Lace tights and snakeskin shoes

OOTD Painful Feet Edition

I'm test driving this green sweater, belt, tights and shoes.  The shoes, which were so comfortable in the store, were unbearably painful.  By 10:00 o'clock, my feet were begging for relief.

Green sweater (thrifted, $3), Old Navy skirt (clearance, $4), purple lace tights (Shoppers Drug Mart clearance, $5), Fergalicious faux snakeskin flats with bows and rhinestones(clearance, $20)

Either my feet shrunk, or the shoes grew, because my feet were rattling around with too much room to spare.  There was chafing action going on.

It's still pretty cold, so I wore an oversized, green sweater.  Wear layers for survival people!!!

Smile through the pain!!

Easter is around the corner! So is a photo-bomber.

Today was bag day at a thrift store.  I broke down and bought a bag off goodies for $10.  I'll show you pics later.

So much for my "Don't buy till July" Resolution.  :)

Rhinestone Cherries, $80. Hand-crafted by Danny P., purchased at Toronto craft show 12 years ago.

Earrings (Claires $2)

Photo bomber Jr.

Thanks for dropping by.

:)

Thrift store haul Part 2 (epic and wordy)

Shoes, shoes and more shoes!!  I'd like to thank whoever donated these shoes.  It looks like you purchased some of these things 20 years ago, and then carefully tucked them away in your closet.  You are a fine person, indeed.  Would you like to adopt me?

White ankle boots (Naturalizer, $10 thrifted), LL Bean leather sandals, Lands End suede loafers, Born  leather gladiators and Eaton's Attitude oxfords.  The tooled, leather Acapulco purse was only $2!!!

In praise of vintage leather shoes from the 80s.  These shoes were likely still made in Canada, or Brazil,  Italy or Spain.  I love the quality materials and the workmanship.

All shoes were thrifted for about $10 each.

These oxfords from Eaton's have a special place in my heart.  I know my feet will look FAB when I wear them with a shirt dress, or cut-offs and a tank top.  The picture is dark, so it's difficult to make out the different colors in these shoes, but the earthy red, green and beige colors are gorgeous!   The workmanship that went into these shoes is exquisite.  And the leather is just scuffed enough to look trendy.  I can hardly wait for the snow to melt so that I can wear these lovelies!!

I loved shopping at Eaton's.  It was a sad day indeed when they closed their doors.  Eaton's featured higher end merchandise, and they were one of the first department stores to offer a boutique environment.  They had killer end-of-season sales.  "Attitude" was Eaton's own label.  It was targeted towards spendy, twenty-somethings.  When I was in university (the first time), I got a job at Eaton's.  I was in heaven.

I've worn the Lands End loafers a few times, and I'm sad to report that they are kind of blah.  So I'm going to decorate them with something blingy.  I'm thinking of sequinned cobras or sparkly beads.

More shoes!!  Three pairs thrifted for $10 or $13 each.  Faux-croc, mommy tote, thrifted for about $13.

In praise of mommy totes.  No, you are not fashion darlings, but I love you because I can stuff my netbook, lunch, sunnies, cell phone, water bottle and various mommy stuff (Kleenex, wipes, bandaids, snacks etc.) into you before I go running out the door.  I can sling you over my shoulder when I attend various kid events.  You are forgiving if I spill juice on you.  You take abuse when I throw you into my car.  You take abuse when my kids pile their sports gear on top of you.  You take abuse when the dog decides to lay on you.  But at the end of the day, you are there for us.  Thank you mommy tote.

Flowy green skirt (thrifted for $3.50).

I thrifted this skirt from a Dutch charity shop.  I love the Dutch charity shop.  Although they aren't as large as the Salvation Army, or Value Village, they have higher quality merchandise.  Periodically I'll hit the motherload when some kind person decides to clean out their closet.  This skirt is a higher-end label, and it appears to be never worn.  It didn't make the cut when I went to a tropical destination last month.  But it will be making an appearance this summer when I pair it with a crisp, sleeveless shirt for work.

American Eagle ditzy print mini skirt (thrifted for about $5, Salv Army)

This cute skirt came with an adorable butterfly belt buckle.  The belt buckle is in my 'to do' pile to be sewn into an elastic belt.

Retail therapy, all purchased from Bianca Nygard clearance sale for $5 each.

 I don't know what it is about Bianca Nygard.  But when I see the $5 clearance rack of jewelery, my knees go weak. I especially love the multi-strand yellow necklace shown in the picture above.  The necklace has around ten strands of glass beads, so it is a heavy item.  I've already worn the green, feather necklace and it's FAB!!!

Vintage silk scarf featuring maple leaves!!  ($1, thrifted)

Men's silk shirt ($3, thifted)

 This unworn, vintage shirt came home with me when the Salv Army took 50% off mens shirts.  Judging from the style and the trippy print, I'd say this shirt is circa 1980s.  I have to show you a closeup of this pattern.

Closeup.  

Zodiac-esque emblems, Greco-Roman decorations, gold and purple.  What more can you ask for?  This shirt has it all.

This being a men's XL shirt, it is loose and baggy on me.  I'm going to test-drive it by belting it and wearing it over skinnies or a slim skirt.  I may have to perform surgery on this shirt, but I'm hesitant as I've never worked with silk before.  Wish me luck.

Three thrifted tops, $5 - $8 each.  Gold pleated off-shoulder top (Bianca Nygard), Black and white vest (Ricki's) and  dark grey pleated, sleeveless top (Jones of New York).

Two polyester scarves ($2 each, thrifted)

Oops, upsidedown shot.

Have you seen the Dolce and Gabbana Spring Summer 2012 collection?   It features clothing with scarf prints.  Here is a pic.  These scarves are destined to be made into D&G inspired clothing.  Once I figure out how to sew polyester, scarf, clothing, I will move onto silk, scarf, clothing.  Stay tuned for more details.

Suede and leather purse with studding and metal lace details (thrifted, $15)

This fabulous handbag drew my attention because of the metal lacing around the edges.  There is a scratch on the suede, but I'm hoping to buff it out.  It was a $15 find at Salv Army.

What did YOU find at the thrift stores?

Happy Monday everyone!

Thrift store haul Part 1 (epic)

Here is a recap of my most recent thrift hauls from the past 2 weeks.  I shopped at Value Village, and the Salvation Army.  Warning: This s a looong post.

Tapestry broach ($2, Value Village), dangly green earrings (33 cents, Value Village), copper enamelled maple leaves (33 cents, Value Village), vintage Coro thermoset earrings (33 cents, Value Village). 

Value Village happened to have a rack of jewellery with three pieces for $1.  This is where I found the three pairs of earrings.

The Coro earrings were a total score.  The three, wavy strips are a pearlescent white and midnight blue.  The thift store gods must have been smiling on me because I also happened to find the matching necklace a few weeks earlier at the same Value Village yee-haw!

I love thermoset jewellery.  This type of jewellery was made in the 50s through the 70s.  It would come in sets of earrings, necklace, broach and bracelet called parures.  I've purchased my share of parures, and demi-parures on ebay.  I more than happy to buy them at yard sales and thrift stores as they are usually cheaper than ebay.

If you ask really nice, I may show you my collection of thermoset and other vintage jewellery.  :)




Dr. Scholls brown sandals ($10, thrifted),  Naturalizer leather flats ($10, thrifted) and handbag ($25, thrifted)

I never find shoes at thrift stores.  To be honest, used shoes used to rank highly on my ickymeter.  Then one day I started reading about fabulous shoes finds here and here.  So I plucked up my courage and sallied forth into the shoe racks.  To my surprise and delight, I found shoes.  I found a whole lot of shoes!  Of course it helps that I'm a size 7.

The 2 pairs of shoes above were in mint condition.  I don't think they were worn at all.  I wore the Dr. Scholl's sandals on a recent, tropical holiday.  They were sooo comfortable.  The Naturalizer flats are made of strips of multi-colored leather.  The leather comes in delicious shades such as lime, fuschia and pink.  I was so happy when I found these shoes I think I floated over to the handbags.  The handbag above may not be the real thing, but it's the perfect size for me, and I liked the studded detailing.  This handbag is now living with the rest of my handbag collection :)

Yellow denim capris ($5, thrifted, the tags are still on it), burgundy cordorouy knee-skirt Gap ($5, thrifted)

I love knee skirts.  You can dress 'em up for the office, or you can pair it with a tee for casual times. 

Long rayon shirt with apples and pears ($5, thrifted).  Long cotton skirt ($7 thrifted)

I looooove rayon  It's drapey, lightweight, and seems to come in a plethora of fun prints and colors.  The shirt above has pictures of apples and pears.  When I saw it, it was love at first sight.  I think I may have said, "hello precious, you're coming home with me".    This shirt is uber-long.  Think vintage, 80's shirts that were worn long and baggy.  I may have to perform some surgery on this shirt.  We'll wait and see.

The long cotton skirt is white with a brown print.  It's Denver Hayes.  It has an elastic waist and an inner lining so I won't shock people by showing them an outline of my legs (the horror).  These skirts are perfect for wearing as a skirt, or as a strapless dress. 

Leather shoes ($10, thrifted), silk scarf ($1, thrifted)

 Another pair of fabulous summer shoes.  I love vintage, leather shoes...especially when they haven't been worn like this pair :)  I don't think I could even buy shoes like this anymore.  They are well made, genuine leather, have wooden soles, and they're not made in China.   The silk scarf was a total score.  It has a great scenic border (check out the horse drawn wagons!).



Earrings (thrifted $2, Salv Army)

Dear Google, please add image rotation tools :)  Here we have a fabulous pair of paua shell earrings.  These beauties are probably vintage Watercolors, a now-defunct Canadian, jewellery manufacturer.


Comfy XL black tee with neon Las Vegas logo ($2, Salv Army). 

This is a fabulous, comfy tee-shirt.  Like everything else I've found, it's in mint condition.  I had planned to do some DIY alterations on it, but then my junior stylist saw it and claimed it for herself.

Sorry for the sideways pic.  Denim jacket with studs and jewels ($7, Salv Army).

 I wore this denim jacket today (the pic above shows it on a snowbank).  I layered it with a hoody,  long sleeved t-shirt, and bright pink pants.  I was as warm as toast.  It helps that the temperature is hovering a little above zero Celcius. 

Although spring is on it's way, I'm hoping that we'll have a few more weekends of snow so that I can get some skiing in.

I'll post the rest of my finds later.  Lessons learned during these thrift hauls are:
1. Shop off-season.  I found fabulous, summer shoes in the winter.
2. Follow staff when they stock the shelves.  While I was browsing in the Salv Army I stumbled across an Under Armour hat.  The hat had been on the floor for about 5 minutes before I snapped it up.  Cost, $4.  They retail for $22. 
3. Try a size up, and a size down.  Vintage shoes fit small and narrow.  Some of the shoes I found are size 7, some are size 8.  I am usually a size 7, but I learned to try size 8 shoes on.


Here is one last find.  Boots!!

Canadian made black leather boots, Jessica ($4, thrifted)

Originally these boots were $8.

 These lovelies were originally priced at $8 at my friendly, Salvation Army.  It looks like they were never worn.  And the leather is deliciously soft and supple.  The problem is that I couldn't wiggle my feet into these beauties because the leg opening was too long and narrow.  I bought them anyways.  All the winter boots were marked down 50%, and I figured for $4 I could experiment and cut them down to ankle boots.  But then my stylist saw them and now they belong to her :)

Stylist's outfit, leather boots ($4, thrifted), plaid skirt ($15, Zellers clearance), Lands End down vest ($5, thrifted), purple Smurfs t-shirt ($2, thrfted)

Various members of my family have pointed out that I like to shop :)  And since I've had a glut of great thrift hauls, I don't plan to shop for a while.  Thus my "Don't buy till July" resolution has been born.  So I plan to show you what I've got, but I won't do any shopping for a while.

How about you?  Do people ever tell you that you have a shopping addiction :)  I still think that shopping, especially thrift shopping, is cheaper than therapy.

Thanks for dropping by.

:)

Argyle and checks, wool and cashmere

hello all!  A few days ago I woke up to find that Mother Nature had gifted us with another foot of snow.  The snowdrifts around my house are now up to my thighs, which makes negotiating the path while laden with grocery bags challenging!

Don't get me wrong, I love snow.  When time permits, I enjoy snow shoeing and skiing.  I also enjoy taking pictures of snow.  Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Snowy commute.  Can you see the vehicle ahead of me?

The snow is coming down sideways.

Oh dear, the snow trees are growing sideways!!

So what is a girl to do when the snow is coming down hard, and she must be prepared for any eventuality.  She must dress for the weather folks!!  She must be prepared to hop out of the car, to dig out a tire, or push a car out of a slippery spot.

Oddly enough, I'm growing sideways too!
Maroon check jacket (American Eagle, thrifted $10), cashmere argyle (HBC clearance $30), white tuxedo shirt (Jones New York, thrifted $6), dark grey, wool maxi-skirt (Eddie Bauer, church bag sale $1).

 I'm bundled up in layers of wool and cashmere.  My jacket is short, so that I can hop in and out of the car easily.  The wool maxi-skirt repels snow so that I can wade through snow drifts and brush off the snow easily.

What do you wear when the weather is snowy?

Do tell.

:)

Hello, hello!!  Welcome to my SECOND blog post.  Woot, woot, I'm practically a pro!!  (NOT!).

My name is Sila  (how do you do?).  When I'm not juggling a couple of jobs, motherhood, girlfriendhood, and pet ownership, I'm usually at a thrift store, or planning my next thrift store, shopping spree. 

The picture below shows me in a thrift store changeroom, posing for the obligatory, outfit photo. 

Chambray shirt (Aeropostal, $5 thrifted), mommy jeans (Joe Fresh, $5 thrifted), long cotton/acrylic cardi (Northern Reflections, $8 thrifted), faux calfskin belt (Old Navy, $1 clearance).  Shoes were purchased new at Nordstrum Rack $80

I love thrift shopping, yard-saling, charity shopping.  Second hand is good. 

Accessories, long beaded necklace (Bianca Nygard, $5 clearance), chevron, semi-precious stone, necklace (Value Village, $3, thrifted), gold dangly earrings (ebay lot, $1), blue heart glass ring (European Jewellers, $30).

For the past year or so, I've been finding huge amounts of clothing and accessories at thrift stores.  So, instead of going out and shopping some more, I'm going to document what I got, and what I plan to do with it.

I hope you stick around for the ride.

:)

Thanks for popping by.