Monday, July 29, 2013

Summer Lovin' and the Story of the Dress



So I creep out of semi-retirement here, kowtowing apologetically for my prolonged absence, to say something about the photo above (forgive the watermark from my other blog...had it already prepared). 

But let me make some excuses explain a little first...  Spring and Summer jumped up and bit me, HARD.  I blinked and the time passed.  I turned around, and another season had crept up behind me.  Being super lazy busy during all of my time away from work, being away nearly every weekend, coming home pretty much just to watch TV sleep, made it difficult to maintain two blogs, and even my other blog suffered from my temporary disappearance. 

I'm not saying I'm actually back with my weekly updates, but enjoy it while you've got it, okay?

Now, back to that photo...

One thing about consignment shops is that there's often a very tight window for making appointments to consign your old stuff.  Several months ago, I had made an appointment to bring Sammi's old Fall/Winter clothes to Little Lords and Ladies last Friday.  I had planned to go during my lunch break.  But a short time after setting the date, I discovered that there would be a long lunch meeting at work that day.  I found that there were no more dates to reschedule to, so I just left work early and headed over there with a large laundry basket full of items.  Among those items was a pair of GapKids leggings in the same print as the dress in the photo above.  They were pretty much my favorite pair to put Samantha in, and she'd been wearing them for the last 2 or 3 years, the waistband becoming smaller and smaller until they no longer fit.  I was really sad - they were beautiful and unique, and we always got compliments on them. 

After handing over my basket to the staff, I took a look around the store, scoring, amongst other things, a gorgeous orange velvet Oilily dress for $11.50 (which I will highlight in a future post, once it's cool enough for her to wear it), paid for with credit from my Spring/Summer items that had been sold over the past few months.  I then headed home, stopping at a local thrift store that I rarely get a chance to browse on my own.  I checked out the kid's clothes first, finding a couple of items for Sammi, then checked out the women's racks, finding two skirts and a sweater for myself before something caught my eye...

...it was a dress by GapKids in the same pattern as the leggings I'd just said goodbye to, hanging amongst the women's tops!  I snatched it up, paid quickly (it was a whopping $2.00!!), and rushed home to wash it so Samantha could wear it over the weekend.  It's made of a double layer of cool cotton poplin, probably in a size 9 or 10, but with adjustable shoulder straps ensuring that she'll be able to wear it for at least the next 2 years.  In the photo Sammi is also wearing a pair of poplin and lace detailed leggings from Naartjie, and maryjanes found for $12.00 at a beach store in St. Simons Island, GA last year.  I had considered getting her another pair on our visit again this past June, but alas, they didn't have them anymore.

Score!!