The Dog Days of Garage Sales

THE DOG DAYS OF GARAGE SALES

The dog days of summer draw to an end; never mind a "woof!"-- I'm thinking more about a tortured howl, echoing down the streets and cul-de-sacs for miles around, dripping with the melancholy torment of someone who didn't hit anywhere NEAR the amount of yard sales she wanted to this year!

Oh, well. If I'd had my druthers, I would have pulled over at every single sale I saw on the side of the road this season (and in my head, I did!) but time simply didn't allow for it.

I did, however, make it to a few last weekend, and these are some of the simple treasures I found along the way for a mere $5. (Not pictured are three rings: one huge and fun rhinestone piece, and two other unusual costume rings). What can I say? I'm a sucker for vintage jewelry at .25 each and iconic religious art of all kinds. Usually I give it away to friends who collect, but this fabric oil painting was just weird enough to keep (it was bedazzled, OK?)! And...triangle earrings.

I decided to erect the art in my living room with a little shrine, surrounded by potted mint, succulents, and other oddities.

Enjoy these final dog days of summer, friends. 
Screw it, pull over and dig.

Pretty Pale Pink: Street Fashion in Grand Rapids

PRETTY PALE PINK
Street Fashion In Grand Rapids

Meet Katie! She was born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, but recently relocated to San Fransisco, California. I met Katie while volunteering for an amazing summer camp for girls in Grand Rapids called "Girls Rock Grand Rapids". Each year, this camp hosts a slew of spunky, creative young girls who are budding musicians and not only provides a safe space and instruments for them to create music with, but also helps the process along with inspirational and caring coaches and camp counselors! Within the camp roster, girls not only form bands but by the end of the week, they enjoy recording their original compositions and even performing them on stage! Just like last year, I taught a songwriting, singing and guitar workshop for the girls and then hung around to take photos and soak up all of the positive energy.

Katie complimented me on a pair of saddle shoes that I had recently thrifted at Seconds on Third and we got to talking about her outfit, which was also entirely thrifted, gifted, and hand made (her jewelry was both secondhand and handmade by a friend). Her favorite place to thrift is Salvation Army, or any other cheap mission thrift (my kinda gal!). I loved her shell pink hair and relaxed summer outfit. Check out the fashion highlights below!

What We Can Learn From Katie:

--Stripes are always in. Always.

--Mix Pink and Red

--Add pops of unexpected color, like the seafoam green plugs in Katie's ear that contrast the pretty pink hair!

--Mix 'n' Match chunky silver rings or stack them 

Special Delivery: Playing catch up!

SPECIAL DELIVERY!

I've been a little irritated lately with the terribly sporadic delivery of Feedburner's email subscription for Thrift Trick! Getting blog posts delivered to your inbox is so darn convenient and wonderful...when it WORKS. If you've missed the last few entries I've posted, it could be because delivery has somehow been compromised. I've tweaked a few things and hope that it has fixed the problem, but unfortunately, this seems to be a recurring theme for me lately while using Feedburner's service. Do you have any advice to offer? Please leave a comment below!

PLAYING CATCH  UP: Here's what you may have missed!

 

Check out my review of Younique's Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lash Mascara

Living Nautical: iPhone Outfit Post

Life Event: I said yes!

Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes: Makeup Review

Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes: 
Makeup Review

Love it. I love this product! But let's go back in time for a second...

A few weeks ago, an independent Younique consultant contacted me to ask if I would be interested in reviewing Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber lashes. Of course, one of the main themes of my blog is being thrifty and buying secondhand or vintage. Naturally, I never buy used makeup! But I AM always looking for a deal. Rarely am I willing to shuck out the extra bucks unless I feel a product is WORTH it. When it comes to cosmetics, there are things I will and I won't pay extra for. 

This product IS worth it!

At $29 dollars, it won't break the bank, but definitely exceeds the price of drugstore mascara. And it won't replace your regular mascara, as it is meant to be added on to an existing product. However, the results are totally dramatic and instant, and I fell in love with the first use! Read about my experience, application tips, and how to order below! Look for another Younique product review coming soon from Thrift Trick. =)

Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lashes arrived in a snazzy little case, complete with a set of instructions. The internet is exploding with tips and tutorial videos, like this one from Younique, so it isn't hard to find information on how to enhance your experience with the product.

Transplanting Gel and Natural Fibers picture courtesy of Younique

Here's how I did it: I applied all of my makeup, as normal. Here's what my eyes look like with NO mascara.

I applied my normal brand of mascara. My absolute favorite (and what I used here) is L'Oreal Voluminous in Carbon Black. I made sure to apply carefully so that my lashes were as seperated as possible ahead of time. One coat, and I wiggled my application brush back and forth as I applied upwards to ensure good coverage. I let it dry--thoroughly!

I used the Transplanting Gel and Natural Fibers on one eye at a time, ONLY to my upper lashes. My personal preference was that it looked like a little too much when I applied to top and bottom lashes, and though I didn't experience much flaking or any eye irritation, I DID notice that applying the fibers to my bottom lashes increased this problem and looked less natural. When I applied the gel, I made sure the application was quick and not too thick. Afterwards, I carefully applied the Natural Fibers using brisk, upward movements to create length that didn't clump or gather too much in between individual lashes.

I used a cotton swab, rather than an eyelash comb, to remove the extra fibers. I found this to be more effective and less damaging to the fibers than an eyelash comb, though some people prefer to comb lashes afterward. I found that combing through reduced some of the dramatic look that I actually liked, but using a cotton swab instead removed excess fly-a-way fibers very well. I also used a cotton swab, slightly dampened, along the inner rim of my upper and lower lashes to ensure no fibers were trapped. (Expect a few fibers to fall while you apply this product). Throughout the day, I did not experience an excess of falling fibers, though there were a few. Nothing that would prevent me from using the product, and nothing that fell into my eyes or irritated them.

MOODSTRUCK 3D FIBER LASHES!

A few mobile shots of my awesome results! 

A RECAP OF MY PERSONAL TIPS WITH THIS PRODUCT:

-- If you are looking for a dramatic yet natural lash with little less clumping, apply this product to only your upper lashes, as I did.

--Apply to only one eye at a time, so that you have proper time to carefully (and quickly) apply the Natural Fibers. 

--Use a cotton swab, rather than an eyelash comb, to remove excess fibers and clumping. (I found the comb downplayed my results a bit).

--Make sure your initial application of mascara is as seperated and dry as possible before beginning applicaton.

Interested in buying this product? 
________________________________

Order it here, through Younique representative Mindelei Wuori.

Also check out Younique's other products here, 
through my referral link: Younique

LIVING NAUTICAL: iPhone outfit post

LIVING NAUTICAL

iPhone Outfit Post

I'm addicted to nautical (year round, really) but I've kind of been LIVING it this summer. I live on the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan in Grand Haven, Michigan, so it's pretty fitting. However, there were so many summer and spring trends I wanted to try--from Aztec to kimonos. No matter what is going on around me, I'm inherently attracted to the feeling of nautical ensembles in the summer. I do love classic--white, navy, crisp red. Camel or nude shoes. Gold jewelry. That's my basic recipe!

This entire outfit (Merona navy/white chevron inspired striped dress and Pendeleton red cotton blazer, as well as white and brown leather Guess handbag) was thrifted, with exception of the nude pumps.

I've also seen nautical done nicely with black and hot pink in the mix, or even lemon yellow. What's your favorite? Check out the montage below for a few inspiring ideas to try out before summer ends!

Click the image to go directly to the source pin on Pinterest!

  

LIFE EVENT: I said yes.

My new life-altering peice of jewelry...

LIFE EVENT: I said yes.

It's hard to believe it. For many years, I said I didn't even respect the convention of marriage. I never really talked about my personal relationships in my blog, and I always felt it was better that way. Sometimes, life changes can be hard, and maintaining a level of privacy is always important. I think there was always a part of me that was running from it...scared to truly depend on someone, and let it go.

That began to change a year and a half ago, when I started dating my best friend (and I mean, literally, my best friend of 20 years!). He was everything that I ever wanted in a partner, and more. He was dependable, loyal, feminist, creative, intelligent, caring, musical, doting, gentle, and wonderful with my son. He was supportive, interested in my life and...he even liked thrift store shopping.

This last weekend, we took a romantic weekend to northern Michigan, and, while we sat in the sun on Bellaire lake, drinking Peach Spumante from Lemon Creek Winery with our toes in the sand, he fumbled around in the pockets of his shorts for the ring he had been hiding there (shown above!), and asked me to marry him. It was his first proposal, as well as mine.

I said yes. <3

I'm not kidding when I say that the shouts of joy, comments, high fives and cheers have literally surrounded us for days in a warm cloud of happy approval--from family to long time friends. And, it only took about one day after our "Facebook Official" status for the requests to come in to my inbox about blogging the wedding. As if I wasn't planning on it, right?

So here's to inhibitions and privacy out the window. Come along with me in this journey to create a beautiful wedding on a shoestring budget, with as many recycled, vintage or thrifted materials as possible! Share in my joy!

Believe it or not, the date has already been set--September 26th of 2015. Until then, I will be featuring regular updates on how things are going with my wedding planning--from the venue, to thrifting DIYs and Pinterest boards, makeup, hair, and positive body image along the way (who doesn't need an extra dose of self love before their big day?) and I hope you will follow along with me!

Look for the "My Wedding" navigation button at the top of the blog so that you can get all of my wedding related posts in one click!