The Mirror Has Two Faces: What to Watch Out for When Buying Secondhand Clothing

Examiner.com folded ealier his month, so I have decided to repost all my articles here on my blog. This one is part of a two part article looking at the two sides of buying clothes on a budget.


The Mirror Has Two Faces: What to Watch Out for When Buying Secondhand Clothing

Probably most of us on a budget know all too well that clothing does not have to be brand name or even brand new to be fabulous and fun. You can go shopping in your friend or sister's closet (with permission of course), you can get vintage clothes from older relatives, you can shop at the D.I., factory outlet stores, consignment shops or other second hand stores.

There are a lot of options out there and though it can take some serious time, finding usable used clothes can be like a treasure hunt and really can be fun and exciting. When buying secondhand though, do remember to check the item carefully before purchasing.

Be sure to check for:

• Holes

We know this may seem obvious, but sometimes the holes themselves are not. To avoid any possible regret later take the item into a dressing room and check every inch of it for even the tiniest of holes. If it is knit material or has some stretch then gently stretch it as you search so that nothing will be missed. Be sure to check near the shoulders and around the collar or waistband areas front and back, along the side seams and the bottom edges as well as across the middle.

• Ripped seams

This check will be easier since you can follow along each seam pulling each side gently and easily discover if there is an area where the seam popped.

• Stained underarms

It often surprises us how often shoppers forget this important detail. When you try on a top or dress raise your arms in front of the mirror and look for even subtle discolorations. Also, this may seem gross but you also really ought to smell the armpit area. The hugest regret we have ever discovered in buying secondhand is the discovering that certain items seems to have “perma B.O.” from who knows who! Even after repeated washings and special treatments it often proves to be a lost cause that some stinky shirts are simply beyond salvation.

• Missing buttons/broken zippers

This can even be an issue with new items occasionally so it should already be a part of your shopping routine. Always test zippers, don't forget coat pockets make sure you have tested them all, even the hidden inner pockets that some winter coats have. Also always test all the buttons. We know it is time consuming but better to spend a little more time than to take something home that you'll never wearing because the first time you tried a prominent button split.

• Loose threads

Sometimes loose threads can be simply that, extra threads that just happened to become attached and are not part of the garment. By gently pulling on any that you find you will soon see whether the items has any that will be of later concern.

• Other stains

This means stains around the collar or anywhere else on the body of the garment. Collar stains can sometimes be remedied by soaking them with shampoo before washing, but even this may not prove to be a permanent solution. Often it seems that once something is stained, especially with oily substances they will remain stained, or the stains will continue to resurface as the oil continues to grab new dust. Also try it on in a well lit dressing room and stand back looking for general discolorations or fading. We've also found it helpful to sit down in the garment, especially if it is pants or a skirt and look at your lap for a few minutes. This is when the tiny flaws and stains usually appear that were invisible before. Like when you're waiting at the doctor's office or are sitting in church. Don't let those places be the location in which you discover flaws in your clothes. Think about this ahead of time and you'll have much more peace of mind and be able to focus better in that important work meeting.

• Signs of wear

Probably the most overlooked item on this list. Signs of wear can mean anything from slightly sheer elbows on a cardigan or sweater, or slight pilling or fuzziness on a knit top. Even if the pilling is not too bad, scrutinize the material carefully and ask yourself how much longer it will last before it starts to look too shabby for church. Even if you never intend to wear it to church, this is a good gauge to go by.

The same rules apply when buying used online. Be sure to ask questions if you aren't sure of the quality. Even if it seems perfect, the seller may be hiding something so it would be best to verify this list of questions with the seller.

Photo Credits:

Photo by Nathan Cox, Getty Images. Catherine Tyldesley attends Manchester Pride 2012 on August 24, 2012 in Manchester, England.
August 24, 2012 License 

CHICHESTER, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: A lady browses vintage clothing in a shop during Day 3 of the Vintage at Goodwood Festival on August 15, 2010 in Chichester, England. (Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Vintage at Goodwood) 

A Comprehensive List of My Wedding Theme Pinboards

I love planning weddings! I helped both of my two older sisters plan/prepare for their weddings before I had the chance to plan my own, (almost eleven years ago now). 

Since then, I've changed and learned so much about myself, so I think perhaps I feel like I want to help other brides really go for what they really like, instead of what they think is expected of them.

For the past few years, since I joined Pinterest, I've had the opportunity (twice) to help a young bride plan her wedding day. . . I really adore coming up with, and collecting great ideas and themes for parties and weddings. I sometimes think I should have pursued a career in event planning!

Still, I'm quite happy where I am, and am content to share my findings with others through the use of my pin boards.

The only real problem with this is, I now have so many boards (seventeen wedding boards alone!) that it becomes  tricky to direct people who might be interested in seeing what I've collected, to find them.
I realize that anyone who goes to my Pinterest profile could easily feel overwhelmed and lose interest in skimming through all my other boards before they ever find anything relevant. I know how it is to be busy and anxious about planning your wedding and not feel like you have the time to sort through a lot of non-relevant stuff. Thus, I have decided to create this post which will include a linked list of all of my wedding themed boards. This way a bride can skim through a comprehensive list and will only have to click on the boards that truly interest her.

So, here we go!

First off, we have my basic wedding board. "Ideas for the Ultimate Wedding"
This one is not themed; it is simply a collection of cool, creative, smart ideas that could apply to any wedding to make it that much better.

Then I have a board with inspirational Wedding Cake Ideas. These are unique and interesting cakes that I feel all have something a little bit special about each of them.

Next we come to a board dedicated to bouquets & flowers, (or alternatives to flowers,) mainly focusing on the bridal bouquet, but also touching on possible types of flowers, color schemes, and possible centerpieces.

Then, just because so many people are thinking outside of the box these days, I've dedicated an entire board to "Non-Traditional Wedding Ideas." Like my ultimate wedding board, these could apply to just about anyone, and are just some fun, creative ways to make your wedding your own.

If the more casual or non-traditional ideas don't really appeal, and you want everything as luxurious and fancy as possible then you might like my "Ultra-Romantic/Lacey Details" board.
This board features everything lacy, elegant, ruffly, frilly, fluffy, opulent and even downright gaudy. Satin, lace, pearls, bling and gold accents galore!

On the opposite end of the scale, we have the "Country/Rustic/Boho" board for all things, quaint, rustic, casual, comfy and relaxed.

If you feel like less is more, and just want things to be clean and simple, yet still with striking elegance, you might like my "Modern/Graphic/Asian"  inspired board. Paper lanterns, simple color schemes and graphic design elements all come together in this board to make a bold, yet classy statement.

If the sleek modern look isn't your thing because you'd rather be out doors exploring an enchanted forest or secret garden, then you just might like my "Whimsical Woodland/Nature Themed" board.
This board focuses on the beauties of nature, like birds, butterflies, and flowers (obviously) all accented with moss and natural wood accents.

Taking slight turn from this theme, we tame the wildness of nature by bringing in some unexpected elements and quirky details with our "Vintage Shabby Chic" board.
While still quite close to the beauty of nature, this fun theme brings in interesting everyday items, just as an antique typewriter, an old suitcase or even some vintage jewelry to dress things up with some old fashioned romance.

Speaking of old fashioned romance, if you love classic novels and tea parties I have also created a lovely board called "High Contrast/Literary/Cameo Theme". This board is inspired by cameos, painted teacups, silhouettes and books in general. Whether you adore all things Austen, or are into the slightly more quirky Alice in Wonderland vibe, this board offers lovely ideas for decor and refreshments, and well as color schemes inspired by the printed word. Literally. Crafty decor made from book pages, or black silhouettes and accents against soft, pastel hues create an elegant yet cozy environment.

Another theme inspired by paper is the Pinwheels Theme. This board also features other whimsical elements such as hot air balloons, bicycles, paper airplanes and kites. All colorful items that could create a fun-loving, breezy wedding environment for all invited.

Similarly, another fun object to base a theme off of, is the simple key. My Keys Theme board features a lot of creative ways to integrate keys into your special day.

I have some more generally themed boards based on the season. Most of my other boards could easily work for Spring, so I do not have a board specific to that season yet, but I have the other three seasons covered.

• Summer Wedding

• An Autumn Wedding

• A Winter Wedding

Lastly, I have a board of ideas for Wedding Colors,

as well as a board that lists a few recommended wedding venders local to the Salt Lake area.

I sincerely hope that this collection of amazing wedding ideas can help many brides make their wedding day truly memorable, and may I congratulate every single one of you, and wish you joy!

Julie Surprise: Vintage Meets Modern

When my sweet Grandma Krantz passed away a few years ago, I was blessed to inherit many of her lovely things. Books mostly; her house had been quite literally filled with hundreds of books. More books than most of her posterity could handle, though I know that everyone did their best. Even with most of us taking home a stack of books, however, I know that some had to be donated because there just wasn't enough room for most of us to contain them all.

I'm one of her youngest granddaughters and I wasn't as close to her as some of the other family, so I felt happy with whatever of her possessions I was allowed to have. I also acquired lots of fabric, vintage patterns and some pretty vintage clothes that no one else would claim. My mother even let me take a small cross stitch that had my grandmother's anniversary stitched into it. I share an anniversary with my grandma so I thought it was kind of cool.

Even though we will always miss my grandma, it was really kind of an exciting adventure for me to help clean out her home and look through all of her treasures. The kid in me was just giddy to be allowed to look into storage rooms and closets that had been understandably off limits when I was a child. I have always had sort of a romanticized view of such places. Were I live no one really keeps things in their attics, but I had read books about young characters finding treasures in the attics of old houses and I always dreamed that someday I could move to an old house that had an attic for of mysterious chests full of all sorts of forgotten treasures. So yes, as you can see, the romantical little girl inside me was quite giddy to go through grandma's downstairs closets.

But I digress. Just before we left that day, my mother and I went upstairs and were preparing some final boxes and things to take out to our respective vehicles when I looked at the front room bay window and noticed that the lace curtains were still hanging there. I asked my mother if she had plans for those curtains because the wheels in my head were immediately whizzing with the possibilities. She said that they were slightly ripped and stained in some places and would need to be washed because they were dusty, but she told me that if I wanted them I was welcome to them and she would give them to me once she'd had a chance to take them down and clean them. I was thrilled!

Lace is expensive, and vintage lace in such a quantity seemed to me to be a real find! Of course once I got the curtains they sat in my sewing closet for a few years. I would pull them our periodically and stew over the possibilities again. The main thing I wanted to try was to make a lace skirt. Like this one I pinned two years ago.

Although, I think the first real concrete plan I considered for this lace was a year ago when I pinned the image below. I thought it would be a great plan to try making something like this using the lace combined with some old jeans. I'm always messing around with ways to mend/reinvent my old jeans so I figured this would be another fun way to reuse some of that denim. 

The tricky part about this idea was that I wanted the bottom edge to be scalloped but wasn't quite sure if I could pull that off with the shape of this skirt. I looks like this one is actually crocheted into a nice flared, hourglass shape, whereas my grandma's curtains were, of course, just straight. I simply wasn't sure whether the curtains would look as well if I tried to pull off something like this. I guess it was me figuring that out that postponed my use of the lace for yet another year or so.

Then Halloween rolled around this year, and I was determined not to go overboard with the costuming because when I do that, I tend to get burned out and can't seem to get into sewing for another six to nine months and then Halloween is back on the front burner again. So, instead of spending hours on a costume that in the end was going to make me look fat and I would never want anyone to see pictures of (AKA Halloween costume 2013) Instead I used a sailor hat that I'd used four years previous for a different costume and decided to throw together a simple sailor costume from some thrift store finds. 

Cardigan from Savers, White Slacks from D.I. Tank, already owned. Boom.

There. Easy-peasy.

Of course, I had other costumes to make for my family, such as the Flamingo for baby and Barn Owl for my oldest girl. Luckily they were not too complex.

(You might even say they were for the birds. Lol.) 

I was glad when my middle daughter agreed to use a hand-me-down costume from one of her older cousins.

(Which costume, I might add, has a special place in my heart because the main dress was originally my niece's flower girl dress that she wore to my wedding before it became a princess costume.)

Also, I taught my husband to sew buttons so he ended up helping out with a lot of the time consuming part of his own costume. Yes, he does look well, does he not? I think it is at least partly due to the satisfaction of helping to make it himself, but he is so happy with this costume, he says I'll never have to make him another one again. Apparently, he will forever after be Horatio Hornblower for the rest of his Halloween history.

Anyway, so this was probably the least stressful Halloween I've experienced since before I had kids. It was so nice and the best part is that after it was over I was totally still in the mood to sew. 

In fact, since working on costumes required me to tidy up and clean out the (Harry Potter) sewing closet, I found all sorts of old projects and things that have been needing a mend, and because I wasn't burned out on sewing, I have really felt motivated to get things done in there! Since Halloween, I have mended two pairs of my daughters jeans, four pairs of my husbands jeans and one pair of my own. I have also added lace to a shirt of mine that had permanent stains so now it is not only wearable again but much cuter than it was before. (I'll need to post pictures soon.) Anyway, last night I was feeling in the mood to mend a little something before bed and I went into my closet and pulled out this skirt. 

I've had this skirt for so many years, I'm not even positive where I got if from or when. Yet I've always liked the way it fit and the style, though I've sometimes wished it where a bit more interesting as far as color or detail goes. It's a very neutral color. A bit too gray for beige and a big to beige for gray. Anyway, it had been in my sewing closet for at least a year because of some popped seams on the flounce. As I examined what needed to be done with it, it suddenly occurred to me that I had recently found grandma's lace when I had been reorganizing my sewing space and somehow it suddenly clicked in my head that perhaps instead of sewing an entirely new skirt from the lace, perhaps I could simply up the interest on this existing skirt by adding some lace over it. I pulled the lace out and laid it over the skirt to see how it would look and to my utter surprise and amazement the color of the lace which I would have described as off-white or cream blended perfectly with the color of the skirt. I mean, technically the skirt was still a tone or so darker but they appear to be quite well matched in their temperature---Neither one being too warm or too cool for the other. Thus, in my joy at the idea of this new discovery/project, I put it all back into my sewing room and went to bed, knowing that this was going to be a bit more time consuming than a a quick mending of a seam. I could hardly wait to wake up in the morning and get started!

Because this is already such a long post, I thought I'd try making a visual tutorial of a series of images all combined into one long strip, since I actually remembered to document this project. Let me know if you need something more clear. I know it turned out very tiny. I have no idea why it won't show it bigger, but I suppose this has something to do with how tall an image can be  on blogger, and this image is rather tall. Once day I will probably need to go back and just put in each image individually. But as I doubt more that three people will even care, I will wait until I get a request.

Other than the slight flare at the bottom, I think it turned out rather a lot like the skirt pictured below, which I pinned to my wish list a year or so ago. Now I need no longer lust after this lacy loveliness. I have me own!

Tada!

There you have it! Vintage marries so well with modern, don't you think?