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Got a style/sustainability question? Know of an Etsy seller I should check out? Want to tell me about your vintage Fluevog collection? Whatever it is, feel free to drop me a line: DianaLynnSmiles *at* gmail.com. (replace *at* with the @ sign)
Hi and welcome! I'm Diana, and this is my blog, Smiles Go With Everything. As the title suggests, I write about a little bit of everything, but the majority of my focus is on style and sustainability and how the two interconnect. In between are sprinklings of baking, gardening, crafting, and whatever I feel like sharing.-
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Tag Archives: Shopping
Etsy Love: Ohh, Fashion!
Do I have the David Bowie song stuck in your head yet? Good. I’ve been kind of frustrated with the clothing retail scene lately. It seems like it’s hard to find exactly what I’m looking for in stores. Either something won’t fit right, a seam or detail will be something I don’t like, or the neckline is too deep, etc. I’m thinking that maybe what I need is to invest in some really awesome handmade clothes from the artists on Etsy. Many Etsians are willing to work with you and customize a garment to fit your needs. Clothing on Etsy may cost a bit (or a lot) more than some retail, but the quality can be excellent, and it feels good to know that you’re paying an individual artist rather than a corporation who’s benefiting off of sweat shop labor.
(Note: I’m not saying that all brick and mortar retail stores are bad. It’s just often a lot harder to find out exactly where and how your clothes are made when you buy from big stores. But there are certainly exceptions, and there are some fantastic and ethical companies out there.)
Here’s some clothing pieces from Etsy I’ve fallen in love with lately.
Black and White Stripey Oversize T-shirt, $95
Striped Hemp Racer-back Cowl Dress, $99
Grey Cotton Pin-tuck Skirt, $85
Shopping Plan: Week 7
*Week 7 of My Great Shopping Plan of 2010, where I attempt to stay on a budget and fill out my wardrobe*
I kind of strayed a bit from gap filling this week to make it the week of amazing deals on cardigans and dresses. I bought three dresses and two cardigans without going over budget (counting birthday gift money). None of these were explicitly on my gaps list, but they will all be really great for wearing to my new job, so I’m okay with that.
J. Crew Green Cotton Cropped Cardigan, $20 on eBay
Gap filled: Cropped cotton cardigan
New York & Co Baby Blue Cropped Cotton Cardigan, $4.50 at Classy Consignment
Gap filled: Another cropped cotton cardigan
(Isn’t that second picture so cute? I’m so happy with how it turned out)
I’ve decided that one can never have too many cardigans. Since my closet space is so tight, I’ve actually re-arranged my dresser drawers so that there’s an additional section for cardigans. I didn’t really have any truly cropped cardigans before, so I am pleased as punch with these. I didn’t have any cardigans in these colors yet either, so all the more reason to get them.
L to R:
Boden $16 (via eBay)
Ann Taylor Factory Store $12 at Classy Consignment
John Martin Studio $12 at Classy Consignment
Gaps filled: 3/4 sleeve dress, summer sun dresses, work clothes
Like cardigans, I also feel that one can never have too many dresses. All of these will work wonderfully at my new job, or on the weekend. Classy Consignment is a great store that I used to frequent all the time, but now that I live on the other side of town, I don’t get out there very often. There were having a sale on St. Patrick’s Day and I was in the area, so I happily stopped by and scored some great clothes.
I also bought a zebra print bangle for $1.50. I didn’t get a picture of it, but I’ll definitely be working it into an outfit soon.
After last week I had $19 of budget money left, plus $90 of birthday money. I spent $24.50 on cardigans, $40 on dresses and $1.50 on a bangle. That leaves me with $43 of birthday money left. Yay!
Posted in Budgeting and Shopping
Tagged ann taylor, boden, j crew, new york & co, Shopping, Shopping Plan
5 Comments
How to Search Effectively on Etsy
Well, okay, if you want a million bucks, you probably won’t find it on Etsy (well, actually…). But if you want a sterling silver necklace with a cat pendant, I can pretty much guarantee you there will be something. Ditto for a purple vintage scarf. But how do you find these items amidst the vast collection on Etsy? That’s what this post is here to help you with. While there’s no guarantee that you’ll always find exactly what you’re looking for on Etsy, these tips can help you come closer to what your little heart desires.
- Embrace Treasuries and Gift Guides: I love looking at treasuries, which consist of items handpicked by an Etsian based on a specific theme, much like my Etsy Love sets. There is always a treasury displayed on the front page, with delightfully beautiful items. I’ve found many of my favorite sellers through treasuries. One thing I love doing is checking out the shop of an item that I’m drawn to in a treasury. Gift Guides are another great place to look if you’re browsing. Showcase is a daily set created by sellers, and another place to find some good stuff.
- Try Etsy’s Various Search Tools: Etsy has many search tools to offer you, although I’ve had varied success with them. The Colors search lets you search for items by color, but it doesn’t often find what I’m looking for. Instead, you might want to search for items tagged with a color, such as navy. Pounce lets you find shops that just opened or items that just sold. Shop Local lets you find shops in a specific city. The Time Machine lets you see items as they’re being listed. Sometimes, I love watching the time machine slowly scroll through new items while listening to podcasts.
- Browse through your favorites: I am favoriting items on Etsy constantly, and I always have at least 30 pages of favorites at any given time. I love browsing through them and looking at other items sold in the shops. Often, you might find a gorgeous gem that you favorited months ago and had completely forgotten about. Don’t forget to look back through your favorite sellers too.
- Use Advanced Search: Being a library science graduate, I love advanced search tools. Etsy’s is very effective. You can choose between the categories of Handmade, Vintage, Supplies or all three. You can choose what section of handmade items you want to search, from jewelry to needlecraft. You can search by tags, titles, etc. You can set price limits. You can change how the items are sorted.
- So here’s an example of how I would use advance search. Let’s say I wanted to find a handknit purple scarf in merino wool. In the search terms box, I will type “purple merino scarf”. I’ll be searching for handmade items in the knitting category. I want to search tags and titles. I’m willing to pay between $1 and $60. This will limit my results to items that fit within these parameters, and it will be much easier to look through than a general search for “purple scarf”.
- Be willing to spend some time browsing: When I create Etsy Love sets, I usually start out with a keyword search, such as “leather clutch” and then browse through 20 + pages of hits before finding what I’m looking for. It can be a bit tiresome to look though so many pages, but there are lots and lots of items on Etsy, and sometimes the best way to find what you really want is browsing through many, many pages of listings. When browsing, look for quality images, because that is often the sign of a serious seller.
What’s your favorite search tip for Etsy?
Shopping Plan: Week 5
This week marked the beginning of a new month, which meant that I had another $125 to spend for the month of March, in keeping with my Great Shopping Plan of 2010. I didn’t really do much shopping this week, because work kept me extremely busy. But I did manage to get a few lovely things.
Ruffled Socks: Ozone (via Village Shoes) $5, after coupon
Tights: We Love Colors, scout green, won on Fashionable Academics
Gaps filled: um, legwear in fun colors?
Okay, these two really don’t relate to anything on my gaps list, but I love them none the less. Village Shoes sent me a $10 coupon for my birthday last month. I wasn’t ready to shell out for a pair of shoes yet, so I bought these awesome ruffled socks. I love the pale pink-purple color, and I think they’ll be a lot of fun to wear. I won the tights over at Fashionable Academics, and I think that I am now completely sold on We Love Colors. These tights are soft, thick and beautifully saturated. I adore the Scout Green color, and I can’t wait to incorporate them into an outfit.
Gap Curvy Jeans, $52 after discount
Gap filled: Dark wash jeans hemmed for flats
I began to realize this week that I really, really needed to get a pair of dark wash jeans that I could hem for flats. I always have trouble finding denim secondhand, so I decided to go to the mall. Gap just recently starting carrying premium denim, and they have a fantastic promotion going on right now. If you bring in a pair of old jeans, they will take them and recycle them into insulation, and give you 30% off a new pair of jeans. For each pair you bring in, you get another 30% off. I had an old pair that was not longer flattering on me, so I traded them in for these Gap Curvy jeans, which fit me fantastically. I still have to hem them, but I’m so glad that I finally have some jeans for day when I don’t feel like wearing 3″ heels.
So I spent $57 this week, leaving me with $68 for the rest of the month. I’ve still got some birthday money left too, so I don’t think it will be too bad.
Shopping Plan: Week 4
After last week, I had $45 left of my $125 to spend. This week was my birthday, so I did a little bit of shopping 
3/4 Sleeve Cotton/Cashmere blend Tee, J Crew, $15 on Ebay
Gap filled: 3/4 sleeve work blouses
I don’t know how to begin to express how much I love this blouse. It’s soft, it’s light enough to take me from Spring to Summer, it has lovely, on trend Breton stripes. And the price! I keep seeing this blouse being listed on Ebay, and it usually ends up selling for at least $35, so I surprised even myself when I managed to get it for such a low price. This is certainly going to become a staple for me, both at work and on the weekends.
I mentioned that I went thrifting on my birthday. I was substituting in Brandon that day, which is about 20 minutes east of Tampa, and one of my readers had recently told me about a new thrift store in that area, so I decided to check it out. I went to Lighthouse Ministries Family Store, and came home with some excellent loot. I ended up having a lot of luck with blouses, but didn’t find any trousers, jeans or skirts to try on. The store was very clean, the prices excellent, the items in good condition, and the staff friendly. They had a lot of vintage and brand name items. Here’s what I bought there for a total of $26!
Red Tee: Old Navy
Blue Tee: White Stag
Grey Tee: George
Gap filled: Casual 3/4 sleeve tees
Casual tees weren’t expressly on my gaps list, but these were dirt cheap and decent quality, and it’s always nice to have some comfy tees for wearing around the house. The red one can probably be dressed up for work too.
Raspberry button-down: Gap
Yellow button-down: Alexandra Bartlett
Green Button-down: St Johns Bay
Green kimono blouse: Voice
Turquoise button-down: Westbound
Gap filled: Work blouses, summer casuals
I’ve mentioned before that I only have one button-down, which I hate. These, however, I love. The 3/4 sleeve ones will be fantastic for work, and I adore the colors. The sleeveless ones will help me to stay polished once it gets ridiculously hot in the summer, and they’ll work for casual weekends too. The kimono blouse is just awesome and unique.
Vintage 80′s “Leather” Clutch
Gap filled: “Leather” clutch
I’ve been looking for a good leather clutch for awhile. I wanted something that would be just large enough to hold my wallet, keys, cell phone, and lip gloss. Something that would be dressy enough to wear to dinner or special events, but that would also work with casual outfits for hanging out with friends. This one fits the bill perfectly. I don’t think it’s real leather, but it’s not really bad quality either. Plus, the strap can be tucked in, so I can carry it in my hands, or as a shoulder bag.
So after all that, I ended up with $4 left, which will roll over into next month. I managed to stick to my budget! Of course, there was $50 of early birthday money that I spent at Anthro, which helped a lot. And I’ll be getting a little bit more this weekend, which will help make March less difficult. I’m really happy with how my shopping habits are transforming. I feel like I have become much more discriminating, focusing only on items that I really love. I’m so tired of buying “okay” items just to toss them at the next closet purging. I’m really starting to get a good grasp of what I love, which makes it much easier to eliminate items while shopping. And I’m starting to have a wardrobe that really makes me happy, full of pieces that fit well and look great. I’m lovin’ it.
10 tips for Shopping on Ebay
I am certainly not an expert on Ebay, but I’ve learned a trick or two about how to find (and win) really great clothes, shoes and accessories, so I figured I could share a few tips.
- Tip #1: Know what you are looking for ahead of time. Ebay is not really a place for serendipitous browsing unless you have a lot of time on your hands to sift through a ton of crappy items to find that one elusive gem. When I go on Ebay, I am always in hunt of something very specific. Perhaps I am looking for a pair of Fluevog boots, or a J Crew cashmere sweater, or a pair of non-black leather gloves. If you just search for something extremely broad and non-specific, like “red dress”, you are going to have to look through tons and tons and tons of items that you have absolutely no interest in.
- Tip #2: Search for brands you already love. Not everyone on Ebay offers returns, so it isn’t really the best place to experiment with new brands you know nothing about. Google reviews on a new brand if it’s something you haven’t tried on in a physical store before. Try to have a good idea of what your size in that brand is before you start searching. I always keep saved searches on several of my favorite brands that I know work for me, including Dansko, Fluevog, Boden and J. Crew.
- Tip #3: Save your searches!!! I cannot emphasized this tip enough. I would say that about 95% of my Ebay purchases have been found through saved searches. This saves lots and lots of time for you, and allows you to make sure you don’t miss anything that you’re interested in.
- To save a search, enter your search in the search bar, such as “Dansko boots”. Once you get your results page, you can limit your findings to what applies to you. In my case, I select “women’s shoes” on the side bar, and limit the sizes to 8 and unspecified (sometimes sellers don’t check the size box). Then, look for something like this:
“18 items found for dansko boots in Women’s Shoes: 8 [ Save this search ]“. Just click “Save this search” and Ebay will e-mail you anything new that turns up in those search parameters for a designated amount of time. I get about 20-25 of these e-mails every day for different things I’m interested in, and looking through those e-mails is so much easier than searching for 25 different searches manually every day. (Note: the e-mails will only show you nine of the most recent items posted. To see everything, there is a link in the email that you can click on)
- To save a search, enter your search in the search bar, such as “Dansko boots”. Once you get your results page, you can limit your findings to what applies to you. In my case, I select “women’s shoes” on the side bar, and limit the sizes to 8 and unspecified (sometimes sellers don’t check the size box). Then, look for something like this:
- Tip #4: Add items to your watch list. Whenever you are interested in an item and think you might buy it, add it to your watch list. If you want to get an idea of how much a certain item goes for, add it to your watch list. I check my watch list a couple times a day to remind myself of what items I’m considering. Generally, I never end up bidding on many of those items, but I still like knowing what I’m interested in.
- Tip #5: Search general and broad. Maybe you know that exact name of the shoe that you’re looking for. But maybe a seller doesn’t. And maybe, you are itching to get a pair of Fyre 8R Engineer Boots, but a seller simply lists them as “Black Frye boots”. If you have searches going for both “Frye Engineer Boots” and “Frye Boots”, you’ll find that posting either way. And sometimes, if a seller doesn’t put the name of the item in the listing, it doesn’t get as much attention, and you could end up scoring your dream item at an excellent price.
- Added tip: if there’s a certain term that you want eliminated from your search results, put a minus sign in front of it. Thus, searching for “Dansko -clogs” will show all listings that contain the word Dansko but do not contain the word “clog”
- Tip #6: Read listings very carefully and ask questions early. Always read every section of a listing. Look for measurements, fabric content, imperfections. Look at the photos. Check the seller’s feedback ratings. If you have any questions about an item that aren’t answered in the listing, send the seller a message as soon as possible. If they’re good, they’ll get back to you before the listing closes. If they don’t, it’s not worth biding on anyhow. Most sellers are very willing to work with you and will gladly provide details about the item and additional pictures if you ask.
- Tip #7: Determine the absolute maximum you are willing to pay for an item, and stick to it. It’s really easy to get sucked into the thrill of online auctions. Someone outbids you, but you really want that item, so you bid again, and again, and again. Next thing you know, you’ve won that item, paying three times more than what it’s worth. Before you bid, decide on how much you are willing to spend, and stick to that, even if you get outbid. Sometimes, you have to be willing to let stuff go.
- Tip #8: Never bid until the last five minutes of the listing. Now that you’ve saved all your searches, that perfect pair of vintage Fluevog pumps comes up. And you want them desperately. So you bid several days before the listing ends and you are massively outbid. You sulk for several weeks. What you could have done is waited til the last five minutes of the listing (preferably the last sixty seconds) before putting in your maximum bid, so other bidders wouldn’t have much time to outbid you. I’ve won many, many auctions this way. Bidding early just ends up raising the price most of the time. Wendy B. swears by “sniping” services, and while I haven’t tried it yet, it sounds like it would be very effective.
- Tip #9: Resolve any problems with seller before leaving feedback. Did your item not turn out to be what you expected? Was it mis-represented in the listing? Always send a message to the seller with your concerns if something isn’t what you expected it to be. Many will be willing to work with you, offering a return or refund, rather than getting bad feedback.
- Tip #10: Always leave feedback. Did you get your item in a timely manner? Did the seller answer all communication? Did they resolve any problems you had? Then go leave some positive feedback. Ebay thrives on feedback, and leaving sellers positive feedback when they do a good job helps them, and it’s just plain nice to do.
What are your favorite Ebay shopping strategies?
Shopping Plan: Week 3
Dansko Sela Sandals $35 on Ebay
Gap filled: White sandals
We just wrapped up week 3 of my Great Shopping Plan of 2010, and so far I feel like it’s going quite well. Because I’m still looking for a permanent, full-time job, I’m allowed to spend $125 a month on clothes, shoes and accessories, focusing on filling gaps in my wardrobe and shopping local, second-hand, and hand-made as much as possible. After last week, I had $80 left for the month.
I didn’t really buy much this week, mostly because I was just too busy to go shopping. Also, I’m trying to save a bit of money to go thrifting on my birthday next Thursday. So I only bought one thing this week: a pair of white Dansko Sela sandals. Now I realize that to many up North, it may seem crazy to be buying sandals in February. But the fact is that we really only have a few more weeks of cold weather left in Florida, and after that it will be hot until October. Sally at Already Pretty has talked before about shopping for the dominant season where you live, and that’s what I’m doing here. I really, really wanted to have a pair of white sandals last summer, and these filled that gap, so I know that I’ll be wearing them a lot.
The sandals were a mere $35 on Ebay, so that leaves me with $45 left to spend this month. I buy a lot of my clothes and shoes on Ebay, and several of you have asked for some tips and advice on how I find items there. I wrote up a post on that, and it will be up tomorrow morning, so stay tuned!
What I bought in January
Last week, I introduced you to The Great Shopping Plan of 2010, which started February 1. With that plan, I will have a set budget every month, try to buy items to fill current wardrobe gaps, and shop primarily at secondhand, hand-made and local retailers. Normally, I would be posting what I bought this week. But I thought it would be good to cover what I bought in January when I had no restrictions for myself first. Next week, I will start covering what I’ve bought under the new Shopping Plan.
So what did I buy when I had no restrictions?
Fossil Drape Cardigan $50 (bought with gift card)
Since I bought this cardigan with a gift card, it didn’t hurt my budget. I can definitely say that it’s quickly becoming a wardrobe staple for me. I love the vibrant color, and the long drapey-ness of it makes it extremely versatile.
J Crew Yellow Cashmere Cardigan $45 on Ebay
Ah, the cashmere addiction begins! This was my first Ebay cashmere purchase of the month, and I continue to adore it. The color is perfect, and has cemented my love of yellow. The cashmere is insanely soft, the craftsmanship of the button-band and cuffs is perfect. I’m in love.
Sunshine Yellow 70′s Vintage Handbag $26 at Advintagous
More yellow addiction! I love this bright, textured vintage purse. It has a frame closure, can hold all my stuff I normally carry, and it’s yellow! What more do you need?
J Crew Blue and White Cashmere 3/4 Sleeve Sweater $22 on Ebay
The cashmere addiction continues! It’s amazing what fantastic prices you can find on cashmere on Ebay. But make sure you fully read item descriptions and look closely at photos. This sweater has a rolled hem, which is a personal pet peeve of mine. I’ve hand stitched it up here so it doesn’t roll, but I’m thinking about buying some coordinating yarn and re-knitting the hem. Yes, I’m a crazy perfectionist when it comes to knits.
Botanical Leaf Earrings $30 from wear-thou
Recently, I had been craving a pair of long, feather shaped earrings with a more modern and less bohemian/earthy look. Leave it to Etsy to have exactly what I want. I’ll be wearing these a lot.
There were also a few items that didn’t get photographed yet:
- Black Cashmere Sweater $32.50 on Ebay
I haven’t taken photos of this one yet because it still has to be washed. It has rolled hems too, but for some reason they don’t roll as much as the other sweater.
So I bought three pairs of tights. The black and red ones were bought to replace old tights that were wearing out. I’m still trying to figure out how to work the purple ones into an outfit.
- Vintage Dress, $22 at Sherry’s Yesterdaze
This one just came back from the tailor, so you’ll be seeing it soon.
So how much did I spend last month? $200.75 (not counting the Fossil gift card purchase). Over budget? Yes. But not horrendously. And almost everything I bought were items I absolutely love. And aside from the black tights from Anthro, everything I bought was second-hand, hand-made or local. So I think I did pretty well, even without formal restrictions. And I’m happy that I’m starting to learn how to buy things that I love. I think this Shopping Plan is going to work out alright.
Shopping Ban: Week 12
Would you believe that since starting this shopping ban 12 weeks ago, this was the first time that I made it to a thrift store? Clearly I need to go thrifting more often, because there were some great finds. I had $7 of free money and $30 of ban money to spend, and I think it went well. I went shopping at Second Image with Alechia last Saturday. I admit that thrifting the Saturday before Halloween isn’t necessarily the best idea, but it was worth it. Here’s what I got.
This was probably my favorite find of the day. A beautiful, modern black and white print, a slim fit, a nice neckline. The only part I’m not crazy about are the cap sleeves, but even those aren’t that bad. And it’s a cotton/modal blend, which makes it really soft. This will be receiving heavy rotation.
Target Navy Striped Cardigan $4
I really like this cardi a lot. I love the sweet, nautical look of it. And it’s 100% cotton.
Ann Taylor Factory Silk Skirt $3
Nylon Slip $3
I love how this skirt fits. It’s technically a petite, but I like it when skirt lengths hit above my knee, so it’s just fine for me. I’ve also been desperately hunting for a non-polyester slip, and I found a nice nylon one at the thrift store. That may seem to have a slight ick factor to some, but once it’s washed, it doesn’t really bother me.
I still can’t decide on this one. I think it’s super cute and super flattering, and would be oh-so-fun to wear on casual winter weekends. But as you may know, I have issues with polyester, and I forgot to read the fabric content on this one while I was in the store. It’s 40% poly, 60% cotton. I’ll give it a shot and see if I can get over my fiber snobbery. Otherwise, I might try knitting something similar, but it probably wouldn’t be ready til next winter. Maybe a variation of Knitty’s Henley.
This is another one I can’t decide on. It also has a high polyester content. I love the neckline and the sequins, and the fit is very flattering. But now I’m not so sure that all-over navy really suits me.
So that was a total of $24, and I had $38 to spend. So I’ve got a total of $14 left over. I think I’m starting to get the hang of budgeting!
Shopping Ban: Week 11
Striped Cotton Pajama Pants $13 (Target)
I realize that this is certainly not the most thrilling shopping ban post ever. But I’m sticking to my budget, I didn’t have a lot of shopping time this week, and this is what I bought. Somehow, between last winter and now, I managed to give all my long pajama pants to Goodwill. The weather is finally starting to get a bit cold, and shorts and capris just weren’t cutting it when I wanted to lounge around the house in the evening. I still had $20 of free money left for October, so I went to Target, and picked these out. And I love them! So soft, so comfy, the color goes with everything. I’ve been lounging around the house in these almost every night since I got them. Which makes me think that I might get a second pair in a different color, so I don’t have to do laundry all the time. That leaves me with $7 of free money and $15 of ban money. So what am I going to do today: go thrifting! You’ll see what I find next week.
