WIWW ~ When it Pays to Pass

It's time for another WIWW, linking up with the pleated poppy and friends. This dress has a fun story...last month I went to Nordstrom because after a year of not buying anything new, I really needed a shirt or two.  While I was there, I saw this cute white lace dress and it was full price and not what I came for, so I didn't try it on.  I figured I could find something comparable in vintage (or actually in my closet, I have a lot of white/cream dresses).  A few days later I went to Buffalo Exchange to sell some of my clothes and while browsing the racks, I spotted the same dress!  Crazy enough it still had the tags on it and was a quarter of the price.  Plus, I sold some of my clothes, so it was basically free! Sometimes it pays to pass on things.

lace dress ~ buffalo exchange

leggings ~ thrifted

socks ~ target

jacket ~ betsey johnson

hat ~ vintage

shoes ~ thrifted (aldo)

briefcase ~ borrowed from my shop

jewelry ~ salvage life

I'm doing the sock thing again this week, I promise I don't do that everyday, but its been a fun way to wear summer shoes when it's cold.  I especially like how it looks layered over tights.  Last week people commented that they liked it, but wouldn't try it themselves.  I say go for it!  Try it with a really feminine dress and a pair of tights that are close in color, then it won't seem as obvious. Wear it around the house on a day when you have time before you go out, to warm up to the idea.  Let me know how it works out!

Salvage Style:: SEQUINS for the Holidays

Sequins are one of those things, when worn right, can be so timeless.  You instantly feel dressed up when you are wearing them.    I recently added a lot of festive, sequined adorned items to the SHOP for the holidays.  I have saved some clippings of sequins worn well from Who What Wear.  There's no better time to wear this look!

NEW ARRIVALS: reconstructed vintage necklaces

I have been making jewelry for years now.  In college I made a large bib necklace from a dozen or so antique keys to accompany my medieval inspired Senior clothing collection. In the past, I have sporadically sold my jewelry online.  Lately I had a lot of private sales and custom orders for clients and due to the interest in my pieces, I will be making more of them available in the shop.  

They may not be the cheapest on Etsy, but the price is fair considering that they are made almost completely of recycled materials, the time spent to track down the components, and the fact that they are handmade by an artisan (me) in the USA.  You know who made it, you know it's recycled and you know it's one of a kind.  Here are a few of the necklaces I just added to the shop.

Custom Family Heirloom Necklace

I know a gorgeous lady named Tricia who is a huge fan of my work and always makes me smile with her compliments.  I told her that I want to shrink her in and put her my purse, so I can pull her out whenever I'm feeling down.  She just has such a fun personality and way of making you feel special.  So anyway, she recently asked me to rework a piece of jewelry for her.  She had a pendant that has been in her family for a long time, it had been made into a beaded necklace awhile back, but she really wanted a fresh look.  She loved how it turned out so much that she's going to check with her mom to see if there are any more family pieces she can have redone.

STAY TUNED TOMORROW ~ I'm cleaning out my jewelry box and will be giving away some necklaces via the blog to the first person who wants them.  Follow on Twitter for advanced notice of giveaways.

 BEFORE:

AFTER:

Custom Anniversary Necklace

My husband and I will be celebrating our 7th anniversary in a few weeks and it feels like the years have just flown by.  I was excited recently when I got an email from a friend of a friend whose wife is a Salvage Life customer.  He said their 4th Anniversary was coming up and he was interested in ordering a custom necklace.  We worked together on the design and then I made a custom gift box and bag, I also included a little note I typed on my vintage typewriter.