friday find(s): found at goodwill.

you may have seen this internet craze: thank goodwill it's friday. every friday it pops up on twitter and the blogs and everyone gets to show off the cool things they thrifted that day or over the past week. now today it is my turn.

i started the day at material objects and encore looking for the perfect dress to wear to terry's sisters wedding. i saw some cool things, but didn't make a purchase. but just that short shopping trip gave me the slightest feel of the thrill of the hunt. i didn't want it to end, so i headed off the one of my favorite shopping destinations, goodwill by the mall (in south portland, if you don't know what i am talking about).

here is what i got for just $20!:

beaded dress with tuxedo style jacket

$9.99 with green sticker, so today it was 50% off!

sheer floral kaftan

$4.99 with green barb, so today it was 50% off!

pink floral maxi dress 

$4.99 with green barb, so today it was 50% off!

peter pan collar dress

$4.99

beaded tunic (potential dress for the wedding!)

$4.99

all-in-all, this was a successful outing. now i have to stop shopping. someone please help me. i am pretty sure i have a problem.

but until then..

thank goodwill it's friday.

photo shoot.

recently i had the opportunity to take part in a photo shoot wearing some really cool clothes from local boutiques. i got to wear some great pieces from bliss, black parrot, akari, and proper vintage. during the shoot, i asked myself 'why don't i dress like this everyday?' and then i remembered it was because these weren't actually my clothes. what i would do to be able afford all of these awesome pieces.. 

not only did i love the outfits i got to wear, but i felt beautiful too. and i couldn't have felt that way without the hair and makeup from my go-to hair girl, genevieve drzewianowski at akari.

and as for the photos themselves, they were taken by the super talented matt cosby. 

check out his website, stop into these stores, and support the talented locals in portland!

thank you so so much to everyone who helped me out with this!

the thing about maine in the spring..

...it's very hard to be prepared for all the changes in weather. yes, this photo was taken in june. this is a perfect example of making your closet work for you. fill it up with light layers and then pile them on when the weather is cold or just a bit unpredictable. this pair of coated denim is super cool because it much easier to wear and more comfortable than leather, but it still gives the same look. i added the denim vest to tone down the look and because it was just a bit too warm for a full on jacket. 

lesson here: be prepared. there is never a time to be without too many layers. you can always take them off.

wearing:

sleeveless blouse - sparkle & fade

sweater - pins and needles

vest - old a&f jacket

jeans - levi's

shoes - ecote

neckalces - urban renewal, madewell, anthropolgie

bag - coach via goodwill

thrifty thursday: SWAPmaine.

this past sunday was the latest SWAPmaine event held at the portland flea-for-all. as with the other two, it was a huge success! if you were there between 10 and 11, you definitely saw the madness (and fun!). we even attracted not one, but two camera crews to catch all the action.

but again, we could not have done it with out all of you who came to supoort goodwill! so a big thank you to all of our swappers and volunteers! i hope everyone had fun and got lots of really great things.

and since i know you are all dying to see what i got, here it is:

floral and lace ll bean button up & a sheer button up from contempo casuals! (ha!)

silk printed blouse & blue pin stripe dress.

vintage floral printed crop top. (so in love!)

yellow talbots shift dress with the tags still on it & chiffon pleated dress with silk details.

ecote 90s floral dress & floral mid length skirt.

tropical print pants & purple boxy top.

i made sure to keep up with our saying.. give more than you take. and considering i brought three ikea bags full of clothes and a tote filled with shoes, one small bag is good for me! i am happy to get rid of some of the things i dont need and only replace them with a few fun pieces to try out.

and fyi, i am wearing the last two items today. look forward to that outfit post in the near future!

so what did everyone else get? i want to see the cool outfits you put together with your new swap clothes and see if maybe any of you took home some of my clothes!

leave comments below, show me the photo on facebook, tweet them at me, send me an email. i want to see what everyone got or maybe just here what you think about my picks!

over(it)all.

wearing:

overalls - l.l.bean (found at goodwill buy the pound)

shirt - american apparel

vest - 

necklace - f21

shoes - urban outfitters

bag - rice & beans vintage

 it has been a long time since i wore overalls. probably not since the beginning of high school. but after seeing them appear again in a more high fashion way, i have been dying to get in them. i happened to find two pairs at goodwill's buy the pound a few months ago. i have been waiting until was warmer to wear them, since i wasn't sure how they would look having to wear a coat over them. i was surprised at how many combinations i came up with when putting my outfit together. i had such a hard time deciding how to wear them! it was a pretty casual day, so i kept the look that way. 

the other pair i plan to cut into shorts, so be on the look out for that!

who else is getting back into overalls this season??

educated.

the graduation.

my sister got her masters degree in early childhood education from lesley university and we all headed to boston to celebrate!

 the band.

  

not only was it my sister's graduation from grad school, but it was porch fest in somerville, ma. residents opened their yards to bands who played throughout the afternoon. it was perfect background music for the party.

 the party.

 not only did my sister work her butt off to earn her degree, she put together this great lunch for everyone to celebrate with her. she made pulled chicken and pork, corn bread, cole slaw, appetizers, and some yummy desserts. the weather was perfect. it was in the 70s and sunny. the music was playing. drinks were drank and laughs were shared. as a reward, she did get an ipad! 

congrats kim. i'm always so proud of you.

what i wore: dress - urban outfitters, blazer - christian dior (found at salvation army!), shoes - urban outfitters, bag - coach (found at goodwill!).