SO Blah(nik)

I stopped in to my local Goodwill last week in search of teacups for the teaparty I'm planning for my kids and their cousins.   It was 7:52pm as I pulled into the parking lot. The store was closing  in 8 mins.  I quickly made my way to the wares section. No luck!  With a few minutes to spare I make my way around the store seeing if I might check any items off my mental thriftlist.  Polka-dot pencil skirt (nope), camouflaged skinny  jeans  (nope), red trench or wool coat (nope); I was striking out  big time. The trip appeared to be a total bust.  Last stop, Shoes.  Taupe  pumps  (better luck next time) Grrrrr!

But wait...eye spy from the corner of my eye.  8 minutes well spent!!!! MANOLO BLAHNIK!

                        @~~~~I'm So Rosie
                             Stay Rosy Y'all

Salvation Army Soldier

I went marching into my local Salvation Army with my battalion in tow ( my 10y and 8mo. old.) on "Customer Appreciation Day" .  All clothing items 50% off.  

I readied myself for a battle with the crowds... to my relief there were no crowds, no crowds=at ease soldiers.  I was free to peruse at me leisure.  * Well, that is, until baby boy gets fussy and then you know its time to go - and there's mad dash to the register*

I had specific items in mind:
Plaid Shirt
Booties
Polka Dot Pencil Skirt
High Waisted Pants
Camo Pants
China- Tea Cups (really pretty ones, I LOVE tea and so I'm going to have a tea party!!)

I came up short on all these items but I did manage to score a few nice things; including 3 pairs of Aldo shoes.  I left behind a pair of Yves Saint Laurent boots,  a little too worn for my liking.  Some items I'll keep, others I'll give away or sell. 

If anyone is actually reading these post you may recall that I recently took up sewing.  Well, I found a cute little brown (Banana Republic) corduroy skirt during this visit.  The zipper was spoiled so I managed to get it for $.99.  My plan is to use this to learn how to replace a zipper on a garment.   If I do well, this cute skirt will be rocked this fall with printed opaque tights and booties. If not, you may just be picking up a D.I.Y gone wrong from the Goodwill (and saying "WhattheEff").  It may look a little like a tote bag with a crooked zipper!!

              @~~~~I'm So(Sew)Rosie
                       Stay Rosie Y'all

SEW Rosie!

I found a new hobby!!! I'm learning how to sew!  Learning how to sew will be a real compliment to my other new hobby...thrifting!  (Can you tell how excited I am by all the exclamation points?!)

A few months ago, I purchased a sewing machine from Wally's a.k.a Walmart in preparation for a sewing class I registered for a few months ago as well.  I started out with a simple machine, a Singer Simple, to be exact. I paid less than $100 for it.  Although the Goodwill always has sewing machines, I opted to get something new; not being familiar with sewing machines, I had to be certain I got all the parts.

I opened the box this past weekend on the morning of my lesson.   I saw no point in opening it any sooner as I hadn't the first clue how to even thread my new gadget and I certainly didn't want to break it. 

Well duh! Of course I could've read the instructions!  (I know that's what you were thinking) I find I learn best by practical application (by doing) not by following incomprehensible diagrams.  Have you ever tried putting together a piece of Ikea furniture???  But I digress.

My sewing 101 lesson was great and I'm super excited to get sewing.  Pretty soon I'll be able alter all those great thrift finds I usually walk away from because they were too big or too short.  Not to mention  too expensive to get tailored.  Tailoring can cost a grip and in the words of Ms. Sweet Brown herself "Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!"

Ambitious... I know.  But sewing is in my blood my uncle was a tailor, my mom's first cousin is a seamstress and my mom assisted her in making wedding dresses.

Osmosis!?!- NOT!

I've already borrowed a bunch of sewing books from the library.   I thrifted a super cool book from Goodwill and a coworker whose mother recently passed away gave me a bunch of his mom's sewing books.   Apparently, his mother was a skilled seamstress who made all her own stuff.   I feel honored to receive these gifts and pray that an ounce of her talent rubs off on me.  (Rest in peace Ms. F)

I'll be taking my 102 lesson soon. Stay for tuned more updates on my journey.

    @~~~~I'm So "SEW" Rosie!
              Stay Rosy Y'all

The Joy of Thrifting...Ummm I Mean Cooking

The joys of thrifting continue to be revealed.  Thrifting has made me a better cook!  Go figure.

Ever since I picked up this very handy, dandy book at the Goodwill and this super heavy cast iron skillet; I've been cooking up some delicious Asian inspired meals.

I usually go to a wonderful Chinese restaurant...hmmm, they wont be seeing me for a while.   MO' Money for thrifting! Score!

The stool in the pic below was thrifted too! 

YUM!!!!

@~~~~I'm SoRosie

Stay Rosy Y'all!

What I Wore to Work (9.4.14): Accordion Pleats

I don't know about you, but when I shop I don't shop for an outfit.  I shop for pieces I love or like a LOT. Then, I take my find(s) and see how I can use it with pieces I already own or recently purchased.

Ever since I began thrifting I've been keeping stock of my outfits trying to see at what point I've created a look that was 100% thrifted.  Is that weird?

Anyways, I got pretty darn close with this one.  All the pieces were thrifted with the exception of the cardigan, but, I got it from an outlet so that counts, right? I'm quite sure I didn't pay a lot for it.

Normally I jot down where, when and what I scored on my thrifting sprees but for some reason I could only find my notes on the shoes.  Time for a new system!

Here's what I wore:
Cardigan (Gap) Outlet
Shell(The Limited) Thrifted
Skirt (I.N.C) Thrifted
Shoes (Nine West) Thrifted-Goodwill

I love this accordion skirt.  I thought it would wrinkle and not wear well throughout the day.  Boy oh boy was I wrong, those pleats have some serious bounce back.

@~~~~ I'm So Rosie
Stay Rosy y'all.

My system!

Polka(dot) Anyone

I don't know how to Polka but I'm quite familiar with the Polka dot.  I've been obsessed with polka dots lately.  Big ones, small ones, colorful ones, you name it I'm hooked.

For the past two weeks I've been rocking the Polka real hard. I had/have a quite a few polka dot items on my Thrift List and I've been checking them off slowly but surely.   If only I could get my hands on a polka dot pencil skirt (sigh).  A cream colored skirt with blue dots or blue with cream dots would be my dream come true.  Well really at this point I would take any color I could find.  The hunt continues!!  Let me know if you come across one...pretty please (preferably in a size 6)!!!!

My thrifted polka dot items below:

B&W draw string shirt

Black & cream dress

B&W skirt

Blue & cream silk pencil skirt

Blue and White dress

B&W sheer button up shirt

Still on my Polka dot Thriftlist:

Gray Sweater w/White Dots

Light blue jeans w/White or Blue Dots

Polka dot Pumps

Polka dot pencil skirt (see up top)

50 Cent

NO, no, not that guy.  The price I paid for these awesome mustard cropped pants!

Yes, this girl scored those pants for $.50.

I'm not saying I'll never shop retail again but I'm feeling some kinda way about paying sale price when I can pay resale price.  

I bought a similar pair (see the pink pants) when the Talbots outlet store in my area was going out of business.  (It was a bitter sweet day).  

For comparison sake, the pink pair retailed for $129.00.  They were ultimately marked down to $69.99, but, I paid about 10 bucks for 'em.  Hold on...let me do the math...now I'm no mathematician but I paid about 2000% less for the mustard pair than I did for the pink. 

I picked up 17 other items on this thrift run for a total of $9.54.  Less than I paid for the pink pants. *shakes head in disbelief*.

Ready for FALL Haul

I'm going on a 3 day thrifting spree to check out my local thrift shops.  I'm in search of items to transition into fall.  Who am I kidding???  I'm in search of whatever catches my eye and is a good price.

Today (8.8.14) was a good day but let's see what tomorrow brings.

Here's what I scored:
Tuxedo Blazer - 4.94
Corduroy Blazer - 3.28
Patterned Blouse - 3.93
Reversible Blouse - 3.93 (I really was fascinated by this shirt, its two shirts in one LOL @ myself...don't judge me!!!)
DB Purse - 12.51

Overall I'm very happy with my weekend finds.  I can't wait to wear the Tuxedo blazer.

This was just the beginning...in my next post, more photos of what I scored.

Like SUMMER

When I put this outfit together I thought it was too neutral.   My 10 year old thought otherwise, "you look like summer", he said.  Like Sun & Sand I thought; and so I went with it.

And guess what,  it worked!  I got lots of compliments today.

Shirt - Express (Thrifted w/ tags...SCORE!)
Skirt - Talbots Outlet
Blazer - New York and Company
Shoes - 9&Co. JCP

@~~~~I'm So Rosie

Stay rosy y'all!

DOUBLE CHECK

FINALLY! 

I love it when I can check something off my thrift list.  I've been looking for a pair of chocolate colored pumps for the longest time.  I ordered a pair from DSW only for them to arrive and be more burgundy than brown ('what the').  Talk about being bummed - Super Sad Face :-(

But then...I found these round toed chocolate brown pumps by Nine West at my local Goodwill this past weekend (Check) They were $5.95 + NO TAX, thanks to the tax-free weekend (Check, Check). SCORE!

What have you checked off your must have list lately?

A Little Pep(lum) In My Step

Much like talking M&Ms and Santa Claus, love at first sight does exist.  It was love at first sight for this lovely little cream lace peplum top. 

I scored this little cutie while back-to-school shopping for my 10 year old.  (5th grade watch out).  Here in my state we had a two day tax free weekend (Fri & Sat). So of course I had to take advantage of the sales for the entire family. 

It fits like perfection!  Although this was not a thrift find, I got it for a great price from @JCP.  

The possibilities are endless; work, church, a night out with the girls or a date night ( Note to self: find a date!!).  

Whether I pair it with a pencil skirt, trousers, skinny jeans or leggings; I'll definitely have a little more pep in my step.

@~~~~I'm So Rosie

Stay Rosy y'all!

BODY SLAM!

I've been thinking a lot lately about body image and how it impacts our style choices.  As I've read over various fashion blogs and scoured Pinterest for inspiration, I found myself searching for images of women wearing fashion whose proportions were similar to my own.   Desperately seeking motivation for my post partum body, what I came across instead were images of women of all shapes and sizes.

Immediately, I found myself comparing myself to the women in those images.  I'd pass over items all the while thinking... that works on her BUT it will NEVER work on me because...

• she's short and I'm tall
• she's an A cup and I'm a '...' (A lady never tells!)
• apple v. pear
• 6 pack v. "Awww...how far along are you?"

Luckily, at some point I came to the realization that my style options shouldn't be limited by perceptions of an ideal body image.  I was unnecessarily limiting my options.  Instead, I can take inspiration from women of all shapes and sizes. However, I'm still realistic in that, not everything is meant for me!  I still have to know what works for me and what makes me feel good about me.

Now that I've discovered the joys of thrifting, trying something different is no longer a pricey bet.  If it works SCORE! If not, to the donation pile it goes for another thrift seeker to reap the benefits.  And then maybe, just maybe, my Thrifting Karma will be favorable.

So, I'd love to hear from you... have you ever struggled with body image? How has body image played a part in your style choices?  What impact has social media had on your body image?

I'm  @~~~~ So Rosie,

Stay Rosy Y'all!!!

50 % OFF

I decided to go thrifting this weekend and try something outside of my normal routine.  You see, I usually go to the Goodwill, but, after reading a few posts from other thrifters, I was really anxious to
score a few good deals as well.  I must say I'm so happy with my finds this week.

I'm looking forward to the cooler fall weather so I can pair this lovely dress with riding boots.

@~~~~SoRosie
Stay Rosy Y'all

Major SCORE!

http://sorosie19.tumblr.com/post/92292823757/wow-i-really-scored-big-on-a-few-of-my-recent

Stir FRY!

Check out my post on Tumblr to see how I used my Cast Iron Skillet from @Goodwill.  This thing weighs a ton! #Score

What to expect...

During my recent pregnancy I discovered the joys of thrifting.  And now, to say that I'm hooked is a complete and total understatement.  It's the thrill of the hunt and the moment I #score something great that has me feeling like a Goodwill Hunter and a Salvation Army Soldier...

My post will mostly be about my thrifting finds and how I choose to wear them, use them or repurpose them.

Happy thrifting, fellow thrifters!!

Sorosie

Oh Happy Day

OH Happy Day!!!

I'm finally going to try my hand at this "blogging" thing. Although, from here on out I will NEVER, EVER refer to it as such again. It feels so cliche. No offense to all the real and true professional bloggers.  I am by no stretch of the imagination a professional and I wont pretend to be.  Come to think of it, I'm not a writer, photographer, stylist, fashionista, nor am I social media guru.

I don't and won't pretend to be any of these amazingly talented professional types.  Case in point...my very first Tumblr post took me 4 attempts (OK, maybe a few more than 4 but you get the point).

What I am however is, a mother of two amazing boys (10 and 5mo. old) and a shop-a-holic on a budget with a story to tell.  I'm hoping someone out there is willing to listen (well- read, but again you get the point). 

In the process, I hope to make a few connections with good natured people who share similar interests (I'm open to new things but keep it PURE).

So here we go...wish me luck!

SoRosie