Thriftanista in the City

eShakti gifted me with another beauty from their store. This time I went the custom route. My normal fit issues are with  fat  full upper arm, short arms and legs, long torso and more than a C cup. The first  sample  I received wasn't a custom item and I didn't want to mess around with measurements. It's cute but not as ahhhh-mazing as the custom order sample. I wanted the Heart and Soul dress so bad that I decided to give it a try and I really like the result. I love this dress! I seriously want to have several made in different colors and patterns. At the very least, I will be altering future dresses and skirts to this skirt length. My legs look so much longer. I took the measurements myself even though it is advised that a buddy help you. I could have used a buddy though. The dress is just a smidgen to tight but I think it looks great on me! Don't ask me to lift my arms high in the air though because I can't. eShakti's collection is ava...

Naturally, while in Ohio over the Thanksgiving weekend, I did some thrifting! I ended up buying more than I planned. I guess I got into the spirit of Black Friday. I visited 3 stores -- two Savers and a  Goodwill . I ended up spending about $80! I would have spent more but I had a 25% off coupon from Savers. No fights broke out and there was very little waiting in line. Thrift shopping for the win! Here's what I thrifted: vintage coat with patch pockets and faux fur collar Why did I thrift it?  I don't own a wool coat and I was drawn to this one strictly because of the collar. I just love how it sits up. I felt like I was being hugged when I put it on. vintage Forecaster of Boston wrap coat Why did I thrift it?  I bought this coat before I saw the faux fur collared coat. I love the fit on this one but if I had seen them both in the same store, I probably would have just bought the other one. So now I have 2 wool coats after having none for so ...

Finally wore the J. Crew skinny corduroy pants from the Salvation Army $10 Bag Sale . I still remember the glorious heat of the day and the big fan blowing in the Salvation Army. I'm not down with these 30 degree temps. In addition to going into a slight hibernation, I also get nostalgic about summer. Warm weather is my utopia. This is what I wore to the Thanksgiving feast at our friend's place. I found just the right top to cover up the turkey , mac-and-cheese, jollof rice, goat stew, cake, several glasses of wine  bloat. The pants stretch a bit with wear. Perfect for an evening of getting fatter as the day progresses! Did you notice anything different about the pants? I dyed them purple! I used iDye again in Violet. Isn't it a pretty color? I'm not just saying that because I'm partial to purple. This is my second color dye with iDye and the color came out very rich and vivid just like the previous project . DIY approved! The Chico's t...

I love the animal sweater trend. They tap into my love of gaudy, kitschy awesomeness. Since I'm prone to fickleness, I grabbed a grandpa sweater (really just a well worn but cozy men's sweater) from my last thrift haul and DIY'd the trend.  I plan to make a couple of more and add a little more flair, maybe bling out my animal but I kept it simple for the first one -- cut and sew. It took about an hour to complete. Materials needed: sweater template (plucked an image from the internet and enlarged it) fabric (a south african print from my stash) sew-in interfacing scissors sewing machine pins Step 1: Cut fabric in shape of template. Step 2: Cut interfacing in shape of template. Step 3: Not really a step, just want to show the machine settings I used to sew around image. Step 4: Pin fabric and interfacing to sweater. Step 5: Sew around image. That's it! The only probably I encountered was...

I love the twists and turns that life takes. At the last Thriftanista Social Club meetup, I walked away with awesome finds (yay, thrifting) but I also connected with someone, set myself up for success next year and will be helping some one else achieve their goals too. My everyday life has become quite challenging. I'm finding it hard to keep it all together and I've been feeling very overwhelmed and lacking energy to do anything.  It could be the weather. It could be adjusting to my ever changing 2 year old. It could be the stress of the holidays or the fact that the laundry has piled up once again. I've been feeling very deflated and without goals and running in circles like a chicken with its head cut off. The last meetup really changed me though. After 2 hours of thrifting, I sat down with another thriftanista to gab about our finds and stuff our faces at brunch. I was not expecting such a change to my energy. We somehow ended up talking about g...

I dressed in casual basics for the weekend. Chambray shirt. Check. Knit pants. Check. Cargo pants. Check. Also in normal fashion, I added my own little burst of pow as a "defrumper". Defrumper #1: Leopard booties On Saturday, I attended the Chicago Toy and Game fair and I knew I would be doing lots of walking and carrying bags and pushing V in the stroller. I also had to be out the door at 7:30 am in order to make it to the blogger breakfast. I pulled this simple ensemble together in minutes and was out the door with V (of course, taking a few minutes to snap pics) in under an hour. necklace // bought in Kenya chambray shirt // J. Crew / thrifted knit pants // Nine West leopard booties // Target Defrumper #2: hot pink blouse Sunday, I went to an SEO training (btw, it was amazing!). Since I was baby free and would be sitting, I finally had a chance to wear the pointy toe DvF booties. They are not for a casual stroll. Left baby toe was crying fo...

I'm still working on the laundry. Note to self: do laundry every day and never miss a day or 10! This is what I wish I were wearing this weekend. Maybe the thrift gods will smile upon me and I will find these pieces or at least a close duplication. Hmm... I think I just challenged myself to a thrift off. :) Happy weekend! Weekend Casual by windycity-mama featuring faded jeans