MIA

I have been without real internet {3G just isn't the same} for 3 days now, and I do believe I may actually be shriveling up from lack of use. Moving was quick and dirty, and we were officially in our new place in 48 hours. We'be even begun hanging pictures. Shazaam.

So, please forgive me until I get my beloved net up and running later this week. Apparently UVerse doesn't see the importance of speedy transfers. Until then, let me fill your heads and dreams with DIY projects galore, from refurbished antique chairs and gallery walls to creative storage ideas.

Outfits to come after they turn on our hot water. Showers have been brief and painful, thus resulting in hair that puts Einstein and Twisted Sister in the same room. It's not pretty.

If you want to follow along in real time, check out my Instagram for projects in the making, vignettes of the house, and of course, plenty of pet pics.

You Can Pet My Peeve

Well that didn't come out right. 

I consider myself a pretty even keel person. It takes a lot to get me to cry, and even more button pushing to make me yell. On a one to ten scale, I rarely leave my 3-7 zone of emotion. To see what it looks like to leave that zone, see this.



But if you really must know what turns me into a blonde haired version of the Incredible Hulk, you can find out what turns me into a complete, raging lunatic over at Ruthie's place today.

Don't judge.

The Girl Who Cried Chainsaw

{top} forever 21  {skirt} laundry by shelli segal from Marshalls
{necklace} edisen pendant, forever 21 chain
{bracelet} forever 21  {sandals} target

Stickin it to the man. Can't keep me and my outfit posts away.

 I used to think I would the first one dead in a horror movie, seeing as how my fight or flight response is touch and go, at best.

I woke up from a nightmare Tuesday morning, sweaty, confused and terrified. I was being chased by a group of men with a chainsaw, and had taken shelter in a neighbor's house shortly before my nightmare came to an abrupt halt. What woke me up, you ask? A real chainsaw going outside our window. I shook Micah awake, went to flip on the lamp, only to find the power was out, which we all know is the first thing chainsaw wielding crazies do before they slaughter their victims.

I was in a full blown panic, sure that some man wearing a suit made from someone else's skin was out there ready to chop us up. Being a patient and startled husband, he gathered the dogs and my shaking self into the car, pistol at his side . Because we all know the major error in the character that dies first is that they stay put. 

Micah drove us around the dark neighborhood for a good 10 minutes, soothing me and two dogs like cranky infants in a car seat. Come to find out, the great city of Austin decided it was a fine time to trim trees.

No more scary movies for me. Ever.

Shop My Closet

 UPDATE: I have opened up my BISTM page! You can see what items are listed here!

As many of you may know, I am constantly thrifting. Not only do I buy things secondhand, but I'm always trading in lesser worn pieces for cash to buy new things! Most of the time, I find that I don't have enough time to sit and wait for an hour plus to have someone go through my things and decide what's worthy of resale.

So, I wanted to propose an idea to you guys. 

Would you be interested in shopping my closet? I would include both new and thrifted pieces, and nothing would be well worn, damaged or outdated. I have finally surrendered to the body changes, and know that my wear-size-two-comfortably sized hips may never return.

I have also thought of extending the shop to a mini online thrift boutique, with thrifted higher end items, like Anthro, JCrew and other higher end retailers. I'm always surprised when I run across a $6 Anthropologie skirt in Goodwill, or a $5 pair of new with tags JCrew colored skinnies that may not be my size or something I need, but love anyway and wish I could share with someone!

I'm also a big online shopper who always orders an item in two sizes, and sometimes, it's more of a hassle to return the item via mail. I usually have a friend buy the other piece that I don't end up needing, and I'm always happy to share!

This Francesca's top would be added to the shop! New with tags, size small. Size medium seen here.

Thrifted this skirt for $6

Thrifted maxi dress: $8

Totally thrifted outfit found here

What are your thoughts? 

Want to go shopping?

August Sponsorship

It's official. 

After quite a few emails asking if I had started accepting sponsors, I decided to go ahead to give it the old college try, I am now accepting sponsors and button swaps for the month of August!

Button swaps are done with other bloggers with a similar size (or more) following that are interested in making new bloggy friendships, increasing exposure and traffic and doing the same for someone else!

If you're interested, check out my sponsor page for more information, as well as current stats, or email me at

thesecondhandmagpie {at} gmail {dot} com

So, send Secondhand Magpie some love. We'd love to have you!

{Sponsor Spotlight} Meet Rebecca

This is it. My first official sponsor post. 

I stumbled across Becca's blog, Love Always on complete accident. And then I instantly fell in love. Becca, a fellow Austinite, is a junior at the University of Texas and studies magazine writing and editing, so blogging is a natural second step.

She's gorgeous to start, has fabulous style, and mixes in a healthy dose of life, thoughts and dreams into her posts. And the girl can run. Holy heck, she can run. She makes my customized running shoes jealous, because frankly, I don't let them live up to their full potential. 

 Here's a little sampling of what she has going on over there.

How Blogging Restores Her Faith in Humanity

The Big 2-1 in Vegas

Her Love For Live Music

{blog} {twitter} {instagram} {pinterest}

Wednesday What Have You's

{Entire outfit from Forever 21}

 {1} I went and saw Magic Mike on Friday with Jenni, and let me just tell you. I can't even call what I saw a cougar fest. It was straight up silver back fest. And by silver back, I mean 65+ old women lusting after a bunch of men in thongs. The woman in front of me in the ticket line even asked to use her senior discount to buy her ticket. As we were leaving, the woman in front of us left with a rolling walker with a bench, and another behind us had just had her curler set done in the silvery blue hair. You go girl.

{2} I may or may not have eaten 3 large bags of edamame in the last week. It's the healthiest microwave dinner you can make. And how can you say no to that much yummy, plant based protein??

{3} I am beyond fascinated with the secret and taboo. Lately, I have been reading/watching anything I can about arranged marriages. Lo and behold, Our America with Lisa Ling just aired an episode on just that. I also can't get enough of polygamy, the Amish culture, extreme religious lifestyles, etc. I find it so fascinating to peek into the lives of others that are such a departure from my own. Sometimes I lose perspective and forget that so many other think and live so opposite from myself.

Summer Bummer

Sweat. Frizz. Mosquitoes. 

Yeah, I can't say I'm a huge hot weather fan. If my constant hiding under the shady areas and running a dead sprint for A/C isn't enough of an indication, my summer wardrobe should be. My rules for summer clothes are as follows:

{Don't stick to me}

         
             {Keep me covered}                     {Don't showcase the non-tan}

{Keep me cool}

So this leaves me with just a few things. Maxi dresses, maxi skirts, skirts of any kind if we're being honest, loose fitting tops. And wedges. Lots, and lots of wedges.

 What would you say your summer staples are?

Old Is New Again, And Again, And Again

I'm a big fan of re-purposing. Remixing clothes, re-purposing furniture, using things not for their intended purpose.

I have a sick love for house cleaning products. I geek out over sweet smelling soaps, fancy packaging, eye catching labels and inventive ways to use ordinary things. For instance, the other day, I heard someone talking about putting a paste made from baking soda and water on areas where they have blackheads. The baking soda acts as a gentle scrub, and the process of drying out the baking soda pulls out the gunk in  your pores. I tried it, and it works!

So, after a week of being stuck inside with all the rain and roaming aimlessly around my house, I thought I'd put a list together of some unheard of uses for things laying around your house.

via

• Banana peels are a great {and natural} way to clean and polish leather and add shine/remove dust from indoor plant leaves!
• Soak cotton balls in cooking vanilla or essential oils and drop them in your vacuum's dust canister. It will take the musty smell out of pulling dirt and grime up from your carpet.
• Soak a dryer sheet in a pan with water overnight to remove the tough stuff that doesn't scrub off.
• Husband have stinky shoes? Roll up a dryer sheet and slide it in the shoe. It will not only help soak up the stink, but it leaves them fresh and ready for the next wear.
• Stinky car? Cut an apple in half and leave it in your car overnight. It will help soak up the smell naturally, and then you have half an apple for a snack!
• Coffee grounds+olive oil= homemade body scrub that helps with cellulite! Caffeine dehydrates cells, thus temporarily tightening skin.
• Use a white coffee filter over the flash of your camera to diffuse the light and help prevent shadows in closeups!
• Add used citrus pieces (lime, lemon, oranges) with a few ice cubes in your disposal to help sharpen the blades and deodorize the sink.
• Soak a piece of a Magic Eraser in the toilet to get rid of  toilet bowl stains. Just don't flush it. You'll have a lot more problems than just stains.
• Put a few drops of essential oils, like rosemary or lemongrass, into the bottom of your kitchen trashcan. This way, every time you pull a full bag out, you're hit with the fresh smell of oils instead of old trash.
• Use a scrub of lemon juice and baking soda to help remove yellow stains from your nails caused by pigmented nail polish. 
•  Place a dryer sheet on your air filter at home. It will circulate fresh smelling air, and help remove stale odors from a home. A large bowl of vinegar placed on a high surface in a room will help remove staleness as well.

Also, check out these websites for more fun tricks for things you probably have lying around.

Real Simple

Magic Eraser

Ever Have Days Like This?

Meet Henri.

The guide for anyone looking for the inner workings of a cat.

Happy Friday.

If You're Looking For Me...

You can find me at Along Abbey Road talking about one of the most shocking, hilarious moments that left me completely and utterly speechless. 

Enjoy.

Rain, Rain, Here to Stay

Instagram

Nothing is better than a rainy day. Something about it feels cozy, insulated and less aggressive than the Texas summer sun. It reminds me of my time in Seattle, listening to Death Cab and sipping my beloved soy chai and watching the city come alive under me.

The thunder rolling through Austin today is a slight departure from the quiet, heavy mist of Seattle, but it feels so alive, so forceful. It almost acts to invigorate me, and makes me want to be out in it to experience the full act nature has planned for us. Granted, I don't let my impulse rule, or else I'd a krispy kritter from a lightning bolt to the head. Although, it may be strong enough to straighten out this hair once and for all.

The rain also brings about a huge head of hair, as my curls like to soak up every ounce of moisture in the air. It also means outfit posts become a wee bit more difficult. So I thought I would leave you with this little photo I snapped last night while driving to the gym.

Also: Ruthie is hosting a giveaway on her blog today for a free month long 200x200 ad space on my blog! I'd love to have you, so hop on over and enter!

Holy Roller

{Top} Francesca's  {Skirt} Forever 21  {Necklace  Forever 21
{Wedges} Target  {Bracelet} Forever 21  {Belt} Thrifted

 A few things today:

1. Today is my 100th post! I can't believe the blog has come this far, and am surprised to see how much my style has evolved in the past 100 posts. I would have never put this together four months ago.

2. Have you ever used a foam roller? Holy smokes. It hurts so good! I kept hearing coworkers and friends talk about 'foam rolling' and had to try it out for myself. It helps with muscle tension, breaks down stubborn muscle knots, even helps reduce appearance of cellulite. Or so I've read. I'm only a week in, but have already noticed feeling less stiff in the mornings, and am noticing it's becoming so much less uncomfortable.

3. I can't stop browsing Craigslist, garage sales and curbside junk in excitement for our new home. We will be moving a little over two weeks from now, and I'm jittery with excitement! Heck, even Micah is in on the action. I do believe he's making us a table from the door of the house we live in now. No worries, the landlords gave us the original door of the house when they replaced it, and we found the perfect use for it!

Good Intentions

{Dress} Thrifted  {Bracelet} Forever 21  {Glasses} Ray Ban

 Now that we've settled on a house, I find myself looking for a project. Paint the mirrors, refinish the chest that holds our blankets, start buying crystals to finish my chandelier that I found in someone's dumpster, etc. I then find myself sitting down to write notes for work and tuning in for a Golden Girls marathon. Sometimes (read: almost always) I get these fantastic ideas with great intentions, but find myself without any carry through. 

I Ebay antique lace, and end up watching rerun marathons. I start planning home colors, and end up picking off all my toenail polish. If I find myself inspired to start planning out our new floor plan, I start looking for replacement dog clippers. 

Methinks I have a touch of the AD...

D.

Spots and Stripes

{Tank} Forever 21  {Skirt} Thrifted  {Wedges} Target 
{Belt} Edisen  {Bracelet} Forever 21

My own little firework.

In an ode to America's day of celebrating independence with grilled food, explosions in the sky and terrified pets everywhere, Micah and I stayed in, caught up on work and watched Independence Day. Next year we vow to to something bigger and better, with hopes that next year doesn't fall on a Wednesday. Don't worry, I looked ahead. It's a Thursday.

In other news, this skirt is incredibly sheer. Sunlight shining through this skirt was the worst thing that I could do to my country.

What did you do to celebrate our nation's independence?

The Study of Junk

 As I mentioned yesterday, I'm on the hunt for nesting materials. In anticipation of this move and an extra 150 sq ft of space, I am already planning and scheming for ways to put more color, more texture, more everything in this little house.

Being the fan of junk stores that I am, when I stumbled across this beauty this past weekend, I knew I had to bring my camera along. Junkology, in New Braunfels, just opened up a month ago and is already on the fast track to becoming one of my favorite haunts. The owner, Shawn, is a live wire of a guy with a passion for finding and refinishing other's castoffs, and is chock full of stories and knowledge from his collecting days. He has a great eye for unique and colorful pieces, and an even more keen eye for design. The store is laid out beautifully, with the detail of someone who clearly knows what they're doing. 

Each room tells a story, with antique plane parts as their platform. Airplane wings made into shelves, wing lights turned into spectacular light fixtures and propellers hanging from the ceiling gave the store a vintage war time touch.

I walked away from the store inspired. Inspired by Shawn and his constant drive to find beauty in anything, and by the store itself, with the perfect balance of color, proportion and detail without ever being overwhelming.