St. Louis Thrift Finds: Palmistry-Themed Home Accents at The Green Shag Market

One of my favorite antique stores in the St. Louis area is the The Green Shag Market (it was also, consequently, the closest to my first apartment in Dogtown). They have a great selection of mid-century pieces, in addition to quirky tsotchkes that suit almost any taste. (They even have a booth of psychedelic vintage clothing.) It's a great spot to browse on weekend afternoons.

During a recent visit I noticed one booth had several palmistry-themed items, including two of these giant palm reading charts. My only foray into palmistry occurred after reading an ill-advised how-to in a teen magazine in fifth grade. At the time I thought I was being clever--getting ahead of my future. (The folly of the fifth grade mind.) Thankfully I'm happier these days living in the present... although I still really love the look of these charts.

About "St. Louis Thrift Finds": While this blog is primarily dedicated to personal style and ways bust forms are used for decoration, I am an avid thrifter/antiquer/junk sifter. Sometimes, I scoop up the treasures I find. Other times, I simply want to share them with you!

A Floral Outfit Cher Horowitz Would Approve Of

Dress: thrifted, Value Village
Blouse, thrifted, Value Village
Belt: thrifted (old)
Boots: Bakers Shoes

While this green dress looks like it came right out of 1996, it's turned out to be a very versatile piece in my wardrobe. It matches most of my cardigans, but here, I tried to find a blouse to layer underneath. The dress/blouse combo reminds me of something a gothic Cher Horowitz would wear; the belt and boots make it mine.

Silver necklace: thrifted, Value Village
Beaded necklace: made by a friend

One of my bigger issues when I get dressed in the morning (warning: 'issue' is a gross exaggeration) is picking out which jewelry to wear. Not because I think I've found the absolute best match, but because I'm lazy. Once I find something that 'works' with a certain piece of clothing, I don't deviate, because it gets me out of the door faster.

Except I've realized that's a terrible attitude to take.

So this year I've resolved myself to lay out a few options ahead of time and pick something new once in a while. This is attempt #1. The first time I wore the above outfit, it was with the chunky silver necklace and navy tights. I felt great, it was comfortable, and more importantly, warm. The second time I wore it, I forced myself to expand my options, and discovered the suede cord necklace on the right gives the outfit a more casual vibe.

(Stolen Off) My Boyfriend's Back: The Adventures of Batman

T-shirt: stolen from my boyfriend

Floral blouse: thrifted, Value Village

Shorts: JCPenney (old)

Boots: T.J. Maxx

Sometimes, I steal my boyfriend's t-shirts.

This Batman shirt is one of my favorites to wear on the weekends--the colors are so easy to coordinate! Most of the time I'll throw a cardigan over it, but that cuts off part of the graphic (ditto for high-waisted skirts). I love the juxtaposition of the floral blouse, which feminizes the look a little.

Lookalikes: Black and White Florals With a Teal Splash

Teal shirt: thrifted, Value Village (I believe it's the J. Lo brand from Kohl's)

Polka dot button down: hand-me-down

I will be the first to admit this bad habit: with my love for (cheap!) thrift store clothing, it's easy to talk myself into buying "deja vu pieces"--that is to say, they look so similar, they might as well be the same thing. But they're not! (Is this how hoarders start out?..)

These shirts are great for getting dressed on lazy days, because I know outfits that work with one shirt will work with the other. However, I tried to challenge myself to style each shirt in ways that are unique to their style.

Teal button-down: thrifted, Value Village

Circus t-shirt: Target (old)

Shorts: Target (old)

Necklaces: flea market find

Skirt: thrifted

Necklace: thrifted, Goodwill

Tribal shirt: thrifted, Salvation Army

Leather jacket: Forever 21

White ring: found at Belleville (Ill.) Flea Market

Silver bangles: thrifted

Yellow bracelets: bought at Paisley on Main in Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Black bangle: thrifted, Value Village

St. Louis Thrift Finds: Belleville Flea Market

At the risk of losing out on future jewelry purchases, the Belleville Flea Market is a treasure trove for lovers of silver. Here are a few pieces I snagged over the weekend.

About "St. Louis Thrift Finds": While this blog is primarily dedicated to personal style and ways bust forms are used for decoration, I am an avid thrifter/antiquer/junk sifter. Sometimes, I scoop up the treasures I find. Other times, I simply want to share them with you!

Fine Form: "I See a Little Silhouetto of a (Wo)man..."

Image credit: Design Sponge

This week's "Fine Form" edition doubles as a DIY! Design Sponge created this great silhouette bust that's perfect for displaying necklaces. While it's simple (and fairly simple to make, if you or someone you know works with wood), it's very elegant--and can easily be customized to your color preferences.

What I love most are the extra touches: the earring hook made to look like it's dangling from hers, and the broad base to hold dishes of bracelets and rings. It makes it look like a cohesive piece, instead of a tchotchkes thrown together into dishes.

My All-Time Favorite St. Louis Value Village Purchases

Did you miss me wax nostalgic last week about the closing of the Shrewsbury Value Village here in St. Louis? (Seriously--I have no clue where to score great secondhand clothes now.) But rather than mourn what no longer is, I've decided to celebrate all of the great things the thrift store has gifted upon me over the past year. 

Tops and Dresses

If you haven't noticed by now, I love florals. The red tank, a mega-bargain at $.99, has gotten at least 30 wearings since its purchase this summer. The green floral shift dress was purchased at my final trip to the store over the weekend, and will have a long life being paired with my many cardigan sweaters. 

Two of these favorites are slightly out of my comfort zone: a maroon t-shirt (because I so seldom buy solids), and a leopard print dress (while I love patterns, I tend to stay away from animals. This has disproved my skepticism for its versatility.). They're examples of items I wouldn't normally buy out at the mall, but gave a chance because the monetary loss was worth the risk.

Skirts (short)

2013 was the year of the circle skirt for Karlie (as evidenced by the latter four skirts here). I won't digress much about why I love them, except to say they work equally well for work or night-out outfits. The two pencil skirts (far left) have been great additions to my work wardrobe. The geometric patterned skirt even helped get me hired at my new job!

The navy blue one on the far right is my favorite because it adds a bit of flounce to your step. Whenever I wear it, I think, 'This must be how Zooey Deschanel feels in those Cotton commercials.'

Skirts (long)

I'm not the biggest fan of maxi dresses, because I'm sort of short and squatty as it is, but I have been enjoying the array of maxi-length skirts I've found. Many of them aren't pictured because they're a variation of the polka dot skirt pictured above--long, loose cotton with an elastic waist and sewn-in pockets. Lo and behold, they're perfect for lazy trips to the grocery store (added bonus: on cold days, you can conceal a pair of leggings underneath without added bulk).

The shorter two, however, are identical to skirts I'd seen in stores (the striped one spotted in Anthropologie, for example) and didn't have the heart to spend the money on. Neither is too 'showy' on its own, and both are great for mixing with other patterns.

Et cetera.

My favorite non-clothing purchase was a bed sheet, which I am currently using as bedroom curtains. 

The search for curtains for my newest apartment really exposed how cheap I can be about certain purchases. I spent a couple months seeking them out. I didn't want to spend more than $20 per panel (because that sounds like a lot!), and didn't have much luck finding patterns I liked on that apparently skimpy curtain budget. So for my first two (or three-ish) months here, I simply went without. Then I spotted this bedsheet. It was $.99! 

But wouldn't you know--not only am I so in love with the pattern that I still find myself zoning out at it on a regular basis, but the sheet happened to be the perfect length for my bedroom. I call that fate.

Fine Form: Sailing On Waves of Curls

Image credit: Every Day Is a Holiday

I am in love with this bust! It manages to be classical, funky and whimsical all at once. It also reminds me vaguely of this drawing, which I pinned ages ago.

Craftiness tends to allude me, but if I ever tried paper crafts, I would want to make one of these. And wear it on walks with the dog.

Image credit: Paper Cut Project

Do you use a dress form or mannequin as a display? Share your photos with me, and I may feature it in an upcoming Fine Form post. E-mail photos to karlieabaker@gmail.com

Saying Goodbye to My Favorite St. Louis-Area Thrift Store

Hey, St. Louis thrifters--enjoy the Shrewsbury Value Village while you can! The store is closing Jan. 12, with 50 percent off all merchandise through the rest of the week.

I've lived in St. Louis under a year and a half, though I could say without hesitation I've visited that Value Village at least twice a month (if not once a week) throughout the duration of that time. It's become my favorite thrift store in the entire area.

I caught the thrifting bug from my grandmother, so I've always sought out a good place to rummage wherever I am. During my first year of high school I had to walk after school to my mom's workplace, which was just a few blocks from a Salvation Army store. Every Friday became thrift day. When I went away to college, I'd hit up the Unique Thrift Store in Uptown during my evenings off. In the Chicago suburbs, it was a Salvation Army store in Downers Grove.

It didn't take me long to find the Shrewsbury store--when I moved here and began covering Crestwood and Sunset Hills, it was one of the most convenient stores to visit. It took even less time to learn to love it, because they offer one of my favorite thrift features: a colored sale tag of the day. And they didn't have the thing I loathe most at resale shops: a dozen of the same clearance rack castoff donated by a nearby department store.

Perhaps because I was raised in an area where a bi-annual rummage sale was a highlight of the season, I've become partial to a specific type of thrift store: the junky-looking ones. I don't mean hoarder-level stacked to the ceilings--but disheveled enough that the hunt is a challenge. Not to say that Value Village is junky. While the ceiling often leaks, it is a pretty well-organized store (and I don't mind the leaks). The amount of merchandise can seem daunting--a thorough pass through the women's department took me anywhere from a half hour to 45 minutes--but you know where to find the skirts, the long sleeve shirts, the vests. The effect: you feel like an archaeologist every time you stumble upon a great steal. As exciting as it is to buy a new piece of clothing you really love, I think that sensation is amplified when that item feels like it was delivered from the cosmos directly to you. (Often it's from some old lady's musty closet, as opposed to the cosmos, but I digress.) In the past year I've found some of my favorite new (old) pieces there--from the interview outfit that secured me my current job, to a blouse that perfectly emanates a look I wanted to steal from Kendi Everyday--and many of them at less than $2.

I braved the snowy roads for a final visit this past Tuesday because it made my heart sick to think I'd lose out on some of their last goodies. My take is pretty respectable: two blouses with embroidered details, a circle skirt, and three great new head scarves. I also snagged a long string of silver beads (which need to be tarnished up) and two other pieces of jewelry, all for under $11. [Writer's note: the sequined shirt pictured was not purchased at Value Village; it was simply me testing new ways to layer.]

Check back on Monday and I will share some of my all-time favorite Value Village buys. I'm hoping to make one last stop this weekend!

Items I Envy: A T-Shirt That's Everyone's Cup of Tea

I found this great tee on the sweet aesthetics Tumblr. I happen to love gray t-shirts, tea, whiskey and a good turn of phrase. (The "mama tried" belt buckle is a gaudy, awesome bonus.) While its message proclaims the shirt (and its wearer) are okay with pissing some people off, the shirt itself is a crowd-pleaser--the image was re-pinned about 60 times within an hour of me pinning it.

Are you as gleeful for puns as I am? Hop over to my Pinterest board dedicated to graphics to find another tea-themed quip that plays off the words of the great Pat Benetar.

Getting Dressed for Work In 5 Minutes: Put a Scarf On It

 

Sometimes with my zeal for jewelry and printed clothing, I have to remember to step back every once in a while and appreciate how well a silk scarf can make a very basic outfit pop. It has the same impact of a colorful statement necklace without the literal weight on your neck all day.

I could see myself pairing this with black, mustard, lace, or pale pink tights, depending on my mood. I did have to cheat and add a bangle to complete the outfit.

Shirt: Banana Republic

Skirt: Old Navy

Scarf: thrifted

Silver bangle: thrifted

Fine Form: Accessorizing With Dinosaurs

I found this photo on Reddit, so forgive the quality.

I am a sucker for anything involving dinosaurs (as evidenced by this t-shirt, among others), so I melted when I saw this cute display! It's whimsical and just a bit nerdy--perfect to display fun, heart-shaped sunglasses. If there was ever a reason to marry a paleontologist...