I Love Being Thrifty

I love being thrifty. That means we visit garage sales, scour thrift shops, garage pick, visit antique/vintage shops, trade with friends and use Craigslist. We've been really, really lucky on Craigslist these past few weeks and have gotta a lot of great things for the Hut. The palm trees (second one is across the room, where I'm standing taking the photo), the bamboo love seat and chair, and the two wicker tables have all come from people selling on Craigslist. We got everything for a steal. The Hut is coming along nicely, but we have lots of decorating and unpacking to do. I haven't seen some of our collection for almost 6 months!

We also added this mid century credenza to our dining room, courtesy of good friends. It's nice when you can swap as a bunch of us decorate our homes in a similar fashion, so it's nice to see items go to good homes. I have to mention that Derek picked up the shadowbox at a garage sale a few years ago, painted it and surprised me with it! Can't say no to $10!

I really think I was a frustrated interior designer in another plane of existence. Hahahaaha! I just love to DIY, decorate and repurpose! My environment really effects my mood, so I think that's why I put so much care and thought into my space. Now that we have our own house, we both are busting with ideas, but know we can't get it all done at once. Crazy to think we've only been living in our house for almost 5 months!

Thank you for reading!

Stay tuned for my first GIVEAWAY! Details will be announced on the blog this week!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Outfit of the Day : Polka Dot Sleeves

I wasn't looking for a shirt when I was shopping the womens department at Target. I was on the hunt for a particular sweater (which I couldn't find) and this shirt was a lone wolf on a sweater display and it was saying, "BUY ME!". I always get excited when I find seasonal tops that aren't see-through nor a static-y material as the winter months in Buffalo mean layers, layers and more layers. I need warmth!

I paired the shirt with my favorite skirt which has made it's appearance more than several times on the blog. I really don't have an incredibly large wardrobe, so I try and highlight different combinations or new items that are incorporated into my closet.

The shoes from Nasty Gal that were on sale and then not on sale.

Still not on sale. 

I think that one of my challenges as a fashion blogger is that I want to keep things "exciting", but it's just normal ole' me and I wouldn't be true to myself and my blog ideals of 'alternative fashion on a budget'. If I bought everything I fell in love with (at first sight) I would be back into debt and miserable. So in reality I don't have a large budget for clothing and repeat items are bound to show up. I just try not to be boring!

What is your favorite repeat piece in your closet?

Thank you for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Outfit of the Day : Elastic on Elastic Action

I was just about to head outside to shoot my outfit of the day when the sky opened up and it poured, so I retreated inside to shoot a few pictures by the living room window. 

The skirt I'm wearing is a thrift shop find for about $3, I loved the hem line, material and length, what I don't like is the elastic waist. As you can see the skirt came home with me, and after a few tries at finding a top to wear over the skirt (tops were too long, too short, too lumpy, etc.), I decided to wear a simple tank tucked in with an elastic waist belt to try and camouflage the skirt's own elastic waist band. It's working ok, but the elastic belt shifts around, hrmmmmm.

So, I threw on my long lace cardigan to go along with the flow of the skirt and to distract from the wonky elastic on elastic action. Heh. I had to admit when the Sisters of Mercy came on Pandora I took a minute to twirl around, this outfit gets two big thumbs up in the twirly department.

I'm going to have to work with this skirt as I don't care for elastic waist bands, especially thin elastic bands. They tend to dig into me, create lumps and bumps that really aren't there and can be less-than forgiving. Yes, the elastic is supposed to be there for comfort, but it doesn't do my figure justice in most circumstances. We'll have to see how versatile this skirt can be or if it will have to go back into the thrifting pool.

Thank you for reading!
XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Outfit of the Day : Lace Dress and Stripey Legs

There is a snag in the front, which I fixed after taking the photos. D'oh!

This is an outfit I wore to work last week. I layered a black lace dress ($3, thrifted) over black and white nylon leggings, a ruffled cotton jacket and wore a short pair of buckle boots.

The dress as a little big so I added an elastic belt to give the dress a little more shape, but with that you could see the outline of my bra. Ack! I wore the jacket over the dress the whole day at work, so no bra outlines and/or bra straps were showing, but I think the dress just may be a bit too big for me. I'm brainstorming some ideas on how to alter it to fit me and I think by adding a few nips and tucks it will be a great go-to in my wardrobe.

You know, I really need another little black dress. *Wink*

Thank you for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

Club Night : I Love Wearing Too Much Jewelry

 What I wore:

shrug : thrift store

lace babydoll dress: thrift store

pointy buckle boots: Demonia, second hand from ebay

spider web stockings : leg avenue

assorted gothy accessories

You can't see my outfit very well due to the fact that my camera took some crappy photos and when I went to upload the (poorly) edited ones to blogger, they look hideous. So, here is a black and white photo to give you a general idea.

Hey blogger, why are you making the bottom of my photos so dark!?

Nothing too exciting, comfortable and easy to wear. I've been looking for an opportunity to wear the babydoll dress as it's been sitting in the closet for over a month. The dress is very low cut and my friend (who was very drunk, lol) pointed out that I was wearing something that showed cleavage! Yes, I normally dress like a nun compared to other people's club outfits. What can I say, I usually like to be covered up, but this dress was a perfect reason to show off my Alchemy Gothic ankh necklace. I like to decorate my decolletage, wooo hoo!

We have lots of friends in town for this long weekend, so I hope everyone enjoys themselves and thank you for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla

80s Dress And New Shoes

My crazy shoes came in the mail this week and I ripped open the box and knew I loved them before I even put them on. They are ridiculous, it makes me happy.

The platform is weird, plastic and light weight, I've never had a platform shoe quite like these. This style is definitely a Jeffrey Campbell knock-off and put together as such, but I don't plan on wearing them everyday or running a marathon in them. Could you imagine me running in these? Hahaha! The only con I can say about the shoes is that the bottoms are extremely slippery, I'll have to do something about that.

I paired the dress with one of my newest thrift store finds, an 80s dress sack for $5. I'm totally in love. I love 80s fashion, but I usually resist some of the more tackier pieces, but this dress appeals to me. When I look for vintage from the 80s I look for; black & white, geometric prints, and items that don't look too dated. 

And I couldn't resist tying a scarf in my hair and making a big bow, I think I'm ready to go dancing at an 80s night! Oh, that sounds like fun!

Do you like to wear vintage?

Thanks for reading!

XOXO-Meagan Kyla