Thrifted for $15.25

I got more cds—seven for $1.75. I got Brittney Spears’ Britney, Mariah Carey’s Emotions, Kelly Clarkson’s Thankful and Fiona Apple’s Tidal.

And I got some movie soundtracks, The King and I, My Best Friend’s Wedding and The Full Monty.

I also bought a black square frame for $1. One thing I should have checked before buying this was making sure the photo in it could be removed easily. The previous owner had the genius idea of gluing the photo to the glass. So after I ripped out the photo, I had to painfully remove the torn photo from the glass with water and Goo Gone. I hadn’t finished doing that when I took this photo, which is why there is not glass there.

And then I got pants. [Pause.] I hate buying pants. It’s difficult to find pants that you like and that fit properly. There are just more measurements to deal with—pants need to fit in the waist and hips and length. The length is less of a problem with skinny pants because they can just bunch up at the ankle. But other styles of pants, like boot cut or wide-leg, length definitely becomes an issue if it’s too long and needs to be hemmed.

However, with fall was around the corner, I made the effort to find and buy pants. And I succeeded. [Yay!] I found three pairs of pants. The first is a pair of black J Brand skinny pants that I got for $4.50. It has a slightly “rocker” feel to them as there are zippers on the sides, and the seaming around the knee reminds me a bit of motorcycle pants. The fabric is also a bit shiny, and I didn’t realize it until after I bought it that it’s “dry clean only”—which of course I wasn’t going to do. I hand washed them and air dried them, and they were fine.

And I got gray Not Your Daughter Jeans for $3.

Finally, I bought these Banana Republic olive green pants for $5. Sometimes there’s a tag that tells you when something was made, which is kind of interesting to check. This one says 04/Fall. So these are some 14 year old pants and still in pretty good condition.

Thrifted for $8.48

This old menu cover is awesome.

This sweater has to be at least 25 years old. I thought it was interesting. There’s definitely a fine line between frumpy and cool sometimes, but I think this could be cool. It just needs to be paired with more modern looking items.

This H&M cream and black cardigan was cute.

I liked these black and white pants.

And I thought this cross stitch book could be useful. The cover and many of the projects inside aren’t particularly interesting to me. But as someone that knows very little about cross stitching, it’s nice to have a very basic knowledge book.

And I got this Madonna cd with many of her old hits on it. The downside is that one of the songs, “Like a Prayer,” was damaged. But everything else was okay, so overall it was a good buy.

Altered: Navy Pants

I bought these old lady pants at a thrift shop thinking I might be able to alter them. And I did. I cut about four inches off of each pant leg, and then sewed elastic at the bottom of each leg. It was simple and I finished it in a couple of hours.

Truthfully, I’m not sure if I will wear these pants out in the world; they might just be pants I wear at home. They’re pretty comfortable as they have an elastic waistband. And I like that it has pockets.

Thrifted for $4.50

I love this red, black and blue striped skirt. It’s awesome—it has an elastic waistband and is very comfortable. And it has pockets.

These navy pants scream little old lady. I bought them thinking I might be able to alter them.

Men’s Star Wars shirt that I won’t wear out in the world. But fine as a pajama shirt.

And measuring cups I got an estate sale for $1. There’s no one cup size, which is unfortunate, but it has all the other sizes so I thought it was worth it.

Bought for $6.83

I got a few things at a pay-by-the-pound thrift store. First is the adorable Pendleton wool red short jacket. So cute.

Next is this navy wool jacket.

I got this black sweater that’s perhaps a bit large for me.

And this white woven belt that I thought would be good for summer.

I liked this light-weight floral skirt. It’s also a bit large for me, put I thought the pattern was interesting.

And I got a pair of Not Your Daughter Jeans gray pants that are super comfortable. I was needing some pants for cooler weather, so I was really glad to get this.

Four More Sewing Patterns

I got more sewing patterns for $0.25 cents each. First is this hooded top and pants that I really like (in particular, B version with the little buttons on the legs—so cute). I’m guessing it’s from the 1970s.

Next, I got this coat pattern from 1977. It’s a classic silhouette, and looks like it wouldn’t be too difficult to make…

I thought I’d pick up this top pattern from 1986, just because I feel like I lack top patterns.

And finally, I bought this dress pattern from 1992. I really like this simple dress.

I’m Not Going to a Funeral…I Just Like Black

When I go to a thrift shop, I generally don’t have anything specific in mind to buy. I may be keeping an eye out for a pair of jeans or a jacket, but I’m not on a mission of desperation for that one item. I just like seeing whatever’s on the racks and maybe I’ll come across something interesting.

Although there’s a wide array of colors to choose from, I often end up with black garments. I suppose it’s not terribly surprising since black is probably the most popular color for clothing, thus there are just more black garments to choose from. I found two black pieces at two different thrift shops.

The first is a black wool and angora Yarnworks sweater—which is quite warm. It has scallop edging along the collar and some beadwork. It clearly has some decades on it (as there are shoulder pads). I like that it’s a little looser in the bodice but tighter at wrists and waist. This is one of those items that I nearly feel on the fence about, because it could lean frumpy—but in the end I think it’s how you put everything together that makes an outfit work or not. It’s a comfortable sweater and I think it works well with a pair of jeans. I bought it for $9.99.

The second item I got was a pair of black pants from White House Black Market. They’re in a tuxedo style with satin at the waistline, and there’s an additional satin detail on the slits on the side. These pants were $5—a pretty good deal.

Silverware and Stuff

I got a few things at an estate sale and thrift shops. First is a set of 31 Oneida silverware; it’s missing some pieces, but there’s six of everything (except there’s seven knives). I don’t really like fancy patterns because it just seems like overkill on silverware. I liked this curvy line design (although if I chose from a wide selection of silverware, I’d probably choose something even simpler), but I thought it was a pretty good deal for $7.50.

Next up is a Swingline staple gun I bought for $2 (and staples for 25 cents). I’m not sure if it works (or if I’d get around to using it) but I thought it could be useful. And it’s so cute. I love the red.

I also got a red toolbox for $2. It’s slightly damaged; you have to close it in the “right” way and even then it doesn’t quite close all the way down on one side. This was also an utterly unnecessary purchase but I always seem to find myself wanting utilitarian items—even though I may not be able to utilize them. My tentative plan is to take it to work to be my snack box.

I got this Banana Republic gray sweater at a thrift store for $8. I won’t be able to wear it for another few months, but summer is generally a great time to get winter clothing at thrift shops.

I was pretty disappointed in the red cropped pants I made, because I really wanted red pants. I’d been searching for a pair for quite some time (mostly at thrift stores) and never found a good pair that was the right red, the right size and the right price. But luckily, I finally found a pair that I can live with. They’re Banana Republic pants and I got them at a thrift store for $2.50 (which is awesome).

I Could Just Make This…Maybe

When I started sewing five years ago, I wasn’t sure if it was something that was going to stick, because often interests and hobbies just dwindle away over time. However, sewing is a hobby that has stayed with me and I’m glad it did because I find it a very useful skill to have.

Sewing is empowering. (Yes, I’m using the word “empowering” even though this word often annoys me as I think it’s overused and cheesy.) I say it’s empowering because I feel like I have an ability to make things that I wasn’t able to make before. Thus, it gives me more options and the ability to choose if I want to buy something already made or if I want to make it myself.

Nowadays, when I go into a store (selling new items) I often think, “I could just make this.” Yes, when you consider how cheap most items are, it is cheaper and faster to buy something already made, but those things generally don’t spark my interest because they’re often ugly, expensive (for what it is) and low-quality. I usually feel like I could do better than the mass-produced crap that’s flooded the market. And even if it’s not perfect, there’s a sense of joy and ownership I have when I’ve sewn something unique.

Now, while I can’t make everything and I certainly don’t make things perfectly, I do think I’ve improved with time. Things are easier now than when I first started sewing. It still takes me a long time to sew things, but I don’t feel as frustrated as I once did. And I find making simple garments, like skirts and loose dresses, to be a fairly relaxing experience.

But sometimes I fail to make something as I would like—like these red cropped pants. I tried to make these pants earlier this year and they didn’t turn out great. They fit…oddly. I’d never made pants before (other than pajamas—which don’t count as they lack the same fitting issues), so I’m not really shocked that the fit is weird. The success of these red pants is solely that I finished them (which is not unlike my first skirt that wasn’t cute but I also finished). Things often don’t turn out well when you're new at doing them, but improvement is inevitable with time and practice (and practice).

I Will Wear You Soon…

When I go thrift shopping, I mostly just hope I’ll stumble upon something (anything) that I’ll like. Recently I went thrift shopping and found three items (for a total of $21) that will be good to wear once the weather cools down.

First is a gray pair of wide-leg Bebe pants that have the weight of wool, but is really a blend. I like the way the pants drape—although the pant length is perhaps a bit long on me…

Next, I got a pair of thinly striped blue and white Banana Republic pants. They’re fairly lightweight, so best for cool but not cold weather; they feel more spring-like to me.

Finally, I found one of those ladylike blouses I seem to be drawn towards. It’s a long-sleeve Foxcraft blouse; I like the purple color and I like the pleated detail at the collar and sleeves.