Giveaway! yay!

Just wanted to let ya'll know that I'm doing a giveaway over at the Sewn Natural blog, owned by the lovely Jen! Jump on over to see the details and be sure to check out her eco-friendly shop on Etsy, it is full of lots of beautiful things for children of all ages! Check a few of my favs out below...

Spring gnome baby up-cyled dolls! Precious!!!

This elephant is too cute for words! Plus, her name is Petaluma!

1.08.10

Dress: Vintage, thrifted
Cardigan: Christmas gift from mom
Belt: Vintage, free
Leggings: Vera Wang for Kohl's
Boots: Groundhog shoes
Purse: Was a gift, bought from an Etsy seller but now I can't find her shop!
Scarf: New! from Analogue People

Can ya'll forgive me for wearing the same dress two outfits in a row? When I wore it on Tuesday, I only went to the store and to run some errands. I didn't see anyone I know in real life and I didn't feel like I really got to show off my dress, so I put it back on last night but made and effort to remix it for ya'll to make things a little bit more interesting! Of course, I kind of fell back into my safe space of wearing a cardigan and my boots. Oh, well, its warm and cozy and freezing here so I'll forgive myself! Plus, I got to show off a few of my favorite etsy accessories!

Oh, and P.S.- Thanks for all your super sweet comments on my last post! It really means a lot to me that ya'll like my photos!

This Just Upcycled!

I've been working long and hard upcycling this dress, I just finished it, and had to share with ya'll. If you like it, its listed in my Etsy store! When I found this dress at the thrift store, I could see that it had a lot of potential, even though it kind of looked like a sad sack of navy blue fabric. Here is the before:

And, here is the finished product! I especially love the colorful belt, which I made from fabric salvaged from a hideous pair of 80s pants.






Here is a little DIY list of what I did to upcycle the dress, hopefully it will inspire you to refashion something in your wardrobe that isn't working for you! Some of the things I did were a bit more complicated, but even using a few of the simpler tricks can really make a huge difference to a garment that you aren't wearing because there is something a little off about it.

1. Add an elastic waistline- it will define the waist of the garment and make it much more flattering! The obvious choice is to do this to a dress- but maybe you have a sweater or a shirt that you like to belt. Adding an elastic waist will achieve the same effect. This is super easy if you have a sewing machine. Just buy some elastic at the fabric store and be sure to use the zig-zag stitch on your machine (check your manual). While you are feeding the fabric and elastic through the machine, let the fabric of the garment go in flat while you stretch the elastic out as tightly and you can. Once you are done with the sewing and let the elastic relax, it will gather up the fabric of the garment and give it a more tailored look.

2. I added a bubble hem to this dress, but an easier fix is just to hem a dress or skirt to a shorter length. I have a lot of older and vintage dresses in my closet that hit at an awkward mid-calf length, and I bet you do too. The just above the knee length and the mini length are super popular this season because they work so well with tights and leggings. Hemming is easy to do, even without a sewing machine. Just hack off the dress or skirt about 2" longer than you want it to be, then create a french hem by double folding the fabric up to hide the raw edge and hand stitch it up there using a whip stitch!

3. I created a belt with a big rosette out of fabric that I salvaged from a pair of really awful 80s pants. There are no rules here! If you see some fabric that you like but you don't like the form that its in, make it into something else! Just get creative!

If you have any questions or want more detailed instructions for something, just let me know. Maybe I'll work on a tutorial if there is some interest.

Vintage Styling!

I'm starting a new feature on my blog! Yay! (I figured I'd give ya'll a break from all the gratuitous photos of myself.) I'm calling it Vintage Styling!

I'm always finding these really awesome vintage pieces that I love and it just breaks my heart when I put them up in the shop and don't get to style them up myself. So, I figured I could virtually style them and share the fun with ya'll. I'm going to try to accessorize each piece with items from other Etsy sellers so that I can spread the love.

For my first Vintage Styling, I picked this jumper that I absolutely love, but is (way) too small for me. Enjoy!



70s Autumn Leaves Gray Jumper (XS or S) from GVV
Cloud Gray Vintage Tunic Blouse from misovintage
Antique Silver Pink White Rose Cameo Gothic Lolita Steampunk Earrings from LondonsGate
Evan Picone Taupe Peeptoes from AdelaideHomesewn


BLACK LACE STEAMPUNK blouse with JABOT collar, size Medium, Large from BetaBoutique
Fall Series Magenta Earrings from Maraquita
VINTAGE LEATHER GRANNY LACE UP VICTORIAN ANKLE BOOT 7 6.5 TAN from BeeHiveTreasures

Hopefully you've been inspired to do some vintage styling of your own! If you have any items that you want advice on styling, feel free to email me or leave a comment. I'll style it up and post it on my next edition of Vintage Styling!

Shop Update

Well, I haven't show ya'll any shop updates lately, but I've been adding lots of fun new things! I can't wait to get my new dress form this week, I keep thinking about how awesome all of the new items will look when they are displayed on her! Hopefully this is the last batch of hanger photos, its just a select few of my new items, there are many more in the shop:

70s Tan and Black Ho Down Dress (M or L)

60s Mauve Floral Dress (XL, XXL)

50s Pink and Green Floral Model's Coat Dress (M, L, or XL)

60s Lillies Floral Prom Dress (S or M)

70s Red White and Plaid Dress (XS or S)

70s Fabulous Faux Fur Coat (S, M, or L)

80s Magenta Dress (XL, XXL)

60s Red Poppies Dress (M or L)

80s Jane Schaffhauser Belle France Dress (M or L)

80s Red Polka Dot Dress (S or M)

80s Pale Pink Lace Dress (S, M, L)

70s Neon Squiggles Shirt Dress (M, L, or XL)

70s Pink Ruffles Seersucker Blouse (L, or XL)

Lots of pink, huh? Winter hasn't even officially started, but it kind of looks like I'm dreaming of summer. Maybe this is my resort line!?!

Don't forget...

Today is the last day of the Thanksgiving weekend sale at Green Violet Vintage! Stop by today if you have your eye on something!


Sorry I've been MIA- I'm still on Thanksgiving break! An outfit post and some fun Texas vacation pictures are coming later today.

The Holy Grail of Thrifting!

So, I promise I will finish out this accessory challenge if it kills me. I actually wore a couple of blog-worthy outfits this weekend, I just was always running out the door with no time to take photos. I have done 5 out of my promised 7 accessorized outfits, so there are at least 2 more to come.

Anyways, I wanted to show ya'll this amazing dress I thrifted last week. I'm trying to pinpoint the date before I put it up in the shop, but it was just too good to keep to myself. Its a Holly Harp, who I think was one of the most interesting designers of her time. She defined the boho-chic look way back in the 60s (she may have even originated it), designing expensive and upscale pieces in light and flowly fabrics for stores like Bergdorf Goodman's. It always pays to know your labels, even if you think that in a pseudo-hippie-redneck-hipster town like Asheville you will never find them. Imagine my surprise when this dress was hanging on the racks of Goodwill between over-sized, floral, sacks from Walmart, Laura Ashleys from the mid 90s, and teenybopper sequined mini dresses from Forever21. It was like finding the Holy Grail, complete with a matching shawl!

Shop Update

I wanted to share all the fun, new stuff I've listed in the shop in the last week. Outfit photos coming soon, I promise!

60s Mustard Yellow Cable Knit Sweater (S or M)

70s Lace Bow Tie Shirt (S or M)

80s Thats so Eighties Dress (L or XL)

70s Bohemian Sweater (S or M)

70s Seventies does the Fourties Dress (S or M)

60s KCP Red Monogrammed Sweater (S or M)

80s I Love Pigs Shirt (S, or M)

60 Red Out on the Farm Vest (XS or S)

60s Mod Polka Dot Pattern Brown and White Swimsuit (XS, S, M)

50s Baby Blue Floral Floral Fabric (price per yard)

50s or 60s Blue and Green Floral Watercolor Vera Scarf

70s Red White and Blue Houndstooth Golf Pants (Men's 34 Waist)

70s Oatmeal Sweater Vest (Women's XL, XXL, or XXXL or Men's XL)

Vintage love!

I had a job interview today for a job I'm actually interested in- so we'll see how that pans out! If you still have your job, hold on to it with both hands. Its rough out there!

Well, I haven't treated myself to any vintage lately and have dutifully sold all the amazing things that I've wanted to keep, but I decided it was time to change that. One of my fellow Etsy sellers, the lovely Siobhan of Blythe Hopes Vintage, is having a 50% off sale and the price on this cute little dress was too good to pass up ($12)!! I am a sucker for dresses with sleeves, and I just love the square neckline. I can't wait to get it!


Be sure to check out the sale for yourselves! Pretty much everything in her store is marked down.

New at Green Violet Vintage!

I don't like to do too many shop update posts, I don't want to bore ya'll! However, there are a few new things up, including some great fall stuff, so I wanted to share. Here is what is new in the the shop!

80s Wicked Witch of the West Dress (S, M, L)

60s Brown Wool Swing Coat (M, L, XL, XXL)

70s Madras Matti Sport Dress (S, M)

70s Plaid Safari Shirt (M, L)

70s Perfectly Plaid Pleated Wool Skirt (S, M)

60s Tan Scalloped Cardigan (M, L)

80s Brown and Beige Polo Shirt (XL, XXL)

70s School Girl Dress (M, L, XL)

80s Pink and Purple Floral Polo Shirt (XL, XXL)

70s Winter Florals Shirt Dress (L, XL)

70 Western Floral Dress (L, XL, XXL)