Yelling in Helvetica

I have been sick all weekend and it doesn't seem to be getting better. I don't know if I'm going to do an outfit post this week. Maybe I will. If I actually get dressed. But hey! Check out this cute craft book. I found it in Wisconsin last weekend but forgot share it with ya'll. I collect old-school craft books and they all have kitschy cute-covers. I think this one might be my favorite though. I love the all lower-case Helvetica title. But for some reason I feel like its yelling at me, like "Make it yo' Damn Self!" I might share some of my other craft books some other time but right now I am going to make myself some tea and go back to bed. Sniffle.

Thrift Score: From America's Dairy Land With Love

I finally took a long overdo trip up to Wisconsin to do some thrifting. It was pretty awesome. I scored super-cute vintage dresses and found my new most-favorite-est thirft shop in the world. It definitely pays to go out of the city. I can't wait to go back but I won't be eating at Culver's again for at least a year (butter burger= ridiculous). Here are a few of my finds...

A darling 1970s floral cotton dress, 4$. It's long sleeved but very sheer and light. A great spring transition piece.

A Precious precious PRECIOUS 1960s butterfly collared baby doll dress 2.5$. It needs to be shortened. I want it to be above the knees. It's floor length right now.

A 1970s tweed vest-and-skirt set that fits like a glove 3$

Some 'Dillas 1.5$

A striped, sparkly-metallic 1970s sweater, 2$. The label says 'Organically Grown' but it's made from polyester and rayon. I guess that term didn't have quite the same meaning back then that it has today.

Some vintage ribbon, 1$

 And the BEST vintage skinny belt ever 0.75$

But thats not all. I also found a couple of vintage blouses, (i'm wearing one of them right now) another cotton dress that needs some repairs, and one of the best fitting vintage coats ever. It's light, more of a rain coat than a winter coat. I plan on wearing it today, and taking pictures.

I can't wait to style/wear my new stuff in the coming weeks. I'm dreaming of spring. Sometimes it makes me sad to live in Chicago where the winters are so extreme. I love the snow. But because I walk/take the train everywhere, I have to dress appropriately. It's hard to dress cute and stay warm. I get stuck in a wool-skirt-sweater-tights-boots or jeans-sweater-boots rut. Boring.

Does anyone else out there live where it is below zero half the year? How do you dress warm and keep it interesting?

layers

This is what I wore today. I didn't do much, ran some errands, went to the drug store. This is another completely thrifted outfit (Except the tights actually. Oh and I made the necklace)

My trusty black hat: Thrifted vintage: 5$
Coat (ilgwu made in the USA): thrifted/vintage 8$
Overdress (corduroy, Lands End): thrifted/vintage 6$
Sweater (Tricot Jolie): thrifted 3$
Skirt: thrifted/vintage 5$
Tights: target (dont remember how much they cost)
Shoes: thrifted 6$
Necklace by Wrens and Roses http://www.etsy.com/listing/61721416/vintage-locket-and-tiny-cameo-assemblage

Thrift Score: Polaroid 360 Land Camera

 

I found thee classic polaroid land camera at a thrift shop in Indiana yesterday for 4 dollars!!!! It is in amazing shape. The bellows are perfect, the case is perfect, there was only a little corrosion on the battery leads, even the leather strap looks like it has never seen the light of day.

Fuji still makes film for this camera. It costs about half as much as the polarid 600 integral film that was famously discontinued and brought back. I have two packs on the way, plus some lithium batteries that I plan on using to pull off this rubber band hack ...

 I can't wait to start using this baby! If you want to see some photos taken with a 360 check out this photo stream by idhawkdrvr on flickr

Thrift Score: Holy Shoes!

I hit vintage pay-dirt at the thrift store this weekend. I got some great clothes (pics to come). But lets talk about my new shoes for a minute.

Faux fur-lined red leather hi-tops anyone? Oh yeah, that's right. The fur, inside and out, is crazy clean and the soles are good to go. They are a little worn in the toes but that's to be expected from 20 y.o. sneakers. Honestly,not really my style, but they are comfortable as sh*t so I may keep these babies.

Just a pair of classic, suede, slouchy ankle boots. They  are a teensy bit too small for me so they are getting stashed for the soon-to-be-open vintage clothes and accessories section of my Etsy shop. I want the section to open with a bang so I am hording.

I love Mary Janes, and these are super precious. The t-strap is a golden chain! The silhouette reminds me of the 60s but I'm pretty sure they are dancin' shoes from 80s. None of that matters.They were made for me.

And here we have a pair of ubiquitous brown suede boots from the 70s. They are pretty standard. I have a pair, almost exactly like this, that has been a staple of my wardrobe for the past 4 years. They might give out any day now and I'll have this pair around for back-up

Oh these? Well they aren't vintage. They're just a pair of relatively-current Steve Maddens that I found for 6 bucks. I don't think they have ever been worn. I really love spectator shoes and this pair is particularly fetching.

Yay vintage Hush Puppies! Don't these boots kind of look like they were made recently by an Urban Outfitters brand, maybe Seychelles or Cooperative?  Well they weren't. They were made by Hush Puppies, like, 30 years ago.                                    

None of the shoes above cost more than 8 dollars. And they are better quality, and more interesting, than a lot of the stuff out there for 10 times that price. You don't need to spend a bunch of money to have an awesome wardrobe. And you don't have to exploit foreign workers, or natural resources, to get stuff cheap.

Thanks for visiting me in internet land. Tomorrow, I'll be posting the first in a weekly series of thrift tips. So come check me out if you want to read my version of the when, where, what, how, and with whom of finding the best second hand stuff in your area.