DeDivahDeals

Fashion and Fun after Fifty

Archive for the ‘Goodwill’ Category

Sweater Weather in Delaware

What do wear in Indian Summer?  It’s too cool for short sleeves but too warm for a coat however, it’s perfect weather for sweaters especially in Delaware.

sweaters thrifted from Goodwill

Sweater Weather in Delaware

The leaves are vibrant in color yet are becoming bare on a lot of trees in town, however, this one in my neighbor’s yard is just as colorful as the pairing these two sweaters together.

Autumn leaves

vibrant colors of Indian Summer

Mixing prints and patterns is like mixing sunshine with snow, bright and bold cold.

sweaters of different colors and stripes

Wearing big sweaters while driving is much better than wearing a car coat.
Best Buy Co, Inc.
sweaters vs car coats

So head over to your local Goodwill and stock up on sweaters before the first snow flake falls…because you know they are right around the corner at least they are here in Delaware!  

What’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?

wearing short sleeves and sweaters

 

 


Indian Summer and Superfoods from Snyders

Indian Summer and Superfoods from Snyders

I don’t know about you, but I am truly enjoying this time of the year, what is normally called Indian Summer. Friday was an absolutely gorgeous day once the fog lifted so short sleeves were definitely the call for the day.

Autumn attire with it’s vibrant colors, patterns and prints should always include a little Animal Print which is why I love these Jessica Simpson Peep Toe pumps. They are by far one of the best Consignment Shop finds that I have ever purchased.

Autumn and Animal Prints

Would you believe that the rest of the outfit, excluding the earrings and bracelets was also thrifted from Goodwill…yes, the purse…the skirt…and the top #totallythrifted – gotta love it!  

Saturday it rained, so I took a few bags and boxes of clothing and household items to be donated to Goodwill then picked up a few sweaters.  Stay tuned for a mini-haul vlog,  #DonateStuffCreateJobs

thrifted outfit from Goodwill

Oh and speaking of Indian Summer, have you started preparing your harvest menu for the holidays? Early Friday morning, hubby and I stopped in at Dutch Country Farmer’s Market in Middletown.  I saw some of the freshest and most colorful fruits and veggies of the season on display at Snyder’s Produce, my mouth was watering!

Farmer's Market in Middletown

Snyder's Produce

Snyders Produce

Snyders Veggies

Snyder's Produce

wonderful produce at Farmers Market

I cannot wait to make a few batches of “good ole homemade” soup with some of these beauties and as soon as the oxtails arrive, there will be a big ole pot of Slow Cooked Oxtail Stew for a weekend meal. 

Snyder's veggies green veggies at Snyder's fruit at Snyder's berries at Snyder's

What do you like most about this time of the year?

  • Colorful foliage

  • Cooler weather

  • Harvest fruits and veggies

  • Slow cooked soups and chowders

  • Family holiday meals

  • Autumn attire

  • Football

Indian Summer Sign fresh fruit at Snyder's

juice at Snyder's

Leave a comment below then get outside and enjoy more of this beautiful Indian Summer weather!


Tips for odor-free clothing {Guest Post}

Hello friends, yesterday’s Goodwill thrifting haul was very successful and I can’t wait to show you what I got, but here is a picture of a pair of cute, yet too small shoes that I didn’t get!

Goodwillde Thrift Goodwillde Thrift   

Do you remember my YouTube video in which I talked about disinfecting accessories, well in that video I failed to include a tip on how to remove odors from clothing.  

As much as I try to avoid thrifting clothes that have an odor, sometimes it’s unavoidable, especially if it’s a must-have vintage piece.  So today’s guest post from Edna Thomson gives us a few tips for removing odors from clothing whether they come from thrifting or from natural body fluids.

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dealing with stinky clothes

Having smelly clothes? You are not alone. We all experience this problem from time to time during hot summer days and sometimes all year long. Whether you like doing physical activity in the gym or you just sweat more than normal, your clothes can still be fresh using a couple of methods. Have a look. 

 

Method 1: The Vinegar Solution

Baking soda and vinegar as a laundry aid

Start by putting the drain stopper on your sink. Fill the sink with clean water. Add two cups of vinegar and soak your clothes inside. Let sit for half an hour or so. When the time is up, toss the clothes into the washing machine and run a full cycle. Hopefully, your clothes will come out fresh and odor-free.

Another way to do this is to add vinegar directly to your laundry. Ideally, you will add ½ cup or ¼ cup vinegar to the rinse cycle and let the machine do the trick. Make it two cups if you want to deal with a heavy stink.

As you know, vinegar is a natural odor remover and there is no need to explain how effective it is.

Mind you that the vinegar should not be mixed with the detergent, mainly because it will neutralize its effect. Put simply, you should add the detergent separately of the vinegar. Note that the laundry won’t come out fresh as limes, no matter how hard you’re hoping it will. However, as it dries, the bad smell will go away eventually.

Method 2: The Baking Soda Solution

Prepare a solution of water and baking soda. Just add one cup of soda and fill the rest of the sink/container with water. Then soak your clothes for about half an hour. When the time has elapsed, do as in the previous method – put your laundry in the washing machine and wash as usual, adding the detergent you usually use.

The ingredients in the baking soda will help deal with bad odors. If you need more evidence about its efficiency, let me point out one thing. Baking soda is the main ingredient in many homemade deodorants, mainly because of its ability to absorb bad smells. 

Both methods work well for smelly clothing. Whether you want to freshen your gear or your work clothes, it’s strictly a matter of personal preferences. Determine for you which of the two methods works better for you. This means that you may have to experiment before you can tell which is the most convenient.

Baking_soda_and_vinegar

Alternative Methods

But what if none of the methods works? Well, there are other options as well. Check this out:

  • There are a variety of specialty detergents which, added to the wash cycle, either along with the detergent or used separately, will make sure your clothes smell just fine when they dry. Search the stores for appropriate products and feel free to experiment. Just to name a few that may work for you, you can use Scent-A-Way, Tide Pus Febreze Sport, WIN, OdorKlenz, etc. Most of these cleaners not only remove bad odors, but also retain the color of the clothing and are used by many companies like TenancyCleaners W4.
  • Who knew that good old freezer can help you eliminate bad odors. It may sound crazy but putting your clothes in the freezer will actually deal with the bad smells. Of course, make sure you put them in a plastic bag to keep them from direct contact with the cold.
  • A natural method for dealing with the problem is to hang your clothes in the sunshine. Just make sure they are inside out. This is the greatest odor neutralizer that Mother Nature provides for us.
  • In addition to the regular detergent you use, you may want to add another solution to boost the former’s effect. For example, you can use Charlie’s Soap or borax.
  • Finally, make sure you use less detergent when washing your smelly clothes. Even though it seems illogical, it’s the best way to ensure that your stinky wash comes out odor-free. Using lots of detergent will cause build up in the fabric, which will prevent the product to work its magic.

Disclaimer: This Guest Post was written by someone other than the author of DeDivahDeals. The author of this post, has submitted their article to DeDivahDeals for the purpose of being published on this blog as a Guest Writer.


Goodwill Goodies 2 ~ Shoes and Accessories

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world.  I was just going through the videos on my YouTube channel only to realize that Episode 2 of Goodwill Goodies was never published, so I wanted to pop in to let you know that is now up and live.  I thrifted some great belts, shoes and jewelry and gave a tip on disinfecting shoes.  I also wanted to announce that starting in April, I will be writing a monthly Guest Post for the Goodwillde blog so make sure to follow it, that way you can keep up with my “5 for under $25” Goodwill hauls.

Goodwill logo

Thank you all for supporting me and my blog as well as subscribing to my YouTube channel – I now have 100 subbies – woohoo!!  Enjoy the weekend and have fun, see ya on Sunday for Brunch with Blake!

New Year ~ New You

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Saving my Suede in the Snow

Saving my Suede in the Snow

Hello friends, I hope all is well in your world. Ole’ Man Winter made an appearance earlier this month and dumped a few inches of snow across the Mid-Atlantic area. I used to love watching the snow fall, but now I hate it, driving in it is the worse…it took me over 3 hours to get to work!  I was exhausted by the time I got there and I envy folks who can telecommute…unfortunately I’m not one of them.

Most of you know that I really don’t like wearing pants to work, so in order to keep warm on extremely cold and snowy days, I’ll wear tights and a pair of my suede boots. However, not getting them wet is nearly impossible so each season I make sure to spray them with a leather and suede protector.
Best Buy Co, Inc.
Saving my Suede in the Snow

 

Suede and Leather protector This brand was purchased at Payless and it does have a strong odor, so make sure to use it in the garage or outdoors weather permitting. Now I can step deep into the snow or pose on the deck without worrying about messing up my boots.

Saving my suede

Boots || Rugged Wearhouse ~ Corduroy Skirt || Goodwill ~ Top || Rugged Wearhouse  

Wore these later on in the month

OTK boots

How is the weather in your neck of the woods?

Happy New Year ~ Happy New You!

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You Choose The Shoes | Week 7

Shoespie Sandals Up to 85% Off+$10 Coupon, Code: Shoespie10, Shop Now! 5.29th-6.2nd!

Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday.  Thank you all who voted in last week’s “You Choose The Shoes” contest.  Although both pairs were great for that outfit, there was one clear winner, the well worn Glo Wedges from Kmart!

Week 6 Shoe Winner

This week’s contenders are also well worn closet staples, I don’t even remember from where I purchased the SRO Red Mule Sandals.

SRO vs Mossimo

SRO Venice Red Mules Sandals

SRO Red Mule Sandals

Black Mossimo Black Sandals from Target

Black Sandals from Target

This comfy geometric gauze dress was thrifted from Goodwill and is perfect to wear to work or running errands on the weekend.

SRO Mules

These Red Mules matches the patio furniture cushions but the nail polishes are definitely clashing – what do you think?

Mossimo Sandals

So which pair do you choose?

Which pair do you choose?

Black Mossimo Sandals

– or –

Red SRO Sandals

Venice Red Sandals?

 

Today I’m hanging out with Whitney at her Personal Style LinkUp so come on over and check it out.

This evening I will be teaching another Blogging class for The Money School of Delaware (Monetizing Your Blog) so have a great day and we’ll chat tomorrow!

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Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!


Totally Thrifted Tuesday | OOTD

Hello Friends, I trust you all had a happy and safe holiday weekend!  I am back to work after being off since Thursday and needless to say it is tough getting back into the routine.  This outfit is what I wore last Tuesday and with the exception of the jewelry it is Totally Thrifted.

Totally Thrifted OOTD

 

You might remember when I purchased this embroidered skirt and sleeveless tank last winter at Goodwill.  It was during one of the many shopping trips I made looking for outfits for the 2014 Goodwill Runway Show.  One of the things I like most about thrifting is you can oftentimes find items that are out of season knowing that they are right for when the weather changes.  It was the dead of winter cold but I knew this skirt and tank would be perfect for work once the weather warmed.


Totally Thrifted OOTD

 

These Jessica Simpson animal print, peep-toe shoes are one of my favorite pieces from Charmingly Linda’s Consignment Shop.

Totally Thrifted OOTD

In selecting the accessories, I decided to mix plastic bracelets with pearl necklaces and earrings.  The goldtone watch is from Avon.

Totally Thrifted OOTD

 

The floral embroidery on the skirt matches the patio cushions and umbrella from Home Depot.  Speaking of which, did you have a nice Memorial Day weekend?  What did you do?  On Saturday, we had a graduation party for Malik and it was a  blast, I’ll post more on about it on Thankful Thursday.

I think I’ll head over to see the ladies at Personal Style Linkup, Thrifters Anonymous and Lou Lou Girls.  Have a wonderful day and we’ll chat tomorrow.

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

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You Choose The Shoes Week 5 | Splurge vs. Save Campaign

Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday!

Thank you all for voting last week and just as predicted it was a hard choice, but the winners were the

Payless Pumps!

Payless Pumps Win Week 4

One pair in this week’s contest is an entry into the Credit Card Insiders Splurge vs Save Campaign.

You all know that as much as I love shoes, I find it very difficult if not impossible to spend a lot of money on them, which is why I love to thrift or pay less!

So without further adieu here are this week’s choices:

Avon Black & White Forever Pumps

or

Enzo Angiolini Black Pumps

You Choose the Shoes Week 6 -DeDivahDeals

Avon Forever Pumps or Enzo Angiolini

The black and white dress was purchased last summer on clearance for only $8.00 at JCPenney. Another way to save is to wait until the end of a retail season to buy clothes, which is usually a month or so before the end of the actual season so you’ll have plenty of time to wear them.

Dress on clearance from JC Penney

Dress from JC Penney

I added pops of color to the classic black and white combination with an orange necklace thrifted new from Goodwill, orange watch from Avon and a multi-color bracelet.  

These black patent leather Enzo Angiolini pumps which I had once seen online for $59.99 at Nordstrom were thrifted from The Salvation Army for only $14.99, so they definitely were a Save vs a Splurge purchase!

watch from Avon

Okay which shoes do you choose?

Which shoes do you choose?

Today, I will be linking up with Whitney at her Personal Style Linkup and Shana at Thrifters Anonymous. Have a great day and we’ll chat tomorrow.

Stay Blessed ~ No Stress in 2014!

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You Choose The Shoes| Week 3

Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday!

The winner of last week’s “You Choose the Shoes” was the

Fioni Pumps from Kmart!

 

I don’t know about you, but I am having such a blast with this new feature, “You Choose The Shoes“.  It’s like having a bunch of friends hang out in my closet helping to chose just the right shoes for an outfit – thank you all!

This week’s choices are either Coconut wedges from Marshall’s or Nine West wedges thrifted from Goodwill.

You Choose the Shoes Week 3 007

You Choose the Shoes!

Coconut or Nine West wedges

 

The outfit is a thrifted top from GW Boutique and a cream color ShapeFX skirt from Spiegel Outlet

Nine West thrifted from Goodwill

I think these Nine West shoes are a perfect match in their color and patent leather material for this top.  What do you think?

Necklace and Earrings from Majestical Jewelry

Necklace and Earrings are from the product review that I did for Majestical Jewelry (click here).

Cutout wedges purchased several seasons ago

 

These cutout wedges were purchased several seasons ago from Marshall’s and were quite popular.  I remember seeing them posted by several fashion bloggers.

Are you ready to choose the shoes?

Are you ready to choose the shoes?

Which pair did you choose?

Which pair did you choose?  Personally, I would prefer neither because the feeling of fresh cut grass between my toes feels much better!

You Choose the Shoes Week 3

 

 Linking up with some other FABULOUS THRIFTINISTAS – Whitney Nic James, ColorBlind and DC Goodwill Fashionista!

Stay Blessed – No Stress in 2014!

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You Choose the Shoes | OOTD

Hello Friends and Happy Hump Day Wednesday!

I love the Spring and Summer seasons, not only because of the warmer weather but because of the shoes!  Sandals and open-toes are my favorites, but wedges, platforms, kitten heels, high heels, pumps, flats, it doesn’t matter, I wear them all.  

I know that I’m not alone when I say, “I LOVE Shoes“.  I’ve been known to purchase 3 different pairs all at the same time…all on the same day… AND all at the same store ~ I LOVE Shoes! Unfortunately, having only one pair of feet can cause a dilemma, the decision on which pair to wear for a particular outfit can be frustrating.  

This new blog feature, “You Choose the Shoes” is helping me by giving you an opportunity to choose the pair of shoes that I’ll wear with a particular outfit of the day.  

Okay, for this outfit which pair should I wear?

The Polka Dot sleeveless tank was thrifted from Goodwill and red Capri pants were on clearance at JC Penney?

 

Shoes

Madden Girl Polka Dots from @DSW

or

Glo Jeans wedges from @Kmart

Choose the Shoe

My hubby and son chose The Madden Girl

Wedges or Heels

I had to do one of those 3-toe polishes this morning, but I will be making an appointment for my annual Spring pedicure!

Choose the Shoe

So which one did you choose?

Choose the Shoe

Choose the Shoes

I’ll be linking up with my favorite fashionistas Whitney Nic James and Shana at  ColorBlind, so when you get a chance hop over and check out their thrifted finds.

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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