Recent finds & a possible outfit . . .

I thrifted a Liz Claiborne plum knit 2 piece set yesterday (I ditched the skirt, it was kind of awful) intending to sell it, but tried it on for kicks. And now I think I'm keeping it...whoops! But now I'm having trouble styling it. Alright now be honest with me - too '80s call girl?




































Plum sweater dress with gold studs: Thrifted
Extra long black leggings: Target
Black suede shoes: Deena & Ozzy for Urban Outfitters




























And here are a couple things I've gotten lately but haven't figured out how to style yet, either. Feel free to make suggestions on what to wear this stuff with, I'm having a "fashion block" or something I guess :P!






































Sparkly knit cropped sweater from Forever21.





































Velvet floral vest, thrifted.

Bummin' Around

Cleveland Browns sweatshirt: My dad's from the '70s or '80s.
Jeans: DEB, on sale for $9!!! (They actually have an AMAZING selection of plus size jeans. Just ignore all of the terrible plastic-smelling Hoochie Homecoming dresses on the way in :P!)
Moccasins (my favorite!): Minnetonka via Zappos.

Okay, okay, I'll admit...I do have super casual, jeans-and-ratty-sweatshirt days! In fact when I'm at school is usually when I'm dressed this way, because I wake up at 8am and just want to check my e-mail, grab breakfast and go! Fashion is definitely not the first thing I consider on these mornings haha. But hey, at least I'm still wearing vintage :D?

Jeans and a W.I.P.

Here's another outfit I wore last week. The guys who sit behind me in one of my classes declared a "suit day," and after confessing that even though I'm a 22 year old grown woman and I still don't have a proper basic suit, they changed it to just dress up day. So I thought, hell, why not :P! I just realized my eyes are closed in this photo, oops...


































Jeans: Dickies, from Torrid
Black cardigan: Kohl's
Oversize white shirt: Faith21 (I bought this in 2X because my woven stuff ALWAYS shrinks, plus I wanted it to be baggy/long to possibly wear with leggings?)
What I've been referring to as the "temple necklace": Forever21
Liz Claiborne bag: Thrifted




































The next outfit is more of a work in progress...Help me decide how to finish it? :D



































Dress: Thrifted
Tights: Walmart, I think.
Heels: Thrifted
Fringe bag of my dreams: H&M



































SO...this dress. I actually love it, but it DOES border on matronly/drapes you had in 1985. I think this outfit is O.K. by itself, but I'm thinking about adding a fur vest to give it some more youthful vibes. Like this one:























Forever21, $24.80. (They have EVERYTHING, don't they?)

Yay, nay? Any other suggestions...???

P.S. I actually wear jeans 95% of the time when I'm at school and such, so it's weird that they don't show up here more often! I think I'm going to do more of an "everyday/super casual" post sometime this week if you're curious, so stay tuned!

Going Out!

So sorry to have disappeared for awhile there! But, good news! I quit the job I hated and now I'm looking for a new one, and thus more time for blogging and school and such :D. So basically, I have a million ideas for new posts. The first thing I wanted to do was show you two outfits I've worn while I was away :)
































Romper: Traded with Claire of Mamushka Marie. THANK YOU, I adore this :D!
Tights: Walmart...maybe?
Ballet flats: Some department store, years ago.
Little black bag: Thrifted
Cameo necklace: Gift from Bettie a few years ago.



I wore this a few weeks ago to visit Bettie in Akron and drink beer and play charades all night. Fun!
































Leopard dress: Thrifted
Dotted tights: Nordstrom's (they have these in plus size for $10 there!)
Buckle booties: Thrifted
Little black bag: Liz Claiborne, thrifted
Black cloth belt: Thrifted

One of my favorite outfits ever I think! I wore this last weekend to Columbus to see Gil Mantera's Party Dream.



























I'm actually pretty obsessed with these boots, I wear them with 90% of my outfits these days. They're super comfy, too! I also wore a black cardigan with both of these that isn't pictured. It's pretty chilly these days so I think I'm in the market for a new black coat, too!

Anyway, I hope everyone is doing well :). Things to come: Etsy seller giveaway, the shop update I keep putting off, recent finds, two new outfits, and more!

P.S. I don't know if you can tell, but I've also found a nice red lipstick I was looking so hard for. It's a nice soft, non-scary red by MAC called Hot Tahiti. I'm so happy to have found the dotted tights in my size, too :)!

What I've Been Wearing...

Grey ribbed sweater: Kohl's
Toucan sun dress: Thrifted
Teal flats: H&M
Cream bag: Coach, thrifted

(Close ups of the shoes and bag can be found in previous posts.)





































Black top: JC Penney
Jewel tone floral skirt: Thrifted
Teal cloth belt: Thrifted
Leopard print flats: Target

My So-Called Inspiration

I love the '90s. It's one of the eras I grew up in, so naturally I'm nostalgic, right?! If I haven't mentioned it before, I also love TV shows. They're like...one long, complicated movie :O So obviously, TV show + the '90s = YES! Recently I have discovered My So-Called Life, and can't get enough. Before this, I was obsessed with Dawson's Creek. Then there's Boy Meets World, Fresh Prince, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (still working on this one!), Friends, Seinfield...even Sex & the City started in the 1990's.





































Deep green dress: Thrifted
Caramel booties: Thrifted
Transparent black tights: Thrifted
Floral carpet bag: Vintage, Chelsea's.

(Sorry for the awkward pose, it was raining a bit so I was trying to hurry!)






















































Not to mention movies like 10 Things I Hate About You, Clueless, Jawbreaker...I mean seriously, it's good stuff xD! Angsty teen mallrats, cute wholesome boys, high school drama...And don't get me started about what's on my Ipod (Violent Femmes, The Cranberries, oh my!). Okay, I will shut up haha. But the point is that it inspired me to try to put together a '90s-ish outfit. I could have done a big plaid shirt, Doc Martens, etc, but I was trying not to look costumey! I know it could use some accessories, but I'm at a loss when it comes to that stuff. Anyway, I'm going to try to do a Fat Love Friday post tomorrow, but I have school and work all weekend, so we'll see how it goes. On that note, thanks for putting up with my sporadic posting <3!

A Spoonful of Sugar

Vintage dress: Livejournal sale
Teal bow flats: H&M
Cream knit cardigan: Kohl's (shouldn't sweaters be out by now!? They were so hard to find :O)
Vintage taupe bag: Coach, thrifted

Finally an outfit post, yeesh! I wore this to go see Mary Poppins on Broadway with my mom and sister the other night :) I haven't been to many shows, so it's always such a special occasion to get dressed up to go. If you haven't seen it, you really should! I must have seen the Disney version about a million times and I really enjoyed the stage adaptation. Though I can't help but be nostalgic and favor the movie! It was a particularly educational gig for me, too, because we made sure to go the signed performance so I could see the ASL interpretation :D Which just added to the experience!

Here was by far my favorite part of the performance, and then the second is the original 1964 version. Enjoy!

A true Libra...

Vintage purple gingham dress: Chelsea's on W116th Lakewood, OH.
Big decorated straw bag: thrifted
White woven flats: thrifted

True to my astrological sign, I am the indecisive Libra :P I bought this dress at one of my favorite vintage stores. I don't want to give away too much about it, because when I get around to it I'm going to dedicate an entire post to Chelsea's. I'm planning an Etsy update with larger sizes probably late this week or early next (regular update tonight or tomorrow!) and this is one I'm thinking about putting into the shop...It's a bit tight in the bust, but my mom says she could take out the darts and it would be fine. It's also a liiitttllee more sheer than I usually like (and honestly, I hate to fuss with slips and all that :P!) but it's so perfect for summer... Thoughts?




























I have so many wonderful things to post about this week, so expect a bit of an overload of posts! Last night I didn't go to bed until 6am working on things for the blog + shop, and while I'm a night owl, I was a bit groggy all day and don't think I'll be doing that again anytime soon...Wish I could commit to a decent sleep schedule, sheesh!

































I'm definitely keeping the straw bag though! It's really roomy, and I can't stand a tiny purse - so into the collection it goes! Anyway, be seein' ya!

Daily Outfit x 2!

Left:
"Mermaid" dress: Thrifted and shortened
Black crossbody bag: Etsy (sorry, you'll be seeing this one a lot!)
Sandals: Saltwater sandals (I'm livin' in these babies!)

Right:
"Science" dress: Thrifted and altered (hemmed and made into short sleeves)
Pink kisslock purse: Childhood remnant
Maroon tights: WeLoveColors
Studded ballet slippers: DIY























Couple of notes! The little pink bag I've had since I was little. I've almost gotten rid of it so many times now, but could never part with it :P The left I wore to go see Harry Potter, and the left I wore around the house and to the store after work today. The tights are definitely my favorite element of the outfit, I was so glad it was cool enough to wear them today! WeLoveColors are the only tights I really buy, to be honest with you. They're so soft and durable and it was so nice to be able to choose from such a large variety of sizes and colors. These ones are a mouth-watering raspberry color (called "Maroon" on their color chart). Plan on seeing their tights here a lot! (And don't miss out on a chance to win some in the giveaway!)

The plum/red dress actually has darling gold buttons with atoms on them! That's why I've been referring to it as the science dress :P My camera is acting up lately, especially with up close shots, so I think I need to read the manual to fix that! It was really matronly too before I had it hemmed and the long sleeves turned into short ones. Like I said before, I hate sewing, so I was happy to swap favors with a neighbor lady! I made her business cards in exchange for the alterations :).

Anyway, a quick post today! I'm working this weekend and I have a mountain of homework, ick. I'm still going to do Fat Love Friday (I've got two wonderful chickies picked out!), but it'll have to be posted tomorrow. Gah, I was never very good with deadlines...

Brooklyn Rehab

Black tee: American Apparel
Colorful ethnic skirt: thrifted
Wooden key necklace: Brooklyn Rehab on etsy
Sandals: Saltwater Sandals






























I wore this outfit last week sometime, just thrifting and out about, the usual stuff. My favorite part of this outfit though is definitely my new wooden key necklace from Etsy seller Brooklyn Rehab. It goes with just about everything in my closet and is beautifully handcrafted. I have a thing for keys for some reason. I have a tiny sterling silver one on a chain that I wear sometimes too. Everyone always asks me, "aww is that the key to your heart!?" And I'm like, eek...naahh, I just um, like keys...? Haha I wish there was a more sentimental reason!


























As a vintage clothing lover, it's natural that I love just about anything aged. I also am starting to have more of a rustic, primitive taste, and Alyssa's shop really suits my style! You can find anything from ceramic mushrooms to delicate doilies and I highly suggest you visit!






































(Not to mention the adorable packaging it came in, which is delightful! You'll just have to buy something to see what the fuss is about I guess xD! In fact, if you purchase any jewelry, enter the code "Friends of Mars" for a 15% discount! Just jewelery though, remember!)

And check out her blog if you can't get enough! (Like me :D)

Surviving First Love

'70s Coral floral dress: thrifted
Caramel cut out heels: thrifted
Matching H&M bag: thrifted
First Love brooch: Lee Meszaros

Ok so first of all, I know it isn't nice to play favorites with your dresses, they're practically children! But...if I had to choose. I think coral is a flattering color on EVERYONE, and even though it makes me a little monotonous and predictable - I love florals! And of course an elastic waist is a chubby gal's best friend. So...here she is, in all her coral, floral glory.

I wore this to observe a (painfully!) early morning high school math course for my college course I'm taking this summer. Let's just say I'm not a morning person, nor a math person. Trying to be an optimist though - free lesson reviews? At any rate I wanted to look modest/simple for this occasion. I've decided this is all there is for me for "business casual" from now on. Dress pants, crisp blouses - such a drag! So I'm making an effort to make sure I never have to wear that stuff again :P!




































As for the pin - yes, let's talk about the pin! Kindly given to me by Lee Meszaros, which by the way you have ONE day left to enter her contest, girlies! I really had a special reason for choosing this particular merit badge. It is for "surviving first love," and let me tell you - I freakin' earned this thing! I dated my first boyfriend on and off all through high school and even a bit after. It was actually a very retro (is that the right word?) romance. We met at the yearly city carnival and I had my first kiss in front of the lemonade stand.

Almost right away (he was a senior, I a sophomore) he joined the military. It was sad, but looking back I find the letter writing and "distance makes the heart grow fonder" stuff naive and sweet.

Unfortunately he turned out to be a cheating scoundrel of a thing and I'm happy to think about him only as a memory :P To this day I find myself amazed that my first love is over! And with age comes wisdom in these matters...mostly.


























Oh, and I'm so excited to tell you that Aya has been sweet enough to honor my blog with an award! I was very flattered to have my name among some of my favorite bloggers that she also awarded! Thanks a million, doll ^_^!












So I will pass this on to a few blogs I adore: Left Hand Endeavor, Thrift Candy, and Mamushka Marie. Yay, go forth and be awarded and stuff xD!

Garden Love & Luck

Clover print dress: thrifted
Leather faded color block purse: Wilson's, thrifted
Nude netted wedges: Naturalizer, thrifted

I'm not that crazy about this outfit unfortunately :P But it's been so hot lately and I was determined to get out of my cutoffs and tshirts, and the only other garment that was going to stand up to the heat was this breezy dress. I thrifted it the other day when the boyfriend and I went to a new thrift store (which is amazing in itself, since he usually hates shopping!). I wore this to my work to take my boss a farewell gift and wish him luck. Hopefully the clovers wore off on him! He was great, I'll really miss him!





































The wedges I'm pretty excited about, considering they are a Wide size, which is hard to come by! Plus I'm pretty obsessed with nude shoes right now.






















































The new Salvation Army we found definitely climbed to the top of my list because I found a ton of really great shoes! I spent a lot of the afternoon photographing them today, so expect them to trickle into the shop this weekend and early next week. While I was taking pictures, I snapped a few shots of some of our garden. My parents collect turtle statues, some sort of romantic thing between the two of them? Which I think is pretty corny, but very, very sweet.
























































































I've decided to try my luck on Ebay, and perhaps shift a few things from Etsy to there eventually as an experiment. But for the moment I'm giving it a try with my favorite find of the shoe haul. The listing is up and ready to go, so bid before they're gone ;)! Click to view the listing!






























P.S. Does anyone have trouble viewing my blog? I looked at it on a different computer and it's all out of alignment and such...help ; ;!?

P.P.S. Only a few more days left for the Lee Meszaros giveaway! Hurry and enter before it's over!

Girl of a Different Color

'80s Blue roses dress: thrifted
Cherry saddle bag: thrifted
Crazy '80s patchwork heels: thrifted
Gold bow + chain earrings: handmade, gift.

I told you I was feeling inspired by the ladies I posted about on Friday :D! It was really warm today (okay, only about 80 something, but for us northern folk that's pretty hot after 6 months or so of cold!) and I was really digging bright sunny colors. Last week I posted about how I was going garage sale-ing, but unfortunately they ended up being mostly baby clothes, stuffed animals, and knick knacks. Don't you hate that? Ah well. It's kind of interesting going through peoples' things though, one guy's sale told me he was a little dirty (huge Playboy collection), Pro-Life (pin badges), and a veteran (military wares). I was a little embarrassed sorting through his things!

So after I gave up on those, I headed to my trusty thrift store and found this outfit (except the bag, which I thrifted a couple months ago a few miles east of here). I was really trying to do something different so I hope it turned out okay!

It's so weird, the 1980's are probably my least favorite decade as far as fashion goes, but somehow my latest closet additions are all from that era! Tis a mystery... I also wore an '80s skirt the other night for a friend's birthday dinner, but it rained practically a monsoon and I was in a hurry so I will try to recreate it and post it here later in the week :).

I was also sushi-crazed this weekend! So much so that I had it twice. One of my favorite things to do is sit in a quiet sushi restaraunt and read a nice girly, smut novel (aka the Charlaine Harris series). The first plate is from a place called Sumo Boy. It's pretty cheap and the service is excellent! I just tried the second one today at a joint called Young's, and if I may be so bold, should tell you it is the best on Earth. I ate it while I sat through a huge traffic jam and was happy as a clam!
























































Yum! Anyway, happy Monday, hope you all have a great week!

Girly & Thrifty

80s Country Club-esque dress: Thrifted
Vintage straw bag: Thrifted
Dusty pink flats: Thrifted
Gold locket: Ebay

Gosh, I don't know what happened to today! I meant to put another load of things into the store but somehow the day got away from me. After I ran my errands, I went to my favorite Salvos (I may just dedicate an entire post to this shop, it's a treasure trove!) and thrifted this outfit. I feel a little charity brunch and church girl in this but it was one of the warmest days we've had in June so far so I decided to just go with the girlie-ness.

Our first rose of the year!

After thrifting I came home and went on a bike ride with my mom down to this little field in our neighborhood to feed the deer. Usually they're clustered around there at dusk, but they weren't out today so we just left them the apples we brought (I might've been a little too scared if they were close anyway!)



The thrifting fairies must have been with me today (haha sorry that's a dorky habit, this constant mention of "the thrift fairy" or "the gas prices fairy" etc!) because I found three pairs of shoes :D! Which is awesome because my shoe collection is really quite pathetic these days. The gray ones are the only vintage (and they have little heels! the other two are flats) and the brand is called "Outdorables," how cute is that?

And lastly, this adorable straw bag! I was going to put it into the shop (sorry x_x!) but amazingly it fit all of my necessities. I've no idea what era it's from, so if you know I'm really quite curious!

Anyway, not much else to tell you about except to expect a shop update in the next day or two. Speaking of Etsy, there is a dress in Anja's shop that she's supposed to put in there soon, and I'm watching for it like a hawk, praying it's in my size! If it is, I can't wait to get it and show it to you :D! Wish me luck!