A sale-ing we shall go

          So a couple weeks ago after a disappointing trip to Austin, MN my mom and I drove to Mound, MN to check out an estate sale that we hoped would be more promising. I was swayed by two things: an awesome 60's floor lamp and these really cool cups in their own caddy. We went to the sale towards the end of the first day and surprisingly the lamp and cups were still there! The only downside to estate sales is that antique dealers often come out early on the first day and scoop up all the really cool items, fortunately that didn't happen at this sale. After a little back and forth we decided we'd go back the second (and final) day, when everything is 50% off, and try to get the stuff on sale. So we woke up relatively early Sunday morning, we rarely wake up early to go to sales, and went back. Everything was still there so we got the cups, a winter hat and the very cool 60's lamp as well as 4 or so bowls and a green bracelet. Everything totaled out to a whopping $40.00, a very successful estate sale day if I do say so myself. Anyway here's some pics of our recent finds:

My estate sale booty ( minus the lamp)  with a scarf I got at the Austin sale.

Awesome 60's cups are awesome

Seriously I love these cups

My hat it's very Mary Tyler Moore and I kind of love that about it.

Finally the 60's lamp that goes really well with the Green/gold motif in our living room.

Last weekend I went to the Junk Bonanza with my mom and will post about some stuff we got there soon as well.

DAY 8: Casual

gratuitous cute cat picture

detail of the skirt pattern

Top and Skirt: Thrift  Belt: Target  Shoes: DSW 

             This is probably one of my favorite outfits of the whole skirt challenge. I've worn this outfit, as is and in a variety of different incarnations, way more than I should have since getting the skirt. I got this skirt two weeks ago in Eau Claire, WI when my mom and I randomly took a mini road trip to the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, WI. Despite it being early September, all the Halloween stuff was out and of course that means the vintage rack, that usually is pretty lack luster in the Savers I usually frequent, was stuffed. I found this skirt there, it's navy blue with little yellow stars on it. Surprisingly it's super on trend, it's not only a midi skirt it also has one of the trendy prints of the season, stars. At first I was going to pair it with the bright yellow shirt I wore for the color block challenge but I just wasn't feeling being that bright. So I paired it with this lovely grey t-shirt that I paid a little too much for at Unique Thrift Store, but loved too much to not get it. I like the color and the fact that it has some interesting texture/pattern to it, something that makes it a little more interesting than your regular grey t-shirt.

             I wore this outfit to go to an Estate Sale in Austin, MN. I had seen a sale online and it looked like it had pretty good stuff  and my mom and I are always up for a mini road trips, as long as the weathers nice, so we got up early and went. It took about two or so hours to get to Austin and well we probably won't be going back. We went to the Estate sale and everything was ridiculously overpriced. We came on the last day of the Sale so everything was 50% off but there was still a lot of stuff despite the fact that it was the third day of the sale. I found some clothes I was interested including a black 80's dress with a sequin embellished neckline. But, when we went to check out the lady told me, very rudely, that instead of being $2.50 the dress would be $20.00 because it was embellished. Turns out the rack where I had gotten the dress had other 80's embellished sequin tops and that dress and instead of originally being $5.00 like the rest of the stuff on the rack they were $40.00 or so because of the embellishment. The problem? they're ugly 80's sequin shirts! They're not in style and only some people are really interested in wearing them in a sort of ironic-y fashion. I have a similar old lady 80's sequin cardigan that I bought at the Salvation Army for like $3.00.  Needless to say the prices were ridiculous and I wouldn't be surprised if they still had a bunch of stuff left over after the sale ended. Anyway after that we explored Austin a bit, which kinda smells like Ham/Spam due to the Hormel plant near by. The town was ok and we ended up stopping for lunch at a Mexican Restaurant that was nice. But after that we decided to split. The lovely interactions we had with the ladies at the sale left a bad taste in our mouths so we left and went back home. When we got back we went to another Estate sale in a town closer to home and found some really cool stuff which we ended up paying a total of $40.00 for on the last day of the sale, way less then we would have spent at the sale in Austina and for way better stuff. Guess we won' be going to anymore Estate sales in Austin.

Day 7: Flower Power

   Shirt: Old Navy Skirt: Kohls Shoes: Target

          So if you adhere to the no white after labor day rule fret not I wore this labor day weekend and therefore broke no rules, though I don't really believe in fashion rules and will wear white whenever I feel like it.  This is another outfit comprised of clothes I've had for years and never really wear much. I used to wear the shirt a lot but it's seen better days and isn't really that great to begin with so it's sort of relegated to the back of my closet. In the beginning I was going to pair this skirt with a red and grey striped top but I decided it looked better with a solid top and this was one of the few ones that had a color that really worked with the skirt. The skirt I bought two years ago in a little pre-study abroad shopping trip. I went to Ecuador in spring 2009 for study abroad and wasn't really sure what the climate would be like so I figured I should have some items I could wear if I went somewhere really warm and/or had to be a little bit more put together. My program was based in Quito where it's pretty much like spring most of the year and layering was a must. I did go to warmer parts of the country but ultimately never wore the skirt. When I got back this got pushed to the back of my closet and I kind of forgot about it until this challenge came along and I rediscovered it. I really like this skirt, it has kind of a 50's-esque vibe which I always like and the print is kind of fun and interesting. I didn't really wear it much this summer but I'll definitely be wearing it more summer '12. This skirt has also made me a bit Ecuador nostalgic, I had such a good time there, if you're thinking of studying abroad in Latin America I definitely would look into programs in Ecuador. Anyway since I'm feeling nostalgic and recently spoke with my host niece/little sister Manuela I figured I'd also post a picture from Ecuador. Enjoy!


View of the Panicillo (Virgin of Quito, on the hill) from the Basilica in Quito



Day 6: Make it Classy add a blazer

 

 

Tang and my shoes

       Blazer & Belt: Target  Shirt: Old Navy Skirt: Thrift  Shoes: DSW

              Sorry for this slightly delayed post, I wore this and couple other outfits the last few weeks and took pictures this weekend but we changed internet providers and had a mini lapse in internet for few days. Anyway we're back up and running and I have a bunch of skirt challenge outfits to post and will hopefully be wrapping up this challenge soon. 

             On to the clothes! I wore this outfit to get up really early on a Saturday and try and get some amazing things at the final day of an estate sale. I totally lucked out and got all the pieces I wanted, about eight things for $40 bucks, all of which I'll show you in an up coming A Sale-ing We Shall Go. Most of this outfit I've had for a really long time. The blazer I think I've had for roughly five years and never really worn. I've never really been much of a blazer person, I think they look amazing on a lot of people and can really pull an outfit together but I've just never really gravitated towards them. I bought this one because I'm an avid What Not to Wear fan and Stacy and Clinton always praise a good blazer. Anyway I think I may be a convert now, I really like how the blazer pulled together the outfit and I think i'll have to start giving them more of a chance. The skirt was originally an 80's dress I got at Savers a couple years ago in a very last minute decision. I liked the color and pattern so I just decided to get it. When I got home I tried to twerk it and make it work as a dress but it just wasn't cutting it, so a year or so ago I cut my losses and made it into a skirt. I think I made the right decision. It's a lot more versitle as a skirt and I really like it. The only slight downfall is it's kinda sheer. It could probably use a slip but the only one I have is really long so I just wore it as is, I figure I don't really care if in the right sunlight you can kinda see the outline of my hips. 

      Anyway  you may have noticed a little furry friend at the bottom of a few of the pictures, that's one of the two cats behind Black Cat Lies, my fur baby Tang. Usually when i'm taking pictures she wonders what the hell i'm doing and comes over to meow at me and rub against my legs. As you can see she's not a black cat but she's adorable so you can't really complain too much. The other cat behind BCL is Diamond who isn't really a black cat, she's a torise shell, but she's mostly black so just go with it. You'll probably see more Tang pictures in the future since I can't resist a gratuitous cute cat picture and she always seems to be following me around when I take outfit pictures You probably wont see as much of Diamond, she's not as much of a ham but i'll try and post pictures of her too.

Day 5: One skirt two looks

      DAY                                                                                   NIGHT

 

Day                                                                                                 Night:

Skirt and Shirt: thrift                                                                       Skirt and Shirt : Thrift

Shoes and Belt: Target                                                                    Belt and Necklace: Target

                                                                                                        Shoes: Urban Outfitters

         

        Is it me or did summer just wiz by? I can hardly believe it's already september, sheesh. It seems the weather has caught on to the change in season as well. Last week it went from the 90's to almost needing a jacket/sweater. Though I do miss the longer days and warmer weather I have to admit I'm a little excited for fall. I'm ready for layers, leather and BOOTS!! It is my mission to find at least one pair of amazing boots that I will promptly wear all the time. I've already been looking around but I have big calves and a good pair of boots can be hard, and sometimes expensive, to find. So the search continues.

       Anyway I wore this outfit awhile ago (in August actually) to go visit my grandpa and run some errands. As you can see I'm color blocking again! This is the skirt I previously mentioned that I got while thrifting. It's a purple Go International knit pencil skirt. I think it was originally from target, though I don't remember ever seeing it in store. I love the skirt it's fun, colorful and I think it could work with a variety of different looks. I found this shirt at my favorite thrift store this summer when they were having an odd not on a holiday 50% off sale. By the time I got to the store it was pretty picked over but I managed to find two t-shirts. This is my favorite of the two, I'm obsessed with this shirt and it's red/orange color.  A great t-shirt really is a staple for any wardrobe since you can dress it up or down in millions of ways. I didn't drastically change this outfit because it think it translates pretty seamlessly from day to night with few tweaks. You could wear the day version at night and the night version during the day but I figured I'd style it both ways so you get a good visual. For day I stayed with minimal accessories and flats,  for night I dressed it up a bit with black heels and gold necklace. I love this outfit and I'm pretty confident it can also translate well to fall/winter. Add some tights, boots and maybe a leather jacket and you've got a great outfit for fall as well.