An EPIC adventure!

A few days ago my lovely sister in law told me about a new thrift store that just opened up - EPIC Thrift Store! Not too far from my house.


So after I picked up my daughter from school and hit up the bank, we stopped in to check it out! I didn't have a lot of time, plus three of four children with me, so I didn't have optimal shopping time. I did, however, manage to find a great top and the kids, of course, snagged a few carefully checked out toys. 

First, the store! It's huge - as large or larger than some of my favorite Savers locations. It was replaced an old Michael's craft store, so the flooring was a little nicer. 

That's my 9 year old...Vanna White!

It was clean and bright, and the clothes were sorted by COLOR! Savers used to do that and stopped, so I really appreciated being able to sort through based on color. 

My only real complaint was that kids clothes were not sorted by size. They were sorted by color, but I would have liked to have seen them sorted by size as well.


Then I found this!

It's a flirty spring blouse in ivory with coral and purple flowers. I've been looking for something like this! It is an Elle brand so it came from Kohl's and the retail was probably around $30 (and that's figuring in Kohl's almost constant % off sales.) I got it for $3.

I also found this Old Nave super lightwight t-shirt to wear under it! It's the perfect companion piece...I mean, I love all these chiffon tops, but  finding appropriate underclothing is a challenge. This top - $1.50 - and I can easily wear it alone as well. SCORE!


We also picked up some shorts for the girls - $1 and $2 and some random play set pieces for my son - $2. My daughter picked out some maraccas - $1.50 and this cuddly oversized beany baby for $.70! I call it Ella Blue (Beyonce would be so proud!)

So...I'm getting brave...here's the top in action!

Elle Floral Top - Epic Thrift Store  $3, Old Navy Under T - Epic Thrift Store  $1.50, Mens Lucky Brand Jeans - wardrobe from a film I worked on $125, Floral Slingbacks - Citi Trends $17, Sea Shell Bracelet - JoAnn's Fabrics $4

And some other styling ideas, thanks to POLYVORE! I love polyvore...it's like paperdolls for adults!

Freakishly Frugal Friday

Every once and a while, I stumble upon a deal that is simply amazing. Practically free, really.


Occasionally they'll clear out old inventory at Savers and offer a certain tag color for $.99! And I found this classy blouse! Something for a performance sometime I think. 

And this next one I got 1/2 off of $1.99! Mustard is one of my favorite colors and this is a fun piece! I think I'll probably ditch the belt, though. 

I thrift so I can splurge!

Well, let me define splurge...

I feel like I've gotten a really good bargain if I spend under $10 on a great top or sweater, less if I'm at a thrift store. $12 is usually my threshold for blouses and tops if new.  Jeans - $12-15 new, $5-7 used. Shoes - under $10  used and under $20 new. Dresses, gowns - I'm a little more flexible, but a casual dress under $15 used or new...but I rarely ever shop for dresses new except dressy clothes for performance. But even most of those I score at thrift stores wink, wink...

So while I understand a great many women think nothing of dropping $50, $75, $100 on a great top, I'm just not that girl. So for some people, splurge will still mean cheap. 

So here's my splurge that I wore Saturday to see a show with my hubby - a wonderful date night! 

First off, SHOES! I actually select a lot of my outfits around my shoes...is that weird? I guess because so many times I have the perfect outfit then not the right shoes, but I digress!

I found these - $17. There's this little store in a strip mall not too far from my home. I rarely buy clothes there, but shoes and accessories - yes, please! Many of my favorite shoes come from that store. Most of my "splurge" shoes, actually. And often the ones I get the most comments about!

Flirty, feminine pieces have been really speaking to me this year. The moment I saw them, I knew they had to be mine!!

But, then...I didn't really have anything to wear with them. I mean, I'm sure I could have found something...but I wanted something special. So I was out shopping for some fabric with my honey for our current project and I found the perfect blouse. So I also splurged on it. Another $17 at Raphsodielle. 

I paired it with some boot cut blue jeans and my classic denim jacket. And had a wonderful night...can't wait to wear it again!

Super Sale Day!

Several times a year at those random Monday or Friday holidays like Presidents Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc... Savers, my favorite chain thrift store, has a sale where all clothing, shoes and accessories are 50% off!


Now I should explain that my main purpose for attending today's sale was to shop for costume pieces for my current costume project. We hit 5 different Savers locations and found lots of great stuff for our show!


I picked up several great items as well, so I thought I'd share a few with you today!


First, though, I wanted to let you see a few that I passed on. When I first started thrift store shopping, I would kinda just buy anything that looked like a good deal. I ended up with a bunch of things in my closet that I just ended up giving back to the thrift store because they didn't fit or flatter me or were just too dated or whatnot. So I've learned to edit...regardless of how sad that might be sometimes.

I loved this skirt. The pleats, the pockets, the fabrics, the colors, the colorblocking. But it was too small and too short. Even at half price - $4 - it would have been a waste. 

I also loved this sweater! The perfect summer sweater. Soft, lightweight, a great color - fun! And while I sometimes can wear a medium, my large bosom was too much for this delicate sweater. I even thought that maybe I could just wear it open, but I used better judgement and passed it by, willing it to someone who will wear it well. With the right shoes and accessories.


So, here are a few things I bought! There were a few gowns I bought as well, but the photos didn't come out, so I'll save them for later.

#1 This is a simple black knit blouse with some crazy fun epulets on the shoulder! $3.50

#2 Green Floral Print Skirt - Can't have enough casual skirts for Las Vegas summers! $2

#3 Black and White Polka Dot Blouse - this is my favorite! It's hard to find button down shirts that fit me. Love the gathered sleeves and belt! $3.50