CLEANING OUT MY CLOSET // BLOG SALE

Hey Ladies!

Yes, you read the heading correctly. I'm going to have a blog sale in the next week or two.

Everything will be showcased here, but sold through my eBay site/screen name. It's just easier that way.

I figured I'd give my readers a heads up first... Because I'm nice like that :)

So, what does this mean for you??

It means stay tuned!!!

COOTD: RECAP OF A SHOPPING TRIP GONE GOOD :)

Clothes, clothes, and more clothes. 

What's a girl to do?

I might have a problem. We've discussed this, I know we have. BUT I would just like to justify that my problem is also a highly coveted SKILL in the land of women. I find AMAzaZING deals when I shop. I like to think of it as a gift, more so than a problem.

My bank account and depleting grocery funds would like to disagree with me.

Moving on:

My accomplishments from last Friday:

 Dress: Forever 21 [$15]

Available in 4 other colors. I'm kicking myself right now.

I wore this to work last night. Many compliments. This fitting room picture doesn't quite do it justice.

It's pretty in person.

 Dress: GAP [under $15, Originally $95]

I'll be wearing this with a belt. It needs one.

 Dress: GAP [Around $10, Originally $70]

Obviously I had to wear this out that night.

The roommates agreed :)

Cardigan: Forever 21 [Under $20] // Tank: Forever 21 [$16]

Look at that face... how can you resist :)

ahahahah 

Style Inspiration: Polyvore

So I know a lot of you guys already know about Polyvore, but I only found it fairly recently so I figured I'd share anyways in case there are any other poor folks like I was that hadn't heard of it.

I don't really know how to describe Polyvore without just using pictures, so that's what I'll go ahead and do. Pictures:

I just whipped up a few of these to show as an example. On Polyvore, you search for items ("red top", "white shoes", etc.), click and drag them on to the template area, and create outfits. They even have accessories like belts, sunglasses, and headbands so you can create a full look from head to toe. This is pretty cool for a lot of reasons:

1) It's the grown up version of paper dolls. And who didn't play with paper dolls as a kid?

2) You can experiment a lot more quickly and easily that trying on clothes in real life. Say you've been wondering about mixing some prints together. Instead of grabbing 20 things in a store and spending the next hour in the dressing room, just find a few things on Polyvore, lay them out, and see what you think. Also it's great for seeing what colors you like together.

3) It makes shopping easy. OK, so maybe this is actually a bad thing. But really, all you have to do is click on an item and it tells you what store it's from, how much it costs, and gives you a link to the actual item so you can buy it if you want. So once you find that perfect stripes and spots combo, you don't have to run out to the store to find something similar, you can just buy the outfit online right away and you know it'll look good.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over and start creating! 

Here Not There: ModCloth vs. Ruche Dresses

Happy 1.11.11 Day! (Although, I don't know why every thinks that date is so cool... isn't Nov. 11th going to be the real special number day?) In honor of the occasion, I will post this blog at 11:11am just for fun.

As usual, MC = ModCloth. Nothing weird other than that, price differences aside.

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Style Inspiration: Chictopia

I was reading ModernMode's blog today, and I followed a link that she posted and found myself on Chictopia, a fashion site where people can post pictures (I'm not sure if just anyone can post... I doubt it because all of the pictures are very nice) of their outfits. And all of the girls are insanely fashionable so it made me feel bad about myself and want to cry. OK, so I don't feel bad about myself, and I didn't cry, but boy do I ever feel so average right now. It's something to aspire towards, I suppose.

A few of my favorites:

[All images taken from Chictopia's "People" Category]

I will definitely be frequenting this site now... I have only been looking for about 15 minutes and already have a huge list of new things I want to try. In fact I'm off to pick out an outfit for tomorrow right now! :)

Outfit: The Casual Thrifter

This sweater is American Eagle, which means the rich soul that bought it the first time around probably shelled out a good $30-$40 for it. It is also cut rather strangely, which leads me to believe that the rich soul that bought it was, in fact, a man. I am not above cross-dressing, however, and I shall wear this sweater proudly. Besides, girl argyle is always pink and purple. Lame.

Etsy Skirts vs. Vintage-Inspired Skirts

You might think that vintage-inspired would cost less than actual vintage, since copies are generally considered to be less valuable than the real thing. But this is not the case when it comes to clothing. There are many vintage dresses on Etsy that are pretty old (40s/50s) that you will pay a pretty penny for, but when it comes to the basics you can often find real vintage stuff for cheaper than the vintage-inspired stuff.

This post is focusing on skirts alone. I hope you enjoy my picks! I had fun scouring Etsy for look-a-likes to the skirts I found on modern day sites.

Key:
MC = ModCloth
Urban = Urban Outfitters
Ruche = Ruche

[View in RustBeltThreads' Shop]
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(Price difference isn't that big here, but RubyGreyVintage ships for free!)
[View in RubyGreyVintage's Shop]
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[View in CarnivorousDeer's Shop]
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[View in SnapVintage's Shop]
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[View in sheHEARTSvintage's Shop]
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[View in TulipTreeVintage's Shop]
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[View in VintageOutlet's Shop]
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I couldn't pick between the two skirts I found that were similar to this one:

[View in ChicOrigins' Shop] --- [View in iseeyoubrightly's Shop]
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Same here. I found two that I thought were really close:

[View in LdyLux's Shop] --- [View in VintageModa's Shop]
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Hope you are all enjoying the Christmas season! I've been listening to Christmas music all day and got to hang out with Santa earlier. :)

Outfit: Thanksgiving

Top to Bottom:

Beaded Bib Necklace: $6.80, Forever21

Grey Ruffle Cardigan: $17.99, Target

Ivory Lace Tank:
$29.99, ModCloth

Interlock Bars Belt:
$6.29, UrbanOut.

Thrifted Green Wool Skirt: $3, TeenChallenge

Apt. 9 Grey Tights:
$5, Kohl's

Grey Felt Buckle Flats: $10, Target











This is what I wore on Thanksgiving. I'm not particularly fond of Thanksgiving. Like most holidays, it's gone the way of the world and is now more about food and shopping than it is giving thanks. So I guess I shouldn't say I'm not fond of Thanksgiving, I should say I'm not fond of what the world has done to it, reducing it merely to "Turkey Day" or "Black Friday Eve".

Two things I am quite fond of, though, are this necklace and this skirt. Forever21 is the only place I buy jewelry from, as a general rule, because jewelry everywhere else is overpriced and I could make it for myself for cheaper. And this skirt is probably my favorite Thrift Store find yet... it's a really nice wool blend in a great dark green shade. Sure to get lots of wear.

As I said in my previous post, let me know if this blog layout looks wonky on your screen. I'm messing around with new set ups and whatnot and I know sometimes things look different on different monitors.

Outfit: Snow Day

It snowed last week and you would have thought the whole of Oregon had not seen a snowflake before. I logged on to facebook and I'd estimate over 90% of my friends' status updates were along the lines of,"It's Snowing!". So I looked outside to see this wondrous event that had everyone in a tizzy, and was frustrated to find I couldn't see any snow. I actually had to walk outside in the cold in order to see the teeny tiny microscopic flakes that were falling. Lame!

And of course, because snow is soooo dangerous (I'm being sarcastic, if you can't tell), school was canceled. For this:

Only in Oregon...

Anyways, to prove how much I couldn't care less about freaking 2 millimeters of snow, I did my picture outside. Take that, Mother Nature.

Thrifted Mock-Neck Sweater: $1.64, St. Vincent de Paul's
Black Skinny Jeans: $22.42, Alloy
Gray Socks: $?, Unknown (Gift)
Black Union Bay Heels: $18.06, Kohl's
Striped Scarf: $2.50, Kohl's

Cut-Out Circles Stretch Bracelet: $4, Charlotte Russe

I went to St. Vinnie's for the first time the other day and was pretty impressed with it. Very neat and organized, and I didn't leave feeling like I needed to run home and wash my hands. I found 4 tops that I really liked and when I took them to the counter to check out, this is the conversation that took place:

Checker Dude: "Find everything OK?"
Me: "Yup."
[Checker Dude quickly looks at the tops I put on the counter and then punches some numbers on his register]
Checker Dude: "$6.54"
Me: [Silent, because I'm waiting for him to ring up the rest of the shirts]
Checker Dude: "Uhm... $6.54?"
Me: "What, for all of them?"
Checker Dude: "Uh, yeah."
Me: "No way!"
Checker Dude: "All the clothes are 50% off today."
Me: "Marry me."

OK, so I didn't ask him to marry me, but I was pretty happy.

ModCloth Holiday Sale

I know I spend a lot of time throwing ModCloth under the bus for charging so much for their items when other shops seem to be able to sell the same item for far less, but I genuinely do like them and wish very much that I had more money to spend there. I went to their site today to hunt for more duplicates for my next Here Not There post, and saw they are having a "Tis' the Season" sale in which many of their dresses and other items have been marked down significantly. So if you were ever going to buy stuff from ModCloth, now would be the most appropriate time to do so.

A small sampling:

[Photo Source: ModCloth]

Pretty decent prices, no? $37 for a pair of boots that cute is actually (dare I say it?) reasonable. You should do sales like this more often, MC, and you and I will get along better.

Click HERE to check out the sale on ModCloth.

1950's Floral Dress by QsDaydream

I about SQUEEE'd out loud when I saw this adorable dress over in QsDaydream's shop. The blue flowers! The full skirt! The buttons at the waist! The neckline! *Swoooon*.

[View on Etsy]

Curse my waistline! Why did people 60 years ago have to be so darn small? Did they not eat back then?

Shopping Tips: Kohl's

1) If you should happen to be so unlucky as to fall in love with one of the 5 things in the whole store that is not on sale, don't buy it. Go back next week and it will be on sale. I promise.

Exhibit A: One time I wanted some tights. They weren't on sale. I went back a few days later. 60% off. Boom.

2) If you should happen to be so lucky as to fall in love with one of the 150 thousand things that are on sale, consider waiting to buy it. Chances are it will be even more on sale next week. If what you want to buy is only 15-30% off, try to talk yourself into holding out for a better sale. If there is only one or two left, then perhaps it would be a good idea to buy it, but if there are plenty in stock then it can be very rewarding to wait.

Exhibit B: There was a pair of black combat-ish boots that I wanted that were already on sale (they were $39). There was only one pair left in my size, but I decided I'd wait. A few days later I checked on Kohl's.com and saw the boots had been dropped to $28. I went right back over and bought them. And when I went there a few days ago, the same boots were on sale again for $22.

Good things to get at Kohl's:
-Basics (plain t-shirts, tank tops, long sleeve tops)
-Shoes, but like I said above, never buy them if they're not on sale.
-Tights. Vera Wang and Apt. 9 are both good brands.
-Super-on-sale scarves. I got a really cute blue and green scarf for $2.50 last time I went.
-Vera Wang dresses. I'm not too impressed with her top and pants offerings, but her dresses are to die for. Usually they're around $40, which is reasonable for a brand new designer dress.

Bad things to get at Kohl's:
-Anything from the Junior's section. Avoid it like the plague.
-Purses. The cute ones are all ridiculously expensive, even on sale, and the cheap ones are just ugly.
-Make-up. I haven't tried much of it (got an eyeliner there once that was pretty awful), but it is really expensive and is one of the few things that never seems to go on a decent sale.
-Anything with a celebrity's face on the tag. If Britney Spears likes it, you shouldn't.
-In general (there are always exceptions), their stylized tops are pretty not-good. Shop for your statement pieces somewhere else.
-Jewlery. Unless you can find something good on the super marked down rack, don't get any. It's extremely overpriced. As someone who know jewelry construction and materials, please trust me when I tell you that most of it isn't worth the money.

Happy Shopping!

CURSED

I've been cursed.
Yes.
Since the age of 15.
Woe is me.

I've been forced, AGAINST MY WILL, to wear uniforms to ALL of my jobs (save 1--at the liquor store) since I began working way back when in the 10th grade.

My first job I worked in a banquet hall.
I dressed like a penguin.
I wore black shapeless dress slacks, a white tux shirt (with pleats! and black button stubby thingies), AND a bowtie!
When a new company took over I was forced to wear a CUMMERBUND!

Wtf?

Talk about being traumatized at a young age.
Should I mention that I worked that job for almost 4 years?

Job numero dos was at the pizza place.
I got to wear jeans (PLUS), but I had to wear the same 2 work shirts in rotation (MINUS).
Did you know that when you work in a pizza place, and after you get off work, no matter how much you shower, your HAIR still smells like cheesesteaks and pizza sauce (MINUS)?
And that you can NEVER get the smell of cheesesteaks out of your coveted American Eagle (their jeans were a BIG DEAL for me in high school) jeans (BID MINUS THERE!!!)?

My third job was in college.
I worked in the gym.
I had a cool title: RECy (pronounced: wreck-y).
I wore khaki pants (that made by butt, on good days, look semi decent) and a black polo.
However, the combination of khaki and black, day after day after day, SUCKS BALLS!

Next job: liquor store.
Plus-es all around! I got to wear WHATEVER I WANTED!!!!

Went back to the pizza store... with a twist:
It became a legit restaurant.
I was forced to wear black shoes, pants, and a not so flattering black polo--which I later convinced management to let me wear the boy shirt because the girl shirt was cut weird and looked like crap on me.

Moved to GA--

Now I wear this:

Still shapeless AND black and BORING!!!
Argh.
How is a girl supposed to get a decent tip if she is wearing this!!
It only gets worse when I have to put the neck tie and long apron on...!

Do you notice a change?

NO!

Neither do I.
Seriously, WTF??

It doesn't get any better.

Why? you ask.

Because when I work at the tire store I wear black Dickies shorts (that go 2 inches past my knees) and a black polo style shirt that is 2 sizes too big for me--because my brother ordered the WRONG size!


One day.
One day I'll get to wear pencil skirts and blouses, high heels and tights, blazers and nicely tailored dress slacks...
One day.

OH JEEZZZZZ WHEN IS THAT DAY COMING!

I don't know how much more of this craziness--uniform thing--I can take.

Seriously, I'm cursed.

UH-UH's FLASHBACK FRIDAY [iii]

Once upon a time there was a woman name Uh-Uh.
Uh-Uh liked to glam it up.
Uh-Uh liked to shop.
Uh-Uh had a strong appreciation for the color white.

Some of you may disagree with me and my Uh-Uh about white not being a color and instead a hue... BUT once you set foot in my Uh-Uh's [old] Condo or raid her wardrobe you will be a white-as-a-color converted individual.

Please excuse my ramblings if they don't make one bit of sense this evening. I'm working off of 4 hours of sleep between the past 48hrs [all my own fault and completely WORTH it, and also the reason why this Flashback is on Saturday evening and not on Friday... my bad.]

Back to the business of my Uh-Uh liking the color white:
My Uh-Uh lived in a white walled Condo with white carpets and white couches and white linens.
Everything was WHITE.
But everything sparkled. There were large windows and lights in every room. When I would visit I would always get in trouble for turning all of her lights on in her house. I loved the way her spot lights on the ceiling would make the items in her china cabinets shine.

The shining and the lights and the white-ness of everything in her house is one of the main reasons why I was so drawn to the item of today's flashback.

The white (more creamy colored with age, wear, and old stains) of this dress reminded me so much of my Uh-Uh. Yes, I know the dress belonged to her, so obviously it will remind me of her, but it's more so the White-ness of it, the flow of it, the elegance and air around the dress.

It screams Uh-Uh.

[In the good way of course]

Now, on with the show:

[My Uh-Uh liked her white dresses]

[My Uh-Uh liked to alter her clothing... this dress was pinned in the front. She obviously didn't want to show the world her 'goodies'--My Uh-Uh is a classy lady.]

[Here is a close up--as close as I can get with my busted camera--the dress is silky, pleated (all OVER), and has this added belt to cinch the waist.]

[Here is the back...]

[This is NOT how my Uh-Uh would parade around... not with her lacy slip showing to the world--no siree-bob.]

[I pulled the back down on the dress, pulled up the waist to make it more empire. I like both ways.]

[These are my Uh-Uh's boots... I confiscated them a few years back. My Uh-Uh was a stylish lady back in her day!]

[More of Uh-Uh's dress and her boots! Hollar!]

If you don't know what next week's Flashback is about:

Boots!

I love me some boots! And so did my Uh-Uh!

:)

I FEEL THE BURN... I SWEAR!

I just completed my first 20minutes of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred...

Kill Me Now!

Now that I've put my workout 'business' out there... out here on my blog... it means that I can't back out of doing my workouts. I've not told the blog about it, so I have to go through with it. Not only to save face, but to fit into my KILLER RED DRESS I bought for S&S's Wedding in July.
I'm not one of those girls who buys clothing that doesn't fit and swears that they will work out to fit into it. I know myself. I wouldn't do it. And then the dress would just hang there in my closet for a year or two until I finally decided to give it to Goodwill or to a friend who could fit into it.
Well this time I found a dress, retail for over $100, on SALE and then discounted on SALE for a whopping total of $14... Yes I said $14 from over $100. Hollar!
It's a one shoulder beauty. Eh, here is a picture:

It's quite fitting...
Gives me a waist, makes the ladies look good, shows off my collar bones, and has a nice pencil skirt shape to the bottom...
I heart it.

Now let me clarify my above statement about buying clothes that don't fit... This dress fits me, but in my mind it doesn't look perfect on me. If I bought a pair of Spanx I would be happy with how the dress looked then, BUT I refuse to CHEAT that way.
This is where Jillian comes into play... well not really play. She kicked my ass for 20 minutes today and I hate that bitch. I told her so on Twitter... but I won't hate her tomorrow morning when I am physically unable to stand up when I get out of bed or when I am unable to walk down the stairs without a death grip on the banister...
BECAUSE I LIKE THAT FEELING AFTER A WORKOUT!

I'm sick, I know.

As much as I gripe about working out, the feeling I have the next day is the best. My body is sore and tired. My legs and arms feel like J-E-L-L-O and I could barely scrub the soap out of my hair or shave my pits in the shower (TMI I'm sorry) but damn if I don't secretly LOVE that feeling. It means that I actually DID something and my body is reacting to it in a positive way! Woo!

So Jillian and I are working out together for the next 30 days... alternating her workouts every other day with individual workouts in between and days of rest in between.

After today, Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday this is the image I will keep in my mind:

Umm, and this:

[Ugh, Bitch!]
But I heart her!

Her picture on the DVD is not what I see... Not her smiling at me with her 6pack and her tan. Bitch please. You are a mean, mean woman who makes my arms burn and my thighs and knees shake from exhaustion and what you call "the burn". Eff that. Maybe after my first week I will like you a little bit more. Probably not. After the first week (or week and a half) I move up to level 2. I'll probably hate you then, and once again after I move to level 3.

At the end I'll love you a lot. I'll confess my love for you and sing your praises... but for the next 30 days:

YOU ARE A MEAN, MEAN WOMAN! DAMN YOU!

But thanks... in 30 days :)