Jazzed about the AtoZ April Challenge

With just a few days remaining till April 1st, I just wanted to mention how jazzed I am about this year's AtoZ challenge. The bulk of my preparation is over and I am refining my posts. Once I moved away from the strict definition of each day's letter, the fun factor for me increased exponentially.

I do try to balance my chosen theme with my regularly scheduled posts featuring fashion linkups. Gawd, how I love fashion, esp. thrifted fashion.


College classes in store me from now until the end of the year include Business Law and a new one, since I have already taken public speaking (loved it), my choice for the fall is The Communication Experience.  It is described as special emphasis placed on practical experience within groups, facilitation of interpersonal relationships, as well as message design and delivery for multiple purposes and to diverse audiences. Sounds like a keeper to me! 


Hello to my new readers on Google+. Those of you not linked into that platform are missing out, it is where I garner the most page views and newest followers.


As of this post, there are over 1,600 bloggers participating in April and there is still time to sign up!  a-z-challenge-sign-up-list-2016

AtoZ Theme Reveal

Me fluffing the fabric and more on the apron later

What has become a tradition prior to the flurry of April alphabetic posts is the A-to-zchallenge Theme Reveal. One more chance to let others know who you are and what amazing things you will be posting. 

My theme this year will be Fabric Art and Collectible Americana.

January - I begin preparing my posts starting with a germ of an idea for each letter day.
February - I set up the shells for each post adding the #atozchallenge and the graphic letter represented from the challenge website.
By the middle of March, I have at least half of the posts scheduled to publish. 
From the middle of March until April 1st, I flesh out the posts with more photographs and writing.


I used to visit the other participants when the challenge began with the "A" letter day but this year I began visiting those on the list prior to the beginning of the challenge so I could get a better sense of their actual blog theme.

One thing I have noticed in my pre-AtoZ travels, if you use the word "random" in your blog title or description, you are in good company, it is the most consistently used word of those (500+) blogs I have visited on this year's list.

I can't call myself a Commando Thrift Shopper if I don't highlight my finds. This past weekend hospice special was ten cents for pink tags, $7 for the lot - belt, basket, hat, blouse and patterns. 

The pink hat might make an appearance at some point during the challenge. The green ruffled shirt is slated to appear on my "R" letter day post of Ruffles and Refashioning.

The piece de resistance of this 10 cent pattern packet was this undated vintage Simplicity doll pattern. One online reseller placed the pattern as 1940s. Happy, happy, joy, joy! 

If you want to join the April month-long challenge, there is still time, a-z-challenge-sign-up-list-2016.

The greening of St. Patrick

Since we are all Irish on St. Patrick's Day, let's celebrate!

Display at Amador Hospice Thrift

Dovima, Vogue, Sept. 1957

Harper's Bazaar, Sept. 1957

Jean Patchett in Dior gown, 1953

Vogue 1958

Gotta love the green ~


via goldcountrygirls

Bathing in the Purple Rain

My thrift shopping color scheme must have been inspired by the fact that Prince performed in Oakland, California this past weekend. 

Since we are also in the middle of a messy election season here in the states, let's do a poll!

Eddy Bros. hat
Talbot shirt
Lavender coat length jacket
Talbot cornflower blue pants

Which of these thrifted items did I buy?

Hat

Jacket

Shirt

Pants

Do Quizzes

What I did buy is listed at the end of the post. Linking up with Patti, et al. at notdeadyetstyle.com.

And Anne of Spygirl

Sporting a touch of purple on Pattern of the Day from  1968.

Sunday is my day to score artwork at the hospice thrift, print 187/200 titled Florero con Banbu, professionally framed and all priced at $10.50. Using my frequent buyer card, I spent a total of $6 for the lot.

What I did buy was the hat and shirt, the jacket and pants being a tad too small.

Green is busting out all over with our much needed rain. 

Sutter-Ione Road, Amador County

Pink Saturday

I have been diligently working on my upcoming AtoZ posts for April. Thrift shopping has produced some vintage books and discarded CDs. It is a fun way to buy music, I can revisit old songs, listen to some new ones, and send back those CDs I don't like to the Great Thrift Shop Beyond.



Linking up for Beverly's Anything-goes-pink-saturday. This pink fabric cat is from the 1966 Better Homes and Gardens Stitchery and Crafts book.

I am halfway through my curriculum on my computer information science class and stumbled onto a solution for ripping my CDs to my laptop. Prior to the installation of Windows 10, I could store all my music and had no problems with Windows Media Player.

After Windows 10, I had the "Groove Music" app and the inability, from what I could tell, to rip music to my laptop. Google, being the wonderful thing that is, had a post to fix that problem, so for those of you that upgraded to Windows 10, go to:

Settings
System
Default Apps
Click on Groove Music
Windows Media Player will appear, click on that to make it the default

Wala! Ripping continues ...

Food bank thrift shop bargains totaled $8.

Collecting American Country

Jones Wear capped sleeved shirt

Xhilaration long sleeved floral shirt

4 easter-colored zippers (yellow, pink, purple and navy)

Ceramic floral bauble

Ending with a Pattern of the Day from 1968

If you are up for a fun blog challenge, scoot over to the a-z-challenge-sign-up-list-2016. As of this post, over 1,000 bloggers will be participating.