd stay in my loop of anti-productivity. I had been searching for a machine since my move at thrifts, tag sales, and a occasional look at Craigslist. The thrifts and tag sales turned up nothing and Craigslist was overflowing with machines that were way out of my budget or just did not meet my needs.

Earlier this week I had given Craigslist another go and to my surprise I found the PERFECT machine. I don't mean perfect in a purely rational manner, indeed the machine was within my budget (in fact under budget) and did exactly what I wanted. To my surprise and glee it was also perfect in a purely superficial manner. If someone had taken me to a room filled with sewing machines this would have been the one I walked out the door with. I could not believe my luck and the whole transaction was nerve wracking (is it still available? is the seller gonna be flaky? is this all some crazy dream??) .

It's a bit abstract to think that a mechanical object could embody everything there is to know about my personal aesthetic, but if you were ask me to sum up what I find beautiful, I'd point to the sewing machine.

My Kenmore Model 50, whom I've yet to name

The condition is amazing! Despite the machine being around 40 years old, it looks as if I walked into Sears and bought it today. Black faux leather covers the base and the machine itself is a lovely glossy silver/pale lavender, depending on the lighting. It even came with two screwdrivers with handles that match the color of the machine! The case is covered in a textured almost tweed like finish in black and white.

I'm just glad that mister.boyfriend shares a similar taste and a love for all things mechanical. Otherwise he might have thought I was a bit off for being so thrilled over an inanimate object. After we got it home and sat staring at it he even commented,

mb: "That's a sexy machine..."
me: "Isn't it? It's so pretty..."
mb: "yeah"
me: "yeah"

In other tales... The weather currently can not make up it's mind if it's fall or the last dregs of summer and I've gone back to bare legs.

Vintage seafoam cardigan: thrifted
"Little Miss Naughty" shirt: fleamarket vendor
Mustard belt: fleamarket
Black dot skirt: H&M 2 or 3 years ago
Flats: Monoprix

This might just be a ransome note....

So here I am again. I've been neglecting many things (such as this blog) but we all need to go a bit squishy in the head sometimes. I'm still attempting to adjust to being in a new place, back in the States (!!people speak English here!!), and trying not to get into a routine of laziness.

Friday, I went to a rather crummy Salvation Army with mister.boyfriend. Overpriced (due to it being in a college town methinks), enough shoppers to give anyone a migraine, and the stock was rather bland (and I don't think it was because the selection was just picked over). I did leave with two skirts (half off, otherwise they would have stayed there) and a jacket (which in hindsight looks not so great on me, so now it needs a new home) but all-in-all the experience sort of left me under thrifting raincloud.

Onward to Saturday. Mister.boyfriend, sympathetic towards my disappointment at the Salvation Army we had gone to the day before, took me to another Salvation Army. It was a completely different experience from the blunder the day before. Reasonable prices, decent stock, and most of what I found was 50%. huzzah!

Saturday's thrifting outfit. The brooch I picked up on my birthday at an antique store for $3 or $4 and the tapestry handbag was a steal for 25 cents at a tag sale. The rest of the outfit was thrifted in expeditions old (sweater/top) and new (grey skirt obtained two weeks ago) with the exception of the booties, which were bought in Paris two days before I left.

Playtime...

A few days ago I acquired a few new things at the thrift store I practically live at. Knowing most likely I'll have photos of me in them since I plan on wearing them while my friend is here. In the meantime I figured instead of taking limp clothes on the hanger photos, we could play a little game with my new finds.

Playing is simple: match the pattern to the description...

#1

#2

#3

#4


Match with...
A. Gunne Sax I am not but I am still a delightful 70's era peasant dress.
B. I come trimmed with rickrack. Made in "Switzerland" the label says.
C. If it was the 80's, I'd wear this jumpsuit on a Club Med holiday.
D. I have no clues for what I may be, except a pencil skirt was made with me.

A letter to the thrift gods.....

I'm indebted to you for the years of thrilling finds and most recently you've been extremely generous to me. All the lovelies I've come across in the past few weeks makes me in awe of your magical thrifty powers. This week I came to realize that while I am in no way ungrateful for all the thrifty goodness, I only have so much room in my suitcases and increasingly have found myself passing on treasures that you have so kindly provided. I'll always have room for a few things here and there, but what I've been finding goes way beyond the "here" and "there". One could say it may require me buying another suitcase if I do not watch myself. Of course I am a rational and reasonable person. So I've kept strong and steered clear of many thrifty thrills, albeit with a pang of sadness in my heart.

Some may think "Well why doesn't she just avoid the darn thrift stores until she leaves?". You know as well as I do that I am 100% incapable of any such thing. Especially since the shops I frequent the most are in neighborhoods that I am pretty much always in for various reasons. How can I resist taking a little peek since I am in the area anyways?

If it is not too much to ask, may I request that maybe you stop with the delights for just a few weeks? I'll very soon live in a new place... On the days where I find myself longing for the days in Paris and seek consolation by going to a thrift store, I'd appreciate some of that thrifty magic. Quite possibly much more than I would now.

With that said...

Thanks for the shoes!

Your faithful thrifter,
Roxanne

P.S.
I pretty presume that you are all dudes, thus me referring to you as "gods" rather than "goddesses", since a woman would be much more understanding and not put me in such a situation in the first place.

As my roommate makes out like a bandit...

Right now I'm in the middle of something like a moving slump. I'm so tired of sorting and making decisions, that I just want to chuck what remains into the trash and be done with it. With less than 20 days, at times I feel like I am skirting along the lines of panic but thankfully today I've officially finished going through everything that I had stashed in odd places (i.e. the dark recesses under my bed) and what remains seems slightly more manageable. I might even start packing the first suitcase tomorrow...

All the while my roommate has (gleefully) been the recipient of my purged clothes. Being around two sizes smaller than myself, she's the ideal candidate for the stuff that does not fit or fits rather unflatteringly on myself. Like a lovely red "wiggle" dress I thrifted 2 years ago. The flimsy material hung to every lump on my body making me look along the lines of a overcooked sausage. Of course my roommate looks awesome in it but I was still sad seeing the dress go no matter how much it looked like crap on me.

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Despite getting closer to the move, I'm still thrifting. Much less actively than a few months ago but I've still been indulging myself once a week. Strangely enough, even though when I buy something at a thrift obviously I'm acquiring one more item to move, I've found it has been a good motivation to keep on purging. Finding a really cute dress that fits well gives me the motivation to let go of a few items that look less than great on me.

Besides, I'm moving from Paris to the middle-of-nowhere. Who knows what thrifting will be like in my future?

(You can click on the photo for a large version.. It might make it easier to see the patterns on my recent finds....)

I love the seemingly "random" pocket on this dress...

This came with a matching fabric belt but I think it will look better with a contrasting belt...

There are thin stripes in the two white bands and it snaps up the front... I'm sure this was supposed to be a smock of sorts but I shall wear this as a dress regardless of its original intentions.

It does not look like much on the hanger. I passed by this about 6 times before I thought "what the heck" and grabbed it.. I'm glad I did since it looks much better on than flopping around on a hanger.

The print on this vintage shirt dress totally sold me! It hangs sort of strangely on the hanger but looks quite nice on...

The dresses were 3€ each and most were found on a rack of unloved housecoats/robes... Sorry I don't have pictures of me in them. I'm not feeling particularly photogenic right now.

Thriftyness, updates, etc.

People of earth,

I'm not completely gone, I've just been ill for several days and recently got back into the swing of things. It's amazing how behind you can become on absolutely EVERYTHING after spending 5 days in bed. So I'll get back to your blogs and my own blogging soon enough!

In the meantime... I managed to sneak off to a thrift while out running errands and found a few things. While trying to capture everything, the sun was setting fast and I didn't get a chance to document the entire haul but here are three selections.

I have a obnoxiously red vintage trench already but I've been in the market for one in a more subdued color. The color of this trench that I got for 3€ is a funny one to photograph. In "regular" light it's a medium toned earthy yellow and in low light it could almost pass for more of a deep khaki color. I described it to my boyfriend as a "1970's yellow" after he was discussing painting what would be my room and me saying that I want it to be exactly the same color as the trench I just thrifted. The cut of the coat is not the grandest (it's more of a rectangle and I have a thing for more swingy shapes on my coats) but that's the beautiful thing about trenches. You can belt them so they have more shape...

The buttons are rather bland as well. So once I'm back in the US, I think I'll replace them with brown wood ones (and possibly add a brown sash as well?).


If you look at my love of plaid from a psychological point of view... It might have something to do with experiencing adolescence during the 90's. Unfortunately in retail and thrifts I generally come across plaid items that are better suited for cold weather. So it thrilled me to find this vintage cotton dress. The fabric makes it ideal for summer and I think the colors would help it be wearable during colder months (with a bit of layering).


A long time ago (and I mean 1997? 1998?) I made myself vow to a "no vintage polyester" policy. Well, it was more like a "no synthetics in general" policy. Of course on a rare occasion that rule has been broken but I'm quite proud of the fact that a huge percentage of my vintage consists of natural fabrics. With this dress I crossed the fabric boundaries and accepted this little polyester number into my wardrobe. The selling points? The neck ties into a bow! It still has it's belt!

and the real clincher...

In my still slightly ill mind, that had just spent several days bed ridden and watching VAST amounts of Star Trek, I thought "HOLY CRAP! THAT PATTERN LOOKS LIKE SPACE!". Before you run off thinking I've completely lost it, just look at the pattern. The graduated hued deep blue with the white spots could be the fabric of space littered with stars and the swirly blue bits could represent wormholes or comets or other interesting stellar bits.

and it's blue! Mr. Spock wears blue!

Knowing all that.. Not buying that dress would have been highly illogical.

Recent thrifty acquisitions

Yes, yes... I know I may be moving but who can resist a deal?

I came here with two suitcases, I plan on leaving with four. Owning only two suitcases I needed to find myself another two to use. A few weeks ago I found a rather nice leather suitcase (with keys) left outside for trash day. Which brought my suitcase total to three. This nifty number pictured here makes number 4.

This is my new favorite purse and the best purse ever!

Which once was a child's dress will now be a spiffy tunic top for me...

Belts are compact, so I feel no guilt with obtaining a few new ones..