Thursday, August 22, 2013

thrifty: jewelry holders

I picked up this silver bowl and tray at Goodwill today.
They were each less than $1 with my discount card. I wanted a fun way to display and store some of my jewelry on my dresser so I scooped these up. I cleaned them with Tarn-x to remove the tarnish and they look brand new now!
I added one of my favorite necklaces to the tray and a set of bangles inside of the bowl. I can change the jewelry out frequently and I can add more pieces since there's still more room. 


 
A successful DIY project for about $2! 

thrifty: this week at Goodwill

I stop by Goodwill once a week. I generally have something in mind that I'm looking for. Today I needed a pair of jeans so that was my goal. I lucked out and found a pair that fit perfectly! One of my secrets is to ignore sizes and try things on. I just looked for style and wash of the jeans. Found 3 pairs all completely different sizes and only one of them worked for me. You've got to try things on or you'll leave with something that might work and you may be wasting your money, even if it was inexpensive. I don't like to waste money!

I always browse the children's clothing too. I only look for Julianna's current size or the next size up. I never look for Olivia's size right now because she wears all of Julianna's hand me downs. Almost all of their clothing is thrifted unless it was a gift. Kids grow so fast and are rough on clothes so I don't pay full price. There's really no reason to thanks to thrift stores. Today I found 4 dresses from Target, Crazy 8, and Janie and Jack. 

I also look in the home goods section every time for a DIY project. Today I found these pieces of silver for 99 cents! I can't wait to polish them and use them for jewelry storage on my dresser.

I was at the register and spotted these red wedges. They are brand new and can still be found in Target stores. My size! So they came home with me too. 

A successful day of thrifting!


Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Julianna: first ballet & tumble class

Last Thursday, Julianna began her first day of ballet and tumble class! She has been so excited about it for over a month. Music and dance are her very favorite things. She's so creative and loves the arts. She had a great first class and can't wait for the next. I captured these photos of her before we left...



thrifty: jewelry

I've always had a love for jewelry. I like "real" pieces but I actually prefer costume jewelry. It costs less and you can really make a statement! Sometimes the quality isn't amazing but I've found some really good pieces for so cheap that I wear constantly. One of my favorite things to do is take a simple t-shirt and add a colorful statement necklace. You can dress up a $4 t-shirt with a statement necklace for a whole new look.

Here are a few of my favorite places to shop for costume jewelry on a budget:

This beaded rose necklace is inspired by J. Crew. I bought mine from http://luxecraving.com for about $15. It's such a gorgeous necklace and it definitely makes a statement. I dressed up a pink t-shirt for a bold new look.

The necklace in this picture is from http://groopdealz.com, which is one of my favorite places to get jewelry. You can get amazing deals on Groop Dealz! 

This necklace is my absolute favorite. It's also from Groop Dealz. The necklace dressed up my thrifted t-shirt very nicely!

This fabulous bracelet was $10 on Groop Dealz. It's even more beautiful in person! I love layering bracelets but this one can stand alone!

The link bracelet is from J. Crew Factory (http://jcrewfactory.com)- I scooped it up when it was on sale. Still a splurge for me at $20 but it's a great basic bracelet that I wear almost daily. The pink bracelet was about $4 on Groop Dealz.

I picked up this cute stack of bangles at Old Navy (http://oldnavy.com) for less than $10. Old Navy has a great selection of costume jewelry now!

This necklace is another J. Crew inspired piece. And it's so pretty! I had my eye on a necklace like this for awhile but I didn't want to pay a lot for it. I found this one for $9.95 at http://ourworldboutique.com and I got it in the mail 2 days later. Super fast shipping and great quality! I just ordered another necklace from there and I can't wait to get it.

This necklace is so unique and so pretty. It's from Sira and Mara (http://siramara.com) and also very fast shipping and good quality! I also own 2 other bracelets and 1 necklace from this site. Also, amazing customer service! I paired this necklace was a simple t-shirt too. As you can tell, I love dressing up simple outfits with fun jewelry!

And here is how I organize my necklaces and bracelets. More on these organizers later...


Happy Shopping!

Monday, August 19, 2013

thrifty: look for less

I love getting the look for less. I love clearance racks, coupons, sales, and thrift stores. Getting the look for the least amount of money is my goal. Also remixing old pieces and basics is key. I love taking a basic t-shirt and adding a bold, statement necklace for a brand new look. Here are a few of my most recent outfits...

This top was thrifted and it was a great find! It's from Old Navy and I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of it.
The sandals were a clearance find at Target, the shorts were over 50% off at Old Navy, and I got this shirt on clearance for $5 at Banana Republic!
I found this t-shirt on clearance and it's a great basic piece. I've worn it at least 4 times in the past few weeks. 
This dress was a "splurge" for me. I paid full price-$20 and that is very rare for me. But it's a great basic that can be dressed up or down and it will never go out of style. I love chambray and how versatile it is!

And as you can see above, I'm obsessed with jewelry. I will post about my favorite jewelry stores/websites soon!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Julianna: mannequins

Julianna is obsessed with mannequins. I have to blog about it because I don't want to forget! I have to tell her about her obsession when she's older. I want to tell her how she rubs their arms, holds their hands, and talks to them. I also want to tell her about the time she ripped the arms off of not one mannequin but two in a single shopping trip. Maybe they made her angry? Maybe she wanted to see what happened? Who knows?! But this girl makes me take a posed photo with mannequins at every single store. It's a little strange but it always makes me laugh. She's a funny girl!