I Officially have the Awesomest Grandparents EVER.

Really.

In September 2007 my Grandpa said he wanted to get started on my hope chest. (My Grandpa makes hope chests as Graduation presents for all of his granddaughters) I did some brainstorming and googleing and decided I wanted trunk-ish chest that looked like it was a hundred years old.

Two and a half years later:



And it's just what I wanted! I love it!

The side, aren't the handles totally vintage?!


The lid open.



The lid closed.




The front


My Grandpa made the whole thing, by hand, just to suit the whim of his fanciful granddaughter.

I lovely him much-o.




... and me, goofing around with my webcam.

Outfit Six: "...And Something Blue"

I firmly believe that one of the key elements of frugality and practicality is knowing not how much to spend but WHAT to spend. I admit, I'm prone to buying something just because it's cheap, or because it's fits me. NOT because it's something I need, or even like.

Two weeks ago, my best friend and went shopping in the closest big city (a rarity for me!) We went to a huge (and I mean HUGE) consignment shop just for fun. (Fun here means: We tried on $80 dresses and took pictures, then we put them back!)

While I was aimlessly wandering through some $20 dollar items I saw lots of cute dress, some skinny jeans that would never, ever fit me. And... this skirt:

I loved it instantly, and guess what? It fit!

Now I had to decide if it was worth the $20. I knew that I would wear this skirt all the time. Nice enough for church with the right top, and fine for work or just having fun. The type of skirt I could wear once a week no problem, which is much better than buying 8 or so cheap jean skirts for 4 or 5 dollars that you only sort of like.

Considering that I have always wanted a practical trench coat (It's so African safari-ish) and that it was in perfect condition and only $10 made it completely worth it!

And finding a blouse that goes with the outfit just makes my second hand shopping day about perfect :-)

Merona Coat: Consignment Shop
Talbots Jean Skirt: Ditto
Blouse: Ditto
George Yellow Sweater: Thrifted

I had lots of fun putting these outfits together this week! I hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I did!

(To my regular blog readers : sorry to post these pictures twice!)

Outfit Five: A Spoon Full of Sugar

"Helps the medicine go down,
in the most delightful way."


And having just purchased a brand-new antique umbrella,
($3.50)
certainly helps me weather the first rain storm of the year.


(I love how brand-new antique sounds like an oxymoron, but it's not :-) )



Today I wore:
Piper and Blue Blouse: K-Mart Clearance $5.00

Faded Glory Sweater: Borrowed from Debi

Van Heusen jean skirt: Consignment Shop $4.00

^same red shoes from Outfit Two

Oh, and I got my hair cut today.

Good?

Bad?

Horrible?