We set up, at another blogger's encouragement, an amazon.com used bookselling account. Now our addiction to new discount books and used home reference reading can at least pretend to help pay for itself!
We have no idea if anyone will actually want, find, or buy our books, but it's free to list, so why not give it a shot??
Check out our storefront! (Still under construction):
Dez's Discount Books
(Anything that says not currently available is just brand-new- it'll be up within 45 mins)
We basically just want to de-clutter before we move in the Spring, and to share the love of literature (and, uh, distracting trash now and again) with others, so most titles-- unless rare or old-- are selling for pennies, essentially, (Amazon's commission is taken at the time of sale). The mandatory $3.99 shipping cost stinks but still, buying used is environmentally friendly and also cheaper even with shipping cost figured in (can you believe they're charging $30 for hardcovers these days?). We hope your loved ones wouldn't turn their nose up at something pre-owned. If they do, bop them over the head with it and ask if they know what planet they're on.
Happy book-browsing!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Vintage Sweaters and Sweater Dresses on Etsy $30 and Under
Hope you enjoy today's picks of thrifty vintage knits on Etsy that totally rock, in our opinion!
Striped bell-sleeve boatneck with highly unusual pattern at NoCarnations, Medium, $15
Pink ribbed v-neck sweater at SadieLynne, Small, $15
Ruffly Cherry Red "VaVaVoom" v-neck sweater at FireGrog, approx. M/L, $15
Purple cabled v-neck sweaterdress at LorrainesVintage, approx. S/M, $30
Purple crochet "hippie dress" at RedoRedux, Approx. Small, $16
Striped bell-sleeve boatneck with highly unusual pattern at NoCarnations, Medium, $15
Pink ribbed v-neck sweater at SadieLynne, Small, $15
Ruffly Cherry Red "VaVaVoom" v-neck sweater at FireGrog, approx. M/L, $15
Purple cabled v-neck sweaterdress at LorrainesVintage, approx. S/M, $30
Purple crochet "hippie dress" at RedoRedux, Approx. Small, $16Happy Friday and Happy Etsy shopping!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Vintage Party Dresses $15-$30 on Etsy
We've progressed from just not-ugly into the truly spectacular realm, just by venturing above fifteen dollars... there are so very many more absolutely stunning items in this price range (although, we concede, still a tremendous amount of crap to wade through! Forty thousand listings, many thousand pages... which is why you let us do it for you ;) )
Truly, we found so much awesomeness that there's no way it will fit into one post. So. We're going to introduce some themes. First up, the holiday party dress. When you're saving your possibly-meager pennies to buy gifts for other people, it hardly makes sense to spend $100-$200 on a brand-new dress, or, goddess forbid, get yourself into debt that will make January bleak! Yet we're sure you lament, as we so often do, that you have absolutely nothing to wear! (OK so we thrifted two velvet dresses and two party dresses this year, so we're probably all set, eh?)
Presenting the most lovely, thrifty vintage party dresses to be found on Etsy for the holiday season (click descriptions under pics for full listing and/or shop homepage).
Red Satin and Black Lace "Spanish Princess" at CallMeChula, Small, $30
Red Scalloped Velvet "Deck the Halls" at McGregorGirl, 6-8, $30
Red Chiffon Romantic Ruffles at MagicalMirror, 30" waist, $15
Long-sleeved velvet minidress at LOLAVEE, 6-8, $30
Emerald Green Long Velvet at SavoyBetty, XS/S $30
Hunter Velvet "Under the Mistletoe" also at McGregorGirl, 7/8, $30
Blue Sparkly minidress at BeckyPlantsTrees, S/M, $15
Purple Velvet "Pretty Woman" which we just had to buy while writing this, from IonicRoost (sorry, and please send literature for Shopaholics Anonymous), but check out the rest of the awesomeness.
Fabulously Unique Lavender at WillowCreekSparrow, approx. M, $29
We do lament the lack of vintage in not-modern-Small-sizes. We apologize that everything here is so teeny, but we do hope that someone finds the dress here or in one of the featured shops.
In any case, Etsy is still a great place to find gorgeous, affordable vintage. We'll keep sharing our finds as long as you keep readin' about 'em. Possibly longer ;)
Happy browsing and hot-party-dress-selectin'!
Monday, November 30, 2009
Totally Not-Ugly Vintage on Etsy Under $15
We love vintage, as you know... and the idea of vintage, and the thrill of thrifting. Online vintage isn't nearly as exciting as browsing a real brick and mortar store, oftentimes, and there's the risk of things not fitting, too, and wasting time and money shipping things back (if the seller will even take returns)...
There is also, apparently, a plethora of absolutely hideous silhouettes and colors to choose from, should you want them... (seriously, was the blouson-waist secretary dress, or the pleated skirt, or the double-breasted blazer EVER a good look for anyone?)... We fully admit that the search function on Etsy can be extremely frustrating, but our use of the 'advanced search' function managed to weed out most of the dress patterns and into actual clothes, and get us into the general price range we were looking for (don't forget you can sort by low to high price within any search, as well). We are here to do all of that hard work of slogging through the ugly for you, though, so today we are presenting some beautiful clothes found amidst a sea of hideousness (er, no offense intended, vintage seller readers; we're sure all of the fugly was in others' shops), all $15 or under.
We seem to be in a pink dress sort of a mood today! Here are some of the lovelies that caught our eye:
If you're a regular reader you'll know that purple always attracts us, perhaps to a fault! But how could you pass either of these awesome tops up?
Pure silk single-breasted 4-button blazer in deep indigo, $8 at VintageJetPatterns
Short-sleeved sweater in beautiful plum decorative knit, $7 at MyStrawberryTart
There is also, apparently, a plethora of absolutely hideous silhouettes and colors to choose from, should you want them... (seriously, was the blouson-waist secretary dress, or the pleated skirt, or the double-breasted blazer EVER a good look for anyone?)... We fully admit that the search function on Etsy can be extremely frustrating, but our use of the 'advanced search' function managed to weed out most of the dress patterns and into actual clothes, and get us into the general price range we were looking for (don't forget you can sort by low to high price within any search, as well). We are here to do all of that hard work of slogging through the ugly for you, though, so today we are presenting some beautiful clothes found amidst a sea of hideousness (er, no offense intended, vintage seller readers; we're sure all of the fugly was in others' shops), all $15 or under.
We seem to be in a pink dress sort of a mood today! Here are some of the lovelies that caught our eye:
If you're a regular reader you'll know that purple always attracts us, perhaps to a fault! But how could you pass either of these awesome tops up?
Pure silk single-breasted 4-button blazer in deep indigo, $8 at VintageJetPatternsShort-sleeved sweater in beautiful plum decorative knit, $7 at MyStrawberryTartWe are pretty much weeping over here that this amazing piece wouldn't fit us in a million years with a trillion sit-ups, but we hope one of our tiny readers snaps it up. It is just too adorable and too cheap to sit alone in that shop! GO!
The little black dress tends to be a piece that holds up well through the changes in fashion over the years, especially with simple, feminine details like these pretties:
Blue is purported to be the most popular "favorite color" in the world, and it's no wonder with hues like these:
The last of our finds today are in lovely winter white, a gorgeous, crisp look at any time of year, really:
Stretchy cotton lace-up long boho-style, $10 at DirtyBettyVintage
Cotton tie-front cardigan, $15 at WillowCreekSparrow
We hope you enjoy these picks and that if you're shopping online this Cyber Monday, you remember to support small, independent suppliers, crafters and artists and vintage purveyors, rather than just bumping up the profit margins of the big box stores! Happy thrifting!
The little black dress tends to be a piece that holds up well through the changes in fashion over the years, especially with simple, feminine details like these pretties:
Blue is purported to be the most popular "favorite color" in the world, and it's no wonder with hues like these:
The last of our finds today are in lovely winter white, a gorgeous, crisp look at any time of year, really:
Stretchy cotton lace-up long boho-style, $10 at DirtyBettyVintageCotton tie-front cardigan, $15 at WillowCreekSparrowWe hope you enjoy these picks and that if you're shopping online this Cyber Monday, you remember to support small, independent suppliers, crafters and artists and vintage purveyors, rather than just bumping up the profit margins of the big box stores! Happy thrifting!
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Obsession with Wool Skirts on Etsy Continues...
We really can't get enough of this topic. Theoretically plaid is hot right now, if you go in for that trend thing, and so is vintage, if you're being green, which we all should be, so it only makes sense to at least look into your options, right? We are seeking out super-thrifty selections on Etsy tonight.
First up, we're kind of staggering at the bargains offered in GittaMarie's shop, including this cutie, $4!
...And this kilt-style (way cuter than our childhood ones) in pastels, from MyVintageCloset, $5!
And this lovely from GrayBirdVintage, $5!:
If you're a red kind of girl, this blended number would do you well, from ThriftyBirdVintage, $8.50:
If you do well with some pleating and a longer length, this color palette is gorgeous (from CloseYourEyesVintage, $12):
..Or maybe you prefer stripes to plaid? Gorgeous hues here too, from kabibiextras, $12:
Love the button detailing in this Gap number, $13, from ButterCupMom:
She also has this gorgeous circle skirt for sale, also $13:
...and this pencil skirt, also $13:
This adorable gingham-type minty green version is only $14 from SweetSugarBoutique:
This one is also only $14, from ThePlaypen, and is tagged Burberry- whether that's "-inspired" or genuine, we're not sure:
Then there's this lovely from QuiteSimply, $17:
Hope that helps you to stay warm this winter! Happy Shopping!
First up, we're kind of staggering at the bargains offered in GittaMarie's shop, including this cutie, $4!
...And this kilt-style (way cuter than our childhood ones) in pastels, from MyVintageCloset, $5!
And this lovely from GrayBirdVintage, $5!:
If you're a red kind of girl, this blended number would do you well, from ThriftyBirdVintage, $8.50:
If you do well with some pleating and a longer length, this color palette is gorgeous (from CloseYourEyesVintage, $12):
..Or maybe you prefer stripes to plaid? Gorgeous hues here too, from kabibiextras, $12:
Love the button detailing in this Gap number, $13, from ButterCupMom:
She also has this gorgeous circle skirt for sale, also $13:...and this pencil skirt, also $13:
This adorable gingham-type minty green version is only $14 from SweetSugarBoutique:
This one is also only $14, from ThePlaypen, and is tagged Burberry- whether that's "-inspired" or genuine, we're not sure:
Then there's this lovely from QuiteSimply, $17:
Hope that helps you to stay warm this winter! Happy Shopping!
Goodwill Scores: Wool Skirt & Pink Shoes
We brought some flats to head to Goodwill on an extended lunch break yesterday (no sense in limiting browsing time with ouchy feet, after all). It's been a few weeks... and since our vintage Pendleton skirt arrived, we have been craving more wool skirts! More more more! Last pass through we couldn't find a single one, but on this trip there were just dozens... We tried on at least five, including a Pendleton in bright teal with magenta and purple plaid (omg, so us!), but most of them had terribly unflattering pleating. Who can wear an inverted pleat on the abdomen combined with puffy pleats at the hips? Really? Not us, that's for sure. Bummer.
But, we did come away with this fantastic just-above-the-knee straight skirt in a gorgeous burgundy-pink-and-teal pattern, $4.49:
Oh, joy! No pleats to speak of, a fairly flattering length and silhouette for our short chubby li'l self, which is pretty difficult to find these days.... Score!
After the fitting room adventure (we also snagged a long-sleeve ankle-length velvet dress in a holiday-season-perfect hunter green, which fits like a dream!), we ventured to the back of the store to have a peek at the shoes, and who should be waiting there for us but the cutest little platform pumps in pale pink canvas. Yummy. $8, Fioni (Payless):
Isn't it just a happy coincidence that they pick up the exact pink in the plaid of the skirt? You can bet we're wearing them together today :)
The outfit is pulled together with this jacket, also scored at Goodwill recently):
Unfortunately we could not find tights we actually liked (tried on three pairs!) and have discovered we really need some muted teal ones. There are a couple of really lovely hues that might be just right at WeLoveColors. Consider that rectified. (Incidentally, we ended up in eggplant, which is OK but not great).
We also couldn't resist an absolutely perfectly-sized, awesomely-pocketed black croc purse. Surely we did not require another black handbag, not in a million years, but at $4.49 we really couldn't resist.
How have your thrifting adventures been lately? Happy shopping!
But, we did come away with this fantastic just-above-the-knee straight skirt in a gorgeous burgundy-pink-and-teal pattern, $4.49:
Oh, joy! No pleats to speak of, a fairly flattering length and silhouette for our short chubby li'l self, which is pretty difficult to find these days.... Score!After the fitting room adventure (we also snagged a long-sleeve ankle-length velvet dress in a holiday-season-perfect hunter green, which fits like a dream!), we ventured to the back of the store to have a peek at the shoes, and who should be waiting there for us but the cutest little platform pumps in pale pink canvas. Yummy. $8, Fioni (Payless):
Isn't it just a happy coincidence that they pick up the exact pink in the plaid of the skirt? You can bet we're wearing them together today :)
The outfit is pulled together with this jacket, also scored at Goodwill recently):
Unfortunately we could not find tights we actually liked (tried on three pairs!) and have discovered we really need some muted teal ones. There are a couple of really lovely hues that might be just right at WeLoveColors. Consider that rectified. (Incidentally, we ended up in eggplant, which is OK but not great).
We also couldn't resist an absolutely perfectly-sized, awesomely-pocketed black croc purse. Surely we did not require another black handbag, not in a million years, but at $4.49 we really couldn't resist.
How have your thrifting adventures been lately? Happy shopping!
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Vintage Wool Skirts on Etsy
Hello dear readers!
Sorry it has been so long between posts... work has been busy and to be honest, we've felt like we don't have much to add to the blogosphere. Until we can focus on better pictures of our own outfits, we feel far too outshined by other bloggers, so... we're back but will be discussing shopping only, with a strong focus on thrifting!
Today we wanted to share our latest scores with you!
As you may recall, warm skirts are a hole in our wardrobe that our general shopping embargo rules do allow. We tire of pants in the winter and wish for more options, but we spend a good bit of time outdoors waiting for buses and such (have we ever mentioned that we've never had a drivers' license?) so we need skirts that will stand up to the frigid Boston weather from December through April...
We strongly recollect (rather traumatically, actually) being terrorized by hand-me-down kilt-style wool skirts as a child, when they were possibly the most obvious faux pas beyond the saddle shoes our mother tried to put us in... but now that we are grown, we recognize that they're not so ridiculous. Awesome, even. Especially the non-pleated, non-wrap variety.
First, from Etsy shop RuLaLa Vintage, we found this very affordable (even for us- $28) genuine Pendleton wool pencil skirt:
Isn't it divine? It's a bit snug on the waistband due to a severe lack of moving our ass lately, but a safety pin and a longer shirt work just fine ;)
We spotted this other vintage lovely in her shop, and what with the great price (also $28), reduced shipping for a second item, and the rainy weekend, we just had to have it (see how we justified like that?) even though we're not supposed to be buying sweaters. Especially pink sweaters.
(But it's soooo cute! And it has lovely metallic threads and that cutout detailing... swoon).
If you are horribly jealous, never fear: she still has this one available ($32)!
...And if you are also craving a cute skirt to get you through the colder months, here's another precious little thing ($26):
The package came swiftly, with delightful wrapping and a hand-written thank-you note as well as a copy of the (very generous) return policy-- quite unusual on Etsy, really, as most sellers say "as is, no returns." A fantastic seller-- check her out!
Tomorrow we'll share our latest Goodwill scores! (more wool skirt!)
Happy thrifting :D
Sorry it has been so long between posts... work has been busy and to be honest, we've felt like we don't have much to add to the blogosphere. Until we can focus on better pictures of our own outfits, we feel far too outshined by other bloggers, so... we're back but will be discussing shopping only, with a strong focus on thrifting!
Today we wanted to share our latest scores with you!
As you may recall, warm skirts are a hole in our wardrobe that our general shopping embargo rules do allow. We tire of pants in the winter and wish for more options, but we spend a good bit of time outdoors waiting for buses and such (have we ever mentioned that we've never had a drivers' license?) so we need skirts that will stand up to the frigid Boston weather from December through April...
We strongly recollect (rather traumatically, actually) being terrorized by hand-me-down kilt-style wool skirts as a child, when they were possibly the most obvious faux pas beyond the saddle shoes our mother tried to put us in... but now that we are grown, we recognize that they're not so ridiculous. Awesome, even. Especially the non-pleated, non-wrap variety.
First, from Etsy shop RuLaLa Vintage, we found this very affordable (even for us- $28) genuine Pendleton wool pencil skirt:
Isn't it divine? It's a bit snug on the waistband due to a severe lack of moving our ass lately, but a safety pin and a longer shirt work just fine ;)
We spotted this other vintage lovely in her shop, and what with the great price (also $28), reduced shipping for a second item, and the rainy weekend, we just had to have it (see how we justified like that?) even though we're not supposed to be buying sweaters. Especially pink sweaters.
(But it's soooo cute! And it has lovely metallic threads and that cutout detailing... swoon).If you are horribly jealous, never fear: she still has this one available ($32)!
...And if you are also craving a cute skirt to get you through the colder months, here's another precious little thing ($26):The package came swiftly, with delightful wrapping and a hand-written thank-you note as well as a copy of the (very generous) return policy-- quite unusual on Etsy, really, as most sellers say "as is, no returns." A fantastic seller-- check her out!
Tomorrow we'll share our latest Goodwill scores! (more wool skirt!)
Happy thrifting :D
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