Cuzbud Salvo Wednesday!

On my first Wednesday home from my European adventure, my cousin Kristin decided to join me. Salvoing with a friend is always more fun than Salvoing alone (assuming that you don't want the same clothes) and anything with Kristin is always a thousand times more fun.

We headed out to my old faithful, Henrietta, since I hadn't been there in almost a month. And I was rewarded!

Apt 9, $5.50

I loved the fun pattern and the overall shape of this one! And it's a really comfortable material, so it will be perfect for those work days where I want to look nice but feel like I'm wearing jammies. Those are my favorite dresses.

Mossimo, $8.50

 Why? WHY was this Mossimo dress originally $16.99?! Do they not know what Mossimo is? Do they think it's couture or something? You could get it for that in the store!! ....and yet, I still bought it. Couldn't help it.

Axcess by Liz Claiborne (pants), $3.50

I need work clothes.  I know this. It doesn't make me like it. It means summer is almost over. But at least these are really nice work clothes.

Banana Republic, $3

These are actually a size too big, but they had tightening things on them, and they're Banana, and they were $3. And everybody needs fat day pants, right?

Simply Vera, $3.50

These are my skinniest skinny jeans to date. They make me think of the episode of Cougar Town where Jules (Courtney Cox) explains that good jeans are standing jeans... because you literally can't sit down in them. These are maybe not that tight... but that's the point, right?

Ann Taylor Loft, $3

These are the most comfortable jeans I have maybe ever owned, EVER. They are my new favorites and are making me suspect that I love Ann Taylor Loft jeans, as my previous favorite pair were the same brand.

Old Navy, $2

 Stripes. How long will I last with this set of stripes?

Arden B, $2

Kind of see-through. Cute. Perfect for orange-and-black day at school!

Between You & Me, $3

I can't get over how much I love the drape of this one. It's almost enough to make me ready for fall. Almost. But, dear summer, it's not fall. So STOP ACTING LIKE IT ALREADY.

Kristin got a few things too, that I completely forgot to take pictures of. But we got something more exciting this weekend... a new cousin/sister!

Cousins! <3

Thrifting and Dress Hunting in Spain!

We just got back from two delicious, beautiful, delightful weeks in Spain. My husband's younger brother lives there and married the most wonderful Spanish woman, now my wonderful new sister.

While we were in Spain, we ate octopus and squid in its ink...

...climbed a mountain...

...visited a beautifully amazing (ahem) clothing optional beach...

...visited neighboring cities...

...located Dunkin knockoffs...

Duffin Dagel!

...made a trip to Porto, Portugal...

Vinho Verde!!!

Port wine is gross.

...made new friends...

...and, of course, I bought dresses. The first two were from a day of shopping in Oviedo with my new sister.

The second one is actually hand-sewn and hand-beaded, and was on sale for less than 20 euros!

Then I bought another in the street market in Oviedo:

As we were leaving Spain, we took a bus to Madrid and flew out from there. Madrid is a beautiful and very hot city.

90+ degrees, 15% humidity. Hot, and more importantly, home to a thrift store called Humana.

That's right, folks, I got to go thrift storing in Spain! My poor husband nearly burnt his knees taking this picture. Totally worth it.

As I was about to check out with two dresses marked 10 euros each, the cashier pointed to a sign and said "buy 3 clothings, 15 euros!" So obviously, I went back and got a third!

I need no better souvenir! If the cheap and delicious wine wasn't enough, this makes Spain a win. I imagine we'll be back. And maybe we'll visit our family while we're there. :)

There's No Place Like Home Salvo Wednesday

I was a little short on time this Wednesday, so I decided to just go to one of my normal, local Salvos. I headed up to Greece and was not disappointed!

As always, I headed directly to the dresses upon arrival. I was there right as the store opened, so it wasn't too crowded yet and there were plenty of shopping carts to go around (not usually the case when I get there later). The dresses are currently being hung on large circular racks near the front of the store. Imagine my surprise as I found FOUR other women on the same rack as me after I started it alone. They seemed to keep expecting me to move to accommodate them as all four of them went willy-nilly around the rack. I didn't. I don't give way in the dress section. I WIN AT DRESSES.

In fact, that's what my cart looked like by the time I was done with just the dresses. Those are all dresses. I didn't buy all of them, but still. I could have. I WIN AT DRESSES.

Collection by Cherokee, $2.50

For instance, I won with this surprisingly comfortable sheath dress.

Express, $2.50

 I also won with this stretchy knit dress from Express!

Bailey Girl, $3

I won with this magenta, loose-fitting dress!

Sandra Darren, $2.50

 It's always winning when you find stuff in this shade of blue!

Top, Ambiance Apparel, $2.50
Pants, Willi Smith, $2

 I've been looking for black dress pants with a skinny or at least tapered ankle to wear with some of my more loose-fitting tops. Loose fitting tops and wide-legged bottoms seem like a bad idea to me. However, the only thing more difficult than finding loose-fitting tops instead of just-plain-big tops in unsorted racks is finding good quality dress pants in a sea of black pants that happen to have a tapered leg. I finally succeeded! 

I own one other top from Ambiance Apparel that is one of my very favorite shirts. So happy to have another!

Top, Forever 21, $1.50
Skirt, Ann Taylor Loft, $2.50

Cute top, cute skirt! More school year preparation.

As I was leaving, they wheeled out one more rack of clothes. I decided to check it out, and found this gem:

Calvin Klein, $10

Not half price and I don't even care. I WIN AT DRESSES.

Sometimes, there's no place like home for a really great Salvo hit.

Salvo Wednesday Road Trip!

For several years now, I've been meaning to drive out to Syracuse (about an hour-ish drive) to check out their Salvos. I'd heard from a student that they have a huge one, but I've been putting it off mostly because I hate driving. This week I bought a new car, so I thought it was a great time to take it for a spin and check out the stores in our neighboring city.

The first one I visited, on Erie Blvd., was HUGE. And surprisingly, I was able to get a shopping cart right away. I looked around and realized that it wasn't nearly as packed as the Rochester area stores are. Maybe they aren't as excited about half-off Wednesdays as we are here! I don't know why....

$9, Tommy Hilfiger

In case you've forgotten, on Wednesdays at every domestic Salvation Army Thrift store that I've ever visited (and that's a lot), four out of five color tags are half off. The colors are usually hanging from a sign in the store. I glanced up and thought that I saw a yellow tag, but the yellow turned out to be white instead. So I bought this thinking it was half off (and left behind several other items I probably would have taken home if I'd realized my error). I probably wouldn't have bought it if I'd realized it would be the full $9. But, it's work-friendly and has pockets, so it wasn't too big a regret.

Mossimo, $3.50

I decided it was time to make sure you could see the details on a dress rather than just saying "you probably can't see it, but...", so here's an up-close of the neckline of this lovely concert-appropriate dress. I think I'll probably be all set with new concert dresses next year.

Forever 21, $2.50

I've started noticing that most of my delightful drape-y style shirts are all gray or black. So I'm happy to throw some blue into the mix! I have to say that finding shirts in this loose-fitting style is a bit of a challenge. There's a fine line between a classy, drape-y shirt and one that is just plain too big, and it's not easy to pick out on the hanger in a store that refuses to sort by size.

American Eagle Outfitters, $2.50

So I added a little purple in there as well.

J Crew, $2.50

The color really didn't come out as well as I'd have liked... this is a 100% silk, deep purple top. Lovely!

Express, $3

It really pains me to buy fall clothes, but it has to happen sometime.

Express, $3

This isn't another fall item. This is an indoors-surviving-air-conditioning item.

Old Navy, $4

Decided to add a picture of the (very wrinkled) detailing at the neckline again. Beaded starbursts! But really... I'm really all set with concert dresses now, even casual ones.

There were four thrift stores listed in the Syracuse area, but even I can't shop that long, so I just chose a second. One of the stores, in North Syracuse, was listed as new, so I gave it a shot. And it was new - even the building, not just the store! It was hands-down the nicest Salvo I've ever been in. And it had a couple of nice finds inside.

Lauren Conrad, $3.50

Soft gray lace...this will look great with tights and boots when that thing happens that I don't want to talk about just right now.

Ann Taylor Loft, $2.50

You can always use new black dressy shirts!

Old Navy, $2

Loose and comfy for the rare days that I choose to wear a skirt/tank top situation instead of a straight up sundress. Rare. Of course, there's a teeny tiny hole on the back from the stapling. This store found it necessary to double-staple everything right on the fabric. Because clearly once doesn't do enough damage.

Ann Taylor Loft, $2.50

Another nice dressy shirt for work. A lot of great stuff this time around, but way too much of it is for fall or at least for the school year. I'm really yearning for some new summer finds while there's still some summer left to go!

Final verdict: Syracuse was worth the drive! I'll have to try it again next year!