Something to read as I work on my next novel.
Hello, my internet friends.
It’s not very often that I begin a post with “hello,” so, hello.
I have been doing quite a bit of thrift store shopping lately. Considering I have yet to finish my Medical Transcription curriculum and tap into a fountain of wealth, this is a little concerning.
But then, I remember my jeans were 25¢.
I basically showed up at church, wearing nothing but my grandma’s old skirt.
And I got nothing but compliments.
When I wear this outfit, ladies ask me questions. It begins with an over-all praise, then their expression focuses. They step back, stare at my knees, and say, “wait. Is it a skirt or a dress?”
Yes.
Fashion and thrift shopping. Those words make me happy. And the word candy. And the word clearance.
Anyways, I realized I haven’t done a fashion lookbook since Valentines Day, so I’m due.
In case you’re wondering, yes it is still spring. I Googled it.
So bring on the pastels, pearls, and lace! From my second-hand closet, to you.
Today is Martin Luther King Junior day. Lucky students, employees, and city workers got the day off.
By pure luck, my entire family got the day off from work, school, and bible studies. And a follow-up question, bright and sparkly, presented itself: So what are we gonna do?
We’re the Koontzes. We hike, and camp, and go to the movies, and eat junk food, and go thrift shopping.
Some of you may remember the Military Ball from last year. If you do, you’re my favorite.
In case you aren’t filled in, every year there is a Military Ball. My older brother is a merchant marine. Thus, he is invited to these military balls, providing us with the opportunity to spend a lot of money and join him. So we do.
Last year, it was just my brother and I. This year, we both had dates.
Ah yes, moving up in the world.
Continue reading ➞ The Military Ball 2014, Part #1 — Get Ready With Me
Overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed. I’m still overwhelmed!
The truth is I had work for seven hours Saturday morning and didn’t feel like spending the rest of my now-free Saturday stuck at home. My family said there was a sale at the thrift store. I couldn’t believe we were still lounging about the house! We all got dressed, I put what I thought was around ten dollars of tip money in my wallet, and we sped on down to our favorite thrifting spot, eyes wide, lips licking, and rubbing our hands together in excited anticipation.
I was wandering Instagram one day, like a lost little puppy, when I stumbled across this woman talking about thredUP. ThredUP this, thredUP that.
She was getting a bunch of cute clothes and bags and shoes and would say how much she paid for them, which would come out to little or, more often than not, no cost to her.
Well, great. Good for her. I was jealous of her free stuff, but other than that, it all meant nothing to me.
Until I saw a link for a free ten dollar credit. I’m a thrift shopper. Ten dollars can go a long way. I was intrigued.
I’m really into vintage fashion. I love the treasure hunt of thrifting, finding the one-of-a-kind gems in it that regular shopping doesn’t provide. And I love that I won’t catch anyone else wearing my outfit when I go out and about.
I’ve been really infatuated with the idea of an earring display, or just something to hang my earrings on. I was shopping around when I found a window screen wedged between the shelf and the wall. A tall employee helped me get it out, but I couldn’t shell $1.65 for an old window screen. I left it. But with the possibility in mind.
At another thrift store, the woman had used little picture frames and white bug mesh to hang her earrings, and boom. I was going to go home and do the same – with my own twist.
What you’ll need. . .
With February comes love, chocolate . . and Julie’s birthday. She’s been wanting to go to Victoria Gardens or Ontario Mills and try on ball gowns and pose with them, and the ideas and birthday options continued to evolve, until she found the perfect idea: A pin-up photo shoot.Julie loves pin-up styles. It just worked.
The original plan was to go to an old fashioned diner and take pictures there. But there were paperwork issues and all this stuff, so we ended up going to a park nearby. I think it worked just as well.
Without further ado, here are the pics, starting, of course, with the birthday girl.
I . . . will stop with the dot-dot-dot now. (Lol)
