MissAmy |

I don’t know what is going on with my photos lately – they’re so grainy.  I’m pretty sure it just depends on the light that particular day because some of my photos seem fine while many seem grainy like this.  Thoughts?

Anyway…  I had to show you guys this far-out top.  It’s Kenar from TJMaxx & was only $7.  It was too too much to pass up.  There are gold & pewter sequins plus all that crazy tie-dye.  Amazingly, it’s pretty flattering.  The tie in the back guarantees that I’m not swallowed up in a the roomy shape.  The pattern forms a “V” shape at the waist which helps trick the eye into thinking the waist is thin.

Ciao Bella sandals (TJMaxx, $25), Old Navy shorts (thrifted, $3.99), Kenar top (TJMaxx, $7), onyx earrings (ebay)

I was going to wear this to our anniversary dinner but we ended up doing a shopping day & then going straight to dinner.  Soooo, I ended up wearing an outfit not unlike my errand running outfit from last week.  You just can’t be pretty all the time, sigh…  I ended up wearing this to work.  It brightened up the day for sure!

We took one of our dogs to the vet on our first day of vacation.  I know, it’s not technically a vacation if you’re running errands, but we chose to stay at home & get some things done around here instead of stressing & spending money on even a mini-trip.  I have to say, so far it’s been the MOST relaxing vacation we’ve ever taken & I highly recommend it to others!  We have managed to spend plenty of money but most of it is going into home improvements & other things we actually NEEDED.  Ok, and lots of things that we wanted, but what can I say?  We’re spoiling ourselves just a little.

So, below, view my study of a typical errand-running outfit, for me:

Things we’ve done that we wouldn’t have for a long time: started on some great DIY projects to share with you (eventually), still working towards finishing our master bathroom (still have 1 more day to work on it), had take-out most nights – we may never eat Chinese or Italian again LOL, gave myself a mani/pedi (these have been few & far between lately), stayed up late & watched Friday the 13th remake (as well as other movies), went shopping every day so far (naughty, naughty!), bought some fun drugstore things to review for you, even cleaned our house (shocking, I know!), slept in everyday an ungodly amount, had lunch with my girlfriends.  It’s been heaven!  I still plan to lay out in the sun & download some movies (I hope!)

Here’s a tip – while thrifting learn to recognize interesting details that you can remake easily.  For instance, I saw this great collar last shopping trip – it’s beaded with gey pearls & rhinestones.  I knew I could cut it off to make a statement collar/necklace.  Easy!

Just check out how cool it looks once liberated from the dated shirt:

It might be a little too “playboy bunny” when worn with the points in front but I think worn backward it’s a great statement collar.  I side bonus is that I still have the rest of the shirt to work with.

What do you think?  Have you ever had one detail on a piece of clothing speak to you?

This is a fun outfit I put together, based on my new Liz Claiborne purse.  It was only $5 on clearance & I couldn’t resist the mix of berries & purples plus the grey patent strap.

Once I got it home I noticed how well it blended with this scarf I found at Target:

I had a different pair of shoes picked out but changed to these new ones when I realized how well they went with the combo. 

These are 1/2 size too big but they were $3 on clearance at Marshalls.  Who could pass that up?  Seriously?  They’re the brand Wanted.   I’ve never heard of the brand & don’t think it’s very high end but I rather like them & feel they are well made regardless.

Here’s a question: Have you ever been pleasantly surprised when you bought a pair of shoes because they were inexpensive & then they became a favorite pair?

I have these great pale celery colored suede pointy-toes loafers by Franco Sarto.  It’s a mouthful, I know.  Not only are they wordy to describe, they also present quite a challenge when it comes to wearing them since I have no other piece of clothing in that particular color.

Well, I found that the exact same shade is present in one of my purses.  It’s a thrifted Morris Moskowitz leather lady purse in an amazing zig-zag-y pattern.  I think I put the pale blue tank with them next as the similar tones in pastels usually complement each other.  I added the sweater for a little more cover.  Lastly, I realized that the necklace below (a first anniversary gift) has both the pale blue & pale greens in it as well as working with the gold on the handbag.

Franco Sarto shoes, Nine West jeans, Morris Moskowitz handbag, ? tee & sweater, gold & gemstone necklace

So, this is the outfit. 

What would you wear with these shoes if you didn’t have a stitch of clothing in that color?  I’m sure you’ll help me out for next time I want to wear them!

Here is the dress I found at the thrift.  I’m so glad I got it.  I am so loving the print & the shape, which I feel is pretty flattering on me.  Those shoes were only like $5, ages ago.  They are so classic as well as being completely neutral.  They’re a light beige with a tiny bit of gold sparkle woven through.

Carol Little wedges ($5, TJMaxx), The Limited dress (thrifted), Target cami, necklace from Grandma

I’ve got to say, one of my absolute favorite things is finding cute shoes for cheap!  I had 2 major scores at Marshalls today:  a pair of Wanted mary-janes for $3 and a pair of Rampage suede fringe sandals for $7.  I also got a cute pair of sporty flats by Liz Claiborne but they were $10 – I don’t really count anything over $10 as that much of a steal.  I know it’s still a good price but, you know, I guess we all have our own targets for pricing.  (Side note: I also realise it depends on the brand name, quality, etc… Basically, there’s a sliding scale LOL.)

What price for shoes is a steal for you?  What is the absolute most you will pay for a great bag?  What are some of your most memorable finds?  Discuss.

So, yeah, I haven’t done much in the way of DIY projects lately.  I also haven’t come up with any mind-blowing outfits.  Not much coming down the pipeline this week.

Also, next weekend is my husband’s & my 10 year anniversary!  I can’t believe it either!  It’s been a great ride & we’re taking a few days off to celebrate, albeit in a low-key manner.  We’re pretty much doing the “stay-cation” but I think it will be really fun anyhow.

So, I figured I’d issue a warning or a PSA, what-have-you, that the posting will be sparse for a couple weeks.  I’ve got some projects in mind & now  that I’m finally wrapping up with my ebaying, I might actually get to them.

This is also the time for me to say thank you to all of you who read my blog.  I really appreciate the comments.  Every one means so much.  Hugs & kisses to you all!

I hope to continue to keep you entertained after the brief hiatus!

This one is just showing off a couple of thrifted buys.  I thought about saving it for the 4th of July but I don’t generally dress up for holidays.  I also think this is a slightly more subtle take on the red, white & blue.  The blue is quite a dark navy so it reads more neutral in my opinion.

Steve Madden wedges, Nine West jeans, Gap tee, Armani Exchange button down, Cynthia Rowley belt – all thrifted except belt & jeans

My husband got an A+ in Fashion Decades 101 when he asked me if it was 90′s day at work.  That actually was EXACTLY what I was going for!

90′s elements: 13 year old Dr. Martens (totally old & beat up & really from the 90′s = bonus points!), leggings (I remember still wearing these when I worked at DKNY in 1996, but maybe that’s just me), bright top with blocky writing on it

I found the top at the thrift store.  I didn’t realize that Make & Model is actually a brand that sells mostly sleeping attire till I googled it at work.  While wearing it.  LOL.  It is made of just the softest fabric & is sold at Nordstrom’s.

The boots are ancient.  Usually I break them out for concerts & the like:

I scored the leggings for $7 at TJMaxx.  They are Kenzie & have patent leather piping running down the outsides.  Neat!

I’ve been inspired by the bullet jewelry I’ve been seeing around (here at botticellisniece.com & here at pipeline refinery, but most of all this bracelet.  (If you know what blog this came from please let me know so I can credit them.  I stupidly only linked to the image instead of the blog post & can’t tell from the URL.) 

Anyway, whoever you are, you & your bracelet inspired the DIY tutorial to follow.  Enjoy!

First thanks to my dear Dad for the supplies.  He was awesome to share his stash with me!  Pictured below is the final product:

My supplies: bullet casings, leather cord:

I lined them up in the pattern I wanted.  I wove the leather cord in the small hole end, out the big hole end & then into the small hole end of the next one in line in an S pattern.  I left some extra length at the beginning so I had something to attach to in the end.  It really doesn’t show well in the pictures.  If you need clarification, let me know & I will do a diagram.  That might be a simpler way to see it.  It took me a little while to figure out how to make this work.

Once I threaded my cord all the way to the end I started threading my way back to the start.  Above & below, you can see (I was on the third casing).

 
Here is after finishing the threading.  You can see that by tying the cords when they re-meet at the beginning, you end up with a handy loop on each end of the bracelet.
 

I thought about just tying it together on the wrist or adding a toggle but decided to do an elastic closure with snaps.  I only ended up using one.  I just cut it the length I needed & added snaps to form a loop.

This is what it looks like on with the elastic closure.  I suppose you could finish it even better by attaching the elasic to the loops somehow.  I ran out of patience by then.  That’s me, the ADD crafter!