Ninety-nine cent dress for a Saturday in Germantown

 

Dress: Old Navy, for .99 at Goodwill

Sandals: Kelly & Kate, for 2.99 Goodwill

Bracelet: gifted from Cape Cod from a lovely friend.

In case you can’t tell, I love this dress AND Germantown, where I took it out for the first time.

On Wednesday and Sunday in my area, all Goodwills sell their color of the week for just .99, instead of half off as they do for the rest of the week.  So I make sure to hit up Goodwill on a Wednesday or Sunday as often as I can.  I can not believe this dress, along with some other great tops, made it to the .99 rack, but I was happy it did.

The Sandals I got last October in CT while I lived there for a brief stint.  Although it was October when I got them, I knew they were timeless enough that for $2.99 I would still be able to wear them come Summer.

I got to go to brunch last Saturday with my good girlfriend Rion at this new crepes restaurant in town called The Red Bicycle.  It is located in a lovely and quaint area of town called Germantown.  I love Germantown.  This street in particular has some of my favorite Nashville restaurants on it, including City House, and SILO which is a farm to table restaurant.  And The Red Bicycle did not disappoint.  It can keep its location on 5th Ave. North in Nashville, TN.

It was adorable, quirky and fun…three of my favorite attributes in a restaurant.

Oh and the food was good too:)

We each got two specialty crepes and shared them ALL!  I like how after we each ordered our first one the cashier thought we were done..no no.  These look too delicious to stop at one.  Thanks,  And were very full after, but not too full to walk around in 100+ degree heat for a LITTLE bit and stage a mini photo shoot.  (Results above;)

Some shots of the restaurant:

Ordering counter.  They have wonderful coffee drinks as well.

colorful chairs and tables galore.

Our first two crepes have arrived.  Nutella, and the Highlander, which was my FAVORITE!!! Chicken, gorgonzola, apples and tarragon aoili.

We fit a little talking in there too.

They also had a local photographer’s artwork on the walls, which I feel is always a very nice touch.  Each piece was from a different city around the country, so I felt like I got a little traveling in while eating my crepes.

It was a lovely Saturday and I’m glad I got to share it with y’all:)  Look forward to some more finds coming your way soon… I may just be wearing one as I write this blog…

Happy Thrifting.

-Jaime

Crazy dress for a crazy girl- Happy Memorial Day

Xhilaration at Target, $6.99 from Goodwill in CT.

Love this crazy dress.  This is the first time I have gotten to wear it summer style without leggings or a cardigan etc over/under it.  I got it last fall and the first time I wore it I added blue tights, black boots and a black cardigan as it was in December in CT.

I like it both ways…but am partial to the kind I get to wear while sitting on a patio eating BBQ in the sun.

I wore this fun dress to get some BBQ with my good girl friend Rion (who has the coolest spelled name ever!) at Edley’s BBQ in Nashville on today, Memorial Day.  I have been wanting to try this place for awhile, and you can imagine my joy when I found out a new location just opened up on my side of town.  Done.

I had a brisket sandwich with bean salad and macaroni on the side.  I left feeling uncomfortably full…but worth it because it was all delicious.

Thank goodness for the stretch covered waist on this frock.  I knew that would come in handy.

Also once again sporting my Wal-Mart necklace.  I wonder how long it will take me to get sick of this one.  Pretty excited about it.

On a more serious note, I would like to take a moment to thank all of our past, current and future men and women who have served and fight for our freedom.  I take it for granted a lot, but am very thankful to be able to worship who I want to worship (God), do what I want to do, and shop where I want to shop (Goodwill).

Nothing is too trivial to be thankful for on this day, because someone gave up their live so you could do something as simple as eat cereal in your house…or apartment…or condominium- wherever you choose to dwell- it is your freedom to choose!  Ok, I think you get my point.  I am thankful.  As I never had the guts to serve myself, I’m glad someone else has and does and will.

Happy Memorial Day everyone!  Thanks for stopping by.

-Jaime

“Freedom is never free.”

Perfect Spring Day and Red Stripe Maxi Dress

I have been waiting for the right occasion to wear this lovely red striped maxi dress ever since this post when I brought home all this loot:

Do you see it peeking out?

And the occasion(s) finally came!

Sunday funday as it has been called.

I first patio brunched with a friend at a The Black Pearl, a new restaurant sitting on Old Hickory Lake on the outskirts of Nashville, TN, and had all you can eat seafood- crab legs, shrimp, crawfish and corn, and a Mai Tai, my first one:)  It was a beautiful sunny day, and then I attended an outdoor festival that my friend Irene (on the right in the second picture down) was hosting/mc’ing.  Like me, she is pursuing her dream of being a stand up comic.  And she funny.  I surround myself with dreamers like me.  (Mine is being a published, or at least respected, songwriter.)

Don’t you agree??  I think I waited for the right time.

The dress held up to the challenge of the day, and I even got one compliment, out loud at least…I’m positive there were others unspoken:)  Is that what confidence?…or something else?:)

The festival was next to/on the Cumberland River in downtown Nashville, and that picture is of the pedestrian bridge that you can stroll across whenever you’d like and admire the downtown view.  Very pretty, and for sure one of my favorite places in Nashville.

As you can see in the last picture, the dress is the perfect length- hard to do in a Maxi dress.  I have another that is probably a few inches too short, but I still rock it anyway.

Lastly, I didn’t take a picture of the back, but you can probably tell, it is racerback, so this is one of those fun dresses you have to wear a strapless for…oh joy.  Let’s just say I would’ve done a little more dancing had it not been for the sans straps bra, but that was the only casualty of the day due to the dress.  Totally worth it.  No one needs to see my dancing anyway.  🙂

Hope you enjoyed and are inspired to go make some finds of your own!!

I know for me at least I’m inspired enough for plenty of people!

Live beautifully,

-Jaime

Vacation and it feels so good!

I am writing you from….vacation!!!

Ahh, so nice, so relaxing.

I work at a school, and it is currently February break, one week of glorious nothingness.  I was going to stay in my home state and relax and ‘get stuff done’ there…

but the second day in, decided a 16 hour drive to TN, Nashville, to visit friends where I used to live, and Knoxville where a friend moved, sounded MUCH better.

Indeed.  I impressively made the first 13 hour stretch in one piece, driving through the night- a FIRST for me, I usually give up after about 4 hours of driving and hand the wheel to someone else.  But the adrenaline really kicked in, and I made it til 3 am from 2:45 p.m. with no problem, and then had to take a few hourly stops to finish out the trip.

But I  made it to my first stop, Knoxville, in one piece where my friend Matt lives.

I crashed for a few hours and then we enjoyed a couple glasses of wine on his back patio, in a dress I found at Goodwill last Fall, wearing it here for the first time:

I may not be in Florida or the Caribbean, but if I can enjoy a glass of wine on a back patio outside, it’s vacation.  Gotta have my iced coffee too.

Here’s some more pictures for ya:

A Target dress by Mossimo, new from the store, for $5.99.  Oh look at those eyelets.

Gotta have a nice shot by the bird bath.

I also made it to Goodwill this past Saturday and did very well.

My loot.

Two of those are gifts for other people.  So generous I am 🙂

A shirt for one of my nieces, whichever one it fits, an adorable little flowery peasant top from Italy half off for $2.00

It says for a six year old, but it looks a teensy small so it may go to the fiver, Anna.

And also a shirt from a spa in Norwich for my Mom, half off for $2.00.  I know she’s never been there, but it has a pretty design I knew she would love, and I have distinct memories of her workout sweater when I was child being from a college I’m sure she never attended, so I knew she wouldn’t mind.

Sure enough when she saw it, she said, “Now I can pretend I’ve been there.”  Ha.  What did I say?  Or think….

Ain’t it purty?

Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about  myself…

American Eagle jeans for $9.99 in pretty good condition- and they’re long enough!!!! It’s a miracle.

To go with a burnt orange Calvin Klein 3/4 tee with rouching beneath the chest and button classps on the bottom of the sleeves, also $9.99

 

There’s a few more goodies in there that will have to wait for next time…:)  I’m planning on wearing at least one this week…weather permitting.

I’ve got to go enjoy my wine and company!

Enjoy your presidents week wherever you are :0)

Peace and Happy thrifting,

Jaime

“It’s your path… not theirs”

Two different era’s…Downton Abbey meets present day

    

Clockwise:

Vintage green dress, $6.99

White Anne Klein heels, $8

Vintage knit sweater, $Can’t remember! $5?

Target Mossimo plaid shirt, $4.99

“One Love” Dark Trouser jeans, $6.99

Green Purse, no brand, $8

I have a love for all things vintage (mostly circa 1920-60’s more or less) and scoop up vintage finds whenever I can at the right price!  I finally got a chance to put one to real use at the advanced season premiere I attended at a theater last night of Downton Abbey, a Masterpiece classics production on CPTV in CT.  If you haven’t seen it yet, you must check it out!  It takes place on a beautiful estate, Downton Abbey in England, and showcases the different lives of the upstairs family of the house, and the downstairs servants, and shows how their lives intertwine and are a part of each others.  The show has great character development and story line and has been a huge hit.  Season 3 starts tonight 1/6/13 on CPTV at 9:00 ET.  You can find season 1 and 2 on Hulu/Netflix like I did and get yourself caught up!  Anyway, it said on the website for the premiere I went to that period dressing was encouraged…I was one of about 3 people to actually heed that note   But I didn’t care!  I may have been much more comfortable in boots and jeans, but it is a great dress and needs to be seen:)  And what better of an occasion?!

The first and second outfits are entirely Goodwill- the purse, pants and shirt in the second.  I love it when that happens, and wanted to share it with you even though the shirt was already in a post.

I hope you all had a great first weekend of the new year!  Mine was pretty good and full of relaxation and fun!  Go out and support your local Goodwill/thrift stores, and if you have just one New Years resolution, let more thrifting be it!

Peace and Love…

-Jaime

Goodwill Goes to Preschool

Ms. Jaime.  Teacher extraordinairre.

(It’s my blog- I can say whatever I want:)

Dress:  I can’t remember how much:)  It was about 6 months ago that I found this one, so its foggy.  But I dont think it was more than 4.99.  It is the brand xhilaration from Target.  And I remember seeing it at the store for around 19.99.  That’s a discount of 75% my friends.

And now you know, THIS is what teachers do during naptime- take pictures.

And write notes saying how lovely the little kiddlings were….slash ‘rowdy’.  That is a new word Ms. Helen and I came up with to describe when the children are hitting and pushing and not being the lovely little beings they should be.  We thought ‘aggressive’ was a little too negative, so we just say rowdy.

“So and so was very rowdy today, Ms. Smith.”  Read: So and so can’t seem to stop pushing his friends and we get really frustrated with him!!:)  Just kidding… we are always just hugs and kisses all the time!!!! 😉  K, maybe that’s a little white lie.

I love this dress though.  You can’t see it, but its got a high waist, and then kind of A lines out.  Very fun, and kind of made me feel like a preschooler with the tights and what not.  Speaking of- have you ever noticed kids can pull off so much fashion wise.  Just once, I want to go out of the house wearing some of the things they do and just see how it works out for me…

Back to the outfit- the shoes, not from Goodwill, but I have to mention them.  Another Old Navy Christmas deal, $13.  My friend’s friend from Charleston calls them ‘Orphan shoes’ and says that if you wear them, your parents must be dead.  My parents are both still alive (thank goodness:), but I still love these shoes, so I wear them anyway and hope I have not done them any undue harm.  I’ll call them tonight just to make sure…

I’ll leave you with this close-up of the dress pattern:

P.S.  I would like to include in each post from now on a count of how many compliments I get on my turquoise emille m. purse I recently got at Goodwill for 14.99.  There have been two since the LAST two that I mentioned.  Although one of the compliments was from a grocery store clerk who was wearing a turquoise sweatshirt, so I’m thinking she may have been biased.  HOWEVER, this is balanced out, as the other compliment (and may I say this one used the word FIERCE, thank you very much) was from a gay man.  Doesn’t get much more official than that.

P.P.S. The fact that I started using a new purse may put a halt on these compliments, just a hunch.  But when you get a brand new island bloom Vera Bradley hipster for $25, you don’t let it sit in your room.  Sorry emille.