A little patience please :)

You are going to need to forgive me for some late posts for the next few days. I finally get to see my husband! He has been gone since September due to some advanced training in the military. I haven't seen him for a month, so I am pretty excited to see him! Thanks for your patience everyone!!!

Faux Undercut

Today we have a wonderful post from our awesome artist, Kimber!

p.s. Sorry about the delay in posts. Between getting ready to move and finals week for everyone, it's been one crazy disaster!

Here are eight easy steps to achieve your faux undercut (for those of us who want to show a little bad-itude without shaving our heads).

1. Part your hair as far to the side as you feel comfortable.

2. Section off a square of hair from your part to behind your ear, and secure the rest of your hair away from that area.

3. Separate your hair into three or four horizontal rows. Pin up each one separately.

4. (Optional) Consider wetting your hair at this point to avoid frizzies and strays.

5. Starting with the bottom, french braid each row away from your face. Make it good and tight. (Optional) If your not a fan of french braiding, you instead can try twisting along each row for a more temporary, but faster, fake undercut.

6. At the end of the row, you can secure it with either a bobby pin, or a small hair elastic (the kind they give you for braces). Keep in mind that a bobby pin will gradually loosen, while an elastic can be washed and stay in indefinitely. (Optional) Consider braiding the row all the way to the end of your hair for a different look.

7. Continue braiding each row all the way up, taking care not to accidentally braid stray hairs into it.

8. Enjoy your new "Undercut!"

Spring Cleaning

With all these fun new posts and getting more and more creative with my clothes to create outfits, I thought it was time to organize my closet. Not to mention, high time I got rid of some things I've had since high school.

So this is what it looked like before:

Kind of a mess. I couldn't find anything. The lesson here, when you can see all your clothes you'll actually be able to make some decent outfits and keep things fresh and new. (Did you know that I had a drama sweatshirt in there from when I was 14?!)

I really got rid of a lot of things. I was surprised especially by how many shoes I got rid of.

Here is criteria I use for getting rid of an outfit:
1. Do I wear it often? (Have I worn it more than once in the past month? Two months? 6.78203 months?)
2. Do I look good in it? (We're talking smokin' hot. Or, an awesome "fat day" shirt that camouflages everything even though I don't look runway ready)
3. Do I absolutely, 100% love it? (Or, do I have any bad memories associated with it? I had a couple of shirts that reminded me of retarded old boyfriends *note: they were my shirts. Not one's that they gave me*)
4. Does my husband love it? (I had a shirt that was on my, "Ah, can't think of anything else to wear. Might as well..." list. But my husband did not, I reapeat did not, like it.)
5. Does it fit my style? (Like I said, I had stuff from high school in there. My style has changed radically since then. Some basic pieces can last a while, but others need to find a new home)

Some things are just too cute to give away, but I don't wear them or it doesn't fit into my style. That is when I think of someone I know that would love it and look good in it. And I can give it away with a good conscience knowing that someone else will enjoy looking awesome.

Ok, so it might not look totally organized. But I do have the in-season stuff accessible, and everything is color coordinated(ish). I loved seeing all of the things and colors I had to work with. 

Here is everything I gave away!

So maybe it's time to go through your closet and start chucking those un-loved, un-wanted, unattractive pieces you have and see what you have to work with. You'll be surprised at how fun it can be to discover old things that will really great with those jeans of yours. Or maybe you'll love the "organized" feeling that comes from rearranging things.

Here's your challenge: Try to get rid of a few things and make some more room for the pieces you love. And then, tell us all about it! What did you find? How did you feel? Did you create an incredible new outfit?

What We're Wearin'

Hey guys! We're linking up with the Pleated Poppy for this awesome Wednesday experience!

Here's what Bri had to say

Sometimes, you can find gems in your favorite stores. Mine being the Sale section of Cotton On. (Ignore my dumb facial expressions. My husband isn't the best at picture taking) Not thrifted, but might as well should be with these prices!

{Dress: Cotton On $5}

{Cardigan: Cotton On $10}

{Belt: Cotton On $5}

{Shoes: Cotton On $5}

{Bracelet: Cotton On $3}

{Necklace: Forever 21? $5-8}

-Bri




So I had to go to a family event. This is what I wore. I couldn't seem to get a good picture of me looking like a real human being, you know with the smiling and everything. But all y'all want to see are my clothes any way.

{Shirt: Marshalls (I think) $10}

{Skirt: garage sale $3}

{Shoes: Wal Mart $9}

{Flower: Hobby Lobby $4}

A Confession from the Polka Dot

I have a confession: I used to hate polka dots and stripes (especially stripes).

Funny thing is, if you take a good look at my closet a good portion of my clothes are either striped or polka dotted. I believe a big shout out goes to my wonderful husband, S., for helping me find what I really liked (and wear what he really liked. He's a fan of the polka dots.... and the stripes.)

I'm so glad that my style has evolved (more on that in a future post). And because of that evolution I get to enjoy wearing things like this!

{Jeans: Old Navy (Black Friday Baby!)$10.00}

{T-Shirt: Thrifted}

{Polka-dot top: Thrifted $8.00}

{Jacket: Thrifted $3.00}

{Earrings: Made by Jewls $5.95}

{Boots: Forever Young $15.00}

Am I the only one who has outgrown an aversion to a certain pattern/color that you now love?

The Holy Grail of Mascaras

I have been envied for many things in my life (number one: My Husband. number two: My Mother) some have envied me my inches (it's great until you can't find pants long enough!) and at one point in time I had beautiful, long, flowing hair (it's growing back... *think growing thoughts*...) that many of my girl friends wished they had (as I wish I had it now).

But the real thing you should envy: my eyelashes.

Conceited much? Not really.

You see, at birth the good fairies looked down at me and realized that I was doomed to the life of a klutz. That I would inevitably try to pair plaid, polka dots and My Little Pony prints with no thought to how it looked. They shook their heads over the sad fact that I would indeed spend more time reading than talking to actual people and realized that they had to give me some redeeming quality. Enter my eyelashes.

I have been accused of wearing false lashes more times than I care to count. I have only really worn fake lashes twice: My wedding and this incredible photoshoot done before my husband left for Active Duty (he is in uniform. It is beautiful. Here is a picture)

Steamy, right?!

Check out the photographer: 

Anywhoo - back to my eyelashes.

While I have thick, long lashes. They are naturally a strawberry-blonde that is nearly impossible to see. So I have been on a quest for the holy grail of mascaras. I have no less than six in my bathroom currently. (yes, SIX. And, no, none of them are empty.) I have mixed and matched mascaras many a time, using this one for length and this one for volume and this one for the "winged" look.

Told you. SIX!

It's a pain.

And then my dear, sweet mother (see, be envious. My mom is awesome) told me about an incredible mascara that she loved. So I decided to check it out. (And, being my mother, she would never recommend anything that cost of $10. Thankfully, I bought this mascara for $6.47 at Wal Mart)

Revlon's Photoready 3D Volume.

 I loves it.

It does amazing things. And I would show you a picture of my lashes after applying said awesome mascara, but I looked like a slightly crazed, sleep-deprived woman with bangs desperately in need of a trim. No one needs to see that.

I love this mascara because it doesn't clump or get thick and it literally is defining all of my lashes, adding length and volume. It doesn't smudge, but it does come off easily when I wash my face so I don't have to use actual eye make-up remover. I love the square handle because it isn't round like all the others (not exactly important, but you should know this all the same).

It makes me feel like a real woman.

Or like I could start a hurricane if I batted my eyes enough (again, something no one needs to see).

So after much trial and error and applications of different mascaras... The clear winner is:
Revlon's Photoready 3D Volume!

Try it out! And if you like it (or hate it) let us know. You can leave a comment of comment on our Facebook  Page

*I did this review of my own free will. There was no blackmailing, coercion, money or free product involved (those the last two would be lovely).*

Mommy time!

I have always lived life as a curvy girl. Adjusting my outfits to fit all those shapes in nice and tight. :) Becoming a mommy was a whole new experience for me. My whole body changed! I have had this body for 27 good ol' years! It was working great for me! My hips, butt, boobs, waist, feet, and even hair had changed! I had to start all over with adjusting everything. I had this realization that altered my world. Why do I need to adjust?

 I decided then and there that I was fine the way I was. I love my curves and I felt like there was no need to hide them. I was now waving my curvy curve flag proudly. I started looking at clothes differently. Buying things that were a little out of I my comfort zone because I needed to shake things up. It was a bonus that all the pieces that I bought were under $10! I was also desperate not to lose myself and who I was. It is so hard when you are a mom 100% of the time. I needed the retail therapy as well. I loved that I had all the fun of shopping without any of the guilt of how much I was spending. I think that there is a way to dress for your age, dress for your body type, and not look like a mom. :)

 I am on the road to figuring that out and by reading this blog and being on our site, you are joining me on an awesome journey.

A little bit of my journey:

Pre-Pregnancy:

24 Weeks:

 37 Weeks:

Post Baby:

And (of course) my adorable little man!

3 Ways to Look Better in the Clothes You Already Have

We all want to look good. Sometimes we specifically want to look good without putting in any effort (or at least look like we didn’t put in any effort), but not all of us can afford to replace our entire wardrobe the moment we feel it isn’t working for us. Maybe you can, but I sure as heck can’t. Have you ever had a day wherein you take your regular amount of time getting ready for the the day, look in the mirror and think, yeah, I can work with this, or even, H yeah Barbie! You hot! Go get ‘em tiger! only to later see a candid picture taken of you that very day and mentally scream into the sky, WHYYYYYYY!!!?

If you are having a hard time reconciling the girl in the mirror with the girl in the photographs, here are a few easy ways to make your clothes work.

3. Make sure it actually fits.

It’s always exciting to go for that new top that’s a totally sweet buy and realize that you can get into the medium/small, which is way hotter than your normal large/medium, right?

The only difference between these two pictures is that in the first picture her shirt is too small and her pants are too big and cinched up too high, and in the second they fit. If you are wearing a shirt that is too small, even if you can physically get it onto your body, I guarantee that it is doing all the wrong things for your figure. The shorter length in the body and the sleeves will make your torso look shorter and much wider. Oftentimes, those little blouses will be tight on your chest and just a bit looser on your waist, which will cause it to bunch up; you can imagine what that is doing to your shapely curves. This may mean strategically stretching your sweaters and t-shirts when you wash them. I know that fitting into your favorite high school jeans is a major victory for your New Year’s Goals list, but a smaller size pants will never be worth the consequential muffin top bulge. Your body looks better without it.

As far as larger clothes, I advise you to use your discretion. With the return of the 80’s, giant t-shirts have been widely popular, but make sure that you don’t get something based solely on how cute is was on your mannequin-shaped girl friend. Also, don’t go thinking that you can take just anything several sizes bigger than you are and achieve that same look. I had to learn that one the hard way. You can tell the clothes that were made for that style apart from those that weren’t because a small in the first will be the same size as the xxlg in the latter.

2. Mix up your outfits.

When I was in high school, everyone I knew thought that my wardrobe was completely endless. I had one girl tell me that she was convinced that I never wore the same item twice the whole year.

My secret was that at the start of the year, I decided to see just how long I could go without repeating a single outfit. I managed to go the entire year with my (I swear) totally normally sized and under-priced wardrobe wearing something brand new every day because I decided that if I had worn that top with that bottom with those accessories to school at any point that year, it was off-limits (another contributing factor was that I tended to avoid doing my laundry as long as possible, which forced me to wear those items in the back of the closet that never seemed to make it into my outfits if I had the choice. I recommend wearing your less-loved clothing while still doing laundry regularly). Even if you’re a solid jeans and t-shirt girl and there are only so many combinations you can use before running out, try adding that hat and that scarf. Bam, new outfit.

So try mixing it up. Seriously. It’s like shopping in your closet.

1. Check your posture.

You would be surprised how much difference this simple rule makes. Aside from the fact that a perpetual slouch will eventually lead to your hunchback figure, a slouch will automatically make your stomach develop faux fat rolls. Even the skinniest of girls has had that moment, while resting on the toilet, when she looks down at those extra few folds of skin and thought, what can I stop eating to make these go away?

I’m not saying that you need to start balancing books on your head in your alone time, but if you want just one trick that will immediately give you that appropriately curved rump, a flatter stomach and perkier boobs, then straighten up that back, pull back those shoulders and start staring down the world. Show off that imaginary diamond necklace you’ve been wearing since you turned 13.

Also, I think it’s worth mentioning again that slouching is really bad for your body in the long run. Keeping up that comfortable slouch will gradually cause permanent muscle deterioration and curve your spine, causing a condition called “Kyphosis,” colloquially known as "postural hunchback," which requires a great deal of painful physical therapy to ever overcome. So ask yourself if coming across like Queen Elizabeth II is preferable to coming across like Quasi Motto.

(what you think you look like)

(what you actually look like)

What We're Wearin' Wednesday

Get ready to be excited for Hump Day! (or at least mildly interested...)

Every Wednesday all of our lovely Fashionistas will let you see an outfit they put together and love. You can use these photos for inspiration or just for a good old fashioned, "Gee whiz".

We'll keep all of these delightful assembles here if you want to check them out again sometime :)
(It might be just me today, but next week the others will be joining in!)

Jeannie:

 {Dress: Thrifted}

{Shirt: Gift}

{Watch: Trhifted}

{Boots: Forever Young}

A Wonderful Breakthrough (After a Streak of Bad Karma)

Wonderful things have happened lately! (And I mean wonderful!) And it's about time too.... I was having a streak of rather rotten luck (car in the shop for a few days, several injuries, an incredibly traumatic dentist appointment... I could go on. But I will not depress you).

To be perfectly honest with you, I was beginning to think I had permanently broken my karma. I did not want to be the girl with the perma-bad-karma. It doesn't sound good, it doesn't look good and it certainly doesn't feel good.

Thankfully, I think its on the up and up!

You see, after several weeks of working and writing and thinking and re-thinking I have created a website that is taking off! I love it. It is awesome. Check it out: http://www.thethriftstorefashionista.com/

But that isn't the only good news, I think I have broken though a barrier of thinking that has been holding me back. Lately I have spent a lot of time reading inspirational literature, meditating, writing in my journal and practicing a mind frame of positiveness (apparently "positivity" is not a recognized word, I've been using it for years!). So what has changed?

Quite a lot. I have become a lot more accepting of myself (no where near perfect but a lot better than I was). And Saturday morning something happened. I woke up and wanted to go for a run. This is strange. Usually I have to force myself to go running. But this time I actually wanted to run.

How unusual!

I think the fact that it was sunny and things were blooming outside so invitingly really helped. I am a fair-weather runner. Running in snow is not a good thing. Running in a cold wind is also not a good thing. Running in sunshine? That is an excellent thing (I think getting a good tan is high on my list of motivators when it comes to running...)

But the real, big, awesome, HUGE change? I wanted to run for the fun of it!!!! AH! I wasn't running to feel skinnier or to feel better about myself. I wasn't running so I could eat dessert (I would eat it anyways...). I was running because it gives me this wonderful feeling of accomplishment. Because it made me feel good. Because I really like those happy endorphins.

How wonderful!

Monday rolled around and it happened again! This running for the fun of it thing was catching. And I loved it. And I pushed myself harder than if I was running for weight loss. I pushed myself because I loved the feeling of overcoming my own perceived threshold.

It doesn't get better than that.

So I invite you all to rethink why you exercise. Maybe it'll be easier with the right motivation behind it. It is certainly easier for me!

(This could also be called the post with a lot of parenthetical comments. But, then again, I make a lot of parenthetical comments in every post...)

WELCOME!

What is this exactly? Well, let me tell you.

My whole life I have been shopping at thrift stores, garage sales and clearance isles. People would never guess where my clothes came from, and when they would ask, "Where did you get that adorable top?!" I would shrug and say, "Thrift store."

I never had any brand loyalty. I just liked what I liked and wanted it to look good.

But when people found out where most of my clothes came from they would say things like, "Really? I wish I knew how to shop at thrift stores." Or "I didn't know you could find things like that at a thrift store, you should teach me!"

Little did I know that shopping must be taught. But it must. There are certain rules that must be followed to really make it a good experience.

But that isn't what I am really here to tell you. Nope. My main goal was to create a site where women of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and budgets could come and get inspiration. I wanted a place where women didn't have to feel like they had to fit a mold, but find their own style and be true to who they are. I want each and everyone to feel beautiful. I want each and everyone of you to accept who you are and never feel like you have to change to fit in.

I want you to be you.

So this is a place you can come to for inspiration on different styles, hair, make-up or DIY. Want to learn to Up-Cycle? Great! Let's do it. When we show you something we are wearing/making we are keeping things on the thrifty side. Meaning, we will rarely be showcasing anything we spent over $15.00 on. Of course somethings *cough* jeans and boots *cough* will inevitably be more than that sometimes. But we are really trying to show you that fashion can be affordable!

 Another goal: I want to showcase a smorgasbord of styles and women so that everyone feels like they can relate to someone.

Enter our Resident Fashionistas! I have some wonderful friends and talented women (and men!) involved in creating a wonderful, uplifting, diverse place. Each contributor has a unique style, talent, background and story to share with you. We are all different sizes, and I don't think any of us would really raid the other person's closet all that often. We are unique, and that is something to celebrate!

Our Fashionistas include:

Kimber - our resident artist! She did the absolutely incredible artwork in our header. She has been in on this since the beginning and has offered some incredible insight to me. (This girl is majorly talented and even does commissions!) She has a truly unique sense of style and I know that I am going to be learning a lot from her.

Chelsea - a new mom with a big heart, awesome style and the best outlook on life you've ever seen! She is a bubbly, frank, wonderful woman who is tackling motherhood with joy, persistence and a sense of humor. You'll fall in love with her (and her adorable baby boy) the second you meet her.

Bri - this girl looks like a real life barbie (She is going to kill me for saying that, but it's the truth!) She is one beautiful woman and talented singer. She has a refreshingly positive outlook on life and style, and never fails to reach her goals. She is so confident in who she is that she has always been a big role model for me.

And then there's me. But if you want to learn more about me you can just go here.

We've got some awesome things all ready for you lovely people, including a weekly schedule! Tune in for some Make-Up Mondays, What We're Wearin' Wednesdays, Thrifty Thursdays and some awesome other things in between. Check back often, and if you want to see something let me know.

You can also follow me on Pinterest!

 (Our Facebook page will be ready soon)

Icky Pretzels

It's funny how a simple idea can be all consuming.... You see, I have this awesome idea in the works. It is almost finished and it has been taking up quite a bit of my time. I can't wait to share it with everyone!

But in the meantime I have let my little posts here fall by the wayside. And I have had all sorts of things to talk about! Thinks like the Humane Society and how important animal rescue and adoption is to me.

Things like the miracle that is Caramel and Chocolate.

Things like learning more about myself and pushing my own boundaries to discover what I believe about life, love and "getting by".

Things like my cat's ability to open the kitty treats (coolest thing ever... until she opened them without me noticing and ate pretty much the whole bottle and then threw up later. TMI?)

And things like partially dislocating my shoulder, jamming my foot and spraining my ankle and how frustrating the timing of that was... you know, since it is finally warm enough for me to want to exercise (something about cold weather makes me quite sluggish. I hate the cold).

But did I write about any of them? No. No I did not. So... there is a glimpse of what you would have known had I been more dedicated.

Oh well. Life goes on.

You'll live, right?

So what important topic shall I talk about it? Well I will talk about Pretzels (of course).

You see, I hate them.

Pretzels are awful. They are disgusting. Unless they are covered in caramel and chocolate (wonderful thing caramel and chocolate) I don't want to eat them. They are icky.

I can't explain it. You see, I have a bag of chex mix here at work and I am offering everyone the pretzels (and a few of the other things). And I keep getting some strange looks.... Do you ever wish you could just buy things without a certain ingredient? Like chex mix without pretzels. Or trail mix with extra M&Ms. (Extra marshmallows in your Lucky Charms anyone?!)

Maybe, someday, I will outgrow my aversion to pretzels... until then I will just make my husband eat any that come my way. He is sweet and accommodating that way.