The thrift gods have been kind

I haven't been thrifting since I got back from our Vegas trip so I figured I'd post some of my recent finds.  I have a dentist appointment tomorrow to finally get my tooth filled. Once I get done I'll be hitting up the local thrift stores and see what goodies I come across.

Last weekend we spent the whole day in Reno. We went to get my rings cleaned. They're insured so I have to have them cleaned every 6 months or else the insurance becomes void. We also went to the local swap meet which was really small. We went to the Goodwill on Neil Rd and I found a few items at great prices.

Vintage Fox fur collar $1.99 The cashier let me have it cheap since there was no price tag. :)  I really want to find a vintage coat with a fur collar but this will definitely keep me happy for a while.









Vintage Golden Harvest Glass Pitcher $1.99   I love collecting pitches but am really picky about their conditions and style. It was a little dirty on the inside but a good soak with vinegar got rid of all the gunk.



My first piece of vintage Pyrex $1.99  Jesse is always saying while I like glassware. There' s several reasons: 1) I  like the weight of it and to me it makes them more stable. 2) They last a long time willing you don't drop them. 3) Fabulous designs.


I also bought a few glasses, a picture frame and a necklace there. It  was a great score there.

At Junkie's I just bought one thing. I've been tryng to limit myself to one item that really makes a statement. I haven't bought anything there in a while besides vintage buttons. Until this weekend. I found these awesome Celluloid carved earrings. They have that vintage bone color to them. Like a nice cream color. They're also very light and comfortable to wear.



These guys I bought off of eBay for a steal. I really like the glitter Lucite earrings but they're either in bad conditions or way too expensive. My lovely lipstick holder gal  has been modeling them for me. I love her to pieces but my lipsticks don't fit in there. Oh well I'm sure I'll find her a something to do.


This lovely pair of chalk-ware poodles I bought at a local estate sale. I originally wanted to go on Saturday but we spend the whole day in Reno so we went Sunday. I figured all the good stuff had already been bought. Not everything. They were hanging out in the garage and I snatched them up. Since it was Sunday everything in the house was 50% off! Yep I got these puppies for $1.75 for the pair. Jess thought I was gonna sale them. Nope, they're going up in the hallway. I also bought a bag of yarn for $2.50 There were at least six skeins of yarn in there. It was a steal.



As I mentioned in my previous post, while we were in Vegas we went to a swap meet.  I love me a good swap meet and this one turned out great. I came across a booth that had a a look of cool looking stuff so my mom and I stopped to check it out. I'm glad we did.

Cute pair of hound dog salt and pepper shaker.


This is the girl dog. You can tell by her blue eyeshadow.


Boy dog.


Cute Scottie dog shakers.

 Both of these shaker sets are in great condition and have the original plugs

I bought a few near-mind condition vintage sweaters. This sweater is still in package. I washed and dried all of sweaters so they are ready to sell when I get around to it. I bought these two ivory sweater, a blue sweater, and a green wool sweater.





I bought this on a whim because it reminded me of the type of blouses women in the 1950's wore during the summer on the beach. Wish it were my size but I don't think I could ever get that small.


Brand-new with tag garter belt. *sigh* yet another items I wish I could wear.


Mint condition  silver clutch. This still has the original stuff to hold it's shape.


A cute vintage women's work shirt. At first I thought it was for a little boy but then I noticed that it has "Helen" on one of the sleeves. I love bowling shirts and shoes.




Not sure if these are men's or women's shoes. They're leather and have never been used. The only down side is that they shoes laces don't match. No biggie.


This dress was hidden in a 3 foot pile of clothing. I love Asian print clothes and I just saw the color of this peaking out. I dug through everything and pulled this beauty out. Mint condition with tag Peony Shanghai dress. It is so gorgeous! Beautiful color and detail. Yet again making me wish I was all petite and tiny.







That booth made my day. I was getting great prices on these items until the man's wife stepped in. It never ceases to amaze me how men will sell items a lot cheaper than women. Oh well. Once I set up a shop, I'm sure they'll sell. I've decided to open an Etsy shop once I figure out a name I like. I've been having a great time finding vintage items and decided that I may as well sell them instead of just letting them collect dust in my closet. Once I get everything set up, I'll let everyone know.

Here's Ridley helping. He decided that the pitcher need to be investigated and given his seal of approval. That cat is so nosy. It's cute.



Has anyone every seen a Disco ball but a saddle? Yup it's a Disco Saddle. Jess took this photo at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno. It's pretty cool. It hangs over the dance floor at the cowboy themed bar. I hope everyone had a great week/weekend. Wish me luck, I'm going to the dentist tomorrow.

Vegas Roadtrip (part 2)

Second installment of Vegas Road trip! Last I left of with how great out trip was going despite a a couple of errors on my behave. We were going through Spanish Springs which has a small air force base and saw the most interesting thing ever. Drones! Yeah we saw the feared man less aircraft that much of the world fears. I didn't get a photo of it but it was one of the things I'll never forget. It was  very impressive to see how smooth and graceful they are.  So we were we totally jazzed about it say : "Best road trip so far!"  Then traffic crawled to a stop and we sat in traffic. And sat. And sat. My mom calls and they're in Vegas.  We were less than 20 miles from downtown Vegas and weren't moving. They finally started diverting traffic and sending people back south Hwy 95. We waited around for a while to see of it would clear up. No one really new what was going on.  It wasn't until later that we learned about this horrific accident.  It was such a bad accident they shout down the highway for several hours. We had to turn around and take a "short cut" through the mountains. It wasn't very short. It took us an extra hour and a half to get to Vegas. It was pretty tired and drained.
 

We finally got to the MGM Gran around 8 pm. It wasn't too busy and we got our keys right away. The room was nice but nothing too fancy. I totally forgot to take photos before the room became a mess. We had a quick bite to eat and just relaxed for the rest of the evening.

The next day we got up had brunch breakfast at the MGM Grand buffet . I had like six mimosas at 10 in the morning. They were pretty good. Lol. That's the earliest I've ever started drinking. I figure since we paid $25 per person I may as well get our money's worth out of it. After a hearty breakfast we headed out to Broadacres Swapmeet.  It boosts 1150 vendors and boy was there a lot to see and do.  I found a stall with a ton of vintage clothing and accessories in great conditions. It was a lot of fun but then the wind started to pick up and my mom was getting cold. We went to the Forum Shops at Caeser's Palace.




This is my sister, myself, and my mom in front of Caeser's Palace. I have an uncany talent for closing my eyes when my photo was taken. The other one was worse.


 There were quite a few Chinese decorations up in celebration of the Chinese New Year. I love how awesome the hotels decorations can be.





One of the fountains in the middle of the shops. There was a fountain show somewhere in the Forums but we couldn't find them.


These lovely goddess were huge! They held up the floor above them. The Forum Shops were a three story structure with awesome spiral escalators.



There were a ton of high end stores there. I checked out the Betty Paige store. I wanted everything I saw but then again I didn't want to spending a ton of money. Besides I have a lot more fun making my own clothes. I loved this little tv unfortunately I wouldn't get a good photo of it.



We walked so much that I was able to break in my moccassins. And I got a ton of blisters. For dinner, we went to the Harley-Davidson Cafe. It was a motorcycle themed restaurant which was pretty cool although the motorcycles on a chain track above our heads did make me a bit nervous. Their BBQ was some of the best I've had in a while. The service could have been better. We were a party of six so the server got the auto 18% gratuity fee and I think that contributed to him not being a great server.

Here's a photo of Jess and I looking all nice like.





And heere's a photo of me being silly. He likes what he sees. :)


My mom and I didn't go to Thunder From down Under. She was tired and said " I don't want to see men swing their things (penis) around."  We checked out a couple other shows but they were too pricey. I guess next time I should just buy the tickets online where their cheaper.

It was a great trip. My mom had fun and so did we. I actually didn't spend any money.  I wanted to but I didn't find anything I just had  to have. We all had breakfast together before we went our separate ways.
I really enjoy spending time with my family and so does Jess. Now that my parents are divorced my mom had more of a say in how and where she spends her time.

On the way home we stopped at this little place. They sell fireworks and sex there. Yes, it's a fireworks shop next to a whorehouse. There were a ton of whore houses through the desert. I tried to take photos of all the ones we passed around six or seven of them but they were too far of the highway.  It was really interesting to see how those little podunk areas had a whorehouse to keep it going.





We got home around 8 pm and Ridley  was happy to see us. We were very happy to see him.

I leave you with a couple photos our first trip to Mitch Pond. We tried to fish but the fish weren't biting. And the wind picked so we decided to pack up and come back another day.




I hope everyone has a great week.

Giveaway alert over at Dollie's

Hi Everyone!

Hope everyone is having a great weekend. Just wanted y'all to know that the lovely Dollie from The Rockabilly Socialite    is having a fabulous giveaway : a two piece retro bathing suit. So have a look and try your chance at it.

Vegas Road Trip (part1)

We're back! Okay, we've been back for a while  but we've been in recovery mode. Anytime we take a road  trip somewhere it takes us a week or two to get back to normal. We had an early start to our trip and we well into an hour of driving when we realized we were going south instead of east. Apparently , both Jesse and I can read driving directions worth a lick. We missed out turn about an hour beforehand. We had to double back and keep a close eye on the GPS app. Man, it wasn't great that we lost an hour and half but at least Jess was okay with it. The drive through the east side of Nevada is a lot more scenic than through the southern part of Nevada.





Walker Lake




Once we got on the 95 our trip was back on track ;definitely not on schedule because we weren't going to make up the lost 2 hours. We went through this small town called Hawthorne. We kept seeing huge mounds and warehouse from the distance. Once we got closer we learned that the whole valley floor is used store munitions. It was really amazing to see whole valley floor covered in munitions. That's 226 square acres covered in bombs, chemicals ,and artillery shells.

 


We pulled in and checked out a neat little munitions museum they had there. It had some really impressive antique shells and deactivated bombs. I was so wrapped up looking at everything that I forgot to take photos of the inside. I did take these photos out front.















It was a fun little stop. I was worried about "wasting the time". Growing up, whenever we went on a road trip my father would always drive straight through barely stopping to even take a bathroom break. Whenever I travel with Jess, I can stop wherever and whenever I want. It's nice to have a considerate husband who won't get mad because I need to pee.


I think I'm going to make this a two part post. There's too many photos to fit in one post.  It's suppose to snow this week. It's nothing compared with the Mid West is suppose to get but it'll be nice to see some snow on the ground.

I leave you with a photo of my handsome Ridley being a sexy cat. Hope everyone has a great week.

A New Dress

First of all, I want to thank everyone for their well wishes on my 2 year anniversary. It really  made me very happy to have all the well wishes. These are the lovely roses my hubby came home with.



I was able to finish my dress in time and for once I was very happy with the way it turned out. I do need to take in the straps a little but nothing major.  I wanted to make a matching bolero ( and  may still try) but I just didn't want to rush myself. This is a really great silky brocade. It's got a cream background with hints of pink gold and green. I noticed I look a lot better in off white/ cream colors than in white. White makes me look sallow.






I did learn that it's best to have Jess takes photos of me before he gets too hungrey and distracted by the internet. He completely cut off my bangs. I wish he had taken a full body shot but I'll just have to start using the tripod and timer.

 



 We went to dinner at live Garden and had a great meal and dessert. We very rarely have dessert when we go out but decided to go wild and olrder a raspberry cheesecake which was very good.


Now that I've gotten my dress done, I've been working on making my mom her birthday present. I made her a small capelet, a matching hat and scarf set. I may take her to the Thunder from Down Under.  Jesse agrees that she needs a little excitement in her life now that she's divorced. I actually talked to Jess about how I felt that by me going to this review I felt he would want to go to a strip show. He said no. He realizes it just a show and it's not like I'm going to be getting a lap dance or anything. That made me feel a lot better. I often have a hard time communicating my feelings and it takes A LOT of me to be up front and honest when it comes to my feelings. I'm so glad he is patient and understanding.


So. We've been planning what we're going to do on our trip to Vegas. I keep asking my mom what she wants to do but all she says is "As long s we're all together and having fun whatever you want to do it fine with me." My mom. All she ever wants is to spend time with us.  She has always just ewanted to have us spend time together. I did find out she wants to go to some thrift stores, a huge swap meet  (it's has over 1,150 vendors) and go shopping in general. I will try to take photos lots of photos and have fun.  A great  thing about Jess is that he gets along splendidly with my siblings so if he has to babysit a couple of teeneagers he can handle it.

I dont know what the weather is going to be like in Vegas the weekend we're there so I really don't want to start packing yet. I'm sure I'll over-pack (like always) and Jess will just take his backpack. I rather over-pack that forget something. I've been learning to make checklists before we go on any type of trip. It's helped is a lot.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.  And here's a cute but blurry photo of Ridley. He won't stay still for this one but it's cute nonetheless.

Two years of Life Together

Two years ago today, Jesse and I eloped in Vegas. Yes Vegas. We really love that city and they make very easy for people to get married. Come July we will have been together eight years.



I can honestly say that it doesn't feel like we've been married for two years. Times has really flown. I'm very happy and love my husband. We've had a few downs but have bounced back and are doing well thanks to God and Jesse being a hard working, honest man. I am blessed that I was able to find someone who loves me as I am and only asks that I love him back. He treats me like a queen and provides for our little family.

I look forward to spending the rest of my life and time with him. I'd love to share a few of our wedding and reception photos with everyone.


We went to the courthouse in Vegas and got our marriage license. We began out ceremony on Feb. 12th and ended Feb 13th. The pastor gave us the choice of which date we wanted. We chose the 13th since Jess has a hard time remembering dates.








Our reception a year after we got married.We both had lots of fun and everyone enjoyed themselves. It was great to see both sides of the families together.







 


Tonight we'll be going out to dinner to celebrate. Nothing major maybe P.F Chang's or Olive Garden. Something nice and intimate. I'll be sure to post photos of my new dress.  I hope everyone has a great week.

Vintage Q & A

1. Who are your style icons?
I really love looking at vintage photographs from the '40's and '50s. It always nice to see what women wore on a day-to-day basis and on special occasions.

2. What is your favorite way to get inspired?

Sometimes I watch fun vintage movies. I tend to like more what the wpomen are wearing a comedy versus a drama. ALthough a lot of the outfits in drama movies are glamorous and beautiful.

3. What's your most-used hair tool? 

I would have to say my foam curlers. I've never been very good with the curling iron and I try not to damage my hair anymore than I need to.

4. What's your favorite hair tool?

Again I wold have to say foam curlers and bobby pins. Bobby pins are a great tool to have around. So much so that I will randomly stash them around the house: behind the sofa, around the bathroom, in the dining room. Lol. I don't really stash them but they have ended up in all of these places. Does not please my husband.

5. Updo, down, or half-and-half?
I love wearing my hair up first and half-half second. Now that I've been  getting hair cuts regularly I have been wearing my hair down. To be honest, I love having my hair in curls so anyway will work.
.

6. Is vintage something you do every day, on weekends, or for special occasions? 
I'd love to wear vintage everyday but my casual wardrobe is still being built up.  As of now, I wear it mostly on the weekend and on special occasions. I do wear my vintage jewelry around the house.

7. What's your favorite blush and lipstick?
I actually don't wear blush. I have never been able to get it too look natural. I always end up looking like a cheap tart. My favorite lipstick is MakeUp Forever in Moulin Rouge. It has staying power and is the perfect shade of red for my skin.

8. Dress, skirt, or pants? Heels or flats? 
I love my jeans. On my off-days I wear a pair of jeans and a tee shirt. When I dress up I love wearing skirts and dresses with a fluffy petticoat. As for shoes I feel the most comfortable in flats do to my random loss of balance and back problems. I really like wedges too. It gives you the height of heels without the peril .

I have this pair of wedges and I totally love them. I'm always son the look out for more wedges.

9. Off-the-rack or homemade?

I have made most of my wardrobe but have bought a few off-the-rack items like petticoats and girdles. I truly enjoy making my own clothes and am trying to make items that I can wear on a day to day basis .
I've been sewing since I was 8 years old and haven't stopped. I started off making Barbie clothes and now I make my clothes.

10. Do you swing dance?

Sadly I do not. I've wanted to learn but since moving to Nevada have yet to find a place close by that the hubby and I can learn at.
 

11. Extreme vintage or subtle touches? 
When I can I try to dress all vintage which is usually on the weekends and special occasions.  On other occasions or days I just don't feel up to it I do add subtle touches: a pair of earrings here, some bangles there. It's a good balance.

12. Favorite perfume?

I am on of those individuals that can't seem to hold a scent for long. I do like classic scents like Ralph Lauren's Romance and some of the perfumes that are simple scents like rose or lilies. I do need to be careful what fragrances I wear since some of them can trigger Jesse's migraines.



13. Favorite skincare product?
My favorite skincare product hands down is Aveeno  Positively Radiant daily moisterizer. It's great for sensitive, provides SPF coverage and helps even skin tone. I've been using it for a cople of years and since moving to a higher altitude has proven a great help.

14. What does your family think of your style?

My family has always known that I like to dress to please me and not fall into what fashion trends dictated. Not that  don't buy modern clothes but a lot of them time it just doesn't suit me. My younger brother thinks it's cool that I dress rockabilly and he says that it's really me. 

15. Favorite accessory?

My favorite accessory has to be my flower clips. I love adding flowers to my hair even if it's not done up all fancy. It makes me feel all special and pretty to see the flower in my hair.

16. Do you find the vintage community welcoming or snobby?

So far I've had a good a good experience but like in real life there will always be people who think they are better than you. I try to avoid people like that on the internet and real life.

17. What drew you to vintage style?

Since I was a little girl I was always drawn to the tiny waisted ladies in giant dresses and miles and miles of petticoats. I used to love watching the old TinTan movies is Spanish and watcing they women dance around in beautiful dresses. 

It really comes down to the elegance, beauty and modesty that these clothes offer. I love showing off some cleavage but some of the clothes out there are too clingy and uncomfortable. I like being able to look like a lady .

18. Favorite places to shop vintage?

I LOVE me some thrift stores. I've always loved thrift stores and doubt I will ever stop going. I've also had good look at rummage sales and  estate sales.

19. What vintage eras are your favorite?

I've been in love with 50's fashions since I was a teenager. I also love the 40's but the clothes are very flattering to my frame
. I love the these two eras to pieces because the shoes, the accessories and the hair are just fabulous!

20. Most glamorous film stars?

In my mind Marilyn Monroe will always be a glamorous lady. She was sexy,smart, and  knew how to use both to her advantage. She could pull off jeans and a jumper with the same elegance and sexiness while wearing a clingy dress.

21. Favorite vintage object that you own?

My purses!. I have quite a few purses and they all make me happy whenever I see them it makes me happy to know that I don't have to use the same purse everytime.

I hope everyone enjoyed reading this and learning a little bit more about me. I leave you with a young, handsome Sean Connery.