Sunday 31 July 2016

Massive mid-summer savings and cold-weather countdown!

Hello friends! It's the end of July, the weather has been glorious and sunny.  And nothing says glorious and sunny like distressed denim.  I had a hankering to buy jeans and distress them.  Luckily the Salvation Army was having a 50% off sale, and I was able to purchase several pairs for cheap!

Funny thing about distressed jeans.  As a child in the seventies, I remember wearing jeans until they were so worn that there were holes in the knees and inner thighs.  Ripped knees were patched with colorful pieces of fabric.  Inner thigh areas were invisibly patched by carefully matching the color of the patch to the jeans.  Our family was very frugal with money, and I wore my clothes to threads.

When the eighties arrived, shredded and acid-washed jeans became popular, thanks to artists like Madonna and Def Leppard.  I'll never forget the shredded jeans in Pour Some Sugar on Me.

At the time some people considered shredded jeans scandalous.  The idea of purchasing clothing that had been deliberately damaged was shocking to some.  Now it's commonplace to fork over wads of cash for torn and patched jeans.  

Here are the pics of the jeans I purchased.  I plan to wear them as is.  Once I figure out how I want them to look I will distress them.  Perhaps I'll recreate a pair that I had when I was a kid.  The knee was patched with a colorful, homemade apple applique.

American Eagle and Gap jeans. Plus a 'granny' patchwork vest.

I also picked up a vest and a hoodie.  Don't fool yourself, crisp autumn weather is on the way - and layers are a great way to stay warm (without hauling out the parka).

Quilted light-blue vest and hoodie.

Whoa! What's this I see?







I managed to find some high-end jeans.  A quick Google search yielded the identical pair of Lucky's selling for three digits online.  Score!

I also scooped up another jean jacket.  Everything I purchased was $5 or less.




I have a fatal attraction to rayon, granny prints, and long flowing skirts.  Enter the 2-piece Tabi set of my dreams!!  I can hardly wait to wear them (separately).  This set was $3!!  How on earth did it not get scooped up by someone else?






A mint condition, oversized, black cotton blazer.  Perfect with a white t-shirt and jeans.




A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to win a vintage, mannequin head at the Salvation Army, silent auction.  I also snaffled this FOUR-POINT, Queen sized Hudson's Bay blanket.  I threw it in the delicate cycle in the wash and hung it to dry.  Now it's waiting for a cold, winter's night!!




These blankets retail for about $650 (I know, I priced them online).  So for $50 I was ecstatic to take this home with me.



FOUR POINT baby!

It pays to check all the departments at the Sally Ann.  I found these 3 Fire-King mugs for 99 cents each!!  Bring on the cold weather and the hot-chocolate!!



I conservatively estimate that I would have spent over a thousand dollars, had I purchased these brand-new.  My total was a little under a hundred dollars.

haha!

happy thrifting ;)

6 comments:

  1. I definitely remember the colourfully patched knees (and elbow) of the 1970s! Well done on the high-end jeans, which is quite a bargain! I'm also loving the Fire King mugs and can already see them steaming with hot chocolate. With marshmallows! I don't really want to think about colder weather yet. Until October I will be in denial. xxx

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  2. Haha! I had forgotten about patched elbows! I remember that you could purchase rectangular iron-on patches for elbows and knees. Yes! Fire-King, hot chocolate and marshmallows! But don't worry, October is far away and there are many, more sunny days to enjoy!

    Happy thrifting ;)

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  3. I never did get into the torn jeans thing, but I do remember a 90's fad for using a gun to shoot bullet holes through the denim. Ah, America, you never fail to horrify the world. Anyway, that was a thankfully short-lived style (wonder how many people shot themselves trying to personalise their jeans?).

    Nice score on the blanket! I'm more of an Ayres blanket woman myself, but I can appreciate a nice Hudson's Bay when I see one.

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  4. Oh my goodness!! Shooting bullets eh? And I was planning on using scissors and possibly a sander. Hee, hee. I love your phrase about horrifying the world, well done!

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  5. Oh my goodness!! Shooting bullets eh? And I was planning on using scissors and possibly a sander. Hee, hee. I love your phrase about horrifying the world, well done!

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  6. Great finds! I love the treasure hunt that is thrift shopping and it is always so rewarding to tally things up to see how much you saved compared to retail.

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