2011? What happened to 07!

My my my.... how time is flying by faster each day!

First of all, I hope everyone had wonderful Christmas weekend!! My Christmas was quite busy between my family gatherings and Brett's family stuff as well! I was nervous going into this Christmas season at first because I have been pretty poor lately. So, instead of buying all sorts of gifts and gift cards this season; I went thrift shopping. I bought a couple dozen mugs, tea, and some chocolate goodies. I put the goodies in the mug and wrapped the mugs in newspaper! It looked pretty neat when I was all done. I need to get use to taking more pictures.. The reference to 07 pertains to the year I graduated High School! In a couple of months I will be getting my Bachelor Degree in Sustainable Business!! AHHHH!!! toot toot! very nice

This would be the first Christmas that I got gift cards for Goodwill... and let me tell YOU..I am ecstatic!! I have been working on my internship portfolio as well at Goodwill. I should be all done in the next day or two! I am also brainstorming a non-profit organization.. I talked to Nick about it and he suggested to write a basic business plan. I will share more details when I get that finished but it is really exciting!! He loved the idea so it makes me eager to work on it! :)

Also to fellow bloggers...people who pass through.. I would like to do a "Share Your Wealth" series.. this will involve sharing secret tricks and treats that you have picked up along your life and share with other people- email me for some collaboration yes?!

Outfit

Cardigan- AE

Floral Tank Top/ One Girls Treasure/ Express $6

Skirt- Salvation Army $3.99

Tights- forever 21

Knee highs- Kohls

Red& White vintage shoes- Salvation Army $4.99

Make the most out of the rest of 2010!!!

Share The Wealth

To avoid yellowing nails- always use a base coat. Nails can turn yellow from using dark nail polish too often!

Living in the moment..

Ah, I can finally say that I am done with the most difficult semester of my college career thus far! I am a strong believer that anything can be accomplished if you put your mind to it..along with surrounding yourself in a positive environment! phhewwww! I'm not working much at all since my main job is on campus and unfortunately for me, Aquinas is closed for most of break! bahum. However, this means I can take the mental break I really...really need. My break started out with a couple surprises from Brett! We went to Robinette's to spend some time outside! We ended up buying some hard apple cider for the Holiday Party we were invited to later that evening and sampling the best cotton candy confetti ice cream! yumm (my favorite flavor)! The next stop was a real treat...even sweeter than the ice cream :) Brett took me to Holistic Health for a full body massage!! Oh. my. heavenly. father. it was amazing! I passed out. I remember waking up to shift over and thinking I drooled all over because, let me just throw it out there.. I am a drooler. Later on we met up with a few friends for dinner at Hopcat, the Holiday Party, and then I rushed on over to Calvin to see my friend Liza before she left for South America! Lucky gal! The rest of my weekend was consumed by sleep, laziness, work, HP 7, and PF Changs. I have a very fond love for PF Changs. I cannot wait for them to build one in Grand Rapids (which is currently in the process)! Oh! I also went thrifting with my dear friend Amanda. I found a vintage Dooney and Bourke purse for $4.99! Amanda ended up stealing my prize for the day...hahaha jk! We were hunting for a new purse for her; I still need a picture of it! I found a shirt and a skirt at Salvation Army.

White Button up- One Girls Treasure $9

Brown Belt- Goodwill

Floral Skirt- Forever 21

Blue Purse- Hand me down from my Aunt! $0

Tights- AE

Brown tie up boots- Target $29

I am in love with the boots I got from Target this year!! I need to take some pictures ( I am working on that!) and show them off! I got a really hot sassy, in my opinion, pair of black tie up boots by Dolce Vita. My friend Amber got the same pair- thats how hot! hahaa I also seen the same brown boots at Aldo and American Eagle for well over $70! psssh no thanks.

Have a wonderful week!

Quick Update

I am just a few days away from a well deserved break!! I am greatly looking forward to being a couch potato, watching way too much SVU, and eating mass amounts of chips and salsa! I will also be finishing up my huge project at Goodwill....good things in store ;) ! Just wanted to share this site to all that are looking for good deals or living on a tight budget:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Grand-Rapids-Tightwad/300072339527

Features daily deals to movies, restaurants, and other fun events!

Take care!

Busy Bee

I took these pictures a few weeks back when Brett and I took a trip up to Traverse city for a weekend get away. It was a well deserved break! We came across a really neat haunted hay ride where we had the best pizza and wine! nommm YUM.

Shirt- $8 One Girls Treasure/ Forever 21

Skirt- $2.50 Goodwill/ The Limited

Knee Highs- Forever 21

Shoes- free from my Aunt!

haha

Of course...along the way I had to bug Brett to stop at a few local thrift shops. I came across this gray Aldo wallet for $6 woot!

Time is flying by and it has been quite the hectic month for me...school, work, internship, having a social life, yikes! I cannot wait to dive into this blog more and develop the projects I have in mind! One of the projects I am brainstorming is called "Share the Wealth" details to come...but I would love some help! -email me!

Pink Cardigan- Goodwill $3.50

Dress- American Eagle $12

Hello!

Bare with me...I am attempting to create/add my own banner and template..if anyone has any tips or suggestions let me know!!

Fall leaves & Sunshine

Ahhhhh feels so good to be on break from school! I was with classes and work this past Friday at 1:45pm. I went right home, ate a french pizza, and met up with my friend Amanda at the Goodwill downtown to do some much anticipated thrifting! I immediately found a long sleeve express shirt my size... right then I knew it was going to be a good shopping trip! I found one thing after another and so on.. I ended up leaving with one shirt, cardigan, a pair of white heels, and a pair of earrings. I had more in my cart initially... I always keep any items I am interested in on hand and decide later if I want them or not! I wasn't planning on taking any pictures yesterday.. it was more of a spur of the moment kind of thing..these are some items I found awhile ago!

I really like this dress for three reasons: 1) It was free because I had a credit from selling close to this shop! 2) the cascading effect, short in the front and long in the back..3) It fits great!

I had such a good weekend! NO HOMEWORK! Caught up with friends each day! I went over to my friend Linda's out in Rockford for a bonfire and finally got to meet her cute puppy! Saturday I went to Brett's friend Josh wedding in Muskegon and later that night went out for my friend Jimmy's birthday. Sunday I relaxed all day and went out to New Holland later in the evening to meet up with some friends, it was a fun time, many laughs!

Vest/Goodwill

Dress/One Girl's Treasure

Earrings/Goodwill

and a random pair of red Tom's...I have a cute pair of silver heels to go with this outfit buuuut I was doing a lot of walking around and decided to throw these on!

I have been brainstorming more ideas for this blog... I am going to work on doing a series of designer looks for less, posts featuring my favorite shops, friends thrift items, what not to buy at thrift shops....and more!

Season of...COLOR!

Man oh man... have I been busy! I am going to feel so accomplished when this semester is OVER! Plus... I will be that much closer to graduation, and earning my undergrad degree. Oh Happy dayssss! I haven't had the change to take pictures or go thrifting nearly as much as I would have liked! Although, I have a bunch of items to play catch up on, along with brainstorming some post ideas! I have fall break coming up..one.full. week. OFF. no work.. no nothing..yet, HA! I do plan on diving into my internship work at Goodwill since I have not been able to do so since school has been so hectic! My break week will also consist of some, wait who am I kidding...a good amount of thrifting, and outdoorsy adventures! I got this one piece polka dot at Goodwill over the summer for $4! It's a bit big on me.. but, there is a belt which takes care of that problem! So I was more than excited to purchase it! I will make sure to take more pictures very soon!

Cheap flats and a giraffe!

Ahhhh! I've been so incredibly busy... taking 20 credits to finish out my last year is definitely taking it's toll on me! So lately it's just been a whole lot of school and homework, lames. I went around downtown last night with my friend Amanda to check out a little of ArtPrize! It is a-maaaaazing! I feel so lucky to live in Grand Rapids! While we were downtown we stopped at Goodwill to check out an ArtPrize piece.. I unfortunately didnt have my camera with me. Anyway, it was a neat piece and I also found a few finds myself, yaaay!! I got two pairs of shoes, a pencil skirt, and a belt. I am also looking forward to this weekend, a friends birthday party, AQ Homecoming, and of course.. homework. Thrift theme this week: Always take a second, third, and eighth look! As in, always take a thorough look at what you buy. There may be a permanent stain, snag, hole, etc.... and I personally know how much of a bummer it is to get home and notice something wrong with the item you bought. The good thing is that many of these things are fixable! Take a look and determine if it is something you can fix or not to determine if you want to purchase the item!

Tanktop- Platos Closet, brand: Express, $7

Cardigan- AE $14

Necklace- Goodwill $.73 cents

Belt- Goodwill $1

Skirt- Salvation Army, Brand: Gap $2

Tights: Forever 21

Flats- Urban Exchange, Brand: Candies $5.30

Goodwill & Accessories!

If you don't already know, I am a Sustainability Intern at Goodwill Industries of Greater Grand Rapids! I could not picture a better opportunity to utilize my sustainable business education. I truly feel lucky for this experience! I landed this internship in two ways I think... first being, I was really the only one that made consistent contact and second being a line of a friend of a friend. My boyfriend, Brett's good friend is married to the cousin of my manager, so there's a bit of a history there, luckily! So it was nice to do the initial tour with Brett and meeting someone who he was familiar with. Thus far, I have learned a lot and also thrifted a looooot. I figured it would be nice to showcase some of my recent finds at Goodwill! I have been to every Goodwill located in the Grand Rapids area, and even in other states! Going ''thrifting'' is ideal for anyone who loves shopping and also likes to take their time. I think it is important to allocate enough time to visit secondhand shops. Going to the mall is different too me... it's like you see all the same items from one store to another. I find myself zipping in and out of stores compared to when I secondhand shop. It is different because each item is unique at secondhand shops and their usually not too organized. I'm not saying you shouldn't go thrifting if you only have 15-30mins... I do that all the time! But, ideally, it is nice to allocate a good amount of time so that you may look at EVERYTHING! I find most of my items in such odd spots of the store! If your looking for accessories to tie an outfit together or to complete a room, thrift shops are perfect! From finding a belt, purse to picture frames and end tables... thrift shops are where it's at to save the Benjamin's! The main driver of going on a accessory hunt are: moving into a new place, redecorating, and new clothing (in my opinion). The first thing I want to do when I move into a new place is to make it cute, who doesn't?! It is common to take that trip out to Target or Walmart to get those key items for cheap. Which is silly in a way... don't spend more than you have to (unless there is absolutely no other alternative)! How about this option, grab some friends, go thrifting, and eat a yummy lunch! it's not only more enjoyable, it is also better for your local economy! Patronizing your local shops improves your community, it's a known fact. It is also nice to build relationships with the stores you frequent to make that thrift experience even better! Enough with my rambling... here are some items: woot!

I love this stand, the details and it's bronze color. Eventually.. I am going to get a plastic crate and put plants on this stand.

$2

I use this stand to put spare blankets on, it will definitely be useful for the winter!

$ .50 cents

Red over the shoulder purse

$4

Black&Gold pleated OTS purse

$ .33 cents

Awesome find! This is the purse I am using now... It is a Coach leather purse!

$ .33 cents

My new favorite heels!!

$4

Black w/ gold studs

Black shelf

$ .50 cents

Black&White rug

$1.50

As you can see... you can find some super cheap bargains at secondhand shops! So get out there and go thrifting! You can also find some sweet bargains on Value chic's blog! http://valuechic.blogspot.com/ It is done by two girls named Courtney & Amber. Check it out!

=)

Hair Model for the night

My friend Amanda, who I have known since recess days way back when, came over last night to do my hair! She recently finished up a cosmetology degree from Douglas J Aveda (looove) and she is working on a hair portfolio. She's been wanting to do my hair since it is sooo long and thick. Confession time, I have a ton of hair...it's ridiculous sometimes! It is comparable to the thickness of horse hair... but very healthy! I rarely wear my hair up because it is so heavy and it gives me a headache to have it up in a bun, polytail, and the likes... So i just wanted to make a quick post to display her work of art! Apologies in advance for the order of the pictures.. for some odd reason it's not letting me rearrange them!

the beginning.. ahha

These are all taken by Amanda on my balcony!