Look what I found (a few weeks ago)...

AWE. JUNIE. That's not a NEW find. (The kitty). He was a little baby kitten stray we took in back in June, and he's the type of cat who doesn't wait to be cuddled...he will pet YOU. I'm actually talking about the cute vintage Dooney & Bourke bag I found at Goodwill a few weeks back! It is a "doctor's" style bag and I love it! This entire outfit was thrifted, with the exception of my knit cap and shirt, for around 12 dollars. YEP, I'm wearing that black skirt again...it's been getting an extreme amount of play lately!

Kicking around in the leaves...

Looking to pick up a vintage Dooney & Bourke doctor's satchel? Check out these Ebay finds...though you'll pay more than I did.... ;)

Wild Thang at Fat Chix

 WILD THANG AT FAT CHIX

This morning I stopped in to Fat Chix Coffee Cantina in Grand Haven, Michigan. If the coffee doesn't wake you up...the decor certainly will!  What a fun little place on Beachtree street.  The coffee is moderately priced and of good quality, and the ambience of the place is quirky, down to earth and completely sub-pretentious. 

It almost seems unfair to shoot in black and white there.

I love the "pay yourself, make your own change" vibe on the everyday coffee counter. There are goodies of all kinds stacked literally from wall to wall; from gourmet sauces and Trader Joe's odds and ends to sweet rolls! Speaking of sweet, this precious guy was checking me out this morning as I hauled my tripod to and fro. I never did catch his name.

This outfit was 100% thrifted! The black skirt is something I've been favoring alot lately. It's just SO great with busy prints of every color, and it's a flattering cut for me! The tiger print mock turtleneck was a Hope's Outlet find this week for $1.49, and I'm loving the black microsuede wedges I bought at Goodwill for $6 brand new. They were a clearance item from Target (Merona). This wonderful little color block suede vintage clutch was from St. Vincent DePaul's, averaging at 15 cents from a recent "bag sale" score.

One of my favorite things about being out and about for outfit/thrifting posts are the locals I get to chat with. People are so responsive and friendly in this area. If I could only remember to keep large stacks of business cards with me, everywhere I go...

It's kind of fun to do your bracelets OVER the sleeves sometimes. I do get a little OCD on occasion though, when trying to "push my sleeves up" for everyday tasks.  Having something constricted there can push me into a freakout. Haha!

Hope your weekend is off to a great start! If you find yourself in need of a little shock therapy tomorrow morning, try Fat Chix in Grand Haven. Keeps the old eyeballs open!

Fifteen Cent Jacket: The "No cut" Blazer Alteration/Tailor

My altered, tailored version! Cute, right?

FIFTEEN CENT JACKET: The “No Cut” Blazer Alteration/Tailor

This is the adorable dark floral blazer that I thrifted at St. Vincent DePaul's in Muskegon yesterday for fifteen cents! I loved the pattern. It was one of those vintage blazers made from very light synthetic material, and though it fit me "in general" (imagine me using air quotes) it didn't come to me in the cute, shape flattering way that you see it above! BUT...that is why I'm sharing my 40 minute transformation with you. And let it be known that I am NOT a perfectionist nor a master when it comes to sewing...though I am clever, and I look good sitting at my machine. (Haha!)

What you'll need: a jacket and a sewing machine. Maybe some buttons! You could even hand sew this project; but I'm too lazy for that. 

Once upon a time...

The blazer looked like this: (Kind of droopy, oversized, hanging straight on the sides and the back. I thought, "Maybe I can belt it?" But I knew it wouldn't flatter my figure much. Still, I liked the floral, and I thought, at fifteen cents, even if made a mistake...what would be the harm???)

I pinned everywhere that I planned on hemming first (I shortened the entire jacket, brought the shoulders in, AND brought the sides in a touch) and actually tried the garment on BEFORE I started sewing. Oh, aren't you PROUD of me? How utterly RESPONSIBLE!!! Honestly, the pinning was easy and quick. Painless...with the exception of one nasty finger poke. Dangit.

Once I had sewn the hem up the middle of the back and adjusted the shoulders, I actually flipped the garment inside out and drew on where my gathers would be in accordance to the "spine" seam going up the back. Those were the guides I followed when sewing it--didn't pin that part. 

I created this snazzy little picture so you could see exactly where I made alterations! After I had shortened the jacket, brought in the shoulders, and added gathers to the back (all without cutting) I brought the button location up a little higher and added two new matching buttons. On one side, I sewed an elastic loop on, so that the loop would wrap around the opposing button to close the jacket. Just a little minor "touch" but I like the re-design! 

And voila! What great results! This shorter, better fitting jacket not only hugs my curves much better, but it has some neat detail in the back and is SO much more flattering at a cropped length. This is the most satisfyingly simple and successful alteration I think I've ever done!!!

                     I love the way the gathers look. Very flattering!

Of course, if you had a lot of excess material after performing the inner hem and shortening of overall length, you could always trim it away...but my advice would be to find something that "generally" (there's those air quotes again) fits you, and play around! That's just what I did and hey--if you use a thrifted jacket, you can't really lose...


Have fun! Don't forget to stop by my Facebook page and let me know if you've tried this or if you have questions/comments! Happy Tuesday!

What I wore: Lumber Baron's Ball Coverage!

Coffee from my favorite mug! It's what I do before I go anywhere...power up. 

WHAT I WORE: Coverage from the Lumber Baron’s Ball

I've been talking about it non-stop this week...and it finally came!

Saturday night was so enjoyable! I loved seeing everyone dressed up from the WWII era/1940's. The ambiance and decor was beautiful at Watermark--what a wonderful job staff did creating a perfect atmosphere for what was hopefully a very fruitful evening of fundraising for the museum!

One of my highlights for the evening was meeting a couple--Marty and Orville. Marty hadn't recognized me when I arrived, but knew my blog--and mentioned that I had "dressed her for the event" with my tips. It's always great to know I'm reaching people with my blog!

For those of you who don't follow me on Instagram (do it!!!), I leaked a few photos of my progress Friday-Saturday, here: Makeup/Hair, Shoes and Hat.

For the rest of my look, I did very defined brows with a bright cherry lipstick, basic black liner, and my hair done in victory rolls and pin curls set against a black afternoon hat. I had some netting in the back wrapping over a tucked "roll" that pinned the rest of my hair up, similiar to the "snood" style.  My look was a basic black cocktail dress, red blouse tied and adorned high wasted, and a fur and black gloves (with my "Blinged Out Mock Cufflinks", no less) and my saucy, low budge add-in: the tiger print purse! Oh yes, I would have been a cheap, costume-jewelry adorned girl back then, too...mark my words. :)

Check out the Youtube video below for a video with my evening highlights!

Also see my photo album from the ball on my Facebook page! (Click here!) Think you might be in some of them? Better get over there and start tagging...

Hair for the Lumber Baron's Ball

Hair for the Lumber Baron’s Ball!

It's almost time for the Lumber Baron's Ball! (If you missed my previous posts check them out here and here).  I'm so excited!  I thought I would include readers today and ask everyone: Which of the 1940's style hairdos with a hat is your favorite? I think I'm leaning towards style number two as I have a LOT of long hair...I'm thinking it would be easier to pin it all back! 

I'm showing you hairstyles with hats because I do have a hat to wear--in fact, my hat is almost completely identical to the one shown in hairstyle number five, below! Though long waves were very chic for the 1940s, I am going to be doing at least a partial updo with my hat. (Look for more sneak peaks of my outfit tonight on my Instagram channel as I get things ready for tomorrow!)

So, what do you think? Which hairstyle is your favorite? Leave a comment here or on my Facebook page...I've set up a thread there as well!

Have a great Friday...the weekend is here, yay!

1.2.

3.4.

5.

Photo Credits: Obviously, the above photos do not belong to me! Many of them I had collected in a folder from a Google search I did a while ago. However, number 4 and 5 came from an adorable Vintage blog,  www.SuperKawaiiMama.com! Check it out!

EXCITING NEWS! But I need your help...

I’M PUTTING TOGETHER A FASHION SHOW!

And I couldn't be more excited about it! As the flyer suggests, it is going to be at Watermark 920 on December 8th, 2012. It is also doubling as a clothes drive! But here's where I need your help:

In order to reach more people with our event, and collect more clothes for the clothes drive, we've applied for a Love Note Grant from the Muskegon Community Foundation!

Our proposal is in the running for this grant and the voting system is easy: All you have to do is "like" our picture on Facebook!

CAN YOU HELP?

SIMPLY CLICK THIS LINK AND "LIKE" OUR PICTURE!

If you have time, check out the promotional video below featuring yours truly. And for extra credit points (please with a cherry on top!) share the link on your own FB page!

 I can't wait to share more with you regarding this event...it's going to be amazing! As always, thanks for reading...and have a beautiful Thursday!

Give the plaid to me.

Plaid button up purchased last week at Goodwill in Norton Shores, Michigan for $2.99

I’VE LITERALLY BEEN WAITING ALL SUMMER

...For plaid. I know, I know...you can do plaid all year round. But I'm not talking about light plaids, cool plaids, thin plaids with shorts...

I'm talking about heavy plaids...warm plaids...layered plaids...blazered plaids...plaids that smell of woodsmoke and keep you toasty on cool October mornings; plaids that take a few apple cider spills with no problem...plaids that layer with tweeds, boots, and knit caps.

IT'S HERE. FINALLY. PLAID SEASON.

Check out the Pinterest board I've made this morning in celebration. I can't wait to try some of these looks myself and I'm on the hunt for a few choice thrifted items; namely...some plaid pants! Happy pinning!

THRIFT TRICK ON PINTEREST: LOVE PLAID

Some of my favorite pins:

Check out the board to see more...and all of the image/link credits, of course!