Nifty Thrift Picks of the Week (6.30.08)

Sharing my weekly faves from the Nifty Thrift flickr group where people post pics of their nifty thrifty finds. The theme for this week's picks is lovely vintage kid's stuff:

Vintage Cradle
Originally uploaded by indelible88

Blocks
Originally uploaded by chikaustin

Raggedy Anne
Originally uploaded by chikaustin

One of the perks of having a baby girl is that I have a reason to thrift adorable vintage toys! I would be stoked on any of the above items, all great finds. The doll cradle is so charming with its bare wood and adorable sailing motifs. I love the faded colors and distressed look of the blocks. The Raggedy Anne is purely nostalgic on my part as I had one when I was a toddler. We were inseparable. I called her Gringa. Unfortunately, Gringa suffered a tragic fate. I dropped her in the toilet when I was two, poor thing.

1973: Me, Mom, and Gringa. How cute was my mom?! I want that skirt!

100% Thrifted Pick of the Week (6.29.08)

Wednesday, originally uploaded by anja louise verdugo.

In this week's 100% Thrifted flickr pool, I'm inspired by the way Anja, queen of the Goodwill bins, pairs a fun casual tee with a basic little skirt and a fabulous pair of strappy heels to create the most wonderful outfits (see another awesome example here). I absolutely adore this look! Love the quirky elements, the horsie tee with her beautiful self-made thrifted floral fabric bag. It’s casual enough that you could wear it without feeling overdressed, yet the shoes add a certain level of chic at the same time. There is such a fine balance of opposing elements going on casual/chic, quirky/classic, basic/ornate… in outfit terms, it’s like the perfect storm!

Fun Friday

It appears my shoe curse has officially been broken, woo hoo! I feel like I have been searching for them for ages, but on Fun Friday (aka half-off day) at the Salvation Army, my search came to an end when I found these lovely brown woven leather oxfords which came home with me for a well-spent three dollars, yay! I couldn't believe my luck when I then came across this matching woven leather bag, also three dollars, double yay! I love that the strap is woven too and long enough to wear across my chest which is how I tend to like to wear my bags.

The whole reason I was there in the first place was to shop for a birthday gift for my friend Lucie who you may remember from the flea market post. And yes, I totally buy people birthday presents at thrift stores. I was stoked to find these cool vintage mission cocktail glasses I knew she'd love. But the real treat was the hankie. Now, in all my days of thrifting and collecting vintage hankies, I have never come across a Happy Birthday hankie that I can recall, so I'm pretty sure this one I found in a very random location among some shoes and purses was meant to be. I also threw in this vintage white eyelet detailed dress for good measure.

As if that wasn't enough, I also found this sweet little knit tank (which ended up being free since the lady forgot to charge me for it and I "forgot" to bring this oversight to her attention) AND another perfect little white dress to add to my growing collection! Fun Friday indeed!

<3<3<3

The Clover Dress

Here it is. The free clover leaf dress from the flea market. It has some sun bleaching on one side (hence the freeness) but I really like the way the skirt is pleated with tons of tiny pleats at the top and of course the pattern!

I didn’t even realize there were any four-leaf clovers on the dress until I looked at the random detail shot that I took. After searching the whole dress, I found only two, so I’ve decided that the fact that I randomly photographed one of them is good luck :)

I played around with trying to cover up the sun damage. Both a strategically placed scarf and my trusty vest seemed to do the trick.

But in the end I decided whatever it’s not that bad, I’m not going to worry about it. Besides, it was free!

Nifty Thrift Picks of the Week (6.24.08)

Sharing my weekly faves from the Nifty Thrift flickr group where people post pics of their nifty thrifty finds:

Free Vintage Trash Can
Originally uploaded by Vintage at Heart Designs

If you thought I was strange a few weeks ago for coveting a stapler, well I have news for you. I have moved on to coveting bigger and stranger things. Yup, I never thought I would be saying this but I'm coveting this trash can with all my heart! It's vintage flower power perfection! I love the colors. The look of the flowers reminds me of illustrations from sixties children's books and that cute little white picket fence is super sweet. This wonderful waste receptacle could brighten up any kitchen and like that lovely stapler it too was a yard sale freebie!

a puppy in tow.
Originally uploaded by hola-lola

When I first saw this basket I was immediately taken with the sweet little scene on the lid. In the photo description hola-lola mentions that it is reminiscent of the basket she had on her childhood Holly Hobby bike *swoon* and how she is thinking of replacing the wire basket on her beach bike with this one. I am so in love with the idea of this basket being on the front of a cruiser, how freakin' adorable would that be?! I only wish it were my own!

Originally uploaded by trash.picker

I love these flea market finds posted by trash.picker. The blouse, coat rack, and suitcase are all great finds on their own but I especially like how pretty they look grouped together like this. The cute little blouse is so summery and reminds me of the lovely aesthetic I was inspired by in this post. And Oh, that vintage suitcase, loving the stripes! So beautiful and classic.

100% Thrifted Pick of the Week (6.22.08)

This week in the 100% Thrifted flickr pool, the lovely Marcine stole my heart with her belted knee-length dresses. With her infectious smile and whimsical props, she's ten kinds of adorable and seems to have the ability to thrift endless numbers of the sweetest of vintage dresses! As evidenced by her photostream, these three posted over the past week are only the tip of the ice berg. I love the patterns on her dresses and that a leather belt and a darling pair of t-straps or ballet flats is all it takes to complete her wonderful look. Indeed, she makes looking cute as a button look as easy as one two three!

I adore the vintage feel of her photographs and the way she evokes a sense of childlike innocence. Not to mention she always looks like she's having fun and that hose she stands in front of always has me imagining that she has just taken a break from skipping rope to show us her wonderful outfits. Also, check out her new Etsy shop for adorable pieces all sweetly named and ready for good homes!

Cabbages & Roses/ Cotton & Denim

I discovered the London based Cabbages & Roses through Black*Eiffel the other day and I am LOVING the Spring/Summer lookbook on their website. I want all of it! Unfortunately, my budget won't allow that, but it's still a wonderful source of inspiration. In fact, the shape of the dress at the bottom left reminded me so much of my little white dress that it, along with the white dresses over jeans, inspired today's outfit. Now I just need to thrift me a lil' pair of white Keds and some wellies!

I love the mix of white cotton and denim for summer. It's such a classic pairing. Whether you go with cotton of the crisp variety (like my little thrifted dress) or the softest of tee's, vintage 501's (like my new flea market pair) or a cute jean skirt or jumper, there are so many ways to interpret this freshest of themes!

Oh, and don't worry, I didn't forget about the free clover dress! It was just insanely hot today and that dress is not made of fabric conducive to scorchingly hot weather. :)

Flea Market Sunday

Flea markets are so much fun. Especially when they're right down the street from your house and can be enjoyed on a nice sunny day with friends!

Ahh the trinkets, I do love the trinkets! So many wonderful treasures to ooh and ahh over. I could seriously lose an entire day there.

The beauty is in the randomness of it all. The colorful ceramics, the babies with mohawks, the gumball machines, the little girls carrying what appear to be actual (as in once living and breathing) now dead and stuffed dogs (I am so not kidding… creeeepyyyy), the red sparkly retro chairs… all such wonders to behold. And yes, that pillow absolutely does say “bone jour”… you’ve just gotta love it!

We spent a lot of time at the spot where the woman lays out a giant tarp covered in huge piles of vintage clothing. I really wish I would have taken more pictures there but as you can imagine I was too busy digging ;)

This is my friend Lucie pondering a new addition to her enviable wardrobe. Laura Jane, who had to leave before I could snap a shot, found the most lovely vintage house dress. The woman selling the clothes took a liking to Laura Jane and offered her another gorgeous vintage dress for free as it had a bit of a sun-bleached area. Lucky for me the free dress was quite small so I got to take it home along with a pair of perfectly worn-in vintage Levi’s. The dress is green with purple plums and blue CLOVER leaves... how perfect is that?

Also picked up a few little treasures to send off to a distant friend. Unfortunately, I can’t show those as she’s been known to read my blog from time to time and I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise ;) Will try to get some outfit shots up soon featuring the new dress and maybe even Laura Jane’s too if she’ll agree to pose for me :)

Nifty Thrift Picks of the Week (6.17.08)

Sharing my weekly faves from the Nifty Thrift flickr group where people post pics of their nifty thrifty finds:

vintage sunglasses
Originally uploaded by lucyinthe7thsky

Remember what I was saying last week about amazing vintage sunglasses turning up everywhere?! And I still have yet to find a pair of my own *sigh*. Lucyinthe7thsky on the other hand can now wear a different fabulous pair LITERALLY every other day of the week. Can you believe she found all of these together in one thrift store?! Talk about hitting the jackpot, but wait because it gets better. The top pair... BALENCIAGA... the bottom pair... CHLOE... me... SO jealous!

for emily whenever i may find her
Originally uploaded by revolutionarygirl

Well, hi there lil' flowery suitcase of my dreams! Oh my, the navy with the flowers and that pale pink handle... it's all so perfect! Such a fine specimen and for only ONE DOLLAR?!!! All I have to say is... Revolutionarygirl, you lucky duck!

Pale Pink Crinoline w/Bow & Polkadots
Originally uploaded by anja louise verdugo

And then there's this perfect piece of pale pink perfection to add to the mix. It actually has tiny textured white polka dots and an old ribbon bow which can be seen here in the detail shots. So lovely! Anja always finds the best stuff for her Etsy shop estate sale and of course this sweet crinoline has already been sold, but the good news is she's constantly adding new gems at very reasonable prices so I definitely recommend checking it out!

I'm pretty sure the perfect summer traveling outfit somehow involves this pink crinoline, that flower power suitcase, and those vintage Chloe sunglasses... *swoon*

100% Thrifted Pick of the Week (6.16.08)

, originally uploaded by nemrešpobjećodnedjelje.

Another great outfit post by Nemrešpobjećodnedjelje in the 100% Thrifted flickr group. You may also remember her from this Pick of the Week. I’m always so impressed by this lady’s unique sense of style and here, I am inspired by her ability to create interest while using so few elements.

With just three simple pieces, minimal use of color, and NO accessories, Nemrešpobjećodnedjelje accomplishes the type of look that would have most resorting to elaborate color and pattern mixes along with strategically added accessories to rival. The shape and texture of the skirt are wonderful and the detailing along the neckline of the tank is perfectly harmonious with the netted looking shoes.

I love the adorable spritelyness of the outfit combined with her amazing hair and how it conjures images of ballerinas, the circus (as so fittingly interpreted by Painfully Hip), and maybe even the ice capades, all while remaining totally wearable and not in the least bit costumey. How in the heck does she do it?

Mini Dress

Still pinching myself over this sweet lil' dress!

Lytton Springs

There is a five-building compound about 20 minutes north of my town on the 101 that is nestled among old growth oak trees and rolling hills. It is the most pastorally located Salvation Army (or thrift store of any kind for that matter) that I have ever witnessed. We call it Lytton Springs because that is the name of the Road and freeway exit that lead there.

I don’t make it out very often, mostly because of the drive and my laziness but it also can be a bit hit or miss as far as the merchandise goes. Even when I come home empty handed though, it’s always a fun thrifting adventure. Who wouldn’t love perusing old farm houses full of thrifty treasures in such a lovely setting? Last week I took a friend who had never been to check it out and snapped a few shots while we were there:

Here Clover and I are browsing through “Sallie’s Attic”, the little house on the right in the second pic.

Unfortunately, both the dreamcatcher and the vintage Ferragamos were priced way above what I was prepared to spend... so lovely none-the-less.

The majority of our time was spent in Sallie’s Clothing Barn, the largest of the buildings. I had pretty much scoured the place and come to the conclusion that this visit was going to be a “miss” when I found the most incredible hand-made vintage 60’s minidress tucked away in the middle of the girl’s clothing rack. The dress is a dream and for $2.50, soooo worth the drive! I’m planning to wear it tomorrow but until then I will leave you with a sneak peek: )