WD Spotlight & Vintage John Romain Handbag

Wrinkled dollar spotlight # 6 (finally)!


Miss Rockwell over at Lifestyles of the Thrifty and Shameless is looking mighty cute in this ensemble! She is fantastically frugal and there aint no shame in that! Here is the original post where she featured this outfit, but I recommend you check out all of her posts, because she is always getting good deals and sharing the low low prices.

Miss Rockwell, thanks for participating!

Time to feature my new bag.


Vintage John Romain Handbag: I found this bag at the DAV thrift store when I was in Michigan a couple weeks ago. Initially it was the fabric that caught my eye, but once I started examining I could tell immediately that it was old. Then I noticed the price was marked $7.99, which made me even more curious since the rest of the purses were priced around $1.99-$4.99. I pulled out my trusty smart phone and googled the brand. I couldn't find much, but I saw a few auctions and that was good enough. I pretty much figured it would be worth the buy, the condition is awesome. My first vintage handbag!













I know nothing about vintage bags, but based on my (very little) research John Romain purses were pretty popular in the late 60's - early 70's. eBay has some auctions for different styles, but the wide range of pricing is making it difficult for me to determine whether or not I got a sweet deal.

Any thoughts?

Anyone know anything about these bags, this style?




By the way, this is my new lace skirt from F21 and my $.25 cent shoes.

I had such a busy day today (including my first visit to a Goodwill Outlet). I can't wait to tell you about it tomorrow.

Do I like this skirt? Oui!

Bonjour! Parlez vous Francais? Oui, oui.

Red Patterned Skirt: I found this skirt at Goodwill last Saturday (1st Saturday of the month = 50% off). It was originally $4.29, but I got it for $2.15! Now check this out - I was immedialty drawn to the pattern when I saw it on the rack, but almost put it back when I saw the size, 3 sizes too big! Do NOT trust sizes when thrifting! If you like the piece, take a chance and try it on, it may pay off! Loving this skirt for summer remixing.

INSPIRATION MONDAY (oops Thursday)
I'm about 4 days behind on this outfit. It is an interpretation of an outfit worn by Alexa Chung (pictured on the left), which was prompted by the gals over @ Two Birds. They just started a fun participation link-up called "Inspiration Monday". They post an image of an outfit and then other bloggers are encouraged to put together their own outfit using the image as inspiration. Pretty fun, right? They already posted next week's image. If you want to participate, check it out!

I think it is such a cool idea, because it forces you to look at your clothes in a totally different way. I NEVER would have thought to put this graphic tee with this skirt, but I really like the way it turned out! I think next week will be a bit of a challenge, but hopefully I can come up with something...



It was really windy during this photo shoot!

I got that purse for free at DSW on Black Friday the year before last. Well, free with a $40 purchase.



I had a short 1/2 hour last night to check out Vintage Vogue by GW. Click here to read yesterday's post incase you missed my blab-fest about this place.

So far I have to give this place two thumbs up. It is basically full of what I like to call "great finds". All those items you get super excited to find while thrifting are basically all pulled together in one location! I did a quick spot check for pricing and tops range anywhere from 4.99-10.99. Not too shabby. Plus, I found out that they steam the clothes before selling them, so they are in better condition than your regular Goodwill (they don't stink). Wrinkled dollars in mind I asked an associate about special sales. Good news, they have a 50% off rack that is rotated out every 4 weeks. Once an item has been in the store for 4 weeks it is marked 1/2 off.

Oui!

Vintage Vogue and My Fave Boots

Hey Bloomington, have you heard about Vintage Vogue by GW? If you live in Bloomington and love vintage then you are in luck! Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana just opened a boutique on Kirkwood (422 E. Kirkwood Ave, next door to Chipotle).

Here's the gist, Goodwill takes their vintage, vintage inspired and current brand name items and sells them at prices lower than your average vintage boutique. They typically have over 7,000 items in store including clothing, accessories, housewares, etc. They also have men's clothing.

The good news: If you have trouble sifting through the racks at your regular Goodwill, your struggles are no more! Vintage Vogue will do the dirty work for you!

Now, some of you hardcore thrifters (like myself) may be weary about this boutique. I understand your concern. My initial thought was, "oh great, they are stealing all the good stuff, now I won't find anything on 50% off Saturday and $.99 Sunday". That was until I found this very important information via the Vintage Vogue website.

- Vintage Vogue merchandise comes from selected Goodwill stores outside of the Bloomington area. These stores isolate a small portion of their upscale and vintage donations to send to Vintage Vogue.

- Special items and boutique merchandise can still be found at all of the 46 Goodwill locations in central Indiana.

Phew!

And, you can feel great about shopping at Vintage Vogue because revenues generated help fund employment and educational services in central Indiana!

Vintage Vogue is open Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m and Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sadly, I had a prior engagement and had to miss the grand opening yesterday. No fear, I'm going tonight and will be back with a full report tomorrow.

Here is some linkage:

Vintage Vogue website
Vintage Vogue facebook
Vintage Vogue tumblr

You can also read this article about Vintage Vogue via the Indiana Daily Student

Ok, now to keep some blog promises. Here's the feature about my favorite boots.

Boots from Urban Outfitters: Ok, $20 dollars is not really wrinkled dollar worthy, but if you knew how many visits I made to Urban Outfitters to stare at these boots you would understand why they are worth the extra cash. They were originally $69.50, waaaay too much for me to spend (I have a reputation to uphold). With that said, I almost broke down and got them.

So one day I went in Urban Outfitters (again) considering paying full price and to my surprise they were on clearance for $39.99. That same visit I saw a sign on the door. The following day was 1/2 off clearance for all Students between the hours of 4pm-10pm. Great right? Well bad news was Joe and had to leave Bloomington at 5pm the next day in order to get to the airport to catch a flight.

Okay this story is long, are you still with me people?



4:00pm the next day Joe and I hop in the car, suitcases packed and drive downtown. We can't find a parking spot so Joe drops me off at the door. There is already a line wrapped around the store. I meandered my way to the back, grabbed the boots (still there luckily) and immediately got in line. Once Joe found a spot (illegally parked) he joined me in line and we proceeded to wait 45 minutes to buy these boots for $20! Afterward we hopped in the car and drove straight to the airport.

Guess what? Our flight was cancelled. The things we do for deals.

This is my linen skirt, but...

this is not my bike...

...but I really wish it was. I want a bike with a basket, but maybe not pink, maybe blue green or yellow.

I'm not sure to whom this bike belongs. I quickly jumped on it for the photo opp and frantically jumped off in fear the owner was approaching.



I then quickly walked away, whistling.



I felt guilty.



Thanks to some mysterious bike owner out there for (unknowingly) letting me use their property for my photo taking pleasures.

Linen Skirt: I paid regular Goodwill price (oohs & aahs) for this Linen skirt. I figured $4.29 was worth it because of the quality and the summer remixing potential. I also like the light blue/gray hue.

A huge THANK YOU to Two Birds for the versatile blogger award. I seriously love these ladies and their blog - a definite must read for me everyday. I wish I could attend their upcoming pop up sale on May 14th and 15th.

Two more things - The next wrinkled dollar spotlight is coming soon, promise. And, those boots I wear everyday of my life and the story of how I got them will (finally) be featured tomorrow. See you then!

My Organized Closet (for now)

This weekend I completed Closet Clean-Out 2011. I donated A LOT of clothing and re-organized everything that made the cut. Here is my attempt to show you a photo of my closet. Because of the angle it is basically impossible to get the whole thing in one shot.



Here are some details:




I don't have a dresser so I keep my socks and undergarments in baskets. I also have one of those hanging basket thingies from IKEA (not pictured), which holds bathing suits, bras, tanks, tights, etc. They are pretty handy and only $4.99!

Hanging clothing is organized by heaviness first and then by color (as best as possible). Here's the very basic break down from left to right.

Blazers - Cardigans - Long Sleeve Knits - Long Sleeve Button Downs - Short Sleeve Blouses - Sleeveless Tops



As you can see I am too cheap...I mean frugal...to invest in matching hangers.

My closet has a second bar underneath, but I don't really need it for more clothing, so instead I use it to hang scarves and belts.



My dresses are hung on Joe's side of the closet so they don't get folded from the bottom bar.

That is my organized closet (for now), because I'm moving soon. I have a lot of organization ideas, but I don't want to reinvent the wheel when I will have to do it all over again in a few short months.

OH!

Some of you lovely commenters questioned how I decide which items to donate. Well here is my criteria.

I Donate if:

1. I haven't worn it in a year (excluding dresses).
2. it doesn't fit. I don't believe in holding onto things just incase I loose/gain weight.
3. it looks worn or dingy.
4. I have another item that serves the same purpose.
5. the style/trend is dated and I don't have the patience or space to wait until it comes back.

Out with the old, in with the new.

25 Cent Blazer

Great Sunday. I'm so tired. The weather in Bloomington is beautiful. A high of 77 today. Joe and I took two walks and enjoyed the warm sun and crazy wind.

Velvet Blazer: This blazer is one of the (many) treasures I found at the DAV Thrift Store. I purchased it on Super Sunday. It was tagged with the 'color of the week' which means the price was only $.25 cents!

It is one of two pieces I have found thus far that can be used in my $1.00 outfit challenge (still in progress). The other being these $.25 cent shoes, also found at DAV.



Yikes, it is going to be difficult to stick to blogging this summer. I just want to enjoy the outdoors!

Frolicking.



By the way, my closet is ultra organized. Closet Clean-Out 2011 was very successful. Maybe I will share some photos in the coming days. Also, my kitty is improving. Thanks to everyone for your kind words!



I'm behind on a spotlight for the week, coming soon. For now I must sleep. Goodnight.

Closet Clean-Out 2011

Hi. I've been absent for a few days. Working, babysitting (my injured cat) and traveling back to Bloomington has kept me pretty busy.

I'm happy to report that we made it back to Bloomington last night in one piece and just in time for the 50% off sale at Goodwill! I got a few things, but nothing too crazy. You will be seeing them soon.

I'll Miss you Michigan, but I'm so happy to be in Bloomington right now where the trees are already beginning to bloom.

No outfit post today, because I am knee deep in Closet Clean-Out 2011.

Buried in the "get rid of" pile.



It is so refreshing to purge!

And, here it is all packed up, all going to Goodwill.



Well, all except for my cat. She may have bum leg, but she's still my girl.