Thriftanista in the City

As part of a sponsored post for Social Fabric, I got a month's worth of brush strokes in a day with the Philips Sonicare PowerUp toothbrush .  My smile has been powered up literally and figuratively! BlogHer, t he mother of all blogging conferences,  was here in Chicago. Along with the conference came lots of events and opportunities to meet new people.  Yikes. That's the scary business for me with that whole socially awkward thing. What to do in situations such as this?

My mama hooked me up with this neon skater skirt. She wore it once for a retro party at her retirement community and was done with it so she shipped it to me. She told me she was sending me a mini skirt but I had no idea it would be this awesome.

As part of a sponsored post with Collective Bias, I ate Vero gelato for breakfast before shopping at  Mariano's . It's not the first time I've had gelato for breakfast this summer nor will it be the last time. How can I resist those icy cold trays of frozen goodness? With at least 20 flavors to choose from, I can try a new one every shopping trip I make for the rest of the year!

Yesterday afternoon, #WCSoiree was going down at Chicago's Water Tower and I did not have a babysitter for V. All of my social media friends were going so I did what any SAHM blogger would do, I took her to the party with me! I only considered leaving her at home with an iPad and a couple of pbj sandwiches for a second (I kid).

I'm wearing a crop top. I don't have a flat belly and I'm almost 40. I'm not really the crop top demographic but when I spotted this $2 cutie at the thrift store I thought it was a trend to try. It has some leopard print on it and you know I can never ever say no to animal print. I was sure I would be wearing it with one of my elastic waist skirts that covers my belly jelly. I didn't want to hear the voice in my head saying, "girl, please". That naysayer has a pretty sharp tongue. However, I was going to a festival and I wasn't in the skirt mood either. I can't plop down anywhere in a skirt so I put a muzzle on the voice and did me. I like it.

Last week, I ventured out of the city for an estate sale. My belief is that the further you are away from the city the better the estate sale. Remember the vintage bracelets from the January giveaway? That one was farrrr too. It took over an hour for me to get to this one and there was a wait to get in. It was worth it though. It was a gold mine for seamstresses and vintage lovers. Me being both, my eyes were popping out of my head! Every time I leave a good estate sale, I wonder why I don't go more often. They rock. I paid $20 for this thrift haul of goodies. Staying within my thrift budget makes me happy. Here are some other reasons why estate sales rock: 1. No thrift store stink. There's a distinct smell on clothes from the thrift. If you're a thrifter, you know. If you're not, don't let that deter you. Thrifting is still awesome. The smell comes right out with a wash or disinfectant spritz.

There are some vintage clothes that are obviously from a different era. The psychedelic color of this maxi dress screams 1970s. Unlike the 70s maxi skirt , it's not a pattern that you would see in current fashion trends. We've had a tropical and floral print trend explosion, hawaiian prints can't be far behind, right?

Culottes are one of those trends that I rock whether in or out of style. Remember the Eiffel Tower  culottes ? I still got them. I haven't worn them yet this summer but do expect to see them again. The pink culottes I'm currently wearing were bought last year but this is my first time wearing them. They require ironing therefore they instantly become to cumbersome to wear.

Thanks to Humana for sponsoring this post and our healthy eating excursion at the Taste of Chicago. If you're from Chitown, you know all about The Taste, our annual restaurant sampling festival. You can find everything from Chicago-style hot dogs to Nigerian jollof rice. Our weather is iffy but the food is phenomenal! 

It wouldn't be summer without my wax print skirt. I sewed it 4 years and it never fails as a SAHM casual style option. I don't iron it. It has a nice print. It's purple. What I love best is that it has my much beloved elastic waist. I just pull it on and I'm out the door. It's a much better option than faded yoga pants (that I've only worn to the park once....or thrice). When I'm doing the mad dash to the playground because this toddler is loosing her mind being cooped up inside , I rely on 3 basic wardrobe elements that ensure that we make it out in a timely fashion without whining (me not V) or tantrums (V not me) breaking out and I'm looking my absolute best. 

Aww yeah, it's the return of the diy romper . The thrift store gods were with me when I spotted the jumpsuit last year. It was everything I like in a great thrift store find -- timeless, offbeat, and animal print! I loved it even though it had sun fading on the legs. I cut the pant legs off and voila, a new romper.

Happy Friday! Late night of celebration means random fragments today and possibly every Friday this summer. Enjoy! ************** My sunglasses were free. I went to Savvy Seconds & 1st's  resale shop the day after my birthday. The homie told the cashier it was my birthday so she gave me sunglasses for FREE. Of course, I picked the biggest pair of sunglasses I could find plus they're purple!

I don't know about you but my 4th of July long weekend plans include food, festivals, and lazing about as much as one can with a toddler . I will be wearing flowy tops and elastic waists to protect the 4 day food baby.

Dressing up on my birthday presented some challenges. 1) I have very few clean clothes right now. 2) I become confused for a few days EVERY month and a simple thing like choosing an outfit becomes very challenging. 3) Since I was going on a date with my husband, I wanted  short and tight but still classy man friendly attire.