Take a Chance with Wrinkled Dollars

So much to blog, so little time.

I'm spending some quality time with my good friend Jenny, AKA my thrifting-partner-in-crime. We have a full day of thrifting tomorrow, which will include another adventure at Goodwill As-Is. Exciting.

The other day I checked out Thrift Town for the first time. It is HUUUGE! I was a little overwhelmed. My first impression was positive: large selection, decent prices, discount sales and a dressing room! I noticed that they also have sections called "better clothing", which I assume means nicer brands. The housewares and furniture were impressive. I need to explore more. Jenny and I will be going back tomorrow for the 50% off sale! Hopefully it is not too picked over by the time we get there.

Have you ever been to a Thrift Town? What do you think?

I wanted to take a quick second to show you this skirt I bought at Value World for $.50 ($1.00 with 50% off coupon).


Something about the pattern attracted my attention. I second guessed myself before buying, but eventually decided to give it a try...for 50 cents.


I like it paired with this knit top, a birthday gift from my mom from F21.


It is easy and fun to take a chance on an item when you are only spending wrinkled dollars. I'm not sure if this skirt is a wow-er, but I did feel good about the outfit walking down the street. I guess that's all that matters.


Maybe I felt good about the outfit, because I was wearing my favorite boots. I love my boots.

Time to rest. Bye.

Managing to be Inspired, finally!

I've missed out on a lot of 'Inspiration Monday' opportunities. Two Birds do it every week. They are so dedicated! It is such a fun exercise to look at a photograph, soak up details and allow those details to inspire an outfit from your own wardrobe. Try it. You will pull items off the hanger you haven't worn in awhile. You will pair those items with other items you never thought meshed well. I'm going to participate more often in the future.

Every week? Probably not.
As much as I can? Yes!

Manageable blogging is key, which basically means not committing myself to anything. Ha.

I did manage to participate this week!



This dress is from F21 and was a birthday gift from my mom. The velvet blazer is wrinkle worthy at a wopping $.25! I posted about it before here.

I added this cowl (from Target last year) to the look, because my dress has the same cut as Maggie's and I'm not one to show much cleavage. Sometimes 'Function > Fashion'?



I need to come to terms with the fact that any photo location in San Fran will ultimately have an audience of some kind. People passed by, partaking in their normal Monday routine while I was taking these photos. It was embarrassing. Self talk helped: "DO IT", "BE EFFICIENT", "GET IN AND GET THE HELL OUT"!



So, don't pack away your maxi dress yet. Throw on a blazer and transition that piece to your fall wardrobe!

$3 Purse from SF Goodwill As-Is

There is no Goodwill Outlet in San Fran, but there is a Goodwill As-Is.

Goodwill As-Is looks just like the Outlet, a warehouse full of rolling blue bins, except it is much smaller. Instead of paying by weight, As-Is has set pricing by item type. For example, purses are marked $1-$3 depending on size, material, etc. The cashier makes a judgement call when you pay. They charged me $3 for this purse, most likely because of the size.


Items at Goodwill As-Is range from shoes, clothing, purses, household items, linens, etc. Not for the novice thrifter! As I reccommeded with the Outlet Store, it is best to bring gloves. From my experience nothing is dirty, but it is less icky when digging through the bins if your hands are protected. I was totally unprepared when I was there, tsk tsk. I saw two lovely young gentlemen who were obvious As-Is pros. I watched them dig up tons of great stuff. Needless to say, I will be back soon.


I don't know why the items at Goodwill As-Is are there. From what I could tell there was nothing wrong with them. I doubt they are items not bought from normal Goodwill Stores, because they don't have the Goodwill tags. My guess is they are just unsorted overstock. Next time I'll ask and let you know.


So this purse...
It is pretty sweet, no? I'm pretty pumped, because my computer easily fits inside. There are three large openings, which I find convenient for, um...separating things. Ha. The tag says Barneys New York. Whether it is real or not, I don't know. That is not my concern. It fulfills all of my purse needs: large, lots-o-pockets and cute. Also, I like that it is inexpensive. I get sick of purses quickly, with this one I'll feel less guilty.



Any questions about Goodwill As-Is?
Would you consider shopping there?
I promise to take a photo next time!

Two Tops for $Three!

I've been in San Fran for almost a week.

I like change. Change is good. That being said, I can see why some do not. With change comes an inevitable grace period of discomfort. During this time nothing feels familiar. You have to test the waters, see what makes sense, figure things out. Im in that stage right now; smack dab in between excitement and scared sh*tless. Beyond this time of uncertainty is new confidence and growth. I look forward to being in that place, but at the same time I'm doing my best to embrace this fresh feeling that will quickly fade.

So now, how about some wrinkly clothes? I bought both of these tops at Value World (in Michigan) with a 50% off coupon.



You may recall another lace top that I recently featured. I donated that one back to the cause, because this one is long sleeve and therefore I like it better. There really is no need to keep both.



I was nervous about the weather in SF, but so far I am pleased. My preference is to layer and feel cozy, so the chill suits me quite well. Plus I like to wear boots, scarves and hats.



Speaking of hats, I bought this one for just $1 at the 'Hoosier to Hoosier Sale' last fall while living in Bloomington. It is really soft cashmere. I wear it a lot.

Missing you, Hoosier to Hoosier Sale.



You've all seen this cowel about 1MM times and I posted about my black cords before too. You can't see them, but I'm wearing my $.25 shoes.

Next post will be about a sweet purse I found at a Goodwill As-Is store; my first SF purchase with wrinkled dollars. Stay tuned.

Cross Country Phone Photos

I'm here, safe and sound in San Fran! Joe and I drove through nine states over the course of two days: Michigan - Indiana - Illinois - Iowa -Nebraska - Wyoming - Utah - Nevada - California. I thought western Wyoming was particularly beautiful.

Below are some of my favorite images from the trip. The quality leaves something to be desired, but this is what you get when shooting with your phone through a window at 70 + mph.





I should have some wrinkly posts coming up early next week. I just started to organize my closet yesterday, wore me out, ha. We downsized our living space, which means I will need to downsize my wardrobe. I'm going to make an appointment with a vintage shop down the street to see if they want to purchase anything. I'll let you know how that goes. The rest goes to Goodwill and possibly Buffalo Exchange.

At some point in the future I plan to share my explorations of nearby vintage / resale clothing shops with you all. Posts about efficiently decorating our studio apartment may also come into play.

Looking forward to it.

used jewelry: stories you can wear.

I'm not consistent with Jewelry. I go through stages. I remember a couple years ago I was really into earrings and I NEVER wore necklaces. Now I rarely wear earrings and I love long necklaces. I haven't worn many bracelets over the years, but now I'm all about them, and watches. Ah, the circle of trend.

It is for that reason, along with the fact that I don't trust myself to take care of expensive jewelry, I enjoy buying or 'acquiring' used jewelry. I say 'acquire', because some are from my mother's/grandmother's/friend's, etc jewelry box. Those are extra special.

I'm attracted to unique pieces, usually something with a bold statement. Estate sales are the best. I have found some pretty cool things. To locate an estate sale in your area, go to craigslist, click on garage sales and search for key word "estate". It is that easy. Or, you can just search key word "jewelry" and see what pops up.

Below are some that I bought or 'acquired' this summer (everything else I have is already in San Fran).



Jewelry can tell a story. Clothing can too, but I feel like jewelry more so. For example, the bracelets in the first photo I bought from my parent's neighbor whose boss bought them for her in Vietnam. Some pieces have a story that you will never know, like the elephant necklace I got at the Disabled Veterans thrift store. Last year I bought a gold locket at Value World with a very old faded photo still inside (not pictured). I love the mystery.

Usually items like those pictured above can be purchased from $.50 - $2. Very cheap for a one of a kind piece.

Do you buy/acquire Jewelry from Thrift Stores / Garage Sales / Estate Sales / your Mother's Jewelry Box, etc? If so, please feel free to share stories in the comments below.

Enjoy the week!

Floral Maxi Skirt

I'm back from a week long visit in Connecticut; my dad and I drove out last Sunday. I spent two days with a friend and the rest at my gram's. My brother also flew in from Los Angeles. He drove back with us on Saturday. Fun times had by all. Now I'm back in Michigan for a couple weeks before the cross-country road trip to San Fran.

I've been thrifting a lot, trying to take advantage of the cheap Michigan shopping while I still can. I bought this Maxi Skirt at Value World with their awesome 50% off coupon. It was originally market $2.40.



The coupon is still Valid, but no longer available online. Sad. I've been searching for it in local shoppers, mailers, etc, but no luck. Yesterday, while at Value World, I told my little sister that I was only looking, because I refuse to buy anything full price when I can get it 50% off. Some guy overheard my whiney complaint and offered me one of his extra coupons. I accepted and enthusiastically thanked him! Maybe I should whine more often, or maybe not. I think I do my fair share already.

Can you believe just after I wrote the above paragraph I checked the Value World website and the coupon is now available? Good news! It wasn't yesterday, but it is today. Maybe they weren't getting as much response. I don't care, just glad it is back.



Maxi skirts are easy to find at thrift stores, just go to the skirt section, squat down and see which skirts are touching the floor.



The fanny/waist Pack I'm wearing is from Urban Outfitters a few years back. I just recently took it from my mom, she was going to sell it at our garage sale. We'll call it a free acquisition.



Quick tip, do NOT attempt to climb while wearing a Maxi Skirt. I almost bit the big one yesterday while jumping off a cement post. The end of my skirt caught the top of the post and I took a 90 degree dive to the pavement. Luckily no permanent injuries.

Thanks to my brother for withstanding the mosquitos to take photos of me!

See y'all later.