Remember a few weeks ago on Facebook when I mentioned having the most amazing thrifting day ever? (If you missed that status update, you're clearly missing out on all the thrilling excitement in my life.) Well, its been almost three weeks and I'm still pinching myself over all the amazing goodies I scored. My favorite thrift store, Savers, was having a 50% sale, and since I'm never one to miss a good sale, I got up early to beat the crowds. (For those of you non-thrifters, I am not kidding; there are crowds on thrift store sale days.) I walked away with 4 skirts, 2 dresses, 2 scarves, and 1 sweater. And all of the pieces were things I had been looking to add to my wardrobe for fall. But enough babbling, here are a few quick morning snaps of some of my recent thrift scores...
I snagged this navy and white mid-length striped skirt for $3. Yes, you read that right, $3. The length might be awkward for some people, but given my height and love for heels, the skirt hits mid-calf and is a nice change for fall. I also love the white rope belt, a fun nautical nod for sure!
I also scored this leopard scarf, which is totally different from the other 4 leopard scarves I already own. Seriously, way different :) And I finally figured out how to turn standard scarves into infinity scaves, which is making this an even more versatile piece.
I have been loving the bright floral trend for fall, and I've had my eye out for an oh-so-floral dress. So when I saw this dress, I couldn't believe my thrifting luck. It was a bit too 80's frilly, but when I paired it with a black blazer, leopard belt, and some big bling, it was just what I'd hoped for.
My scarf collection is always growing, and I loved the bold color and print in this scarf. It added something extra to an otherwise simple chambray + purple corduroy combo.
This 100% pure silk dress from Talbots was another fabulous find. The sublte gold and black print is right up my alley, and of course, I added a black blazer, because well, I'm addicted to black blazers. This dress is actually several sizes too big for me, so I know I always have to wear a belt and blazer with it or get it altered.
So this is obviously not a work outfit (though I do wish oversized sweaters, lounge leggings, and ponytails were allowed at work). Me and oversized sweaters, well, we kind of have a thing. So when I saw this dark gray lovely hanging on a rack on the way out, she called to me and the rest was history. This almost-snuggie ran a whopping $5. It doesn't get much better than that.
Now might be a good time to mention, I'm already obsessed with the scarf. I wear it two or three times a week and have to keep myself from wearing it more often. The skirt is another mid-length skirt. I think this silhouette works well for me, and though I love me a good pencil skirt, I'm embracing fuller skirts for fall.
And this thrift find is actually from last year, but I scored it during another one of Saver's 50% days. The plaid is of course classic, and I tried to sass it up with black skinny pants, my beloved Levi's jacket, and oversized gold jewelry. Oh, and of course, my nerd glasses. Several people at work asked, "Oh are those new glasses?" to which I replied, "No, I just wear them once in a while." Translation: they have no prescription and are purely for style purposes. I may have 20/20 vision, but I don't like to be left out of any accessories :)
So there you have it, the thrift trip of the year! I'm still working some of the items into my fall wardrobe, and I'll post more pics as I wear things. I typically have good thrifting karma, but this trip was over the top awesome. My thrift bar has now been upped. Bring it, thrifting, bring it.
I snagged this green silk blouse several weeks ago while "treasure hunting" at Savers, my favorite thrift store. I love their store for multiple reasons, and it's rare that I leave there without something. I've had good luck there with vintage silk blouses, including this green one as well as the printed blouse at the top of 
I am loving the pastel trend this spring, and since I don't have a ton of pastels hanging in my closet, I've been incorporating the pretty palate into my manicures. This week it's Essie French Affair + Ulta Tutu Cute. (Sidenote: I've been really happy with Ulta's line of nail polish. I snagged this bottle when they had a Buy 2, Get 2 Free promotion.)
Did I mention this green gem was $1.99? That's right...a silk blouse for half the price of your morning latte. Score!
As I got ready to leave, I thought my outfit needed a little more punch, which reminded me of one of my very favorite pair of earrings. Bold and blingy, these jeweled lovelies are right up my alley. I love that they pack a punch without being chandelier style. I snagged them several years ago at one of those super cheapie jewelry stores (Rue 21 I think?). I'm sure a few of my coworkers thought I was a bit crazy, but sometimes, I just need to let my Texas shine :)
This is the wall opposite the mirror in my bathroom.
Here is one of the three ways I store earrings. These are for earrings that have a hook back. I’ll show you how to make this earring frame later in the post. It’s super simple.
These hooks are for my necklaces. There are 3 different “fixtures” here, and I’ll show you each one individually. I should also mention that every hook, container, and peg you see was purchased secondhand at a flea market, thrift store, or garage sale. Their are two exceptions which I’ll point out when I show them.
The top part of the necklace organization is some odd accordion hook thing I found for 50 cents at Goodwill. I think its original purpose had something to do with laundry drying, though I’m not entirely certain. It can be stretched or squeezed to almost any length you need, and I wanted mine so I could fit short necklaces on the top row without having them drape too far over the third row of pegs. This was originally a yucky brown wood color which I spray painted white.
The second part of the necklace wall is this long row of pegs, which my mom snagged for me at a garage sale for 25 cents. The wood color was a honey color, so I sprayed it white to match the one above it. I had originally wanted to hang one necklace per peg, but given my insane amount of jewelry, that idea quickly went out the window, and its been fine doubling and tripling up.
The third and final part of the necklace storage were these 4 bumblebee hooks, which I found for $1 at a garage sale. They were too cute to pass up, and I’m so glad I didn’t. I just staggered them and screwed them into the wall. Easy peasy. Originally, I had planned to stop there, but I thought the whole thing looked a little too scattered. So Matt had a great idea to border the whole thing with this oversized frame I got at a flea market for $1. It really helped tie the whole thing together, though if you don’t have as many hooks as I do, I think you could skip this step.
For me, this wall is function and beauty, a rare but fabulous combination! PS: can I tell you how much I adore that little owl necklace towards the top right corner. I got it at a market in London with my mom, and it instantly makes me happy when I wear it :) Another perk of this wall is that I can see it while I’m putting my makeup on and drying my hair. Therefore, I can think about what I’m wearing that day and what accessories I want to pair with it as I get ready.
Here is the right side of my bathroom counter. Like I said above, I believe in storing ordinary things in pretty containers, so my cotton balls and q-tips are stored in glass canisters, my bobby pins and cuticle scissors in a votive holder, and my makeup brushes in a glass beaker (like at the MAC store.) All of these glass pretties came from Goodwill for under $2. The ceramic fleur-de-lis holds my hair ties and was purchased from the clearance shelf at Steinmart. The fleur-de-lis is my sorority’s symbol, so I love finding ways to incorporate it into my stuff. And of course, I have to have a picture with my fabulous little brother :)
My cocktail rings are in a vintage ice cream dish found at a flea market, and my “real” jewelry (aka wedding ring, Yurman, diamond studs from Matt, etc.) sits in this crystal ring holder which I picked up for $3 at a consignment show. My Forever 21 flower bobby pins make a fun little bouquet in a 99 cent Goodwill votive holder.
Here is the left side of my bathroom counter. My most worn bracelets sit on this velvet lined bracelet holder. My mom snagged this for me at a garage sale, and I’ve never seen another one since, though my eyes are forever peeled for one. As you can see, this one is getting a little full :)
This silver earring frame is made just like the other one I showed you, but this one is for earrings with post backs. It doesn’t hang on the wall, because you need easy access to the back of the frame to put the earrings on and off the holder. If you don’t have a ton of earrings, you can totally put post back and hook back earrings on one frame, you just have to deal with a couple of falling hook back earrings every now and then. The frame is actually plastic and is from the dollar store.
I got this vintage ashtray from my grandma, though I’ve seen them countless times at thrift stores. These are for earrings with loop backs. You know, the ones that hook in and then close shut to form a complete oval. (Who knew earring terminology was so advanced?) These have to lay loose because the backs won’t close in the frames I have my other earrings on. I stuck a candle in the middle, though I don’t light it too often. I learned my lesson about that 
Ever wonder what to do with all those extra buttons that come with sweaters, blazers, etc? I place mine in this pretty glass container found at Goodwill. Easy access when I buy the article of clothing, and easy access should I need the button. I put this little heart from my mom around the top to make me smile every morning :) And of course a picture with my bestie is tucked away in the corner!
Ok…here is what you need. Frames of whatever shape and size you desire. These are super cheap at Goodwill and you may even have some laying around your house. You do NOT need the glass or a mat, so don’t bother paying for that. And don’t worry about color either, they make paint for that :) I started out with this leftover can of Gripper paint, but I later switched to spray paint. I’m inpatient like that. The key thing you’ll need to buy is the “netting.” I don’t know what this stuff is really called, but it can be found at your local home improvement mega store in the screen door aisle. It looks like a giant roll of graph paper, only made out of wire/metal. They sell it by the roll, but if you’re lucky, you can find a roll that is already open and barter with the guys at the store who wonder what the hell you’re gonna do with it. I got my already opened and half used roll for $2. You’ll also need a glue gun, and if you’re working at your kitchen table like me, you’ll need a dropcloth. (Note: this is NOT our table cloth, it is our ugly drop cloth. Matt paints a lot and therefore ours has a lot of use.)
Step 1 (which I failed to photograph): Paint the frame. Step 2: Trace the frame opening onto the mesh/metal screen door stuff. If your frame doesn’t have the back to it, no worries, just trace the opening to the frame. When unsure, go a little bigger and trim down as necessary.
Step 3: Push the mesh/metal screen door stuff into the backside of the frame. Step 4 (which I did not photograph): Hot glue the shiz out of it. Lol, I know there are crafty bloggers out there who will hate my directions, but its the best I’ve got. You won’t see the back so don’t bother making it pretty. Mine have gobs of glue all over the back and not a soul can tell :)
Step 5: Hang the newly finished jewelry frame on the wall or leave it free standing like my silver one. Whichever you prefer and whichever fits with the type of earrings you have.
Step 6: Hang your favorite jewels from it and enjoy your fabulous pretties!
