Thrifty Thursday: Luxe Outfit for Less

So here it is.... the second weekly Thrifty Thursday:)

This week I challenged myself to incorporate an item into my outfit that I haven't worn in a really long time.  I have a silk leopard top back from when I worked at WHBM (White House Black Market), and I literally haven't worn it since I worked there - which was more than a year ago.


Today's Thrifty Thursday Outfit:

The hot pink cashmere cardi is JCrew, and it was an absolute DEAL on consignment for a whopping $16.  I know, right??  Hardly worn.  And I love the fact that the buttons are crystals, and there is a slight ruffle along the collar.  Combined with my old WHBM leopard blouse, it actually made me like leopard again!


Where you can get it:

Top: White House Black Market $88.00

Cardigan: JCrew $16 (on consignment)

Skinnies: Old Navy $19.00

Shoes: Tory Burch $99
(these are actually jellies, with the silver plate logo attached... found them on sale at her store in LA)

Necklace: BaubleBar, see previous post

Other jewelry: Ring & Bracelet are both David Yurman, gifts from the hubby

Bag: Kate Spade $98.75 - Bloomingdales Outlet


I'm a HUGE fan of consignment now, and I got my bff Christy hooked on it too.  Trust me, once you actually find a good consignment store, it's addictive.  I actually just dropped a huge load of stuff off at my new favorite consignment spot in Charlotte just this morning.  The good ones, like the one I go to, are super clean, very selective on what they take, and offer high-end designer items at reasonable prices.

If you're weirded out by the idea of shopping there (which you shouldn't be!), at the very least, try taking some of your unwanted items there next time instead of Plato's or Goodwill.  They will give you 40-50% of what the item sells for :)

Here are some of my favorites in Raleigh/Charlotte:
(Click on the name of the store and the link will take you directly to their page)

Raleigh:
Dress
Uptown Cheapskate
Adore (Raleigh & Cary)

Charlotte:
JT Posh
Summerbird
Sweet Repeats

Wordless Wednesday

C WONDER - jacket $98

Get it here:  C Wonder

Elizabeth McKay on Sale on RueLaLa

It's nearly impossible to find Elizabeth McKay on sale.  Which is why I was SO excited last week when I noticed that Elizabeth McKay was having an event on RueLaLa!  Unfortunately, I didn't find out until late the night before it started, which is why I wasn't able to get the word out.


If you're not familiar with the way RueLaLa works, they have events (or mini shops) daily where you can purchase otherwise expensive designer items at discounted prices.  You can't view the items or the prices before the events starts, so everyone is seeing things for the first time when 11am hits --- it's a free for all because usually things sell out so quickly.

In any event, I was rearing and ready to go at 11am the next morning when the event launched and the items became available.  I already had my credit card info saved and everything ;) 

I was surprised to see that they had tons of long-sleeve Scotland dresses, from both this past season as well as several seasons ago.  They also had a few fairly recent sleeveless Elizabeth blouses, long sleeve blouses, and coats --- all available in a multitude of really nice patterns and fabrics.  They definitely weren't scraping the bottom of the barrel as far as the merchandise selection goes.  Most of the blouses were priced at $59.90 - $69.90, and the two dresses were in the $79.90 - $89.90 range.  A virtual steal at over 70% off of retail prices!!

I got so overwhelmed by how many cute things they had (in my size too!), that I got a little trigger happy.  My package came in the other day, and here's what I got:

I had my eye on this navy Scotland dress in the cotton horsebit pattern over a year ago, so I was super psyched to be able to finally snag it!

I fell in love with the oversize houndstooth print of this one, and I love that it's silk.  I think it's the perfect dress to wear to the business dinners that my hubby drags me to sometimes:)

Surprisingly, this one is probably my favorite.  It's more of a tunic style, and doesn't have the typical EMcKay ruffle detail, but it's much more versatile.  And I have a pair of red Tory flats that go perfectly with it too.

And I love the silk purple feather print of this Elizabeth ruffle blouse:

I think I can wear it all the way through Spring and Summer with some white skinnies or white shorts.

If you missed the Rue sale, you can still find Elizabeth McKay on sale on other websites too!  It's not as heavily discounted as RueLaLa, but prices can be 30-50% off retail. 

Shop EMcKay sales:

Elizabeth McKay official website - SALE

Country Club Prep - EMcKay SALE

Village Vogue - Elizabeth McKay

Jane & Georgie - Elizabeth McKay SALE


Happy Shopping!!

The Bathroom Reveal

Drumroll please......

 

Our bathroom renovation is finally done!

 

Here is the finished product:

I think it turned out really well, don't you?   Special thanks to our diligent contractor, Matt Ferguson with Stirling Group.  

 

I'm not finished accessorizing the shelves in the alcove yet, and I've yet to add curtains to the window, but it's getting there.   I'm contemplating getting a new shower curtain from Etsy.... maybe white with our monogram in grey?

 

Here's where I got everything:

Vanity: Kitchen & Bath Collection (in L.A., but you can order online)

Light Fixtures: Lee Lighting -

Hardware: Martha Stewart for Home Depot

Glass containers: Michaels

Mirrors: Pottery Barn

Faucets: Perrin & Rowe by ROHL

Shower head and temp control: Delta

Tile: The Tile Shop

Soap Dispensers: Target

Thrifty Thursday: Luxe Outfit for Less

So I have decided to stop being a slacker and do a blog post.  Yay!  Things are starting to settle down with the house (finally!), so hopefully i'll be able to find time to post more regularly from now on:)

I've also decided to start doing something each week called "Thrifty Thursday": every Thursday I'll post an outfit from my closet with items that are under $100, and I'll tell you where to get everything from!  About half of my closet is designer (most of which I got on sale, thank you very much) and the other half is trendy cheap stuff.  I like to mix and match the pieces. 

Today's Thrifty Thursday Outfit:

I decided to keep it simple today since I have to run errands, and use one of my favorite recent purchases: a navy and white gingham shirt from Old Navy.  The pants are actually emerald/kelly green, but they look jade in the picture


Where you can get it:

Top: Old Navy $14.99 (on sale)
*This is currently sold out online, but is available in stores for a cheaper price!

Bottoms: Old Navy $21.99 (on sale + 20% off)

Shoes: Tory Burch $98.99 (on sale @ Monkee's)
*mine are old, but you can find similar ones on Ebay: Tory Burch Raffia Reva Flats

Bracelet: Target $8.99 (I can't find this online, but I know for a fact it's still available in stores)

Monogram Necklace: BaubleBar $89.00 (with new member coupon points)
*You must be a member to view this site, but I highly recommend signing up!

Cross Necklace: Francesca's $6.99


P.S.--- Old Navy is having an additional 15% off today!!

:)

One more room almost done!

I never thought much of dining rooms, but now that ours is on it's way to being finished, I'm starting to change my mind.  Here's a peek at our semi-finished formal dining room:

 

 

We took our old espresso wood dining set that we bought from Home Comfort several years ago, and tweaked it a little by adding custom upholstered benches from Ballard designs.  It ended up giving a bit of an eclectic edge that made me fall in love with it all over again:)

 

The rug, which I was initially unsure about, is actually from one of Rugs USA's big 75% off sales.  I picked it up online for a whopping $150, and now that it's in the room it works with our pillows without being too matchy-matchy.  The pillows are from Etsy (of course!), and were originally destined for one of our guest rooms.  They didn't work in there, so I ended up using them in the dining room.....it ended up being a happy accident in the end.

 

We inherited these lamps from my husband's late father..... I cleaned them up and got them working again, and how they are both beautiful and sentimental.  The lampshades were $10 at Garden Ridge, and all I did was spray paint them with Rustoleum's Glossy navy blue, and voila!  (Have I mentioned before how much I love spray paint?)

This silver plated trophy that we are using to hold flowers was our first purchase after we moved to Charlotte.  We went to this big antique flea market one weekend, and found a vendor that had all sorts of sterling silver and silver-plated goodies.  I fell in love with this one, and my hubby negotiated it down for an awesome price.

 

Our makeshift bar is from Lee Lighting, and I was super excited that we found it on sale.  I can't wait to accessorize it.

Our console/buffet is actually 2 Ikea Expedit series bookcases on their sides, stacked on top of each other.  We had one mounted floating on a wall at our old place, but we were too scared to try the same technique on our plaster walls.  My husband came up with the idea of buying another one and just stacking them to give us more storage.  Not too shabby for a guy, right?  We are ordering doors for the cubbies, and will be adding wood fretwork to them to give it a custom look.  More pics to come of that.....whenever I get around to it!

 

The mirror above our buffet is something I found at Carolina Pottery.  It was a weird grayish-bronze metal color, so I just spray painted it with several different tones of gold spray paint.  I like it much better now.  I think I've developed an addiction for these types of mirrors now! lol

We got really lucky since all the sconces and chandeliers came with the house, and I think they fit perfectly.

Our dining room is right next to our kitchen, so we have been using it a lot more than I thought.  We can't wait to have our first dinner party so we can have a full table!