All white Outfit + Trench Coat

         𐌹n today's post, I'm wearing a Fall outfit that I repurposed for spring; Now that the weather has warmed up greatly, all my favorite trench and duster coats are in heavy rotation. A pair of snake print boots completed this all-white look along with this cow print bag that was gifted to me by my sister-in-law. You can find similar bags on Etsy.  I'll chat with you in my next post and thanks so much for reading.

                

                  Trench Coat    Tee      Bag

        

Vintage trench coat + denim

 

         Ͳhe weather in Minneapolis is warming up and calls now for light dusters and trench coats. This outfit is what I wore a few days ago. The trench coat is a vintage piece I got from a consignment shop in my neighborhood years ago. I love the somewhat puffy sleeves which is a nod to the puffy sleeves trend this season. The khaki or green color makes it a statement trench coat suited for many seasons.

 I threw it over a white fitted long sleeve tee and light blue denim and accessorized with a multi color bag and this off white color ankle boots that is an old purchase from Asos.  I love the unusual heels on the boots; it looks like a wine cork. How is the spring season going where you are? There is so much going on in the world right now and I really appreciate you for taking the time to stop by here. Thanks so much for reading.

  

Trench Coat   Bag    Boots

Bible Verse of the Day

Matthew 11: 28-30

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." 

Celebrating Earth Day: Some of my latest thrift Finds

        It’s #Earthday 🌍 🌿 and if you do not know what Earth Day is all about, I hope this post would help. It is a day set aside to promote and educate on the importance of living sustainably in order to save the planet. This blog is dedicated to affordable and sustainable shopping and life style and I believe strongly that God made us custodians of this earth. We need to tend and care for it just as we also care for our body, soul and spirit. 'Don't know what to do to live a sustainable lifestyle? Check out the tips below.

National thrift shop day: Four reasons why I thrift

 

         𐍂eal fashion or style cannot fully be achieved without a mix of high and low pieces and this is the main reason, the very reason why every one should consider thrifting or consignment shopping followed by sustaining and protecting the earth. Even high end designers and stylists do thrifting or flea market shopping or vintage shopping or consignment shopping. Whatever you decide to call it, or how you decide to do it does not matter; it is just important that you consider it. These days, you do not have to go to a physical store like Goodwill to thrift as there are so many thrift stores online like Thred - Up, Porshmark or the The Real Real. Today is "National thrifting day" and I would love to share with you the four reasons why I thrift.

Puffy sleeve blazer + Velvet

                իi everyone, I hope we are all doing great; just a short blog post here to brighten up our day. There is so much negativity and uncertainty out there right now and I believe everyone just have to do what we can to keep our spirits up. I was looking through my Blog Archives the other day and realized that I had not published this post featuring one of my holiday outfits so, I decided to get it done. I wore this puffy sleeves, embellished (embroidered) vintage blazer over a vintage silk ruffle neck blouse paired with velvet pants and gold singback and a box clutch. I wore this outfit to Church a few days after the New Year. I pray that the blessings and good tidings of the new never leave us. Thanks so much for reading.

                                  

                                                                Belt       Slingback

Shopping for sustainable fashion: Velvet Pantsuit

          Fashion is taking a new meaning in 2020 at least here in my neck of the woods. It is definitely going to be more sustainable and thrifty than ever before on here. If you have read this blog for years, you would know that I have always loved thrifting mainly because of the unique pieces and style you can achieve with a curated thrift wardrobe. My holiday style this year is a big reflection of this and here I am sharing this vintage looking pantsuit.

 

Pantsuit    Platform

Thrifty Christmas: Sequin Pouch Clutch

           ᙜy Christmas tradition the past few years is to go to the thrift or vintage store during the holiday season to pick one or two items to style for the holiday. Before I go thrifting, I make a list of the items that I need for the season and it's usually holiday accessories; beaded or sequin blazers or clutches. This saves me some money, I'm able to update my wardrobe with unique pieces and also contribute to good causes because some thrift stores are owned by non-profit organizations that give back to the community. Check out the previous blog posts here and here. A few weeks ago, I went to my local Goodwill Store to do my annual shopping and picked this greyish silver beaded sequin clutch which is very pretty and unique at the same time. I only paid $6.99 for the clutch! A similar clutch in the retail stores would cost $50 and higher

Neon Evening Dress + Floral Accessories

           দappy Thanksgiving everyone. Thank you so much for stopping by here. I want you to know that I am thankful for you and I want to let you know that your support of this blog brings joy to my heart. Generally, I do not stress myself over the readership or stats of this blog but whenever I take a look at my stats, I find out that I always get views or readership every day. So, there are people constantly checking in on this blog though they never leave comments. So, if you are one of such silent readers of this blog, I say "Thank-you" and I want you to know that I am thankful for you.

   

                                                   Clutch                      Sandals

Recent Fashion Find

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you would know by now that I enjoy thrifting. There is just something about it that is therapeutic for me. I usually go in to the thrift store to get something specific as I did a few weeks ago when I went to Arc's Value Village, my favorite thrift and consignment store in my city. The items I had on my list were neon pieces and accessories and straw bags and blazers in that order. Blazers are always on my list though whenever I go thrifting and most often than not, I always get a good one to add to my collection. Well, on this occasion when I went there recently, I found this neon or lime color cable knit sweater along with the neon green sandals. If you don't know, neon and lime green colors are trending big time this season. I already have a couple of pieces and shoes in this trending color in my closet but just needed a few more to style on the blog. A lady can never have too many shoes, right? 😀 So, it was a nice thrift shopping trip.

Denim + Neon

Neon might just be one of my favorite color this season, second to lilac or purple. I am looking forward to styling it as a pop of color for most of my looks this summer. And looking back on the blog and into my closet, I found out that I have styled a couple of neon looks over the years and my closet does have a good number of neon or lime green pieces. One way I intend to style the color this season, is by pairing it with denim as I did here in this throwback photo. The denim on denim look is a classic when it comes to styling casual style and a good way of making the style your own is with the use of accessories. I paired my denim blazer with a fitted pair of denim pants and a black tee and felt the outfit needed a statement piece; so then came the statement piece or accessory, the neon sandals. I love the way the entire outfit turned out; simple and elegant, in my opinion. To see the full original post of this denim look, check it out here and thanks so much for stopping by.

Floral Sequin blouse + Black midi pencil Skirt

I know it is Tuesday and not the end of the week yet but I really needed to do this throwback post to this sequin floral blouse I wore sometime last month. The weather is all dreary around here and all I have been wearing are sweaters and long coats as you can see from my previous posts on the blog but this post here is just to add a fun look to the blog and really, believe me when I tell you that this outfit was fun to style and wear. It's a look I wore to Church weeks ago and though there was so much snow around in the background, the weather was bearable and I also had on a long black coat which I did not include in the pictures. The floral sequin blouse is a thrifted piece I blogged about here a few weeks ago. I paired it with a black midi pencil skirt, a recent purchase from Target and completed the look with an Asos belt and black suede pumps.

New in: Velvet Blazer + Cute Flats

In my last post, I talked about my recent shopping trip to Arc's Value Village and these are the pieces I purchased at the store; this blue velvet blazer and the two pairs of blue color flats. If you are not familiar with Arc's Value village, it's a thrift and consignment shop in my city that sells good quality pre loved fashion, accessories, housewares, furniture and books, DVDs and craft supplies. Since I have shared so much about this store in my previous posts here and here and here, I'll go on ahead and talk about this haul. So, I have wanted a blue velvet blazer for a while now and whenever I'm at the store, I head first to the blazers and outer wear racks and I usually find a great piece or two after sorting through these two racks. By the way, the store is clean and well organized and this makes it easy to find great pieces. I found the above blue velvet blazer within five minutes of being in the store and just in my size! The velvet was listed for $9.99 which was a good deal because it was in a great condition. I also got this two pairs of blue flats from the store and in almost new condition.

How I styled my Cow Boy Boots

Happy Friday friends 😁 I hope you are happy and thankful everyday for every little blessing. I'm happy and thankful to God for everything in my life right now including this blog. As I have said so many times in the previous posts; it's very cold and cloudy in my city with occasional peaks of sun and it's been difficult getting outfit photos to update the blog this season. So, I will be doing more collage posts and shoe posts to keep the blog running. I hope the weather is nice wherever you are. In this post, I'm wearing my all time favorite bright yellow cropped coat that I have had for years along with a white pair of denim and black embroidered cow boy boots. The boots are a recent purchase from thrift shopping and I paid about $8.99 for them.

Work Wear: Long green Coat + Color block bag

Green is my next best color close to purple so, you can imagine how excited I got when I found this long green coat for about $20 at the thrift store years ago. It's always in rotation during the winter time and I previously blogged about it here. The craftmanship and quality of the coat is impeccable and it's in great condition. I decided to pair the coat today with wide legged trousers from Ann Taylor and a white funnel neck top. A black pair of boots and this thrifted color-block bag completed the look. I love the way the colorful bag infused colors into the somewhat monochrome outfit and speaking of the bag; I pulled it out of storage where it has been for years and this is the first time I am styling it on the blog. The bag has the letters NYC inscribed on it which I believe stands for New York City or New York & Co. which is a clothing store. . I tried to trace the original store where the bag originated from but was unsuccessful . Also, I could not find a similar bag like this any where to link to this post save for the Gucci glazed wicker bag which is quite pricy. And this brings me again to the topic I talked about in my last post. You'll always find unique and one of a kind items at the thrift/consignment if you know where to look.


"What do you think of the long green coat or the color green in general? For me, green symbolizes life and nature and procreation which in turn reminds me of God's love."

How I scored my best sequin top at Arc's Value Village Thrift Store

I scored the above floral sequin blouse recently from Arc's Value Village and it really got me excited because I had been on the hunt for a floral or printed sequin piece for years. I only wish I had gotten this sooner, right before the holidays but that's okay because I'm still in a new year celebratory mood and I'm planning on wearing my sequin pieces this month to Church and other events before I finally give them a break at the end of the month until next holiday season. I have a couple of sequin dresses and skirts in my closet that I have been restyling for years like this dress here and here  and here and this skirt here and this recently purchased blue sequin skirt that I plain to wear to Church next Sunday and I knew it was time to get something new. The opportunity came when  I was contacted by a PR from Arc's Value Village  recently to do a collaboration on the blog.



 Arc's Value Village is a thrift store and donation center which has four big locations in my city. I do go there to shop for unique pieces from time to time and I have mentioned the store a couple of times previously on this blog as you can see from this post here and here and here. My invitation to do a collaboration with the store is part of its ongoing social media campaign to bring more awareness to the store and the great cause the organization is involved in in helping people with developmental disabilities. I scored this beautiful floral sequin blouse and a couple of sunglasses with the coupon that I was provided with to shop in the store and as always, shopping at Arc's clean, organized and well laid out store, was a fun experience. There is new merchandise that comes into the store every week from businesses, stores and personal donations and the items are always in great condition. If you enjoy thrifting just for fun or to score great bargains, you can check out Arc's online store on ebay. Enjoy the weekend.

The number one Accessory you need for the Holiday: Multi color sequin vintage Clutch

How much clutches can a lady have? Plenty! if you ask me 😀We need cute little clutches to go with our dressy outfits especially at this time of the year. This sequin vintage clutch is the latest addition to my closet nd it is a thrift find from Arcs Value Village. If you are not familiar with the organization, it is a Thrift store and donation center that has its origin from the state of Minnesota. There are four stores located in my city and they are set up to generate funds to help children and adults with developmental disabilities. The stores are clean, spacious and well organized with personal stylists at hand to help you if you are new to thrifting. Most people that work at these stores are volunteers and I must say the stores are the best consignment and thrift stores in my city.

The right floral dress to wear in the fall

If you are like me, you own a couple of floral dresses that you would like to wear the whole year through and thanks to layering, you can wear your floral dresses throughout the year. However, not all floral dresses are suited for fall.The tip to wearing floral dresses in the fall is to wear floral dresses in dark hues or earthly colors like brown, burgundy, rust, orange, grey, mustard, emerald green....some of these colors are in my floral dress which I purchased on sale from Target  during the summer. Bold colors like red and blue can also be suitable for fall. I am loving  this blue maxi dress here. Once you have the right floral dress picked out based on the shade or color, you just style it with the temperature or weather in mind.

Accessories: All things sparkly

                                                                  Vintage Clutch


The season to be sparkly and merry is around the corner and as we get ready for the holidays we should remember that it is all about giving. And giving does not mean just giving physical gifts alone; it also means donating money to charitable organizations like Red Cross and Salvation Army and volunteering at community centers or thrift/charity stores that give back to the community. I love to seek out the red kettles during the holiday season to donate some money and I also love to shop at thrift/charity stores. This colorful, beaded vintage clutch is one of my recent thrift fashion finds...

How to style a little black dress for Fall + red box bag

 Happy Friday everyone 😆 I hope you are all doing great. This is a quick post to show this outfit I wore to Church last Sunday. This is actually a sleeveless turtle neck dress that I have had for years and it looks quite good worn by itself on a warmer day but the weather was a little chilly so I decided to layer a dress underneath the black turtle neck dress. Also, because the weather was bearable, I went bare on the legs without stockings and I had on a long coat too (not pictured) which I took off when it got warmer. So, do not abandon that little black dress in the closet in the Fall especially when it is simple and tailored like this one; an old Zara piece.


Today is Friday the 13th and I know there is so much superstition surrounding this date but I do not pay attention to all that negativity surrounding a particular date or day of the week. I am a Christian, born again, saved and blessed and no date or day determines my life. AMEN! Christ has already

Do thrift- Accessories

Bag Life

Accessories! Accessories!!  Accessories!!! So, it's time to talk about these clothing items that all women own. Bags and purses are very essential to any outfit. Some women love bags, some like jewelry and some like shoes and others just like all of them. Christian women should know that no importance or value should really be attached to these things because they are all physical or material items. Our most valuable accessory should be our bible. However, we still need these things for their basic function.

So, if you have been reading this blog  for some time you would have noticed by now that I do not pay much attention to bags and jewelry as accessories. Well, I decided recently to step up my accessory game and rather than paying hundreds of dollars on those designer brands, I took to good old thrifting.

There is this large thrift/consignment/vintage store in a little mall in my neighborhood and I have been in there before to purchase jackets but they recently remodeled the store and had a huge clearance sale. On the first day of the sale, the store was full of people and stylists who ran around trying to pick items for customers. There were also beautifully styled mannequins everywhere to give inspiration to those who needed it. I am not a fashion stylist or expert but also didn't need the assistance of one so I went straight to the accessories department and at the end of the day, these are the items I got.

I got some colorful vintage messenger bags for $6.00 a piece and also some cute purses and clutches. All the items were only slightly worn but I did give them a good wiping down with a soft cloth dipped in sanitizer when I got home. I also keep my essential knick-knacks in ziplock bags before putting them into my purses whether new or old to keep everything in place, clean and organized.

Isn't this green messenger bag  just so cute! The little speck you see at the back of the bag is just a speck of light

Grey color Rossetti messenger bag

This Steve Madden silver Clutch was $12

                                                                               This gold sequin clutch is so lovely.

 I really like the hardware on this cute red clutch below. The two vintage belts below cost $3.99 a piece and they really look cool. Now, I have got very cute colorful bags to dress up my outfits. Thrifting is definitely implied in the definition of a virtuous woman in the bible (Proverbs 31: 10-31) and I would want you ladies to try it out sometime. Look around in your neighborhood; there might just be a thrift or Cosignment store around the corner. Also, there is no need to splurge on high ends all the time. Remember the parable of the ten talents in the bible? (Matthew 25: 14-30). God wants us to be very wise on where and how we spend our money as christians. I know it is very important for christians to look good and well put together because the way we dress can be a way or means of sharing the goodness of Jesus Christ. As a christian woman, you can always have that very cute fashion statement at all times which make other ladies come up to you to ask; "where did you get that?" Such question can be a great conversation starter and can begin the process of giving out that invitation to come to a bible study or church meeting. The purpose of looking good as christians is not to look conceited or proud but to reflect the beauty and glory of being blessed by God. For me, this statement piece has always been shoes but now I feel like I want to start expanding my bag and jewelry collection.

So, you see, my colorful purses really didn't cost a bunch at the end of the day because they are thrift items. These might not be the bags to take to the office or that board meeting but they are bags you can take to a casual outing. You can slip your bible, phone and wallet into one and be on your way to church. Look out for these items on the blog…:-). I'm going to wear them out!!





                                                                           Vintage Jewelry

This necklace here is kind of very unique; It's magnetic because it has no closure or hooks. It just folds around your neck and the great thing about it too is that it can be also be used as a bracelet.

Belts

Thanks so much for stopping by

Beauty Ojo