Secret S*T*ASHH: Frugal Finds


First photo shoot with the new hair in the new year, Cheers to 2013! Hair cut & colored by the talented Ava at Tiger Lily Salon

Like most people who are really into the lovely world of fashion, I tend to be a bit of a shopaholic. I will spend hours, if not days shopping if you allow me. I tend to spend most of the time just browsing though, I really love digging through the rough and finding the hidden treasures you may have never noticed if you wouldn't have taken that extra bit of time. It's all about the right price as well. I have no problem paying full price for my favorite independent designers to keep them in business and making magical creations but you will NEVER catch me paying full price for 'fast fashion' retail. ~~BARF~~! (side note: in case you do not know, fast fashion is when retailers take unique or high-end designs and make cheaper/factory made versions of them) I do work in a mall so I tend to stop in and dig through clearance racks in some retailers like Forever21 and H&M. From time to time I get lucky and discover something that's just the right price. If it's not exactly how I like it, I try to recreate it and make it into something more appealing. That's the main reason I love going to thrift stores or buying items waaay marked down from the original price, I don't feel so bad totally destroying it and recreating my own design with it.

Before & After Photos of Buttons

I found this jacket on clearance at Forever 21 for $12 but the buttons on it were atrocious plastic gold. So I went to the local fabric store and they were having a sale on buttons, it worked out perfectly. I was able to purchase 22 buttons for $11, which means I spent a total of $23 on a brand new jacket! So happy I decided to purchase it, even if the original buttons weren't great... easy fix!


NEW BUTTONS!

Tan Jacket- Forever21
Bottle Necklace- Handmade by Myself
Cowl Neck Sweatshirt- Farinaz Taghavi
Brown Leather Boot- Thrift Store
New Buttons- Fabric Store


'Watch Maker's Spare Parts' Close up of the necklace I'm wearing in the previous photo, made by myself... Out of a mini bottle, watch parts, and wire.


I was very self conscious about my right eye during this shoot cause it was super swollen and gross. But Sarah did an amazing job shooting and you could not even tell at all! Thank you Sarah!! Plugs from UK Custom Plugs

You will notice that a good chunk of the photo's on my blog will be taken by Sarah Trickler from Sarah Trickler Photography. She is a very dear friend of mine and we work on tons of projects together. We make a fabulous team because we have very similar interests and ideas. When shooting together we are constantly throwing ideas back and forth and usually something epic comes from it!

Sarah & I being silly at the craft store in between sets

After a day of shooting and adventuring in the cold and fog we decided it was time to bring it inside and play with some lights for a project Sarah has been working on. This ties in with her photos 'Hidden Powers' and 'Hidden Sight', check them out! She titled one of the photos below 'Magica Occulta Lux' which means 'Magic of Hidden Light'. Her friend Jason came up with this title and the series of photos using the 'fairy berry' lights and giant fire balls are dedicated to him, you rock Jason!

The flower was something Sarah picked up at the craft store and the feathers in my hair were purchased off etsy. This gorgeous dress was created by Discerpo Necto Decrepitus. The necklace was made by Sarah herself, you can purchase her creations on her etsy page by clicking here.