Hate the Dress Love the Pattern

Before: Flintstones Dress

After: Crop Top!

Dress/Top (Clothing Swap $0)
Romper (Urban Outfitters Basement $10)
Mismatch Earrings (Savers $2 and Church Thrift $1)

I had to do a little pinning to the shirt to keep from the seam showing through but plan on doing some hemming in the near future. What do you think?

Record Heat

Bustier (Clothing Swap $0)
White Dress (Free People on Sale)

Red Cover-Up (Savers $4)

So I really don't do sexy well but I am obsessed with leopard so I am sure sometimes it may look like I am trying really hard. I found this bustier at the clothing swap and thought I'd try it on for size this morning.

The heat is terrible here and my family is strongly against AC which is normally fine but when you wake up drenched in sweat every morning you know it is definitely time for an intervention!

Blue

Blue Slip (June Clothing Swap $0)
Belt (Syd's from Urban Outfitters)

I love this slip dress. It is an XL and looks like a pillowcase on Syd but the belt holds it all together. I love it when people wear colors that bring out their eyes. This definitely does Syd's justice. The blue is the perfect tone!

Picnics & Peonies

Skirt/Dress (Old Clothing Swap Item $0)
Belt (Unknown from Syd)

I was able to recruit my beautiful sister Sydney for some great dress shots from the clothing swap. This dress is actually a skirt transformed!

I love the color and the pattern. It reminds me of a glam earth child.

Syd is probably what makes it glam though.

A Not So Manic Monday

Flannel Shirt (June Clothing Swap $0)
Ice Cream Cone (Frosty Freeze $3)
Shorts (Unwanted Jeans)
Sunglasses (Ray-Ban Boyfriend Fit)

It was a busy weekend. I worked a festival and started a new job at a boutique in Newport. On top of that I thought it would be a good idea to go out on Saturday night. My sister and I got all dolled up and hopped on our bikes to head over to a family friends house for a party. The night was fantastic...but I'm still recovering.

Monday has been "catch-up" day in a lot of different ways and though it has been a busy one, my new clothing swap flannel has kept me in a mellow mood.

I plan on DIYing this lovely flannel find so stay up to date this week!

June Clothing Swap

two necklaces (june clothing swap FREE)
tank top (hanes $3)

and the swap begins....

As usual, I went to the summer clothing swap assuming I would just be getting rid of things and of course I walked away with a bigger bag than I came in with.

I guess it doesn't help that I have stylish friends ;)

These necklaces were my favorite find. Plenty more outfits to come next week.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Basement Bliss

A work in progress...don't judge

I swear, every season is the same cycle. There's a new trend...I need a new wardrobe...I DON'T HAVE ANY CLOTHES!

The question is, where did all the clothes and accessories from last summer go?

Hmm...I am sure if we all took the time to rummage in all of the little storage places scattered around our apartments, dorms or houses we would be pleasantly surprised with the results.

I have used my parent's basement to conduct this experiment. As you can see, there is no map to navigate through the piles but nevertheless, many gems have been discovered.

I have been hunting for the perfect clutch and have decided it may be a better idea to start by looking here. Now I have always been a bag lady (no pun intended) so I may have a different outcome than others but nevertheless...definitely go through your old stuff!

My Favorite Finds:
none of these were more than $10

Closet Revival (2 years ago)

Garment District (3 years ago)

Savers (3 years ago)

Forever 21 (2 years ago)

Closet Revival (2 years ago)

I have a feeling I won't be having any issues when it comes to clutches this season and as you can see I have been into the woven look for far too long and for many more years to come!

Monday Madness

Blazer (H&M Garden Collection $29)
Silk Tank Top (Old Navy $10)
Earrings (.50 cents St. Matthew's Church Thrift Store)
This blazer is so soft and fits like a glove. I highly recommend going by H&M immediately!

Leopard Leggings (Miley Cyrus for Wal-Mart $10)
I am almost positive that I have a chronic condition when it comes to leopard fabrics. I hone in on it wherever I am. Disturbing...I know.

My grandmother's beaded necklace (rummaging through old costume jewelry)

My great grandmother's turquoise cuff (Got this yesterday from my great aunt. I love thinking about what she may have been doing when wearing this. such history!)

So as you all know, I went to New York this weekend. It was a beautiful trip filled with much reminiscing and amazing dusted off stories that had never been told before about all of the beautiful, eccentric and brilliant women that tread before me.

As Olive and I drove back up to Boston yesterday I got a little teary thinking about love, loss and everything in between. The weather definitely didn't help (torrential downpour can definitely put a damper on the day).

Anyways, I decided that I needed to turn it around. This weekend was a celebration of life and I want to express myself by wearing whatever the hell I want! Life is too short to be huddled in a corner with a t-shirt that blends into the wall. Nothing should be off limits and as a result, madness transpired on this wonderful Monday!

Personal Style Inspiration: Casey

Skeleton Clips ($3 Ebay)

Shirt (Free at Clothing Swap)
Skirt (Urban Renewal Thrift Store)

Dress (Thrift Store)

Sneakers (Casey's Artwork painted on them)

Shirt (Job Lot)
Bracelet (Hammy Down from Friend)

My favorite piece of art! A play on Little Red Riding Hood by Casey Weibust

For my first Personal Style blog, I wanted to do one of my best friends. I am blessed to be surrounded by a group of people who always stray from the pack and dance to whatever makes them happy.

Though each one of us is extremely different in our own rite, we are blessed to have similar values and beliefs and therefore have remained so close through many years.

Here is my fantastic blog on Casey Weibust, an artist, a goblin and a great friend...

Both Casey and I grew up in a similar fashion...playing outside barefoot in the dirt, building homes from sticks and leaves and always sharing a common interest in the darker side of the average fairytale.

While I proceeded through most of middle and high school, walking through hallways in bright pinks and purples, Casey was taking her art and her style to a demonous level (in the best of ways).

And though we may have different looks, there are two things we will always agree on...

First, a sense of thriftiness while scouring for clothing is a MUST and secondly, Tim Burton is a genius!

Marathon Monday

Striped Shirt (Salvation Army $1.49)
Sunglasses (Betsey Johnson @ Loehmanns $22)
PAnts (Urban Outfitters BDG)
Black Espadrille Flats (H&M $7)

Marathon Monday. A Massachusetts holiday I have never quite grasped or participated in. I think it all began when I was little and my mom and dad would drag my sister and I out to watch the Easter Parade in Newport. It was never quite warm enough and the streets were filled with runny noses, strollers and a view that was aimed at someone old guy’s butt pockets. Hmm. Yeah I never got the point of parades.

But this year, I am attempting to make a day out of the Boston Marathon.

Crowds? Loudly lined streets? Pshhh I can handle it!

And while most people are shot gunning beers and painting their faces, I’ll be sipping mimosas, awaiting friends and mentally preparing for the madness.

Have a wonderful Monday!

Out with the Old In with the...Old

All of the old closet pieces are paired with H&M Tunic ($17)

Red Silk Blouse Savers (around $5)

Free People Sweater from GARMENT DISTRICT (aka 50 cents!)

Free People Sweater from LOEHMANNS (around $20)
I was fawning over this for some time in the magazine..so glad I didn't waste my money on it after I found it at a discount store!

Vest from Garment District (.50 cents)
this actually has shown up on my blog before on my friend Ariana....fabulous friend and piece!

Here is my promised post. As I informed you all...I would be posting pics of some of my old closet pieces that had been so well hidden for many many months. Each of these items was extremely cheap!

I paired each of them with a new H&M dress/shirt I got yesterday. I thought I would keep it simple because you really don't need that much excess jewelry or accessories to make any of these work.

Advice for the future...KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Yes, I do tend to wear some bizarre pieces but I try to never overdo it.

I like looking funky...not like a Christmas tree.

Spring Cleaning

and the madness begins

starting to get organized...took a close up so you couldn't see the rest of the floor ;)

I have a love hate relationship with this chore. The fact that my living room has looked like crap for a week straight kind of messes up the rest of my life...what's that saying about clean house clean head? Whatever it is, it completely applies to me.

The pros though are that I always find those treasured pieces that were pressed up between the wall and a grubby sweater and those little camisoles that dropped from the hanger and landed oh so remotely behind a pile of boxes that I normally never move.

Oh spring cleaning...what am I to do with you?

Stay updated for some of my low priced spring cleaning finds from last year later this afternoon!