thrifty style at 73: January 2013

Beauty in Pasadena

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful;

for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament.

Welcome it in every fair face,in every fair sky, in every fair flower,

and thank God for it as a cup of blessing.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Beauty of whatever kind, in its supreme development,
invariably excites the sensitive soul to tears.
Edgar Allen Poe

Love of beauty is Taste. The creation of beauty is Art.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Scenes from Pasadena CA
Colorado Street & Surroundings

another mirror

This mirror was a gift from a friend. It is VERY heavy

and measures 24"x28".

It came to me painted, dull and black.

My husband painted it semi-gloss white.

It brought out the incredibly beautiful design of the frame.

I really DO like mirrors. I've kind of run out of wall space for them though...

These last two are a couple more already hanging in our house.
When I clicked on "mirrors" in my label category,
I didn't see them, so I quickly added them to this post.
I didn't want them to feel left out!

There are a few more hanging upstairs to add to this category, too.
But until I get around to photographing them, you might want to click on "mirrors"
in my label section to see the other downstairs mirrors.....

me, today

Me, today - AFTER a nice lunch with my husband
and a stop at a small thrift shop.
The thrift shop is where I found the belt. For $.25.
It has a leather buckle, etc. with a stretchy back.
I like wearing belts. They add a touch of color to my basic
(some would say "drab") wardrobe.
The brown blouse is linen. I got it over the weekend for a quarter, too!

Meanwhile....

My husband is cleaning out the garage - hoping to make space for the car before winter is over!

Look what he found! He's cleaning it up and I'm trying to figure out where to put it.

(Or if I should sell it.)

I'm sure we got it at a garage sale, thrift store or off the curb.
Neither of us can remember though...

venturing beyond familiar

Saturday, my husband and I ventured beyond "familiar" into our neighbor state - Ohio.

Thrifting and lunch was our agenda.

At one shop (Lima, OH), after we had selected clothes from the 75% off rack,

I was told we could have had 6 items for $1.00!

I was running out of time, so just took the 4 items I had for $1.00.

The Lee jeans above and the leopard print shirt at the bottom were two of them.

At another store in another town (Delphos), I found these dishes for $.25 each.

I'll use them in place of greeting cards--

maybe with a few brownies or cookies.

I found the jacket I'm modeling in the first photo at this shop, too.
I just love the "lines" on its back.
My husband came home with a pair of shoes and a couple of shirts, too.

It was both entertaining and productive to "Venture Beyond Familiar"!

Oh! I almost forgot this white planter

which fits nicely with my collection

of white planters and ironstone. Twenty-five cents, too.

another day; another doily

Doilies seem to be finding me lately....

and though I am not a cat-lover personally,

I snatch up bargains like these notecards above to gift my cat-loving friend with!

OK. Really. This one MAY be the last jean jacket that I purchase for awhile, but

I couldn't resist the sequined decoration and its snazzy style.

In spite of what it looks like, here's what I wrote to Di in response to her comment following my last post: "... believe it or not, I am not "thrifting" nearly so much since I came face-to-face with the extent of my accumulations while putting away Christmas decorations, etc. Sometimes though.....I combine my need for change of scenery with the hunt, most of the time refusing to pay the prices that seem to constantly rising...."

Ahem. Have YOU noticed those rising prices?!?

I leave you in an awkward pose* trying to show my outfit for today's excursion:

jeans with a faded brown plaid pattern, a brown sweater, and comfortable reddish-brown flats.

All thrifted -- but years ago!

*Remember, my SmartPhone doesn't have a time delay feature on its camera,

and my husband was not available to take the picture.

what to do?

Hmmmm. This new Smart Phone isn't as "smart" as the last plain old cell phone I had before!

While sporting a stronger camera, it doesn't have a 10 second delay--

which has me worried when it comes to taking pictures of my Fashion Thrift.

(Today, F.T. includes a black top, and lined grey slacks with a Talbot's label.)

What to do? What to do?

Meanwhile, above is a Royal Traveller Casual Tote that I thrifted long ago.

I think I'm ready to pass it on. I seldom tote my laptop with me anymore

and the few times I'd need a tote like this don't justify it taking up space.

(Read "Purge"!)

These five glasses I thrifted more recently at $.25@. They are Johnson Bros. and are listed

on eBay for anywhere between $14.99 and $24.99@ if I'm reading it right!

I wonder if I'll have any luck selling them?

If not, I could set a table for more than 5 by alternating clear glasses with these.

What to do?

double denim-ing

This morning I read about "double denim" at That's Not My Age.

I was intrigued enough to wear the denim skirt this morning

with a black tee.

By this afternoon I was Double Denim-ing BIG time

with this new 50-cent jacket found at a thrift store about 30 miles north of us.

It was a beautiful day for a drive and I just had the urge to go check it out.

With this "new" jean jacket enthusiasm, I'll be hanging out at Sharon's denim blog,

Live to Love Denim.

I've enjoyed her at Thrift My Style -- Fashion, Vintage, Me

for quite awhile, and since I ♥ denim I'm enjoying this newer blog, too.

For a quarter, I added the hand-decorated tin can (whimsical folk art)
made with colorful magazine pages;
and the cheerful doily was basically free
when my husband added it to his 2 pair of slacks and a
Van Heusen shirt - for a total of $3!

i resemble that cover (a little)

Sometimes while looking at magazines at Barnes and Noble,

certain rooms catch my attention and hold it!

Like THIS one (above).

Once I got home, I realized why!

This is one end of our living room--

obviously in transition between Christmas and Valentine's Day.

(This photo belongs on this blog of mine - Thrifty Style....

because as I look at the details, I realize how much of what we have

has come from thrift stores and curb sides.)

I know I'll never make a magazine,

but we DO resemble that cover a little bit,

don't you think?
~I think it's the red.~

small touches....big differences

Sometimes the smallest "touches" make the biggest differences...
I decided to stop with this small stencil of metallic gold acrylic craft paint on the "toes" of the table my husband has crafted. If I should decide to sell it, more stenciling might narrow the field of potential customers--an ALREADY small field due to the unusual nature of the table.

The bracelet (right) was a small touch added to my Sunday morning outfit. I left the house with only this piece of jewelry to complement my black, pinstriped skirt and red, white and black stretchy shirt...

"It has long been an axiom of mine

that the little things are infinitely the most important."

(Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

waiting for the paint to dry

Pardon my excitement.....but I can't help myself!

My husband is Working Wonders with a couple of unrelated pieces

he uncovered while cleaning out our garage and rearranging his work space!

I can't wait for the paint to dry so I can stencil some metallic gold medallions

(or something) on the toes of this one-of-a-kind table!
You can click on the bold words above to see the project in process.

farmhouse french

Recently at Cedar Hill Ranch, Anita (whose style I GREATLY admire)

posted eight budget-friendly ways to add Farmhouse French

flavor to one's home.

Until looking at her suggestions, I had no idea WHAT my style was

besides Unmistakeably Eclectic!

But now, I'm thinking I'm not so far from Farmhouse French.

I don't need much urging to bring out my wooden bowls and ironstone.

And I have baskets and chippy/peeling paint...

...and I even have some toille-patterned pillows!

Now, if I can just educate myself about French furniture and

find me a piece or two at one of my Favorite Thrift Stores....

...I'd REALLY be living the Farmhouse French home style!

Be sure to check Anita out! I'm pretty sure you'll find her blog

as delightful as Anita seems to be herself.

Oops! Almost forgot. This piece of silver with Christmas candles
still on it will have to stand in for the piece or two of silver
that Anita says are part of Farmhouse French style.