Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from the Helms's!  Erm...Boba Fett and Han Solo!

We've done couple costumes since we met and this year was finally Star Wars time!

Note to self...just make the pants next time :P I bought some leggings and tried to sew my stripe on.  Doesn't work well when the pants are already a tube.  Womp womp!

Han Fett?  Boba Solo?  Han Boba?

An epic rivalry!  Han always wins, though ^_^

We hope everyone is having a safe and fun Halloween!

Thrifty Thursday • St. Vincent de Paul Vintage Boutique & Thrift Store

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St. Vincent de Paul Vintage Boutique & Thrift Store

website | facebook 

address : 1327 South Congress Ave.,  Austin, Texas  78704

hours :  Monday - Saturday: 9:30am -5pm

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The last few months "Thrifty" Thursday has been more "Awesome Vintage Shop" Thursday.  A lot of the shops I've featured have had  sourced period pieces that have been restored and styled for modern wear or display.  Today, though, we're going back to the thriftiness of it all.  St. Vincent de Paul Vintage Boutique & Thrift Store is a thrift shop that takes donations and who's proceeds go to helping the community.  Just like your Salvation Armys and Goodwills, this shop is full of newer items and you've got to dig.  If you're looking for a good deal, this the place to be.  I ended up getting a dress and a little kokeshi doll (pictured below) for under $15.

Take a look!

Like a lot of spaces in SoCo, this shop is bigger than it looks.  It's a bit messy and there's a lot to look at, so it's best to just dive in.

The clothes are separated by type.  As a general rule when thrifting, though, I look through everything.  You never know what's been misplaced and I don't want to miss a thing. (Bonus points for singing that in your head :P)

There's lots of clothes and shoes.  Always check the quality of anything you intend to purchase.  Another thrifting rule is look it over and make sure the item isn't broken, discolored or just too worn to make good use of.

There's one of the newest editions to my kokeshi collection!  I know she's a mass-produced piece, but she was too cute not to scoop up.  I found this little display in the back and up the stairs.  If you walk straight back, you'll see a short staircase to the right that takes you to the furniture, housewares, electronics and toys.

Who doesn't love a vintage record player?  And for $25, no less.

They've got plenty of cheap records to choose from, too.

St. Vincent's is a great thrift shop.  Like I said, I came away with a couple of cheap things that I really like.  I love stopping in whenever I'm down that way, just poke around and see what's there.  You never know what furniture or crafting supplies might pop up.  Be prepared to dig, but if you're reading this and like thrifting at all, you're already prepared.  Enjoy!  I hope you find some treasures no matter where you're thrifting!

Daily Drawing: 303 | Halloween Eve

[This is part of my 365 project where I draw my outfits every day!  Check out my first post of the year for details]

It's been gloomy all day and just started pouring buckets this evening.  I hope it clears up for tomorrow night's trick-or-treaters!  I plan to be in costume pretty much all day and can't wait to see what the little ones in our neighborhood dress up as tomorrow!  Also, candy.

Turks and Sprinkles, Lately

It's been entirely too long since my last post of gratuitous cat photos.  While poking through my phone the other day for some
Throwback Thursday action on Instagram, I discovered all these photos of the kittens that I'd never shared.  Not being one to deprive the internet of more cats...here you go!

We got a new-to-us chair a few weeks back (it's been in my family since my Grandmother designed it and had it made in Italy...long story!) and the cats just love it.  Turks spends most of days with his butt firmly planted on it.  It's his now.  Meanwhile Sprinkles just sleeps under the bed when she's not demanding skritches and cheese.  She leads a hard life.

Other than that, all's quiet in kitten town.  Besides the fact that they're pounding food for the winter.  I'm right there with them, though ^_^

Daily Drawing: 302 | Happy National Cat Day!

[This is part of my 365 project where I draw my outfits every day!  Check out my first post of the year for details]

Happy National Cat Day!  Today is a day to love on some cats...Turks and Sprinkles got extra treats.  I hope you got to skritch a kitten today!

Halloween Embroidery Patterns

Hooray for Halloween!  Just a couple days left till the big day and I wanted to share some holiday embroidery with you.  They're great for last minute decorations, teachers presents, hostess gifts, or whatever.

Below are details of the pieces I worked up.  I wanted to explore a few different ways to incorporate color in them and I'm so happy with how they turned out!

CLICK HERE for the full sized pdf file.  

I had a lot of fun drawing up these little guys and hope you have fun making them!  If you want some more embroidery ideas, check out this post full of kittens.  And if you end up making them, I'd love to see what you do!

Happy Halloween!

Daily Drawing: 301 | Inevitable

[This is part of my 365 project where I draw my outfits every day!  Check out my first post of the year for details]

I've had this feeling in the back of my mind for last couple of weeks that I needed to really check which day of the year we're actually on.  Only going by my own count, I just felt like I needed to double check.  Turns out..yep!  I was totally wrong :P  I must have missed a couple of days in my count along the way.

Today is day 301 of 2013.  I'm a little bummed I missed out on a big #300 drawing.  But I still love how yesterday came out ^_^  I'm glad I looked it up!  Only 64 days left in this crazy year!

Rave On Vintage • A New Vintage Shop Opening in Austin

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Rave On Vintage
Opening • Saturday • November 2nd

address : 1509 W. North Loop Blvd., Austin, TX 78756
facebook 

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You guys, I'm so stoked!  There's a new vintage shop opening up this week and I got an exclusive sneak peek at the space to share with you!  Mike and Chelsea, former vendors at the now closed Hog Wild Vintage, are opening up Rave On Vintage.  This new shop is focused on mid-century furnishings and I want pretty much everything they have on display.

Mike and Chelsea are still putting the finishing touches on the shop and adding more inventory each day.  It's so fun to see this shop in the very beginning, because I know they'll do well!  Once they're up and running, I'll do a formal Thrifty Thursday post but I wanted to give a little tease with these photos before they opened up ^_^ 

Let's get in the mood by listening to the song that inspired the name of this shop...click here and listen while you're scrolling through!  

Let's talk about how badly I want this hutch.  Mike mentioned they've got a couple more hutches to add to the mix...eep!

My favorite thing about Rave On, is that they left the house with the rooms intact and are styling them just like a home.  From the living area, to kitchen to wet bar, you can really get an idea of how these pieces will fit into your own space.

I absolutely adore this kitchen!

The clothing section will be expanding and that makes me very happy ^_^

VELVET ELVIS!  Seriously, you guys.  VELVET ELVIS!

I love the fun, graphic touches they added to the walls and peg boards.  Very atomic.

Many more photos are to come!  I'll definitely be stopping by on their opening day (Saturday, November 2nd!) and I'll keep you all posted with more details!  They're in the process of setting up social media stuffs and are sourcing more vendors.  Mike and Chelsea are so brave for taking the plunge in opening up their own shop and I'm so so glad they did!  I can't wait to make Rave On a regular stop on my vintage list.