Coming Attractions: Found some Must-Haves at Goodwill today - Full screening on Monday!

A&E called to get the Empress on Hoarders, but the Empress is a Collector, not a Hoarder!

  It's a fine line between love and hate, right and wrong, hoarding and collecting and choosing Mint or Fruit Mentos for lunch. (See Wiki, "The Mentos Diet.") A & E airs the show Hoarders, where: "Each 60-minute episode of Hoarders is a fascinating look inside the lives of two different people whose inability to part with their belongings is so out of control that they are on the verge of a personal crisis." If you can make it through this show without a  psychotropic drug, you must not suffer from claustrophobia, OCD, phagophobia or bossiness. Otherwise, you would just shake these people and tell them to "buck up and clean up."
   Some people mask their hoarding tendencies by calling themselves "collectors." This is okay if you are Norton Simon and your collection consists of enough priceless art to fill a museum. The Empress believes she is a collector, and that a curator will someday arrange all of her  dachshund tchotchkes next to the Pollocks and Rothkos.
There's a Pez Museum in  Burlingame fergodsakes. To enable her collecting, the Empress 
bought these items at her local Goodwill. 

 

Okay, so I got a great big Mom bag with room for bananas, sewing kit, pepper spray, Buttered Rum Lifesavers and comfortable shoes. I haven't gone into the Hoarder abyss yet, but then... I found these and HAD TO HAVE THEM.

Not bad, and can use as a purse within a purse for collecting.

But then, I gave in to those hoarding urges.

At this point, I can't be stopped!

It's a slippery slope from Collector to Hoarder. My next post may be from Rehab. Still, I had the time of my life at Goodwill.

For reference, here is a scary photo from Hoarders. Memorize it.

Monday, Monday, Can't Trust That Day in Celebrity Rehab

Another dreary Monday here in Shangri La. I'm glad that Shopping is an indoor sport. Another indoor sport? Okay, already, you don't have to beat it out of me, I'll confess! I am addicted to Celebrity Rehab. My Mother taught me that it was a mortal sin to have the television on while the sun was out. But the sun is still hiding here, and I need to feed my addiction to Dr. Drew and his Band of Narcissists. Is Mackensie Phillips lying about Papa John? I don't know but she is very convincing, like some my witnesses who changed their stories mid-stream and left me spraying out saliva and bile yelling my Objection. But this is about Fashion, and I tried to identify one of my Goodwill items that Heidi Fleiss or Dennis Rodman might don for an arraignment. I think this jacket works: It is black leather, and has hot buttons, much like the Rehabbers themselves. So the whole louche look is struggling with sobriety, and could use a session with Dr. Drew.

Goodwill: A Fairy Tale involving Clothes and Creatures

  Here is a recently discovered  Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale without the ogres and scary Bremen Town cat musicians.. On Friday, I ducked into the Menlo Park Goodwill store and followed signs (printed and spiritual) to the sweater rack. I moved a hanger, and (Uff Da!), there it was: The Holy Grail of Sweaters. I took it to the register, and the sales clerk (they are always friendly at this store) said, "This sweater is a sign. I believe that dogs are Angels sent from on High to Watch Over Us. Also, have you lost inches in your hips lately -- you look like a Size 2."

  I know there may be unbelievers out there, but my dogs do watch me, as though I might feed them at any moment, and I have laid off the Ranch Doritos for a week.

 The Happy Ending: the sweater fit perfectly, and doesn't show dog hair so much from my two rescue dachshunds, Elvis and Gidget. The End.

Here Comes the Sun, No! Wait! It didn't stop! Grab the next cab and go after it....

Little darlings, it's been a long, cold, soggy week. Trees Falling, Streets Flooding, and Cats and Dogs having to get along in close quarters. Just when I thought I saw a plague of locust on the horizon, I was squinting into a big yellow flaming ball. Was it a sign? Was it the result of overdosing on Visine after getting a cat hairball in my eyes yesterday? And then... it was gone. But I tell you, brothers and sisters, I believe. Yes, my testimony is that I believe it will return. Can I get an AMEN? Because we believe that the sun has not forsaken us forever, but is taking PTO days in a galaxy far, far away, here are some bright, cheery things that are for frolicking on sunny days to come. Trust me on this. I'm not a perky weather girl with a precision haircut, but I can look out my window.

Sometimes a jacket is just a jacket, sometimes it's an exercise in physics...

This jacket is Looks 10, Warmth 3. It is cotton pin-striped, with a metallic embroidery running around in random and planned places -- the edge of the collar, yes. The flower by the dart, what? The back has a beautiful embroidered area down the center (see below). The best part is inside, where a quote from Einstein, yes of Einstein fame, is embroidered: "We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them." I like this Mobius-strip of philosophy. When I wear this jacket, I have to brave the weather so I can take it off, turn it inside out and drape it theatrically over a chair to show off the quote. Not a mean feat, I advise plenty of yoga and Tiger Balm before and after. 

An American Icon Cares for Our Planet - Donate to Goodwill and get 30% off Levi's

Levi’s® and Goodwill have teamed up to launch a new initiative called, ‘A Care Tag for Our Planet’, designed to divert unwanted clothing from landfills. Levi’s® jeans NOW feature a care tag that encourages owners to donate to Goodwill when no longer needed.Next week, January 25, Goodwill and Levi’s will partner on promotions in Chicago, IL, Los Angeles, CA, Miami, FL, New York, NY, Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Washington D.C.  that provide consumers with a 30 percent discount on regular priced items at Levi’s® Stores when they make a donation to Goodwill. 

The Jewel in the Crown, courtesy of Goodwill

My brother once said, "Accessories are the Key to Fashion." He was eleven and had just bought a green and blue polka dot shirt at the local  swanky men's store. He didn't grow up to be Marc Jacobs, but he is an artist and has a keen eye, and let's me know when I err -- yes, I had a mullet for a while and those photos have been burned. At Goodwill you can buy pieces, or jewelry by the pound (useful in etsy projects). I bought a bulk of 6 necklaces that include the top two, which are fun and make noise when I move, so, at least my dachshunds know I'm approaching so "Look Smart!" I saw the third one, by Ericcson Beamon at Target for $50, but got it from Goodwill for $5 because the huge plastic flower attachment was broken. As if this necklace needed any more garishness! (It's on my favorite Goodwill Western shirt where it clearly does not belong). So let's all be Bewitched, Bothered and Bejeweled for the Oscars, courtesy of Goodwill.

Remedial Reading: How to Shop with a Computer and Credit Card

The best thrift finds are in the stores. It's fun to get out and see the stores and hunt the way God intended the Luddites to. After all, we are of the hunter gatherer tribe. But on a day like today, when even in California the trees are falling and lightening is going off like a camera flash outside your window, there are great online sites for thrift shopping. Here are my favorites:SFGoodwill has a link on its home site to items listed by SFGoodwill on ebay. There are not too many, but they are all worthy. 

1. Go to http://sfgoodwill.org and follow the link to shop online. While you are there, check out all the wonderful things SFGoodwill is doing to train people, find them jobs and save the planet.
2. Here is a huge online Goodwill site that features items from many stores around the U.S. Be sure and check out the Miscellaneous section -- it sometimes has the most amazingly weird stuff. http://www.shopgoodwill.com 
3. If you haven't had the fun of following SFGoodwill's funny and fashionable blog about new items, you must. My blogging is a pale imitation of their wit and wisdom. http://www.seamsogood.com/

Cardigans 101: Look cool, stay warm

Badges, we don't need no stinkin' badges -- we need cardigans. The weather is Pooh=worthy blustery and wet. What do you put on under that shiny red raincoat to keep you warm and dry? If you said stylish cardigan, go to the head of the class, from whence this versatile item came. (Hogwarts has great cardigans.) If you haven't tuned into to seamsogood.com, do it now. This is the voice of SF Goodwill. Not just any voice, but a gofugyourself voice without the snark -- just as clever and they highlight a Goodwill fashion item every day. Eat it up.Since Boomer at SSG waxed eloquent about cardigans today, I wanted to join that fan club. So here are a few cardigans that I have bought at thrift stores and wear all the time. Mr. Rogers, thank you for the love all those years.

ANTHROPOLOGIE, at Goodwill? As my Aunt Pearl would have said, Uff da, you betcha. This is a sweet little cardie by Charlotte. Also featured are a sample of the variety of cardies you can find: J. Crew, Urban Outfitters, Free People. Banana Republic and, again, ANTHROPOLOGIE.

Let's go Thriftin...

Come along with me to rifle the racks and rummage through the goods at Goodwill and other thrift stores. If you find something you like, please post it. Our blog operators are in place and waiting for your post.

Sometimes it's best to stick with an icon...

Do I need a jacket for every occasion? Probably not, but I found so many I liked at thrift stores that I need to move to a cooler climate (not too cool -- I still haven't found a perfect North Face parka). The foggy chill in the Bay Area gives me the chance to wear my pea coat, khaki double-breasted coat, and my Vintage brown 40's jacket to walk the dogs or sit in Tosca's bar. But (and as Pee Wee Herman said, there's always a big But) I still love Levi. And it was hard to find. And it is not the classic collar and button version. But it is denim with a red tag and a cowgirl fit, so I am happy to have it.

I wouldn't pay retail, but...

Sometimes I buy something for under $5 because I like it even though I know it might be fugly to others. Sometimes I wear it and people actually compliment me on it. They might actually like it, or they just want to say something nice because my chin is broken out like a relief map that day. I still feel good and enjoy wearing it. This is one of those pieces. It's a thin wool by Lilith with a funky asymmetrical vibe. You decide -- is it chic or am I breaking out again?