Lunch Break Unbroken

Some things in life never change. 

 

Like lunch breaks. 

 

It has always been a magical part of the day to me. 

 

Elementary school was all about lunch box trading. In middle school, one of my friends would buy flavored water and we'd all take "shots" from the cap followed by the phrase "Hit me again, it's been a long day." True story. In high school, we tried to cram as many seats around our usual table before promptly being scolded for doing so. Such rebellious youth.  In college, I was surrounded by some of the most talented, funny people alive. Most of my breaks were spent simultaneously laughing and trying to keep food down.

Typical lunch time at Stephens College with the HILARIOUS Amy Jo.

And look, I'm even wearing one of my favorite thrifted pieces - a locket.

And I can't mention college lunch time
without thinking about Dana Gutierrez's face. 

 

This was a sandwich break before the STL Zoo.
She took that bread to comedy level filet minion, if you know what I mean...

And now THE FUTURE.

Or as some people call it, the present.

For about a year now, Cory and I have worked at the same company.
Although we work in different departments,
we manage to take lunch together about 95% of the time.  

Of course, I'm all about a thrifty lunch. 

 

My favorite breaks involve a lunch box and lying in the grass.
As you can imagine, our attempts at napping are often spoiled by the families of ants that inhabit the park.
I think most of this could be solved if we simply used a bigger blanket.

After Cory took this photo, he said it looked like my feet were glowing with the light of God. 
I prefer to think of them as nuclear feet - like I stepped in radioactive material and then went about my day.
Either way, this photo makes them look deformed. You're welcome.

LOFT cardigan $4.49, St.Vincent De Paul on Glenway.

 

Ralph Lauren leopard print sweater shell. $1.99 Goodwill in Burlington, KY. 

Cory really should have told me how jumbled my shirt looked here...

 Pants, Gap brands outlet in Hebron, KY $9.99.

I hear this pose makes every outfit look better. And I'd have to agree.

Bon Nuit!

Accidental Glamour

 

Have I ever mentioned how weird it is
to have a million photos of yourself taken?

Because it is.

Inherently weird to me.

I think it stems back to childhood.
Like most, my parents would chronicle every first day of the new school year.
Didn't we all whine and complain?

And now outfit documentation is a thing! I.E. much of this blog.

So is this a paradigm shift in the case for vanity? 

 

Yeah, probably.

But I'm claiming this blog in the name of education and thrifting good-will.
These are real applications of my thrifty excursions and how pieces can work in your life.
Or not work, depending if our styles cross. 

This is what you call an accidental glamor shot. 

It's also Cory's first snap.
Or maybe I should say click since it's an iPhone.
A magical Beyonce-like wind blew up and gave my hair some life.
I have no idea what I'm doing with my hand but it turned out pretty. 

Because most of my photos turn out like this....

 

Eyes closed, mouth open, unnatural pose.

Seriously, why would a human twist his or her leg like that?
And don't get me started on the hand growing out of my stomach.

Welcome to real life. 

Now back to regular thrift programing.

 Necklace, $3, Goodwill in Blair Nebraska.
JCrew Tshirt, $2.50, Snooty Fox in Hyde Park

 

Purse, this weird second-hand store in Newport that no longer exists. $5

Shorts, Loft, $29, from last season.
I bought them during a retail therapy lunch break. It was one of those days.

Until next time, Bon Nuit!

"A New Day" Airs Tomorrow at 11 a.m. on Channel 9!

Tomorrow is almost here!

In fact, tomorrow is tomorrow!

If you missed last Thursday's post,
I had the opportunity to put my thrifting knowledge to good use. 

Phylicia of Black Girls Thrift Too and I took part in a five minute segment on thrifting in Cincinnati.

 And yes, she's as fun as she looks.

If you tune in Sunday she'll entertain your thrifted pants off!

"A New Day" airs Sunday morning  at 11 a.m. on WCPO channel 9 Cincinnati.

Don't they have a beautiful set?

 The lovely Jennifer Moore (middle) interviewed us.

Her easy-going nature helped me relax and hopefully made me avoid any deer-in-the-headlights faces.

I do know that at one point I scratched the right side of my face with about four fingers on my left hand.

Pretty sure it was as awkward as it sounds.

I guess we'll find out Sunday!

 

Getting miked on set by one of the crew members.

The same guy operated three cameras at once. Super impressive!

I must admit that I struggeled with outfit selection.

 

After an hour of trying outfits, I decided on a look that would be safe for TV.

Not that I have any real knowledge or experience on the matter....

Zara Blazer, thrifted at St. Vincent de Paul on Glenway, $5.99. 

Purple t-shirt, $3.99 Goodwill

J.Jill Jeans, St. Vincent de Paul on Glenway, $4.99

Purse, St. Vincent de Paul on Glenway, $4.99

Necklace, Blackberry Exchange in Columbia, MO $3

The shoes I bought at Target 10 years ago.

The embellishments are actually vintage clip-on earrings, a gift from my mother.

It's hard to tell from this angle if I made the right outfit call. What do you think?

Whatever the outcome, I had an amazing time! Thanks WCPO!

And thanks to my über supportive fiancé who played the part of entourage/photographer.

He captured all the shots above. Thanks Cory!

Don't forget to tune into Channel 9, ABC tomorrow at 11 a.m.! 

Are you as nervous to watch recorded me as I am?

AH!

Sunday! Sunday! Sunday!

Kitchen Décor

I'm no chef. In fact, Cory does 99.99% of the cooking in our family.

I say 99.9% because he's tried the few meals I know and vetoed them all. Not that I'm complaining...

 But where I DO contribute is thrifty kitchen décor.

 

Matching glass canisters. $5 for a set of two at Goodwill.

 

Beer growler reused as a container for rice.  A glass vase ($2) re-purposed as a straw holder.

Straws are one of my favorite luxuries. Not to mention they make every drink more fun! You have have to hold onto some childhood wonder, right?

 

Paper towel holder. $.50 Goodwill. Coffee saver, $3, Burlington Thrift Store.

Set of four valances purchased from St.Vincent De Paul on Glenway. $2.50 

They perfectly match both the grey and the red wall colors.

 

Fell in love with this needle point the moment I saw it. So happy and '70s. $2.00 at Goodwill.

 

Obsessed with anything '60's and yellow. This potholder was in PERFECT condition. $1.99 at St. Vincent De Paul.

 

Speaking of yellow...

 Not to be dramatic, but this scalloped trim table cloth is EVERYTHING.  $3.00 at Goodwill.

Family artwork is always a great way to add to a space.

As a renter, we have to work with existing paint colors.
Luckily, this painting was the perfect fit.

All the artwork was created by Cory's grandmother, Nana.  Thanks Nana!

Until next time, Bon Nuit!

The Almost Thrift Shop

I stumbled upon 

The House of Curious Treasures 

by accident.

I was out shopping with a friend in Florence, Kentucky when we spotted the large, hand-painted "Thrift Store" sign from the road.  Sometimes, there is nothing better than a sign that gets straight to the point. When we had finished at the thrift store that the sign belonged to, also known as the Burlington Pike Thrift Store, we saw random items strewn across the lawn next door. As you can see from the photo below, it looks like the most eclectic garage sale known to humanity. BUT...if you look closely you will see the yellow and red "HOUSE OF CURIOUS TREASURE" sign in the left hand corner.  Although, it's mostly covered by a Budweiser sign.

The exterior of The House of Curious Treasures.

When you enter the vibe is a complete 180  -- the inside is warm and cozy. So cozy in fact, that most of the time you shuffle from side to side.  Luckily, the excellent stock of small framed art, Pop Art lamps, 1940's beaded purses and costume jewelery make up for the lack of space.

I've fallen in love with the warm yellow interior paint and endless black and white framed photos. 
This artwork would be perfect for my imaginary Paris flat.
 I'd sit at my window overlooking le Champs Elysees, and type feverishly while La Vie en Rose played on an endless loop.

I'm crazy about this combination of portraits with rock pillars and colored glass.

There is never cash in my wallet, only a card, so I appreciate a helpful sign such as this,
as to avoid embarrassment.

I refer to this place as "the almost thrift store" because of the wide selection of art, trinkets, dishes, Coka-Cola items, vintage purses, costume jewelry, and the occasional postcard of a Cincinnati child from the 1900s. The prices are comparable to a thrift store and they also buy and trade items.

Be sure to check out the Northern Kentucky Thrift Stores page for more information on The House of Curious Treasures.

Shopping with...Evan

Today, I went shopping with my good friend Evan.  He had previously mentioned, via text message, that he hates all the clothing he currently owns. Thus began my begging him, and eventually convincing him, to join me in my thrifting adventures.

And so the blog segment of 

Shopping With..

was born.

Evan and I focused on the area of Florence Kentucky, approximately 20 minutes from downtown Cincinnati.  Evan, a native Kentuckian, showed me two great places I had never heard of before, The Burlington Pike Thrift Store, and The House of Curious Treasures (more on these later), but our main target was Goodwill in Florence on Tanner Lane.

Evan's before shot outside Goodwill.
His shirt was so sad, it crawled up into his mouth and made him frown.
That quickly changed to a smile when we learned it was
50% off everything in the store today!

There are 5 dressing rooms and no lines...FANTASTIC!

This Goodwill, is bright, open clean AND fits more than one person in an aisle! 
This shot shows approximately 80 percent of the clothing section.
The quality of their items was above average.
  They also had a large shoe section (mostly black), a small furniture/kitchen appliances section, and a couple racks of purses.
  I would say the main draw of this store is its vast clothing selection.  There is also a donation drive-through.

THE RESULTS

MEN'S DKNKY SWEATER

$6.99 

And look, a smile! As you can see, the key to any great thrift store purchase is FIT and QUALITY.

If you can believe it,
these photos were shot on a small patch of grass next to the thrift store parking lot.

MEN'S GRAY HALF-ZIP SWEATER

$2.50

Smart and thrifty.

What a model.  Ladies, he's single, loves the great outdoors, watching Criminal Minds,
and pondering the reality of mermaids.

 Thanks Evan!

Hopefully, I can convince others to join me for future thrifting adventures!

THE WOOL GRAY SKIRT: Part II

The Monochromatic look

This outfit was inspired by a coworker who is very into the monochromatic color scheme. 
While she prefers wearing black on black with a hint of white or red, I wanted to keep this outfit a bit more subdued. 

Here you can see the original gray skirt.
I paired it with a simple gray-blue long-sleeved t-shirt
I bought from target roughly 10 years ago during a Black Friday sale.
I think I paid $6. I'm sure it would be no trouble to thrift a similar top.
This version of the outfit gets finished off with a long, blue rock necklace,
that blends seamlessly into the outfit
and allows your face to draw the attention.

The second way to attack this outfit
is to use a bright necklace as a focal point.

I purchased these painted wooden beads at a thrift store for $1.

A gift from my mother, this rock necklace
comes complete with a
peace sign and disco ball.

Dark gray knee-highs continue the theme, while tan cowboy boots help balance the look.

  I purchased this pair at DSW for $80.

For more uses of this look, try a leather shirt on top.  Thrifted, $4.