This outfit was semi-inspired by this outfit Elizabeth of Delightfully Tacky wore back in October. I love the cute little scarf paired with the stripes, so I figured I’d make use of the scarf I made yesterday.
In other news, my hair is driving me nuts. I have naturally curly hair, but they’re very inconsistent curls. The hair in the back will be straight, maybe a bit of a wave, while the hair in the front will be super curly. I’m also starting to notice triangle hair some days. The inconsistency isn’t an issue when my hair is long or super (pixie) short, but anywhere in between…it’s crazy. I can’t wait until it gets longer! I think maybe some shorter layers will help, and I’m considering a spot perm, but I’ve never even so much as colored my hair, so the though of a perm (or a perm-gone-wrong) freaks me out a bit. I think perhaps I’ll just stick with hats…I certainly have enough.
Enough of that rant. Here’s my outfit! See the pieces I’m wearing as featured in other outfits here, here, and here.
Tee: secondhand J. Crew Cardigan: secondhand Gap(?) Jeans: secondhand Level 99 Boots: secondhand Steve Madden Hat: J. Crew
Scarf: DIY from old shirt
This weekend, my sister tossed a shirt because it was ripped in under the sleeve. The shirt used to be mine until I outgrew it, and it was really tough for me to give up because I love the colors and pattern so much. When she deemed that it was unwearable , I snatched to, knowing I could make something with it.
I decided it would make a nice spring scarf/headwrap. So here’s what I did. Not very complicated.
SUPPLIES:
old blouse (this one’s a very thin cotton, no stretch)
scissors
sewing machine & thread
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut off all the bulky stuff – cuffs, collar, buttons. I ended up with about 5 rectangles: 1 from each sleeve and three from the body. Don’t worry about seams – you can see in my pictures that there are seams on my pieces of fabric. They won’t really be noticeable on the final product, particularly if you’re using a shirt with a fun pattern.
2. Cut all the rectangles so they are the same width (length doesn’t matter). Sew them together along their widths so you have a long strip of fabric like below.
3. One you have the rectangles sewn together into a long strip, fold it in half lengthwise, right sides facing together, and sew together the edges to make a long tube. Also sew shut one end of the tube. I cut the ends at a slant to create more of a tapered shape. Turn your creation right side out. Fold the edges of the unfinished end inward and sew shut. I topstitched each short end of the headwrap just for added durability.
4. Wrap around your head and tie! Also makes a cute scarf.
Spring (weather) is FINALLY here, so of course I had to wear floral to celebrate! This skirt is actually a dress. Ive seen this little trick done before, but I’ve never really had a dress that it would work with. This one actually has enough volume to it to work. I just folded down the top half (it’s sleeveless) under the skirt part. Paired with a striped tee (stripes and floral is a favorite combo of mine), a chambray shirt, and my white chucks, it’s the perfect cool spring day outfit.
I hope you have a great Easter weekend! I’ve got a Cadbury Creme Egg waiting for me. Basically pure sugar…I think my love of them is mostly a nostalgic thing. A single Cadbury Creme Egg is how I celebrated Easter when I was studying abroad in London three years ago, and I’ve gotten myself one every Easter since.
Haha…this is my, “stop distracting me” face. My brother was making faces and thumbs-up gestures at me.
Chambray: J. Crew Factory Tee: secondhand Old Navy
Dress as skirt: secondhand Delia’s Shoes: secondhand Converse Bracelet and earrings: secondhand
This picture has nothing to do with…anything. It’s just too adorable not to share! Via you are my wild
Once again, I’m sharing weekend links a day early, and I’ll be back tomorrow with an outfit post. I was getting caught up on some projects/emails today, so I never changed out of my pajamas. That happens far more often than it should (I’m a freelance designer and I work from home…that’s a good enough excuse, right?). I’m trying to knock some long overdue things off my to-do list because I have some new, exciting things I want to add – like switching this blog over to a self-hosted blog. I really want to give it a lovely new custom design and open it up for more opportunities not available to free WordPress blogs.
Here are some neat finds from the past couple weeks:
Madewell once again has created a “Looks We Love” series with, you guessed it, looks I love.
I love these pretty DIY bracelets made with leather cord and embroidery floss.
For this week’s Secondhand Shopping Guide, we get to hear from Julie who opened her consignment boutique, Repeat Street, in 2003. She used to travel to other towns to shop secondhand, but eventually just decided to open her own store. Now she’s the only consignment store in Gurnee, Illinois! Way to solve that inconvenience! I’m sure Repeat Street is a huge asset to the area – the store looks like a really fun place to shop. Read on to learn more about Julie and her store.
Repeat Street
Women’s & Children’s Consignment Boutique Address: Riverside Plaza, 401 N Riverside Dr #26, Gurnee, IL 60031 Founded: 2003 Contact: (847)596-2203 Website:www.repeatstreet.com
1. Tell us a bit about you. Fun fact?
I’m a mom of 3, I love to read, travel, go to movies and plays. I ran in my first 5K this week [week of March 10th].
2. Why did you decide to start a consignment store?
I like to tell people I started my store out of laziness. After a years of working as a corporate project manager I found myself a stay at home mom to my 3 kids. To save money, I started shopping at thrift, resale, and consignment shops. I would drive to lots of stores in the surrounding towns. I would also find great buys to sell on Ebay. It became too much work for me to do the shopping, listing, and shipping. I thought it would be easier to open my own store in my town.
3. What’s the best part about your job?
The best part about my job is meeting new people every day. I have made amazing friends through my store. I’m so lucky!
4. What types and/or brands of things could a shopper find in your store?
At Repeat Street you can find a wide range of brands from mall brands – for kids – Gap, Gymboree; for Women – Banana Republic, White House Black Market, Coach; for Juniors – Pink, Hollister, Abercrombie. We also are lucky enough to get some boutique brands like Flowers by Zoe, Juicy Couture, St. John, Tory Burch, Burberry.
5. To give readers a better idea of what great things they can find, what is one (or some) of your favorite pieces in your store right now?
Some of my favorite things in the store are a star sapphire ring from Rogers and Holldands; a Louis Vuitton purse (we only accept authentic bags); a custom made desk, bookcase, end table set; and a whole bunch of items from Crate and Barrell. We have so many things I love right now!
6. What is one thing that sets your store apart from the rest/makes it unique?
I think what sets me apart from other consignment shops in my area is that you never have to make an appointment to consign with us and we pay our consignors out in cash on demand. That means that when they have sold items, the money is available for them to pick up in cash whenever they want. They don’t have to wait until the end of their consignment period or until they reach some minimum balance they have on their account. Our customers love this about our shop.
7. What’s the best part about being in the location (city/state) your store is in?
Repeat Street is the only consignment shop in Gurnee. My location is great being right next door to Tacos El Norte. The shopping plaza is easy to get into and out of and there’s plenty of parking.
8. Quick! You have one minute to convince someone why they should start shopping secondhand…go!
Shopping consignment means getting the most value for your money. You can find the best brands at hugely discounted prices. You can often find items that are brand new with tags in consignment shops. Why pay full retail for anything you can get at a consignment or resale shop?
9. Do you have a website, Facebook page, Twitter, or blog where readers can learn more or stay informed about events, sales, etc.?
We post daily updates on our facebook page – #/repeatstreet. You can also get more information about us from our website at www.repeatstreet.com.
10. Any last comments?
I often say it’s like Christmas every day at Repeat Street – You never know what you’re going to find. We put out hundreds of new items every single day, so it’s never the same shop twice.
Thanks Julie!
If you’d like to offer some input on locations (cities/states) I should cover in the future or if you are a resale store owner, please let me know in the comments or go enter your location in this poll.
I braved the 46˚F spring weather, coatless, to take these pictures. Why is it still so cold?!
Do you ever plan an outfit in your head…only to have it totally fail when you actually try it out? I had planned to wear a green sweater with these jeans for a monochromatic look, but I didn’t check and see if the greens actually matched before planning it. They were the same value, but not exactly the same hue, to get all artist-y on you. The pants are more yellow, while the sweater was more of a mint.
But I love my bird-print shirt, anyway, and I haven’t worn it in a long time. My bird-print shirt and green pants are my attempt to add a glimmer of spring into my life, since the weather is failing to do so. shirt: secondhand J. Crew pants: secondhand American Eagle Outfitters belt: Target shoes: Minnetonka moccasins bracelets: one is handmade, the other I bought at a market in London
I was looking back at my archives, and I’m quite sure my three pairs of Minnetonkas win the most-worn-shoes award. I’ve collected all of the outfits I’ve featured here so you can see how versatile they truly are. Dresses, jeans, summer, winter, I’ve worn them with everything, everywhere, in all sorts of weather.
Today I had a nice long lunch with one of my best friends, then a little later I had a three hour Skype date with another of my best friends. I was not the least bit productive today, but time spent with amazing friends is time well spent. I don’t get to see either of them (or any of my other friends) enough. I spend so much time alone in my room doing freelance design, and I know it’s not good for me mentally. I think about all the friends I had in college and how there was always someone around to talk to, and I just miss it so much. I really need to put more effort into getting out more with friends nearby and Skyping/calling those that are far away. I’ve turned into a recluse – someone help!
I went a bit crazy with the pattern mixing in this outfit. I had planned to wear this sweater with the gingham top, but the floral sash was a last minute addition. I saw it hanging in my closet, and it “matched” so well I couldn’t resist. I almost wore it on my head, but opted to use it as a belt instead.
See how else I’ve styled this versatile top here and here, and see the sash worn a different way here.
top: secondhand Gap sweater: secondhand Gap jeans: secondhand Gap sash: from secondhand American Eagle Outfitters skirt boots: secondhand Minnetonka earrings: secondhand J. Crew
I made a a necklace from newspaper a few years ago, and it’s one of my favorite pieces of jewelry I’ve created. It’s a bit time-consuming, especially if you attach them with wire like I did, but it’s such a versatile necklace – it matches everything! Check out the following instructions to make your own.
SUPPLIES:
Mod Podge or other craft glue
paint brush (for glue)
newspaper (I used colorful pages – like comics)
eye pins (I didn’t have any, so I just cut the flat end off of head pins) or something to string the beads onto
jewelry pliers and wire cutter (not necessary if you are stringing the beads)
scissors
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Cut newspaper into triangular strips. Different size strips will make different bead shapes. Just experiment with a few different sizes to see what you like best. I like the shape the longer strips create, so that’s what I used. The long ones below are about 10″ long and 3/4″ wide at the widest end.
2. Paint the back side of the strip (the side you don’t want to see) with Mod Podge or glue of choice. Don’t put glue on the widest end of the strip. Start about 1/4″ down. If you cover the wide end in glue, it will be really difficult to roll up into a bead.
3. Start rolling at the wide end. I find it easiest to hold the strip between my fingers like in the pictures below and just keep wrapping the newspaper around. Roll tightly for the neatest-looking bead. It may take a few tries before you get the hang of it and make a pretty bead. You might try wrapping the newspaper around something like a skewer if you find my method to be difficult. Just be sure to take the beads off the skewer before the glue dries.
4. Let the glue dry, then coat the outside in Mod Podge to waterproof the bead and make it more sturdy. Let dry completely.
5. Once you’ve created all your beads, slip them onto eye pins and bend an eye hole onto the other end of the wire. You may need to trim the wire down some – it took a little less than 1/2″ of wire for me to create an eye hole. I actually made my own eye pins because I didn’t have any. You could also string your beads. It’d be much quicker and would still look nice.
6. You’re done! Wear your necklace proudly. The beads would also make a cute bracelet or earrings.
This week’s Secondhand Shopping Guide interview is with Debbie, owner of Revente, a consignment shop in South Carolina. My mom has actually known Debbie through NARTS for many years now, so I’m excited to be spotlighting a familiar name. I really enjoyed looking through the photos on Revente’s Facebook page (this picture/quote is funny…and so true!), so now I need an excuse to travel to South Carolina! Read on to learn more about this store.
If you’d like to offer some input on locations (cities/states) I should cover in the future or if you are a resale store owner, please let me know in the comments or go enter your location in this poll.
See the pieces I’m wearing as featured in other outfits here, here, and here.
Read on to learn more about this store.
