Good Buy/Goodbye Winter Coats

It's halfway through the month (what?!) and time for an episode of Shelbee and Nancy's Good Buy/Good Bye Book. The theme this month is Winter Coats.

First, my submission, a favorite:

 See how I wore it in 2014

I have WAY too many winter coats.
Did a culling in 2023 and now they're in my Poshmark shop.

Sad to see that camel color/leopard trim one go. Can no longer wedge my arms into it.

That scarf is on Poshmark too!

Linking with
Shelbee's On the Edge

Pockets, Pockets, Pockets

 Shelbee and Nancy had a Good Buy/ Goodbye theme of "Combat Pants" this past month and I totally missed the boat.

Because she said COMBAT PANTS! There are CARGO pants and there are Safari tops with lots of Cargo Pockets and Cargo Pockets on Combat Pants, and, well, it's all about the pockets! Is it just Fashion copy writers rebranding Cargo things Combat things? Because everything old becomes "new" with a different name? OK, OK, I'll stop being BOMBastic (haha).

A print that I made in 1999 of our group that went on safari in Tanzania, Fall 1998

I DO have a safari shirt, with very cool details:

(which can't be seen in this photo)

The brand is Saint Germain, it's made of washed silk, has velcro for shoulder pads, and all that screams 1988 to me.

I bought this secondhand in Providence, RI.

It's cool, but not my thing.

It's now on Poshmark and can be yours!

Linking up with...

Shelbee on the Edge

Crazy Legs and Torture Clogs

 It started with a call from Shelbee and Nancy for their Good Buy/Goodbye Book with the theme Easter Egg Colors (link).

This is the photo that I submitted, from 2013

original post

Here's what I wrote:

This outfit is a 50/50 split.

The bright 60's shirt and shift are definite keepers. And Great Buys -- the shirt was free, from a friend, and the shift was secondhand for $25.

The pastel tights were a disappointment (in 2013). This is my own artwork, and I used a company that required a printing of 6 pairs. They came out WAY too pastel for me. I managed to resell 4 pairs, and the remaining two I will upcycle into "yarn".

The Mary Jane clogs were a super bad buy (in 2012). I call them torture clogs, they are too small and make my feet numb after about an hour. Why do we do this to ourselves?

The clogs are now for sale on Poshmark:

buy them here [US only, must be Poshmark member]

And the tights?

Let the repurposing begin!

I'm cutting on the length grain.

Cross cutting would give me a longer strand, but it curls with the (paler) inside on the outside.

What will I do with the yarn? TBD!

Linking up with

Shelbee's On the Edge

Michelle's Potpourri

Rena's Fine-Whatever

#SecondHandSeptember Make Money from Secondhand

I have several friends who sell vintage items on Etsy for a living, others who do carboot or flea/antique markets.
I'll be featuring them on Day 30, Thrifty Friends.

Me, I sell my stuff on Poshmark.

I find it easier. For one thing, Poshmark deals with the postage, and sends a pre-paid shipping label. I recently did a private transaction with Patti (waiting to see her styling!) and the postage cost more than I thought it'd be. Oh USPS, sigh.

I don't make gobs of $$$ on Poshmark, I'm not about to quit the day job! I do amass a little bank, and then I use it to shop buy clogs. They DO take 20% commission, AFTER you've made the sale. Your listings are limitless.
Unfortunately, Poshmark is only available in the US and Canada, and only within each country (it's a customs/postage thing). Email them to get your country added!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Summertime Goals

I was linking up old Summer-themed posts to this month's Link Party (see below to add yours) and a few of the posts that came up were a Summer Goals link up from two years ago (it went on all summer. Here's the August  2017 wrap-up post). What's kind of eerie is these copy/pasted goals (in green) work equally well for me now (with only one item deleted that is no longer viable and some new additional Daily Goals).
Is that good or bad?

Motivation:
Me in the shirt dress, Severo's 50th birthday surprise party, 9/2005 . Sold on Poshmark 31 hours after listing, 6/2019

Daily Goals (new):
Do a Daily Drawing.
Create a new Waterlogue from old road trip photos.
Post a piece of art on Saatchi Art.

Weekly Goals:
Sew and/or repair at least one garment.
List at least one garment item on Poshmark
Upload new art to Redbubble.
Sew one patch onto Crazy Quilt (new).

Summer Goals:
Get taxes done.
DeClutter the living room (again).
Get sewing machine repaired. (how many years has this been broken now?)

Do you have any sort of "To Do" list for Summer? Or maybe a "Honey Do" list?
I'll report back at the end of the month, progress or not.

Get out your summertime gear and get linking!
(not just outfits -- anything summery is encouraged)

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

I Pity the [April] Fool, April 2019 Linkup

Last year, while corralling links for my 2014 road trip journal, I came across this April Fool's Mr T linkup from 2014.

One of the many Mr T images/things that I found in 2014.
Click here to see more! Totally worth it! 

For April 2019, instead of dressing like Mr T, let's reveal and linkup some foolish things that we've done in the past (or currently, you fool, you).
I certainly have a few, how about you?

The gallery of foolish Poshmark purchases, shoe division.
What is it with the brown shoes, Anne? [only the Keds remain unsold -- yay]

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Linking this up with
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Catherine's #shareAllLinkup

Blogger Meetup at Poshmark Live LA

On Thursday, March 22, I met up with Rena of Fine-Whatever.
We attended the Poshmark Live party at the SLS Hotel. It was a low admission fee ($10) and we went hoping to learn some new tips for selling out of our Poshmark Closets.

Small bites were offered on trays, we made a toast with these guacamole-filled trumpets:

There was going to be a pep talk with Poshmark's founder, Manish Chandra, in one of the ballrooms.
I planted myself in a chair (still freshly gimpy from my vacation fall) and passed the time sketching.

Most of my muses are in the blurry background!

[photo by Rena]

The talk was very, um, peppy. (Yes, I'm a jaded ex-corporate worker bee).
Was it worth it? Well, I guess it was worth $10.

Spending time chatting with Rena was, of course, priceless.
We both admitted guilt of impulse buying off the site -- there are flash sales that encourage this sort of thing.
Here are some of my failures (mostly fit issues) that I'm now reselling:

Don't ask about the Brown Shoe Obsession. I have no explanation for you!

It's not all bad buys, I HAVE found some great items on Poshmark --
shoes (Fluevogs even), scarves, Lularoe items.

Links to our Closets (sorry, US purchasers only) (you may have to sign up to see items):
I sell lots of weird vintage garments and accessories, many that I got from friend Larry's stash.
I also have a boatload of earrings and necklaces yet to list that I made in the '80s, from vintage glass beads.
Rena's Closet (Finewhatev) is more practical (like Rena herself!).

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.

Are you on Poshmark? Leave your Closet Name in the comments!

Summer Fun: August Update

It's time to check in with my goals for the summer.
How am I doing?
Um...

Weekly Goals:

Sew and/or repair at least one garment. 3/4
I went to a Mending Workshop, which got the needle (slowly) moving.

7/23 Chaotic Stitching at CAFAM

7/25 sewed a button on, got shirt all bloody.
[Shout out to +Suzanne Carillo for recommending OXO Brite to remove the stains]

8/12 stitching up side seams on my Ketzali Ruana at Lisa and Tim's.
This was item #1 for my Meet and Mend event in Seattle, which didn't happen.

List at least one garment on Poshmark 6/4

Vintage Asian Print Top

High Top Sneaker Print Socks

Dr Scholl's Silver Fast Flats

Kashi Kicks Pattern Mix Sneakers

90's Stretch Corduroy Swim Shorts

Vintage Mexican Handwoven Belt

and one on Trendlistr [if I can ever get back into the site, that is].
Officially putting that on the back burner for now.

Upload new art to Redbubble. 3/4

ABC-123

Quilted Clouds

Fluevog Enthusiast Black/Pink

Summer Goals:

Get taxes done.
Made minor progress, had to file state sales tax return which required adding up gross business receipts.

DeClutter the living room.
Sorted both Repair Mountain and the Resale Foothills thematically.
It's a tiny bit better, though still colossal.
The current state of the clutter magnet coffee table:

Laser-eye Lou says: You will do my bidding and feed me more treats.

Get sewing machine repaired.
Not yet.

Here are progress reports from fellow Summer Challenge participants:

An InLinkz Link-up

What to Mend When I Meet?

Remember the Meet and Mend, happening in Seattle, Friday August 11, 2-4?
Today I'm packing for the trip, and I need to decide what mending project(s) to take.
This is clearly #1:

Isn't it lovely?
It has a built-in embroidered "necklace"!
Made in Guatemala for the brand Ketzali.

Right now, it's a ruana -- not sewn up the sides! Easy fix!
(I purchased it on Poshmark with full knowledge of my required sewing).

I did a quick photoshoot with other potential mendees...

This I got on Etsy and it was in worse condition than described.

The 10.5" armholes weren't mentioned by the seller -- that size opening only makes it half-way up my right forearm!
(I don't know why some openings on huipils are created for miniature people. I've had this issue before with both armholes and necklines, no it doesn't irritate me too much).
The yarn (barely) holding it together and decorating the neckline and armholes is a fuzzy acrylic.
NOT a fiber I want against my skin in the summer.

Mending verdict? Too much work for this meet-up!

Next is a "scarf" that I got in Marfa, made by Dosa:

It was on sale, and the least expensive Dosa item in the shop, Teinda M [store closed].

Later, in a calmer, non-shopper-frenzy moment, I pulled it out to wrap around my neck.

"This looks like a tea towel."

Indeed, it IS a towel, of sorts (link).

I love the colors, the cotton fabric is light and soft, BUT, it's just a little too short to wear as a tunic with only leggings.

Mending verdict? Back to the drawing board!

The fourth item is not a garment, it's fabric that I had covering my couch.

I found more of the same in my fabric stash, and have already basted on an extremely large patch.
I'd like to stitch it with colored stripes, like the Indian scarf (on right in photo) that I got at the Fowler last April.
Mending verdict? Take. We're now using a conference room for our Meet and Mend location. That means there will be a large table! I also might be able to work on this during the drive up to Seattle. Not sure if mending while passengering will make me car sick, so that's TBD.

Now I need to find my bag of embroidery floss! ARGH!

The details on the event:
Seattle Meet and Mend

When: Friday, August 11, 2-4pm

Where: VENUE CHANGED! 2720 3rd Ave, Seattle 98121 (Big THANKS to Sherry!)

             NOTE: this is a secured building, and one of us will need to let you in.

Bring: Clothing that needs repair.  ErnieK is bringing "tubs" of notions. 

           Hate sewing? Bring yourself -- we'd love to have you join the conversation!

Cost: FREE!

Hope to see you there! 

If you intend to attend, please let me know in the comments below so that I can trade digits with you for texting, in case one of us is not in the lobby to let you in!

Linking this up with
Patti's Visible Monday

Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

Summer Fun: July Update

So about that list I posted June 21st:

Weekly Goals: 

Sew and/or repair at least one garment. 1/4 [1 = item count, 4 = weeks]

My Redbubble #dailytruck dress was uncomfortable at the armholes -- it was finished with bias tape.

[Probably should have gone up another size].

I cut off the binding, overlocked the edges, then turned it under and hand sewed.

Repair made so could wear dress at art reception. 
Garment fixes for specific events usually happen, unlike all the other repairs lurking in Repair Mountain.

List at least one garment on Poshmark 5/4 [links go to items for sale. You need to sign up to see content]

Severo's Jeans

Vintage Jantzen Swim Trunks

Dotty Keds (so sad they don't fit)

Stripy Keds (I'm so over my brief sneaker insanity) 

Vintage Carpenter Shorts (how can the 90s be twenty years ago? How?)

and one on Trendlistr [if I can ever get back into the site, that is]. NOPE, didn't even try.

Upload new art to Redbubble. 1/4
Not any of the Fluevog prints, sad to say (that was my goal).
However, used Redbubble for my #dailytruck x 313 wall hanging and wanted a matching dress for the reception! (As mentioned above).

Summer Goals:

Get taxes done. NOT YET STARTED

DeClutter the living room (again). STARTED. 
Was looking for art (not yet found) and the 52 Blogger book (found). In addition, Mr Lou barfed on the table, which "inspired" me to clear it off FAST.

"I got her to get stuff off the table. I will now nap."

Get sewing machine repaired. NOT YET

Funny how going over a list like this inspires some last minute chore activity!
How are your summer projects going?
Here are progress reports from fellow Summer Challenge participants:

An InLinkz Link-up

52 Pick-me-up: Amethyst / Forgiveness / Belonging

••• 

The 52 Pick-me-up prompts this week are: Amethyst / Forgiveness / Belonging 

I've been on an 80's nostalgia kick, triggered by seeing a performance by Stan Ridgway (Wall of Voodoo).
All week, Stan and WoV have been my soundtrack. 

We'll start today's post with an outfit including orange and Amethyst striped leggings from Tweeds. 

Linking up with Patti's Visible Monday.
Can't overlook me in this outfit!
[5/9] also linking with Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike

Anyone remember Tweeds? It was an early "cool" mail-order company (vs. preppy L.L. Bean's, Land's End, etc).
I got these leggings in 1988 or 89. Hey! They're Vintage!
(Enid called them "antique". Enid is a brat.)

Here's a closer look, to get the full glory of the lower half of the pattern smash:

Turquoise laces c/o the nice girl at Fluevog on Abbot Kinney.
Pink/turquoise Keds snagged on Poshmark -- I love Poshmark!!!!

Amethyst-the-gemstone also gets the spotlight today.

I had amethysts in my wedding ring (HAD being the operative word -- the first cracked on day 2 of my honeymoon. Yes, it was an omen, I should have paid attention). I designed the ring and I wish the silversmith friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend who made it had told me it was a bad design (he might have tried, can't remember). ALL the Amethysts are long gone (as is the wasbund). The silversmith also made a keeper ring that I now wear in my pinky.

Here are: the retired wedding ring, 

a new Amethyst stacking ring (again from Poshmark),
the keeper ring (it's a keeper!),
Spanish St. Lucy postcard,
additional artifacts from the DEF wasbund era in a Mexican matchbox.

I don't remember WHY I chose Amethysts for my wedding ring. I didn't research its spiritual qualities, I went with intuition. Which brings us to one of this week's emotional words: Forgiveness. I'm still working on that one re the wasbund.
Maybe when I'm 64?

Amethyst / Forgiveness / Belonging -- link and tell! (Anything purple)