jeanofalltrades

January 8, 2013 · 9:37 am

Shabby Apple Giveaway

~contest closed–thanks for visiting~

I’m thrilled to announce my first ever giveaway! I’ve partnered with Shabby Apple and I’m hosting a giveaway for a $50 Shabby Apple gift certificate. The winner can choose anything from the site–and there’s lots to choose from!

Shabby Apple is an online store featuring wonderful, vintage-inspired apparel. They’re known for their vintage dresses, but if retro dresses aren’t your thing, don’t worry: Shabby Apple has a huge selection of shirtdresses, maxi dresses, lace dresses, and casual dresses. They also have gorgeous tops, skirts–even shoes, accessories, and swimwear.

Here’s how to enter:

Go to shabbyapple.com.
Pick your favorite piece.
Tell me about it in the comments on this blog post.

That’s it! You’ll be entered in the contest. You’ll need a US mailing address to win.

If you want to enter several times, that’s great! You can like Shabby Apple on Facebook, tweet about the giveaway you entered (using the hashtag #shabbyapplegiveaway), or blog about the giveaway on your own blog. For every one of these things you do, add another comment so I can count you again (up to four times).

The winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, January 16th. Don’t want to wait to win? Use the discount code NewYears for 20% off your order (until January 31st, 2013) after that, use jeanofalltrades10off for 10% off. We’re all winners!

Good luck!

57 Comments

Filed under Fashion

Tagged as dress, fashion, giveaway, Shabby Apple, style

January 6, 2013 · 8:15 pm

Read my Belt Buckle

A few years ago, while poking around some vintage boutiques, I found a belt buckle with my name on it. If something has your name written all over it, you get it, right?

I don’t wear belts with jeans a lot because they’re bulky and tend to make my longer shirts lumpy. But this top skims my waist, shows off the buckle, but isn’t too short that it’s midriff-baring. So I attached it to a rubber belt and added it to my otherwise plain outfit.

Top: Swapped
Jeans: Swapped
Shoes: Thrifted
Cuff: Gifted
Bag: Sue Huston (sample sale)
Belt strap: Alternative Outfitters
Belt Buckle: Red Light Vintage

All three of my furry beasts made it into this shot! You can barely see Alice’s ears. She’s outside under close supervision. Being blind, she can’t be left out alone, but she also doesn’t know the escape routes (like Margo). Margo lives inside and has access to a catio I made. She still wants freedom, but it’s too dangerous on the busy street where we live.

Sometimes jeans and a T is all I want to wear. I kept this fun with stacked heels and a bright bag.

This post is part of Visible Monday at Not Dead Yet and ColorBlind’s Thrifter’s Anonymous– Check out all the other thrifty, visible women!

Update: I just joined The Pleated Poppy and Transatlantic Blonde too–for WIWW. More group post fun!

16 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Tagged as belt, belt buckle, fashion, jeans, style, thrifty fashion

January 5, 2013 · 6:01 pm

Wearing my Houndstooth Coat Again

I’m a fan of checks, tartan and houndstooth. They’re all in the plaid family and plaid is so fun to wear! I found this coat on sale at Macy’s last year–complete with scarf!

Coat: Macy’s
Top: Express
Leggings: Kensie Girl
Boots: MIA
Purse: Crystalyn Kae

I like wearing it with bright pants–think red or yellow or fuchsia–but it goes well with anything. Today I wore it with black, but I let my red cowl neck peek out for a pop of color.

Do you like houndstooth? What do you wear it with?

9 Comments

Filed under Fashion

Tagged as boots, fashion, houndstooth, jacket, leggings, style

January 1, 2013 · 10:12 pm

Getting Over Sticker Shock

My dad taught me a neat trick and I am so impressed with it I just have to share.

Have you ever bought something with an annoying price tag that you can’t peel off? Maybe you peel off the top layer and the sticky backing stays behind? It happens to me a lot, and I’m left picking at the remnants or looking for nail polish remover to clean up the mess.

The remedy? A hair dryer!

My parents and I were at the Habitat for Humanity store a few weeks ago and they picked up some neat artwork. The sticker was smack dab on the front of one of the paintings. My dad pointed the dryer at the sticker and slowly peeled it back. It came off clean with not sticky residue left behind.

He says it works on a variety of surfaces: wood, metal, plastic. If the material can handle a bit of heat, give it a try.

11 Comments

Filed under Art, Decor, DIY, General

Tagged as art, DIY, hair dryer, removing stickers, style

December 30, 2012 · 8:59 pm

In With The New, Out With The Old

Happy New Year!

It’s hard to believe that another year is coming to a close. I got a nice treat from WordPress today: my stats for 2012. I’m a sucker for stats, and if you are too, you might be interested in a few of them. If not, here’s an outfit post that never made it into the blog.

Dress: Florida street fair
Tights: Nordstrom
Boots: Qupid

My mom and I each bought one of these red dresses. We’ve worn them different ways–mostly with black or gray. Here, I wanted to see how brown and red work together.

Now on to the stats!

Cape and Gouchos

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas. What a busy time of year! The 24th is my wedding anniversary and this year was our 6th. In addition to celebrating life with Mr. Jean of all Trades, my family celebrates Christmas in traditional European style–on the 24th.

Christmas day is another special day for me and hubby. We’ve started a tradition: I cook breakfast (this year it was veggie sausage, home fries and waffles), we relax, exchange gifts, and go to a movie. After the movie there’s usually a restaurant open somewhere so we grab a bite. I love spending the whole day with my honey. We’re so busy that we don’t get to do that a lot.

Here’s an outfit that will work for wherever the day takes me. It has a neo-Victorian feel to it. Perhaps it’s the cape or the modern take on classic boots. Regardless, you won’t catch me caroling any time soon!

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Coat: eBay
Gouchos: Swapped
Scarf: Swapped
Boots: John Fluevog
Purse: Crystalyn Kae
Cuff: Greenbelts

I also wore this to run a few errands before work recently. It worked for both occasions. Under my coat is a comfortable long-sleeved T. Because of the gauchos, I still felt dressed up.

Did you get any neat gifts this year? How were the holidays?

I joined WIWW over at Transatlantic Blonde. Have a look at what the others are wearing!

8 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Tagged as cape, fashion, gouchos, John Fluevog, style, thrifty fashion

December 22, 2012 · 6:56 pm

Yesteryear’s Christmas Catalogue

When I was a kid, I loved looking through the Sears catalogue. It seemed as big as a telephone book. I haven’t seen a Sears catalogue in years but I still have memories of leafing through the pages and folding the corners to bookmark the things I wanted.

When my friend Lynn sent me these images of the 1934 Wards Christmas catalogue, I knew I had to share them. I felt like a time-traveler, going back to a time when my grandparents were kids.

A few things jumped out at me in this first page. There’s a lot of text (way more reading than you’d see now), it’s sepia, it’s written in first person, and the prices: $1.77 for a pair of shoes! The copy promotes the benefits of buying summer out of season and saving money by ordering by mail. Two timely tips even for today.

Here’s a reason why I love clothes from all eras. There’s nothing on this page I wouldn’t wear. Look at that gorgeous blue polka-dotted dress on the right? It’s only $2.77. And real silk stockings for fifty-five cents! What a deal. Well, maybe not during the Great Depression, when this catalogue came out.

One dollar for a girdle? No thanks! A deal isn’t a deal if you don’t wear it. And these look uncomfortable. Sure Spanx and other shapewear are modern-day girdles, but they’re probably a lot more manageable than these. Still, nothing beats the exercise.

Speaking of exercise, these clothes are advertised as sportswear. I love the sailor pants, but for the beach? That’s what the copy states: “Worn first in Hollywood, now all the rage for beach and all summer sports.” Okay, some things do change over time. The plaid playsuit is darling though. I want one!

More shoes! I love the low heel and cute laces. It’s funny that these are considered “walking shoes.” Today, it’s cross trainers for comfort (well, unless you’re me. Then it’s ballet flats–I have an aversion to sneakers). The Oxfords at the bottom have a higher heel than the ones I see today–adorable.

Today it costs more to get a shirt dry cleaned than these shirts cost to buy.

These days, I shop online and bookmark the website I plan to return to, but the general concept is still the same–except I can’t find a decent pair of shoes for seventy-seven cents!

4 Comments

Filed under Fashion

Tagged as 1930s fashions, 1934 fashions, Christmas catalogue, fashion, old catalogue, style

December 19, 2012 · 10:11 pm

Last of the Fall Foliage

Winter officially arrives on December 21st, and thought it might feel like winter already in some parts, I’m still savoring fall. I love fall colors but I don’t like the reminder that the cold, wet winter lies ahead.

This is, to me, a quintessential fall look: knee-high boots, earth tones, and a jacket and scarf.

Jacket: Bedo
Jeans: Old Navy via swapped
Scarf: Swapped
Boots: Mia

I bought this jacket on sale last spring and had to put it away for summer. I haven’t had the chance to wear it until now, but buying last year’s merchandise at the end of season saved me a bundle. Besides, I’ve seen leather-sleeved jackets in the stores recently so it’s hardly out of style. These sleeves are faux leather, making the piece affordable–and vegan!

I thought black boots might make this look a bit like a uniform so I wore caramel-colored boots and brought in more warm tones in the scarf. I’m looking forward to wearing this with skirts and dress pants, and of course with jeans, like I’ve done here.

What fall/winter pieces are you looking forward to wearing until the weather warms up?

I’ve joined What I Wore Wednesday at Transatlantic Blonde and The Pleated Poppy. Check out all the other submissions!

7 Comments

Filed under Fashion, Thrifty

Tagged as boots, fashion, jacket, jeans, scarf, style

December 15, 2012 · 11:48 am

Shopping in Kirkland with my Mom

My parents visited me from their home in Canada recently. They were here for a workshop: my dad worked while my mom shopped! You might remember the kitchen remodel post I shared last week. Here’s a “during” shot of my dad hard at work.

One afternoon while he was working, my mom and I went to Kirkland, Washington, a small city just east of Seattle. Kirkland has a lot of neat shops, including one of my favorite consignment stores, Ragamoffyn’s.

My mom and I did a bit of window shopping and had an impromptu photo shoot. When a passerby saw us taking turns with a camera, she took our photo as we posed by a neat bunny statue.

A few years ago I took a picture of these two rabbits and painted a picture of them, which I call “Snuggle Bunnies.”

snuggle bunnies

I blogged about my dining room before I moved. Here, you can see the table and chairs in my new place, complete with the painting on the wall. I’m still deciding what color to paint the room.

One of the great things about hanging out with my mom is that I have my own personal photographer (and so does she). My mom runs the blog Fashionable over 50 and captures her stylish moments, shopping trips, and adventures too. It runs in the family!

Jacket: Jones New York
Top: Ross Dress for Less
Pants: Dickies
Boots: MIA
Purse: Crystalyn Kae

It’s a lot more fun to have a friend or loved one snap pictures. Posing with a tripod does the job, but an expert eye for composition goes a long way. I wish we lived closer together. Other than our yearly visits, I use a tripod or solicit the help of my husband–but he can’t always follow me around with a camera!

16 Comments

Filed under Art, Decor, Fashion

Tagged as boots, bunnies, fashion, Kirkland, painting, skinny jeans, style

December 12, 2012 · 8:18 pm

Holiday Party Outfits

I look forward to Christmas and New Year’s parties and love to dress to the nines. For me, that usually means a long dress. For black tie events, I like to wear a gown, but I’ve been known to wear cocktail dresses to less formal affairs. Sequins, satin, velvet and embellishments add to the holiday flair.

This year I had two parties on my list, and I broke tradition: I wore pants. I wear pants a lot but I’ve always thought dresses were, well, dressier. However, I had a fantastic sequined blazer and I wanted to try it out.

For the first holiday party, I wore the blazer with a cowl necked ivory top and glazed black denim. Yup, I wore jeans to the biggest party of the year. But I paired them with Christian Louboutin booties, which take any outfit up a few notches. And when denim is black, it always looks elegant.

Jacket: Thrifted
Top: Express
Jeans: Zara
Purse: Thrifted
Bracelet: Thrifted
Shoes: Christian Louboutin via consignment

The next party was just as fun, and I was one of the MCs! I had to corral 200 of my closest colleagues and lead the events of the afternoon. I’d heard it was a tough job (“herding cats” was part of the pep talk), so I dazzled them with red satin pants and the same sequined blazer I’d worn to the gala the weekend before. I was determined to get noticed.

Jacket: Thrifted
Top: Express
Pants: Armani via Goodwill
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik via consignment
Earrings: Claire’s

It worked. I chatted up the room, kept the events going (gingerbread house building and a white elephant gift exchange were on the list), and made sure people found the main buffet, vegan table, and chocolate fountain.

Dressing the part helped get me into the role and made people pay attention to what I had to say. Carrying a mic around and talking to a crowd that big isn’t part of my usual day!

I loved these pants when I found them at Goodwill and knew I’d find a good use for them. The only problem was, with heels, they were a bit short. I like to break fashion rules, but unless they’re gauchos, wide pants need to be long–at least in my book.

The solution: Hubby let out the hem for me so the pants could skim the ground as they were intended. Yes, the creases still visible (and I need to finish the edge), but no one noticed. What’s worse than a frayed edge? Highwaters. Definite faux-pas!