Lacquerware Plate Set

Lacquerware Plate Set, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

No idea why I love these plates, but I've managed to get my collection up to seven now. Not that I've been to any of these places...guess it gets me thinking I should visit one or two sometime in the future. My favorite is the Japanese Village plate...so much detail...but I can't forget the Las Vegas plate where the cowboy is saying "Howdy Podner"...that's just too funny :-)

Thrift FAIL

I'm a sucker for classic sandals like these Bass Sunjuns. I swooped in to grab this pair at my local stare last month. They were in near mint condition and I waited for the perfect day to wear them. It was an art market where two of my percussion groups were scheduled to play. I unloaded the drums and was walking to the tent when one strap popped out...glue fail...oh, well, at least they are not falling off my feet...5 minutes later...second strap pops out...aaaacccckkk ! I have to march around the market carrying a drum in a few minutes ? What to do ? I tried to rig up a knot which rapidly slipped loose, so I put out a frantic call to some friends at the market and a kind friend offered her Chacos sandals for me to borrow...what a lifesaver !!! Moral of the story...bring along an extra pair of shoes when you are taking your untested thrifted pair of shoes on their first day out :-p

Vintage Embroidered Tablecloth

Vintage Embroidered Tablecloth, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

This tablecloth was a beautiful find on a recent trip to one of my favorite stores. It has a small hole and some dark spots, but they could be artfully covered with the right table setting. I love the embroidery...it has a real southwest feel to it.

Dancing Feet

Being an avid thrifter is a bonus when you're also a dance fanatic. I practically spent my whole childhood in the ballet studio...age 5-13...and my love of dance never went away...in fact, it has pretty much returned with a vengeance in recent years, so keeping an eye out for sweet deals on dance shoes is an important element of my thrifting sessions. Here is my collection of never worn (at time of purchase) dance shoes I have collected over the years...black and pink ballet slippers, jazz shoes, tap and ballroom also. I didn't include the pair of rhythm tap shoes my friend gave me for free, since they weren't thrifted, but all in all, I think I saved myself a few dollars over the retail dance shoe prices ;-)

Routine thrifting

Yes, I'm keeping up with my routine, no, I haven't posted here in awhile, and yes, I have found some cool stuff ! Yesterday I stopped at four different stores...didn't buy a thing ! Which is good...means I've become very selective ;-) But last week, I spotted these sweet drinking glasses and snapped them up at 75 cents each. Other recent sweet buys include a brand new silver leather "spy" coat...need to find a place to wear it !

Facebook recently changed their group functions, and now it's alot more fun to share photos of thrifty goodness with other folks in this group, Thrift Store Confidential .

10 cent bins !!!

I am a super lucky thrifter because in my neighborhood, there are two thrift stores that regularly sell items for only 10 cents apiece in their bins. Every Wednesday, I hit the one with the largest bins, and battle the crowds to claim my prizes...a pile of usually 20-30 items for under $3 total. Since I began losing weight over a year ago, I kept going for personal items in smaller and smaller sizes...I have way too many shirts, skirts and pants now, so I'm focusing on pieces to cut up and re-use, plus I'm collecting silk pieces for a fellow artist who does nuno felting .

My 100% wool sweater collection has grown sizeable in just the last couple weeks, so it's time to start hacking them to pieces and restyle with my new serger my incredibly generous aunt bought for me two months ago. What should I make ? Well, fulled purses is my first thought, but tonight, I found this blog post in my google reader for glove construction . A-ha ! My soft and lovely 100% merino wool sweaters will make nice gloves ! I found my inspiration, so wish me luck !

Team Upcyclers

Last week I was scouting all the Etsy street teams, looking for good groups for a friend to join, and I spotted the Etsy Upcyclers street team...first thought, yep, that's me...so I sent in my request to join. Few days later, I received a very friendly welcome from Collagical . It looks like the team is active on Twitter as TeamUpcyclers and Facebook as Upcyclers . I haven't had a chance to go through all the team members' shops yet, but it looks like there is a lot of creativity in recycling going on.

100 Likes

My Facebook fan page has reached 100 fans ("likes") so I am offering a celebratory discount of 20% off all total orders of $10 and up. Just type in "100likes" in the "note to seller" box on the order page. Thanks, y'all !

Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

Catch phrase of the 21st century for the DIY crew, but I think everyone should get on board. It's creative and artistic besides being good for the environment.

I like when something I've reconstructed shows up in an upcycled theme treasury. Here's a halter top I made from a vintage maxi skirt. The fabric is so bright, it was overpowering as a skirt, so I cut it down into not only this halter top, but a purse which I sold a couple summers ago...and believe it or not, I have a second skirt in my collection ! I found them at the same time...not sure if they were worn by twins or what, but boy is it a loud print.

Back on Market Publique

085, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

I joined Market Publique a couple years ago, and sold an item, but didn't keep it going. Fortunately, my account is still open, so when I spotted a Geoffrey Beene label inside this dress, I decided that was the place to list it. This is just the strangest dress, I think...the design is very severe with the little "space suit" sleeve caps and square patch pockets, but the fabric is just short of being in the lingerie category...so I can't figure it out...Geoffrey ? What were you thinking !?

I've renewed all my prior listings, so I now have 12 items listed in my Market Publique profile. A nice mix of glamourous as well as necessary pieces.

New Year's Resolutions !

Ivory Collar Dress
Blue Daisy Print Dress
Red Velvet Dress
Gold Embroidered Black Dress
"I, do hereby solemnly swear to list one new vintage item per day, minimum, in my Etsy shop, until everything is listed" (which may take the next three years or less if I ramp up the effort to list two or three per day :-D ) So far, I've listed five new items and today is the 6th of January (tonight's to be posted later). I kinda cheated and a couple slipped over the deadline and came in after midnight, but I'll give myself some slack since at least, I'm listing new pieces, not just renewing the old stuff repeatedly. Enjoy these new offerings and stay tuned for something new each night....just follow me on Twitter for each update !

Royal Blue Rewind Treasury from Etsy Vintage Team

Royal Blue Rewind
A lovely blue theme treasury by Sandra of ReBopShop features Etsy Vintage Team members' items and includes my vintage Blue Sequin Knit Top, one of a couple cute, comfy and sparkly tops I have in my collection.

Recently the Etsy Vintage Team has restarted the team blog so add it to your daily blog readers to keep up with all the nifty, cool retro stuff the team members are listing in their shops.

Blog Appearance: Inspired Days

I just sold this bow tie last week and now it's been featured in Inspired Days blog as a "quirky accessory" along with such oddities as brain shaped ice cubes and vintage blue flash bulbs.

Photos

Me in vintage (PixUp), originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

I'm following the example of another blogger I read by taking dressing room photos of stuff I try on at thrift stores ! I had to have this dress and tried it on with the pants I was wearing (too lazy to bother), that's why it's lumpy around the middles (plus a few extra pounds I am still working to burn off with treadmill LOL). This dress is a lined silk print with cool pleated sleeves and hem and it's for MOI.

A Little Bit of Blue Treasury

My Shabby Shoe Stretchers are in this very pretty treasury: A Little Bit of Blue . After Dec. 31 at 3am this link will no longer work so visit and click now ! Thanks :-)

p.s. I wish I could figure out how to capture the entire Treasury. When I select the image, it disables the scrolling function :-( Help needed !

Completing the Outfit

To promote our party wear collections, April Evening and RetroThreads (me) are collaborating. We both have a "Party Time Glamour" section and we've added a link to each other's sections in item descriptions. Her shop has lovely vintage gloves which she embellishes with vintage trims. I have a variety of items like gowns, blouses, shoes and purses. Take a look at April Evening's Party Time Glamour section and mine, RetroThreads's Party Time Glamour section.

World's ugliest jacket:front

World's ugliest jacket:front (PixUp), originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

An idea I've had for several years is finally going to happen. I always wanted a website devoted to nothing but showcasing the horrible clothing I run across in thrift stores. Rather than honor these items with monetary value, I simply take a pic, tag them "uglyduds" and post them here on my blog. More "gems" to come ! Stay tuned, and enjoy this beauty while you're waiting :-)

Party Time Glamour ! Update: SOLD in less than 11 hours !

And it's going to Australia !
I just set up a new section in my Etsy shop called Party Time Glamour. I've listed a couple new sparkly wearable goodies and have more to list over the next day or two. Time to start planning for New Year's Eve festivities ! Celebrate in your most dazzling vintage style !

Red and Green Plaid Taffeta Skirt

Red and Green Plaid Taffeta Skirt, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

Ready to wear to your next holiday party, that is, if you are very tall. This skirt is almost as tall as I am ! The fabric is that wonderful, rustling taffeta that makes a statement. If you're not tall enough for the skirt as is, it would make a great dress or holiday home decor. For more photos, check it out here.

New Christmas Theme Section

Vintage Velvet Christmas Stocking, originally uploaded by ambrosianbeads.

In my Etsy shop, I grouped my Christmas items in one section. Check out the accessories and party wear !