My Recent Thrift Haul

 

I recently went thrifting with my husband one evening. I find it’s better than early morning because the crowds are few. I love to browse freely and always seem to pull 20 things and then I weed out what I don’t need to buy and only purchase what I should. We had just eaten dinner and had the urge to hunt for gold. We had passed this Goodwill on the way to the restaurant and were dying to browse it after our meal. I was most impressed with the music they were playing. It was jazzy and perfect for an evening spree. We spent an hour and 1/2 there combing the aisles. As usual my 20 pulled items became a mere 9 (but oh what a sweet 9 they were!). My husband scored a few goodies as well.  We couldn’t wait to get home and listen to some vinyl , crack open some wine and check out our wares.  On this particular haul… I was more into finding LOOKS …OUTFITS and I was really surprised with what I was able to find.

Some of my haul

Yes that’s right…That is a vintage Gucci purse that I scored at The Goodwill! It was in near perfect condition and only $12.99! It was not the first item I saw and in fact I found it towards the end of spree hanging on a hook somewhat near the check out stand. Apparently I was in the right place at the right time. Gold. After a few sips of vino I began styling my new to me thrifted outfits and this is how I did.

Vtg Gitano Multicolor Fringe Bib Sweater $5.99

I fell for the colors and fringe trim. This sweater is soft and light weight. I styled this with a contrasting rust

colored macramé choker (which I had at home) and could not resist adding the new Gucci bag.

Next…

Vtg Lace Jessica McClintock Dress $7.99

Oh how I adore a good lace dress. This one just seemed so romantic and Valentine-y. It’s cream color is so feminine and soft. Could easily be worn day or night. I styled this with a vintage tan suede belt I already had and felt the Macramé choker also looked stellar with it.

Next…

Vtg White Floral Accordion Pleat Secretary Dress $7.99

A gal can always use a sweet work dress that she can easily go out to dinner with AFTER. I adored the spring floral pattern and accordion pleat skirt. This dress was tad large on me so I went to the belt section and found this navy vintage stretch belt with large gold buckle for $2.99.  I also fount the multi strand gold locket necklace for $4.00 AND….. the vintage black quilted leather gold chain bag for $6.00.

Next…..

Vtg Black and White Preppy Secretary Dress $7.99

but was 1/2 off!

This dress was also a perfect addition for my work wardrobe. It’s print is so 80’s and I love the power house preppy secretary look of it! Classic black and white colors! I styled this with a vintage Perry Ellis ostrich belt I found for $2.99, the above mentioned gold locked and I added another gold necklace I had at home as well as the vintage Gucci bag. I truly love the savings and style of thrifted clothing and accessories. I think it’s always fun to go out on a hunt for buried treasure! The key is looking through everything!

and lastly..

I thought I would add in the wonderful vintage item

my husband found

Vtg European Scene Paint by Numbers Painting

$11.99

He has such a wonderful eye for great vintage pieces like this. We always change up our home décor and love vintage mid century pieces so this was a wonderful find.

I hope you enjoyed my thrift haul. I am sure there will be many more to come!

 

Beads

I’m that gal that has a whole lot of everything. Boots, handbags, scarves, rings and such. Most of the time I buy my things at random yard sales and thrift shops and then other times I get real lucky and people just give things to me.  I love that! My accessory collection is mostly made up by second hand items. I just love vintage things better and I normally use most of what I got (if you can actually believe that!). Sometimes I get a bit obsessed with something and then it becomes my go to item. Right now that “thing” I am obsessed with is beads. I’m talking about beaded necklaces. Vintage colorful ones.  I blame this on Cinderella. Yes… the movie Cinderella.  The Disney cartoon with talking mice and a missing shoe. If you remember when Cinderella was getting ready for the ball…. she used the discarded beads her evil step sister tossed out.Bead Gal

The wicked step mother remarks on how the beads give it just the right touch. This inspired me to pull out my beaded necklaces and like that…. my obsession was born. A pop of color, be it plastic, ceramic or glass, was just the thing some of my outfits needed.  I love the way they pulled a look together and in some ways made it stand out.

Vintage green beaded necklace

         These beads are long so I just doubled them up for a more choker style necklace. I love how the green just pops with the soft pastel yellow and ivory belt.

Vintage Large Orange Glass Beaded Necklace

I normally paired this dress with a large brass colored medallion necklace but I was loving what the orange glass beads did for it. The beads give it such a more earthy feel. I could wear sandals with this (minus the belt) and run out to Trader Joe’s for groceries. With the belt and some strappy heels I can go to an art opening in the city. I think I got these beads at a flea market for $4.00. Total STEAL!

Vintage violet plastic beads

These were purchased in a bag of several necklaces for 1.00 at a church rummage sale. I can honestly say that I bought the bag because of their color. I love how it splashes against the gold and black. Beaded necklaces also work well with tees and jeans so don’t feel you have to get dressed up to wear them.

Thanks to my fashionista pal Cinderella for giving me the inspiration!

Over the weekend……

My husband and I decided to head out to one of our favorite thrift shops. This shop normally has 50% off sales on Saturdays so it’s a bit of an extra treat.  With Summer coming to an end, (although in southern California..you would never know it) and Fall on the horizon, I tend to get inspired. I was on the hunt to find thrifty things to inspire me to create some accessories.  Sometimes I know  just what to look for and other times… it’s whatever strikes me!  I managed to pick up a few things and got to crafting that night!

I found an ivory ball of thick yarn, some cute crochet doilies, a thin brass butterfly that was some sort of wall hanging and ( not pictured) a floral needle point project that was already completed.  I combined some of my finds with left over necklace chains and clasps that I had at home.  I made myself some iced tea and sat at the kitchen table and got to work. I had three new to me dresses that I wanted to make unique statement piece necklaces for.

The first thing I did was dismantle the brass butterfly. There were two of them fastened together to create a sort of 3D look ( I imagine). I only needed one and I could use the other for another project. It was simple, all I had to do was remove the little binding clip in the center.  My butterfly had a little hole on the backside which was probably where the nail would go when you hung it on the wall. Since I was going to use this butterfly as a rather large pendant for my necklace, the hole was a PERFECT place to put my jump ring in.

I used the left over chain I had along with a brass color clasp and created my one of kind piece!

This may look heavy but the butterfly is SO thin that it hardly weighs anything. It was exactly the sort of thing I wanted for my maxi dress:

I love how the brassy colors look against the black and plum.

Next up was a crochet piece I found in the shape of a heart. I attached two jump rings to it’s sides and  attached a silver tone chain to them. I didn’t add a clasp as this easily fit over my head.

I love the simpleness of this and how it looks against other fabrics!

It was perfect with my rust color dress!  I also added the belt from the maxi dress.

Finally, the needle point. This needle point project was completed and had a little plastic hoop already attached to it. All I did was add the ivory colored yarn as a chain and then knotted it.

I thought the purple and lavender blended well with my rose colored dress.

Because I tend to love chunky statement piece necklaces… I usually just make my own. I adore that these pieces were not originally intended to wear however  they got a second chance at being loved again.

Do you make your own accessories? What sort of things do you use?

Lately I have……….

been obsessed with these.

I am a clog lover and have a couple pairs. I love the wood, the leather and the rivets. I love that you can wear them with socks when it’s cold. I love how they peek out of your wide leg  jeans and resemble a boot. They slip and off so easily and they are so comfortable. These shoes are strappy, open toe and soo cute. They got the wood heels I love  and they come in a variety of colors!

T Strap

Natural color that goes with everything and also looks sweet with tights.

Sling Back and clog like.  How sweet is that bow?

I LOVE this color and think the heel is perfect height for me to wear with all my vintage dresses.

When I want to get a little fancy!

They have newer styles which are ALL adorable but as of now I covet these!

Perhaps a purchase of a pair or two is in my very near future.

Falling for Fall…..

With Summer coming to an end it’s fun to plan ahead for Fall. Crunchy leaves underfoot and lavender October skies are some of the highlights of this magical season. It’s a perfect time to get together with friends for wine tastings, book clubs and dinners!  Shimmery prints and sparkly metallic in rich jewel tones are just screaming to be worn.

Below is  a little vignette I put together uses items from my shop inspired by

Fall.

Grey Gardens

Paired with black stacked boots this sweet vintage dress is perfect for your friends

wine tasting party!

Indian Summer

For those summer days that drift into Fall.

Cranberry Love

For that “Friendsgiving” party you are hosting!

Lazy Afternoon Stroll

Afternoon walks in the park have never looked so good.

Wednesday Night: Book Club

Paired with jeans and stacked clogs you will be ready to discuss your latest read!

Out on the Town

Be it the theater or dinner outshine them in this.

 

Movie Date Night

The perfect blouse to jazz up your skinny jeans.

 

 

The Perfect Boot

To go with any of the outfits above

All these items ( and more) are available in my Etsy Shop

https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheMacrameOwl?ref=si_shop

The Vintage Scarf….

I recently found a hat box in my garage and to my surprise it was filled with a lovely collection of vintage scarves. I had been collecting them sometime ago and had a great collection that I tucked away and forgot all about! As I sat and rummaged through them , I began to think about all the neat things you could do with them. The fabric ranged from cotton, polyester, silk and nylon. The prints were amazing! Floral , geometric, logo, paisley, checker, southwestern and so on.  Some were your typical square shape and others were more rectangle. Some were scalloped and others sheer. I felt as if I stumbled upon a treasure chest there in my dingy garage on a summer day!

The first thing I though of was to wear them in my hair. You know, gypsy style! Just like one of my fashion GURUS …. Rhoda Morganstern!

So bohemian and lovely!  I love the idea of vibrant funky print tied into a simple basic outfit and loads of gold accessories! Wearing a scarf as a headband or cap was just one way of  putting these magically pieces to good use…but I wanted MORE.

Constructing a handkerchief style blouse out of them is also a beautiful way to incorporate them into your wardrobe!  Whats not to love about those huge sleeves

with a pretty botanical print!  How gorgeous is that?

There’s MORE…..

Why not make some one of kind gorgeous window coverings with them! How lovely is the sunlight shining through those colors?

Or…

How about stitching some together to create this patchwork bed cover! Isn’t that a wonderful way to show off those prints?

The more colorful…. the more beautiful!

And….

You can always frame them to create and art piece or head board!

How gorgeous would table cloths out of scarves at a boho wedding be?

You can even stitch some onto spaghetti strap dresses to create flowy sleeves!

Scarves are usually very inexpensive when found at yard sales. The next time you are out and about, pick up a few and let your creative juices start flowing!

Why don’t you…….

 

Make yourself a bib necklace from an old crochet doillie and recycled chain.

Then you can add it to your simple dresses for a more boho look!

Why don’t you..

belt a vintage quilted robe and wear as a coat?

Make your own unique accessories with recycled bits and bobs?

You’d be amazed what this can do for your wardrobe!

Findings Lately…….

 

I found this gorgeous tomato red embroidered kimono at the Goodwill.  The cherry blossom embroidery is LOVELY and I fell in love with the large dolman sleeves.  At first I thought it would be great as a duster over a simple outfit but I find it also works as a fabulous wrap dress as well. I was inspired by the episode in Sex and City where Carrie wears her gorgeous Kimono as a dress to a gallery opening.  The color is amazing! It was in stellar condition and I simply paired it with a natural color crochet belt and wood carved choker.

 

I found this dress at a yard sale and immediately fell for the colors, the stripes and the flowers! Vintage maxi dresses are my favorite things to wear. I love the square neckline here with little bow accent and the larger print near the bottom.  I also adore that it is cotton!  Again I paired this with the crochet belt and a  vintage brass choker. The colors are perfect for Fall but still have a slight summer feel! I love it’s earthy look!

 

 

I got lucky and found this amazing Fabindia tunic / dress at another thrift store AND it still had it’s original tags on it! This Indian cotton dress is beautiful and comfortable. I love the color and ethnic print! It’s flowy and perfect for an outing to Farmer’s Market with sandals and sunnies! I paired it with a bold turquoise butterfly necklace and hand tooled leather pouch.  This piece can also be worn in Fall with some boots!

 

I found this dress at yet another thrift shop. This is a modern dress with a more boho vintage look. It’s polyester but has such a lovely silky feel and look to it. The bold red floral print is amazing with the black. I love the deep V neck as it is perfect when pairing with large pendant necklaces. The wide sleeves are so elegant and it ties in back!  Silky vibrant colors always feel so gypsy to me and I love that!  I think I shall save this for Fall to wear with black boots! Have you noticed a theme here? All my items are red. So funny how that happens when you are not even trying.  Once again I paired this with a vintage hand tooled leather pouch (because I love the contrast) and I added a large pendant necklace as a statement piece.

I made all the necklaces except the butterfly one. I normally LOVE chunky vintage necklaces but seldom find them. I have taken to crafting my own out of  random things I find at yard sales! Gives it more of a unique look!

 

 

I’m Back….

Where have I gone? Ever have those days where you feel that what you have not been paying attention to has just become a mess and out of control? Pretty much my place had become like that and I could not deal with that nonsence anymore and had to crack down and get it all under control. I could not have any distractions so I left the blogging world for a bit and focused on home. The hubs and I did a bit of spring cleaning and I was able to bring out some of the things I love most (but had stored away). I got this fab record player for Christmas but did not have a place to put it. I had been longing to find a vintage stand for it complete with space to house our records. A couple weeks ago (and for our anniversary) the hubs and I ventured out to Orange, CA to visit the many antique and vintage shops in the hopes that we would stumble across said stand. I’m not sure if it was our first year anniversary luck or our determination to leave no stone, er, shop, unturned but…we found one!

 

We now enjoy our vinyl out in the living room!

I have also been looking through some old vintage cook books and applying some of what I have read into our weekend fun. We have been enjoying appetizers on Saturday evening with gorgeous glasses of wine.

This book has a lot of funky recipes that I have been altering and enjoying. The vintage Chili Bowls I found at a thrift store and we have been using them for ice cream! The owls are vintage salt and pepper shakers.

 

We celebrated our 1st year anniversary by going to a really nice dinner then coming home and

enjoying a lemon cake I made with champagne.

Our first year of marriage was a really wonderful one and I truly find myself lucky to be married to my best friend!

After our place was put back in order I started to focus on putting some of my thrifted finds on Ebay. This made my husband

very happy as he approves of me getting rid of as much stuff as possible. I had a bit of fun putting some looks together to sell in my little store.

Vintage Yellow Floral Blouse

Vintage Asian Floral Maxi Dress

Vintage Maroon Spot Day Dress

 

Vintage Silk like Floral Paisley Dress

Vintage Black and Gold Kimono Jacket

Vintage Secretary Blouse

Vintage Folk Festival Dress

You can find these at my ebay shop

http://stores.ebay.com/therefurbishedowl

I will be listing more items this week so make sure you check back!

Thrift Store Confessions

 

A year ago at this time I was getting ready for my bridal shower! After our engagement I began thinking about what sort of theme I wanted to go with. I knew I wanted something different. Something that was ME. Because of my LOVE for Mexican blouses and dresses …. I went with what I called a “senorita chic” bridal shower.  My godmother offered to host the shower for me and I was in luck as she has a most LOVELY hacienda! After the venue was nailed down, my bridesmaids and I went to work of the details.

 

 

(my bridal shower invitation)

I searched high and love for invites that would best fit the occasion. I came up empty. We finally decided to make our own. These were printed on card stock and I was able to find a lovely soft turquoise envelope at Michael’s. We bought a…

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