Anne Klein Silk Polka Dot Blouse

ANNE KLEIN SILK POLKA DOT BLOUSE

I love this delicate cream and black polka dot blouse by Anne Klein. I thrifted it for $3.00 from the Love Inc. thrift store in Grand Haven Michigan on Monday and paired it with a long black skirt, thrifted red leather satchel from Hope's Outlet in Grand Haven ($2), red flats (a new item purchased several years ago) and a multi strand gold chain  also purchased at Hope's Outlet in Muskegon for $1. The glasses were also thrifted for $1 at Hope's. Statement ring is a new trinket--bought a "lot" of cheap ones on Ebay for less than $1 each. :)

Thrift and Vintage Decor: Apartment Life!

Everything you see in the above photo is thrifted. EVERYTHING. With one exception. The two peacock feathers. I bought them at the pet food store for 50 cents each. The dried branches came from my yard.

Thrift and Vintage Decor: Apartment Life!

This last fall, I moved into a great apartment in Grand Haven, Michigan. I enjoy living here so much! It's a wonderfully clean and safe community, and I love thrifting here as well! When I decorated my apartment, I used almost EXCLUSIVELY vintage and thrifted items. You'll notice that vintage screen print Marushkas and owls are a theme in nearly every room of the house!

It would be much easier for me to point out things that AREN'T thrifted...and I'll try to do just that as I take you on this epic picture journey that is...my apartment. :)

Thrifted, gifted, used and vintage. All of it.

Any time you see owls at my house...you know the scoop.





I love weirdo kitsch stuff. And vintage receivers. <3 Tube power kind of turns me on.




Only one new item in this picture: the tv stand. I bought it for ten dollars.




I refuse to pay any more than 5-6 dollars for a used Marushka. I never have paid more. I've passed up many overpriced specimens.

A single new thing in this picture: plug in candle melt warmer. Purchased new for $6.00. (Don't think I didn't LOOK for one thrifted, first!)

Plant containers and tins as well as table were all thrifted. Plants were grown from babies and cuttings (but not by seed).

Thrifted & Gifted (though the rest of the pineapple was, at one point, purchased and eaten.)

Shelf and all items vintage and thrifted--with perhaps the exception of maybe 3-4 records that I've purchased new? The extra shelves of records you can see in the photo below are also thrifted, along with the organ.

Vintage hat box and lamp were thrifted and estate sale purchases totaling $1.75                    (yes--I remember!)

The charm in vintage and used items is the story they have to tell. I wonder about who drank that bottle of Grolsch beer. And I adore daydreaming of the jukebox that used to house the stack of Astrud Gilberto 45s. But amongst all of the snazzy jazzy, there must be a balance. Enter the Bunny Skulls record. 

Nothing NEW to see here, folks...move along...

I'm always running low on closet storage space. So I like to both utilize AND display my vintage luggage; the smaller teal and green suitcase is packed with slips, and the larger one behind it is full of belts! 

Do I need to tell you that all of the clothes pictured are thrifted?

These "shoe racks" are actually salvaged Media (CD and DVD) stands turned on their side and stacked vertically as well (not pictured). The shoes are thrifted, of course, and the purses (also secondhand) below are strung along a garment rack. Before being looped through the garment rack, I grouped like palettes/styles together with shower curtain rings.

Thrifted, gifted, and re-purposed. All of it.

The final stop on our thrifted journey! Only four items in this picture were new: sheets, black and white pillowcases and pillows shown behind throw pillows (which WERE thrifted), the white quilted blanket underneath the zebra throw and the small brown mirror you see to the left of the ginormous beach Marushka.  I honestly don't mind all of the crazy print/color mixing going on here; variety is the spice of life, am I right? It makes me feel good to know that, before I buy an item new, I search high and low for a used version of it. I do this because I love vintage and re-purposed items with a story but also because it reduces my carbon footprint and conserves our earth's resources, time, energy and...money, of course!

What can you thrift today?

Orange Mint Julips--low calorie style!

ORANGE MINT JULIPS (low cal version!)

It was, hands down, the most gorgeous day of the new year in Michigan today! (Well, at least for us here in Grand Haven, Michigan). It was the kind of weather that carries you to the beach, on bike rides, and out to the front stoop with a tasty cocktail. It was 80 degrees with not a cloud in the sky!

I grilled some tasty turkey burgers for dinner and decided to whip up this yummy drink to compliment; an alternative to higher calorie versions I've seen in the past! If you're not into stevia, you could try agave syrup in its place, or honey, cane sugar, or any other sweetener you prefer!

P.S.--easily omit the alcohol for a fresh alcohol-free version!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (Serves one):

1 tsp orange zest

1/2 orange, sliced (save one slice for garnish)

5-6 small mint leaves or 2-3 large ones. (My mint came from my herb garden that I shared with readers last week!) Save one leaf for garnish if you like. 

1 shot or fluid oz of whatever clear liquor you prefer--I used vodka, but gin or rum would work as well!

3 stevia packets (or about 1 1/2 tsp of stevia powder according to this serving chart which also helps for sugar substitution should you prefer!), or you could use agave syrup, honey, cane sugar or any other sweetener if you wish!
4-5 ozs boiling water (the heat helps to extract flavor from the orange and mint)
Lots of ice, a bowl, and a strainer 

DIRECTIONS: I first took the orange zest from my orange before slicing. I added this to a glass mixing bowl along with 3-4 slices of orange, the stevia and my mint leaves. I heated boiling water in a tea kettle and added this to the bowl, using a pestle to grind and smash the essence out of the mint and orange. (This simple syrup could also be cooked down and reduced in larger batches to save time. The reduced syrup would be more powerful and could be added to water, but I was really only in the market for a drink or two, so I was simply making on demand!!)  I then strained the mixture.

At that point, I added the syrup to my vodka on ice...and tossed in extra ice as well, to compensate for the heat.

Garnished with a mint leaf and a slice of orange. Voila! Sweet, cool. Enjoy!

LL Bean Shirt Dress

LL BEAN STRIPED SHIRT DRESS

Do you “do” brown and blue?

I love it.

I've adored this navy and white striped dress for years. Of course, it was a thrifted find. While I can’t remember exactly where I bought it, the combinations of outfits that I've created using it as the base are countless! I know that I only paid three dollars for it, and with its stretchy nature, it fit me at a heavier weight and continues to be fairly flattering even though I’m smaller now! It’s definitely something I’ll gladly alter with my sewing machine if I drop more clothing sizes in the future.

The tan bomber jacket is a vintage London Fog that I bought at Hope’s Outlet for $3.99—it’s one of my new favorite pieces of clothing! The boots and scarves aren't thrifted items; they were online purchases. I've linked the boots here before. The scarf (pashmina) was an Overstock purchase years ago! Bag was also thrifted at Hope's Outlet in Grand Haven.

Hat was thrifted of course, and sunglasses are a cheap pair from Dollar Tree. OH—how I love my cheap sunglasses!

This was an office appropriate outfit but it also worked pretty well on a sunset bike ride I took last night. SPRING IS HERE! I rode to the beach in lovely Grand Haven listening to Frank Sinatra, and I'm sharing a song with you today.

Have a WONDERFUL weekend!

Earlier in the day, I paired the outfit with a brown Fedora.




The boyfriend says I shouldn't be afraid of my (bodacious--as in...big) rear. So...I'm trying. :D

Upcyled Herb Garden and Home Made Dishwashing Detergent! (My late Earth Day post!)

UPCYCLED HERB GARDEN and HOME MADE DISHWASHING DETERGENT!

Happy (belated) Earth Day! I had the best intentions of publishing my blog yesterday as the contents seemed most fitting for Earth Day, but after a day of outdoor activities and "lights out" inside to save energy (an act very much demanded by my inspired six year old), I promptly fell asleep at HIS bed time last night! Haha! Hmm, I guess modern day technology is contributing to my pseudo-insomniac behaviors...

But back to the planting at hand!

I love herb gardening. For one thing, I've found that, beyond simple container gardens such as cherry tomatoes, I'm somewhat incapable (or rather, my soil is) of harvesting a full fledge vegetable garden at this point. Therefore, I've found a scaled down garden--and herbs in particular--to be very satifsying! Both flowers and herbs are something I can grow indoors all year long, and I love having the freshness on hand to add to meals and drinks.

Currently, I am growing Rosemary, Sage, Basil, Mint, Cilantro, and Thyme, along with wheat grass.

However, until a week or so ago, all of my herbs were in ugly brown plastic containers on my front porch. I decided to remedy that with (surprise!) thrifted and vintage bowls and tins! I love the mix of color, pattern and diversity they added to my planting table and wanted to share how pretty they are. :)  I hope you enjoy the pictures below and, in honor of Earth Day, make sure you scroll to the bottom of the page to see my recipe for home made dishwashing detergent! It is very natural and I have been washing dishes successfully (with no notable harm to my machine or dishes) with it for a while now! Not only is it inexpensive, but it contains no harmful chemicals or dyes, and it is biodegradable. 

PS--stay with me this week for a little visual tour of my apartment! I wanted to share some of my (thrifted) decorating with you in this post but then I realized that I have too many photos to share--it's definitely worthy of its own blog posting!

Dye Free, Biodegradable  Non-Toxic, Inexpensive, Petroleum Free, Animal Testing Free and Septic Safe Dishwashing Detergent!

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 drops (literally, drops--as in eyedropper drops the size of a lentil) of dishwashing soap. You must use an all natural dish soap or the recipe won't be all that it's claiming to be above! :) I use Meijer Naturals Ultra Concentrated in Lemon Eucalyptus. It's powerful, safe, and smells wonderful, and it's affordable too!

DIRECTIONS: Mix ingredients with about 4-5 tbs of water (or a little more) to create a liquid. This makes ONE LOAD. 

I like to mix mine as I go, but I am certain that you could mix a little more ahead of time for ease of use. Salt and sodium bicarbonate, being natural though, do tend to break down...so I thought it might not be a great idea to mix up huge batches ahead of time. I shall report back on any developments that are made in this department!

ENJOY--my dishes in my machine came out sparkling clean! Each machine may vary. If you experience spots, you may want to experiment with a solution of vinegar water--a natural "streak free" agent.  I tend to skip this step, because I don't often see spots--and when I do, they don't bother me much. ;)

Take Me Away...To Tennessee

TAKE ME AWAY...To Tennessee

It seems like life lately has been a mile long freight train for me...traveling at a bullet train speed. In fact, I've barely blogged all month because of all the life changes, good stress and events that have been stacking up one after another for months prior!

This last year has brought much personal change into my world, and some of it has been painful. Yet, the sting of transformation has blossomed into beauty and growth--much like the spring we are {FINALLY!} enjoying.

For that reason, the yearly family vacation that my mother, sister and son take together was especially welcome. Our respite this year was to Tennessee--first Chattanooga, then Gatlinburg! More specifically, the outskirts of Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. The adorable cabin we stayed in from Hearthside Cabin Rentals was called "Take Me Away". Tour it here! 

I have so many wonderful pictures from our trip, I couldn't even begin to share them all here. I did document some of my thrifting adventures, and I hope to blog those very soon--along with (pathetically) an outfit post from St. Patrick's day almost a FULL month ago, and a weekend trip I took to Holland with my boyfriend for my birthday!

It's back to the grind on Monday...and looking forward to lots of fun fashion events this month! Look for more updates in my next blog. I hope everyone had a wonderful spring break!

OUTFIT DETAILS: I can't get enough triangles lately--which explains this kitschy and somewhat threadbare sweater. It was a thrifted find for $1.49 at Hope's Outlet, as was the skirt. Boots are new--Jackie Cognac by ComfortView. Diamond shaped dangly earrings were a clearanced item at--gasp--Walmart. Haha! Ring was a gift from my bestie and my nails are applique with a layer of silver chunk glitter for fun. Both nail items were $1 at Dollar Tree.