Sometimes I wonder.

sweater: thrifted, top: I made it, pants: wet seal (so random...) booties: maurices

I wonder if what I'm doing really matters.
Like, do I make a difference?
A few weeks back on a road trip to Billings, MT the topic of "What's your greatest aspiration in life?" came up.
All I want in life is to be remembered as a good person.
A person who did the right thing.
A person who didn't bad mouth the lady next to her.
The person who was honest.

Am I achieving this?
Am I working towards this everyday?
Do people think this about me?

I truly, truly hope so.

Hi, you.

tee & sweater: Forever 21, jeans: Gap Outlet, scarf & sandals: thrifted

Welllll hello!

Life just keeps on moving, doesn't it? Work pretty much has taken over my life. I had two employees quit recently, so I've been working 55 hours a week. I thought going to school was exhausting but being a workin' women is tough work!

Also, maroon and mustard is probably my favorite color combo eva. 

Bob and I are avid move goers. Every new movie that comes out, we've probably seen it. Last night we saw Guardians of the Galaxy. I LOVED IT. Anything with Chris Pratt + Marvel is an A in my book. It just had it all going on. You need to go see it. Best movie of the summer.

Speaking of Bob, he's a college grad! Sure am proud of that lover boy of mine. He's going to take the GRE this fall and then onto to grad school and then be my sugar daddy. Then I can quit my job and have babies ;)

Running Errands.

tee: forever 21, jeans: pacsun, purse & sandals: thrifted

I know this isn't the most glamorous outfit... But hey, it's something. 

All I did today was run errands (that word just doesn't look right to me. I looked it up three times just to make sure I was spelling it right and it still looks bizarre to me). Winco was a mad house today. All you crazy people getting ready for the 4th. I'm trying to go grocery shopping on my day off every week because uh, Sir Robert and I eat out waaaay too often. Is being busy even an excuse anymore? The answer is no. 

Other things of non-importance:

-I was in love with my pony today.

-Who did like 5 loads of laundry and actually folded it instead of letting it sit in baskets for weeks? THIS GURL. It's all about the little victories, friend.
-I watched "The Grand Budapest Hotel" while I folded laundry today. I love me some Wes Anderson. Rob and I bought every single film he has directed. His films make me happy.
-I have to work on the 4th of July. Booooo! Oh well. Makin' that cash monay.

kaaaay see ya!

Travel Wear.

pants & necklace: maurice's, tee: forever 21, shoes: thrifted

I just got home from a week long trip to New Orleans for work. I got a promotion and had to do some training down in the south. You're looking at the new Alterations Manager at David's Bridal, folks! It's been crazy. Can everyone just STOP getting married in the summer and spread it out? You summer brides are stressing me out! Haha, but really. Let's spread this out a little better, k? ;)

In other news, I pretty much bought this whole outfit on Saturday. Man, I love City Creek in Salt Lake. And the outlet malls in Alpine! Dang you Utah and your malls. I spent waaaaay too much money but I have new pretty clothes that I'm extremely excited for. Isn't it funny what happiness new clothes can give you?

I wore this outfit driving home today and it was so comfy! I'm loving this new trend of track pants. I bought another pair in rust. The hubs thinks they look like pajamas,  I think they look chic. Obviously I'm the right one. 

R E F A S H I O N: Chambray Floral

I've had this dress in my refashion pile forever and I finally got around to fixing it today! All it needed was a good foot chopped off of it and now it's good as new! Perfect spring dress right hur.

R E F A S H I O N: Sweater Peplum.

pants & top: thrifted and then altered, shoes: forever 21

I don't know what it is about peplums but I can't get enough of them. I've had this sweater for a couple years now but it was haaaa-uge! I obliviously like baggy things ;) But I thought it was time to give it a little love! I took in the sides, cut off and changed the sleeves, and added that little peplum. It's more of a crop top peplum and I love wearing them with high waisted pants! My mom thrifted those polka dots beauties for me probably a year ago. I don't have a picture of before but they were quite big on me! I ended up taking in an inch on both sides and making the legs skinny. How I love a good refashion! 

***And I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you to everyone who read and commented on my last post! You all are so sweet. I loves you.***

R E F A S H I O N: High Waisted Bikini.

GUYS. You do not know how hard it was for me to post pictures of me in a swimsuit on the internet. I debated a long while if I should even dare taking pictures of myself in said swimsuit. But after awhile, I just kept thinking about body image and how SO many women (myself included) deal with those evil thoughts in our minds dictating what we do. I'm not a size 0, I probably will never be a size 0 in my life again, but holy hell my body is such a gift!

I've struggled with how my body has looked for the past 2 years. From the age of 15 until I turned 20, I stayed the same weight. I was happy with my weight. I was glad that I had been able to keep the same weight for so long. But when I got married, I packed on some pounds and my self esteem went into the ground. I thought I was fat, disgusting, and ugly. Weight had NEVER been an issue for me. I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, and I never cared. But then something happened. I grew up. My body transformed and I got a woman's body. I went from having no boobs, no curves, and no hips, to being endowed with some knockers and a figure. It's taken me 2 years to finally say it, but I do love my body.

Sure these pictures are a little embarrassing and I can definitely see every single flaw that I have, but I just feel grateful that I have a body that God blessed me with. PLEASE fellow sisters, lady friends, and pals, stop hating the body that you've been given. We're all so beautiful in our own and special ways. And honestly, I truly believe that our worth is WAY more important than what we look like on the outside. So stop calling yourself fat. Stop saying, "I'll be happy when I lose 10 pounds."  Stop comparing your weight to your best friends. You are more than how many numbers show up on the scale. You have been given so many wonderful gifts and don't let your weight keep you away from being the best you. 

GAH! I'm scared to push publish. But I need this. And I hope one of you out there needs this too.

Blazer.

Him: blazer & bowtie: JCPenney, pants: thrifted

Her: blazer & belt: thrifted, dress: estate sale ($1!!!), purse: Ross, shoes: Charlottle Russe

Just my boo thang and I wearing blue blazers to church yesterday. Totes cute, right?

Many days, many ways link up!

Woah! It's be awhile, eh? I got the second job I talked about in my last post! The only hard part is I work 45-50 hours a week and I wear a uniform to each job :/ BUT! Today is my first day off from both jobs in about three weeks! It's so refreshing. 

I'm doing a link up today with Danielle from the Goodwillista. We're two girls who sure do love thrifting! This link up is called "many days many ways." It's all about using one item from your closet and seeing how many different outfits you can come up with! I decided to go with a leather pencil skirt. At my second job I have to dress professionally and I can only wear black, white, light pink, and grey. But I wanted to have a way to go from work to a date with my husband or to run errands or attend church and spruce up the skirt a little more. Here are my 10 ways to wear my leather skirt:

brown & black//chambray & azrecfunky sweatshirt//leapord printpeplum top//polka dot dress over skirt & fur vestplaid & a beanie//chambray with an infinity scarfcrop top//chunky sweater & chambray

You should join along! Link up using the widget below. The linkup will stay open for about a month! I'd love to see what you come up with! Add the bottom to your post as well!!


  <center> <a href="http://goodwillista.blogspot.com/"/"><img border="0" src="http://i1264.photobucket.com/albums/jj497/goodwillista/manydaysmanyways_zps9482a2ad.jpg"/></a></center>

An InLinkz Link-up

P A R T II: Peppin' Through the Forrest

top: self made, skirt, sweater, belt: thrifted, shoes: Charlotte Russe, tights: Walmart

Well, hi there folks! It's been a weeeeek! I've worked a lot and my uniform isn't that exciting to photograph ;) One of the things I hate about working is having to wear a uniform! I wear blue jeans and A black shirt everyday and it gets old. I have an interview tomorrow with a company I'd really love to work for. Fingers crossed I get it! Having two jobs will be tough, but I know it will benefit Rob and me. 

Anywho, here's another peplum I made! I originally planned on this peplum just being the polka dot fabric. But I ran out of that fabric and had to improvise. Fellow sewers: don't you hate when you do that?! I sure do. But I think the white made it really fun!

Three more tops to go, bro.

P A R T I: Peppin' Through the Forrest

peplum: made by me, pants & belt: thrifted, sweater: h&m (old), booties: famous footwear

For my last semester at BYU-Idaho I took a class called "Line Collection." It was my final sewing class for my degree and it was a class where we made our own clothing line. I chose to make a line of peplum tops and the title of my line was "Peppin' Through the Forrest." This project is very near and dear to my heart. I spent countless hours over sketches and fabric choices and the construction of each top. I wanted this line to resemble me and my aesthetic. I was able to complete 5 peplum tops and I want to share each one with all of you if that's alright!

This peplum is probably my favorite! I thrifted the floral awhile back and it was the inspiration for my line. The green checkered fabric is actually a sheet that my grandpa gave me. For my line I tried to only use fabrics that were second hand. 

I hope you enjoy this little series of mine! My goal for 2013 was to make my own line and I did just that! I'm extremely proud of myself for doing so. It was worth all of the blood, sweat, and tears. Just kidding about the blood part ;)

R E F A S H I O N: Checkered Dress.

dress: re-fashioned, tights: walmart, shoes: Charlotte Russe, belt: thrifted

This is probably my favorite re-fashion to date! I originally got the dress for a Halloween costume (I was Dorthy) but the fit of the dress was a little awkward on me. But I knew it had potential! I had had that mustard blouse for a while and I  really loved the color. But again, the blouse was little baggy on me and I hadn't worn it in awhile. So I chopped off the sleeves and pockets of the checkered dress and took in the sides so that it fit better. I then unpicked the mustard sleeves and attacked them to the checkered dress. 

Presto! New dress using materials I already had. This is why I love thrifting and re-fashioning what I find! It opens the door to endless possibilities. I'll have to show you what I did with the rest of the mustard blouse. It's another favorite of mine!

R E V I E W: Watch from Born Pretty.

shirt, vest, pants, belt: thrifted, boots: Charlotte Russe, watch: c/o Born Pretty, ring: Lia Sophia

I was really excited when Born Pretty emailed me and asked to do a review for them! Born Pretty sells everything from nail art, to watches and even phone cases (Samsung cases and Phone 4/4S cases/iPhone 5 cases)! The watch I have above is THIS one. I love that it tells time but it's also really fashionable! It doubles as a watch and a bracelet. Born Pretty's prices are super reasonable and there are countless options. Make sure you check out their site and use this code (KATHERINEHC10) for 10% off. Who doesn't love a discount?!

D I Y: Fur Snood

I'm a little obsessed with fur this season. I've been wanting a fur snood for a while now (loving all of these from ASOS) and I decided to make one! And I put together a little tutorial for those of you who are like me and don't want to spend a lot on a project ;) Ready!? Let's go!


All of my supplies are materials that I had on hand. I thrifted the fur and the lining and the bias tape was left over from another project. I'm dying over THIS fur from mood. It's a little on the pricey side, but it's gorgeous!

1. Cut fur and lining fabric into a rectangle. My rectangle measurements were 23.5" for the length and 6" for the width. You can cut it longer or shorter or wider if you'd like. It's really up to you!

2. After you have cut your rectangle of fur and lining, place the right side of the fabrics together. Pin so fabric stays in place.

3. Now it's time to sew them together! I just serged mine together, but if you don't have a serger, just use a 1/4" seam allowance. Make sure you leave one end open. After you have sewn the two pieces together (remember to leave one end open) turn the snood right side out.

4. On the end that you didn't sew, place your bias tape on that side and pin it in place. Make sure to leave extra tape at each side. Sew down the bias tape using a 1/4" seam allowance.
5. After you have sewn your the bias tape down, trim down your seam to 1/8". Not pictured: fold the extra edges of bias tape in and then fold the rest of the bias tape to the opposite side. I hand sewed the tape down, but you're welcome to use a sewing machine. I like the look of hand sewing better, but it's your choice.

6. For the closure, there are a couple of different options you can choose from! I decided to make a button hole, but I think using Velcro or snaps would be just as effective. I didn't have those supplies on hand so I decided to use buttons instead! For the button option: Take the end that has the bias tape attached and decide what length your buttonhole needs to be and then sew that using a machine. On the opposite end, hand sew your button in place. I only sewed it to the lining so that you wouldn't see the stitches on the fur. 

There you have it! I hope this little tutorial is useful for some of you! If anyone is interested, I have just enough fur to make another one. It would $20 and that includes shipping! If anyone wants it, email me! 

 thriftedthings@gmail.com

Hope you're all having a lovely Thursday :)

To Infinity and Beyond.

I made these infinity scarves for my sister and a friend for the holidays. I had my sister for Christmas um, in 2012, and I just got around to sending her a gift. Worst sister ever? Yuuuup.
Oh and please ignore my double chin. YIKES.