Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Partay of the Mad Tea sort

Garden toad has made an appearance this year to ring in Year Three of my participation in The Mad Tea Party hosted by Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist.  My focus has been to utilize mainly thrifted items with garden backgrounds.  


The creative bunch that link up range from professional artists to scene-staging bloggers.  You will see macro photography fashioned in whimsical ways.


I'm preparing my summer garden now for what I hope will be a spectacular event!

Monday, May 26, 2014

Sky rockets in flight, tie dye afternoon delight

Linking up with Bella at The Citizen Rosebud for Secondhand First.  She instructs to Share your #SECONDHANDFIRST look- featuring you in a swapped, thrift shopped or ethically sourced and produced item.


Scuse the kinda crooked fake eyelash - those buggers are a bear to glue on!


This fun sorta-hippyesque piece was from I-don't-remember-when thrift shopping ago.  I get a kick out of picking up jewelry for just a few dollars for an outfit that needs some casualing-down.


Since secondhand shopping is my forte, the necklace, olive green tank top and tie dye cotton skirt were all thrifted.  The skirt came with an equally fun tie dye matching top from Goodwill ($3).



Other finds include ~


I'm stocking up on my summer reading (Fifty Acres book $3.00), couldn't pass up the dyed abalone shell bracelet ($1.25) and OF COURSE, the black fake eyelashes ($2.00) for those oh-so-close-up selfies.


Other thrifted goodies include the two patterns one from 1969, the other from 1977.  I decided to start buying vintage patterns (1) if I wanted to make an outfit from that time period, I have a template, or (2) I could sell them.  Finally, the polished rock necklace (1/2 off $1.75) is in honor of the geology class I am taking this summer.

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Here we go a'Floraling, ain't no blues got us down


Things are heating up here in Northern California with temperatures climbing into the 90s.  This outfit is oh-so-comfy for this type of weather.  I'm wearing an Alfani light grey top and a recent thrift shop find of a silk floral print Evan Picone skirt ($2).


I kinda went wild with thrift shopping this past weekend.  I don't know how people manage to find stuff for resale.  On average, I visit 5 thrift shops a week.  Most times I find nothing. What I did find was this Italian scarf ($2), Fossil sunglasses ($3 - I'm sporting the frames in the picture above) and a Ballinger-Gold vintage sweater ($7).  The sweater and an exquisite Camelhair Hunter's Glen M. Lady Bruhn blazer (not pictured, $4.50) are both headed to the dry cleaners and then the cedar chest storage for the winter months.  


My newest bare root rose I planted this season, a Purple Tiger Floribunda, in full bloom.


The Mad Tea Party hosted by Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist will take place in a couple of months.  This is one blog hop event that combines my love of gardening, whimsy and fashion (Barbies and Muffy Vanderbears are the stars of that show).  The event is loosely-based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.  

Linking up with Patti for VM #130 at Not dead yet style for
Click Here for Our Weekly Link-Up!
I swear I must have read her mind - it is a blue-based day with her sporting blue velvet.

Friday, May 16, 2014

A June Blogathon and such

I have been keeping my eye out for blog writing or photography challenges and stumbled across the Biannual Blogathon Bash on June 20-23, 2014.  I am not sure what all I am in for, but if you are in the mood for something different, signups are still open. 

Biannual Blogathon Bash

Please note ALL types of bloggers are welcome:
  • Commando Thrift Shoppers
  • Men Bloggers
  • Women Bloggers
  • Parent Bloggers
  • Review Bloggers
  • Deal/Coupon Bloggers
  • Company Bloggers
  • Lifestyle Bloggers
  • Tech Bloggers
  • New Bloggers
  • Seasoned Bloggers
  • Bloggers Who Blog for Money
  • Bloggers Who Blog for Themselves
  • Those with 1 blog
  • Those with 10+ blogs
  • Other Types Not Listed or Ones with NO Type
Keep up with the blog for more information including what to do after you sign up. Also be sure to sign up for the newsletter (top right sidebar) for reminders and news about the blogathon, updates on the blog and blogging tips.

Excerpts from the Biannual Blogathon Bash website (with a little added text from me). 

Here is is halfway through May and I still haven't fulfilled my pledge on the Me-Made-May'014 to refashion/repurpose a thrifted item during this month.  I am still on the lookout and the idea I have in mind is to see if I can make an ugly garment uglier (I'm sure it is possible). 

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Wearing the mom gear and googly-eyed over Google+

"Wear something of your mom's" is Spygirl-amb.blogspot's prompt for this 52 pick-me-up Wednesday.  This L.L. Bean sweater was my mom's.  I paired it with a light blue Basic Editions sleeveless collared shirt and a Talbots floral print skirt.  This was the first time I put this ensemble together.  I'm liking it!  


I continue to work on perfecting the french roll hairstyle, I think it turned out like the blondie in the play wig. 


So I had a chance to spend some time looking over #Google+.  I know there are some bloggers who have no interest in joining that community.  They are really missing the ticket.  While Blogger lists that I have over 100,000 page views, Google+ lists that I have over 800,000!  I was stunned.  I have kind of been ignoring Google+ and not pushing through my posts for that site.  Google might be the wave of the future.  I already use Google Chrome as my browser and Blogger (another Google-based product).  I had read some discussion that WordPress is the ultimate in a blogging platform, that might not be the case anymore ...