Thriftanista in the City

Last week, I was honored to accept an invite to Container Store's Oak Brook Blogger Preview. In addition to a special gift and lunch, I learned a lot about Container Store's history and the wide variety of innovative organization tools they carry.

Officially became a member of the fabulous and forty club yesterday. I was inspired to share 40 things you should know about thrift shopping -- why you should, how to, where to, and what to buy! Why You Should Thrift Shop It's good for the environment. Textile trash is 13 million tons per year. You can find quality clothing really cheap. Every style imaginable can be found secondhand. Someone else's trash could be your treasure. It's an awesome feeling hunting and finding the good stuff. You become part of a community. There's a whole "thrifting" language! You can resell merchandise and make a profit. Trends repeat and you will likely find your "it". Good karma. Some thrift stores support charitable organizations. Great way to discover your own personal style.

Nothing brightens my errand running, busy days as much as pink. This pink polka dot skirt is making me absolutely giddy. I don't normally get super excited about polka but it's so much more fun in pink. I like how this outfit turned out. There's a lot of prints mixing and providing visual interest. I've got stripes, graphics, polka and floral!

We're recreating looks we love with thrift or from our closet over at  Thriftanista Social Club . I chose a simple crop top and pencil skirt from my favorite YouTube series -- An African Cit y . The show is packed with inspiration. Everything they wear is drool worthy. I really need to get back to sewing or go on a shopping trip to Ghana.

I feel fat and not with a ph. More blobbish, blah, and not so cute.  A few days of every month, I just don't feel like myself. My clothes don't fit like they usually do. I can't collect my thoughts and my mood swings between rage and super sad. I also obsess about weight while eating a balanced diet of sugar and salt.  During this feel fat phase, I find it best to dress comfortably and keep it as simple as possible.

The bad thing about shopping for The Thriftanista Closet is that I find stylish goodies that I want to keep for myself. My closet is getting pretty stuffed and I seriously need to scale back. There's no way I'm letting my Goodwill birthday discount coupon go to waste though. I visited my favorite Northbrook store and picked this Akira ruffled dress. 

This thrift find is one of my favorites. It's not every day you come across amazing culottes. In case you didn't know,  culottes  are my jam! I found this pair mixed in with the skirts while thrifting Atlanta . I love how bright and summery the floral "arrangement" is. 

Thanks to Global Influence for allowing me to brag about my mommy and share information about a great contest from Dove and Family Dollar. My mom is an inspiration to me. She's strong-willed with a heart of gold. She's a tough lady and is always ready to help a person in need.

As a proud Nikon owner and a DSLR newbie, I'm so excited to be participating in the Picture Perfect sweepstakes. I'm learning a lot about photography and when I don't feel like learning there's always the great snaps from the "auto" setting. If owning a DSLR camera is on your wish list, enter this great giveaway! The more entries ya do, the more chances to win. Good Luck! *******************

Instead of buying new clothes there are cheap (or free) ways to refresh your summer wardrobe. Naturally there will be more shopping but if your bank account needs a breather, try some of the tips and tricks below!

Mermaid Maxi Skirt Well look at that! More orange for my closet in the form of a mermaid maxi skirt. Indeed, orange is the new black . It's from my recent Atlanta thrift haul. It came with a big cargo pocket that had a sporty look and I was looking for casual sophistication. 

I had a wonderful 8 day Atlanta vacation and went thrift store treasure hunting most of those days. As I said before, prices were higher and the quality good stuff was truly a dig for the most part. I have nothing against digging but V is over it after about an hour so my time was limited. I did unearth beautiful jewel toned sequins, vintage Coach and Ferragamo plus some other goodies!

This skirt is proof that long skirts can be worn on short legs. I had doubts at first but midis are my preferred skirt length so I make it work. I have accumulated a thrifted midi skirt heavy wardrobe so once again I'm tossing out the fashion rules. Life's short. Rock what you like.