Thrift Day. Brooch the Subject

(I'm going to admit it's hard to write this post because I keep getting distracted by the crazy beautiful wallpaper that Matt just hung in the living room... logic would dictate that I move to the dining room and ignore the brand new prettiness but I have settled into a butt groove on the couch by now... I shall just forge ahead.)

I can't believe that I haven't done a thrift post on jewelry yet! I always make sure I check the display case and the jewelry racks at the thrift store for treasures. I like garage sales even more for jewelry because it's the cheapest way to find things that sparkle but I admit, by Saturday, I am not always keen on getting up early to hunt for garage sales. That is one of my goals for the summer though, go to garage sales more often and to learn how to build a house.

I am by no means an expert on vintage jewelry, I am much better at finding quality in clothing. I do use a few little rules to determine what jewelry I would take home from a thrift store. I need to do more research because perhaps I have let the jewelry equivalent of a vintage DVF dress pass me by... and that thought keeps me up at night (though it might be the Diet Coke too...). If you are perhaps an expert on vintage jewels or have chanced upon a Raymond Templier piece (just googled for a name...) at a flea market, send me an email. I think I want to explore thrifting quality jewelry a bit more deeply...

And though I may have a lack of expertise, I have no lack of enthusiasm for thrifting jewelry. Brooches especially are a good thrift find. Brooches can be pinned everywhere, can be used as a solitary piece or thrown together for added flare (yes, that is an Office Space reference) and unless, you are buying some very expensive brooches new, the quality of a vintage brooch is far better than that of a $10 brooch at Zellers.

1. Like my sequin obsession for clothing, I also have a rhinestone obsession for jewelry. If it sparkles, I am going to take a second look. Anything that is too blinding white or has that irredescent sheen, I put back. Those things are usually a sign that the piece is new and of lesser quality. Weight is also a good indicator of quality; the heavier the better...

(the butterfly is a cheap piece I bought new... it's super cute but the rhinestones look perilously close to popping out vs. the claws around the vintage pin on the right)

While I won't reject pieces that don't have claws around the stones, the claws are a good thing. It may be harsh but if there is a missing stone, don't get it. No, despite what you tell yourself, you probably won't find a stone that matches it exactly. Leave the brooch behind. It's a cruel truth. Also, Santa doesn't exist...

2. It's hard to describe what attracts me to brooches that aren't sparkly. I like what I like, I guess... If there is something that catches my eye, I mostly look for metal mark or a name brand. There is not a particular name brand I am looking for or a name brand that I reject, but the presence of a name brand is a good sign.

I don't usually go for Avon jewelry (admittedly, my parents thrifted this and gave it to me as a kid) but I still would have bought it for myself because the fact that is ceramic, is unusual and the fact that it is a cat, is awesome! I also look at the general condition of the brooch; no chips or worn down paint or metal colours. And like with rhinestones, a solid weight on any brooch is a good thing.

And because I am so excited about this... a little sneak peaker at our new wallpaper. I actually just stopped to clap my hands after I finished writing that sentence. Seriously. I'm also clapping because it's Matt's birthday party tonight and I am really excited to clean the bathroom and vacuum before company comes over. More excited or the party and the wall paper though! Have a fabulous thrifty weekend!

Copycat

Dress? Handmade and thrifted Jacket? French Connection and dip dyed Shoes? Jeffrey Campbell (bought with a giftcard I won from LuLu's) Clutch? Old Navy, thrifted Bangles? thrifted Earrings? F21

This weekend, magic was happening in my kitchen. We had friends over and I whipped up some home made pizzas, including my famous sweet potato and brie pizza. I say famous but that might be a stretch; it's just really good and I make it whenever people I like come over. Beside my assembly line of delicious pizzas, I had my denim jacket arranged on the counter with the sleeves carefully folded in yogurt tubs of bleach. And then beside the denim jacket, was the laptop... playing YouTube clips of Charlie Sheen (I blame Matt for this). I told you... magic?

I 100% took the idea of bleaching out the sleeves of a denim jacket from Jessie of The Concrete Catwalk. I had been following her blog for a while already but then I met her in Texas last month and she is as sweet as she looks. Sweet and smart and really driven... Being around her was a little kick in the butt to stop being content with just making sarcastic comments at the television and to start making things happen. You know, like... big things. If I were cool, I would have put her look on pininterest (thanks for explaining it to me La Petite Josette) but we all know I don't participate in trends like that until they are so last year. I tweeted about it though. Have you heard of this thing called Twitter? It's crazy... You should follow me. I shared my dream about Justin Beiber on it today...

Golf Green

Pants? 7 for all Mankind, thrifted and hemmed Sweater? Gap Flower? h&m Belt and clutch? Thrifted Shoes? Jeffrey Campbell, Style Sense Earrings? F21

I can't help but smile when I see these pictures. The sun shone for a moment, my outfit was happy and bright and we did some major trespassing to take pictures on the golf course. Success all around.

These pants make me happy too. If they manage to avoid ketchup and Diet Coke stains, then they are bound to be my go-to pants this summer. When I found the pants they were already too short, so I hemmed them up a bit higher to exaggerate the cropped and flared length. I gotta thank B. Jones for this new found love for awkwardly cropped pants... before her, pants like this just reminded me of Grade 7 and of growing too tall, too fast and not being about to afford new pants. Now these pants are going to remind me the spring of 2011... the spring that came so late and so slowly. That was the spring we learned to appreciate the late golf season, as it made trespassing remarkably simple.

Thrift Day. Where I Do Damage.

I always get asked where I thrift shop. And I lie and avoid the question. I never went to kindergarten, I don't have to be good at sharing. But today I will share the location of where I find my thrift treasure.. because it's Friday and I am feeling good*. Talize (here)

(Clockwise from top left... Marc Jacobs, vintage leopard, vintage DVF and handmade bubble trench... all Talize)

I would be happy to take all the credit for my thrift finds as I think that I have thrift skills as others have basketball skills. But in a moment of humility, I admit that Talize is a thrift playground full of treasures waiting to be discovered. I have never walked out of there without buying something; usually I walk out with the biggest, orange bag of life... a sure sign of a hoarder in training. Talize is stacked. While their designer rack has a funny mix of Sean John, Apple Bottoms and Anne Klein, I have found Marc Jacobs, DVF, Notte by Marchesa and Jil Sander hidden in the regular racks. There is always plenty of good vintage to discover as well. The prices are certainly not the cheapest in terms of thrifting ($8-$10 for dresses, $5 for shirts, $7 for blazers) but they aren't ridiculous and when I use their coupons and my student discount, they are quite reasonable. The store is always clean, packed full of stock and the people who work there are friendly and helpful. Hands down, this is my favourite place to go thrifting. Value Village (here, here and here)

(Clockwise from top left... silk wrap dress, leather clutch, sequin vest and Tory Burch cardi, ... all VV)

I love to hate Value Village but I hate that, sometimes, I love Value Village. It's no secret that Value Village's ridiculous over-pricing makes me want to throw cats (not mine but yours Merl). My friend saw a wool Banana Republic jacket with 3 missing buttons for $60 last week at Value Village. That's the stuff urban legends are made of. And it's not like their over-pricing affects me so much as it's brands like Guess, Banana Republic and George (...?, I know... don't get me started) that get treated to the highest mark-ups. Vintage clothing and obscure brands escape the crazy pricing but regardless, the principle of their over-pricing has me so frustrated. And sometimes, when I am there, I shop and then seethe and promise to never set foot in a Value Village again but then.... I find something like this amazing skirt that gives me booty or this amazing dress that gives me booty (so much booty) and I weaken in my resolve. Now I only shop there if I have a good coupon or it is one of their 50% off days (they happen at Talize and VV about once every 2 months). It is worth noting that the Value Village in Brantford is not picked over and much cheaper than the one in Hamilton. I just found a silk kimono style jacket for $4... Anywhere.

(Clockwise from top left... boots from Salvation Army in Winnepeg, dress from From the Past(?) Hamilton, skirt from Bibles for Mission and collar from Waterloo flea market)

I know... that is so helpful. Besides Value Village and Talize, I am pretty open minded about where I thrift shop. I often frequent this Salvation Army or this Bibles for Mission. This flea market is great too... it's cheap and big and has lots of good jewelry. I like to walk a lot and I can't resist dropping in any second hand place I come across. Also, any time we travel or go on vacation, I need to check out any charity shops in the area. I know thrift shopping differs based on geographical location but unless the prices are obscene, there is treasure to be found no matter where you live. My dad and I have made a little tradition of going on thrifting or antiquing adventures almost on a weekly basis. We are always on the look-out for new places to discover. Now you know where I go when I am sad... when I am happy... when I am bored. If you are local, reveal yourself! and let me know if there are any good places I am missing. If you don't live near Hamilton, thanks for reading the whole post. I am not on the tourism board yet but I urge you to visit Hamilton sometimes. We have waterfalls, castles and good thrifting. One sweet day this may be the new go to all-inclusive destination... or not. But the thrifting really is good... * It just took me 4 hours to post this due to Blogger and Internet issues... cry. Not feeling so good.