newdressaday

Before

After

I am totally impressed with the site newdressaday.com. It is the handiwork of Marisa, who (after being sparked by the film Julie & Julia) decided to tackle her own year-long creative endeavor. She blogs:

The only shopping that I’ll be able to do is that of pieces that have been used and worn already. So long to mall trips and hello to sifting through piles of vintage pieces at flea markets and at neighborhood garage sales. Each day for the entire year, I’m going to introduce a new piece into my existing wardrobe that I’ve found from these places. On top of this, I’m giving myself a budget of $1 a day.

At a time when folks are growing more aware of recycling and re-purposing, her blog is not only creative and humorous, it is inspiring.

As a non- sewer, I was constantly fascinated by how she could hem and stitch her way into a whole new look. I was particularly charmed by the non-glossy, funny presentation of her creative process and the slew of "before and after" photos.

There are only 25 days left in Marisa's self appointed challenge- you should check out her blog before her year is up!

Images courtesy of newdressaday.com

Thrift Home

image by gradiate

Yesterday I was listening to an episode of NPR's "The Story" (based in NC, but check out the podcasts - especially you, Mae!) titled "Spend Thrift" about Terri Thompson, a woman who convinced a home builder in Henderson, NC to let her decorate a model home entirely with secondhand and thrift finds. It was a huge hit, raised money for "Habitat for Humanity International," and introduced a ton of people to the joys of thrifting. The Frugal Design Showcase Home is not exactly my random style, but that's what's great about it. It looks like a regular nice home that's not full of retro finds or vintage knickknacks, but just a traditional home that's cozy and comfortable. It's not only a brilliant idea to warm up those cold new model homes, but also to show people who have never thought to go into a thrift store that they can find their tastes and styles there too in addition to, hello?, saving money. I also love those thrift stores that are designed to look like rooms in a home ("Vintage Revival" in Hillsborough, NC comes to mind) - I always end up wanting more than I would otherwise. I'm such a sucker for presentation...

image by pixeljones

image by h. wren

image by darkhairedgirl

image by Luke H