thrifting: how i do it.

so as i impatiently await springs arrival, i thought i would share with you details of something that i love: thrifting.

1) i do NOT go in with a plan.
i realize that this goes against everything pretty much anyone will tell you about thrifting but i find it is far better for you to enter a thrift store or second hand shop or even a yard sale for that matter, with an open mind. just go in and browse rather than hunt. nine times out of ten, every time i go in just for a look around, i end up leaving with something.

2) you must be crafty.
ok, well maybe you don't have to be but it is a plus. i can't tell you the number of fabulous pieces that i have left on the rack because of my fear of sewing. so i decided to perfect my stitching and got to know my sewing machine a bit better and now, there's nothing stopping me. don't know how to sew? that is perfectly ok too. google "no-sew t-shirt reconstruction" and you will see what i mean. also, there are tons of iron-on embellishments and Stitch Witchery is a God send! basically, the only limit is your imagination.

3) labels are everything.
most second hand shops have a base price for items. like, $3.00 blouses or $5.00 jeans. use this to your advantage i. the way i look at it is, i am already getting a great bargain so why not make it even better. example: i see two pairs of jeans in my size and same price. one pair is L.e.i Walmart and the other pair is LC Lauren Conrad from Kohl's. now shopping experience tells me that the better price deal is on the LC Lauren Conrad jeans. i also know that the better quality and durability of these jeans is going to come from the LC pair as well. obvious choice: LC jeans. keep this in mind when you are browsing through clothing. when the prices are inexpensive, you can afford to be a bit choosy as far as brands and labels.

4) try it on.
in some aspects of life size matters. as for clothing from second hand stores, sizing is thrown out the window. try it on. have you ever noticed how different stores have different sizes? like for me, just about every brand carried at Kohls, JCPenney's and Charlotte Russe, fits me like a glove. other stores however are waaaaaay off as far as my sizing. Old Navy for instance must have some ginormous gargantuan size 12 woman they are measuring because i wear almost two sizes smaller in their clothes. American Eagle works the opposite way. keep that in mind. sizing not only varies from store but also through decades as well. as "icky" as it may seem, i cannot stress this enough, try it on!

5) clothes are not everything.
do not be limited by only purchasing clothing items. i cannot tell you the number of handbags, scarves, belts and even jewelery i have been able to snag up. again, it may need to be embellished a bit or jazzed up just get creative.

also, wash everything before wearing. i know this may seem like common sense but don't say i didn't warn you.


xo -skippy

3.16.2013 weekend shopping haul

so remember when i said i was going shopping with the bestie? well i did! here are some of my finds. the items from JCPenney cost me a whopping $2 a piece!!! i know where the deals are ;) the items from ROSS were not that cheap but they were only $6.99 and $6.49, which is a steal as far as i am concerned. my Target haul is from a few days ago and i got more stuff but the cardigan and the boots were the only clothing items. i don't know if i am fan of the fringe or not but i think it's growing on me. the price of the boots is a steal for real! was: $34.99 paid $10.47!!!!!!!!! :-O yay me!!

xo- skippy

DIY: jewelry re-vamped

hello and happy st. patty's day to ya!

for this DIY i took a not-so-cute necklace from Paparazzi Jewelry, and made it ten times better with the help of nail polish! i painted it mint just because i like the color but hey, st. patty's day? green necklace? no, this was not planned ;)

here is what i used:
boring necklace
Revlon scented nail polish in Mint Gelato
LA Colors Base Coat & Top Coat


step 1- i got all of my materials together and laid out my necklace on newspaper to protect my table. i also took off those two clusters of rectangles. they were not working for me lol.

step 2- i started painting the squares one coat at a time. just like when you paint your nails, you have to let each coat dry. depending in the look you want and the thickness of your polish, you can add one, two, or three coats. (i did three coats)


step 3- after the third coat was totally dry, i added one coat of top coat and waited for that dry.

after i made sure my top coat was dry, my necklace was finished! it wears quite nicely and just in time for spring!



xo- skippy

quick update

helloooo, i am back!!!!

sorry about the mini-hiatus but yes, i am back on dry, US land! it has taken me forever to get back into the swing of things.

this weekend is looking like it will be filled with shopping and crafting with one of my BFF's, so i will have haul and DIY pictures and chat coming.

anywho, i just wanted to say that i am back and blogging! :)

xo -skippy

wisdom wednesday: 2.27.13

a few days ago, i was discussing the topic of shoes with my dear aunt. cute and 
comfortable shoes that is. she was reminding me of my love of them. (im not at 
the obsessive point. yet.) anyway, she also gave me some advice that was given to
her by my great-grandmother. she always said "God only gave you two feet and 
two legs to get where you're going, better be good to them." amen to that!
  


so...would you or do you ever wear shoes that are uncomfortable but oh so cute?

have a great day!

oh p.s- i am off on my high seas adventure in about two days. (wow!!) i will be unable to post for about a week but when i get back, i will do a photo blog of my Outfits Of The Week OOTW. (and yes i will include pics of my cute and comfy shoes lol) 


xo -skippy

mani-monday: mani basics

hey lovelies!
hope you guys had a great weekend! if you remember any of it lol. it goes by too fast! anyway, for this weeks mani-monday, i did not do anything super exciting because im officially doing my nails before the big trip. we hit the road on friday!? can you believe it? (if you are curious to know, at this very moment i have Sinful Colors in Purple Diamond on. it's just something basic to get me through to the end of the week). so, i figured i would take this opportunity and show you what i use during my manicures and for prep.

removal.- this is probably the biggest pain-in-the-rump-roast, part of doing my nails. i would have to drag out the remover bottle and then find a cotton round and scrub. (tidbit of useless info: for me, touching a cotton ball or anything similiar, is like nails on a chalk board. seriously, i gag and freak out. big time. i don't know why lol.) so i remembered when i was like ten and i would rarely do my nails but when i did i had that tub of remover with the sponge in it. what an awful mess that was. the sponge fell apart after awhile and you would get old polish residue on your finger. yuck! well now, i have found that same tub of remover, minus the sponge. instead it has plastic molded to the inside and these little scrubby bristles you rub your finger against. seriously guys, three seconds maybe, five max, to take off your polish? i'm all about it!

base.- i used to use the ONYX Professional brand Epoxy Base, and it was great and wonderful and they discontinued it. :( why??? so after a long search for base coats, i found one very similar. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Nail Hardener. it's not sold as a base coat, just a strengthener, but it works wonders! i like that it dries tacky so it seem to work as an adhesive for the polish to stick to.

top coat.- since i tend to change my polish every few days, my biggest thing in finding the perfect top coat, is one that dries fast. honestly, who wants to wait around for an hour for their nails to dry? not me. i have two favorites in this catagory: Out The Door Fast Dry Topcoat (i think that's the name, i'm currently out but i get it at Target.) and Nutra Nail Speed Dry Top Coat with Green Tea Antioxidants. these topcoats are seriously, 30 seconds and dry to touch! of course i usually wait about 8-10 minutes before moving around so that i don't knick or smudge but hey, 10 minutes vs 60? you decide lol.

some other things i use that i didn't include photos of (i don't know why) are, Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover Gel, Bath & Body Works 60 Second Sugar Scrub, and Sally Hansen 2 Step Garnet Emery Boards. (Sally Hansen gets alot of my moolah lol)

so thats what i use to manicure my nails. good products and all of it i get at Target, CVS, and i'm sure you can find this at Walmart as well. let me know if you have ever used any of these products and what you think. what do you guys use as basic manicure tools and prep?

have a great week!

xo skippy

wisdom wednesday: 2.20.2013

well ladies, swimsuit season is coming up fast. for me, it's already here. oh joy...
i am leaving for the lands of turquoise waters in about a week and well, nothing ruins dreams of warm weather and sandy toes faster than spending hours finding the right swimsuit. however, with this quote stuck in my brain, it made it a little less painful. i said a little. lol.

i love this quote and Marilyn. what a timless, classy lady! beautiful, gorgeous, stunning, i could on and on. she proves that, as a curvy gal herself, your dress size has nothing whatsoever to do with how pretty you are. remember that. im serious, remember that. you and i are beautiful. end of story.


-skippy
xo <3