Love Triangles: Outfit and Jewelry Giveaway #1!

It’s the first Thrift Trick Maydays

jewelry giveaway post!

Notice the vintage red choker I am wearing in the photo above. It is also pictured with the accessories below, and you can see it in most of the outfit shots. I am giving this necklace away to one lucky reader this Friday! Read on for instructions. :)

I really, really, really love this vintage 80's triangle print dress. It is so fun and colorful. I have such a love affair with primary colored prints....

I thought the outfit worked really well with tan and nude accessories, so I threw this handbag in!

Nude pumps! But...

After I while I relaxed with bright red flats. :)

HERE's HOW TO WIN:

Answer this question in a comment below! (Anyone who comments is entered--you don't have to get the question right! )

I'm wearing only two items in my entire ensemble that AREN'T thrifted. Post a comment below and make a guess...and no matter if your answer is right or wrong, you'll be entered in a random drawing to win the vintage red costume jewelry (choker) that I am wearing above!

IMPORTANT: Make sure you stay up to date with me here at www.ThriftTrick.com and also on the Thrift Trick Facebook page, as I will be announcing winners in both of those places!

Good luck, and thanks for reading the blog! Stay with me in May for more (totally effortless!) jewelry giveaways!

16 ways...Scarf Tutorial #1...Upcycled Necklace

16 Ways to Style a (vintage!) Scarf: Tutorial #1

Upcycled Necklace

Looking for a fun way to wear a vintage scarf? Try this out!

Materials needed:

1) One vintage scarf (the featured scarf is from Hope's Outlet on Glade St. in Muskegon, Michigan!)

2) Old string of beads of any size (though I used large, Mardi Gras style which I think worked nicely--and smaller is more work. You also might need to thin your fabric a bit the smaller you go.)

3) Scissors to trim beads

4) Needle and thread (whatever color you prefer, though color matching is nice!)

I trimmed my beads so that the length was where I wanted it to appear on my chest!

You could do whatever length you like!

I centered the bead strip in my vintage scarf, and folded it in!

Then I took a needle and thread, and starting just before the first bead, I inserted the thread, and tied a loop around the fabric. After the first loop, I inserted the needle in and slid it under the fabric to the next gap between beads (so that the thread wouldn't show over the top of the beaded area). I then tied a loop and continued this process until I came all the way to the end of the bead segment!

Once the beads were all covered and the ends were tied, I simply used the loose ends as the "tie" for my necklace, fixing it around the neck with a simple bow. The entire process took about twenty minutes, and I love the result; funky, vintage and not even permanent, as you could easily snip the threads and "reclaim" your vintage scarf once more for another styling!

Do you want this necklace, for free?

Simply stop by Hope’s Outlet in

Grand Haven, MI!

This necklace will be available on Monday, April 30th after 1 p.m.! It's a first come, first serve giveaway! All you have to do is stop by Hope's Outlet thrift store in Grand Haven, MI at 1100 Washington Street and go to the front counter. Let the cashier know that you are from Thrift Trick and the "#1 Tutorial" and this handmade necklace from yours truly can make it's way into your hot little hands!

See you soon for an outfit post!

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Hope's Outlet Thrift Stores are located at:

2424 Glade St., Muskegon, MI 49444

1974 E Sherman Blvd, Muskegon, MI 49444

1100 Washington Ave, Grand Haven, MI 49417

Find Hope's Outlet on Facebook!

Introducing...Sixteen Ways to Style A (Vintage) Scarf!

Introducing…

Sixteen Ways to Style a (vintage!) Scarf!

I'm so excited to announce this new fun series that will begin this weekend and coincide with my Maydays jewelry giveways. It's going to be a blast! What's it all about? Well you've probably guessed from the title, but here's the skinny on the scarves (plus a surprise!):

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* I couldn't be more pleased about the series sponsor, Hope's Outlet Ministries Thrift Stores! It's no secret that Hope's is one of my favorite thrift stores. With three large locations in Muskegon and Grand Haven, MI, you're bound to find something fabulous for the lowest price around. I'm pleased to be working with Hope's to bring you some fabulous vintage scarves in this new series.

* It's a give-a-way! ALL of the scarves featured in my blog will be given away, on site, at one of 3 Hope's Outlet Locations locally. It's a first come, first serve basis! Once a blog is posted, the featured scarf will be available at a Hope's location in Muskegon or Grand Haven (I will specify for readers which). A special phrase will be included in each series post, and all the winner will need to do is show up at the location, and "give the magic word", thus winning the featured scarf all for themselves!

* Get ready for some fresh, new ideas for your vintage scarves. I can't wait to share this series with you. See you Saturday!

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Hope's Outlet Thrift Stores are located at:

2424 Glade St., Muskegon, MI 49444

1974 E Sherman Blvd, Muskegon, MI 49444

1100 Washington Ave, Grand Haven, MI 49417

Find Hope's Outlet on Facebook!

Thrift With Purpose: Your wish list

I threw away over 20 magazines this weekend.

Honestly, it was only about a third of what is laying around my house. I know--it's terrible, right? In my defense, this is what happens when I go to throw out a magazine: I get cold sweats. What if there is an outfit I like in there that I want to reference again? Or a recipe?"

This weekend, I pushed the panic down in lieu of de-cluttering, and finally broke out the scissors, clipping all of my favorite outfits, articles, photography ideas, and more. I put all of them into a shoe box which is currently about 1/3 of the way full. Barely an inch in height--that is what 20 magazines were reduced to over a course of the weekend! Each day I'll add a few more until my paper clutter is gone. My new goal is to do this once a month when new subscriptions come, to keep the old in check. Perhaps some day I'll even get more determined and scan my clippings to store digitally--but for now, I like being able to take them out and sort them by hand.

As I waded through the glossy pages of fashion, homemaking and perfume samples (check out fun ways to use them here) in my daunting paper stacks, I added a few things to my Thrift Wish List.

This is the list I keep of basic items that I'm on the lookout for. It helps keep me centered and SOMETIMES it prevents me from buying things that aren't on my list, or things I don't NEED MORE OF. I am only human, however. Haha!

I highly suggest that you make a list for yourself--particularly if you're not quite sure where to start with thrifting (especially for fashion). It's fun to add things and even more satisfying when you cross an item off (and knowing you did it for a few dollars is seriously awesome).

Here's what my wish list looked like this weekend when I went thrifting:

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Thrift Wish List

-Flattering white dress shirt

-White shirt dress (or a similar cut)

-Peach or seafoam shirt dress for spring

-cognac riding boots

-professional hairdryer

-Marushkas (always!)

-red blazer

-navy blazer

-wide leg jean

-strappy high heel sandal

-structured dark brown bag

-new wallet

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Making Progress! (Resources here...)

Once an item has been on my list for a long time with no success, I may move to buying it new somewhere. As you can see, I found a few things I was looking for this weekend! I couldn't resists a few other extra items at

St. Vincent De Paul's (located on 1338 Wood street in Muskegon) and Valueland (located on 525 W. Sherman in Muskegon).

St. Vincent's had many cute summer shoes available for two dollars each, and you should check out their bag sales on Tuesdays and Saturdays! I bought 3 dresses, 3 blazers and a navy suit on Saturday for FOUR DOLLARS. Awesome!

Valueland also recieved high marks on Saturday for a nice barrage of adorable vintage dresses. If you hit the right "tag" sale day, you might win the item half off! They also have other days that are half off all tags. I believe it is Tuesday but perhaps someone will comment and clarify. :)

So there you have it! Try thrifting with a list for more purpose, and bring a bag of items you no longer wear to donate with you! It's the circle of life....

And speaking of circles, in parting I share with you my awesome vinyl collection and vintage turntable. I enjoyed rummaging through the stacks of my long forgotten (but oh-so-juicy) record collection. Nod to Nancy Sinatra for the awesome stripes and red outfit she's rocking...

May Days Jewelry Giveaway!

An Entire Month of Giveaways!

I'm excited to announce a full month of costume and vintage jewelry giveaways! Due to my good fortune from a recent gift and just for the sheer fun and "pay it forward" enjoyability of it, I've decided to give away jewelry pieces all throughout the month of May!

Here's How It Will Work:

Every outfit post in May will incorporate one fun item of costume and/or vintage jewelry as a giveaway prize!

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--You can win the designated item by leaving a comment on my blog answering the question that will be at the bottom of the post.

--Whoever enters within a 2 day period will be receive a number corresponding to the order of their post.

--I will use a random number generator to pick a winner.

--I will notify winners and mail out jewelry prizes!

_____________________________________________________

It should be tons of fun. I hope to see you here and playing along! I may even kick things off early! :)

Hounds tooth and Purple Rain

Houndstooth and Purple Rain

OK, so it was just houndstooth and purple NAIL POLISH, but it was raining out this morning. It's been a little gloomy in Michigan the past week or so, with intermittent sunshine. This morning was no exception, and after a huge gust of wind almost taking out the kit lens on my camera (the edge broke off, but the glass was in tact!) I haven't been risking outdoor shooting with my tripod!

It's probably a bit of a blessing in disguise because, with final projects and exams liquefying my brain this week and next, I can BARELY find time to dress myself, and that's the truth! That said, I felt like sharing the fun combination of this houndstooth blazer with purple nails and toes!

For the record, I'm a huge Prince fan...

Houndstooth is something you can find ALL over the place in terms of thrifting; it seems to add punch to just about everything you pair it with. (And it mixes well with other prints, like the tank I wore under it today).

My entire outfit with the exception of the necklace (seen in this casual post )

was thrifted!

See you tomorrow for jewelry

give-a-way news!

Family Treasures and giveaway plans!

It’s in the family…

A love for vintage and kitschy treasures, that is. :) And I am so blessed to have such wonderfully generous family. I'm thrilled to see so many of them reading my blog, and my aunts and uncles especially are always so giving to me. It's one of the things I absolutely love about my family, and that's nothing new!

My uncle Patrick and Aunt Theresa are, by trade, "pickers"! They've always enjoyed hunting for all sorts of items and reselling. In fact, several of my favorite things are gifts from Uncle Patrick and Aunt Theresa, including fabulous art deco vases, a vintage Singer sewing machine, and more! I know, I know...I'm lucky! And you may want to stop reading now if you're prone to jealousy, because I'm about to talk about the GIANT TUB of costume and vintage jewelry my aunt and uncle brought to me at our last family get together for Easter.

Naturally, I was stunned. I couldn't wait to check it out! I won't be hoarding all of it to myself, so before you write me off as a glutton, please enjoy the pictures and check out my plans for some of this wonderful stuff below!

First things first; that wonderful homemade jewelry cleaner!

I went ahead and made a big batch right in my kitchen sink! Did you catch the blog post where I shared the recipe? I highly recommend it...check it out here! Jewelry Cleaner Recipe

So many interesting pieces shined right up...

These patches are so fun. Uncle Patrick is French and his mother (to whom much of this jewelry belonged to) is as well. There were some little French treasures here and there and though I'm not sure where they came from (France or U.S.A.) it still made me smile.

One of my favorite highlights: vintage rhinestone buttons!

Can't deny the power of the unicorn...

The little parrot pin was my favorite!

So what do I have up my sleeve?

Well, the sheer amount of jewelry I was gifted made me realize I really was looking forward to giving some away as gifts, creating new DIY items, and doing some fun jewelry give-a-ways for next month! You can expect to see some colorful and creative things coming for summer but I'll officially announce my "MayDays" jewelry giveaway plans this week! My mantra is "pay it forward"...

Thanks so much Uncle Patrick and Aunt Theresa, and to all of my family who has so generously given me things over the years. I love you!

Have a great day!

Daytrippin'...

Daytrippin’…

It’s so fashionable when you have a vintage Samsonite suitcase! This beige patterned luggage was the perfect size for my one night stay a few hours south for Easter. What a lovely time I had! I was “off the grid” all weekend, as all of the relatives I visited on my day trips were outside of cell service and had no internet! It was a welcome break. I also scored some awesome treasures (more on that later). The little beige cloche hat and suitcase went so well together with this ruffled shirt dress (thrifted for $1.59) that I paired with a Gap grey pinstripe suit vest (a gift that was clearanced for a few dollars!), black cropped Gap cardigan (also thrifted for less than $2), tights, granny boots and vintage bracelets and watch. I like the ideas of grey, tan and black together. When combined with the suitcase, it was such an old-fashioned and classic look.

Casual: Rolled jeans, aqua and black!

Casual: Black, Aqua and Rolled Jeans!

Here's something new to try if you haven't done it...wear a necklace over a buttoned,collared shirt. It works especially well, in my opinion, with big pieces or layered pieces. I love the way it looks with a tightly buttoned collar, like this wild look from Marc Jacobs. Equally fantastic is this collar piece that echoes the lines of the white dress shirt worn. Normally, dress shirts feel somewhat stuffy to me when they are done up all the way, but I love this ornamental and sassy embellishment. Try it out!

My aqua bag ($8) and the black beaded necklace ($3) were from Family Dollar Stores. Great deal, right?

The rest of my outfit was thrifted--of course. :)

The black is a little dark for Spring, I know...but I do love the way it looks with the aqua color. White is much hotter this season, but all white isn't necessarily the kindest hue for the ladies with curves, haha! I will do my very best this season to illustrate how a gal with a fuller figure can do white without fearing the extra visual poundage. I'm especially on the lookout for an all white shirt dress...just tossed out a khaki one the other day when I cleaned out my closet! I'll keep you posted!

I wore my DIY Glitter flats!

Spring Trends That You Can Thrift

Jill Stuart, Giles, and Marc by Marc Jacobs Spring 2012

BOLD PRINTS

Dark floral prints (like my Black Floral Birthday outfit post), light floral prints and bold prints (like tropical, floral and any bold shape) are extremely hot this spring season in 2012. Translate to thrift shopping? This is so easy. You will see MANY bold prints out and about at thrift stores. They are usually the items you hold up to your girlfriend from across the room on a hanger, so you both can have a chuckle. But guess what? You can flip a switch--layer and pair with other classics--and suddenly that wild print becomes the signature peice of your outfit. Just this weekend I used a vintage (and very LOUD) Hawaiian print in black, green and red as the base for an outfit I wore to a gig. I received a lot of compliments! I apologize for the small picture, but I didn't have many photos of the evening and this one actually showed the Hawaiian print! I took the shirt and wore a cropped satin vintage jacket over it, with a black suede skirt (just above the knee length). I paired it with a layered, "bib" style black beaded necklace, polka dot tights, and black heels. Honestly, the shirt by itself might seem laughable...but the ensemble worked, and worked well! I knew it would as soon as I spotted it.

Please note that this photo, originally taken by blinkPHOTO, has been cropped and blown up by ME (resulting in pixelation) to illustrate the floral print. The original image was just lovely! (It was a pullback, wide shot of the whole band).

Spring 2012 prints have been:

- Colorful patterns

-light and dark floral

-Hawaiian and tropical print (see Beyonce doing it here)

-Primary, Mondrian stripes

-Paired with the everpresent "white" this season

-Animal print, like Micheal Kors Spring 2012 line seen here:

Bold and funky print is the cornerstone of any thrift clothing rack! This is an easy assignment! Check out your local thrift store and see if you can find one bright print piece to work into an outfit with other pieces. Your homework begins...now!