i shop too much, i talk too much

~sorry for the lack of posts; i've been so caught up in traveling to different camps for my brother that i haven't had the time or energy to sit down and put together a decent write up! now that camp is over (for at least this week), and since it is beginning to rain outside anyway, i thought i'd show off some of the new goods i got since last time ;)

first off: the thrifted finds

*just a small selection of the INCREDIBLE finds from a day of thrifting last week, these are by far my favorites! the first dress has a beautiful sheer embroidered top half and then a green swiss-dot skirt. i'm pretty sure it's from the 60's or 70's, and the tag says it's saks fifth avenue, pretty cool. it's so delicate looking! and too small for me...damn, lol *my other two favorite thrifted finds are the light pink linen hand-embroidered blouse and pale yellow high waisted shorts, both from the 40's or 50's. salvation army was having a very good day! haha. unfortunately (again) the shorts are too small, and i'm not the biggest fan of pink clothes on me (even though the pink and yellow blouse and shorts combo look adorable!) i'm just going to have to dress up one of my human barbie dolls (aka my friends, hi guys!) and take some pics of the awesomeness that is this selection of vintage!
(sorry for the wrinkles, i have to keep my thrifted finds in bags because i have no more closet space! i'm a total hoarder now, and i really need to open an etsy shop to unload some of this onto you guys, lol)

all thrifted clothing: salvation army (lovelovelove)

next up: etsy packages

*i lovelovelove the prints on these two dresses!!! (i'm so sorry, i forgot what the names of the shops were that i purchased them...usually i browse etsy and just send the link to my mom if i like something, and sometimes she surprises me and buys me what i want! only thing is i can't go back and find where they came from...i should keep better track of that)

both dresses are from the 50's, and i absolutely adore the little belt-like bow on the yellow dress! and the tiny purple floral with the scalloped neckline on the one below! i had to mend the yellow one because the stitching thread had gone to dust, and the purple one is a bit too long, but i'm scared of altering anything beyond a few minor repairs! too chicken to mess with an object from the past, i suppose. oh and i guess yellow is my new favorite color? seriously EVERYTHING i've been buying has included something yellow, i'm like an addict!

50's dresses: etsy (?)

and lastly: the regular store purchases

* a floral bustier! i don't know if i have the courage to wear this one out in the daylight, but it was on sale...haha, excuses excuses. maybe if i find the right bottoms to wear i can dare to venture out with this baby.
floral zip-up bustier: urban outfitters sale

*oh, surprise surprise, TWO new floral yellow dresses...i have a weakness for this, i must refrain from buying any more yellow dresses! although they are oh-so perfect with the sunny weather...i really do love the versatility of the darker yellow dress, great for any season, and the print on that top dress! liberty is to die for. now i'm sounding vapid and clothing obsessed, but heck it's what i do ;)

yellow floral dresses: urban outfitters*a couple of headbands in pastel hues, a tiny music box that plays "hey jude", and a bright red lipstick that smells of vanilla icing; i do love the little pretty things in life

headbands: j crew, lipstick: urban outfitters, music box: borders bookstore

*the rachel comey for urban contributor oxfords! so beautiful, the details had me won over in a second flat. i don't want to get them dirty though; i always ruin light coloured shoes! for now they're protected in their sweet little sparkly box, but i'm going to break them in soon i hope!
oxford heels: urban outfitterswhew! so i guess i did find a whole lot of good stuff this past week, and even more besides that i haven't gotten to photograph for you all yet! i promise that there are some wacky, pretty, or down right classy pieces that i can't wait to show off! (a peek at my ever-growing vintage/thrifted finds!)

life goes on

i'm officially done with highschool, and summer couldn't come sooner!
so far for my first week of break i have slept, bought books and gone thrifting, which is all i could ever want!
i don't feel like writing a book like my last post tonight, so here is the awesome stuff i've found in the last week or so, plus a few non-thrifted/vintage finds that i couldn't resist :) i got some really great stuff that i've been excited about, so here it all is!

* this is my bureau, which among other things (some of my favorite books, thrifted metronome, train case, and troll doll!) my new phone now sits! i need a plug converter thingy, and i hope that it doesn't burn my house down, but hopefully this beauty will be fully functioning soon! making phone calls, which i normally hate to do, seems so much more glamorous and bearable when you get to talk on a phone like this
phone: local thrift store

* i thrifted a floral dress/top (more like a top, but we shall see) i think this will go great with denim shorts when it's hot out (send me the hot weather please!!!) florals are really winning me over lately, and i feel as though i'm turning into a crazy grandma character...which is fine with me as long as no one objects! lol
top/dress: salvation army thrift

*dress in the above and below photos is another of the floral finds that i just couldn't leave on the racks; look at it, the collar on this is just amazing! i'm pretty sure this was a kids dress, and i'm not sure how to pull the lolita look off yet, but this sure would make for a good start. maybe with more adult pairings i could get the gumption to rock this...we shall see

dress: salvation army thrift

*i got this silk scarf on sale, so it was only 50 cents! i've always wanted to try out the whole mysterious girl with a scarf in her hair look, so i'm googling tutorials and pics. any tips on how to wear this? it's far too pretty to just sit on my dresser!

silk scarf: local thrift store

*high waisted shorts in a great chambray blue with white stripes! really comfy and great for summer, of course

shorts: local thrift store

*finally, a pair of shoes that fit! i almost didn't notice these guys, but thankfully i snagged them as i was checking out at the salvation army and they fit perfectly, plus they are almost twins to a pair i wanted off of etsy! awesome luck, and so so comfortable (and the name "Cobbie Cuddlers" makes me laugh every time, haha)

70s platform sandals: salvation army thrift

*my brother needed a beside clock, and this one just looked to cool not to get. it almost looks like something off of urban outfitters. i got him a john cougar cassette to play, since i doubt my house has any. jack and diane will play constantly this summer, of course!

clock and cassette: local thrift store

*and now for the non-thrifted finds, (another!!) floral dress, this time from forever 21, and a great pair of shorts from h&m.

dress: f21

shorts: h&m

*these two machines are really awesome, i'm so glad i found them! the crazy futuristic machine below was in a cabinet that i really didn't need, and after i asked if i could just take the machine, i took this home along with two boxes full of parts and manuals! EPIC WIN FOR ME. ok, happiness rant over. when i told the thriftstore lady that i wanted machines she went in the back and got me the blue machine up top, and since it lacks a foot pedal i got everything for $10!!! so much happy, so much happy! these two do so much more than my grandmother's singer, so i can do a lot more with sewing. cannot wait to start a project with these!

* finally, i got some sweet...floral...fabric for a dress i've been thinking about making for the last few weeks. i got a few baby sized buttons as well, not sure what they will be a part of but i love the color!

ohh, so many good things to find, so little time!

your friend,

the bandit ;)

burning the midnight oil

hi, sorry for the lack of posts! this week has been hectic, with final projects for what seems like everything! i know that this post looks like an essay...sorry!

the most important project i have been working on would have to be my senior project,which explains the photos up top. i am making clothing out of discarded materials , like sheets and curtains, that people either donate to me or i buy from places like salvation army. so i combine recycling/thriftiness/AND prettiness, which translates to an epic win.

i have gotten a lot done (i have learned to make simple skirts and not so simple high-waisted shorts!) but there is still so much i want to do, and in only 18 days! i want my project to look well put together and each piece to be as professional as it can be, especially since people already are asking for me to make them clothes! selling skirts and shorts (and hopefully dresses and maybe more, as soon as i have time!) would definitely be a great thing for me to do, especially now that i'm a broke college student, lol. i have an etsy account, but i'm scared about the whole online world, and don't quite understand paypal or shipping yet. i guess i'll figure it out over the summer though!

on another note, i got to spend quite a bit of time in my grandmother's basement yesterday. rummaging through her old boxes i found all of her old high school work that she kept, which dated back as far as 1944. she went to a high school in Brooklyn, where she was born. her high school trained girls to go on to become seamstress'/designers and she was the top of her graduating class. she even received a scholarship to Pratt institute, but had to turn it down to go to work and get married to my grandfather ( a shame, haha). i found among all the meticulous notes and hand-sewn examples of how to make smocking or perfect pleats, the handbook to my 1955 singer featherweight, pictured above! (which she gave to me so i could learn to sew for my project,of course) thank god, now i can do fancy crap and all that with my machine, haha. i also found a sweet little dress that my mother wore when she was pregnant with me (holy crap) and some of the negatives from the photographs taken at my grandparent's wedding! i have a plan for all that, which i will put up here in due time...

so i will promise to post some aesthetically pleasing photographic posts in the near future, and more updates on all that is going on! have a great weekend everyone ;)

your friend,
the bandit

thank god for salvation

i went to the salvation army for 2 seconds today and managed to not only find a pair of t-strap heels in my size, but i also got a coach purse, a pair of 70s sandals for the store, and a sweet little 70s house dress too! last time i went in i didn't get anything, which is a rarity for me as usually i leave with at least $20 worth of stuff to sell or to keep, but today was like gold. thrifting gods smile down upon me, i am not worthy...

it's long weekend (woot!) so tonight i'm going to attempt to make myself a pair of high-waisted beach shorts with this new blue fabric i got at a tag sale today. i'm pretty much a noob at sewing; i've made five or so simple skirts and one not-so-successful pair of shorts before, and never on my own. i'm crossing my fingers that i remember how to sew with my other, clunkier machine! please please don't let me screw it up, haha

all photos: salvation army luckiness!

awesomeness

here they are, my new/old chloe shoes!!! yayy! (now if only i could get my hands on a pair of the cream coloured heels...)

i also got a bunch of stuff at the rummage sale, blouses, high waisted shorts, zippers, and fabric, all for less than $15!! (i am psyched, as you can see) the sale itself was a madhouse, really nasty and pushy old women kept being so rude! i cannot stand people like that, i mean are you seriously going to be a jerk because you want first dibs on the used stretchy pants in the corner? calm it down people!