Sunday Style - A Classic Blazer for less than $1

I love a good structured blazer!!  I have been trying to keep up with Dina's 12 months of Thrifting challenge.   Each month, Dina posted something to look for while thrifting.  Last month, her challenge was to find a navy or black blazer.

Since I am on the taller side, I have a hard time finding blazers that fit me well.  I want my blazers to go past my waist.  That way I can actually wear them with jeans, pants, and skirts.

I picked up this Gap blazer at a sack sale at a small thrift store, Heart and Hand.  Heart and Hand is not for the faint at heart.  This store is not organized well and there tend to be piles everywhere.  I usually try to swing by there once a month and try to get in and out as quickly as possible.  They recently had a $4 sack sale.  I LOVE sack sales!!  We don't have too many thrift stores in the area that do sack sales, but when I find one, I usually stuff my bag as full as possible!!

I spent a whooping .33 on this blazer!!  It will be in my closet for years!!

I paired it with a fun classic striped dress I picked up at Salvation Army for $5.99 and a pair of vintage inspired heels for $2.  I have been on the hunt for vintage heels for months now.  I have a larger foot, so when I find a vintage pair of shoes in my size I am stoked.  These are not vintage, but they definitely look like something from the 1940s or 50s.  They are actually quite comfortable for a heel.  My necklace is from BelJoy Haiti.

From head to toe, my outfit cost around $50, including my necklace.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - A Little Bit of Sparkle

I've been MIA lately, but I'm getting back to it!!  My closet is filled with lots of classics.  I own many gray, black, and white items.  Most of these items can be worn year round and mixed and matched with lots of trendy and/or bold items.

I picked up up this sweater at my local Salvation Army for $4.99.  The original tags were still on it!!  I love when I find brand new items at a thrift store.  It is a simple silhouette that can be worn a multitude of different ways.  My pants are one of the oldest items in my closet.  I picked them up at Goodwill one of the first years we lived in Kansas City and they were only $1.  They are a bit on the longer side, so I love to add a pair of fun heels when I wear them.

You can't really see my shoes, but they are amazing!!  Next time, I wear them I will be sure to get a better picture of them.  I purchased them on clearance from Kohls for around $20.  I got them to wear to a ball I attended with my sister several years ago.  They have super high heels, zippers, and are quite uncomfortable, but I still love them.  Beauty is pain, right!?!

To finish my look, I added a simple vintage necklace.  It's a small sequined little purse necklace that belonged to my Great Grandmother.  This is actually the first time I've worn it!!

From head to toe, my outfit cost $25, including my shoes!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - Mad for Plaid

I picked up this plaid scarf at my local Salvation Army for just $2.49.  I had been on the look out for a large plaid blanket scarf and so when I spotted this one, I knew I had to purchase it!!  You can see another way I wore my scarf here!!

I paired my scarf with a basic chambray dress that I also picked up from Salvation Army for $5.99.  I love this dress and the possibilities are endless on how to wear it year round!!  Check out another way I wore it here!!

I added a pair of BRIGHT royal blue tights I got at Target, near the end of winter a couple of years ago. My boots are one my favorite garage sale finds ever!!  They are Uggs and I got them for just $12.50 at a church garage sale!!!  They are leather, fur-lined, and have wedged heel!!

From head to toe, my outfit cost $21!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style- Basic Black

I picked up this basic black dress at my local Salvation Army Family Thrift Store last winter and I love a classic LBD (little black dress).  This dress is the perfect length for my tall frame, has a simple silhouette, can be worn year around, and has pockets!!

I paired my dress with a thin black belt, black patterned tights, and black boots.  Then, I threw on a fun vintage necklace I picked up for just $4 at a local thrift store.  The necklace is unique and is a gorgeous statement necklace.

I also added my "new"vintage coat that I am kind of obsessed with!!  It just makes be feel like Audrey Hepburn or Judy Garland.  I've always loved old Hollywood and it so I am stoked when I can find a piece of vintage for next to nothing and feel like a million bucks!!

I tried to style my hair a bit different as well.  I just simply brushed my hair back and sprayed it till it stayed where I wanted it to with hairspray!!  Not sure if you can see that I did anything different!!

I usually try to take my Sunday Style pictures before church, but some days I have to wait till after church and then the sun is SOOOOOO bright.  That's what happened with these pictures, I need to work on my editing and photography skills in this area!!

From head to toe, my outfit cost right around $30!!

Enjoy your Sunday!

A Year Later

So, I've been writing this blog for a year now!!  I can't believe I posted 69 times in 2015.  That's not quite as much as I initially wanted, but that's what I was able to keep up with.

When I started this blog, I've really had no plan in what I would share.  I want to do a better job of planning entries out in 2016.  Right now, I plan to write some weekly and monthly series.  If you have any ideas, I would love to hear them.

I haven't really posted pictures and posts about my family, mainly because I don't want to post pictures of my children on my blog just yet.  Not sure what I think about my children being all over my social media.

My most read posts were my very first ones -

Chambray with a Twist 

Away We Go

Little Cabin in the Woods

Hair Today Gone Maybe by September

Sunday Style - Bold Texture and Pattern

I loved sharing my Big 4-0 checklist of 12 things I wanted to do before turning 40 in September.  I will update you on that later this month.  

I got creative with my Craft Room project this summer!!

I shared some of my thrifty finds and some of my favorite Kansas City thrift stores!!

I went to Oz and sailed up, up, and away in a hot air balloon!

We shall see what 2016 brings!!  Happy New Year!!

Sunday Style - Christmas Cheer

I love dressing up, especially for just about any special event or holiday!!  What I love even more is being able to do so for next to nothing!!

I picked up this gorgeous Ann Taylor Christmas red skirt for just $4.99 at my local Goodwill store.  I was drawn to the bright color first, but then upon further inspection, I fell in love with the gorgeous cut outs around the hem and the POCKETS!!

I paired my skirt with my basic Talbots black sweater.  I have featured this sweater multiple times and I will probably million more.  It is such a versatile piece!!  The wind was quite fierce, so don't mind the crazy voluminous hair going on!!  I did try to curl it, but it didn't quite do what I was hoping for, but you just have to go with it some days!!

I also added my black boots, herringbone tights, vintage earrings, and a snowflake necklace.

My outfit comes under $20!!  

Enjoy your Sunday and Merry Christmas!!

Sunday Style - Dots on Dots

I love polka dots, what can I say!!  This outfit makes me think of June Cleaver - very classy, but I think I've given it a modern twist.

I first started out the day with this gorgeous vintage coat, I picked up at an estate sale last summer.  I love how regal I feel in this coat.  My mom had to do some work to the hem of the coat, but it was worth the work to make this coat feel and look new again.  She also mentioned she thought my great grandmother had a coat almost identical to this one!!

The three clothing pieces I've chosen are all thrifted!! I picked up the skirt this summer at Goodwill for $4.99, my Gap blouse is a fun swiss dot polka dot button up that I picked up at Maj-r Thrift for under $5, and my hot pink cardigan is from Salvation Army that I picked up on their Black Friday 1/2 price sale for just $1.49.   You can check out my other great finds here!!

My boots are and end of the season find from Sears and my necklace is an online find!!

I'm excited to wear each of these pieces year round and mixing them up with other items in my closet.

From head to toe, my outfit came in under $35!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - It's Been Awhile

September and October have been insane!!  Between my husband and I, one of us has had event for seven weekends straight!!  We are ready for November and December to be a bit slower and then I'm really looking forward to January and February, where I like to hibernate!!

This outfit is simple and classy!!  I love to wear patterns and animal prints are trendy almost every fall and winter!!

When fall comes around, I can barely wait to pull out my boot collection!!  I have way too many and am always on the hunt for more!!

My Talbots sweater is from Salvation Army Family Thrift and I picked up this Ann Taylor skirt from Hillcrest Thrift this summer on one of my shopping sprees.  You can read what else I picked up here.  My boots are from Sears, I picked them up at the end of winter a few years ago.  My first pair of tall black boots finally wore out, so I was happy to replace them with these. My earrings were a Christmas gift from my husband.

I'm loving my short hair!!  I can do so much more to it short, then I could ever do long and in half the time.  I tried a little bit of a faux hawk and I don't think I did too bad!!

My outfit comes in at around $30 including my boots!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - Transitioning a Dress from Summer to Fall

My favorite season is fall!!  I love pulling out my boots, sweaters, pumpkins, and hot coffee.  When September comes around, I have to fight the urge to pull out my fall wardrobe immediately.  I've learned to keep just a few things in my closet that I can pull out at a moment's notice to add a layer to a spring or summer look.

I picked up this fantastic Chicos dress at my local Salvation Army for just $5.99.   This dress is like butter.  It is so light and flowy.  This is an easy dress to wear all year round with the right accessories.

I simply added a thrifted denim jacket,  Crocs wedges and then a fun pair of leather earrings from Nickel and Suede.  These earrings are amazing!!  They go with everything and I'm thrilled that they still look good with my short hair!!  Once the air turns colder, I could change the shoes, by adding boots, a sweater or cardigan, and some heavier jewelry or accessories.

My total for this look is around $30 including my earrings.  

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - Mexican Princess

This will be my last Sunday Style with my long hair!!  Things have been so crazy lately that I haven't been able to write as much as I would like!!  Hopefully this week, I will get a couple of posts up.

I picked up this vintage handmade dress at my favorite little thrift store Family Thrift.  I have found so many treasures there over the years and this dress in on that list.  This dress was handmade in Mexico and each panel appears to be hand embroidered and then sewn together into a dress.  It is just the coolest dress!!  It is feminine and flowy.  I picked it up for a whopping $3.97!!

I did try to belt the dress, but I just decided to go for the whole tent dress look and I just think it makes the dress shine.

I added a necklace from my grandmother and a fun pair of thrifted vintage inspired wedges.  This look comes at just $5.97!!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - The Perfect Shade of Blue

I picked up this top for $3.99 on one of my recent thrifting hauls.  I love the color of blue - it reminds me of a peacock.  I'm quite fond of peacocks!!  Now that I see the pictures, I should have totally worn my peacock necklace, it would have matched perfectly!!

I wish I were a better model. I'm not good at posing and when your thirteen year old son is the one taking the photos, there isn't much coaching going on.  I'm not courageous enough to try new poses and then when I do, I look silly.  I don't like how this blouse photographed.  It's sticking out in weird places and that's hard to see that when you are looking through the previews.  It's not until you start editing photos on your computer, that you see all the  flaws.

I paired this amazing blouse with a simple Ann Taylor black pencil skirt I found at Salvation Army, a Chicos bangle thrifted by my mom, and pair of Chaps heels that I found on clearance from Kohls.

The total for this outfit is around $25.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - So, I'm not Julia Roberts

I picked up this amazing polka dress on my last trip to Goodwill.  As soon as I put it on, I thought of Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Woman.  She wears a dress similar to this to a polo match with Richard Gere.  Her dress was tan and she had some amazing gloves and hat to complete her look.  I could have added some vintage gloves and my grandma's hat, but I just didn't think I could pull it off at church!!

This dress makes me feel so tall, even though I'm wearing flats!!!  I think I could also add a chambray shirt to this dress and make it look like a maxi skirt for a casual date night look!!

This outfit comes it under $20 - shoes, belt, and dress.  I have no idea how much Julia's cost since she shopped on Rodeo Drive!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - Chambray with a Twist

I have several chambray shirts in my closet.  I mentioned the word chambray to a couple of friends and they had no idea what it was.  So, the definition of chambray is a lightweight clothing fabric with colored warp and light filling yarns.  Clear as mud right?!?  Well, my definition is a fabric that looks like denim, but is much lighter in weight.  Chambray came come in a variety of shades, but most of what I have tends to be on the lighter color spectrum of blue.

I picked up this chambray shirt at City Thrift last week and couldn't wait to wear it.  I loved the silhouette, the embroidery down the front, and that is was a bit casual, yet a bit dressy.

To complete the look, I paired my top with a pair of white bermuda shoes, and wedges.  The total for this look from head to toe comes in at about $20.  My bermuda shorts were a steal at around $9 at an end of the season sale at JcPenney.  Everything else is thrifted!!

I also thought this outfit would look great for a date night, a vacation, or a day of shopping.  I just swapped out a couple of items and came up with another look.

I swapped out my wedges, for a simple leather sandal, added my fun straw bag, pulled my hair back and added a fedora.  I also unbuttoned the bottom two buttons of the top and made a little knot - quick and easy changes!!  This outfit cost around $25.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - Vintage Flair

A friend found this dress for me at an estate sale and it is one of my favorite vintage pieces in my closet.

It was pretty filthy, but it washed up nicely.  It was also missing a couple of buttons that I easily replaced buttons from my button collection.  

I feel like this is something a stewardess or an Andrew sister would have worn back in the day.  

I paired the dress with a fun pair of vintage shoes I picked up at a thrift store a few years ago.

Total cost of my outfit - $3.98 - the price of my shoes!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Red, White, and Polka Dots

4th of July weekend was a crazy one - we celebrated a birthday, went out of town for a couple of days, and of course, we got to see some fireworks.

I picked up my vintage skirt at a thrift store sack sale.  It ended up costing about .50!!  Stay tuned for a tutorial on how I re-fashioned it.  It took me less than 30 minutes from start to finish!!  

My JCrew chambray and Keen wedge sandals were Salvation Army finds.  My red stone necklace is one of my favorites.  I picked it up in Cambodia several years ago.  When I travel, I try to find one jewelry piece.  My handmade necklace was a little expensive, but I knew I would be wearing it for years to come.  I love the simplicity of this bold necklace!!

From head to toe - my outfit comes in at $30.

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - Vintage Refashioned

I picked up this dress at the end of last summer at my local Salvation Army Family Thrift Store.  I had looked at this dress before, but didn't want to pay the $8.99 price, so I decided to wait to see if it was still available on a sale day.  I was thrilled it was waiting for me and 1/2 price.

I was drawn to the dress because of the beautiful watercolor print.  The sleeves and shoulder pads made the dress look dated, so I thought a re-fashion of the sleeves would freshen up the dress.  My mom was willing to help me take out the sleeves and give this beautiful dress a whole new look.  I also swapped out the crazy brass button, for a simple pearl button.

I paired the dress with a pair of thrifted heels and a spring yellow belt.  Total cost of my outfit from head to toe is around $10.

When I originally wanted to re-fashion the dress, I thought about just cutting off the bodice and making the dress into a maxi skirt.  I am glad I didn't!!  

Here's another fun way I wore this dress - almost looks like it's a maxi skirt!!  I paired my dress with my JCrew chambray, Born sandals, and Old Navy purse.  This look from head to toe cost around $15.

Have a wonderful Sunday!!

Sunday Style - Grandma's Style

I only have one grandmother still living and I know she won't be with us much longer.  When she passes from this world, stories won't be told, memories won't be shared, and a part of who I am will go with her.  I've been told since the day I was born, that I looked like my momma.  There's really no denying it, but I come from a long line of look alikes - I look like my momma, who looks like her momma, and her momma looks like her momma.  It's easy to tell the physical likenesses, but there's lots of emotional and psychological likenesses too.  As I get older, more and more of those likeness pop up, in some of the craziest ways.  Most of the time, I embrace it.   I love feeling closer to my lineage when I hear my name linked to theirs.

My Grandma Sugar is an amazing woman.  She was born right at the start of the Great Depression, married my Grandpa at a very young, raised three children, and experience the best and worst life has to offer.  She's a lover of birds, flowers, movies, books, and her family.  She still misses my Grandpa terribly, he has been gone for almost 10 years.  

The name Grandma Sugar came to be when my older brother was little.  Grandma would call him Sugar, and Shawn just thought that was her name, so Grandma became Grandma Sugar.  I think my siblings and I are the only ones who still call her Grandma Sugar.  

I have always loved my Grandma's style.  Her photo albums are full of the amazing clothes she made and wore.  A few months ago, my mom brought down a dress of Grandma's.  She had made it back in the day.  Mom also brought some of the left over material, so I can make Hope a dress or skirt!!  Mom wasn't sure when she wore it, but I didn't care - she wore it, and now I get to wear it!!

The dress is simple and lovely!!  I paired it with a thrifted braided belt and wedges.  I even wore a fun pair of Grandma Sugar's earrings.  

I'm not sure what Grandma Sugar would say about my blue nail polish though!!

Thanks Grandma Sugar for all ways you have enriched my life!!  I love you!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!

Sunday Style - A Little Mad Men

I love a good vintage dress.  There is just something about finding a treasure from the past that is still  is amazing shape and super on-trend!!

I picked up this dress from my local Salvation Army Thrift Store for $5.99.  You can check out my other fabulous finds at fashionkc.  As I was looking through the dresses, this gorgeous print popped out at me!!  I pulled it out and I was instantly in love.  I didn't even try it on, I just knew I was taking it home.  Someone hand made this beauty!!  Last summer, I found a dress made from this same pattern, so I was confident in not trying it on.

On one of the blogs I follow, Thrift and Shout, Lindsay featured a fun way to mix prints and I thought I would take a big step out of my box and give it a whirl.

I paired my dress with a fun vintage scarf from my grandma's collection.  I hadn't been bold enough yet to wear it and Lindsay's blog really inspired me to go for it!!

    

I also added a pair of my grandma's rhinestone earrings and my vintage sandals to complete the look!!  I love, love, love this combination  and can't wait to try mixing patterns more this summer!!

This whole outfit came in a mere $10.98!!  I think that price sounds like what I would have paid for this outfit back in the day!!

Enjoy your Sunday!!