new acquisitions

Ok, this post is kind of a hodge-podge, but it sums up pretty much all of my free time (read: everything I've been buying and/or obsessing over) for the past month.


New thrifted wall art.

I keep thinking about moving to a new place and how fun it's going to be to decorate! [The house I'm thinking of renting probably won't be ready until after June, but I'm still excited.] I've been collecting this stuff, like many of you, for so long that my taste has changed...a lot. When I move I'll probably have to weed out a bunch of stuff that just isn't working for me anymore.


Case in point: my pitiful bedroom wall display. Definitely staying- Elsie painting!! Probably going- "Boston Fern" (and rhino head, since Mark is claiming him).
[I actually took this pic with my phone because I thought it was hilarious that every single thing was crooked.]



Found this vintage dress during our traditional "Sunday breakfast at Anton's, flea-marketing at Charlie's" today. I love the fabric (floral cotton, my weakness!), the belt, and the micro-pleating on the skirt. I hate the buttons and the neckline. The buttons are somewhat easily fixed (though I have in mind rhinestone buttons, which can get kind of pricey), but I have no idea what to do with the bodice. Scoop neck with narrower straps? Collar? Help!

There were also a few additions to my wardrobe recently that were total splurges.
I had been really good with my spending as of late (if you don't count food, oh goodness, the food). Christmas money=bills. Birthday money=bills. Tax return=bills. Money from selling a few favorite dolls=bills. It was bound to compound into a little bit of a fixation.


New shoes!! Not counting my Toms (and a couple of thrifted pairs that were probably never worn), it's been a couple years. I'd wanted a pair of Salt Water Sandals since last summer. Cool and classic. And the J Crew flats I'd been lusting after since this post. They had sold out while in my cart twice, so I searched good ol' eBay and found that the only pair available...was my size! And a lot cheaper than buying them from J Crew. Score.
[Also: I'm pretty sure having two different pairs of mail-order shoes fit perfectly is a small miracle.]


And then...there is my new baby. The Marc by Marc Jacobs Classic Q Natasha crossbody handbag. I've coveted this bag since it came out around two years ago. My main purse previously was a MBMJ Turnlock I bought in NYC four years ago. For whatever reason, I've religiously kept up on MBMJ handbag styles for...oh...the last six years? So I don't think I've done too bad only buying two of them. ;)
This was meant to be my birthday present to myself back in February, but I had some last minute guilt. Last weekend I said to heck with the guilt, give me my bag!! And yes, it is amazing.
[PS if you ever want to order designer anything, order from Zappos. Free shipping & free return shipping means you won't lose out if you have buyers remorse, and their customer service is unparalleled...in my opinion!]


This is how I spent my Saturday morning. Waiting alone for two and a half hours in the box office line for Elton John tickets, all the while texting a friend who was trying to get through on the online server which was hopelessly crashed. Rumors spread through the line about the lowest priced tickets selling out, the mid price selling out, the server being back up, and so forth. I watched on my phone as scalpers started listing tickets on Craigslist! When it was finally my turn I ended up getting seven tickets for my friends & I, and was so relieved that some of the rumors were false, and proud that I hadn't given up (and that I could make a few other people's day!). These babies are worth their weight in gold right now, let me tell you.


And last but not least, a new kitty. Okay, technically she's going to be living with my boyfriend. So I guess she's not really mine. But, we found her at my house! So she will always be a little bit mine. :) She is super tiny and adorable. Oh, and don't worry, I talked to my neighbor who is the expert on the local outdoor cats...she didn't have a forever home yet! Now she just needs a name.

Longest blog post ever. Sorry, I guess I've just been holding it all in. I could have broken this in to like five posts, but I probably would have forgotten half way through. Yup.
Loveeeeee, Courtney.

long weekend thrifting

Saturday through Tuesday I went down to Arkansas to visit my mom. I'll have more on that later when my film is developed and I have a moments rest from moving out of the loft.

For now, some goodies I picked up along the way...


I seriously think Kaylah and I might have telepathic thrifting powers.


These were all from the antique mall I frequented when I lived back home. It still smelled the same <3 and everything was wayyyyy overpriced! I found the dirty little Cake for a dollar though. The clock is going up in the kitchen, sooo cute!


Another favorite place, right outside of town. Reasonably priced Pyrex :) hooray.


Radical "lace-ups" for a dollar, and a place to put our mail...we're really bad about giving each other our mail, eeps.

Okay, off to Lowes with my man to get more moving boxes!! xoxo

thrifting tip!

If your thrift stores are anything like mine, they love using a grease pencil to price things. And if you are anything like me, you loathe how many amazing vintage finds seem utterly ruined by it!

I was told (by a thrift employee) that simple soap and water would take it right off. Wrong. So wrong.

In comes...



Goo Gone! I love this stuff. Once, when I was a teenager who thought she was going to be a musician (hah!), I got sharpie, lots of it, off of a white electric guitar using only Goo Gone.

I've found the spray gel is slightly less greasy and much easier to use. Spray a bit on a dry paper towel, wipe in a circle, and the grease pencil comes right off. If it's a kitchen item, just be sure to wash off the Goo Gone before you use it. :)

It even works on vintage Tupperwear, you know that nubby texture? I scrubbed with soap and water for a half hour, threw it in the dishwasher, nothing would make that grease pencil come off except Goo Gone.

Yay! Thrifting is a lot less stressful for me since I discovered this. ;)

thrifty little house

If it weren't for Kaylah's most awesome finds, I probably would have passed this little ninety-nine cent house by.




But I saw some potential, brought it home, primed it, and spray painted it. It's not perfect, but you can't tell from far enough away. I was actually surprised to find that I didn't have enough tiny things to fill it.

I will definitely be on the look out for more houses, soooo cute!

home alone

What's a girl to do when her live-in boyfriend goes out of town for a Japandroids (jealuzzz) concert?

Go thrifting on the way home from work because there's no one to call and ask where you are. There's also no one to see you come home with a couple bags of 'stuff' and ask "what the hell is all this for?!"


This was a set of three, but the Boston Fern was my favorite. Bahaha, yeah, those fern-y things actually come out from the embroidery, with a basket embroidered underneath. So weird. We were also just talking a couple days ago about getting a hanging fern for the loft, voila!


'AA' is our loft unit. These are bigger than normal blocks, and flat on the back (judging from the other blocks at the store, they used to spell "AARON"). Not sure where to put them yet, but yay. We had thought about getting two A's for our wall months ago!


Can't say no to a delicate little vintage tablecloth. It's super yellowed and very faded on one side, but the pattern is so unusual. I think it might fit our table (and go great with the chairs!) if I ever clean the thing off, oops.

Do some sewing. Watch some more project runway (yup, I'm hooked again).


I started these blocks nearly 4 years ago. Yeah!! I remember sitting in the floor of my first apartment, cutting out the fabrics for it, after recieving my first ever order from reprodepot. It was one of those scrap packs. I kept asking my then-boyfriend and then-best-friend for their opinion. I think they might actually be the first blocks I ever machine pieced....and I'm so happy to say they're done! Next up, some wonky white sashing.


Okay, I probably won't actually sew with this amazing vintage feedsack fabric for a long time (or ever), but I do keep staring at longingly...

And now I'm pretty sure I'm going to go get some ice cream! This is the life...when are you coming home, Mark? Oh, tonight? Hm.

mi casa

...got a few updates over the weekend.


Thrifted @ DAV<3 for $3.98. Cats love them too! Not sure where they're going to go yet but I think they're going to work perfectly for little sewing odds and ends.


Hung up a few notions to get my desk organized. Please ignore how unorganized my desktop is...


From last week, an old photo project that didn't get very far now has a new life framed and hung.


And finally hung up our little rhino. Mark bought him for us at the Rock N Roll Craft Show last year, and he has sat in the glove box ever since, oops!

sunday stash #3

It's close enough to tomorrow, right? Well, if I wait, it won't get done.





A few new goodies for the vintage sheet stash. In each image, the far right fabric is a flat sheet. The rest are pillow cases. Hard to believe so much awesome material can be had for $11.

Hmm....those pastels....I'm seeing a pretty cute baby quilt...