If Only...

I had no bills to pay, I might have these boots.

Oh Cassetty.

Thrift magic in 15 mins or less

What better way to become truly thankful for all those hot, restless nights during our heatwave than to go shopping for fall and winter jackets?

It reminds me of all those cold, rainy days that are just around the corner... so suck it up and embrace the heat.

It also gives me free reign on the coats/jackets section of Value Village because no one is even thinking about winter!!!

I've always had good luck with finding great coats while it's still warm out... I've also had luck during the first few weeks of fall weather because people are cleaning out their summer clothes in favour of warmer stuff and they almost always make a run to the thrift store with the items they don't want to wear anymore.

That's when I swoop in and find this jacket:

It's real wool too! All it needs is to be gone over with the wool shaver and it'll be like new.


This one I am convinced IS new. I'm guessing it was a gift and the brat didn't know a good thing when she had it.
It'll help "up" my cred with the teens... I need to maintain all the cred I can get.

I know, I know. It's a little steep for Value Village pricing, but then I remind myself that people spend that much on a pot of MAC eyeshadow.

Done deal.

I've been seeing these jackets in every magazine I flip through. They're always worn open, with the sleeves rolled up 3/4 length and paired with jeans. They're not the short jackets from 3 years ago, they're long in the torso (cover the bum) and the lapels extend quite far down the body. I'd like to sew in some patterned fabric on the inside of the lower sleeve (black and red stripes? perhaps) so that it shows when the sleeves are rolled up.

Bought it for the price of a venti latte.

Sometimes I refer to myself as "thrift wizzard" because I swear that I almost dream things onto the racks. I only spent 15 mins in VV because I had places to go and people to see. As I was heading to the register with my three jackets, I was day-dreaming about how cute a pair of satin shorts would look with the long sport-coat.

BAM!!!

Literally didn't stop walking and just pulled these from the rack. Only slowed down enough to hold them up to myself and eyeball if they'd fit.
Turns out they fit perfectly, AND they're brand new... still have the original tags!!!

You Want To Sit On That Yellow Seat Without Your Pants On

I'm doing my spring cleaning a little late... three years late.

It turns out that we're going to be staying at the "villa" for at least another year, so it's time to redecorate. I used to drive my mom crazy when I was a kid because I used to rearrange my bedroom  furniture every two months or so. By the time I was in grade three I had figured out that I could push around my desk and dresser around by sitting on the floor and using my legs (which was also how I defended myself against attacks from my big brothers...thank you legs). Sometimes I would be lying in bed at night and a completely new layout of my room would fill my head. I engaged in a little midnight room makeover on more than one occasion. It wasn't only tricky because I had to move my room around in the dark, but also because my room was right next to my parents' so it had to be silent. Sometimes I got away with it and would tuck myself into my "new room" at 3am... and other times my mom would catch me and tell my crazy butt to get to bed.

It was a sweet deal when I actually pulled through with my stealth missions because I would awake in the morning to wonder where the heck I was. I was never a partier in school, and I figure that it was what my peers felt after a night of crazy binge-drinking... for the first minute at least. What a rebel.

Due to my pack ratting, I've got junk shoved everywhere in our villa. I had hoped to not have to deal with it until we moved, but that's not happening anytime soon, and I've come close to revisiting the late night room redecorating so I think it's time to take action.

I attacked my closet first.

4 days and 7 full garbage bags of clothing, shoes and purses later...

...my closet it still full. I consider it the "loaves and fish" closet.

I even pulled some items and ironed them. Chelsea's growing up.

Then I tackled my bathroom. Too bad I always forget to take "before shots."


The "Audrey" is from Winners. I admit, I'm not a devoted Audrey fan- I just really liked it.
Good memories in that feather mask.

I got this wonderful idea of making a hat/mask wall from myself. One thing that is better than a disguise is an accessible one. I like to keep my options open.

If you make a stink, 'ol doe-eyes has got a match for you. Figuring out how to light it is up to you. 

Jealous of the 70's yellow toilet/sink/tub? I am too (renter).

Remember that time I tried to sell bath products? Now they're made for me and my good friends exclusively (the bottle on the left is "Wake Me Up Baby" bath tea and the right is "Kiss Me Goodnight" bath tea. If you don't know what the front one is, you're on your own.)


Sun glass storage. I love the surprise 70's left-overs in this house.
The trash from cleaning out the bathroom. Sorry mother nature. I'll walk to work (when I work close to home).



Bags and bags of clothing in the "junk room" (just the name of that room encourages me in my clean-out of this place). I had thought of selling some of the good stuff on eBay, but then one of the young women I work with went off to drug treatment (Praise Jesus!), so I went through it all and bagged up the creme De la creme and dropped it off on Saturday so that she could have Christmas in July.

I like being Santa.


I've never seen such beauty in any linen closet of mine, but I owed it to my new glow-in-the-dark "Incredible Hulk" blanket to give him a nice home... after all, he treated me real nice at Sasquatch Music Fest.

Now I am 1/48th of the way there. Big things to come for the villa. Hopefully I'll remember to do a before and after. Everyone likes a before and after.

And they'll like it even more when I throw a we-rearranged-our-house-warming-party after.