Queen... A sample of my poetry. :)

***Queen***

  Written May 2008         

                                     Blackest night

                                        World is on fire

                                            With heat from my gaze

                                                                                                                                     

 Blood, a deep crimson
  Pouring from necks
    Carefully cut

Destruction lies
    In a wide path
      Behind me

Bodies thrown to the side
  As one by one
                     They are slaughtered

A hundred pairs of eyes

 Watching
                          From a thousand different places

My arms covered
                             With scratches from fingernails
           Of fallen victims

Guards slain
       Pushed aside
                            I reach my destination

She who sits
                  In a throne of black
                                    Torturing innocent peasants

She who fails
  To see me
                             As I sneak into position

Arrow drawn from my quiver
  And lain carefully
         Across the bow

Aim delicate
                      As I watch her intently
                  Waiting to strike

Drawing silently
  For the one
                       Opportune moment

Her gaze landing on me
  Too late
             As I release the arrow

Her shoulder pinned
                To the throne of darkness
    I approach

Swiftness not deserved
  Dealt in haste
              To aid my escape

Mission completed
  As I slip away
          Into the night

On to the next
              That dares to harm
            My innocent

 

   It's dark, I know, but I like it. :) 

Just opened my Etsy account!!!

Can't wait to get listings up.

   Has everyone who's watching seen my Avante Hearte page on Facebook? It's where I show the stuff I make.
     www.facebook.com/avantehearte

Check it out!! 

  I'll be putting up some listings on Etsy tonight. I'm so excited!!!!


   On another note, the step-child has myself and her parents in a small bind. We don't know what to do any more. She is constantly lying to everyone. The lying is probably the worst problem we have, but she also tends to steal things, cause fights and distractions in class at school, and refuse to do her homework. We have tried grounding her... doesn't work... punishments like standing in the corner, pulling weeds for an hour, doing a huge pile of dishes, etc etc etc .... but nothing seems to work. We have tried talking to her about the problems and the being nice approach and none of it works. We try to explain what she did wrong every time it happens and we let her know when she has sarcasm in her voice so she can learn, but she always acts like it's our fault that she did something wrong. We don't know what to do at this point. We even put her through Scared Straight already.
     Anyone have any suggestions?   We are desperate to get her turned around at this point.

Rest of my thrifting Saturday... Timeless Treasures, House of Return, and The Address Boutique Resale

       Let's just get straight down to the reviewing, shall we?
  
     Ticktocker Timeless Treasures Thrift Store
       9441 Culver Blvd.
       Culver City, CA 90232
    Phone - 310-559-8338

This place was SO cute. It is in between a bunch of restaurants too, so I'll bet it gets quite a bit of business. Here's the outside... although it's not a very good photo, as there are these amazingly charming trees surrounding the outside...

     Here are my finds....

    Over-The-Knee High Patent Leather Boots... Reasons for purchasing, you ask??  One - Because I have the perfect dress for them... Two - Because I am confident I can make them look classy... and Three - Because, let's face it... Every woman needs a pair or two of HO shoes  (I have several... haha)  Wear your ho shoes with pride, ladies!! Just don't dress like a ho while you are wearing them! haha

                   The business card... :)

                    and crafty finds... a small bag of beads for $2 and some more bracelets and a necklace to take apart for $2.
     I spent only $8 here. The boots were on sale half off and only marked at $8 to begin with.... Ho heaven... hahahahahaha

   Anyway, the place is so well organized and the prices here are FANTASTIC! There is an art room, a furniture room, a book room... in which all the books are displayed nicely and even sorted into category...LOVE... and a gold room, which displays the best quality stuff and formal things. I found a GORGEOUS short prom dress here marked at only $29. BARGAINS GALORE.  The sales people are nice... so very sweet and kind-hearted... not to mention that they are willing to make a deal with you!!!!
     
             I cannot boast enough about Timeless Treasures.  So I'll only say one more thing....
                                       
                        SHOP HERE!

    Next, The House of Return... also in Culver City, right down the street from Timeless Treasures. I don't have the address and don't know that I would give it to you if I did. The main saleswoman was so nice and tried to make a deal with us on an Adidas jacket the fiance wanted, but the manager woman shut her down and we ended up spending only a dollar on two pieces of jewelery I could tear apart.  Everything I saw in here (except the 2 pieces we bought) were overpriced and the rest of the sales people were rude and didn't want to help anyone. The high point of this visit was a woman who asked my fiance to try on a jacket she was thinking about buying for her son. It was a great jacket. I wouldn't have paid that much for it, but for a gift for her son, she got it.    Maybe I just got a bad first impression, but you know what they say about first impressions.

      And lastly, the Address Boutique Resale store.
   
The Address to The Addess -
     1116 Wilshire Blvd.
     Santa Monica, CA 90401
  Phone - 310-394-1406

        

    First, I will tell you that this is not a THRIFT store. This is a RESALE store. Meaning if you are looking for a pair of Prada, Dolce & Gabbana, etc etc etc etc shoes, this is the place to go.
     The saleswomen are very nice, especially Crissy, the woman who helped me. I am kind of an independant shopper though, and I don't think they are used to that. The other two women would not stop watching me. I felt like since I was young, they thought I was going to try to steal something or something. Crissy, however, got that I was not wanting to be coddled, and just popped in to see how I was doing. Bless this woman.
    The prices, for what this place is, are amazing. I found a pair of Christian Louboutins here for $500 and some dollars, but they just did not fit me correctly. :(   Trust me, if they would have, I would have had me some heavenly red soles... no matter how much they cost.
   They also have a 30-day layaway program... LOVE!!!

  Overall, I loved this place, even though I couldn't find much that fit me. I ended up spending only $20 on two Free People Brand Long Sleeve Sweaters... which is a pretty good price. And the best part was that Crissy treated my measly $20 purchase like I was buying those precious Louboutins...
      And trust me, I will buy some Louboutins.... Crissy has my number on speed dial for some size 8 four- inch red-soled sex-on-a-high-heel shoes.... :)   Someday. :)
 

Thrift Store Reviews... American Way Thrift, The Yard Sale, and It's A Wrap!

      So, Friday, the man-candy and I started in Burbank, CA for a little bargain shopping.  Isn't that what I'm always doing? haha

    In Burbank, we went to 3 stores, all within a very short distance of each other on Magnolia Blvd.

     First, we found "American Way Thrift Store" - This place was the epitome of what thrift stores are commonly thought to be...  Dirty, Smelly, Overpriced..... RIDICULOUS. I found a few good deals for myself... what seemed to be the only gems in the entire store...

I found a forever 21 dress for $3, that's the colorful fabric, a fox brand white and argyle print sweater for $4, and "The Goddess Guide" - the pink book there... for only $2. I love this book. I might do a review on it later as it is so fun!

   The keychains to the left and the cups on top are going up for sale as soon as I get my sites up and running... SOON!!! YAY!!!!

     ---Reviewing this place is my task... the task I have given myself on this blog, so here goes... I'm afraid to say much, as the old saying goes "If you can't say anything nice...."

     This place was dirty, smelled like old sweaty body odor, and was way overpriced. I looked up at the specials board but only found 3 items that were on sale... all in horrible shape... stained, worn, etc. there was no dressing room (which doesn't bug me honestly). You stand in front of the entire store trying on clothes in front of mirrors on the wall. Like I said, this didn't bug me so much. I think the thing that bugged me worst, over the prices and the smell, was the customer service. I tried to speak to someone about some items that were laying in a pile - I thought they were part of the sale- but I was completely ignored. Several of the employees even bumped into me as I was shopping without saying sorry or even acknowledging that I existed.
     I decided to devise a test. There was a book that my fiance slightly wanted (not enough to buy for the original price they had marked on it... $4.99). It was a recent comic type book. The price was written on it and another book like it in red grease pen. So, fully intending not to buy them, mind you, we wiped the price off of them and took them to the counter. "How much for these?", we asked the 2 ladies at the counter. Each one of them made their own price for the first book.. originally $4.99. The first woman said $6. The second woman said $8.50. The first woman then said, "Oh, she's right, it's $8.50.
    The second book was also originally marked $4.99. This time the first woman stayed out of it completely and the second woman told us that it was $10.99. For a comic book that's not worth anything to anyone except my fiance because it had zombies in it. These books are selling on Ebay for 99 cents. I looked them up.
   We told them to keep them and bought the other items that you saw above.
               On the way out, I saw a teenage boy ask these ladies the price of the books and he was quoted $2.99 for each. He bought them. It makes me wonder if the color of mine and my fiance's skin had anything to do with it, to be honest. I'm no racist, that's for sure, but I think they might have been.... and I was apparently the wrong color. I will not be going back here for any reason.


     
On to the second store we visited... The Yard Sale... This place was completely different from the first. Here's the storefront...

                And the rack of 99 cent clothes out in front.  Nice brands here actually... American Eagle, Abercrombie, Forever 21, etc...

Their business card says "Come for our prices, Come back for the quality." And it is right.

This place was clean and organized. The inside was well stocked and kind of eclectic. It was very pleasant to shop here. In the end, I only bought a few things...

         All owls. Ok, so I'm obsessed. Most of these are for sale... in fact, everything in the top picture is. The bottom picture is mine. I love this little statue. It will look fantastic with my trinket collection.  :)

    Like I said, shopping here was divine. I will be going back to look through all their clothes, that's for sure.
The saleswoman, who seems to co-own the store's name was Ivone, and she was SOOOOO sweet. I found a broken necklace that I wanted to add some feathers to and re-sell and Ivone gave me a great price for it. She talked and joked with my fiance and pulled every owl ring out that she had for me to look at. Overall, this place was an A+. I recommend a visit if you are in the Burbank area or visiting it.

         The YARD SALE
       2022 W. Magnolia
      Burbank, CA 91506
     Phone - 818-736-5002


  Lastly, for this blog anyway, is It's A Wrap! Resale Store. This place deals mostly in reselling props from movies. The prices here are ok, for what it is. Props from the movies. lol    I found quite a few great deals in here, but didn't buy them.(Lucky Jeans worn in True Blood for $3, orange espadrilles worn in CSI for $8) I found a couple things I didn't want to leave without and they took priority. :) 

   An owl ring... in my size.. from the new movie featuring the girl that plays Quinn Fabray from Glee called "I Am Number 4." 

    A heavy, sparkly bracelet worn in the movie "Burlesque" with Cher and Christina Aguilera. I am looking for screen shots that show my items... I'll share them if I find them!!!!

    And two general merchandise items for crafting and for resale.

    These butterflies will be going on hats and hair accessories soon...

  

And these owl earrings are for sale, either as earrings (but they are kind of big), or as pendants with beaded strings. :)

It's A Wrap Prop Resale

3315 W Magnolia Blvd.

Burbank, CA

Phone - 818-567-7366

This day stayed good... I think the only negative critique I had was the first place, American Way. Everyone else was so nice and the service was so good. I can't wait to go back to It's A Wrap when I have more money and buy something awesome someone cool wore in some movie I really like. (like the burlesque bracelet) hahahahaha

I haven't watched "I Am Number 4" yet though... haha

Watch out for the rest of my day in the next couple blogs, to go up in the next couple of days!

Swap Meet Wednesday - $7 TOTAL!!!

   Black bag full of clothes for myself, the step-kid, my niece and nephew, as well as several to sell... I stuffed at least 30 pieces into this bag.... ALL FOR $1.

     Craft stuff... and a duckie on the top right...

     A box my step-child picked out for her jewelery.... $1.

    A notebook and pencil case for her for school...

 More crafty stuff... not a very good picture though... :(

                                                           The snake-skin purse :)

                              And 5 pairs of shoes....

                                                  I love Swap Meet on Wednesdays. :)

I realize... a blog for my readers.

    I realize that someone reading my blogs might not get a very good sense of who I am. So, in the best words I know how, as noone can explain themselves very well, I am going to try to fix that.
    
      I am 23... young, I know. You wonder if I have even had enough life experience to relate to you, right?
 
                                         I wish I didn't. haha

                      I wish I didn't have such a long 23 years.

    Let me start with the subject all women start with when they describe their lives. MEN. As if our lives as women simply revolve around the world of men. HA.  I don't think, since about 13, that I have been without a man however. Married at 16 due to a horrible incident when I was 11... you'll hear about this in my memoir eventually... to a verbally, mentally, and sometimes physically abusive husband. I was no angel either though... what do you expect of a married 16 year old who has never spread their wings?  Finally got out at age 20... to move 3,000 miles to California. In the past 4 years since I moved here there have been a military man with extreme depression from the two tours in Iraq that he served... (I know things I don't want to know) ... a few complete assholes that aren't even worth mentioning...and a moron who tried to tell me he was signed to a professional hockey player contract... (He told me we were moving to Canada for him to join his team and I actually believed him... IDIOT)...
    I won't talk about the new one... the fiance of a year... who has yet to be a major asshole... I refuse to jinx what seems to be a good thing. ;-)   Luv ya babe!

     How about talents? Is that a good subject to move to?
           I've been singing since I could speak. I was adopted by my grandfather on my biological dad (who I have never met)'s side and he has been in bluegrass bands most all of his life. Anyway, he would be practicing his songs, trying to learn the lyrics, and I would walk out singing them. I have always been able to do this, you see, memorize the lyrics of other people's songs. When I write my own, however, I can't remember more than the chorus. Stupid. haha  So, I started out singing blue grass and country... and that's still what I like to sing most... country... but I have added showtunes to the mix. Who can't love singing show tunes? These are the ones you get to let loose with and show off with the most! haha
    (I  AM going to load videos of me singing on here soon... I just have to get up the guts to do it... haha!)
  I've been writing songs, poetry, and stories since middle school. I love the way I write and I get sucked into my own writing... even though I wrote it. That's why I love writing. Because if I can get lost in it and I wrote it, then I can weave stories for other people to get lost in. What is better than an hour or two of falling helplessly into a created world where you can forget the troubles of your own life? Where the story feels so real that you watch for the characters to appear in daily life? When the main character does something you have wanted your whole life to do and it inspires you to try just a little harder...
     I've also been beading and crafting since I was little. I was just telling my fiance about the time my grandmother bought me a big bead sorter full of seed beads... the little tiny ones... only they were all mixed together. First thing I did was dump them all into bags and sort them into colors. Took me three months... little old 8-year-old me. My artistry seems to be the only thing I have a huge amount of patience for... and the part of my life where my OCD is the worst. haha   I always want things I make or sing, etc. to be perfect. 

    Let's see... what's next???
 How about some random facts about me?

   --- I hate politics and refuse to participate in them. I make my own destiny and who rules what has no power in deflecting what I want to do most in life.
   --- I am a collector of random things. Small things that I put in to the corners of my drawers and boxes all around... some memories, some things I am fascinated with, and some things that just make me happy... I call them trinkets... other people call them smalls... treasures... etc.
   --- If it's crafty, I do it. PERIOD.
   --- I have no friends but best friends, and none of them are in California.
   --- I am extremely afraid of pregnancy and birth... it's called Tocophobia. I can barely look at a pregnant woman passing me on the street without getting sick. Which is perfect, because I want to adopt a child, as I was adopted. It saved my life and I want to do that for someone else.
   --- I make random crazy noises to annoy the people around me.. or just to make them laugh.
   --- And lastly... for now... I am a jack of all trades, but of course, a master of none. I took years of piano lessons (was training to be a concert pianist), but I quit and now I can barely play. I know only a little about making jewelery, but adapt well. I cook very well, but can't make a creme brulee or a souffle. I know a little about a lot of things, but not all about a little. lol


   Is there something you would like to know about me? Something that makes me more relatable? Because really, why would you read a blog about someone's life that you don't relate to or find interesting? I have done alot and seen alot and been through alot in my short 23 years. Let's just see if we don't have something in common... haha

   Night, all. Sorry for the touch of melancholy in my otherwise cheerful thrift store finds. I'm thinking already of changing my blog name... tortured artist, passionate artist, something good...
 

Crazy Saturday Part 2 - The Rest of the Holt Blvd Stores

So, to finally wrap up the weekend before last, when we went on a CRAZY thirifting weekend, these are my finds from the rest of Holt Blvd... well as far as we went anyway. It's not like I followed Holt to the very end. We didn't leave Pomona. haha

 Quality Thrift Finds - Two butterfly shaped Plastic Charms I am going to make into necklaces and a pair of heart earrings I am going to tear apart because they are boring as they are. haha

    Salvation Army Holt Blvd Finds - a pair of Hot Pink Hot Topic Earrings (I was desperately in need of a pair of pink earrings for something....), a pair of orange heart earrings that are destined to be necklaces.. they are kind of gaudy as is... 2 necklaces (on the sides) that I am tearing apart to use the beads, and a Jenna charm for my mom, because she can never find her name anywhere. I made a good find...

       Shop Smart Thrift Finds - a bunch of rocking horse charms... yes, they are actually charms!... a bunch of baby shower safety pin favors... they actually look cute on a pair of earrings... 3 cute little dog toys (which are already dead unfortunately... I wanted my guy to drill holes in them so I could stick them on keychains and necklaces, but when he drilled, their little heads just fell right off. :(  ) There are also a bunch of napkin holders (those 2 things on the right) which I took the charms off of. And a bunch of necklaces, bottom left, that I tore apart for the beads. :)   All this cost me less than $3 together.

     Uptown Thrift Finds -  An entire bag full of sequins, buttons, jewels, zippers, elastic, etc etc etc... and a bag full of feather trim... Total cost $5 for both... that feather trim is utterly awesome... I haven't ever had anything like it!!! YAY!!!

                                  SO, to conclude, last weekend was totally awesome. 

Tomorrow is Swap Meet Wednesday and to top it off we get to go about an hour earlier than normal, so I'm crossing my fingers for some awesome stuff... and more crafty stuff for my ever growing supply boxes. :) Wish me luck!!!

Crazy Saturday Part 1 - Chantal's Thrift Store

Finally, I'm getting to blog about LAST Saturday. Taking me forever to get everything in!!! :-D

These are my wonderful finds at Chantal's Thrift Store on Holt Blvd in Pomona. Two pair of shoes for $2 each, a bunch of ponytailers (don't know why... just liked 'em :-D), a pretty butterfly skirt, and a white dress with black polka dots. I LOVE THIS PLACE!

   It's got a real boutique feel, but is priced very well. It is a small place with a bunch of rooms decorated and well organized.  I liked it so much I decided to take you on a short tour...
                        This is the young women's room... my finds on the chair in the center there...

   The other side of the young women's room......

   The main room... books mainly...

    The kitchen room......

    The children's room................

    The women's room...... YES, that whole rack is full of shoes...

     The clothes on the other side of the women's room...

    The electronics room....

Not only is this store so very charming, but the people who run it are also so very charming. Chantal's father was here on this day and he was so nice. He laughed with us and joked with us and even gave us 40% off our entire purchase (rather than just the clothes, which was what the sale was.) But don't tell Chantal! I don't want to get him in trouble! haha

Crazy Weekend Part 4 - Salvation Army Santa Monica

So, out in Santa Monica, we looked up the Salvation Army in the area on our little lappy-top. This store has two storefronts side by side. The one on the right is a regular Salvation Army. There's a TON of clothes in this store and all in nice condition. They also run a sale that makes everything that is two weeks old or more half off. I couldn't find any half off stuff, but I did find a bunch of things that I bought. :)

This CD, which I am just going to break apart and make into a nice pair of earrings. :)  I love the

swirling designs on it in the holographic colors.

  This coral and white stripe shirt... It fits me ever so nicely. :) The adorable gray blob with an eye there is my first cat, Hope, investigating the situation here. :)

    This military-green colored shirt with a charming owl... And again with the Hope investigation. :)

      This awesome graphic skull t-shirt. I think I told you before, but my guy is really into skull things, so I dress in them alot. I say it's for him, but it's really for me. I loved them a long time ago, just never got to buy them. :) Woo Hoo for me!

And this skull print shirt, which is so soft and comfy and fits me to a T. I love it. I think it might be one of my top ten favorite shirts. :)

Now, the second storefront on the left is the "Boutique". This place is absolutely crammed with designer items. True Religion Brand Jeans, Rock & Republic Jeans, Chanel, Nine West, Prada, etc etc etc etc etc.

            The prices are a little expensive, but considerably cheaper than buying them retail and most of the items are NEW or like new.

I found these adorable NINE WEST shoes for only $11. They had no visible defects and look like they had barely been worn. Yay!!!

What you can get for $1 at the Swap Meet

Yep, only $1 at our local swap meet. On Wednesdays (it's like tradition now) we always find people giving their stuff away for free, We bought 2 things for $1, but everything else was completely free. We found clothes for the me, clothes for the step-kid, clothes for the step-kid's build-a-bear, AND clothes for the adorable little niece I have and nephew who will be coming along in June. These two kids are really my cousins, but their mother might as well be my sister, so I am calling them my niece and nephew... my family is funny that way. haha    I'm excited to send her the stuff, after I wash it, of course. :)

Back To Gina's - A Break In Our Regularly Scheduled Programming

     So, today the fiance and I decided to run around a bit looking for some more crafty stuff. The first thing that came into my mind was that box of beads at the "High-class Gina's" that I wanted ever so badly about a month or so ago. I had to talk the fiance into going because of the horrible experience we had with that one worker. Geez.  She had an attitude on her. lol
    Anyway, we went in about an hour before the store closes... 6 o clock is when they close, if you were wondering. We walked straight to where those beads were before and there they were, screaming "AAAAAAHHHHHHH" like a heavenly voice in my ear. Only where this one box was the angel with large spread wings, there were now several little cherubs surrounding it. Several other bags of beads and findings just waiting there for this ever so special thrifter to find. A single solitary movie style teardrop should have fallen down my face at this point. :)
   We picked up the one box and one of the other large bags and took them to the counter, which was literally 2 feet away. The woman standing behind the counter was extremely nice and greeted us. The fiance introduced himself and told her that we had seen her one time before, which we had. We talked with her briefly at "Middle-Class Gina's" at one point. She recognized us right away, or seemed as though she did... good sign :)  
    Then, the fiance started to haggle. I love this man for his haggling, let me tell you. Never in my life have I seen a man haggle so well. Anyway, he told her about this blog, which I have going on in a couple of other places as well, and how I review thrift stores, etc. We also talked about how I make jewelery. She has necklaces she wants extended. An easy task for me. :) 
   Anyway, this angel of an owner decided to make a deal with us. I won't tell you how much we got it for, but I will tell you that this was a crazy amazing deal. CRAZY. Not only did we get the box and the one bag, we got the box and 4 other bags. This deal was LUDICROUS.  I have to take back anything negative I might have said about this woman's stores. I don't believe I said anything really negative though... which is good. More Smiles!!! :) :) :)
   I can't wait to dig through Gina's again!!!

Oh, P.S. I forgot to say...  While we were checking out with Miss Gina herself, we noticed that the worked we had problems with was standing right there at the counter helping someone else!!! I don't know if she recognized us, but she didn't stick around the counter for very long, so maybe she did. Oops!

Crazy Weekend Part 3 - Cherry Picked Thrift Store

FIRST, MY FINDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    A very cute pair of Unionbay Shoes, Like New... $4.   They make my feet look so small!!! Which they are not, I assure you. They are the most average women's shoe size in America. An 8.

     A book that called to me for no particular reason. :)

And a skully hat that my step-kid is going to be SOOOOOO jealous of! I also bought a pair of skinny jeans that feel so nice and fit me perfect, but I didn't take a picture of those, since just jeans make a pretty boring photo. haha

       While I didn't find much at this store (It was for lack of looking, not lack of finding, mind you) I think this may be the single most pleasant experience I have had so far in my thrifting travels.  The sales women were SOOOO nice and cheerful. They laughed and talked with us, and it seemed with most of the people who came in while we were there. They even seemed to know several people by name! This is highly unusual. Normally, the sales women are all about that... SALES. These women seem to harbor a family attitude to all fellow thrifters, as though they run this shop for other people and not just for themselves.

     Here's a picture of the storefront, taken from the internet... as I forgot to take a picture of it... I keep forgetting to do that! (Bangs head on wall trying to make it stick!!!)

     Even on the outside, Cherry Picked looks like a wonderful little boutique. And it continues on the inside! The children's clothes and the books are all on the left when you walk in and the adult clothing is all on racks to the right. Scarves are placed nicely into baskets and hats are put in bins. Everything here feels so nice and clean and I actually saw the older woman steam cleaning the clothes that were about to go onto the floor!!! How often do you see this? NEVER. Normally, thrift stores smell like thrift stores. It's something we all have just gotten used to because of the thrill of the find. Not here though. 

     This is the place you go to find the good stuff at great prices. I saw several pairs of designer jeans for sale at rock bottom prices and tops too!!

    But to top it all off is the plate of fresh bread and pastries by the check out counter. These women actually buy or make pastries for their shoppers and give them out for FREE!

   I must say, these women have a real handle on how we thrifters would like to be treated. If you are anywhere near this store and you haven't been there yet. GO NOW. Camp outside. Wait until it opens. (Not really, but it IS that good.)

    Pardon me for forgetting names, by the way. I never can seem to remember anyone's name. Maybe I should have written it down. Ugh with all the forgetting!!!!!!!

Crazy weekend Part 2 - Vermont Ave

      On to the second part of my Friday, Vermont Ave. Let me tell you, this part was SCARY. We found 3 thrift stores on this street, but it took us forever to find them because they are miles and miles apart... and the last 2 are in South LA.... we are talking COMPTON here... you know the place you hear about... yeah, that's it.

    The first place we found was United Thrift Store... It's where I found this cute pair of brown and white shoes.

 They were overpriced, but I fell in love with them when I found them, so I bought them anyway. They had lots of clothes, but the place was DIRTY. Mostly the floors and the smell... I'm glad I wasn't wearing flip flops. Yuck.  I also found a jewelery bead storage container filled with pony beads, but I didn't buy it. I don't really use pony beads. Thinking about it now, I know I really should have bought it. I could've found a use for them, and I can always use more container to sort my beads into. I have a TON of beads and I am always accumulating more.

    Second store of Vermont Ave was Flore's Thrift Store. This place was set up in a hallway sized unit in the ghetto... in an area filled with graffiti and trash. I saw it and wanted to go in... I don't know why. I'm fearless, I guess. haha 
    As soon as I walked in, I knew I was not going to dig through all this mess he had... it felt like there was dirt in the air. I spotted this plastic beaded candle decoration and grabbed it for $1.
  I'm going to take it apart and use the wire and beads for my wedding tiara. I'm making a swarovski tiara and bouquet holder to make myself like the "ice queen" or something. haha I really want snow to be falling too, but we will see if that can happen or not.

    The last place was actually a Salvation Army, on 8601 S Vermont, and it was the worst of all. The smell wafted all the way out of the store and I almost walked out of there when I saw this shirt and loved it... don't know why.

    This place was so dirty I felt like I had to sanitize before I got back in the truck. lol