My Pin Up Bombshell Vixen Style.... On a Budget

I love to shop online at a certain clothing store however my pocket book doesn't always think this is a good idea. While I love how simple it is to click on a pretty dress in my size and have it shipped to me, I am not loving all the ways I have to scrimp just to pay for said item. I decided to take my love for crafty and thrifting and combine the two to see what I could come up with on a much friendlier budget. I hit the thrift shops in search of pin up style clothing. It mattered not if they were vintage. They just had to have the right look. How did I do? See for yourself!

 

 

 

 

I found this pretty black with purple floral print dress at the Goodwill half off of it's 7.99 price tag. I loved the colors and the asymmetrical peplum. It's vintage era 1970's however with the right accessories I knew I could get the look I wanted. Monster Glam Pin Up Chic. I added a think black belt I already had at home and I made the floral corsage.

 

 



I bought purple flowers at the dollar store last year so I already had them. I used two rose flowers and one of the green leaves. The glitzy spider I had purchased at Michales last year around Halloween with my 40% off coupon. I believe they came 4 in a pack. I had also had some pin backs at home as well. With a little glue I created my accessory and felt it tied in the look I was going for.



I was lucky enough to find a second dress later on that same week. This dress was marked at $3.00 and although there was not a sale ..I felt the low price was amazing enough! I got it a little thrift shop near my house and not a Goodwill.

 

 

I felt the gingham and polka dot print really made this 80's dress have a more retro look. The fruit print was an added bonus! I had the thick black belt at home and made another floral corsage for this dress using dollar store red carnations (which I already had) and some Holiday Cranberries decorations that I also had (purchased at an estate sale). I thought they could pass for cherries and add to the fruit theme. No monsters here but I still thought this look was super cute and something I would love to wear to work!

 

 

Again I used two flowers and a green leaf along with two cranberries for cherries and a pin back I had at home.

 

 

 





This challenge was fun and I have gotten compliments on both outfits. I will note that I did not find what I was looking for in ONE day but I had a lot of fun searching.

Vintage For Sale by The Retro Glam Girl - Part One

I am selling some items and thought I would take a chance doing so here. If anything catches your little eye please email me @ vickiangulo459@gmail.com. You must have a paypal account in order to purchase so please include your paypal email address in your email. Thank You!
Measurements taken flat so please double. Accessories are NOT included. Buyer pays shipping at 6.70 priority mail. Sales are only in the US. Sorry :(

 

Vintage Pin Up Maroon Fleck Secretary Dress

No Flaws / Polyester

1960's

Sz Large

Bust: 19 inches Waist: 18 inches Hips: 22 inches Length: 39 inches

$25.00

 

 

 

 

Vintage Pin Up Houndstooth Secretary Dress

No Flaws/ Polyester

1960's

Sz Large

Bust: 20 inches Waist: 18 inches Hips: 20 inches  Length: 38 inches

$25.00

 

 

 

Vintage Pin Up Bombshell Raspberry Dress

 

No Flaws / Sheer Polyester

1980's

Sz L to XL

Bust: 19 in. Waist: 14 but will stretch to 21 in Hips: 25 1/2 in.

Sleeve Length: 23 in. Length: 44 in.

 

$25.00

 

 

I have more pics and info on these dresses and will be happy to include them in an email.

Just ask. First come first serve. I am cleaning out my closet as my recent weight loss leaves me in need of new clothes. These dresses were mine but now it's time to say goodbye and let someone else love them.

 

Thank You!

The Retro Glam Girl

 

More items to come!

 



Thrift Haul Scores of Late......

 

I don't always buy my clothes at thrift shops. Sometimes I shop Ebay and Etsy and then there is that rare event that I find treasures at estate sales. Lately the thrifting Gods have been kind and I have been able to score some sweet things.

 

Take a look!

 

 

This darling pink and black dress is actually a modern piece

by H & M styled to look more vintage. It is in lovely condition so I had to have it and at only a

few bucks... why not?

 

 

This blue dress is vintage. It's cotton, buttons up and even has a sweet little red and white belt.

The piping on this is in red and blue. Very patriotic and perfect for a 4th of July picnic!

 

 

 

This black cocktail dress is also vintage and was a mere 1.00 at an estate sale.

It was not in my size but at a 1.00 I picked it up and it quickly sold in my Ebay shop.

How sweet is that?

 

 

 

 

 

With Tiki Oasis coming up, I thought this dress was perfect!

This dress is not only vintage but it sets the tiki mood so perfectly!

I love the mandarin collar and sweet buttons on the front!

 

This is a great modern skirt with a great tiki-ish floral print. This is a perfect summer

skirt to wear with strapless shirts and sandals! I found this at Goodwill where the skirts were on sale

for 1.99.

 

 

I also found this pretty aqua skirt at the 1.99 sale! It looks like a wrap skirt

however it has a side zip and just ties on the side. The bottom has a bit of a leopard print which I love and the color is just so Summery!



 

 

 

Just a few of the many things I got.

Sometimes I wish I could thrift all day! All these items were purchased locally so I was very lucky.

 

 

 



 

 

Retro Glam: Capri Pants

 

Audrey in her Capris

 

 

 

The Capri pant is a staple..a must have in a retro glam gal's closet. The Capri can be summery, saucy, dressy and sexy. They can come in solid colors or prints. You can belt them or leave as is. Sometimes they sit high on the waist or zip on the side. Capri pants are normally above ankle length and sometimes are shorter which I think makes them perfect for showing off fabulous shoes. They are sometimes fitted or relaxed. They can also be a bit pricey should you purchase a vintage pair or a well made repro.

 

 

 

Fitted High Waist Vintage Capris

 

 

Relax Fit Vintage Capris

 

 

 

Leopard Print Repro Capris

 

 

 

I am a gal who loves a bargain as well as a challenge. While I could have easily purchased a pair of  vintage or repro capris online, the price of them as well as the shipping cost is what sent me out the door on a hunt for well made capris at a bargain price. Because I'm a believer that I can thrift just about anything, I went in search of Capris at a few thrift stores.

 

I tend to thrift every week and I usually keep a list of items I am on the hunt for. In my search for the Capris, I knew that I wanted printed ones. I wanted to keep it Retro so that meant that my prints needed to be in that same family. In my many thrifting adventures, I was able to find 3 pairs of Capris that I felt fit the bill AND at a fraction of the cost of the vintage and repro I had seen online.

 

 

Now I do realize that there are some gals out there who prefer vintage. I love that! If my budget allowed, I too would love to have a few vintage pairs of Capris. I still look for quality items when I thrift as I try to get the best bang for my buck so I tend to avoid certain fabrics and prints that look too faded. Another good reason to thrift is that they have clothing for ALL seasons. While you may be able to find a pair of Capris at a department store in Spring or Summer..... you may not be so lucky to find a pair in the cooler months. Because I live in California.... I can basically wear Capris all year.

 

 

Here are the three Capri pants I was able to find:

 

 

 

 

 

These beigey fern print capris have a very retro tiki look to them.

They are also 100% silk! They were WELL within my budget and they

had a more relaxed fit to them which I am a fan of.

 

 

 

These darling cotton black and white polka dot capris are in stellar condition and the look

is very retro. They can easily be worn for day or night. I found these for only

$4.00!

 

These lovely gold Asian print Capris have a more thinner cut. They also sit

higher on the waist. They are 100% silk and zip and fasten on the side.

These were less than $6.00.

 

I think I did pretty well. I did not however find these all in the same day but I did find them all in thrift stores which saved me a ton of money!



 



The Retro Glam Gal Gets Crafty: Holiday Issue Part 1

 

 

I am huge fan of crafting. I love to sit at a table while sipping yummy coffee

while having a wonderful crafternoon. I get inspired by lots of things and always

love to use vintage items. I find many a vintage things in thrift stores. One of the many thrift shops I

visit has this large chest of drawers all devoted to crafts. The contents inside those drawers is

usually old and vintage. It's quite a treat.

 

Awhile back I had taken out my Christmas bins and was looking at all my wonderful

vintage Christmas décor. I have so much and not everything gets used every year. I decided to use some of these items in a new craft. My inspiration came from a vintage item I saw on Ebay.

I thought " I can do that!" and so... I did.

 

The first thing I did was gather my materials.

 

Some items were non vintage but they still had a vintage look. I was

happy that some of my vintage pieces were being put to good use. I wanted to make

little vintage Christmas trees to display as décor in that house. I bought a few extra so that I

could give them away as gifts to my vintage loving friends. The inspiration piece I saw

used vintage bottle brush trees however I did not have any so I went with white and green artificial

mini trees which I purchased at a discount craft store. My local dollar store had some great ornaments

that came 5 in a pack for 1.00. I bought some to use as stars on my trees. I especially felt the one that

said Merry Christmas was vintage looking.

 

What was also needed for this craft was a base for your tree to sit in. I had some vintage Santa mugs and was lucky to find some vintage Christmas plant holders at The Goodwill. One was a super cute boot and the other was a box with a Santa Clause on the side. While on the hunt for these things, I ran across Styrofoam cone shaped item in the craft section of the dollar store. I knew I could also use them as a tree so I grabbed two and headed on home to craft.

 

I had vintage balls and tinsel holly leaves along with beads, garland  and vintage ornaments. I also had a Styrofoam brick left over from another craft night. When I had everything laid out on my table, I began by taking the plastic base off my mini tree. This was easy as it simply unscrewed. Next I took my Styrofoam brick and sliced a small piece off. This is what would hold my tree inside the cup. I hot glued it inside my Santa mug and let it cool a bit. The tree had a wire point bottom, this slid easily into the foam base in the cup and held it tightly in place. When that was done I got busy decorating the little tree. I hot glued everything onto the tree. I thought it came out super cute!

 

 

 

 

 

Some of my vintage items were not perfect but I simply hid the imperfections

by either gluing the bad side of a ball to the tree so the pretty side showed. My Santa mug

had a small chip near the handle so I glued a cute mini red bow over it.

 

Next I decided to make a tree out of the cone shape Styrofoam piece I got a the dollar store.

I had a smaller Santa mug for the base which was perfect because it fit the foam tree nicely.

I glued the vintage silver tinsel around the foam, added some vintage red mini glass balls

to that and then glued a sweet vintage angel to the top of  it.

 

How cute is this?

 

 

 

My vintage Santa mug was not in the best condition. I didn't mind his imperfections

and thought they added to the charm of the piece so I left it alone. The hubs really loved this

one so we decided we would keep it.

 

I finished off the rest of the trees and then took a group shot.

 

 

I still have some left over pieces to used on another craft.

I think they came out great and I can't wait to gift them to my friends!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Ready For Christmas

I love getting ready for the holidays! I always get excited when I pull out my big bin of Christmas décor. Most of my Christmas décor came from thrift shops or estate sales. I seldom by anything new to put up around the house because the vintage items fit our style so much more. I don't really put out much as I don't like a lot of clutter but I do like to be festive!

Christmas Cocktails anyone?

 

 

I had everything already. The vintage glasses I got at a thrift store many years ago and the glass martini pitcher was part of a set my mom gave me awhile back. The tree swizzle sticks I got at the 99 cent store last year and the paper Santa coasters I got at an estate sale. The bamboo tray I had and do not remember where I got it. I just added some silver garland inside the pitcher for a more glitzy look.

 

 

 

The sounds of Christmas

 

I know I bought this album mainly for it's awesome cover. I had it for years and felt it was just what my bar needed. The vintage Santa was a candy dish. He sort has Gnome like qualities but I love him all the same!

 

 

Mistletoe and Holly

 

I has this vintage plastic wreath in a box in my garage. I believe it's actually meant for

a table centerpiece in which you put a candle in the center. My kitchen needed a little Christmas-ing.

I thought this looked like a wreath and so it is. The vintage gold Mod angels I found this year at Goodwill.

 

 

Vintage Art

 

I had found this sweet vintage card in a thrift store and wanted to send it out to my

BFF. I never got around to doing it because I loved it too much to write inside it. I figured it would look great as some art work on my bare wall. I just placed inside a vintage frame and added some

green felt like material.  Now it hangs above my record player.

 

 

Decking the shelves

 

More purchases from thrift shops many moons ago. I decked out one shelf on my little bakers rack in the kitchen.

 

 

 

Feeling crafty?

 

I had this Santa tray that I knew I wanted to do something with. I decided to turn it into a wreath. I used a mixture of vintage glass and non vintage plastic silver balls. The Merry Christmas and silver star on top I bought in packs at a dollar store.

 

Just a few simple vintage things to bring the Christmas feeling and spirit into our home!

 

 

 



Thrift Haul

 

 

It's true. I'd rather be doing this any day of the week! Lately I have found some really great things. It's always nice to be able to switch out a few things for some new to me thrifted items. I have bee working on ways in which I can wear a few summer things in Fall and Winter and I think I have it nailed! I have a basic black spaghetti strap dress and basic black strapless dress. Both cotton. When the weather gets cooler, I tend to stay away from arm bearing items. I have found that by wearing a blouse over these items and tying it in the center, I end up with a more polished work look that's perfect for the cooling temperatures.

 

 

 

Sort of like this cute gal

 

 

I liked this look SO much, that I went out and thrifted 4 more blouse to wear with the two dresses.

I got a polka dot one, a striped one, a sheer floral and a navy one. I believe they were only 4.00 each although 2 were half off so I got all 4 for 12.00! The skirt on both my dress is A LINE like in the photo above and with tights it's sure to look great!

 

I thought I would post some of my recent finds for some inspiration:

 

 

Vtg Halter Tiki Dress

 

This was all wrinkled up and even though it was made in the

1980's, I felt it had a more retro vibe about it.

 

 

Vtg Red and White Polka Dot Blouse

 

This also is an 80's piece with a much more

Mad Men vibe. I love that it has bow accents

and the color is wonderful for Christmas!

 

 

Vtg Red and White Print Dress

 

Once again, probably 80's. I saw the potential and

slapped a mini petti underneath.

 

Modern Dress

 

This sweet dress had the BEST print. I loved the Fall color of it

It is non vintage but I think it's super cute!

 

 

Modern R&K Originals Dress

 

I love when I find vintage or non vintage R&K.

The florals and polka dots are soooo sweet.

I can wear this with a little sweater on date night!

 

Modern Denim Look Dress

 

This one may have to wait til next summer!

 

I had all the accessories at home already and had fun playing dress up.

 

These are just some of the gems I scored recently. Stay tuned for more

as I am planning a thrift stop right after work today!

 

If I find some real great things I just may do another post!