Saint Salvage

My name is Tiffany, and I am a thrift store addict. There, I said it. Yesterday, my addiction paid off. I went to the less than one month old Goodwill Outlet Store in Bellmawr, NJ.   It's a "picker's paradise". It's clean, well-lit, spacious and stocked with blue bins that they call "pods". I strongly suggest you go to a place like this with an open mind, and plenty of time.   Anyway..... I was so thrilled when I spied this Rainbow e-series vacuum in one of the bins, along with its attachments. My folks still have theirs, even though it was bought in the early 80s. So, I plugged it in, and wow.... it purred like a kitten. It had all the attachments, too! It retails on  Rainvac.com  for $1,225.40!   It has 249 consumer reviews  with 4 stars out of 5 stars on epinions.com It has 95 consumer reviews  4.5 stars out of 5 stars on consumerreports.org Once I got done "hunting" through the pods, I brought my cart ont...

I really liked the colors of this "Monster Energy" can. So, I was inspired to make a pin.     I have this really fun flower die from Sizzix.   It cuts out four different layers separately:   Here they are, all cut out, using the flower die with my Vintaj Big Kick.   I have a color-coordinating bead and a pinback.   I stacked them and then used my pliers to keep them lined up.   I used my Beadsmith hole punching pliers.   I then threaded stringing wire through the layers and the bead. Then, I glued the pin of the back.

Giveaway: WireLuxe is the latest product in the world of wire jewelry. Supple yet sturdy, this luxury knit wire holds its shape while remaining soft and light. If wire jewelry makes you think of rigid, structured pieces that lack movement and softness, then you have yet to experience the beauty and brilliance that is WireLuxe. The latest product from Alacarte Clasps & WireLace, WireLuxe is a luxury, metallic knit wire product designed with a striated, open weave center and two tightly knit edges on either side. This innovative combination of tight knit and loose, open weave wire provides a controlled pliancy as yet perhaps unseen in the world of knit wire jewelry products. To enter the giveaway, click: HERE

I was inspired by Va-Voom Vintage's Vintage Lipstick Refill Tutorial: How to refill a vintage lipstick tube   Va-Voom Vintage's "BEFORE"     Va-Voom Vintage's "AFTER" I also had a washer/dryer accident with my dupe for Tom Ford's "Wild Ginger" lipstick . It was melted all over the clothes in the dryer! Sniff.... Instead of crying over melted lipstick, I went into my vintage lipstick collection. I have a tube from Revlon's "Futurama" collection. The color inside was Lustrous Lipstick, named "Queen of Diamonds", similar to "Schiap" by Nars.       So, here's what I did. I bought a brand new tube of Revlon's Colorstay Ultimate Suede in 075, Cruise Collection. I wanted a great dupe of the Wild Ginger to fit into the vintage tube. I froze the whole tube for 3 - 4 hours. I also sanitized the vintage Colorama tube.   I unscrewed the tube all the way after freezing, and...

I have been trolling through the different Michaels store, because they've been having lots of clearance specials. I found a big box of beach glass:       I also found these five copper tear drop shaped copper cages that were wrapped with copper wire:  I decided to fill the wire-wrapped drops with the beach glass. I got my trusty pliers, and moved the wire aside to insert the tiny pieces of the glass.   Here's a close up in outdoor light. The colors look really cool in the light.     Another close-up:   I attached the chain of the sea glass cages to a broken necklace with the black beads and the brass elongated pumpkin beads.   From the front. What do you think?    

It's stash busting time.... I have a pile of worn out jeans, and I've been pinning "like crazy" on my Pinterest board "Forever in blue jeans" . So, I decided to start small. I wanted to make earrings out of the rivets!     This pair follows the same procedure as yesterday, but it's a pair of torn up black Versace Couture jeans.   (BTW.... a mint pair is for sale by other vendor on  Etsy for $130.)     Mine is below.   Close up on the rivets before removal:   Again, glue: Backs:     Finished product; ready to wear. I made two pair, and have lots of scrap.   Close up of the studs: Here's the donor pair; a torn-up pair from my boys. It was Old Navy.

It's stash busting time.... I have a pile of worn out jeans, and I've been pinning "like crazy" on my Pinterest board "Forever in blue jeans" . So, I decided to start small. I wanted to make earrings out of the rivets!   Here's the donor pair; a torn-up pair from my boys. It was Old Navy.     Close up of the "1994" rivet:   Brand new posts.   Rivet trimmed with a little bit of denim.   Two sets, all prepped for the application of glue:   Here's the final product, on punched card stock, with my business card info. Hey, it's multi-purpose: a display and a marketing tool.   Here's the close up of the earrings on the card.

I am a HUGE fan of Project Runway.... most of us who are into fashion love PR, and we all have our favorite designers. One of my favorites is Kenley Collins. I loved her attitude, and spirit.  She made Season 5 (on Bravo TV)  extra fun. Of course, she was on Project Runway All Stars Season 1  lots of fun. I checked out Kenley's website, and I found a lot of vintage inspired frocks. Not really my thing, but definitely something I could imagine from Kenley. My favorite item is this: Besame Lipstick and Scarf set . It's $45; not too bad.                                 So.... I found out through Racked.com  that Kenley will be collaborating with Unique Vintage to make a Blue Floral Crop Top and Circle Skirt set . It's $138.00. It's very retro... something along the style of Bettie Page or Dita Von Teese ...

The Hunt for the Perfect Dupe for NARS Orgasm Blush Ah.... another cult favorite.... "Orgasm" blush by NARS Every woman wants a blush that gives her that "freshly f---ed" look. "Orgasm" is long-running favorite that spawned a lipgloss, nail polish, and some blush sets.   I'm too cheap to pay the asking price of $29 for blush. Time for a "perfect" dupe!   I did a lot of testing, and I came up with Milani Cosmetics' Baked Blush in "Luminoso". If you pay full price, it's $7.99.     My pasty-pale arm, in two different angles:       Nars Orgasm (left)   Milani Luminoso (right)          Nars Orgasm (left)   Milani Luminoso (right) Apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks this is a good dupe. Luuux's Comparison of Nars Orgasm vs Milani Luminoso Chicago Tribune