Smart Thrifters Still "Look for the Union Label"

SOURCE

 I haven't really felt like posting lately. There is so much going on in the world right now: uprisings in the Middle East, unions fighting for their right to bargain collectively in the Midwest, the battle over the federal budget *sigh*. It makes posting pictures of what I'm wearing seem a little, I don't know, pointless?

 I have pretty strong opinions about what's happening, but this is a personal style/thrifting blog, and I'm no expert on politics. I don't want to argue the issues, or try to persuade my readers one way or the other. Instead, I want post about something vintage hounds (regardless of their political leanings) LOVE to find, and that's clothing bearing the the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) label.

So much for growing out my bangs. I cut them and gave the rest of my head a trim. It was a few months over do.  My hair was getting pretty ratty. 

I have been cutting it myself  for about 4 years. I've made an awful mess of it a few times, but now I can't stand the idea of someone else cutting it. I have a certain way I like it and I don't know how to explain it to someone else

the outfit:

lace shrug: thrifted 1$

dress: thrifted 4.50$

panty hose: drug store, 5$ and some change

Shoes: thrifted 3$

white cherries and chain necklace: thrifted 2$

vintage locket and tiny assemblage pendant by Wrens and Roses: 16.50

Thirft Score/ Shop Update: Shoes and Brooches and Dresses Oh my

As promised, here are just a few of the things I found thrifting this weekend...



Cute right? I also found some animal print canvas oxfords (which already sold) and some cute little beige, low heeled wedges.




I don't know what it is about brooches. I love them and I always seem to find them. The bow and book brooch is fantastic. the book opens like a locket, revealing a secret place to hide precious mementos.

And finally the dresses..





Not bad right? I also found some blouses and a couple skirts that I am going to keep for myself. I'm sure you'll see them  in a future outfit post.

Oh and by the way It may be a while before the dresses are listed in my shop. I have a hall closet full of vintage dresses that I want to sell, but  no way to display/photograph them properly. I' m saving up for a dress form  though, so stayed tuned. Meanwhile,I'm still  trying to get the hang of photographing  my smaller objects. I have gotten better at it but I still have a long way to go. Sigh, taking pictures of my merchandise is the hardest part.

Anywhoo, thanks for reading. Have a great weekend.

xo
D.

If it's not Love

This afternoon my sweetie and I went on a little coffe date and this is what I wore. Everything is thrifted except the tights. I found the shoes this weekend for three dollars. They are 90s-does-70s-does-40s, chunky, crushed-velvet covered glory.  Here's a closer look:

How do you feel about chunky heels?. I am really digging them right now. 

I made a pretty good haul this weekend at the thrift store. I will be photographing and sharing some of it with you in the next couple days. Until then, here are a couple of scarves and an old simplicity pattern from Village Discount. I was so happy to find the pattern. It's un-cut and my size! The scarves are just pretty.

Well, now I must go. We are going to order in sushi and watch some movies on Netfix. Nothing too crazy, just a cozy Valentine's Day at home. Have a great evening.

xo
D.

Memories of Skinny Lizzy

I mentioned my Grandmother in the previous post . I wanted to share a little more about her. Her name was Elizabeth O'Malley (aka Gramma Betty, aka Skinny Lizzy). Her mother and father came from Galway, Ireland but she grew up in Manhattan. They lived in the basement of a building on the Lower East Side where her father was the super intendant. He was hit by a street car and killed when she was still pretty young. I'm not sure what her family did to make ends meet after that, but she told me she worked as a typist after school to pay for her high school tuition.

Her graduation photo. She was born in 1924 so I am assuming this is about 1942

These "Useful Birds of America" trading cards belonged to her. They were made from the late 19th century through the 20s so she must have been pretty young when she started collecting  them. Some of them may have even been her mother's.

"For the good of all, do not destroy the birds"

Another Handmade Collar, This One Crocheted

crochet collar by Wrens and Roses
earrings by Wrens and Roses
necklace: was my grandmother's, religious medal
top: thrifted
skirt: thrifted/vintage
tights: target
shoes: thrifted

So , as you can see, I made another lacy, detachable collar last week. This one is crocheted and much simpler than the knit one. It was also a lot easier to make. What do you think? I like this one much better.

I feel strange today. I put on my Grandma's old religious medal and now I miss her a lot. She raised me as a child and was pretty much my best friend all through elementary school. Towards the end, she kind of lost her wits. It was hard to watch because she was such an intelligent woman. Maybe I'll post a bit more about her later. For now, I am going to have more tea and toast in her honor

xo
D.

Spring Will Come

Sometimes it feels like winter will never end. The city is covered in snow and  we are going to have at least 2 more months of frigid temps in Chicago. Here are 5 little things i'm doing to keep my mind off of icy reality and firmly fixed on the beautiful days to come...

1. Wearing my new wooden wedges, from the fabulous Bohemian Bisoux, around the house

 vintage wooden wedges from Bohemian Bisoux on Etsy

I am in love with these shoes. They are  quality vintage, and they make my feet look cute and dainty. It would be a crime to wear them outside right now, with all the sludgey-salty muck on the streets. But that doesn't stop me from happily clickety-clacking around the house in them, just for fun.

2. Adding some cotton ribbon to the hem of my vintage jean shorts

Remember that ribbon I found on my thrift trip to Wisconsin? Well I used some of it to decorate the hem of a pair of high-waisted jean shorts. It was a quick, satisfying sewing project for a snowy day. I really like these shorts becasue they are flattering without being skin tight. I'm pretty sure I am going to be living in them come July. 

3. Painting my nails sunshine yellow

 This Revlon Top Speed polish was on sale at the drug store, so I treated myself to three pastel shades: mint, lavender and lemon (at least thats what I'm calling them. Their real names are probably more complicated and less acurate). 

4. Turning a thrifted maxi dress into a mini...

Another quick and easy sewing project that I have been semi-putting off. I bought this dress in Wisconsin too. I had been meaning to hem it for about a month. It was floor length originally. One good thing about being snowed in is finally getting around to all the little things I have been avoiding through sheer laziness. 

5. crocheting little cotton flowers...

Nothing is blooming outside but my little workspace is covered in these tiny cabbage-roses. I have a pretty good idea of what I will be using them for but I'm not tellin'. It's sort of a surprise. 

See? I've almost convinced myself that winter is a thing of the past. Meanwhile i'm still rocking sweaters, boots and multiple pairs of tights every time I leave the house. Sigh.

xo

D.

The Great Chicago Blizzard of 2011

Blouse: Target 

Sweater: free box in an alley (whatever, its cashmere)

yet another wool Skirt: thrifted/vintage

Boots: thrifted/vintage

I took these pictures this afternoon just before the snow started coming down in buckets. We are supposed to get more snow this week than we've had since 1999. But life doesn't stop for the weather. I had an international order to ship and nail polish to buy. I live about 3 blocks from the main post office but it was still a crazy walk. I couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of me and my tears were freezing on my cheeks. But this outfit plus a hat scarf and gloves kept me pretty warm. If this weather keeps up I may not leave the house tomorrow. My day will consist of tea, yarn and netflix.

xo

D.

P.S. I am getting really sick of my low quality photos. My camera < an iphone

Thrift Tips #6: Thrift Early, Thrift Often

photo by ChicagoGeek via creative commons licence 

Q: What do you do if you search a thrift store and find nothing?

A: Come back next week.

As I have mentioned before, thrifting is 95% luck. You can't predict what the shop will have on any given day. But you can increase your chances of finding treasure. One of the simplest ways to do this is to visit your favorite shops regularly. That way, when something good comes along, you have a better chance of seeing it first and snatching it up.

Obviously, some thrift stores are better than others. If you consistently strike out at a certain store, it might be time to move on. But don't give up after one bad visit.

The best thing to do is use the colored tag sales to determine the best day to thrift, and then stop by the store weekly on that day. If your store doesn't use colored tags to control inventory, just pick a day and become a regular. 

This is going to be my last regularly scheduled Thrift Tips post. I have covered a lot of ground in 6 weeks. Hopefully, you have learned something from my ramblings.  If I think of anything useful, I will post another tip, but I won't be doing it weekly. It will be a happy, random occurrence. 

Thanks for reading

xo

D.