Rummage Sale Nirvana

Today was the annual St. Peter's Episcopal Church rummage sale and...well... "WOOHOO"! I had to be up a little early to drop my son off to take the SAT's. ***An aside from an educator and a mother: why do they schedule the most important test of a high school student's "career" at 7 a.m.? Is there some valid reason the tests can't be given a few hours later when the kids are actually awake enough to think? Back to the rummage sale: I arrived at 8:50, knowing the doors wouldn't budge until exactly 9:00 a.m., and managed to snag a respectable fifth place in line. I exited the church 27 minutes later, my arms laden with treasures and my wallet a paltry $20 lighter ($5 of which was my donation to the church as "penance" for the amazing "steals" I acquired).
Hubby is not an early riser on weekends, so he didn't accompany me on the first part of my shopping spree. The finale of this particular rummage sale is not to be missed, so John was ready & rarin' to go when we headed back to the church at noon for one hour of heavenly shove-everything-you-can-in-a-shopping-bag for $5 per bag. An hour later we bid a final adieu to St. Peter's and loaded our 6 bags into the back of my car. My favorite part: spreading everything out on the dining room table so I can absorb the full picture of the day's thrifting. There is something infinitely more satisfying about spending $50 for all of these goodies than there is filling my tank with gas. Agreed?

***Not pictured: 2 huge bags of fabric/ quilting squares, 2 pairs of curtains that match our bedroom decor perfectly (freshly washed & drying outside on the pool fence), 4 wool sweaters for hubby (washed and drying in the laundry room) and 2 full loads of "new" clothes (one in the washer & one in the dryer).

Seven baskets & a large batch of gorgeous dyed mohair

Six boxes of hand-dipped, "flower tapers" candles & eight boxes of "slim" candles

Fleece, felt & quilting squares

Brand new Ann Taylor patent leather wedge sandals, Softt clogs (one of my favorite brands) and 4 beautiful leather belts (in a cute tin container)

My FAVORITE find of the day: 4 pairs of vintage gloves in a sweet flowered box

Why Didn't I Think of That?

While I don't harbor any resentments against folks who make a gazillion $ inventing/ creating something ingenious, these shoes have me a little irked. Given my love of fashion and my outside-the-box thinking, I'm fairly certain I would have thought of something like this.....if some other early bird didn't already snatch my worm. That analogy didn't quite work, did it? Ah well...stick with me friends...I'll try to get back on track.
The concept behind this shoe design is simply brilliant. They're called "Onesole: Many Mates". The shoes I have are a wedge (the only heels I can walk safely in), but they come in various styles. You can buy different tops that are interchangeable. They have a huge selection of tops and they just snap on/ off. I bought these toward the end of last summer and wore them all the time...so comfortable and absolutely adorable! Why didn't I think of that???

Bills, Bills & More Bills

I am, normally, so excited to cozy down in front of my computer when I am beginning a new post. Not so much this time! I'll try to make this as quick and painless, for myself, as possible. As I have mentioned, repeatedly, the vet bills to get Gretel fixed are through the roof. Obviously, I hadn't planned well for this kind of (near) catastrophe. Being unemployed is a mixed blessing right now: I'm able to be home with my pup while she heals, but that doesn't do much in the way of covering her medical costs. Like so many others who are in similar positions, I have been actively looking for employment and am hopeful that something will work out. In the meantime, I have realized just how much "stuff" I have that I neither use or need. If the vet accepted Prada shoes, as payment, I'd be all set :-) I spent quite a bit of time listing on ebay today and ask, humbly, that you take a moment to peruse my goodies. I know how tight budgets are right now, but I have some fabulous jewelry "up" right now. The watch, for example, was informally appraised, by my jeweler, for $2,500-$3,000. All of my listings are "Buy it Now" with a best offer option. I have been selling, on ebay, for years and have found that format works well for those buyers who are impatient (like me), but still enjoy the negotiating/ auction feel of a sale. I would be a lousy car salesman as I find this kind of self-promotion excruciation!
***I just realized that this is my 97th posting. Until I come up with a fabulous give-away for my 100th (I know I don't have to do a give-away, but it's such a great way to celebrate), I'll keep adding a "P.S." to various posts. Is that cheating? I also wonder if I'm breaking some sort of blog record, with close to 100 posts in...what has it been...3-4 months!?

Hat & Shoes

I'm already laughing at my own lack of originality with the title of this posting. Lately I've been really into "Victorianizing" (is that possibly a bona fide term for something????) hats & accessories. One of my older posts shows my embellished baseball caps, but I branched out, a few months ago, with wide brim hats. The owner of the boutique at which I used to work, a classically beautiful British woman (think Audrey Hepburn with a little more "sass"), always wore the most fabulous hats...always! They were her signature and customers would scarcely recognize her on the rare occasion she went bareheaded. Ladies who wear hats...and wear them well...are a dying breed, unfortunately. Even the most simple outfit is instantly transformed when topped off with a chic chapeau! Here are a few that I made. I found all three in the clearance section of Burlington Coat Factory (for under $10 each) and added ribbons, lace, millinery flowers & feathers. Such fun & they look great perched atop my windows when not in use. The ballet flats were a project I also did several months ago, when I needed to doll-up for a (rare) grown-up event. Since I topple over in heels, these were done more out of necessity than anything else, but I was pleased with the result. I've since worn them with jeans & a simple black top for a touch of bling!