black

I don't frequent thrift stores

nearly as often as I used to...

but when I do, I always check out

shoes.   When I find black flats

in good condition, I buy them.

They are staples in my wardrobe

along with black tops.

Most recently, I was thrilled to find

these Vera Wangs for $3.00!

shoes

These shoes.
Bass.
$1.50.
Wiped down and ready to wear.
Comfortable.
Stylish.
Just right.

a rare and wonderful afternoon

My husband created the itinerary for our rare and wonderful  afternoon of thrifting.

It would take us to four towns and wrap up in the evening with dinner with my father

at Das Essenhaus in Pettisville, OH.

Several of the shops on the list (assembled from the internet)

were no longer in business.

 

Regardless, half the pleasure is in the hunt.  

This puzzle might be a hold-over to NEXT winter

seeing how our 5th of this season is less than 1/2 finished...

 Books are the LAST things I need, but I couldn't figure out how to pass up

these two oversized art books at 50 and 75 cents...

 We were really happy to discover THIS shop!

Well maintained and reasonably priced....

cards were a steal at only ten cents each!

Normally I avoid the Goodwill stores.  Seems like they're overpriced to me, 

but that's just my opinion.  However, in OH, their prices seem more realistic than in our area.

I was very happy we stopped at the third one.

I really needed some black flats and found both these pair for a total of $5!

These brass pulls and hooks will be put to good use in one of my husband's projects...

and this stand will be repaired and painted - probably for resale.

It was a productive afternoon spent in GREAT company!

absence...heart....fonder

 Absence DOES

 make the heart grow

fonder!

I had a minute to stop in to my favorite thrift store yesterday.
My visits have been few and far between lately, and even those have ended up unproductive.
Not so THIS time!

25 cents + 25 cents + 1 dollar = $1.50

spent at my favorite thrift store yesterday.

shoes

 Since hip and knee replacement surgeries - both this year -

my footwear options are limited.

I need "sensible" and quality shoes but long for fashionable ones as well.

Imagine my excitement when I came across these at a church rummage sale this morning!

They met my personal standards (cleanliness, lack of wear, comfort, etc.),

and I look forward to wearing them soon.

shoes

Well, I broke in my new old Aerosoles today.

The combination of a just-right heel height

and comfortable inners

made my $1.50 purchase at one of my favorite thrift stores earlier this week

a good decision.

The shoes were like new--very few signs of ANY wear.

Not everyone is comfortable wearing used shoes,

but I have done so for many, many years with no regrets.

The savings REALLY add up!

special pieces

While jetting across blogland, I stopped for a brief layover at Aesthetic Alterations.  I was intrigued by this  statement:  "...you don't need much in the closet--you just need special pieces."

I agree!

For me, when it comes to casual wear,

it's hard to beat a denim skirt and black top!

If you've "known" me for any length of time,

you know I call this my "uniform"!

(You also know where I purchased it all.)
Uniforms work well for me.
Life seems simpler this way.
Fewer decisions; fewer items needed;
less space required...

These shoes dress it up just a bit for a morning "connection" with several friends.

Afterwards we'll enjoy lunch together.

Lasagna is my contribution to the menu.

Splurge

After our roadside "freebies" on Thursday,

I felt ready for this splurge!
(Usually I deal in dimes and quarters
AFTER I check out the "free box".)

All for $5 at a garage sale Friday!

They've already found a place in our flower beds.

 Speaking of $.25 - that's what I paid
for these Aerology by Aerosoles!
One. Quarter.

 In this case, I splurged on comfort!

Splurge!

Today I'm celebrating the chic-ness of a "splurge".  Now I know that $1.39 on what some might consider a necessity may not seem like a splurge...but if you knew how long I've been putting off this purchase, you'd understand the word "thrifty" in the header of my blog! What a luxury!  Now I have one for the purse AND one for the table beside my favorite chair.  What bliss.

And this is what I'm wearing to church today...
Everything purchased at one time or another
in a thrift store.
All of it waiting in my closet
to be worn...

I like the crispness and versatility of navy blue.
Worn with red and white stripes,
all I lack are the STARS!

a view from the heights

This morning, I took my mother to look for a dress to wear to her granddaughter's wedding.  No success.  (She decided to wear something already in her closet.)  Then we wandered to the shoe department.  She wanted to show me some of the high heeled shoes she'd seen when shopping with my dad a few days ago. That's me on the left; her on the right.  I decided to try these on.  I held on to both sides of the shoe aisle to walk to the end where I took this picture in the mirror.

 Honestly, the actual foot part was quite comfortable.  

The height, however, was ImpOSsIBLe!

The price was about as steep as the heels were tall! 

(I'm SO spoiled by the price of my thrift-store-purchased shoes.)

Wearing these shoes, I was close to 6' tall!
Having lived 62 years at 5'5", I think I'll stay down here.

It was quite a view from the heights!
Sheila is the "Queen of Shoes" (and accessories) as far as I'm concerned.
She frequently views the world from the heights.
She's also a couple of decades younger than me, I think.

more free and just-about-free

 Free eggs and the pink basket I found for next-to-free at my favorite thrift store yesterday
AND
the free chair (found curbside), assembled and painted!

Today I'm wearing a denim skirt with pockets and these comfortable shoes that I can slip in and out of easily as I slip in and out of the house!  The sun is shining and there is work to be done in the flower beds!

I like the pattern of this vintage barkcloth.  It was an old curtain.  

I've used the fabric to cover the seat of this chair and to make pillows.

spring flinging

I'm not sure what has happened to my trusty cell phone camera - but it seems to be letting in too much light for good pictures (or maybe it's just getting accustomed to the unfamiliar sunlight)! 

At any rate, the pictures I took outdoors didn't come out at all....and these indoor ones aren't much better.

I'm wearing some light denim capris that I bought to wear on our vacation next week.  (I broke down and got them to tide me over until I can fit back into my wardrobe.)   They are comfortable, and the $3.25 price was fine with me!

 I checked out the shoe situation and found several comfortable open-toed shoes waiting for the wearing!

I chose these today.

All clothing items thrifted, of course!

I'm giving the furnace a rest today.  I'll be out of the house most of the day.

A study group this morning followed by lunch.

I'm taking my simple (but tasty) corn chowder.

"Good enough to serve the President of the United States," the recipe boasts!

shock and awe

So excited was I this morning to find SOMETHING beside my black velvet skirt that still fit me that "SHOCK and AWE" are the only words to describe my reaction!

It was exciting enough to don the silver shoes to match the buttons (not so visible)
that run from top to bottom of this comfortable dress.

(Now if only I can find pantyhose that fit me, too!)

Yes, I'm going to church this morning.
In the background is a framed piece of needlepoint.
I loved it the minute I saw it in a thrift store.
It has lived with us for at least  8-10 years in two different houses.

 ...these will work...

 ...the jewelry...
I chose the stretchy bracelet because I'm playing the piano this morning.
It won't interfere, dangle, or fall off...
Everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) is thrifted.

in my dream

In a quiet dream last night, I was walking snowy sidewalks toward a house we lived in thirty years ago.

I saw ONE first.  Then the other.  White, high-heeled shoes.  Not leather, but fleece-- COVERED in pure white fleece.  To my amazement, they were my size, 7 1/2 B!

I looked both directions and saw no person or footprints.  I picked them up and carried them with me into the house.

I woke this morning disappointed that the shoes had disappeared with the night.  The snow, however, is very much WITH us.

Interpretation anyone?

In other news from the cold front, yesterday morning I listed the small sectional bookshelves and the black toy/storage chest on our local Craig's List.  By afternoon, the shelves were gone, and I had 3 inquiries re. the chest. Someone is coming to see it this afternoon, and if she doesn't take it, I have two others in the wings!

The de-cluttering continues.  (Of course, now I have decisions to make about the contents of the storage chest and bookshelves...)

well-heeled

I realized I DO have a fashion post in me....sort of.  One of my favorite fashion blogs is Vintage Vixen.  This gorgeous lady is creative, daring, frugal, innovative, and (most importantly) kind.  She has an eye for vintage clothes and accessories.  In yesterday's post she explained that she buys at low enough prices that she is able to sell her clothes on ebay.  She also said about every two weeks, she spends a day repairing zippers, hems, and tears etc.

Today's
silhouette

When I read that she pays her local cobbler 2.50 pounds to reheel shoes, I was a little jealous.  (But then, I'm not sure how British pounds and American dollars actually compare.)

Remember my $.30 brown shoes?  After two wearings, I realized one of the heels was gone.  So it was off to the shoe repair shop.  It's been awhile since I've had a pair of shoes in the shop.  At the price I buy my shoes, it sometimes makes more sense to get rid of them and buy another pair for $1-3.

I really liked the comfort of these particular shoes, and considering my meager investment in them,  I reluctantly paid the $9 plus tax price to have them reheeled.  My husband picked them up Tuesday.

What's the price for reheeling in YOUR town?

dreamin' and doin'

Dreamin' and doin' today so that in the near future I can wear stretchy tops like this without displaying the extra padding I've been carrying lately!  I DO enjoy its color...The outfit is simple enough to carry me through errands including:  a haircut, library visit, purchasing a new (inexpensive watch) and some serious study to prepare for a speaking engagement this weekend.  All thrifted - including the shoes which I've not worn much.

An additional chore awaits me 

and THIS photo is a good indicator!

Read more HERE.