What I Wore: Spring Sequins

Since I have been back to work, I have been having fun experimenting with my closet.  I have somewhere to dress up to and not planning my wardrobe around how well I can pick up and chase a toddler without toppling over or spilling out of my shirt.

This week I decided to participate in the challenge to wear "Spring Sequins" hosted by Nany's Klozet, Flor de Maria, & Ashes Into Fashion.  Doing this challenge was great because I came up with another way to wear a sequin top that I have only worn twice and be more creative when planning my outfits.  By being more creative, I get to shop my closet free instead of shopping at a retail store to buy more stuff because I feel like I "have nothing to wear".

Here's is what I wore:

1. Zinc Black Blazer - Thrifted
2. Forever 21 Gray Sequin Tank - Gift from Husband
3. Floral Pleated Skirt - Thrifted
4. Charlotte Russe Suede Black Platform Pumps - $27

Again, sorry for the crappy cell phone pic.  I tried taking pictures again with my daughter and obviously it did not work out!

What I Wore: JCrew Tangerine Coral & Polka Dots

First let me say that taking pictures of yourself is no joke.  All those fashion bloggers make it look so effortless, but truly it takes a lot of trial and error pictures and posing without looking insane.  I wanted to share my outfit last week so my daughter and I took it outside for some picture taking.  ALL. MY. PICTURES. LOOKED. RIDICULOUS.  I ended up only keeping ONE to share with you all and I'm almost embarrassed to share it.  It took me an entire week to bring myself to post it.

I must say, I really have to lose those last 15 lbs I've been carrying around.  I am only 5' feet tall and gaining one pound looks like 10.

I love a good bargain, so lots of my current buys are thrift, clearance or yard sale finds! It is so exciting to me when I find something cute & stylish dirt cheap.

So here it is, I wore this to work: (Try to look past the unflattering pose and silly look on my face)

1.Forever 21 Black Cardigan

2. J. Crew Coral/Tangerine Ruffle Top (Goodwill find)

3. Macy's Black Polka Pencil Skirt (Goodwill find)

4. BCBGirls "Library" Peach/Nude Cutout Peep-toe Pumps

5. Target Mossimo Sunglasses ($1 at the Dollar Store!)

I thought I would add that later that night my super cute heels went from looking like this: 

To this:

By the unmerciful jaws of this furry creature my daughter named Moxie:

Why? Moxie, Why? It is ALWAYS my stuff too.  Why don't you chew your 7 year old owner's shoes? I promise you would enjoy her $10 Target flats just as much as my discontinued, no longer sold, only worn a handful of times BCBG shoes! RIP shoes, you will be missed :(

Side Swept Bangs: Before & After

This weekend, I had the opportunity to be a secret shopper at a local hair salon in exchange for a free cut.  I saved a picture on my phone of the style I wanted to give the stylist the image of the look I was going for.  The stylist was great, she actually played it very safe and trimmed very very little of the bottom since I am growing my hair out and added just a few layers on the top of my head for volume.  The bangs were a little thinner than I would have liked, but I added a little more thickness when I got home.

The pictures are crappy because they came from my phone.

Here is me before (no bangs):

The Below picture is after the cut (with bangs).

What do you think?  I'm pretty happy with it!

Three Bags of Bottles & Cans Later

In the name of mother earth and being less wasteful I have persuaded my 7 year old to organize all recyclables in exchange for all the funds we get after taking them in.

A few weeks ago our dog moxie ripped into all the bags the recyclables were in the side yard and my daughter just about gave up in her efforts. So we promised if she picked them up this weekend we would take them in and take her shopping with her earnings.

So as promised here she is with the $13 she received for the three 13 gallon bags she filled with cans & bottles.

An hour and a half later and a visit to the mall and Target, she ended up with a box of Orbeez. I tried to talk her out of it and tried to get her to pick something more useful like shoes or clothes. However, to her buying those things are boring and "mom's job".

Dollar Store Haul

Ok...remember when the dollar store had nothing but off brand, reject stuff? They have been carrying some great items.  Of course everything is always while supplies last, so if you see a great deal, grab it and grab a couple if you can!

This week I stopped back at my local 99 Cent Store to see if I would have more luck finding clothes but I found nothing.

Here's tonight's loot:

1. I got my almost 2 year old (3 more weeks!) some cheapie Bart Simpson flip flops.  (Side Note: Isn't it hilarious watching a toddler try to walk in flip-flops for the 1st time?)

2. 55 Yards! packaging tape for my eBay Packages

3. Full Size Nabisco Honey Maid Graham Crackers

4. Full Size Kellogg's Alvin and The Chipmunks Snacks

5. L'eggs 2-pk Massaging Foot Covers (love these for wearing with booties)

6. L'eggs Opaque Tights

7. L'eggs Black Leggings

Good Night Y'all, got an early morning tomorrow, finally Friday tomorrow! I will have made it through my second week back at work!

Brand name clothes at the Dollar Store

A couple weeks ago I noticed a rack go up at the 99 cent store with a mixture of clothes. I found that these are used clothes but come with a tag that says "this recycled garment has been carefully selected and inspected. We used our unique methods to assure like-new appearance".  This is the tag that is attached to each garment:

 Although I found that most clothes very worn, faded, or pilled, if you dig (just like at a thrift store or yard sale) you may find something decent. I found this cute lace aqua Lane Bryant top the first time and sold it for $16 plus shipping on eBay.

I stopped in real quick Sunday and noticed them hanging up "new" stock. I picked up 6 pieces, 4 to resell and 2 for me.

From Left to Right:

1. Ivory Lace Tunic Top (Love this one! Thinking of wearing it to work on casual Friday.)
2. Apt 9 Embroidered Ivory Plus Size 2X Blouse
3. Daisy Fuentes Seafoam Top. (Selling on eBay & already has a bid on it!)
4. Xhilaration Purple Polka Dot Satin Ruffled Top. (Listed on eBay but undecided if I should keep it.)
5. Katie Todd Pink Lace Jacket.
6. SIXTEEN Plus Geometric Tunic Top in 2X

As you can see one of the tops already has a bid on it and that sale alone will pay for my entire shopping trip at the 99 cent store. hahaha.

Anyone else finding unexpected finds at the dollar stores?

What a Difference a Mannequin Makes!

So I've been laid off again. Sigh. I actually got to really love the job and the people so I was sad to go.  Long story short, a permanent replacement transferred to take the job I was in. She has been working in a similar position at their other building and well it meant I had to go.  However I got raving reviews from my manager and she offered her recommendation if I needed it at any job I apply.

Anyway, every other day I check Craigslist for cheap dress forms/mannequins.  I finally found one for $30! 

The dress forms ended up not being the actual ones pictured. The seller found the pics online, but they're pretty much the same except, they were missing the top wood knobs.  I bought both, one for my friend who just started selling on eBay again and she will be keeping one.

So now my pictures on my clothing listings have gone from looking like this:

To looking like this:

Doesn't that look a million times better?  And its amazing how quick I can take pictures and it is so much more fun.  It's like playing dress up with my dolls when I was little lol.

Sales Summary from November through January

Since I haven't updated my eBay top sales since October.  I thought I would give you all an summary update on my top 3 sales in the last quarter (Nov-Dec-Jan):

November:

This Bebe jumsuit was a return from October.  Apparently the girl who returned it said it didn't arrive in time for a costume she was planning for Halloween.  I originally got it during Salvation Army's Dollar Day. She paid $30. 

I re-listed it and it sold for $77.99 (-$4.75 shipping)!!! Woo-Hoo! Sometimes returns aren't so bad.

December:

Ok, please tell me I am not the only one that jumps on board a fun new workout craze only to never start it!  Well this is what happened with this XBOX Kinect Zumba game.  I WATCHED (not played along like you're supposed to) it one time and I didn't like it.  I prefer the real thing. 

I paid $22.50 during a great Amazon sale and it sold for $45 to a buyer in Canada so they paid their own shipping!

January:

This Jones New York Dress Suit sold for $29.99 plus shipping. This was in a bag of clothes my mom's boss gave her.

Like I have said previously, I didn't have a lot of time to list since I started work up again.  I sold an average of 20 items per month this quarter.  I'm hoping to get things running this month!

Show Us Your Life: Working Moms

Hi! I'm back.  Since I started working full time again in November, I haven't updated this blog.  My good friend has been trying to encourage me to post again.  When I saw that today's Show Us Your Life on Kelly's Korner is Working Moms, I figured this is a good time to start blogging regularly again.

So I work full time and sell part time on eBay.  I am a data administrator for a company in the medical industry. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for over 8 years. I have a 7 year old daughter in 2nd grade and a 20 month old son.

When I took this new job, I missed my babies so much cried everyday for a month.  Can anyone relate? I still get sad once in a while, but for now this is what needs to be done to give them a better future. We all want our kids to have the best, don't we? 

Thankfully my new job is amazing and my boss is so great because she lets me take a late lunch so I can pick up my daughter from school everyday.  My daughter goes to the school 5 min from my job and 5 min from the sitter's house (who is one of my best friends).  I was able to arrange for her to go to school so close because I was able to show the school district my job and sitter's house where in the qualifying area for my daughter to attend there.  My biggest priority when I went back to work was to still be around for my kids as much as possible and for my kids to be so close to my job makes everything work out! It also made me ease my emotions knowing that I could still drop my kids off in the morning and pick them up everyday. 

My daughter also goes to gymnastics and coincidentally my new job ended up being one block away from the facility!  So when I started working again, we changed her class time so I can be there for the last 15 minutes of class for her. I have noticed many kid's centers and daycares have started opening in business parks and this is so convenient for us working mothers. Plus, the class ends early enough that we still get home in time to make dinner and finish homework. When the kids go to bed, I try to squeeze in some picture taking to list on eBay and spend some quality time with my husband.

So anyway, I wanted to share how I juggle being a working mom and wife.  I hope to find other working mom blogs to connect with!