Rabbit Fur Coat

The crazy snow storm we are still recovering from has got me dreaming about beautiful winter coats. There are a few different clothing items that I collect and coats are definitely one of them. I should probably stop soon before I become a coat hoarder and my husband puts me on a TV show. Until then, I am going to keep searching for beautiful vintage coats every time I go thrifting. I have yet to own a fur coat (unless you count the one I had when I was four years old) but have definitely been tempted by them. I decided that there are few things more glamorous than a rabbit fur coat and my collection could use a little extra glamour!


Here are a few amazing ones on Etsy right now.

source

source

Faux fur but still just as glamorous!

source

source

source

Red Red Wine

My husband and I set four goals for our family in 2012. We made a plan to not announce each goal until we have achieved it. At this point I have nothing to report about (come on, its still only January, I have 11 more months to go) but hopefully soon I will! I also set a personal goal for myself. In the past I have not been a big fan of red, and no we are not talking about red wine, I have been a fan of that for a while. My personal goal or should I say style goal for myself in 2012 is to embrace the color red. I am going to wear it more (and not just on my lips as I have already mastered that), shop it more and style more outfits including this color. So far I would say I have done pretty well. I recently purchased a new red coat which brings my total for red coats and possibly all red items of clothing up to 2! I also just altered a pretty darn ugly red dress into a brilliantly beautiful red wrap skirt that I am so tempted to keep instead of selling in my soon-to-be store. You will have to wait and see where it ends up, either in my closet or yours!

P.S. Does anyone else love UB40's version of Can't Help Falling In Love better than Elvis's?? Yeah, me neither ...

Say You Miss Me

You can all rest assured now. I am alive. I will squash all the rumors by saying that no I was not kidnapped and held for ransom, no I did not run away (although I did think about it), and no I did not lose all my fingers in a freak boating accident and therefore all ability to type. I simply have taken a little six month break.

So much has changed in the last six months and I will get to it all at some point but for now I just want to concentrate on two things. First, please know that there is no reason to say how much you miss me, my heart knows and that's all that matters (but if you really want to tell me, you can). Secondly, my Carole & Clarence store will be opening very soon!! I have a ton of work to do in the next couple weeks but my goal is for it to be open by the end of the month. I'll keep you updated so please stick around and I will promise to stick around this time too!

Never Give Up On The Good Times

I think I have mentioned this before but I am somewhat of pack rat. I really hate how that term sounds so maybe I'll come up with a different way of describing what I am. Let's say I am a nostalgist or maybe a super smart and sassy saver. Now, doesn't that sound better?

I am trying to get better at not keeping every little thing I've ever received since I discovered, after moving five times in the last four years, having lots of stuff makes things more difficult. I guess I just never want to give up on the good times and have a hard time throwing anything away that has a memory attached to it or might be useful later in life although I am not currently using it. I have found that my way of doing things (as opposed to the "if you haven't worn it in a year, toss it" rule) can pay off! Case in point ... my lovely wooden platforms with woven leather straps. 

I have owned these beauties for over nine years and wore them only once for the first eight and a half of those years. I originally bought them for the Junior Senior Banquet (similar to prom, I went to a private school) my junior year of high school. That whole getup from head to toe was my favorite that I put together for a high school dance. I couldn't get rid of the shoes even though I didn't really have any reason to wear them anymore. I tended to wear more casual clothing options in my high school days and didn't really start dressing up, or more ladylike as my mother said, until I was in college. Not to say that I dressed like a boy, I have just gone through many different clothing phases ... my nicknames in my neighborhood growing up were Cyndi Lauper and Madonna since I dressed like a crazy woman at the age of five, but that's another story for another post. 

So in a bin, mixed with many other pairs of shoes, my wooden platforms stayed. That was until a few months ago. I was itching to buy some new shoes, wooden platforms to be exact but my cute husband didn't really see the point in me buying another pair of shoes. Our conversation went a little something like this ...

Audrey: "Ohhhhhhhhhhh my goodness, do you see those super amazing shoes???!!!!" (pointing to picture on the computer)

Pete: "Huh? Oh yeah...."

Audrey: "Those are perfect and wonderful and exactly what I have always wanted!!!"

Pete: "That's cool...."

Audrey: "I think maybe I'll stop by the store tomorrow if I get out of work early and get me a pair!!"

Pete: "What are those on your feet right now?"

Audrey: "Boots ..."

Pete: "So why do you need another pair of shoes if you already have one?"

Audrey: "Do I need to explain the difference between boots and platform sandals again?!"

Well, I will spare you guys the rest of the convo but let's just say it didn't end in my feet's favor. I remained wooden platform-less for another couple weeks until one morning before work. I was frantically looking in one of my bins of shoes for a certain pair that were nowhere to be found in my room. I can't quite remember if I found them or not because I got very distracted when I saw my beautiful old wooden platforms mixed in with a bunch of other old shoes. I didn't wear them to work but they did move from the bin into my room. That's how things know if they are really special to me or not. Bin or room. Pete generally stays in my room :)

Wearing the Levi's from my latest thrifting adventure.

P.S. I may or may not have been a big Spice Girls fan in junior high ...