January Shopping Mania!

So lately, I've been taking advantage of the Amazing End of Season Sales the many Gift cards I received during Christmas and I just wanted to post some of my Haul:

The Bay has the most amazing sales, they had addition 30% off Clearance and 50% off Fall Winter Lines! They Also have some great brands like BCBG, TopShop, Racheal Roy,Windsor, Free People, Material Girl, etc.

TopShop Floral Dress $35

BCBGeneration Jumpsuit $36

TopShop Foil Space Legging $25

Jessica Simpson Dress $14

Ralph Lauren Leather Belt

Joe Mimran Dress

Max Studio Wedges

Pink Tartan Dress 

Christmas Haul

Christmas in my family is usually reserved for kids. I love seeing them open their gifts with wide eyes and excitement!

One reaction that was quite humorous was my little niece `s reaction. You see she just turned three and is quite different from every little girl I know! One of her favourite toys is a dinosaur she bought at the dollar store that "bites" at people. Recently it was broken so I bought a new one for her and put it on a box of candy to throw her off and scare the hell out of her mother. (LOL! She`s quite the candy monster!)

 So when she opened it her mother filled with disappointment and a horrified look turned to me with with disbelief "Really?!" ... priceless! I signal for her to let her open the box and when the box was opened Tay squeaks "Monster!".

Renews the faith for mothers that a dollar store toy would bring such joy!

But aside from this funny story I would have to say this Santa was good to me this year!

 From a favourite cousin-in-law who never forgets me every year! I got a pretty Pandora-style  bracelet.

From my aunt/godmother I got a a simple and classic bone bangle (LOVE) and a pair of dangle earrings from Ten Thousand Villages with a special piece of valuable paper inside (*wink*). After looking up this company I realized this awesome company with unique products.

"Ten Thousand Villages is the oldest and largest Fair Trade organization in North America, selling artisan-crafted personal accessories, home decor and gift items from around the globe. 

Ten Thousand Villages creates opportunities for artisans in developing countries to earn income by bringing their products and stories to our markets through long-term, fair trading relationships."

So check out their website and support socially responsible merchants: http://www.tenthousandvillages.ca

From my other aunt another delicately wrapped special piece of valuable paper made out in my name (*wink*). Which was very much appreciated.


From a bud of mine I got an at home Shellac Kit! Which I LOVE ... Seeing as my nails are thin and never grow long before breaking.
She bought me this set and also bought the LED Light just like in the salon! This kit is amazing mainly for the fact there is no drying time once your done!

Already ran out and got a sparkly rose gold, a dark wine purple, and a pale pink.

  LOVE IT!

From my Boyfriend's family I got a gorgeous pair of Leaf inspired earrings and a really cool Gold Art Deco cuff with black stones.

They tricked me by strategically putting them in a Men's Back Waxing kit. Which was quite Hilarious!

Thanks Girls! Hope you liked your gifts as much as I did!

My Father and Uncle as the amazing gift givers they are also contributed to the much needed Boxing Day Shopping Fund!

Also got a TopShop Gift Card from a Gift Exchange to add to my other Topshop Gift Card from CityLine.

A Tim Horton's Gift Card From my oldest sister and her 2 boys.

From my older niece this year she bought gifts with her own money. (so sweet!)

She got us sister this Cadbury Caramik Fondue set that my little sister whisked of into her room and I have yet to see it!

Her mother, my second oldest sister, got me a Night out to movies including popcorn and drinks.


My third oldest sister was on the same wave length and also got me a Night out to movies including popcorn and drinks and a book (seeing as she works at Indigo!).

Fitting as I'm a really shoe Fanatic so this was interesting.

My little sister cashed in her "I'm a Starving Student" Card in for the last time!

My other friend got me a Bon Appetite Gift Card.

My Boyfriend got the following leather Rabeano bags for me!

He also gave me a special gift I'm not gonna mention but I really appreciated him being there when I needed him!

Overall.... Great Christmas!

City Line - Fashion Friday!

So we went to CityLine on Friday thanks to my boyfriend (Thanks!). It was a great show!I brought my sister Michelle and we meet up with my bf's sister and her friend! I was so excited because it was one of thier Christmas Show and that only meant FREE STUFF!

First they had a product to jazz up your everyday shoes called Shoelery (http://shoelerybyeg.com/).
 Now I have seen these before but Erica Giuliani has a more extensive line of them.

They have heel rings, Shoe clips, boot covers, boot chains, etc. We got these for free! Now not to sound ungreatfuly but I really didn't like these would've preferred the spikes for the heel or the skull.

But while me and my sister were browsing around The Bay we saw them! I tried to exchange but got shut down because the barcode was not right! LOL!
 It was worth a try!


We also got also got a Hand Cream Trio from Crabtree and Evelyn (http://www.crabtree-evelyn.com). These lotions are super moisturizing and smells so good! My favorite is the Pomegranate, Argan & Grapeseed Ultra-Moisturizing Hand Therapy.

We also got a $25 gift card for Crabtree and Evelyn! Yay!

The fashion show was all stuff from The Bay. First were holiday looks from the Room. The Room is the Bay's answer to the ever popular Holt Renfrew. They really stepped up to compete! Gone are the oldie fundy-duddy clothing, the new branding has brought in many luxurious lines and Sandra Pittana put together some amazing looks with lots of lux furs, brocades, feathers and velvet.

There was also a Fashion show for TopShop! So far a great success at The Bay. It is a much more trendy and young line and we got a $50 TopShop Gift Card! I love Sandra's ode to the Christmas sweater.

Some other great things we got were the following:

It was Super fun and a great sister bonding day! If you want to attend a taping you can  go on the website to view a taping, and if you want to watch this show the link is:

http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/2003078913001.000000/december-7-2012-fashion-friday/

Thrifting Spree - Best Thrift Stores Toronto

 

As I was watching "My shopping Addiction" on TLC and reevaluating oh-too-similar behaviour the addicts were displaying causing me to consider an intervention, I was distracted by a shopper who only shopped in second hand stores. She was scoring Dior, Prada, Gucci Purses for mere $60! 

 

Seeing this I can hear my mother's lecture to us about not forgetting we were raised on clothing from Goodwill when our heads got too big for our own good! You see my parents came to Toronto from the Philippines with very little. But with hard work my parents became an immigrant success story.

 





Baby Me!



Funny how things come full circle! After years of spending thousands of dollars on regular retail you can find me now with my mother shopping in these same secondhand stores I loathed growing up, looking for  treasures and unique, quality clothing that I can guarantee will not have a "who wore it best" showdown.

 

But with everything, there is a right way and a wrong way. I called my reliable shopping buddy Foxy and got her pumped to do a mass thrift store shopping spree!

 

Here are some tips to prepare for thrifting because Knowledge is Power!

 

1.  Brand Me 

Having a great photogenic memory and being an avid shopper I am well versed in brands. Make sure to research brands and their specialities and average price points, this will help you correctly assess the value in a item. Example a Topshop dress priced $9.99 (retails $70) vs. an Ted Baker dress priced $9.99 (retails $250) . Also be careful! Some big brands although well know and advertised produce cheap mass produced items. Which brings me to my next tip....

 

2. Know how to recognise Quality

Knowing the difference between real leather and distressed Pleather is necessary. The imitations are getting better and better so knowing the telltale signs will help you recognise the treasures among the mass amounts of cheaply manufactured clothing. Keep an eye on stitching, seaming and details. Quality items in a second hand store have survived use after use because they are made well.

 

3. Size is nothing but a Number
Don't limit yourself to a size. Depending on the maker yo might be smaller or bigger than the size you think. If something catches your eye, TRY IT ON!


4. Apply to Memberships and Mailing Lists
All of the thrift stores have sles going on all the time.
Goodwill has 75% tag sales and 50% off Everything sales.
Value Village has 50% off once a month, membership cards and stamp cards. Salvation Army has coupons on thier website.


5. Keep an Open Mind
 Stain on the sleeve of a Blazer? Signs of wear on the knee of jeans? If you love it, Ask for a discount! By sewing a silk scarf on the inside of the blazer's arms and rolling it up... Voila! and taking a cheese grater to  the jeans you get a great distressed look!


 I will be posting my finds and reviews on the stores we visit and a map of the locations.

Stay tuned and Happy Thrifting!!