#SecondHandSeptember Thrifty Friends

It's the last day of #SecondHandSeptember and certainly not the last day of shopping second hand first!
Today, I'm featuring a few thrifty friends who linked up over the month and provided me with quotes.

Amber, of The Hungry Mountaineer:

It just breaks my heart to think of landfills full of discarded Forever 21 leggings and crop tops. Recycled shopping has become a part of my life in the past two years and I will never pay a hundred dollars for trendy jeans from Nordstrom again when I can be a much more sustainable shopper and purchase them gently used from my favorite thrift store. Recycled fashion has changed my life and my closet since I have embraced limiting my carbon footprint.

That's why I brag to everyone I know, "Love this jacket? I bought it second hand at my favorite thrift shop!" Friends tell me my boots are so cute and I tell them "You too can buy awesome boots from the Goodwill and refurbish them at home! It's easy, it's crafty, it's upcycling!" With a bit of effort it's easy to be fashionably cute and help keep this planet just a little bit greener for the next generation.

Amber wrote a great post about ways to be a sustainable hiker.
I highly recommend clicking over there if you hike and/or camp!

Shellbee, of Shelbee On the Edge:

Yes, of course, shopping second hand is a huge one! ... If we donate or sell second hand, we should also be shopping at those places, too. I honestly get a little sick when I think about how much perfectly good clothing ends up just dumped. I saw so much go out of the consignment shop when I worked there, clothes with tags still on. What we couldn’t sell, we would donate to churches and charity shops and when I would drop off there, I was amazed at how much they had back logged that they couldn’t even fit on the sales floor. It really is a sad state of affairs. And there are places in my local community, like the children’s home, that won’t even accept donations. I ran out of places to donate to.

Monica of Señora Allnut:

Shopping second hand is not only good for the environment, it's also good for me, for my budget, for my self expression and creativity!. Actually, I'm being selfish!

And there you have it! One more day to link up your second hand something!

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Linking up with
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness

#SecondHandSeptember This Week's Thrifty Find

I wore this week's Fluevog thrifty find, the Evers, on Friday.
Maybe I'll wear them today too.
We're having a welcome "cold spell" (SoCal version, 70F).

Another eBay score.
I admired these when they were still available from Fluevog.
Pounced on them when they came up in my "Fluevog 7.5" watchlist. $299 retail/ $60 used.

The socks are new, by K. Bell. Purchased at The Sock Man, NYC.

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Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday

#SecondHandSeptember £10/ $10 Charity Shop Challenge

Ah, here we go again. $10 not spent thrift shopping.

In fact, I FOUND $10 while cleaning up the living room to make room for the flat files.
$10 from my sister! Thanks, Laura!

And, when you think about it, money is usually second hand. I mean the physical bills and coins. How rare to get a crisp, clean paper bill from the bank. (Who still goes to the bank these days?)

That's my $10 tangent for today.
Enjoy the weekend!

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#SecondHandSeptember Kitchenware

Behold one of my oldest second hand kitchenware items:

I got it in 1976 at a thrift store that was on the northwest corner of Colorado and Fair Oaks in Pasadena.
Before Old Town happened.

I also have a collection of "weird old kitchen things".

This item I got in Clayton, Georgia. I know it's supposed to squish something, but what?
I tried a lemon wedge in there, it didn't go well.

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#SecondHandSeptember Accessories

Let's talk scarves. Scarves always fit.

Well, most of the time anyway.

I got this one "dumpster diving" at Otis Fashion.
I'm sure it was a rejected experiment from the Textile Class, the fabric dying lesson.

It barely fits around my neck.
I like the funny faces and I'm keeping it.
Thanks, unknown Otis Fashion student!

Let's look at the wall of scarves behind me:

Which ones are second hand?

All of these!

In 2015 I did a month-long blog challenge where my fake persona Enid catalogued some of my scarves.
Here's the link.

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#SecondHandSeptember Charity Shop of the Week

Calling all treasure seekers!

One more visit to a shop of second hand wonders!
Again, it's in Providence:
Nostalgia, at 236 Wickenden St.

In 2016, I shopped with my camera:

Which items did I buy?

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#SecondHandSeptember Secondhand Party Clothes

Let's take a trip down memory lane to Russ and Anita's Movie Nites of the past.
A fun party that includes a movie! And dressing up in costumes shopped from my closet!

2019: Paradise, Hawaiian Style with Elvis [links go to OG blog posts]

[photo swiped from Anita's FB]
On Severo: Second hand tiki mask shirt
On me: '74 Matadors muumuu [informative link]

2015: Straight-Jacket with Joan Crawford [no blog post]

Me: repurposed hospital wristbands from 2010-11 chemo infusions
Stephan, who does the amazing sets in the pool cabana, such as this one

2015: Double Indemnity

Severo: used German suit from Amsterdam flea market, vintage tie
Me: 1940's rayon dress from Larry

You can see how Stephan totally transforms the cabana. Same space as above photo!

2013: Mildred Pierce with Joan Crawford

On Severo: second hand sport coat
On me: gauzy shirt and plaid sheath from Larry, head scarf a gift from a former student

2012: Singin' in the Rain [link to preliminary design post]

Topper: repurposed used sari

I never buy new for Anita's dress up parties.
I can always find something in my closet (or in refurbish mountain).

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#SecondHandSeptember Tips for Reselling

Let's hear from an expert Etsy seller, Suzanne Carillo.
Her shop is Vintage by Suzanne

These are my tips to reselling...

• Take the best photos possible in natural light.

• I clean and or iron/steam all of my items for sale so they photograph well.

• Take multiple photos, close up, all sides, and full length on a mannequin or model so they can see what it looks like on a body and not just a hanger.

• Give accurate complete measurements.

• State brand/label and where it was made.

• State fabric contents so they know how to clean it.

• Show satisfied customer comments. It proves you are trustworthy.

• Ship as soon as possible. If there is going to be a delay in shipping let you customer know.

• Stay in communication with your buyers. Let them know what's going on, when the item's shipped and if it has a tracking number.

• Disclose and photograph any issues with the item, stains, holes etc. People don't want to be taken by surprise. This includes bad smells.

• Consider sending a handwritten note with the order. People appreciate it when you show you care.

• I try to consider what I expect when I shop for vintage/used clothing and then provide it for my customers.

Thanks for those great tips, Suzanne!

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#SecondHandSeptember This Week's Thrifty Find

And what is this week's second hand Fluevog? It's one that I didn't buy!

Here is the listing on eBay (link):

Yes, I have remained on the Fluevog 7.5 watchlist. This beauty came up on Wednesday morning.

I liked this but wasn't entirely sure. My "western style" mules don't get worn that often.
I made a counter offer, and the seller countered back.
I was this close to hitting Buy It Now

and then

I thought to check the Fluevog site to see what they originally sold for.
And guess what?
NEW ONES are currently in stock and ON SALE for $119.!!!!!!

I know this is not in the spirit of #SecondHandSeptember, of buying only second hand, but hey, with shoes, new IS better than used, if possible. Sorry, not sorry.

So far, I've done no buying of these at all. The heel height is a little beyond my comfort zone and I need to go to my local Fluevog shop and try them on, or try on a cousin in the same family.
Such as:

(insert drool emoji) (fortunately for my pocketbook, unavailable in my size) (unless I require an 8)

So the "thrifty" find this week is in the sense of saving money thrifty, not thrift store thrifty, and learning the lesson of "research the Fluevogs before spending over $100 on used"

Lastly, here's a link to an older post, regarding a previous western style mule thrift store find that was perhaps my most thriftiest find ever!

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#SecondHandSeptember Household items

Originally "homewear" in the prompt, I'm figuring today's second hand items are appliances, furniture, rugs, etc. (Kitchenware is on 9/27).
I already showed you about our (literally) massive collection of used washers and dryers.
We also got our fridge off Craigslist!
[I will add a photo when I find one. Later.]

Just last week, a friend was clearing out space in her apartment and she gave me her flat files.
I can fit all the larger unframed artworks in these. They are currently stacked on top of the metal flat files also shown in the above link.

Yet another corner of the living room gets cleaned up. Yay!
That lasted about two hours.

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#SecondHandSeptember Vintage Clothing

I'm lucky to live in Los Angeles, I have one of the best vintage clothing boutiques within (not too painful) driving distance: The Way We Wore, 334 S. La Brea Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90036 Instagram link

The Smithsonian Channel aired two seasons about the shop in 2013 and 2015.
In 2015, I sketched from the second season. Below are links to each post:

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The Way We Wore YouTube channel!

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#SecondHandSeptember Antiques

Antiques. The family china that you inherited. The stuff "they" say millennials don't want to deal with when you're gone.
Concerned that the Bray china will be tossed, I Facebooked an image to my nieces:

Ashley says she wants it, next challenge is getting it to her, since she's on the opposite side of the country!

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#SecondHandSeptember Charity Shop of the Week

I'm returning to Providence again this week (it's a town where I allow myself to shop), to feature Foreign Affair Warehouse.

Brook Street location in 2014. Since closed.

Yelp says "CLOSED". Google says "Thayer Street". Must investigate further.
Very much closed. Sigh.

In April 2014, I was lured by the orange and purple stripes on the outside sale rack:

The stripe dress was too small, but I found some other treasures.

This corduroy jacket, lined with quilted nylon, quickly became an indispensable part of my outerwear:

Wearing it in Providence.

It's the perfect weight for what passes for winter in SoCal.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by anne m bray (@annembray) on Feb 6, 2019 at 1:11pm PST

Wearing it last February

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#SecondHandSeptember Books

Oooooh! I love books!
The used book store -- yet another type of shop I avoid in order to save money.
So many good books, so little time!

Locally, I find the Little Free Library very handy.

The one I walk by when I go to the Mar Vista Farmer's Market

Individuals register and set up the boxes on their property with a "give one, take one" model.

Latest batch that I gave.

What I took.

I found this on their site:

Join Us for Give A Good Read Week September 16 – 22

As part of our 10th Anniversary Celebration, we’ve partnered with our friends at Goodreads for a global book-sharing event starting Monday! To participate, visit a Little Free Library book-sharing box, share your latest good read, then snap a photo and post it social with #LFL10 and #GiveAGoodRead. Learn more about Give A Good Read Week.

My latest good read:

Here's a MAP LINK to find a Little Free Library near you.

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#SecondHandSeptember $10 Charity Shop Challenge, or not.

Ha. I'd say the challenge is restricting my shopping to $10.
In addition, it's Sunday and are any shops open?

I think I'll take my $10 and go get veggies at the Farmer's Market instead.

Dill, Basil, Garlic, Italian Parsley, Cilantro, 5 Jujubes all for $9.

Did I buy some of these beauties?

No! I've got a cherry tomato situation at home!

Second hand tomato plants in fact, volunteer plants from M's garden!
They are draped over a second hand disassembled dog crate left behind by Karen.
The wimpy tomato cages couldn't support them.

I pick a few every morning, enough for my daily work-week sandwich.

Also gracing my sandwiches is this volunteer arugula in another area of the back yard.

It popped up in the aftermath of moving some trees. Not planted!
Note the new crop of seedlings in the foreground. Not planted!

This cilantro I DID plant, from volunteer cilantro that bolted and went to seed earlier in the summer.

Yum.

Do you have second hand items (volunteers, cuttings or seeds from friends, etc) in your garden?

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