Goodness! Gracious! Goodwill Goodies #2

Welcome to another edition of what I hope will be an on going series!

I would love to have you post some photos of your Good Will Goodies!
It is always fun to see what other people buy at the thrift store!

Monday Musings

It is a dark and stormy morning here at Sweetwater!
A great morning for a cup of coffee and some MUSING!

One of my blog feeds is a lovely blog by Tish Jett called  A Femme d'Un Certain Age.

Her blog is a fascinating read all from the point of view of an American in Paris.   She is all about analyzing, dissecting and incorporating the "French Style" for us.

I highly recommend that you find your own beverage of choice and sit down to browse through some of Tish's Musings.

I read one her blog posts about Uniform Dressing a few weeks ago and it really stayed with me.  Her take on wardrobe simplicity is truly spot on.

In the post she made a list.  I LOVE her list!  I certainly wouldn't claim to be a fashionista, but I do like fashion and an ease in being somewhat fashionable.
So, I am sharing that list with some Sweetwater Style musings on her thoughts.  Enjoy!

"It takes no more time to be stylish than it does to be sloppy."

 This is a no brainer!  When you go to your closet to pick what you are going to wear, it is just as easy to pick out things that you know go together and look nice on you.  Even your yoga pants and t-shirts can be chosen with style in mind. 

 No woman really wants to be invisible does she?

"Taking care of one’s clothes makes them last longer."

It is rarely necessary to dry clean any clothes. Goodwill "finds" are often there because the label says "dry-clean only"!  Even cashmere and silk can be carefully laundered on the gentle cycle.  Quality clothing is made from fabrics that stand up over time.  Because of that I have good quality stuff purchased at thrift stores that still look great after 5-10 years of wear. 

"Frenchwomen make sure that everything in their closets is ready-to-wear."

If the clothes in your closet are clean, ironed with all buttons in place and hemmed to the right length, then anything you see can be put on.  Keep clothes that need tending to in another place and try to take care of those "fixes" soon.

"Taking care of one’s clothes means you’ll always have something to wear."

All budgets can be accommodated.  

Well....this is truly the Sweetwater Style point of view!  So many of my favorite wardrobe items are from thrift stores.  Why in the world would I want to spend lots of money buying basic things for retail prices when they can be had for a fraction of the price. Style does NOT have to be expensive.  I hear people talking about how much time it takes to shop at the thrift store.  But for me...it seems more time consuming to go to the mall and shop all day for "just the right" outfit.  I always have a much harder time deciding what to buy if I am going to have to spend "big bucks".  I also know that I am willing to take a risk and buy something a bit outrageous if I am paying thrift store prices.  These gems often become the things that I reach for over and over again because they are FUN!

It’s depressing to have an overflowing closet and nothing to wear.  

Tish is all about "Uniforms Dressing".  She makes the case that if you take the time to analyze your own style and choose items that work together to become your "uniform" it is liberating and not boring.  Maybe it is black leggings and loose tops.  Maybe it is long loose skirts and t-shirts or jeans and crisp white shirts.  Whatever...it is just a matter of taking those basics and adding a few accessories.  And hey...shopping for accessories is lots of fun.

Your "uniform" means that you will always have something to put on! I have on my "to do list" to cull my closet of those things that I don't wear because they no longer fit my life style.  Wish me luck with THAT!

 Making the effort to look stylish is psychologically healthy.

Right now I am sitting in my sleep pants and a plain sleeveless t-shirt.  Since they came from Good Will, they are nice enough.....but not terribly stylish!  Honestly, when I walk by the mirrors in the house, I am less than "happy" with the look.  It is time to take the 5 minutes it will take to go put on something else.  It will be an attitude changer that won't take much effort. We all know the feeling of going out and about not looking our best.  It never fails....you will run into a friend....or worse an aquaintance....and wonder what they are thinking!  Not worth the stress! 

Looking good makes you feel better.

"Dressing down sends a message of “I don’t care about me” 

(or you either for that matter)."

When you choose to wear things that go beyond casual to sloppy you are actually telling the people you are with that you don't value spending time with them enough to make an effort to be your best.  Of course, how you interact with people is always more important than how you look.  But if looking good makes you feel better, then you will be more comfortable with your interactions.  Nothing is more boring than a conversation that starts with an apology about how "terrible" you look.  Way better to say...."don't we look fabulous!" and get on with having fun.

 

I am off now to get out of my current outfit and put on something presentable.

I hope you take some time to go read more inspriration from  

Tish at A Femme d'Un Certain Age.

The rain has stopped and it is time to stop MUSING!

Have a Wonderful Day!

 

A Funny Thrifter Story!

It is no secret that I love shopping at thrift stores!

If you want to know more and even learn some of my tips and tricks.....

check out the tab at the top about Good Will Hunting!

A funny thing happened at the Happy Hour Baby Shower on Saturday!

One of the guests was someone I didn't know....but when I complimented her on her outfit...

she told me she got most of the pieces at Good Will!

That led to a "competition" conversation about the best finds ever!

Pretty soon....this lovely young woman...an almost stranger.....

was up in my closet looking at my "best finds ever"!

We had formed a bond....

a marvelous bond sharing NOT about how lovely and expensive our possessions are....

BUT....how lovely and inexpensive they are!

So here is the Handbag edition of:

The Best Finds Ever!

One of the rules of thrift store shopping is "KNOW YOUR BRANDS"!

This little gem is a pretty obvious brand...

COACH!

I am almost certain it is authentic...it has the little coach tag....

I found a pink one like it on ebay for $35....so I would imagine that the original price was at least twice that!

I think I paid $4!

This little purse was the perfect bag to take sightseeing on our vacation.

It fits snugly under my arm....so my stuff is secure.

Just enough room for ID, phone and glasses!

PRICELESS!

BTW... this photo is of me getting ready to eat street food in Bangkok!

Notice what the humidity does to me hair :)




This is a Brahmin Bag....I have had it for 8 years.....got it for $10 at Goodwill!
I always look for distinctive tags and quality leather when I am browsing the purses at GW!

I found this bag on the Brahmin website!

Yup...you are reading it right!

$295!

My Oh My!

I used this bag as my carry-on for our trip.  It has lots of pockets inside but is big enough for the iPad and Kindle!


The last "Best Find Ever".....is one that I really didn't realize was SUCH a good deal!

When we were traveling, the thing that amazed me was the shopping in the airports.

No Kidding.....every single fancy smancy designer store was there for your shopping convenience.

When I saw the BALLY store in the Hong Kong airport....I remembered the little BALLY purse I scored a few years ago at GW for $8!

I went into the store to see if there was a similar bag for sale!
There were several bags that were close...but nothing exactly like mine!
But here is the deal....if you go to the BALLY website....there isn't a single bag that costs less than $500 .....yup.....$500 and up for any BALLY purse!

This little bag is a perfect size.....and the ensignia makes me believe it is genuine!

Even if it is the cheapest BALLY bag made....I think this might be one of my best finds!

So.....keep your eagle eyes open for bargains at the thrift store!

Since I can't come visit your closets....I would love for you to join the competition!

I want to hear about YOUR "Best Finds EVER" !

Have A Great Day!

Linky Parties
Seven Alive Too Much Time On My Hands  
French Country Cottage   Homesteading Hippie  
From My Front Porch to Yours    

Goodwill Goodness!

YIKES! 

I just realized that I haven't devoted a post to Goodwill for a while! 

 Did you think (GASP) that I started shopping RETAIL!?

Not to worry!

This post will catch you up on all my deals and steals the last few months!

Here is a peek at my Spring and Summer Wardrobe!

"Wardrobe" sounds fancy....

actually this is "the stuff in my closet" that I got at GW!

I think I have a thing for Navy Blue this Spring!

This St. John Sport Jacket...

This great little Ann Taylor shell...

a grey and navy Izod T...

and a pair of navy leggings...and a slim legged pant I bought awhile ago...

almost a whole weekend worth of clothes for less than $25

I usually look through the shoes at GW.....but hardly ever buy....

somehow shoes need to be in the "new" or "almost new" before I buy them!

Even then...I wipe them down with a disinfectant wipe....a COUPLE of times!

These sandals fit the NEW category! Absolutely no sign of wear!

This is a case of "risk taking" at GW....they are cute but kind of trendy....but for $9.99 worth a go!

I have been wearing this fun necklace a lot...

The color goes with a lot of my clothes....

Another case of taking a $4 risk...even at Target this would have been over $10!  

The silver backing is nice and heavy and it is interesting!

The perfect Summer skirt is long and flowing....

this one is my favorite shade of brown...the picture doesn't really do it justice....

add a camisole and a jean jacket and it is a never fail look!

hmmm...I bet those sandals will look nice with this!

Now...you know I almost never pay more than $10 for anything at GW...

but this Eileen Fisher jacket was too good a bargain to pass up....even though it cost $14.99!

The picture makes it look sort of green.....

but it is really a great brown and black tweed color that will be a great neutral!

 

Most of these GW scores seem to be clothes....

now that I have my "wardrobe"....

Maybe I can score some new "decor" for the house on my next GW trips....

I guess that is a good reason to go again soon!

Have a Great Day!

Link Parties
A Vision to Remember   Life on Lakeshore Drive 

How To Narrow the Legs on Your Pants!

I needed/wanted some new brown leggings or really skinny legged pants.

Remember that the weather here in Minnesota has been BELOW ZERO for days and days....

Going out to shop did not sound like fun....

Then I remembered these really nice Eileen Fisher Knit pants that I found at GoodWill a few years ago.

They are a really nice knit fabric!

They are a nice cocoa/mocha brown color!

They are EILEEN FISHER!

They fit!

But THEY ARE NOT the least bit skinny.....!

In fact....they look darn wide legged and really short in this photo.

When I washed them...I never used the steam iron to stretch them....

Really they looked OKAY when I did press them.

I wore them as soft wide legged slouchy pants....

but obviously....since they had been hanging in the back of the closet in their FAT state.....I figured it would be no loss to try to turn them into narrow legged pants.

The Nordstrom Eileen Fisher Site has these pants for sale!

Yup....Skinny Knit Pants for $208.....What a bargain!

This is what I did to turn MY $5 GoodWill pants into a pretty good replica!

The waist and hips of the pants fit pretty well.

I didn't need to mess with changing the size there.

I cut open the outside of the legs up to about 6 inches below the waist.

I cut the entire inseam open.

I figured skinny pants should not have a baggy butt!!!  

That meant it would be okay to take in some of the crotch area of the pants.

The next step was to measure the center of the front and back of each leg.

I pinned them together in the center spot.

I measured the legs of a pair of pants that had the right pant width.

This determined how wide to make the new seams.

The reason to cut the pant legs open and repin the opening is to make sure that the seams line up on the inside and outside of your leg.

Then.....a quick straight stitching of the seams....

I do have a serger, so I was able to finish the new seams nicely....but a little zig zag would also work!

Now those $5 pants look almost like the $208 pair!

If it ever warms up....maybe I need to go shopping and spend the $200 I saved!

Have A Great Day!

 

Link Parties

Cottage Market    Sunny Simple Life     One More Time  Life on Lakeshore Drive 

Super Easy Tip: How To Hang A Sweater

All those trips to Good Will mean that there are lots of sweaters in my closet.....

I have a "couple" of drawers full....

I have a "couple" of under the bed storage bins full....

I DIDN'T have "hangers" full of sweaters because I have never been a fan of shoulder "nipples"!

You know...the bumps that happen when you hang up a sweater!

So when a friend showed me this trick....it was an "AH HA" moment!

This is how to "fold" a sweater over a hanger!

Start by folding the sweater in half along the center!

Lay the hanger on the sweater so the hook is in the armpit! 

Fold the arms over one side of the hanger!

Fold the body over the other side!

AH HA....a perfectly folded sweater on a hanger!

I think I will only use this for my really bulky sweaters.....

I don't think it would be a good idea for Mr. S to actually see ALL my sweaters in the closet!!!

Better if some of them are behind closed "Drawers"!

Have A Great Day!

Link Parties

FLuster Buster  Katherine's Corner     

Blazers on a Budget!

Fall is in the air...and of course that makes me think about shopping!
I have been paging through the latest catalogs on my iPad catalog App.
There are lots of blazers and jackets featured in all of them.
I guess this classic look will never go out of style!
After shopping the catalogs....I shopped my closet!

Inspiration: Camel Hair Blazer from Brooks Brothers. A whopping $598!

Seriously, who would spend $600 for a jacket no matter how classic and soft?

 From my closet!

Brooks Brothers 100% Camel hair Blazer!

$8.99 from Goodwill!

$30 tailoring tab!

Sweetwater Stye at it's finest!

And....I've got more to show you!
I don't think I have a single jacket that I paid more than $40 for...and most were under $10!