the feeling

........of winning cute shoes on Ebay? priceless. The feeling of receiving  said shoes won on ebay in nearly new condition for a great price? *Patti LaBelle Wings*  I had given up on looking for deals on ebay for good quality shoes in good/nearly new condition. A lot of the times the same good quality shoes I'm stalking on ebay are overpriced  and can be purchased either in store or on a website where the condition is guaranteed. But when ebay works for me it WORKS....especially if the shoes are out of stock.

 Sergio Zelcer Cece ( I used to have a neighbor-friend named Cece)

I stalked these sandals and it just shows that sometimes stalking really does pay off :) But most times it doesn't though. Remember that second part!

I had the strong urge to make tortilla chips yesterday. Probably because my homie was making Tacos and I bought some homemade tortillas and salsa from a nice lady at work. BOMB.  Her husband makes the best chips and salsa and I wanted to see if I could do it too. All I had was some garlic salt though. Next time I'm gonna play with it and add my CAJUN!! seasoning instead. So, off topic, there's a grocery store around here that sells its own cajun seasoning that made me call my mother to ask her if I could slap her.  She said no. But the cajun seasoning is still good!
Back on topic: I did a pretty good job. But to be honest, its kind of hard messing up frying. And I only fry once in a blueish taupish, maroonish moon. You ever read the fat calories on an olive oil bottle? Its kind of scandalous. But they were gooooood.

Ikat and National bbq day

Watched the fireworks at home.

Cooked some black eyed peas

And went off-season shopping, aka I just bought the cute stuff that was on clearance. The best feeling is buying great quality pieces for a fraction of what I think its worth.   I was a tad bit hot trying on this ikat jacket, but I just couldn't wait to try it out with possible outfits. Here's one.

In other ikat news, I cut up a bandeau maxi dress i bought last year. I was ok cutting it up, even though it is one of my favorite dresses perfect for surprise sweltering Chicago weather....I've gotten good mileage out of it so I was itching to change it.

I guess I'm growing my hair out now too. I haven't really committed to it though. I know I can stick with it as long as I can form a 10 minute afro.  When my hair gets to a certain point though, even an afro can take more than 10 minutes to shape up.   I said I was going to grow it, but if I feel like its taking too long to style..chop. chop.

Blazer - Evan Picone
Blouse - Thrifted
Jeans - Yard saled
Maxi Dress - Forever 21
Crop cardi - Forever 21
Orange Sandals Apepazza
 Earrings - Target
Hair - Mine, lol. Joking!

On a random note, I was out and about last week and met a man who had tape on the bottom of his Nikon Coolpix just like mine!  Exact same model and color. Maybe he's clumsy like me, but now i think its the camera's fault.  I thought it was just me. Turns out he dropped his camera once and blaow! Just like that, an itty bitty piece of plastic chipped off so the battery won't stay closed without the help of some good quality
clear tape.

Lets Play 'Where Would I Wear These?'

NOWHERE! My lifestyle just doesn't call for them, but youeverbeeninlovebutwasn'tabsolutelysure? That's how I feel about these puppies:

 Sam Edelman Warren
After I recently got over my fascination with lace shoes, I feel like I need some Lion King on my feets.  I'm drawn to shoes with fringes. I don't know if its the stripper or the Boho in my head  that makes me want fringed shoes. They move when I walk and they're fascinating to me right now.
And NO I'm not a stripper in real life but have been known to purchase stripper shoes from time to time. But yeah, so below are the shoes with fringes that I currently have that I love buy prevented me from buying the above fringed out sky high puppies:





Sergio Zelcer Deegan
Aldo Romjue (so nice had to buy it twice, and then have remorse for buying it twice.)

35 minutes.

 I had about 35 minutes and hit a garage sale and an estate sale. Didn't find much at the garage sale.  I'm learning to just drive by slowly and keep going if I can't eyeball what I'm looking for...unless they have cute clothes sitting on the curb.  If I don't do drive bys, I'll spend money aimlessly.  I should be able to see it, especially if its as big as a table.  Found these earrings for .25 a pair at my lunch break estate sale. It was also this gorgeous and regal looking armoir that was asking to go home with me.  It was $10!  Something comparably as large and in 1/2 as good condition is usually 40-60 at the the thrift stores these days. But I think that armoir weighed more than my car My car goes meep meep and said no, Boo.





 
It always makes me a little melancholy when I go to a small mom n' pop estate sale and the children (who are usually elderly) have packed up their parents house and are clearing and selling everything that belonged to their parent(s).  I always think about my grandparents. These whipper snappers seemed happy to move on though.  On another note, they tore this house down a few doors down out of the blue. Confused the heck out of me......but there is a wood fence door with the hinges hanging off of it that is calling my name.  If I see the guys working over there again, I'm going to ask for it. I've walked past it at least 5 times already.  I think I've met my table.

Wore my Dorothy Perkins wedges today. Its still nippy here. I'm not wearing closed toed shoes until the end of September though. 






Old Navy Sweater
? Top
Gap Jeans
Dorothy Perkins Wedges
H&M Belt

slowly. surely.

I keep finding furniture. But not the pieces of furniture that I need. I really don't want to keep sanding and painting but these pieces of furniture keep happening to me.
when I bought this table....it was 3 bucks and brown and scratched.  Now its sanded and red:



Still working on the end tables I bought. With all the cracks and crevices, this is getting TIRING. Now I know why normal people buy new furniture:



Then I bought a set of antique chairs. No pics until I make some progress on them. The lady I bought them from though did most of the sanding :) But they need recovering still, she didn't get to that part. they currently look like chairs from Edith Bunker's house.

Ate Logo, everybody

refashioning a thrifted dress.

this dress is one that i bought during my dress thrifting binge about a year ago. I'm finding that I have to either rework or give away the dresses that I bought during that time.  Body changed, and I'm still trying to reduce what's in my closet.  But this dress is one that I REFUSED to put in the give away pile, so I cut it in half.  I've always wanted a seersucker blazer, so until I find one.... This will have to do. OW!
Before:



After:


And I finished sanding and painting one of the end tables I bought at the thrift store.  Seriously, on days that I sanded this thing I didn't need my workout.  Sanding, even with an electrical hand sander, is a workout.  Multitasking is alright with me.:

Before:





After:





Mustard yellow over a deep red. One more swipe of red to go....I think.

Some thrift stores in the city.

So on the trip before the last trip I took to the thrift store, I had a surreal experience.  I know better than to go into any Salvation Army IN the city, but my determination to find furniture I could fall in love with kind of redirected my focus.  So as soon as i step foot into this Salvation Army, I remember why it wasn't one of my favorites. It was extra grungy with an extra whiff of odor on the side.....and with the nerve to be EXPENSIVE.  A little grunge never hurt anybody, but this store, ew.  It kind of seemed liked they were trying to get it together because I did smell Pinesol but it was still especially grungy.  And there was also a drunk man with a food cart who followed me in but he was harmless. But, being the determined woman  I am I decided to stay and look around anyway, with my hands in my pockets though. So after five minutes of browsing furniture, I decide there's nothing there worth the asking price.  I decided to look through the accessories, hands still in my pockets until I saw a purse that was rather interesting. Cute! Take my hands out my pockets, inspect the purse, drunk man who speaks NO english comes over to help me inspect it. I was still ok cause he wasn't hitting on me and spoke no English. Anyway, drunk man walks away
and then BAM! I see a rat jog across the floor that was the size of one of those toy dogs like this:


The cute purse flew into the air, I screamed and power walked my way ALL the way to my car. I was thinking if the rats on the inside are that big, there's no telling what the outside rats might try to do to me.  I didn't see anybody running behind me and nobody seemed as shook as I was, i wonder if it was a pet.

On another note, I bought some wedges from Old Navy last summer and they are comfy and so versatile.


Wore them with this fit last week:






Top- Forever 21
Jeans - Vigoss
Wedges - Old Navy

Now on to the Pour La Victoire wedges that I bought from MzFashioncloset!

 


LOVE them and she sent the most thoughtful and girliest note to go along with them:


They fit great, but I have to really focus on what I want to wear with them. Choices. I think I've worn out the skinnies with wedges look. I need some more wide legged pants.
night.