It is laundry day.
Now it isn't laundry day because I have an official wash day, however. Do you? No, I simply wash on demand. Again - random. Oh am I ever SO random.
Anywho - I found a few new clothing items while thrifting the other day. New to me - but not actually new. I am washing them and letting them air dry on my back porch.
Thrifting for clothes and accessories is SO fun to do too.
You can save a great deal of money and develop your own unique style. Chances are you won't see anyone else walking down the street wearing the combinations that YOU have put together. I don't know about you, but I'm okay with that at this stage of my life. It is very liberating, isn't it?
;-)
I found a bright straw purse, a lacy shawl and a sweater. I also bought a Gap dress and a yellow cardigan for mere pocket change. Maybe I will wear them together and maybe I won't. I'm pretty random about that stuff too.
I just know that it is fun to go to your closet and come up with new outfits by mixing and matching garments that were NOT meant to go together.
Yeppers.
Please repeat after me ...
"I'm free to be me!"
Let's say that again ...
"I'm free to be me!"
That sounded heavenly.
1. Dress 2. Decorate 3. Play
YOUR WAY
And have the time of your life doing so.
Okay sweet peas - it's back to laundry for me.
xo,
Kim
I so agree! It seems that there are those who just love to say "it" must be done...I agree with you, be yourself!!! The time for following the group around the play ground is over. Thats why I love your blog, I admire that a lot! Come say hi :D
Posted by: Julie Harward | March 10, 2010 at 12:22 AM
I just found some lovelies at MY Goodwill and some of them were even half price! Fun shopping this way especially when I find something I love and it's even in my size!
Posted by: Danielle | March 10, 2010 at 12:23 AM
Oh, well, I try to start my laundry on Mondays, but, um, this week.... not so much ;)
Too busy creating, but, I might have to pay the piper tomorrow before Someone yells for something clean.
A lot of the clothes that I get the most compliments on have been thrift store buys.
I even got a lovely beaded gown for seven dollars once. No one could tell. :) 'cept I told, I really shouldn't be so honest. lol!
Posted by: dale | March 10, 2010 at 12:42 AM
I don't have a laundry day . . . I have a laundry month!
I've never really looked for clothes while thrifting, but I did get a tip on where to find cute baby shoes second hand! Guess I'm going to spend even more time bargain hunting than I did before.
Posted by: Kris {The Freestyle Mom} | March 10, 2010 at 01:13 AM
I loved thrifting way before it became fashionable to do so. Even your laundry posts are inspiring, Kim! xx
Posted by: Josephine Tale Pedder | March 10, 2010 at 01:47 AM
I'm free to be me - I think I will take that up as my motto and post it on a huge banner somewhere. I think sometimes we are all slaves of this and that and of what people might think but growing older liberates us of a lot of that. At least I am finding it to be true for me. BTW I love your GAP dress. I have been meaning to say thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment on my blog. It means a lot to me.
Posted by: Loree | March 10, 2010 at 01:58 AM
I love love love shopping at thrift stores. You sure found yourself a cute outfit and I love how you paired them together! Very stylish of you! My laundry day is on Saturdays. I'm really looking forward to making a trip to the thrift store too this weekend. I also love finding old things and re-making them into new things. Someone's junk is this woman's treasure! :)
Posted by: Jessica Jensen | March 10, 2010 at 02:22 AM
What a beautiful outfit! Will look great with a tan!
Posted by: Sandi | March 10, 2010 at 05:45 AM
Love your finds. and Amen sister. You said it all. Creative outfitting!! Unique decorating...free to be wonderful and carefree women. yahoo.
Posted by: Julie | March 10, 2010 at 06:36 AM
Kim
I love your post today I have a laundry day and that is Saturday. I can hardley wait to hang outside. I can smell the clothes already! I love your yellow sweater and your gap dress! You go girl. I have been buying my clothes at thrift stores for a while now. I even buy my office suits there. It saves a ton and I receive compliments on my outfits! I agree, don't be a slave to fashion be free to be who YOU are
Posted by: Marianne & Mindy | March 10, 2010 at 06:46 AM
Brown and yellow is one of my favorite color combinations. And did I spy a wonderful crochet find in that laundry basket. Enjoy a beautiful Spring day here in Central FL before the rain moves in this evening.
Posted by: Megan | March 10, 2010 at 07:08 AM
Hey Kim.... loved all of your work in Romantic Country! Hugs to ya from Texas!!
Posted by: [email protected] | March 10, 2010 at 07:23 AM
You are inspiring me to spend a little more time shopping at thrift stores....we only have a couple in our small town but will have to make it a priority to stop in more often now.
Posted by: Judy | March 10, 2010 at 08:00 AM
You sure make laundry look....pleasant! I am a random laundry girl too. When needed, as needed! But, that's okay right? Cuz I'm Free to be Me....and that's how I roll!
Posted by: Lisa | March 10, 2010 at 08:41 AM
Yeah - I use Gain too! It brings me back to summers spent with my Great Aunt and the smell of her fresh sheets. Nothing like the smell of laundry just in from the wash line!
Enjoy your new finds!
Leann
Posted by: leann | March 10, 2010 at 08:47 AM
Oh sweet Kim, how I look forward to your posts. You have helped me regain my sense of who I really am with my decorating and now with clothing. We have an awesome resale shop right around the corner from us and I went there yesterday. I am through paying a lot for clothing, I am becoming a secondhand gal!!
Hugs,
LeAnn:)
Posted by: LeAnn | March 10, 2010 at 09:02 AM
Love the new duds (Mom used to call them that)! I consignment shop too and often find the same brands I buy at the department store. Love a bargain! At this stage of my life I don't have to wear appropriate clothes, whatever my mood the outfit puts itself together. And the Gain is my favorite, especially line dried because the fragrance stays longer. Have a sunshiney day!
Posted by: joy | March 10, 2010 at 09:03 AM
Ok this might just sound weird but I love to do laundry. So that's one of the many thing that I like to do on my day off from work. Which is Friday when it gets done. I don't have much anymore since all the kids are gone. So sometime I go down to daughters house and I do her laundry. She seems to think I'm a little crazy!
Posted by: Julie | March 10, 2010 at 09:03 AM
Morning Kim,
That is the best motto ever :) I personally find that I have better luck finding things at my Goodwill or Salvation Army store than I do in the malls...it's so much fun to quest for a specific item too :) Love your Gap dress!!
Hugs,
Dena
Posted by: Dena | March 10, 2010 at 09:22 AM
I'm a random launderer too. Love the photos. You even make laundry seem fun. ;-)
Posted by: Patty | March 10, 2010 at 09:25 AM
@Patty... yeah.. great shots.. :)
you showed through the picture that doing your laundry can also be fun.. :) cool and cute stuff.. :)
Posted by: renaissance clothing | March 10, 2010 at 09:39 AM
That's exactly the way I've been dressing since I was a teenager... however I want. It is liberating!
Posted by: Alisa | March 10, 2010 at 09:58 AM
Fun post, as always! It is very liberating - I never go to the malls or the big stores and just grab from the masses of look-a-like clothes. I would much rather pick through and find something special and spend the time putting my own outfit together. And, I will NOT pay the big store prices! There is nothing more satisfying than getting something cute or that I really want for such a small price. It may be thrill of the hunt but it's rewarding.
Very cute outfit you put together and just in time for spring!
Sarah
Posted by: Sarah meandmyyellowhouse.blogspot.com | March 10, 2010 at 10:10 AM
I do laundry when it calls and I adore the smell of Gain.
I LOve LOVE LOVE the third photo,the one with the sweater in front of the...shutter?Gorgeous. You sure have a good eye. Great finds.
Posted by: jennifer D | March 10, 2010 at 10:14 AM
Love it! I just do laundry every day, and sometimes I actually try to enjoy it. Gain helps BTW. I'm definitely free to be me. Glad you are too.~~Dee
Posted by: Dee @ Red Dirt Ramblings | March 10, 2010 at 10:25 AM
I recently gave my laundry room a little updo. Bright red table skirt and some thrift store decorating. Your clothes are so pretty! I am going thrifting today. Found the cutest clothes pin apron yesterday, I listed it on my etsy. Can't wait for sunny laundry days outside at the clothes line ;-)
Posted by: Lori | March 10, 2010 at 10:26 AM
My sister has the cutest wardrobe of anyone I know, and eveyrthing she wears comes from thrifting. I'm not as good at it as she is, but I have found a few cute things. I think you need to be small like you and my sister to find the really good stuff.
Posted by: Susan Ramey Cleveland | March 10, 2010 at 10:31 AM
I must admit, I am a laundry-schedule-gal. Every Monday and Thursday it's Laundry Day! Love your new outfit! ;-)
Posted by: Katie | March 10, 2010 at 10:31 AM
"1. Dress 2. Decorate 3. Play"...
the only thing I would add is "4. Repeat"!
Posted by: Donna Rae Barrow | March 10, 2010 at 10:50 AM
Oh love your kind of shopping I got a pair of stretch Donald Pliner shoes brand new for 14.00 (198.00 0n line) at our local thrift shop... it's unreal what people give away. Birds of a feather I use Gain too!!!! Thank God the sun is shinning here!!! xo Laura
Posted by: laura dellaporta | March 10, 2010 at 11:01 AM
Thank you for your daily inspiration......it is a rainy day in Georgia today and just reading your blog helps to lift my spirits and to motivate me to be more creative. Now I'm off to create something or maybe paint a room!
Posted by: Lynn Paterson | March 10, 2010 at 11:15 AM
Yes! Free to be who I am!! Free to be me!
Deborah in NC
Posted by: Deborah | March 10, 2010 at 11:23 AM
Kim, you even make laundry fun!
And I love your finds...
XO,
Sheila :-)
Posted by: Sheila | March 10, 2010 at 11:45 AM
Kim,
I love it...I'm free to be me!!
One of my favorite things to look for at thrift shops is sweaters and tops. I love having a style that is only me...nothing like a cute little vintage top and sweater with a pair of my favorite jeans.
Oh yes...I'm free to be me!!
~Cindy~
Posted by: Cindy | March 10, 2010 at 11:46 AM
Good Morning!
Cute dress and sweater Kim. I figured you were a petite little thing ha. I bet you look adorable in your new finds. What I love about you is that you cut your own trail and be yourself. I want to be FREE I really do.
Dont you just love Gain? It has such a fresh clean scent and as for laundry I wash everyday.
You are really getting fantastic pictures with your new camera. The yellow sweater if so bright and pretty!
Posted by: Debbie L. | March 10, 2010 at 12:41 PM
I love your new things! I am with you on shopping at thrift stores. Besides, it is all in the thrill of the hunt, isn't it?
Oh, and those cute little flower pots on your porch are adorable!
Posted by: Kerri | March 10, 2010 at 12:44 PM
Very cute! Just got back from Good Will on my lunch hour with my "treasures" - 2 cute tops! My laundry day is Saturday -- I used to be a random laundress too, but since I work full time I limit it to Saturday -- I have a real love affair with my clothesline (Cape Coral, FL)and hang everything. My sad little dryer just sits there neglected, although this year she has had more attention with our cold spells. I, too, LOVE my little house (also yellow) and wish I was home everyday to putter. But receiving your sweet Daisy Cottage missals is almost the next best thing, so thank you loads for making me not so homesick and sharing your life with us.
Posted by: Linda | March 10, 2010 at 01:19 PM
I agree, Kim. I don't want to look like everyone else either. There are lots of good clothing, which people donate everyday, either because it has grown too small, too large, or either they have grown tired of it, and it is a very good find for someone else.
Posted by: Kimberly Padilla | March 10, 2010 at 01:36 PM
I love laundry! Especially hanging things to dry. I'm miserable right now with not having a clothesline, but hopefully that will change soon, whenever we can find some poles to set in our yard. :)
I like your thrift store finds! That is fun to do, and like you say, your style won't look like anyone else's. I also like the crochet-covered hangers in your pictures today - I have a few that my Mom made in years past, and just love them!
Have a great day --- :)
Posted by: Rhonda | March 10, 2010 at 01:38 PM
What pretty clothes you've found! I have not gone in that direction....yet! lol I guess that will be next! I do love finding a bargain! ♥
Posted by: Lavender Dreamer | March 10, 2010 at 02:02 PM
I love doing my laundry as I gather a load. I used to do it on Saturday when I had a job away from home. Now that I don't have to be away from home I am random. Went thrifting yesterday and only found two things. A bread basket and a coffee mug. Spent all of a dollar.
I am free to be me thank God! My government does give me certain freedoms but my God gives me complete freedom to be me. The choice is mine. I went to BibleGateay.com and word searched freedom. It was revealing. My favorite was Psalms 119:45: "I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts".
Thanks Kim,
Nancy M.
Posted by: Nancy Hutson Maisenbach | March 10, 2010 at 02:29 PM
Free to be me is a lovely goal, but how to get there? I'm in my fifties and I don't know what the real me is. I've always been so influenced by what is in style and from the decorating magazines that I find myself thinking what would look good. Of course, that means what would look good to others. How do I uncover what I really love? Help Kim!
Posted by: Diane Price | March 10, 2010 at 02:57 PM
I like what you bought, Kim. Thrifting is fun for me too.
Hugs,
Donna
Posted by: Donna | March 10, 2010 at 03:43 PM
Free to be me, you got that right! I love the yellow sweater with ruffles:>) There is plenty of great stuff at the thrift store. It takes a little digging, but it's there.
Posted by: Kathleen Grace | March 10, 2010 at 04:01 PM
Hi Kim, I was visiting your blogsite today and I love what you had to say aboout the skillet and also the laundry!
I can remember, before clothes dryer, that I would hang all the clothes on a line, and when I brought them in they smelled heavenly. I do miss that! However, a dryer is much more convenient! I remember as a kid being in my grandparents kitchen, watching them cook! My grandfather always cooked Sunday dinners..usually a beef roast with all the trimmings. My grandmother made lemonade and cookies for my brother and I. We sat on her front porch and she would play cards with us! Memories are heavenly!
Smiles and Blessings,
Nancy C
Posted by: Nancy Collins | March 10, 2010 at 04:23 PM
I am me! I went into a new little consignment shop after grocery shopping. For $10, a bought a set of mixing bowls and a large pitcher with a green rim and bright red checks and cherries. So cute! Neat serving bowl and the pitcher will make a beautiful vase for flowers! Sooo ready.
Posted by: Peg | March 10, 2010 at 04:48 PM
I love laundry day! Is that weird? I don't know of any good vintage or second-hand clothing stores around here, but I would love nothing more than to have a closet full of it.
Posted by: Lauren LeJeune | March 10, 2010 at 05:17 PM
I love that ruffly sweater! And I also love shopping at thrift stores for my clothes. I feel that this makes me ME. I won't be wearing the same thing you see on everyone else. And then I have plenty of money to spend on my treasures, because I saved so much on my wardrobe!
Posted by: Carol @ Old Glory Cottage | March 10, 2010 at 05:39 PM
Kim, I love to shop at my local Goodwill for clothes. I have found some fabulous jackets and tops! I have expensive taste but don't pay expensive prices. I never, ever buy anything unless it is on sale!! Do you?? I never plan anything anymore but I do plan on reading your sweet blog every day!!!:)
Posted by: Debbie from Texas | March 10, 2010 at 05:52 PM
i'm free to be me is catchy, i'll take that and run with it, it sounds so refreshing, being me and not of this world. love you, xoxoxoxoxox cottage feel
Posted by: Maria | March 10, 2010 at 06:09 PM
I, too, don't have a special laundry day. There are only two of us but it seems like I'm washing and drying all the time. My w&d are in my kitchen and that makes it handy but eternal. My mother always said "you're either awful dirty or awful clean!"
Love your cutie clothes. I love to find shirts at SA - they're usually my favorites and already broken in.
Posted by: Diane | March 10, 2010 at 06:11 PM
I'm all about second hand clothing and my wash day is when ever I decide to do it! I guess I'm pretty random, too. Very liberating, you're right! Lucky for me I don't work outside of my home, so I do things mainly when I want to.
Love your yellow sweater! Very sweet outfit.
Hugs, Cindy S.
Posted by: Cindy S | March 10, 2010 at 07:14 PM
Hi Kim
I buy most of my clothes at thrift shops and people always comment on what I wear. When I tell them I got it at GW they are always surprised. I love the challenge of finding different pieces of clothing and putting them together. I guess you could say I dress the same way I decorate :)
Hugs, Rhondi
Posted by: Rhondi | March 10, 2010 at 08:27 PM
cheers to pretty new clothes and personal style
jeers to laundry!
xo
elyse
Posted by: elyse | March 10, 2010 at 09:42 PM
Oh, man. Lucky you! I have been dying to find a yellow cardigan just like that. I have a blue and white shirt I want to wear it with. Doesn't Gain smell divine?
Necel from the Old House in Texas
Posted by: Necel | March 10, 2010 at 09:58 PM
It's FREE to be me!!! You ROCK KIM!!!! Your are my idol!!! :) Thanks for blessing us with your beautiful insight and wisdom! ~*~*~XOXOXO*~*~*~
Posted by: Jennifer Hayslip | March 10, 2010 at 10:33 PM
Hi Kim! Now that I know you and I wear the same size, I'll look for bargains for you and you can look for me. I also have a back porch where I hang things out to dry until it is warm enough to hang laundry on the line outside in the yard. I agree, even laundry can be fun! Get a good night's rest, tomorrow we go thrifting!
Love you lots,
Susan and Bentley
xxoo
Posted by: Susan Freeman | March 10, 2010 at 10:51 PM
Hi Kim! I just did a segment on thrift shopping for fashion at my MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) group and they all LOVED IT! They were all complimenting me on my outfit when I walked in adn I didn't tell any of them where I got it until I started my segment! :) It was ALOT of fun! And none of them could believe that I only spent about $22 on the entire outfit! It was a brown turtleneck, a cashmere and silk pasmina from Soft Surroundings (PRICEY, lol), dark jeans that fit like a glove and of course brown leather mules and my thrift jewelry as well!
I love that I can put such UNIQUE outfits together and feel great about myself! And call me crazy, but one of the most FUN parts of thrifting is coming home and cleaning it up! Whether it be clothing or cleaning some shiny pressed glass! LOVE IT!
I also just did a post on homemade laundry detergent! :)
Posted by: Kristi | March 10, 2010 at 11:32 PM
Kim - I love how your post, your music & the way your blog makes me feel. THank you sweetie..I needed that! JenT
Posted by: JenT | March 11, 2010 at 11:19 AM
I have a random laundry day, also. Probably because it's just me and my hubby. I wash as soon as I get a load.
My mother buys all her clothes and the thrift and she always looks amazing. For some reason, I don't have the gift. I never seem to have luck finding anything.
I love your choices!
~elaine~
Posted by: Elaine L. | March 13, 2010 at 09:26 PM
Kim,
I love your blog. My sister Kate (the most wonderful sister in the world)introduced me to it and I am hooked. I look forward to all you have to offer. Thanks for making my sister so happy.
Love,
Claudia
XO
Posted by: Claudia Decker | March 14, 2010 at 07:26 PM