Office Makeover

If you’ve missed me on the internet, this is one of the things that has kept me away. I’ve been working in the office for days and have finally surfaced for air (and pictures)! This was a makeover on a serious budget so I tried to make the most cost-effective purchases I could and use almost exclusively things I already had. That’s my mom’s trunk from her days in the Navy. It’s full of pictures and scrapbooks now and I’ve repurposed it as a coffee table.

Here is one of the set of two matching glass lamps I found thrifting. They’re so beautiful and were a legitimate bargain at just $6.99 each. Kyle found shades at a big box store and I love the coppery warmth they add to the room.

I decided to brave the clearance paint aisle at a certain large store that sells things for a very low price and discovered a heatherish-gray color and a pinkish-tan for just $4.86 a pint. Kyle sanded down my grandmother’s old desk and I repainted it. I took some sand paper to the edges to make look a little more worn…I can’t decide it that was a good move or not but the color is a great improvement overall.

Oh, and yeah…hi, I’m Elizabeth and I’m a big ol’ copy cat. I no-apologies, straight-up stole this from Jenni over at Story of My Life. I justify it by saying simply that I have in my possession pictures from our childhood together that she may or may not want made public. Just kidding. ….or am I? No, I’m totally joking. I’m not. I am. No, not really. …..

I seriously love what she did to the wall in their master bedroom and will go ahead and admit that this is like one of those off-brand knock-off versions. The real thing is much, much better.

I used a combination of frames from my closet, my favorite thrift store, and the Dollar Tree. The prints are mostly clippings or postcards or photographs I’d saved, along with a couple prints from CAPow! Along the top left, you can see what my row of handsome daguerreotype boyfriends collected from flea markets and thrift stores. 

One of my favorite things I framed was a necktie-tying tutorial I had clipped out of Reader’s Digest years ago and stuck in a box. I smiled when I re-discovered it in a box of memorabilia.

I rescued the little loveseat from my neighbor Melissa who was going to throw it out when she moved. It has a couple muddy stains from where her dogs ran over it on a rainy day but other than that, it’s in great shape.

The wall-hanging is a bamboo shade that’s too small to fit any of our windows. Anyone who rents knows that leases don’t always allow you to paint a room so it’s great when I can find other ways to bring color and texture to the walls.

What do you think? And what summer project has kept you busy?

love, elizabeth

Thrifty Outfit Post

I had so much fun doing the last thrifted outfit post I thought I’d try another one today. Mostly because it feels like every time I open a magazine, I see something like this or this. And I don’t know about you but for me, a $78 tank top is not a “steal.” Not only is thrifting a great way of reducing our carbon footprint by reusing instead of throwing away, but it allows you so much creativity and freedom. And this has fueled my long-time love affair with the second-hand store.

In addition to my super-trendy clothes, I would like to point out the picturesque photo-shoot location complete with the breathtaking view of the dumpster. Super sexy. Thanks for noticing. Also…anyone else think there are a LOT of hyphens in this post?

Dress: Volunteers of America Thrift Store, $3.99

Cardigan: Charlotte Russe, clearance, $6.99

Vintage Boots: Flea market, $10

Bracelets: Funky Jewelry, $1 each

Knit flower: gift

 

Thrifting tip of the week: Second-hand sizing can be tricky for a couple reasons a) a variety of brands and b) after a few washes, our clothes tend to shrink up or stretch out. Many of the bigger thrift stores have dressing rooms so take advantage and be open to a broader range of sizes than normal. Wear leggings and tank tops for non-dressing room try-on’s.

Share your thrift store tips below!

love, elizabeth

Thrifty Outfit Post

If you read this blog, you know I’m not so great at the outfit posts. In fact, I’ve never done one before. But I do love to thrift and most of my clothes are secondhand. I don’t think feeling pretty in your clothes needs to cost much. So I thought I might share a recent find (my Easter dress!) with you…I hope it inspires you to find the cheap-o fashionista inside of you!

I’m super drawn to bright colors and contrasting textures. I have been eyeing this belt for awhile now and miraculously, no one had purchased it yet. Usually when I fail to snag something I love right away, it’s gone when I get back.

Dress: Pink Rose, Volunteers of America Thrift, $4.99

Belt: Volunteers of America Thrift, $4.99

Necklace: SONOMA life + style (available at Kohl’s), gift from my mother. I couldn’t find the exact necklace but there’s something similar available here.

That brings this outfit’s total cost to a whopping $9.98 plus tax.

What do you think? Any thrifting tips for clothes shopping? What are your tricks for scoring a bargain?

love, elizabeth

Buddy Holly, My Vintage Suitcase

I’m going to be taking a couple trips in the next few months and I found this old guy languishing in the corner of the Volunteers of America Thrift Store here in Columbus and I brought him home for a whopping $4.95.

 

I did some research online and here are his specs…

Samsonite, Shwayder Bros, Denver, Colorado, Suitcase Model 4551, Ivory Marble, circa 1950’s (definitely no later than 1965 since the Shwayder Bros. officially changed their name to Samsonite in 1966). He had a pink airline sticker on the handle from a previous trip to Hawaii but based on his condition, I think he’s seen a whole bunch of the world. This model is running for somewhere between $30 and $60 online so I think this was definitely a score…

I’ve named him Buddy Holly. If anyone thinks it’s creepy that I named my suitcase after a rockstar who died in a plane crash…you should keep in mind that it’s creepy to name your suitcase period. And if you don’t know why Buddy Holly (the hipster before there were hipsters) is an awesome name for a suitcase from the 1950’s, you haven’t seen this.

 

I took some cleaning solution and a rag and scrubbed the grim off.

 

BEFORE

AFTER

 

BEFORE

AFTER

 

And Madigan decided to do some modeling.

 

Where are we going, Mom? More importantly, does this suitcase make me look fat? 

 

What do you think? With his sparkling clean handles, I’m kind of crushing on Buddy Holly now. What about you? Do you like your luggage? Have you purchased anything secondhand recently?

love, elizabeth

DIY: T-Shirt Makeover

I’ve almost finished putting together my wardrobe for fall but…I have been severely disappointed in the lack of cute, affordable tops. Apart from a couple blouses, it’s been really hard to find anything that’s suitable to wear under a blazer for school or pair with a skirt. So yesterday in the bookstore, I stumbled upon a couple of the many, many books on the recreation of the t-shirt. See here and here for examples. I admire the creativity and diversity of the craft but sometimes I think these t-shirts end up looking a little unfinished. After skimming through a couple project books, I decided to take an idea for sleeves I found and add some of my own ideas to a shirt.

I went to the local Goodwill and picked up four t-shirts in my size and then moseyed around the craft stores looking for embellishments and trim. I came up with a concept for each shirt. Today, I’m sharing the first one. I think it turned out pretty okay considering I’ve never done something like this before and I’ll definitely get a chance to wear it.

The shirt is a light pink from J. Crew in my size that I scored for $3.49. Total steal.

BEFORE

AFTER

I stole this idea directly from one of the books (who stole it from Blondie’s lead singer, Debbie Harry).

The fashion zipper is from the fabric store.

If you unzip it, it reads, “Here I love you” from one of my favorite poems by Pablo Neruda. One of my favorite passages goes like this…

This is a port.

Here I love you.
Here I love you and the horizon hides you in vain.
I love you still among these cold things.
Sometimes my kisses go on those heavy vessels
that cross the sea towards no arrival.

(excerpt, Pablo Neruda)

What about you? What kinds of DIY projects are you working on lately? Does anyone have a t-shirt they’ve modified?

love, elizabeth

PS: I’m making stuffed mushrooms for a party tonight. I got the recipe from Ashley over here. I’ll let you know how they turn out!

Flea Market

 

On Saturday, Kyle and I drove across town to the South Drive-In Flea Market. It’s also the home of the only active drive-in movie theatre left in Columbus.

There were a few local farmers selling produce, as well. Kind of a staple at any open air market in Ohio. These vegetables were so pretty, too.

One of the old drive-in screens…

This man was nice enough to let me take his picture. Jeff, if you ever see this, thanks for making the flea market so memorable!

My favorite finds of the morning…

This comic issue is the same one that Kyle’s older brother, Orion, lost a long time ago. Orion passed away in 2005 and when Kyle saw this, he decided to buy it for Orion’s son, our nephew.

I bargained hard for an entire box of antique photographs. Here are some of my favorites…

These two guys are so handsome. And even though there are no names or dates, I can’t help thinking they’re brothers. Or maybe the same guy…What do you all think?

So crazy…I told Kyle when we got the market that the only thing I was definitely looking for was a pair of vintage brown cowboy boots. And the only pair of women’s boots in the entire flea market…my size. It was meant to be.

Kyle and I have recently fallen in love with the vinyl medium. While we were pawing through a stack of old LPs, the vendor told us he’d part with the entire BOX (about 25 or 30 albums) for $5. We couldn’t pass it up. Here are some of our favorites.

What about YOU? Anyone doing any thrifting lately?

love, elizabeth

PS: Thanks so much for all the birthday messages yesterday! They meant a lot to me.