Thrifty Thursday

I had an extremely successful morning thrifting today and I felt the need to share! Enjoy!

So, I never thrift on Thursday's because of work/school etc. but I went today and I found some amazing stuff.  Considering my challenge for last week of wearing only seven items of clothing, I found it hilarious that when I finally went thrifting I bought at least 14 items.  As always, puts things in perspective cause while I want to dress simply, it's also tough to pass up clothes when they're so darn affordable and cute.

I'd been pining after a jean vest to wear over summery dresses and found this one found in the first picture for $2.99 along with a simple tan and black polka dotted skirt for $1.99.  Both were found at Value World.

The two pairs of high waisted shorts were also items I'd been hoping to find thrifting. One of my youth told me that I should just buy guys jeans and make them into cutoffs, but this ended up being even more convenient.  The jean shorts were $3.93 and the striped navy shorts were $6.56 which is more than I would normally spend on shorts honestly, but I just couldn't walk away from them.  Found those at Casa View Thrift.

Two other unreasonably priced items were the floral tank and the tan vest.  Again, I tried to walk away but I couldn't.  I blame the few weeks I took off from thrifting. I justified the tan vest by saying that I could always pair it with a dress or a tank and make it work the money I'd spent.  No excuses on the floral tank. I just really liked it.  Both were also bought at Casa View.

And finally, the white Gap 1969 legging jeans, the mint Merona dress and the JCrew leopardish print mini.  They were all too expensive $6.99, $4.99 and $4.99, in their respective order.  I justified those purchases by reminding myself that at their original retail price they'd probably be more like this, this, and this.  Ok that last one wasn't quite the same but I hope you get the idea.  These were bought at the Rescue Thrift store whose money goes to the Texas Regional Animal Rescue, so all I could hear was Sarah McLachlan singing "Angel" and I visualized the precious animals that needed me to spend money to provide for their continued existence on earth.  Not buying these clothes would have been inexcusable. I'm saving animal lives here. 

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE thrifting?  Dallas, specifically is a splendid city to thrift in.  It's full of affluent people who get rid of their clothes every week after wearing them for half a day and then pass them on to less affluent people like me! 

Hope you're having a wonderful Thursday too!

Ani

Fair Warning

I'm just giving fair warning here, but this blog post is filled with awkward poses. 

Favorite awkward face ever.

So you gotta give me a break.  It's been almost two weeks since I've taken pictures of myself and I was reminded of how truly odd it is to take pictures of yourself, especially when you're in fairly populated places.  I think it actually shows in some of these pictures.  I'm just more uncomfortable than usual.  Truth is, I'd much rather not have to take my own pictures, especially since husband, sister and sister in law have often spoiled me by taking good pictures of my outfits, however my husband is the only one close by and we don't normally get to see each other in daylight during the week.

Anyhow, I'm disappointed to say that I will not be attending Texas Style Council due to a work commitment that came up.  I'm super bummed, but my focus right now is school and work so my hobby can't take priority over the two.  I'm sure I'll regret it, but it just wasn't the right time.

On my way to school last week I saw a sign that said "Thrift Shop" in a shopping center that I pass by every day and immediately got giddy at the thought of yet ANOTHER thrift store in my area.  So I checked it out on Tuesday and while the place was definitely newly opened and still slightly unorganized, I scored a couple of great items.  They actually had quite a few vintage dresses that I seriously had to tell myself that I could not buy because I've accumulated so many that I don't wear.  I think eventually I'll sell them once I take my Etsy shop seriously, but for now. I don't really have the time.  

Anyhow, just trying my best to keep my head above water.  Thankfully, I have an unending source of help and a great support system.  Two more months and I'll be done with this madness! 

Also, I cannot wait to see Gungor tonight.  It will, no doubt, be amazing. 

Ani

{Shirt: Thrifted ($1.99) Skirt: Thrifted ($2.40), Shoes: Thrifted ($3.99)}

Who's that Girl?!

It's ANI!

Yup, this is the first blog post I've made in a what feels like forever.  School and work have taken over my life and unfortunately, hobbies such as taking pictures of what you wear everyday take a backseat to being a responsible adult.  Tis sad, I know. 

But I've done my best to balance having a good time so that I don't burn out completely. In fact, I had two girls nights this weekend and both were so fun and I really did need them just to feel sane again.  So I'm just trying my best to balance it all.

So this outfit was a totally attempt at a look I saw on New Girl which is, like many other fashion bloggers, my new favorite show.  I mean what fashion nerd wouldn't love the show?! It's a perfect balance of cute outfits, awkward Zooey Deschanel humor and SCHMIDT. Haha. Anyhow the V-day episode this week inspired me. 

She's so adorable it makes me sick.

When I asked my husband if he liked my outfit, he nodded his head and then said, "How come you get to wear a brown belt with back shorts?"  And of course I said, "Because I wear what I want."  Truly, all I felt like wearing was a leotard, tights, shorts and my new brown belt. 

Anyhow, I've still be able to hit up my favorite thrift store at least once a week and as of late I've bought not one, not two...no, not just three, but FIVE pairs of colored jeans and all of em fit me so well.  I'm thinking that people bought their colored jeans on a whim and then had no idea how to wear them and so they threw them out because they're all in amazing shape.  So I now own teal, coral, purple, red and pastel purple jeans.  I've already worn the coral jeans twice this week so get ready for it. 

Hope you are having a great weekend.  I truly hope I can make more time for this hobby.  We shall see!

Ani

{Leotard: Thrifted ($1.99), Shorts: old (?), Shoes: Thrifted ($5.99), Belt: ($1.99), Necklace: Fallas Paredes ($2.49), Tights: Gift from my madre, Jacket: Target ($19.99)}

Sittin on the Dock

Yes, that fold in my shirt bothers me too.  Not to mention shots from the back of me just look weird.  

It has been one glorious weekend spent with my sister who took these pictures and my extremely talented friend Chris was also in town.  We ate, shopped, listened to music and caught up on life. I will post some pictures of a sweet vintage shop we found in Deep Ellum this weekend.  I was pretty impressed with it.  

My sister, cousin and I went to see THE CIVIL WARS last night and it was magical.  It was my second time seeing them and they really are a class act (despite the fact that we believe Joy Williams and John Paul White might be our generations' Johnny and June Cash- it's kinda creepy).  Also, the Staves opened up for them and they were extremely impressive.  Their harmonies were killer and there is nothing quite like having siblings voices blended into one lovely sound.  All in all, it was a spectacular weekend!

This dress was one of the Urban Outfitter's sale items I bought a few weeks ago.  I was inspired by Elsie and Mara to layer a bit and initially I tried the exact same look with a black button up, but it wasn't working as well on me.  It worked better for me with just a plain 3/4 sleeved shirt.  Anyhow, it's always great to be inspired by looks but then fit it to your own personal style.  That's how I felt with this one.

Moving on, I read Hunger Games this weekend and I'm officially a fan-like 14 year old- this is more amazing than Twilight ever had to the potential to be-fan.  Too bad I should only be reading theology books right now and not teen fiction.  Meh, I'll get my act together soon enough.  

OH one last thing, thanks to Tieka, I entered (and won!) a $40 gift certificate from InPink.  They have such a great selection of quality jewelry that I'm having trouble deciding what to get.  I know, life's so difficult right? Either way, just wanted to give a shout out!

Hope tomorrow is the start of a good week for everyone!

Ani

{Dress: Urban Outfitters ($5.00), Shirt: Thrifted ($1.20), Shoes: H&M ($12.95), Belt: Thrifted ($1.99), Headband (old)}

Back in Gotham

Yes, friends, I'm back in the Big D, aka Gotham, after being gone for two weeks. The city welcomed me back with open arms and gorgeous weather.

Hello new year! I am excited and pleased with how this year is already going. I am content for so many reasons and there is much to be thankful for that occurred in 2011. It is an understatement to say that I feel blessed. Life is truly good and I'm committed to making the most of it.

Here are a few resolutions that I'm hoping to stick to:

1) Focus on reaching my goal weight by eating well and exercising (duh, right?) I didn't gain any weight over the holidays, but I also didn't lose so that changes now.
2) Be more productive (i.e. use free time wisely)
3) Make studying a priority so that my last semester of grad school is my best!
4) Quit hating on living in Dallas. I really need to work on this one and just appreciate where I'm at.
5) Push my creativity to the next level (whatever level that may be). This blog is definitely a part of that.
and finally...
6) Grow in relationships/friendships with old, new and future friends.

Yeah, these are slightly general and mildly generic, but for me, they are quite personal. Even before the new year, I knew they were goals that I needed to work toward so what better time than now?

Anyhow, I spent the day shopping and taking pictures at the Latino Cultural Center. I figured I was allowed since I'm Latina and all. I went to Urban Outfitters after receiving an email saying that they were having 50% off already reduced items. I'm glad I went because I wound up with some great items for $5 a piece...at Urban...seriously. It was crazy. Even the manager who checked me out told me I should be grateful because the sale was initially supposed to end yesterday. So I am grateful, indeed. There are rarely times that I EVER buy anything at UO because 1) when I was chunkier I didn't fit into any of their clothes because they're clothes are made for stick figures so I resented them 2) Most of what they sell is aimed to look vintage and I can find that at the thrift store priced 97.4% less that what they sell their clothing for. Ok, enough of my tirade.

Hope every has a wonderful start to this new year. Let's not take one moment for granted!

Ani

{Dress: Plato's Closet ($8.00), Cardigan: Thrifted [Mossimo] ($3.99), Tights: Merona ($10.00), Flats: H&M ($12.95))

All is Full of Love

All is full of love today. My outfit says so. Well my outfit is full of hearts and hearts mean love so there.

These last few days have been full of bad weather. We've had straight up gloomy, depressing days that make me want to watch entire seasons of shows on Netflix and never get out of bed, but I've done my best to work against that. Hopefully tomorrow will be bright and beautiful. Oh and did I mention I'll be in COLORADO soon? I cannot wait.

We had a great team meeting today for church and I really felt like we laid great groundwork for next year. I feel like I can say this publicly, but I am so grateful for the team that I work with and for their heart for ministry. It's just incredible.

So I love this skirt for many reasons. 1) It's got cheesy hearts on it. 2) It fits me perfectly 3) the second button is missing so the person who gave it away just pinned it with a safety pin. I was so cheap that the first time I saw it at the thrift store, I went on a a day that the women's clothing didn't have an additional discount so I left it thinking, "surely no one else will want this ridiculous skirt" Sure enough, no on else wanted this ridiculous skirt. I went back on 50% off women's clothing day and got this skirt for $1.50. Now I know what you're thinking...The skirt was only $3! But it is seriously, it's so difficult for me to buy clothes on a normal day. I'm addicted to the additional discount days. I know, I'm crazy.

It's been a great day AND the Stars just won against the Islanders so, I'm a happy gal. Can't wait for Austin to be done with school so we can officially start our Christmas break!

Love,

Ani "I love wearing hearts" B.

{Shirt: Thrifted [h&m] ($1.59), Skirt: Thrifted ($1.50), Cardigan: F21 (?), Jacket: Target similar ($19.99), Tights: ?, Shoes: h&m ($12.95), Beanie: F21 ($4.99), Belt: Thrifted ($1.99)}

Sister Sun you bring out the day...

So here goes my first post. It's been an amazing day. It was a balmy 82 degrees when I took these photos this morning in my backyard and I couldn't help but be annoyed because I spent all weekend looking at some amazing ladies fashion blogs (all of whom are in lovely fall weather). I was hoping my first posts would be fall weather, but alas, Texas doesn't really get "fall" weather. You would think I'd be used to it growing up in Texas and all, but the truth is it hurts a little more every year that we don't get cooler weather very often.

In other news, it was my last night of my, Introduction to Philosophy: Divine Action and Divine Agency, class. Haha. Just reading the title makes me realize how much I'm glad I took this class. It's been quite the journey, but we've still got another week and a half in my other classes. This has by far been my strongest semester in terms of grades, improvement on writing, and altogether keeping myself together. My favorite professor even told me that I've greatly improved since my first year...I could stop my degree now and just be content with that honestly, but I'm going to see this through. I'm so ready.

This dress cost me an entire $2.00. My favorite thrift store in Dallas pretty much comes through every time I shop there. Not to mention I shop on the days that clothing is 40% off so I'm ULTRA cheap. It's actually kind of funny cause it's a kid's dress from Target, which I wore to church a few Sunday's ago and one of the youth told me she had the same dress. I thought I should feel embarrassed but...I didn't. Till tomorrow...

{Currently listening to: John Mark McMillan-Economy}

{Dress: Thrifted Xhiliration from Target, Shoes: H&M, Flower Hairpiece: Forever 21}