Sweetheart's Nautical

Sweetheart’s Nautical

I thought this outfit was a whimsical combo of red, navy and white stripes, and gold! Certainly nautical—but then I decided to get a little weird and throw in the “hearted” scarf! Lots of fun. And it’s so true what they say; can’t figure out what shoes to wear? When in doubt—go nude! I tried red pumps—they were too much. Navy and black both felt strange. Nude was just right! And often when I choose nude pumps, I go with a lighter bag. This one has popped into quite a few outfit posts lately!

The other great thing about nude pumps is that they very much elongate your legs! As a woman with very thick and muscular calves (who also runs between 10-15 miles per week, which hasn’t exactly reduced my muscles), I need all the slimming power I can get!

A few elements in this outfit WEREN’T thrifted: the pumps and the heart scarf. The rest was purchased for about $7 total, including the skirt and belt ($2.50 together) which were the main “nautical” inspiration for this outfit post! The gold beaded earrings are a new favorite. You’ll see more of them in an upcoming “antiquing” jewelry special! J

A Heather-y print Sherri Lynn and Curls

Vintage Sherri Lynn

I really love this vintage print...it's heather-y, pretty reds, purples and blues, and it's comfy as heck. The bonus, of course, is that I picked it up for $1.59! I paired it with my favorite brown belt and those cognac Lei boots that I wear ALL the time (are you tired of seeing them yet?)

Also pictured is a statement ring I made, shown in my Hitting The New Year with New Purpose post and a thrifted plastic and gold bangle. No earrings with this outfit because I liked the simple flower and curls in my hair.

This is the story of my crazy curls…

I used sponge rollers--30 of them--to try and achieve this fabulous look from Love Maegan's Affro Curl Tutorial. Besides LOVING her look, I really wanted to have a super curly fro for my band, Chantron, and our next gig, which is St. Patty's day at West Side Inn in Muskegon. We are doing a 70's theme for a video we are shooting and I thought it would be perfect!

Whoops! Wrong Decade.

Instead of getting that fabulous '70s curly fro, I ended up in the wrong decade, looking like a whitebread version of Rick James in the '80s. Or like a guitarist from Cinderella. LUCKILY, a little styling and pinning with an updo took these curls from Def Leppard to a super cute hairstyle. Back to the drawing board with more (and smaller!) sponge rollers!

Hitting the new year with new purpose: Solo earring ring DIY

Look at these fabulous (and upycled vintage) rings I made!

They are so easy that you don't really even need a tutorial (in my opinion).

Here's what I did: I went to Hope's Outlet in Grand Haven and I purchased vintage clip on earrings that had lost their mate for .49 cents each! Losing one of the pair is so sad for an earring but no problem for a new life as a ring! They were all clip on or screw on, and they backings easily removed by simply bending back and forth. There was no cutting or grinding necessary. You could probably sand the bottoms down a bit if you like but I left them just as is.
The next step was to glue them to the ring blanks I bought. I purchased these ring blanks from Amazon.com.

I used hot glue. I believe hot glue or another very hard setting epoxy would be your best choice. I would not use super glue as I don't believe it would work. Fixing the earrings with jewelery wire might be another acceptable choice.

And voila! Instant statement rings that are unique, vintage, one of a kind, and just beautiful! I've already recieved many compliments on mine. I'm thinking of doing some giveaways with them. Maybe in the future I'll have a shop location where you can pick one up! You never know. ;)

Have a great Tuesday!

Who needs lunch on a lunchbreak?

Who needs a lunchbreak...When you can thrift instead? I KNOW, I'm a liar! I said I was done until Christmas! But seriously...WHO GAVE THIS AWAY??? It was $1.99.

...and then it went right into my sewing room.

Along with these Houndstooth Jones of New York bell bottom trousers. They are in my size and we'll see what they look like on but I actually bought them to make a DIY skirt with. :D

This yellow sweater vest is going to be transformed into something cute.

All of these fantastic vintage clip ons with rhinestones were .49 a piece! I have ring blanks and I'm going to be making statement rings with them. So fantastic.

Two little cuffs; two dollars. Isn't the bow festive and cute for Christmas?

Just a little costume jewelry piece but it was only 99 cents!

$17.50

Things started off on a good note with this $2 Otagiri vintage owl mug. Tea time!

This cute little vintage suitcase fit my laptop perfectly! I am a sucker for vintage suitcases. I have a huge Samsonite collection. I seriously find them impossible to pass up!

There is so much great lace and monochrome going on this season, I couldn't pass up this stretchy lace top.

When I saw this yard of super vintage polyester I had a flashback to 1979. I decided I would take it to sew a dress and I saw this in my mind:

All I did was wrap it around my dress form but now you get the picture! In all reality it looks great just gathered this way. Hmm...shall I dare make my own pattern?

This was a vintage "In The Mood" suit. It came with a matching skirt for only $1.59! You might think it looks matronly but I love this. I will rock it proper.

Vintage polyster.

Nice little vintage brooch for 99 cents!

Just some cheap little chains that I intend on doing other things with...I liked them because they were both under a dollar and very long!

Laurel Burch earrings! So adorable. They caught my eye right away. I'm posting a picture of my swans (also Laurel Burch) that I bought last year for 99 cents. I just LOVE these and I've gotten many compliments on them. Check out a bunch of fantastic vintage Laurel Burch here on Ebay, if you want to drool a bit.

Cute little pearl vintage clip-ons!

Vintage Rhinestone clip ons! $3. Your cheapo gal deliberated over this; my big purchase of the day, lol...

My friend is a registered dietitian (R.D.) and bought this pin for her. How perfect, right?

All in all it was a great thrifting day! I also bought some board games and books for my son, along with a neat children's chair!

I must admit; I've been spending about thirty dollars a week thrifting in the last month. That adds up...for a family with a modest income. I don't smoke, and I don't really drink. I also don't go out to movies or spend much of anything on entertainment. Since thrifting is my main source of clothing and household items as well, I'm justifying my habit. Please...tell me what I want to hear? Hahaha!

In lieu of my guilt, I think I'll force myself to simmer for the rest of December and save my remaining pennies for Christmas. The rest of my blog entries this month will be craft and outfits. Unless...of course...there is something too good to pass up.... :D

In the name of duck...

Say hello to my vintage dress form "Kay" again! Why is her name Kay? Well, this beautiful gem was a gift from my Uncle Bill and Aunt Gail. Uncle Bill's mother was a seamstress. Her name was Kay, and she had her name on a tag near the neck. It seemed fitting! She took wonderful care of this awesome JC Penney's piece and I just love her. She actually lives in my bedroom! So...on to the outfit of the day....

Last Wednesday I bought THE sweetest duck bag ever...for a buck. Gotta love thrift! It inspired me to put together this little outfit which collectively cost less than twenty dollars (though most of it has been in my closet for a while).

The yellow vintage dress is 1960's "City Scene" which I was lucky enough to score at an estate sale for an elderly woman while on vacation in Davis, West Virginia! It was only $3. Scoreboard. I bought an entire slew of mod and handmade dresses that day in my size. I was high for a week!

The little blue cardigan is a little vintage Gap find, it was $2.99 at Goodwill. NORMALLY I would be a little unimpressed with that price but it was just what I was looking for. See how cheap I am? I deliberate over three dollars!

The heels shown here are Jacqueline Ferrar vintage. They are actually very nice Italian leather. $1 at the most darling little vintage shop in Mackinaw city. I hope to go back and blog about that place this summer. Even though it is unseasonably warm today in west Michigan, I will likely wear brown riding boots and tights with this outfit to keep a little chill out. The heels probably go better!

Accessory is that strange (and somewhat dismantled) chain necklace I bought while thrifting on Wednesday for $1. It is missing what used to be glued inside the ornament, but I actually really like it empty. I feel like it is a frame for the fabric underneath. It works perfectly with this outfit! The belt was something I bought new at Meijer last year for around $6, I think. I love this belt. It is getting worn. I will be sad when it breaks. It pulls together so many great outfits....