Monday, July 30

New Shoes




Dress: Anthropologie, via Rugged Wearhouse ($9.99)
Shoes: Wet Seal, via Rugged Wearhouse ($7.99)
Belt: thifted, ($1)
Headband: Rugged Wearhouse ($1.99)

Got these lovely brown weaved flats the other day, because I'm always on the lookout for cute practical walking shoes, considering how much walk during the school year. 

Also, I love this Anthro dress so much. I've worn it at least 5 or 6 times since I bought it last month. It's just such a perfect casual dress. They also priced it as a shirt at Rugged Wearhouse, which is a plus for me. :)

I gave this headband to my sister a few weeks ago because I never wear it. Of course after that I decide I want to wear it...why does it always work like that?

Friday, July 27

Sponsor Spotlight: Tophatter, the next Etsy?

[If you're in a rush and don't have to read all this, skip down to bottom for a lovely deal!]

I was recently asked to check out a website called Tophatter. Upon realizing that it was an online auction site, I expected to find an interface similar to Ebay. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this was not the case at all! As much as I love Ebay for the sake of cleaning out my closet, it's such a pain to browse in, unless you know exactly what you want. I'm kind of obsessed with this site now, so I thought I'd take the time to share it with you guys! :) 

Tophatter uses live auctions--there's a cute little cartoon auctioneer on the screen, and you basically sit within a chat room sort of interface and bid on the items as the auctioneer calls them up. As a result, items are sold in minutes rather than during a 7-day span. Auctions are scheduled throughout the day and split into categories like vintage goods, designer brands, and gourmet eats.

They have some really cool stuff. It's almost like Etsy in live auction format--which means an endless supply of items to drool over. Here's some of the cool crafty stuff I've found there lately:

Old keys, Vintage magazine pages, Vintage stamps


I'm in serious danger of buying a bunch of random old stuff. But really. So many projects I could do with these...

Later today there's a gourmet food auction that has me drooling already...

Key Lime Cooler Cookies, Homemade Kettle Cooked Fudge, Fresh Peach Cobblers In A Jar

Tophatter has given me a wonderful deal to share with you guys! If you register for an account in order to check the auctions out, you get a free $5 credit towards bidding. Just make sure you use this referral link, one of the links on this post, or click the button on my sidebar. It literally takes seconds to register.

Since many of the items start at less than $5, there's a chance you could snatch an item for only a few dollars worth of shipping! You know how much I love a good deal. :) 

Have a wonderful Friday everyone!


Thursday, July 26

Quick & Easy Skirt Refashion

If you're tall like me, you've probably run across the problem of too-short skirts far too many times. I got this navy bodycon skirt from Forever 21 about a year and a half ago, and I think it's gotten worn twice in all that time. It's just a tad bit short for my liking, and I hated feeling the need to adjust it throughout the day. 

Also sitting in the depths of my closet was this orange cami that I got from a friend a long time ago when she cleaned out her closet. 

Since neither one was getting much wear on their own, I decided to combine them! I cut pieces from the cami and matched them up with the top and bottom hem of the skirt, and added a few inches in the process.


And now I have a color blocked skirt that stands a much better chance of seeing the light day. :)

Cost: Skirt ($6.50) + Cami (free) = $6.50

Wednesday, July 25

Food Post: Honey Jerk Chicken


Made these the other day...I didn't really use a recipe, so I apologize if the following lacks precision in measurements. Which it will. 

Here's what I did:

Took a package of chicken drumsticks and coated with store bought Caribbean jerk seasoning and a bit of salt and pepper. Marinated overnight in the fridge. I also cut most of the skin off--it reduces the fat significantly. 

Placed the drumsticks in a frying pan on medium heat, cooked one minute on each side to brown.

Put in a foil lined cookie sheet and placed in the oven, preheated to 400 degrees. (Foil because I'm lazy and I like an easy clean up).

Baked 15 minutes, flipped, baked another 15 minutes

Took them out, brushed them with a mixture of (approximately) two parts honey, one part soy sauce, and desired amount of cayenne pepper. Baked another 20 minutes.

Pretty easy. They were delicious, by the way. :)

Tuesday, July 24

Pink Shorts

It's been a while since I did just a plain old outfit post, so let's do one of those today. :)



Shirt: thrifted, DIY ($0.30)
Shorts: J. Crew, thifted ($3)
Bag: thrifted ($2)
Shoes: Rack Room ($15)
Belt: thrifted ($1)

I feel like I keep doing more and more DIYs and showing you guys tons of hauls without actually wearing the finished products or my new finds, so that's what I'm doing today. 

I also almost got rid of these shorts...I listed them online to sell in a moment of insanity, and then found them the other day and thought better of it. No way I'm getting rid of my $3 J.Crews. They're just such a fantastic color!

Sunday, July 22

Thrift Overload


This is the pile of stuff I found at the thrift store Friday! So many good finds. Here's the breakdown!

Grey Striped Tee ($3.50)
AE Favorite Button Down ($3.50)

Rose colored Blouse w/Swiss Dot Detailing ($3.50)
Old Navy Cardigan ($3.50)
Forever 21 Cardigan ($3.50)
Merona Cardigan ($3.50)
Ann Taylor Loft Cardigan ($3.50)
Charlotte Russe Cardigan
Merona Cardigan ($3.50)
Mossimo Blazer ($4)
Blue Shorts ($3.50)


Red Skirt w/Eyelet Detailing ($3.50)
Vintage Green Skirt with Polka Dots ($3.50)



Vintage Turquoise Skirt ($3.50)
For the record, nobody needs this many cardigans. But they were all so nice that I figured I might as well get them! My mother has her eye on a couple of them and I may list a few for sale online. We'll see. I just know I don't need like 15 cardigans in my closet.

I'm in love with both of the vintage skirts, and I'll probably just shorten them a bit before I wear them. I thought the blue shorts were a skirt on the racks, and when I realized they were actually outdated shorts I decided I'd make them into a skirt. We'll see how that goes!

I also want to replace the plastic buttons on the dusty pink top...they look a bit tacky as is. Just a thought for another potential project. :)

So what do you guys think? Any favorites from this haul?

Friday, July 20

Mason Jars!

I got a wonderful haul from Goodwill today! Before I even get to the clothing part, I'll focus on the goods in this post. I found this lovely wood box for $2.95. Just has a few minor flaws, but I plan on painting over the exterior anyway. I love the metal hinges and handles on side!


I also found three shelves of these mason jars...and wanted them all.


 But I mustered up what self control I have and only got five for now. There are so many mason jar DIYs on Pinterest that I just couldn't resist. Plus they were only 25 cents each...



I started using one as a vase already: 



Check back for my next post to see the embarrassingly large amount of clothing I got. And I'm not exaggerating...I think I got 6 cardigans. Awkward.

Hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start!



Wednesday, July 18

New Look & Some Mustard Love

So...I had a creative burst last night and gave the blog design a makeover in 3 hours. What do you guys think? 


Churned out another refashion from the bag sale haul! Successful transformation of an outdated, drab mustard colored silk shirt into something a little more wear-worthy.

 What I did:
An ridiculous amount of ironing.
Goodbye, shoulder pads. 
Rolled up the sleeves twice, hemmed it.
Took off the breast pockets (too big and too square).
Relocated pocket flaps to collar (as a faux bow collar).
Rounded lower hem (had existing side slits, so I just sewed up to the top of the slit).
Sewed the sides in a little bit around the mid-region for shape. 
Sewed a pleat on each side of the buttons.

 It can be worn as is, but I also tried belting it and tying it at the waist.
Shirt: thrifted ($0.30)
Pants: Charlotte Russe ($5)
Shoes: Rack Room ($2.80)

Cost of project: $0.30

I'm thinking this could look really cute with a skirt. Perhaps I'll try that sometime soon.

Tuesday, July 17

Crazy Pants

I found these pants a few weeks ago at Rugged Wearhouse. They're a pair of knife-pleated palazzo pants from Anthropologie. I love them, but at the same time, I'm hesitant to keep them because they're just not very practical for wearing during the school year with my incredibly unclassy but entirely necessary backpack. Thoughts? 




Top: Banana Republic (gift)
Pants: Anthropologie, via Rugged ($15) 
Earrings: Charlotte Russe ($1.50)
Bracelets: Charlotte Russe ($4ish?)
Shoes: Rack Room ($15)

Maybe I'll keep them. Wear them on the weekends. We'll see.

Saturday, July 14

Royal Blue


 I'm really, really, really happy with the results of this refashion. This dress was from my bag sale haul last month.

Here's what I did:
Removed the shoulder pads. 
Removed the sleeves. 
Cut approximately 8" off the lower hem.
Sewed in the upper bodice along existing vertical panel seams on the sides and front. (for better shape and skirt fullness).



Dress: vintage, thrifted ($0.30)
Shoes: H&M, thrifted ($2.50)

Cost of project: $0.30

Cost of my entire classy-to-the-level-of-Kate-Middleton outfit? $2.80. I think this is a cause for celebration. :)