Saturday, November 30, 2013


Monster High - Cat Tastrophe Torelei doll:  $19.99 @ Target

Finally!  I've been waiting months for this.  The only one near me never seemed to restock it, and I always kept on missing out.

The one nearest to me finally opened, and they had this one left.  They had maybe 7 Frankies - I almost gave up hope!  I ended up digging through everything just to be sure, and in the end I was rewarded with this girl.


This line is a Target exclusive, and this is their regular price!  That's refreshing.  It would have been at least $30 anywhere else!

Pourchet Paris - White/tan leather purse:  $7.99 (RSP:  ~$300)
J.Renee - Patent yellow purse:  $12.99 (RSP:  ~$100)

Both @ Value Village

Both were more than I wanted to pay, especially the yellow one!  But I liked them so much I just had to get them.  This location is really out of the way, so it wouldn't be worth it to come back on a sale day.

My second Pourchet purse!  It looks unused on the inside, but the outside has some surface wear...especially on the white areas.  I think it'll clean up nicely though.  They're still making purses, and one this size would retail for around $300.  I don't like any of their new styles though.

I thought the second purse was pretty expensive, considering that I don't think any of the materials are real.  There's no tag so I can't be sure, but that's what I'm guessing.

It is really nicely constructed on the inside though, plus it's huge!  I don't have any other structured purses that big so that made it worth it.

It also looks completely unused, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have bought it.

I do have vintage shoes from this company.  Back then they used great materials, but now they use synthetics as well.  This does look pretty modern, I was surprised to hear they're still around!

Bratz World furniture set - Yasmin's house:  $6.75 (RSP:  $40+)
Gold fishscale belt:  $2

Both @ Shared Thrift Store

And I got that reusuable bag for free.  Score!  

I don't like Bratz, but I thought the furniture was surprisingly nice.  To my dismay, the quality ended up being pretty crappy.  That wardrobe doesn't even have a back to it!  I've never seen furniture that bad.  They could have at least made it structurally complete!

The vanity is even worse.  None of the drawers pull out, which I did know beforehand.  The  wardrobe on the other hand, was a complete surprise.  The bottom drawers don't pull out either, which also sucks.


Still, everything looked nice.  I do like the design of it, but I definitely wouldn't have been willing to pay any more than this, especially if it wasn't new! 

This time, they had a lot of new in box toys there....especially of the Bratz variety.  This was the only one worth picking up!

Friday, November 29, 2013



Electric blue eel skin purse (RP:  $1.99)
Vintage Japanese ceramic kissing couple on bench (RP:  $1.99)

$1.99 for both @ Salvation Army

I love that BOGO coupon!  I just wish I went to more this month.  

I initially just wanted that eel skin purse, but since I had a coupon, I got the other thing I was slightly interested in.  I just have a weakness for vintage Japanese ceramics...they're always so cute.  For that price, why not!


"I love you" is even inscribed on the bench.  Awwww!

Cobble Creek - "Froggie Fryer" frog shaped pan:  $1.25 (RSP:  $6 - $10+)
Die cut mini daily planner:  $2
Pink high heel shaped sharpener with flower shaped erasers:  $1.25 (RSP:  $2+)
Crivit insoles:  $2

All @ Dollarama

This one was huge...probably the biggest I've ever seen!  The city is kind of small and out of the way, so I guess they only have one there.

They had stuff I've never seen anywhere else.  The only thing I picked up was the froggie fryer...I thought it was so cute!  For that price, why not.  I did see some at Daiso for $2+ before, but this one looked better and was even cheaper.

I've been looking for a planner for a while, and I immediately liked these ones once I saw them.  I wanted to find a better colour though...previously I had seen black, grey, and red, but I wanted to see if anything better popped up.

Well, this one finally did!  I couldn't snatch it up fast enough.  It looks way better than the other colours.


The sharpener was an impulse buy.  The insoles were so good I thought I might as well buy a backup since I don't know how long they'll be there.

Microfiber leggings with brushed interior:  $3 each @ Dollarama

Vintage leather belt with gold leaf buckle:  $1.50 @ Talize

I wasn't sure how good the leggings were, but since I wasn't going to be in that area for a while, I decided to take a chance.  They're surprisingly good for the price!  They're fuzzy on the inside so they're pretty warm for what they are.

They were also tall enough too!  Normally it's a struggle getting these things on, but these ones were great.  They do fall down a little eventually, but they're way better than others I've had.  I'll definitely pick them up in other colours if more come out.

It was 30% off day at Talize because of Black Friday...sadly, I didn't find anything good.  Except this belt, which happened to be half off because it was the colour this week.  I wish value village did something like this!

Wednesday, November 27, 2013


My little pony lot:  $9.95 for everything @ Value Village

I was so surprised to see this today!  First I saw the poof n' puff perfume palace...I thought that was a good sign, but I wasn't expecting what happened next - 4 bags of ponies!!

Even more surprisingly, everything was priced cheaply at $1.99 each!!  A lot of the times VV charges $3.99 for ONE pony...sometimes for 1-2, but this price was just unheard of, especially for four in one bag!!  I had to snatch them up!


17 ponies in all, the playset, plus 2 sylvanian babies.  Happiest of all, it included my grail pony....princess baby sparkle!  I've seen her go for up to $50 on eBay!

Two of the bags actually had holes in them, so I wonder if there used to be even more!  Probably.  Maybe one or two ponies were stolen, but I'm still happy with what was left....especially princess sparkle.  Thank goodness she was still there!

Most of the stickers were missing from the playset, including the one that says "My little pony."  I wonder if it would have still been there otherwise?  Seeing as I'm such a perfume fanatic now, that set is perfect for me!  It's an actual atomizer!

I went back the next day, hoping there would be more...but alas, it was a one time thing.  I wonder if I should have gone the day after just to be sure?

Surprisingly, I find my little ponies a lot.  G3's almost every time I go, G1's at least a few times a month.  

I never pick up the G3's...I have too many to get rid of!  I am still interested in G1's, but I hardly ever buy them because they're either too expensive, in bad condition, or both.

I've only had one big haul like this, almost a decade ago...I found the Lullabye Nursery with nearly 20 ponies for around $20.  At half the price, this one was an even better deal!

Last week I found a Big Brother pony...I was tempted, since I don't have any.  But I just couldn't bring myself to pay $4 for it!  It was a fair price for sure, but since I'm not super into ponies now, it didn't feel worth it.  My max is around $2 per piece!

Tuesday, November 26, 2013


Green sleeveless halter dress:  $11.01 $7.50
Pink winged skull duster purse:  $20.99 

All off Aliexpress

I wish I didn't pay so much for that purse!  It's gorgeous...I waited the whole year and it never went on sale, so I decided to take the plunge.

Well, now it's on sale!  For only a dollar less, but still.  There's also another coupon coming up soon, so I could have saved at least $2 on it.  

The other reason I bought it was, I don't see it for sale anywhere else!  I didn't think it was likely for me to get it for any cheaper, and I didn't want to risk it going out of stock.  It does happen!  Listings just get pulled out of the blue on there.

I got a discount on the dress because it ended up being way too small.  It was supposed to be "free size," but that didn't work out.

Monday, November 25, 2013


Jointed hollow gold ring:  $.99 (BIN:  $2.42)
Gold chain bib necklace:  $2.30 (BIN:  $4.75)
Tin wind up frog:  $.99 
Studded beige skull clutch:  $18.66 (Highest:  $33)

All off eBay

It's been a while, but I prefer it that way!  I'm trying to tone it down a bit so I take a while to decide before buying something on here.  Let's see how long that lasts!

Friday, November 22, 2013


Framed raised 3D painted gold pictures:  $2.99 each @ Value Village

I've never seen anything like this before.  They are a bit cheap looking, but I thought they were so neat.  They remind me of fancy, oversized, greeting cards.  The pictures are molded, raised plastic in shiny gold with painted accents, but the details aren't very fine. 

What bugs me is that they're facing the same direction.  It'd look way better if they were facing each other!  I wonder if there were more to the set.  It just would have looked more complete that way.

The gold one is missing the glass plate.  I'm thinking about using that one as a tray.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013


Cameo pantyhose (RSP:  $6)
Tan eelskin purse
Lia Sophia - NWT "Empire" 2010 Gold jeweled bracelet (RSP:  $130(!))
Lia Sophia - NWT "Dynasty" 2012 Silver collar necklace (RSP:  $142(!))
Joan & David - Black patent flats (RSP:  $180)


La Senza - NWT Fuchsia silk slip (RSP:  $40)
Completely Me by Liz Lange - NWT Fuchsia maxi dress (RSP:  $64)

All at that same place.  I was so surprised to find out how much that jewelry cost!  It's higher quality than most costume jewelry, but not by much.  I would have guessed maybe $30 would have been a more reasonable regular price.  You could get jewelry made out of high quality materials for that price!  Found a stock picture of the necklace:


Everything in the last picture was an extra.  They had a few racks outside the store with extra things anyone could take home.  I ended up getting some pink hangers, they were just too cute!

Evan Picone - Tweed skirt suit
Calvin Klein - NWT Black gathered pleat sleeveless top (RSP:  $65+)


H&M - Grey wool knit jacket (RSP:  $129)

All free for me because it's a perk of a program I'm in right now.  Sadly, I ruined the coat by washing it.  Oh well, at least I'll have this picture to remember it by!

Found a photo of the suit:


It's not as fitted as I'd like, but it was a lot nicer on than I expected. 

Monday, November 18, 2013


Purple beaded dress:  $5
Milly of New York - Pink silk/wool dress:  $5.50 (RSP:  $400+)

 
















1960's Lily Pullitzer dress:  $5

All @ Value Village

I went out of my way to get to this location and didn't have much time to look.  I'm glad I went though...the other sections were a bust, but I made out in this section!

The Milly dress is what caught my eye.  I love pink, and the design was so pretty and classic.  I thought the purple one was gorgeous too, and I suspected it might be silk...there's no tag, so I can't be completely sure about that.

I wasn't super crazy about the last dress, but it's from the 60's..it's practically a collector's item!  I bought it on a whim.  I might sell it, we'll see if I warm up to it.

Sunday, November 17, 2013


La Belle Montreal - Brown snakeskin purse:  $2.50
High fashion Italy - Woven leather purse:  $2.50
Mother of pearl plastic clutch:  $4

All @ Value Village

This was a total surprise!  I didn't expect to find anything good (pursewise) at this location, but I found all three at the very end of the rack.  The mother of pearl one was actually hidden, I had to untangle a bunch to see it.

All of them look unused, plus they were surprisingly cheap.  

I'm happiest about the mother of pearl one, it's way bigger than my other ones, and it's so beautiful!

Dior - Teal cropped wool jacket:  $9 (RSP:  $1000+)
Bag of dolls:  $2.99
 

Gordon Dress - Vintage floor length chiffon dress:  $4
Herbert Grossman designed by Cynthia Sobel - Yellow suit:  $5 (RSP:  $300)

All @ Value Village

This one was a winner too!  I was so happy to find the Dior.  It looks even better on, plus the colour is so unique.  It's a teal, not like the picture at all.

I bought the bag of dolls for the two vintage ones up front.  One's a naked Liddle kiddle, the other one is a hard pink sleep eye doll.  I was unsure about it, but decided to throw it in at the end.

The chiffon dress is gorgeous in person!  It's a light blue/purple colour.  I didn't realize it at first, but it has union tags so it's pretty old.  

The other suit looked unworn, it was well made, and I loved the colour.  The price was pretty great for what it was.  Turns out it's a brand that was sold at Sak's.

Diane Von Furstenberg - Leather/giraffe print clutch:  $5 
Arcadia Bags Italy - NWT Bronze patent leather purse:  $15 (RSP:  $300)

Both @ Value Village

These were why I went to this particular location first!  I saw them two days ago, and hoped they would still be there.  They were, but I'm sure it helped that I was first in that section!  I wonder if they would still be there if I went any later.

The DVF is pretty much new without tags...the foam is still inside!  I actually have no idea what this is supposed to be.  It looks like it could be a laptop case, but there's no padding at all.  

$15 is more than I would normally pay for a purse at a thrift store, but since this one was completely new it was worth it.  It's beautiful!  Looks and smells great, plus all of the papers are inside.  I haven't decided whether I'll keep it or gift it.

Moschino Cheap and Chic - Wool military jacket:  $4 (RSP:  $1000+)
Helen Morley - Brown silk blazer:  $4



Hot coral chiffon dress:  $3.50
Catherine J Guilbert Paris - Vintage dress:  $6.50

All @ Value Village

Half off day..I just had to go!  I'm glad I went to this one first.  I was surprised there were so many high end finds!

I pretty much pick up everything Moschino, especially if it fits me, which this one does.  I wasn't sure about the silk blazer, but I liked the design (and it was silk!) so I bought it.  Turns out they sell that brand at Neiman Marcus, so it probably retailed for at least $300.

The coral dress is way brighter than the picture shows.  No tags, but I think it's vintage.  The great thing about chiffon is it never looks like it...wash it and no one's the wiser.  It was cheap enough and I thought the colour was interesting, so I bought it.

The other dress was way more than I wanted to pay, but I could tell it was special.  It was probably from the 60's.  The tag says "mirror room," which was a high end specialty shop at the Bay, which showcased fashions from around the world to the wealthy.  This excerpt says it all:

The Mirror Room was an exclusive salon that not only carried the best clothes but also kept track of who owned what. Society ladies’ purchases would be unofficially registered with the Mirror Room sales clerks. If a society lady wanted a dress that had already been purchased by another lady in the same social circle, she would be informed that the dress was ‘unavailable.’

Crazy!

Saturday, November 16, 2013


Pantene/Clear 50ml shampoos - Superstore was giving these out today...this is the first time I've ever gotten samples there!  Well, they did have the odd food sampling in the past, but never anything like this.

Actually, they had a few food samples today as well.  I hope this is a weekly thing for them!

Thursday, November 14, 2013


Black pleather/chiffon bustier dress:  $5 @ Urban Behavior (RSP:  $27)

I wasn't sure about this dress, especially since they don't have mirrors in the changing room.  I hemmed and hawed for a bit, but in the end I bought it...and I'm glad I did!  It looks great on.

I almost bought the one with the red skirt, but I thought this one looked better.  Red isn't my colour!  Plus, the other one would have been a little tight.  Maybe I'll pick that one up if it's still there.

There was also a mesh studded cross dress that I thought about buying.  Maybe I should have picked that one up too, but I doubt it'll be there the next time I go.  There was only one left!  It was this one exactly, except the studs were silver instead of gold:


Looking at that picture, I wish I did pick it up!   Oh well, at least I didn't miss out on the other one.  I was worried the fake leather would look cheap (like it does laying flat in the picture), but it doesn't look cheap when you're wearing it.

Blue/yellow horse print halter dress:  $8.52 (RSP: $ 13+)
Pack of 5 anti slip shoe pads:  $1.98
Silver armor ring:  $1.06
Dancing green guy toy set:  $1.04
Coral necklace:  $2.06 (BIN:  $4.99)

All off eBay.

I wasn't sure if that horse dress would fit, since the measurements I've seen have run everywhere.  Turns out it's a little snug, but it's still ok otherwise.  Definitely not the 31 inches I've read in some places!

I took a chance because I thought the print was so neat.  It's a little busy, but I like the colour combination and style.

The rest are a bunch of random impulse buys.  I kind of regret buying the toys, they weren't very interesting in person.  I thought it was so cute and funny of the seller to describe the set as a "dream combination."

Wednesday, November 13, 2013


Brown ostrich skin skull duster clutch:  $13.48 $9.98 off aliexpress

I'm pretty annoyed about this.  I chose the light blue colour, but they only had orange and "deep yellow" in stock.  I chose the yellow one, and this is what I got!

It's clearly a brown  Maybe a "dark orange" if you're really reaching.  I don't like this colour very much, I would have bought it if I knew it looked like this.

The stone also arrived broken off which is annoying, but at least that's an easy fix.

I also got this purple marbled clutch for $13.50 off aliexpress as well:


It arrived a week or two ago, but I never got around to blogging about it.  That one's perfect!  I love that entire series, not too many of my purses are patent vinyl like that one is.

Potato chip maker:  $2.55 off eBay

I do have another one, but this one's a lot bigger...I have enough room in my microwave, so I thought I might as well make more at once!  

The other one was a freebie from Duck.  I wonder if they actually make a difference?  It seems like a hassle to open 18 sockets.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013


Black studded skull clutch:  $17.49 off eBay (Highest:  $30+)
Marbled caramel skull clutch:  $13.50 off aliexpress (RSP:  $20+)

Finally!  I've been trying to win that studded clutch for a while, but things always happened even when I managed to buy it.  Thankfully that's over.

I'm loving these marbled clutches!  Now I have 4/5.  I wonder if I should have bought the last one (which was purple), but now the seller has raised the price way up.

Liz Claiborne - Fitted embroidered red dress:  $4 @ MCC Thrift

I wasn't too sure about this.  It's gorgeous, but I didn't know if it would fit (and I didn't feel like trying it on).  It was half price, so I decided to try it on.

Well not only does it fit, it looks amazing!  It's so tapered in the waist it's incredibly flattering.  It's probably from the 80's or 90's based on the shoulder pads, but the exaggerated shape makes it feel vintage.

It looks like new, plus it had a lot of neat accents.  There are two pleats at the front and this pretty embroidery at the top.  It was half price too, otherwise I would have left it.

Red really isn't my colour, but I guess I could have one dress like this in my closet!

Sunday, November 10, 2013


Gifts from a friend.  I thought the clutch was supposed to be orange, so this was a nice surprise!  It's actually a blush pink colour.

Saturday, November 9, 2013


Another P&G sampler, plus a sample from Dove.  I just missed out on a samplesource pack so I'm glad I didn't miss this one too.

Friday, November 8, 2013


Flower candle holder with rose candles:  $.99 (RP:  $1.99)
Napco originals by giftcraft - Vintage Japan ceramic girl wall holder:  $.99 (RP:  $1.99)


Jacques Vert - Olive green pleated ankle length skirt (RP:  $5.99) (18 days)
Jones Studio - Beige ankle length skirt (RP:  $5.99) (18 days)
Long white skirt (RP:  $5.99) (7 days)

$.99 each @ Salvation Army.

The clothing here is mostly outdated, so I really didn't expect to find anything.  They were having a $.99 sale though, so I just couldn't help myself.

I was surprised to find these gems.  That beige skirt is perfect!  So fashionable and well fitting.  I like the grey skirt as well, but it does seem a bit dated.  Nobody wears those kind of skirts anymore!

The white one was actually insanely long, I wonder if it was used for a play or something.  The material is so thick and shiny, it looks like something you'd use for a costume.

I would have left it behind, but then I had the bright idea to make it into a dress.  It's long enough to be ankle length if I tie it around my neck!  I just need to make some armholes and I'm good to go.  For a dollar, why not?

The other stuff was because I had a coupon.  I really liked the girl wall holder, but her bow is broken off.  Still, I've never found anything like that before, and $1 seemed like a decent price.  I'll probably fix it or just cover it with a fabric bow.

Turns out someone painted on that lipstick...after I washed it, it all came off.  The original is a lot more muted and looks ways better.

I only bought the candle because I had a coupon.  It was between that and a new in box ceramic cherub candle that I already had.

I didn't need two of them (plus, I remember buying that other one NEW for the same price) so I got this one instead.  I love flowers and I thought it was a neat take on it. 

Sailor Moon - Kaleido moon scope wand:  $1.99
"The Unique Collection" rose/pearl resin frame:  $2.99

Both @ Value Village.

Total score on the wand!  Prices have gone up over the years, even for the american ones.  This one was only released in Japan, there was never a version here.

*edit*

Turns out there was a version released here, but it seems to be pretty rare.  It wasn't even marketed under the proper name!

I guessed that it went for around $50...turns out they've gone anywhere from $108 - $165!  This one's missing the battery cover, but some of those ones were in worse cosmetic shape.  A moot point anyway, there's no way I'm selling this! 

Actually, I just saw one with the battery cover missing an that one went for $120.  Score!

I was worried it wouldn't work, but it sounds just like new.  Actually, the sound is so loud it hurts my ears!  I wonder whose bright idea that was.

I wasn't sure about the frame because one of the roses was chipped, but I thought it was just so pretty and unique.  I've never seen a frame like that before!  It has 3D pearls and flowers, and the pearls do look very realistic.

It was a bit more than I wanted to pay, but I just couldn't pass it up. 

Thursday, November 7, 2013


Fancy gold frame:  $2.99 @ Value Village.

This was more than I wanted to pay considering it's just plastic.  But it just looks so gold!  Most frames I see are quite boring, but this one caught my eye right away.  

I've been looking for something like this for a long time, so I was willing to pay the extra dollar.

I wish I paid more attention in the past.  It's hard to find an outstanding frame like this!  I see a lot of nice ones, but most are quite boring.

Monday, November 4, 2013


Bag of 3 Littlest pet shop blythes:  $2.99
Jumbo hypo needle prop:  $1 (RSP:  $3.99 - $20)

Both @ Value Village.

I was hoping they still had some Halloween stuff left, and I wasn't super disappointed.  When I arrived most of it was cleared away, but I was happy I managed to find this.

Even their regular price of $4 seemed reasonable!  I looked online when I got home and saw that the average price was around $12 including shipping...some people have paid around $20!

Which would have been a total ripoff.  The plastic is pretty flimsy, $1 is probably what it's worth.  Still, I wouldn't have been too distraught paying full price if I needed it.

I noticed that the top could be removed, so I bought it to use in lieu of a purse.  I thought that was such a great idea, and for $1, why not?

I wasn't as sure about the Blythes.  I already have a ton of petite blythes (the Japanese version) that I never really look at anymore, and I'm trying not to needlessly add a lot of junk around.

But I'm glad I decided against that.  They're adorable!  They came nude, but I had a bunch of clothing from my more zealous days.  I'm so glad I didn't leave them behind, $1 each is a great price for them.


Now I wish I bought some when they were in stores.  They discontinued them last year, and I haven't even seen them at Liquidation World or other clearance stores.

Well, I saw one at Winners for $7, and now I wish I bought that one.  I was waiting to see if it would go down, but it never did. 

If I see it again I'll pick her up!

Saturday, November 2, 2013


Red brocade leggings (RSP:  $12)
Grey brocade leggings (RSP:  $12)
Black studded leggings (RSP:  $12)
Black leggings with gold spikes (RSP:  $15)
Black/shiny black accent leggings (RSP:  $10)

$4 each @ Sirens.

I had a coupon, plus all of them were 2 for $10.  Well, the spiked one was marked $5, but it was a size small.  I thought it was stretchy enough and I liked the design, so I took a chance.

Plus, I had to buy enough in order to be able to use the coupon.  So if that one doesn't end up fitting, no big deal...it was practically free anyway!

Even without the coupon, $5 each for a pair of leggings isn't bad.  All of my black ones are ripped, so I thought I might as well buy some more.  I was waiting to get them uber cheap, but I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon.

There was a blue brocade one that I was tempted by, it's exactly the same as the ones above.  I'll just see how well these ones work out first!

Red fleece robe:  $3
Crivit rubber insoles:  $2

Both @ Dollarama

I feel like I need that robe in every colour!  Blue is the only one I'm still looking for.  I don't know if I'll end up finding it, they've been harder to find recently.

I'm surprised dollarama keeps on getting different insoles in.  This one wasn't made by them either, so I thought it was worth picking up.

I wish I picked a bigger size though!  The other ones ended up being slightly too big, so I thought I'd size down for this one.  Well, I wish I hadn't, since this one was a bit small for my tastes.