Justification

I think more of us ought to have this mentality.

Buying secondhand is one of the ultimate forms of sustainability.

Or is this just shopping justification?

Green with Envy

I am already well aware that many of my posts will mention Ross (Dress for Less), as I am a regular customer. Ross not only carries some great finds at low prices, but also has a conveniently located store near our house. (Okay, maybe TOO conveniently located).

E-mailing a friend earlier, I mentioned that my clothes have me in an especially good mood today. My funky, satin green jacket (complete with gold zippers and grommets) is a great companion to some boring dark blue jeans and black boots. The tag on the jacket reads, "Sele," not a brand I'm familiar with; regardless, I was pleased to see the $69.00 manufacturer's tag juxtaposed with the $11.99 Ross tag. I'm sure this piece will look horrible and tacky to me come next season, but it's fun for now.

The jacket's gold zippers talked me into wearing a wild piece of costume jewelry I found on Ebay recently. It's a Trifari rhinestone pendant on a simple gold snake chain.


If you enjoy vintage costume pieces, I highly recommend you check out the offerings of Maggie's Vintage Attic (seller ID "maggie2you"). At any given time, she has between 30 and 50 listings (some single pieces, some lots) of fabulous and fun costume jewelry. Maggie's prices are fair and her shipping is quick and priced well. This item set me back $6.95 plus $2.50 shipping.

Finding My Niche

Blogging over the past year has been a fun adventure. I've been able to share fun photos, recipes, stories, wedding planning details and more. After much deliberation and listening to my colleague Laura over at Knitters = Angry Mob, I decided that I should find more of a niche. Dawn, another colleague, of The Gahan Girls also does a wonderful job of keeping a regular following.

I asked myself, "What are some of the things that make me feel fulfilled—and are interesting enough that others may want to read about them as well?"

I landed on eating and shopping, two interests of mine. In this latest endeavor, I will be sharing my experiences and thoughts on eating (at local restaurants and through cooking at home) and shopping (ranging from boutiques and thrift stores to eBay and other online shops).