My Housing Works "Buy the Bag" Stash!

When I was in NY last month, I shared how I did a little thrifting at Housing Works' "Buy the Bag" sale where you get a bag to fill for $25.  (Click here to see the original post!) Here is what I ended up with...

I did pretty well, wouldn't you say?  Wanna see what I scored?  PS, everything was less than a buck!

To start off, I scored a stash of new scarves...

1. Peachy/red/magenta ombre - GAP 2. Beige pashmina 3. Green dyed ombre 4. Brown with horse print 5. Vintage flower headscarf (this scarf is BIG - I love this size. I can wear it as a top if I wanted, it's that big!)

Next came the bottoms - from a few pairs of jeans to a handful of shorts...

6. Sailor jeans - H&M 7. Brown elastic/drawstring shorts - Forever 21 8. High waisted Contempo Casuals (yep, you heard me right!) 9. Vintage turquoise/red running shorts 10. UK flag shorts (can't wait to sleep in these!) 11. Ripped/holed light denim - American Eagle

I found a bunch of tops...

12. Dryfit L/S top - Lululemon 13. Polka-dotted short sleeved top - GAP 14. Brown/black striped L/S top - Forever 21 15. Vintage S/S black/white crop top 16. Chiffon layered tee - Old Navy

And plenty of tees to keep me rooting for my favorite teams...

17. Vintage Yankees tee 18. Pirate tee from Pirate Island Adventure Golf 19. Vintage Jets L/S flannel top - NFL 20. Vintage Sands Beach Club crop tee

I found two cute dresses...

21. Lime/brown sheer dress - Soo Lee London (this will definitely need a slip underneath!) 22. Navy lace dress - Forever 21

How about some vintage sweaters and a fab hoodie to stay warm...

23. Vintage black/white/silver sweater - Dana Ashley 24. Navy/red striped hoodie - American Apparel 25. Vintage pink/navy sweater - Part Two

I was even able to score a few vintage pieces that will definitely need some reworking...

26. Vintage turquoise eyelet sleeved dress 27. Vintage black velvet with collar trim dress 28. Vintage navy crushed velvet pants - Josephine Chaus 29. Vintage pink/yellow/grey housedress

And last but not least, #30:

...which was remade earlier in the week. (Click here for a refresher!)

I think I scored big time, for just $25.  And I love that all of the $25 goes directly to Housing Works and their charity.  Nothing like spending a little bit of cash for a good cause as well as a closet boost!

What are your guys' thoughts - I was thinking about putting outfit posts together with these pieces, perhaps a little 31 days of August/31 outfits from the Housing Works bag?  Incorporating only a few things/specific things/one thing per outfit/etc. from my own closet and then reworking/rewearing/restyling these pieces in different ways?  I think this could be fun - it's like Lucky Mag when they give you a certain amount of items and they work out a week's worth of outfits.  Leave your comments below and we'll get this figured out!!

Double Take Tuesday!!

I did some weekend thrifting and came across a jumpsuit that I found while I was out... (I posted it on Instagram, so I'm sure a bunch of you saw it already!)

My jaw dropped because it looked JUST like a shirt in my collection - a 60s, zip up top that I found a while back that has become one of my favorite pieces.

Could I really have come across the same fabric?? I had to do a little side-by-side to get a good look!

So not exactly, but pretty darn close!  There were no tags, so I couldn't check the manufacturer, but I still felt like I found a needle in a haystack!!

Monday Remake: 80s Floral Top

This top was one of the many pieces I found in NY when I went to Housing Works' Buy the Bag store in Brooklyn.

I crammed this piece into my bag along with over 25 other pieces (many in good shape, without needing any work that you'll see very soon!!) because I was obsessed with the floral print...

...the gold buttons, and the elastic waist!!

However I'm not letting myself leave the house with it looking as is.  I lugged it across the country, which is as much travel as I'm allowing it in the current state.  It's rework time!

I started off by removing the shoulder pads!

Love that the pads were made from the same material as the top!!

I'm always a sucker for the tags and usually become obsessed with the names of brands from back in the day.  This tag pretty much rules.

And that triangle/partial Nike logo/half of a lightning bolt is just a-maze-ing!!

I began to cut a triangle from the piece next, beginning my cut a little over two inches from the neck's center.

I trimmed until I hit the third button on the piece, and then matched my cut on the opposite side to completely remove this center portion.

I folded and pressed under the raw edges of the piece...

...and then sewed it in place.

Because this piece was a bit too large on me, I took in the body of the piece about four inches, creating a center seam down the back and then brought in the shoulder seam to shorten the length of the piece.  This worked out perfectly because the shoulder seam was already constructed at the top of the shoulder and went all the way to the end of the sleeve.  All I had to do was follow this seam when I brought this area in an inch.

With the sizing adjusted and all raw edges hidden, my new top was complete!!

This feels more like a little cotton cover-up, as I paired it with a mossy green camisole, a leather studded purse...

a pair of Lela Rose for Payless flats.

The pearly buttons are still super pronounced, which I love!  This was one of the selling points and you can see them quite well now right below the waist.

I got some wear out of my new top right away to meet friends for some post-dinner, patio sips.  I love outdoor spots with twinkle lights and candles on the tables!

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend!  It's time to start the week and the countdown to when we see the royal baby, since Kate Middleton is in labor.  (Love all those update emails letting me know the play by play...I'm talking to you US Weekly/People Magazine!)