Project Rewear: October edition

I realize that not only is it not October anymore, it's halfway through November. Oops.

October's Project Rewear could be alternatively titled, "Things I've bought on Ebay." If you have no interest in shopping on Ebay whatsoever, feel free to skip this post. Really, I won't mind. I know it's long. :)

Ebay can be a wonderful resource for previously-owned merchandise, if you know how to use it.

I bought a nearly new pair of J.Crew jeans for $7.99. You would never know I didn't buy them in the store, and I saved 70 bucks. I also recently scored a chocolate brown J. Crew silk party dress, new with tags, for less than $12. Can't wait to get that one in the mail. Other Ebay sundries I acquired last month included a flapper dress and fake cigarette holder for Halloween, and a ballet skirt for the ballet class I'm taking.

I did discover the perils of purchasing shoes on Ebay. Before you bid, make sure you know what size you are in that particular brand. Remember that cute pair of vintage boots I posted about a couple of months ago? Sadly, when they arrived they were way too small. I tend to be a 6.5 in almost every shoe I try on, but apparently vintage shoes tend to run pretty small. So, I re-listed them on Ebay and got most of my money back. At that point I decided Ebay probably wasn't the best place to find shoes, and proceeded to visit every shoe store in Chattanooga looking for what I wanted - brown, real leather, no heel, and affordable. Apparently those things do not coexist in a boot anywhere in Chattanooga (at least not one under $200. Blech.), so I was soon back to stalking Ebay.

And there they were.

New, J.Crew (notice a trend?) brown, leather (leather soled, too!), flat riding boots. These were $300 boots last season, so I knew they'd probably end at a price way too high for me, but I brought my computer to small group one Sunday evening (yeah. . . ) and bid at the last minute. And I got them, for $67. I've worn them nearly every day since, with jeans, dresses, dress pants. And the best part is that since they're leather soled, if I keep them clean and repaired, I can resole and wear these babies 'till I'm 80.

So, a few words of wisdom if you decide to buy shoes or clothes on Ebay:

1. Stick to brands you know. I tend to stick to J. Crew or the Gap since I know what sizes fit me in those brands.
2. Search for something specific. Otherwise, the sheer volume of clothes on Ebay can get overwhelming. Figure out what you need, search for it, and put anything that comes close to what you're looking for on your watch list. If an item goes out of your price range before the bidding is over, delete it from your watch list and keep searching.
3. Don't bit until the last minute. You have to be one of those last-minute-swoopers that everybody hates to get the best deals. Know what you're willing to pay, wait until the last minute of bidding, enter your price, and hold your breath. Someone may have been willing to pay more than you, and if so you'll have to keep searching, but at least you had the element of surprise so no one had time to up their bids.
3. Be patient!! Really, if you're not willing to be patient, watch 50 items, bid on 5, and maybe win 1, then Ebay is not for you. If you are willing to be patient, though, you just might get some great deals.

Happiness is a warm puppy

And a box of kleenex.

I've been wiped out by a bout of bronchitis for the past several days. It has been . . . boring. I tried to do some homework, but really all my brain could handle was sleep, a few episodes of Chuck, and occasionally cheering on the college week contestants on Wheel of Fortune (I was sick ok? It's not like I watch it all the time. . . well, ok, maybe I do.)

I think the highlight of my three days on the couch, though, was my dog. Normally, if I'm home and not playing with her enough, she likes to steal shoes, tissues, socks, or dishtowels in an effort to initiate a game of chase. Fun for her, not so much for me. When I'm sick, however, she knows. It's like she goes out of her way to be a really good dog. I think she's only stolen one shoe and a couple of kleenex all week, and I haven't even been able to take her on any walks. She just understands. She spends most of the day next to the couch, laying her head on my lap, or curled up on the doormat keeping an eye on me.

Keeping guard.

Whatcha doin' mom?

Maybe you need a little kiss?

Or maybe we could cuddle? I'd be happy to get on the couch with you.

Shluuurrrpp. Feel better now?

I love her. :)

For my own satisfaction. . .

The flag pole picture from my previous post. Minus the flag pole.

Photoshop, I love you.

New Blog!

I've started a new blog about Chattanooga. If you live here or plan on visiting, check it out at

http://chattatravel.blogspot.com/

Read my new post on Rembrandt's coffee house, and enjoy a warm beverage on this cold day. :)

My favorite season

Fall is most certainly my favorite season. It is one of those times I am very grateful to live in Tennessee, especially in Chattanooga. If I ever have to live somewhere that doesn't get to experience fall in all its colorful glory, it will be a sad day. In case you didn't get to experience fall this year, or you weren't able to get outside and enjoy it, here are a few pictures I took on campus at McCallie last week.

(If that flag pole wasn't in the way it'd be even prettier. :-))

(The view from Missionary Ridge is beautiful.)

(The iconic McCallie chapel)

We have a few more good days of fall left, then most of the leaves will be gone. I'm trying not to be sad about it, and just soaking up the beauty as much as possible.

God likes fall, I'm sure of it.

Project Rewear: September edition

Wow, it's been a while since I've blogged. Sorry, folks. I started grad school in August, and quickly learned that a full time job + part time school is waaay harder than full time school alone. For about a month it seemed like all I did was work all day, come home, cook dinner, study all evening, go to sleep, and repeat. I think I'm getting the swing of things, now, though, because it's getting easier. School is still a lot of work, but I don't feel like I'm drowning anymore.

Anyway, enough about me! Onto the clothes . . . or lack thereof. I haven't posted anything about project rewear yet this month because there hasn't been anything to post. I was too busy to go thrift shopping or ebay hunting or sew anything, and well, I didn't need a thing. But this weekend I did my part to help the economy, and, using a gift card my fabulous mother-in-law gave me for my birthday, I hit up Hancock Fabrics and loaded up on sewing supplies. I bought several beginners patterns, some fabric, and various sewing accoutrement. I plan to try my hand at a skirt first, and bought some really soft flannel make it out of. It doesn't have a zipper, so it should be pretty easy. I'll post pictures once I get around to sewing it.

I also bought some boots on ebay this weekend! Technically, shoes aren't included in the project rewear, and I could buy retail if I wanted to, but who would want to when you can buy these puppies?



And for 20 bucks!

Now that fall is creeping in, I'm excited to wear these to work with a skirt or dress. Because I've really decided that I don't like pants. Dresses are far superior, but can get chilly.

Which reminds me of that flannel skirt I need to make. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Project Rewear: August edition

The end of July was a very satisfying time for Project Rewear, mainly due to a kick-ass clothes-swapping party I held at my house. I invited a bunch of friends to clean out their closets and come over to have dessert and trade clothes. We were so busy digging through the mounds of clothes, however, that we never really had time for dessert, nor did we have time to take pictures. So the only photos I have to show you are of the loot I ended up with.



The dress on the left is the super cute strapless number from J.Crew that I found on ebay for $14. Then, we have my clothes swap finds: a black cashmere sweater, a brown leather purse, a stretchy and silky dress (new with tags!!) for fall, and a sleeveless purple button-down. And I completely forgot to take pictures of the two pairs of summer-y dress sandals I ended up with. May I remind you this was all free?

Everyone that came to the swap ended up going home with something, which made me really happy. And afterwords, I took seven or eight bags of clothes and shoes to the Northside Neighborhood House thrift shop, and organization that is doing awesome things for our neighborhood. It was certainly a win/win, and I think the clothes swap might become a yearly event. You should host one, too!

On another fashion note, I will leave you with a bit of eye candy. I made this corsage belt with a couple of silk flowers, a few scraps of chiffon, and an old sash, and I love it. I might make one in every color family.