Throwback Thursday: My vintage girl

My grandmother was a fashionista. She had her hair done every week and had beautiful shoes and matching handbags. On one visit to her house, the teen fashionista and I stumbled upon a big bin of shift dresses and other fun stuff from the 50s and 60s. And a vintage girl was born.

Since then Abigail and I have been building up her vintage wardrobe. Here are two recent photos of Abigail in her throwback lovelies.

 This photos was taken on the steps inside the Music/Arts Institute, which is housed in an old elementary school that will be celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

Skirt: Black and white checked skirt from 1950s with embroidered pattern (from grandma's closet)

Sweater: Blue Janzen sweater (1950s from my mom's closet)

Brooch: Rhinestone star brooch from Vintage Vogue KC

Shoes: Blue loafers from Zulily

This photo was taken at the Independence Masonic Lodge building. 

Dress: 50s novelty button dress (Donna's Dress Shop) and crinoline (Vintage Vogue KC)

Scarf: from grandma's closet

Purse: Estate sale find

Look for a new Throwback Thursday outfit every week. Do you have a favorite spot for vintage apparel and accessories? We are always on the look out for new fun things to add to Abigail wardrobe.

I Mustache You Not to Steal Your Brother's Clothes

Old Navy had one of their mega-sales and I picked up a cute gray mustache sweater for Alex. I had to go out of town and while I was gone, Abigail discovered the sweater, talked her brother out of it and snagged it for herself. Her brother is 9-years-old and wears a 10-12. She is almost 16 and wears a ladies XS. Same size, I guess.

She paired her brother's sweater with a cute scarf and made it her own.

So, do you call this a "hand me up?"

In the Box: Starlooks Starbox

I just got my January Starbox in the mail, and it's my favorite Starbox yet. Starbox is a subscription box from www.starlooks.com that allows you to try out the Starlook line of cosmetics for just $15 per month plus shipping ($2.68 per shipment). One of the best features is that Starbox contains FULL-SIZE products, not samples or deluxe samples.

Here's the January box!

This month's box contained TWO full-sized Infinity lipsticks ($15 each). And I loved the colors: Eons (a matte) and Endless (a satin).  This lipstick is supposed to be moisturizing and last for 12 hours. I can't wait to test it out.

Endless

Eons

I also got a lip gloss ($12) in Pearl Necklace (a satin). This looks pretty and supposed to be a non-sticky long wearing gloss. I hope so!!!

Also in my box was the Infinity Eye Liner ($13) in Milky Way. I'm not sure about a white satiny eyeliner, but I might give it a whirl. I'm sure my daughter will love it if I don't.

Finally my box contained an eyebrow/lash comb and a coupon good for 40 percent off lipstick, 20 percent off pencil and 14 percent off orders.

All told, my box totaled more than $55. Not bad for a $17.68 investment. If you are interested in trying out Starbox for yourself, please let them I know referred you by entering Referral: Give it back to Jody Becker.

In the Box: FabKids

I was recently introduced to FabKids.com, a clothing subscription service for kids. I wish that this had been around when the girl child was little because their girls' clothing is SO CUTE! They offer clothing in sizes 2 to 12, so Alexander is in the upper register of their sizing. They had a special deal where you could sign up and get an outfit for $20, so I thought I'd give it a try.

First, you take a style quiz that results in a "shop" for you to select styles from. All FabKids outfits are usually $29.95, and there is free shipping if you order more than $49 worth of clothing. A new "shop" pops up every month and you can skip a month if you don't see anything you like. Of course, if you forget to skip, you will get charged $29.95 which goes in as a credit in your account.

This is the outfit I chose for Alex. It included the long sleeve rugby polo and khaki cargo pants.

Alex really liked this outfit and chose to wear it for his school program tonight. The rugby polo is lightweight, but well-made. We got the large (size 8-10) and it fits fairly snugly, so I'll probably have to size up soon. The pants are a 10 and fit perfectly. Alex particularly likes the back of the polo.

Each piece was tagged at $28, and that's probably about right value wise. So getting the whole outfit for $20 was a bargain. I think the regular pricing of $29.95 is a bargain too. I'm looking forward to next month's shop which is supposed to be available Feb. 1.

If you think you'd like to check out FabKids, drop me a line. I can send you an invitation that will net you 50 percent off your first outfit!!

What I Wore Wednesday: Casual Day

OK, I'm a day late...I sometimes get busy. But here is a look at what I wore yesterday.

I decided to go for comfort. I paired a gray tee and red tank with jeans and my black Kitschy Cute music scarf. And of course, I had to finish it with my favorite pair of black and pink chucks.

My well-loved Converse.

It's a look that makes me smile because it's comfortable and features my first love: MUSIC. 

In the Box: Dottiebox

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, I've become addicted to subscription boxes. One of my favorites is Dottiebox. It is a monthly box of handcrafted items from small business and indie brands. It's a fun surprise every month.

Here's what was in the January box. Dottiebox comes neatly wrapped up like a special gift!

My January box featured four items. The first, and my favorite, were these cute earrings from NaZari Jewelry ($14) I got the Raw Chrysocolla Studs. According to NaZari, the chrysocolla is soothing and calming in times of stress, and brings about gentle release. Check out NaZari's shop at nazarijewelry.com. I'm happy to be introduced to this fun brand.

Next up was the Reveille Reveille Lotion Bar ($9.89). Not sure I'd pay almost $10 for a bar of anything, but I haven't tried this yet, so who knows. It's unscented and made of natural cocoa butter, coconut oil, and beeswax. It's supposed to be really good for cracked, dry hands and heels. I'll review the product when I've had a chance to try it. Check out Reveille Reveille's products at etsy.com/shop/reveillereveille.

This "nail caviar" ($3.50) from Berry's Creations are supposed to be for nail art. Sephora sells something similar for A LOT more money, so you might check these out first if you want to give nail caviar a try. My box also included a 15 percent discount code for Berry's Creations nail art beads and glitter (etsy.com/shop/berryscreations)

My last item was a hand-stamped tea ball from Purely Paige. ($15) It's neat as far as tea balls go, but I don't drink loose leaf tea. I'm thinking it will make a nice gift.

 Dottiebox is a great value subscription box. I paid $20 plus $6 shipping and got $42.39 worth of products. Dottiebox also offers a minibox with 2 to 3 items for $10 plus $3 shipping. The boxes often sell out and a waiting list of subscriptions frequently happens. If you are interested in Dottiebox, visit dottiebox.com. :)

What I'm Wearing Wednesday: Feeling Blue.

Here's the first installment of What I'm Wearing Wednesday. I was feeling blue (or rather I was feeling like wearing blue), so I started with a sweater from my grandma's closet. The blue vintage sweater is probably a Janzen, because most of her sweaters were. I paired it with my union jack jeans from Delias and a black studded jacket I picked up at JC Penney on clearance after Christmas. I finished it off with my new studded oxford shoes from Rue 21.

My favorite part of this outfit is the sweater, of course.

It's really soft and hand washable. (Not sure why I think that is so funny) I love that my grandma wore this sweater when she was in high school in the 1950s. This type of sweater looks good with both new and old styles.

2014: The year our blog will actually be worth reading!

Happy 2014. Our first year of blogging was pretty much an epic fail, but we both resolve to make 2014 a blogging success. To that end, we are introducing two features:
What I'm Wearing Wednesday (Abby)
It's Friday, I'm in Love with... (Jody)

Every Wednesday, our resident fashionista will photograph her outfit and write about it. This should be fun as she likes to mix things up. Recently, she has added some vintage pieces from her great-grandmas stockpile. Stay tuned for the first installment on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

It's Friday, I'm in Love with... will be a hodgepodge of fun stuff I've run across in my surfing, shopping, living, etc. I hope it will be fun too.

We will also be blogging about our subscription boxes, instituting a regular restaurant review, and continuing with our pursuit of sales!