As you know during my last weekend’s trip to Chicago I was able to attend SAIC fashion show! It’s a show put on by sophomores, juniors and seniors of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and they do a wonderful job! I actually have something special coming up on the blog next week, SAIC related, so stay tuned, you don’t want to miss it!
And the show was amazing! We all got to sit in the front row, take pictures and videos with our new Samsung Galaxy cameras (See Disclosure) and chat about the designs in between! I think the most interesting thing for me (other than the clothes of course) was reading the names of the students, and the different scholarships they’ve received!
Now I am going to let pictures and videos do the talking!
I am wearing: Dress – Diesel (thrifted)//Jacket – The Limited (thrifted)
I hope you were able to experience some of the fashion show’s ups, because there were no downs
Xo,
Z
Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Style Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.
As you know I just got back from Chicago, but not all of you know what I was doing there!
You might have also noticed this badge on my sidebar:
So here goes:
I was contacted by Verizon Wireless to participate in their Fashion and Style Blogger program a couple weeks ago, and at first it seemed too good to be true! They offered to fly me to Chicago, pay for my hotel, take me out to SAIC Fashion show and a dinner at a hip restaurant, get a chance to meet other bloggers, and have fun!
And to top it all off I was also given a new device to play with.
Needless to say I agreed to come even before I asked for that day off at work
The device turned out to be a Samsung Galaxy Camera that comes with 4G LTE, a touch screen, a 21x optical zoom and a whole bunch of other perks (which I am going to talk about in one of my later posts), plus you can upload photos and videos directly to your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube), it’s packed with editing apps, which definitely saves a lot of time! The only thing that it can’t do is make calls. And the funny thing is, Sam and I were at Best Buy the weekend before looking at that exact camera! So now my camera dilemma is solved and my husband won’t have to listen to me whining. Though he will be definitely taking more pictures for sure!
But I think I am going to stop talking now, and show you what the camera can do!
Disclosure: I am participating in the Verizon Style Voices program and have been provided with a wireless device and six months of service in exchange for my honest opinions about the product.
At Marla Mullaney Art Studio
On Lake Minnetonka
We also got some ice cream at licks unlimited…
And I spotted this ceramic sewing machine figurine at one of the other artists’ studios! Isn’t it the cutest?
I am WEARING:
//White Denim Jacket – GAP//Boots – Steve Madden//Purse – COACH//
//Dress – The Webster Miami at Target//Sunnies – Lucky Weekender//
Happy Spring everyone! It’s finally here in Minneapolis and I couldn’t wait to show you my latest outfit, which includes a refashioned vintage dress and my latest DIY tote bag, that actually got featured on CraftGossip!
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and let me know if any of you are in Chicago and would want to meet up! I have all day Saturday to hang out:)
Today I have prepared an easy and quick refashion that any Costco shopper can afford to make Why Costco? Because that’s where my in-laws take us shopping sometimes and that’s where I found a giant bag of rice that came in a sack, that we are going to use in our refashion today!
Another thin we’ll need is either plain fabric for lining, or, like in my case, a cloth bag one of my designer purses came in!
Here is our bag of rice (I’ve only seen them at Costco, please let me know if you’ve seen them at other stores! I want to make this easier for those who choose to shop elsewhere!)
And here is the bag we are going to use for lining:
The first thing you are going to want to do is hide all the loose ends, strings, etc! I also got rid of the zipper, because it was junky!
Then I trimmed the cloth bag to fit, kept the handles, because the original sack handles were too short!
Make sure to do some fitting before you start sewing by simply inserting the new lining into the sack:
I also went over the top edges with a thick red thread, to make sure it didn’t fray:
How big is your needle?
And finally sewed it all together on my machine! When sewing be careful, because the sack is made of a thick and heavy fabric, I don’t want you ruining your machines because of me! And keep in mind – you’ll end up doing some hand sewing one way or another, because the edges are thick!
And you are done! Enjoy your bag and have a wonderful weekend!
For those of you who are wondering where I am going next week – my blog is taking me to Chicago! And even though I am going to the Windy City only for a couple of days, I feel like it’s an amazing start of something wonderful and exciting for me!
Lots of love,
Z
Today’s post is probably not going to be something you usually see on my blog! I am sure by now some of you have the impression that I am a girl who spends all of her paychecks thrifting! And I can see where this can come from! I’ve been posting a lot of hauls and outfits lately! Let’s be honest, I do sometimes get carried away at a thrift store, and I need to watch my budget, but most of the time it really is not that much compared to a grand scheme of things, or let’s say a recent study by InStyle magazine that says – An average woman spends about $15,000 on makeup during her lifetime, and that’s not including skincare!
Before Sam and I got married, I lived on the East Coast nannying for some families. I wasn’t making a lot of money, in fact I was barely making anything (I never thought of myself or my family as rich or poor, I knew I had enough, and I think that attitude helped me a lot in life) through the Cultural Care Au Pair program, but I had my ways! When I moved to New York, I learned about Freecycle.org, and almost all of my clothes, books and health care products came from there! I also went to monthly swap meet ups organized by GrowNYC, where I would bring all the stuff I didn’t want, and go home with something I liked. Sam had a hard time believing I had all that clothes, without spending as much as a couple bucks on the subway ride, but I had my savings account to speak for me!
I was an Au Pair for 2 years, making under $200 a week, this is the time when Sam and I were in a long distant relationship. So even though I didn’t get to see him that often, I spent a lot of money flying to Minnesota almost every other month! But by the time we got engaged I had saved up over $12,000. Then I went to Russia for 10 months, where I was able to work from home and add on to the savings.
Now that we are looking into buying our first house, having saved enough for a downpayment, I reflect on where I came from and can’t express how thankful I am for everything I’ve been given!
I was born in a small town 3 hours east of Moscow. My mother was a civil engineer, my dad was a college drop out. My grandfather was a retired military man, a former KGB agent as I discovered later in life, my grandmother was a pediatrician, and if you ask me, the biggest workaholic I’ve ever known! We never had much! When I was in 6th or 7th grade I wore the same pair of jeans, the same turtleneck and the same sweater my mother knitted for me to school every day! And I couldn’t care less, until one of my friends, who was a year older than me came up and asked why I was wearing the same clothes everyday. To this point I am still grateful for that comment! This is when thrifting and hand-made clothing came into my life! My mom went above and beyond herself knitting and sewing outfits for me! Going to fabric stores was exciting! Going to thrift stores was an adventure!
By the time I was in 9th grade I was getting constant compliments on my outfits from peers and even teachers, even though I had the same pair of jeans as one of the guys in class! But that’s when unisex was in, so I didn’t care! I also never said no to hand-me-downs, and even though I didn’t have older siblings, I had plenty of friends and knew enough Missionaries who always left clothes behind!
College came around, and I made sure I got good grades to get a monthly stipend through the University. Yes, I got paid to go to school! This is probably going to fall into the “Only in Russia…” category. This was also the time when more and more thrift stores popped up all over our town, and they often had great sales, that I couldn’t resist!
Thrifting is what helped me continually save up money for my trips to Europe and the States, and now that I live here, it’s becoming my meal ticket! Finding a great thrift store takes time, so today I am going to share some of my favorite locations here in the Twin Cities, and the best times to shop there!
- Salvation Army in the Warehouse district – 900 N 4th St, Minneapolis, MN - every day is a 50% off a certain color, so stop by often! Plus they offer 50% off clothing during most major holidays! I am not even going to mention the Target overstock located in the basement – you have to see it for yourselves!
- Steeple People on Lyndale and Franklin – 2004 Lyndale Ave S, Minneapolis, MN – I blogged about it before, and I will do it again – they have great vintage selection, beautiful artwork and prints, great household section, etc., etc. The only downside is – they only take cash or check!
- Goodwill in Hopkins – 1025 Hill St, Hopkins, MN - This was my go-to Goodwill when I used to babysit for a family in St.Louis Park! And I always referred to it as the Hopkins Goodwill, or Goodwill on Excelsior Blvd. Now why this particular Goodwill? – It’s cheaper, it has more vintage and authentic items, it’s been good to me! Generous if you want to put it this way! I can always find something that I like there! Now why am I not mentioning the Goodwill in Minnetonka, or Goodwill in Roseville, you may ask? The Minnetonka Goodwill will always be famous in my book for the Xanax pills I found in a pocket of one of the sweaters bought there! And Goodwill in Roseville is too good for me to be sharing it with you, but now I did, and now you know!
- Savers – I am yet to find a Savers that I don’t like! Seriously, they need a Savers in every state and county! They never overprice vintage items, and the only pieces of clothing that can be pricey are the brand new ones, with original tags still attached. And don’t forget to sign up for a Super Savers Club Card, they will send you emails with special promotions and coupons!
So here you have it, the story of my life that revolves around thrifting! And I couldn’t be happier! After all, it’s not all about the money!
Happy Thursday everyone! And don’t forget to stop by tomorrow for a DIY friday fashion and style project and an important BeingZhenya announcement!
XO,
Z
PS. Please keep in mind that my husband and I don’t have any student loans to pay off, our monthly expenses are limited down to rent, groceries, gas and car payments, plus the occasional going out and thrifting shopping sprees!
In the next post on money related subject, we’ll talk about freebies and the best websites where you can get them!
Last Saturday I got to stop by at one of the Goodwills I rarely go to – the Goodwill in Stillwater! I will tell you right away, that this place is pricey, especially if you compare it to the one in Hopkins! But I was still able to score some amazing finds:
Horse poncho – $9.99
Suede a.n.a. boots – $9.99
Two pairs of tights from Target – $0.99 each
Benefit Dandelion Blush – $1.99 – Yes, I bought makeup at a thrift shop, but in my defense – it was all packaged, sealed and blush makeup has a very long shelf life! More over I think it would’ve been a crime to walk past it and not get it, since this blush retails for $28!
I think I was really excited for everything but the tights. The tights were more of a necessity! But I love my poncho and the boots to death! I would sleep in those boots if I could! And the poncho too, yes, most definitely!
Tonight Sam and I went on a little adventure to Coon Rapids. We rarely go up there, but this time we had a perfect reason – the opening of the new Savers! I received a special invitation and a gift certificate to jump start my spring shopping!
The store was packed! Everyone who is a Savers Club Card holder got an email to attend this event! The parking lot was filled (good thing it was a big one!)
My number one goal was to find the store manager and get my hands on the rewards certificate! I also ran into another Minnesota blogger – Jackie of Teal and Lime!
We got a quick tour of the store, (THANK YOU, HEIDI! You were amazing!) and went on to shop!
As some of you may know I have an exciting event coming up, which is 100% blog related (I had someone ask me if I was getting married the other day ) Anyways, there were a few things that I pulled off the racks, which included a size M Sisley blazer, a French Connection dress, a few vintage pieces, but I ended up not buying anything, because the line was ridiculously long! I think Sam and I are going to hit another Savers this weekend, and hopefully it’ll be a more calming experience! Plus I had to go pick something up from FedEx (again for my upcoming mystery trip! – are you intrigued yet?)
As usual there were rows and rows of clothing, shoes, books, household goods, anything that you can imagine! And there were people everywhere!
As it also turns out one of their first sales that night was Leaves of Grass signed by Walt Whitman himself! I was just thinking about him and that book a few days ago, his poem “I hear America Singing…” was going through my head…
It is a great store, reminded me a lot of the one in Oakdale (size wise especially)! There is so much to look for, that I know I wouldn’t have possibly had time to look through everything in the few hours that it was open! And even though this store is out of the way, I will definitely considering coming back here in the future!
I hope you all had a great day, keep on spreading thrift love and joy!
Why Costco? Because that’s where my in-laws take us shopping sometimes and that’s where I found a giant bag of rice that came in a sack, that we are going to use in our refashion today!
