DIRT CHIC

The Cowgirl Continues

My thriftadventures lately have been netting me a lot of epic westernwear.  In the midwest.  I don't know why.  Maybe I am drawing it to me with my rootin' tootin' cowgirl ways.

(Which are... eating steak, drinking milk?  My only interactions with cows.  Yeesh.)

Since I've been also trying to thin out my wardrobe (mildly) it's made it easy to only end up with the most essential items in my shopping cart.  Such as the above: ultrasuede fringed cardigan-wrap (vaguely apparent at the bottom), a white leather belt, a truly obnoxious and wondrous beaded neckerchief, a stretchy medallion-type belt, and two belts I'll combine into one, once I figure out the art of leathercraft.  It's the brown belt w/the silver accents - I don't really care for the belt, so I've already cut off the accents and buckle, which I'll apply to the black leather belt that's the same size.

I've found other treasures, but they'll have to be for another post, as I've no pictures of them.

But what's even MORE exciting, is that in my cleaning of my parents' garage, I discovered a huge plastic bin of LEATHERCRAFTING GEAR.  Must be from some camp experience long ago.  I will ask my mom, of course, but I think I'll be appropriating those for my use.  I already bought a vintage leathercrafting book on Etsy, a few weeks ago. 

It pays to clean the garage.

Although since I forgot my "gross clothes" in Cleveland, I'm currently wearing my dad's jeans & Petra t-shirt, and my mom's sneakers.  No one should see me this way.  You wouldn't recognize me.  You'd run away in terror.

What Goes Around Never Leaves

Check out THESE clodhoppers.

(Before and after pics, with a little clean-up and shoe balm)

A relic from my early teenhood, AKA The Thick of Grunge.  Man, I cared so much about being cool, then.  I suppose I was, in that I tended to be dirtier than hell (I apparently hated washing my hair), and I got these boots long before most other people did.

It started with my older sister going to Ireland on a missions trip, and coming back with an annoying "accent", a bunch of American-brand but Ireland-made candy that was much better than anything stateside, and a pair of 8-hole black Docs.  I resented a) the accent b) the fact that she wouldn't share all of the candy with me (though she did share quite a bit) and c) the boots.  The boots.

I don't know if I saved a lot of money from my paper route, or if I wore my parents down with begging, or a mix of both, but they gave the same sister their credit card when the women of our youth group took the females of said youth group up to Chicago to shop - destinations Water Tower Place, and The Alley.  One downtown, on Michigan, and the other close to Uptown, off of Belmont and Clark.  We went downtown first, and by the time we had parked and walked and shopped, the leaders told me we wouldn't have time to go uptown.

Well, readers, I basically threw a 14-year-old's unholy fit.  I remember NOTHING from the downtown part of that trip, except standing on a sidewalk somewhere and DEMANDING that we go to Uptown as promised.  I definitely remember the look on those leader's faces - a kind of low-grade disappointed, and I suppose a slightly sympathetic resignation.  Since they had promised.  And man, was I excited.  I probably had had a hard time going to sleep the night before, thinking about my Docs to come.  Forest green 10-holers.  Laced the way the Irish laced them.  Would go perfect with my nasty cut-off carpenter jeans, and striped gap shirt, and Yellowstone-bought fisherman's cap.  You know, cool clothes.

So they took us up north and my sister was very parental, guarding her duty as sworn credit-card holder.  I got the boots I wanted - probably $50 or so more than what my parents had authorized us to spend, although I doubt my sister was interested in dealing with another tantrum, so $170 later, the boots were mine. 

The drive home was placid and enjoyable.  When I got home, I put the boots on, laced them correctly, and walked around my neighborhood, though no one was really around to appreciate me.  Which was generally fine - I was enough, to appreciate myself, being 14 and all.

The next day one of the leaders took my mom aside and informed her I had behaved very badly.  My mom informed me of this.  I was indignant.  I apologized, but I wasn't entirely sorry. 

Because as everyone with wisdom should know, you don't promise a boot-person the holy grail of 90's boots, in the 90's.

I'm still not sorry.

;)

Although it turns out, as an adult, there's only one color I really can't stand to wear:

Forest green.

Textile Tactile Textual Happiness

On the first day of LouLou's birthday, Value World gave to me:

4 silk scarves

3 bucks or less

2 from Vera

And one from Schiaparelli!

You cannot imagine my bliss.  I live for these words.  Along w/Pucci. 

Silk is sumptuous.

SUMPTUOUS, I tell you.

And who is LouLou?  The new baby in my life.  She will be spoiled by me, and I, along with her mother, will teach her The Ways of the Thrift.  Hugest congratulations to my dear Ashley on her little Louise!!!

...and I also found a Lucite napkin holder for a buck.  I thought it might do nicely for the scarves.

It does.

And now I'm going to go rest because I'm under the weather still.  But I had to celebrate LouLou by thrifting (briefly) in her name. :)

From the Womancave

Just some scenes from where I go when I just need to feel RADICAL.

...actually I just find it comforting and inspiring.

You've probably seen it before.

The "museum", as husband says.  Above is where I do some writing sometimes.  It faces a window, and is nice and bright and good. 

Above is where I get ready, makeup-wise.  This is a newer spot for me.  I wish I had thought of it before.  It actually makes me want to get ready.  I will expound on this soon, but not today.

This professes my love of clear things, in case you didn't already know.  I LOVE CLEAR.

And plastic.

And color.

This is me.  In a little mirror.  Biff is looking at you.  Say hi.

I read here in the morning.

I work here, largely at night.  Yes, I have two desks.  And many places to sit.  I'm a person who needs stations.  And piles.  And color, as you can see.  In case perhaps you didn't notice. ;)

I don't do anything here, exactly.  But it's a great spot for visiting kids.  I was sitting here the other morning, lamenting that I got rid of a certain YA novel that I wanted to read ("The House With the Clock in Its Walls").

This is my makeup history emporium.  It's a bit messy.  It's the last thing left to organize.

Soon.

Five writing projects that I'm diving into.  So pumped.  So pumped, also, that it's not hot out and I can hang out in the museum/womancave.  And blog about it.

And classes to plan.  Also so pumped.  I like my life.  A lot.

Come visit!

Thrifted: Epic Gifts from the Fake Sea

I am on break and it is break-tastic.  Practicing some radical self-care.  Which includes thrifting.  Which includes finding this pear bib that needed a clasp.  I can do that.  So I did. 

Pearl bib: $3.  Clasp: already had it.

I'm Calling 1st Dibs on All Cheap Designer Majesty

Killin' time before some festive parties, was browsing gorgeous costume jewelry on 1stdibs just for fun (and to save pictures, since I can't afford any of it), and I came across these:

And went "NO WAY!"  And ran upstairs, because I had a few somethings I found at a thrift store not that long ago:

Yep. :) Some Christian Dior for a couple of bucks.  Can you say SCORE.

(Score!)

And here, because I'm vain and I think this picture is funny because I didn't know it was being taken when it was taken:

This was before my insane discovery.  Wearing my $40 ebayed Prada heels that are IMPOSSIBLE to walk in. (Hence resting on couch.  Though I would be doing that anyway.)

As Nada Surf Would Say, the Weight Is a Gift.

The semester is nearly over.  Don't think that I didn't love it, because honestly: I totally did.  Granted, between that and the commissioned play I've been working on (which I've also loved and love), I've barely had time for anything, including pretty much all of my dear friends.  But now... but now...

WINTER BREAK.

DON'T THINK I DON'T LOVE IT.

Because yes, after teaching five composition courses and writing a play, I do think a break is in order! (But not from the play or writing other plays, or even teaching for that matter, because I'm going to make some APA videos and resources because I'm a huge nerd).  (I'm also applying to a PhD in Education.) (I'm also taking the GRE.)

But I will decorate the house for Christmas, this weekend.  And put away all the stuff I brought from Illinois-home, because my parents are selling their house.  And because I have a month's worth of clothes sitting on a chair.  And I'm feeling a clothes-purge coming on.

And I have to make ornaments.  I want to make ornaments.  While watching movies.  And doing puzzles.  While watching movies.  (I did my favorite Christmas puzzle twice while I was home for Thanksgiving.  It was very relaxing.  I needed it before finals week.)

So all this to say - I am happily weighted down by life.  Nicely and firmly entrenched in what I do.  (I also get to go home for Christmas.)

I also am weighted down by...

LeSportsacs!

You can see I have a bit of an obsession.

And these are just the black ones.

(I got a new one today, for half off, through eBay.  I thought it would fit my computer.  I was wrong.  Nonetheless, it's awesome, so I'm keeping it of course.)

Please note:
-wrist pack
-fanny pack
-heart-print wristlet
-satchel (that's what it's called; I love the word satchel.  It's also the new one.)
-large tote (I use it for school)
-backpack (I use it for everything)

Only one of them was procured for full price, but it was a gift.  Though I have paid full price for them - notably, my overnight bag, which I use every time I go out of town.

Love me some LeSportsac.

And lots of other things. :)

Thrifting: Halloween Knows Me.

Man, what goes on around Halloween... you know what goes on?  Terrible lawn decorations in nearby Parma (location of the best German restaurant, period - Das Schnitzel Haus, I'm not kidding) that make it to a newspaper in the UK???

Yes.  But they took it down.  

In the meantime, I watch many things, such as Creepshow.  And anything else non-torture-related I can find.  Haven't yet seen Crimson Peak but this weekend... there are also some other fine recommendations to catch up on.  And Walking Dead.  And... I love Halloween.  A newish thing for me.  But, hey.  It's nice to have surprises in adulthood.

A student of mine asked me if I got dressed up for Halloween.  I had to tell her the truth.  No, I don't.  Not really.  I don't really have much of an occasion to.  But I did tell her some thrifting tales.

And how for me, basically, Halloween is every day.

;)

Like this vintage 80's Jessica McClintock for Gunne Sax dress that I spied at Unique during the run of one of my plays - and I needed more fabulousness that fit - and at first, I thought it was just a cheesy prom dress (I am a snob, in terms of prom dresses I will wear, though I am not a snob of prom dresses in general).  But I practiced what I preached and I listened to the Mystical Thrifting Voice deep inside and I tried it on.

And that was that.

$12 later, I upstaged Molly Ringwald.  What can I say.

In related news, I was "bad" this weekend and got a few things at a vintage store this weekend, in a favorite place of mine (go figure): Canton, Ohio.  More on that later.

And in other related news, I've seen a heckuva lot of old-school Cleveland department stores representing at the local thrift stores, in the costume sections.  If you want a slice of Halle's and such, there are things to be had.  A lot of hats, I'm noting.  But as I noted to the vintage-store lady, my feet and head are too big for a lot of vintage. (And then I tried on an $85 vintage white fur hat that fit.  Man, did I want to buy it.  Time to bust out the feather hat.  It's not quite the same.  Maybe I'll go back. Cleveland is very cold....)

Thrifted: Silver Mink

I was in Berea, as I am three days a week, or more - I teach at Baldwin Wallace University (amongst other places) - and I went to the little charity thrift store that's only open on select days.  Which is appropriate, because I only ever want select things from their select selection.  ...They get a lot of nice, Berea-ish stuff.  Which is not a dis.  The last time I went there, I ended up with silk, completely-sequined black pants.  For $10.  

(When I say Berea-ish as well as include black sequin pants as my purchase, that makes it sound like the women of Berea are all Bob Mackie fans.  While that would be totally rad, it's misleading: this is a quiet, lovely, middle/middle-to-upperclass community.  So I see a lot of knit jackets and pantsuits and stuff like that, usually.  And shoes with variations on the loafer theme.  And "jean pants".  Etc.)

But this last time I walked away with a vintage silver/champagne (I can't decide between the two) mink shrug, lined with silk, and with POCKETS.  I dallied for a bit, because it was $20, but couldn't deny the truth: this was a STEAL.

Later that day, browsing Instagram, a favorite-but-pricey vintage dealer I enjoy listed nearly the exact same item (I'm not exaggerating; it was nearly the same, just slightly different styling) for $140.  

Validation.

And I showed it to the hubs, because I couldn't resist, and his reply: "I can see that bringing together many outfits."  Probably the best thrift-item thing he's ever said.

What I Thrifted: Yet Another Square of Bliss

Essential truth: money CAN BUY HAPPINESS.

A silk Vera for $1.  

That is all.