Thriftanista in the City

It's time for the first 10 Questions for a Thriftanista of 2014! I am very pleased to feature one of my favorite bloggers. She's a mom, she's a thrifter, and she's from Chicago. We're twinsies! I've only met April in person one time. We were both at an event and I totally did the awkward "hi, I follow your blog" thing and she welcomed me with a big hug and made me feel very comfortable. Thanks April for being such a beautiful person inside and out!

When I found this sweet little pink dress in the thrift store, I had no idea it could be so sexy. I don't normally go for totally shapeless frocks but I was drawn to the many details. Hot pink color. Yes. Exposed zipper. Yes. Scallop trim on bodice. Yes. Puffy sleeves. Oh yeah. Drop waist. Interesting. It became less matronly when I put it on. It's really short and legs are on display. Could this be another outfit for date night / Valentine's Day?

I picked up a sequin habit in my travels through the land of thrift. When I was younger, I thought sequins were for old ladies. Now that I'm older (not old), I can see I was terribly misguided. Sequins rock! They're so sparkly. What's not to love? It's like wearing a party! At my sequin party, you will find radiant orchid purple sequins because it is my favorite color. Once I found purple sequins, it brought all the other cool sequins to the party.

Last week I was lucky enough to have 3 glorious hours of uninterrupted thrift shopping time on a half price day at Unique Thrift Store. I went on a major spree. Within 15 minutes, I had a full cart and had to put some things back as I didn't want to go over $100. I spent $97 and I bought 9 pairs of shoes, 3 tops, 4 pairs of pants, 2 skirts, a muumuu, a book and a purse! It's funny how tops are so needed in my closet and in the entire thrift haul...there's only three. Mu Fashions Furry Sweater  I wore it all ready and love it. Sequin top  I plan to sell it. It's gorgeous so it's very tempting to keep in for myself! Target brand sweater  another cozy grandpa sweater.

I may have just found the perfect dress to wear for a night out in winter. It's hard to keep going about a fashionable existence when it's frigid outside. It definitely cramps my style. Valentine's Day is next month. I haven't had a date night with E in 6 months. We are long overdue for a night out sans V. Thanks to my gorgeous estate sale find, I'll be all set to go!

What could be better than gold buttons and epaulets on a sweater? Sequins ? Yes, but my new thrifted sweater is still pretty awesome and it's also Pantone's chosen color of the year - radiant orchid. I just call it #e09dce! It's used in my blog theme. At first glance, I loved this sweater but I was sure it was going to be a total itch fest with all the furry fibers. I bought it anyway. Gave it a wash and found that it's not so bad. It's actually pretty cozy. 

This orange vintage coat makes a statement. The color is very bright and it's such a bold color choice for a coat. It feels very modern even though it's from the 60s. I totally did not need another coat but this one spoke to me. It's pretty expensive for a thrift store coat but it's so dang beautiful. The color is amazing. The buttons are amazing. The way it fits me is amazing! It was meant to be.

Jeans are key to my SAHM casual style. When I was out in the work world I only had 2 - 3 pairs in constant rotation. Hanging with a toddler, clothes get dirty fast so I have no less than 15 pairs at a time. Whenever I spy a great pair, I buy them because they are thrift gold to me. It's hard finding the perfect pair that has everything I need in terms of fit, style, and price. Before thrift shopping, I bought my jeans from Old Navy exclusively because a.) they fit my budget, b.) I knew the style that fit me perfectly, and c.) the quality was good. Somewhere along the line, my body changed and so did Old Navy's selection.

Sequins and bright colors are exactly what's needed after a long week of semi hibernation. I am super happy with my recently found hot pink sweater. Sure I could have wore it with jeans but I thought it was the perfect day to match it with my vintage orange skirt that hardly ever comes out of the closet.

I love a good meme so I created a few that only us thrifters would understand. This is also a mini Thriftanista takeover. Happy Friday!  Thrift Store Happy Face Thrifting makes me giddy. I get butterflies in my stomach when I'm on the way to the thrift store. I guess that means I. Love. It. I don't even mind the occasional thrift store aroma.

One of my goal's last year was to read more. I didn't. I have such a short attention span now and it's very hard for me to focus on reading books which used to be one of my favorite activities. I always had one or 3 books going at all times. Now my hands are always busy with other things like cooking, cleaning, driving, and social media addiction activities! 

Happy New Year! I haven't blogged since last year! *chuckle, chuckle*. I'm on a couch island staying cozy and warm with help from the "blanket" around my neck. Scarves this big can be costly but guess what's cheaper? Fabric. I am wearing enough fabric to cocoon myself in while I drink wine and watch tv later.