Et-Cetera Shoppe -- Eureka, IL #4 & #5, & Upscale Resale -- Morton, IL #1

I've got myself backed up a bit since my dad's been in the hospital. I have an Et-cetera s trip that's going to be permanently missing. I'm a bit out of the swing of things, but let's see what happens! Ha...

ET-CETERA SHOPPE #4

I discovered this vintage children's mirror (circa mid-1960s or 1970s?) in the health and beauty section of the store. I thought it was cute, even though it was a little aged on the side with the image and the side where the actual mirror was located. I particularly enjoyed the little mod girl's oversized hat... Children's hand mirror. Vintage. Used. $1.00.

Brown Reebok dance shoes aren't normally something I would go searching for at the store, but I've been taking fencing lessons and was looking for something that was easier to bounce around and lunge at people in. They were my size, so it was pretty hard to pass up. Reebok dance shoes. New without tags. $3.50.

I'm a connoisseur of overpriced designer jeans. Especially in the secondhand shopping world. I tend to find them in strange places. I found this denim skirt at the Et-Cetera Shoppe for a phenomenally low price. Hippie Jeans denim skirt. Like new. $2.75.

ET-CETERA SHOPPE #5

Good sunglasses are hard to come by, especially when you're shopping the way I shop. These glasses aren't anything really special, but I liked the shape and style. So I got them, and at a price that can't very easily be beat. Sunglasses. New without tags. $0.10.

If you've ever seen a picture of me (in colour), you'll notice that I'm very pale and have red hair. Green is definitely my colour. I tried this dress on, and it was perfect. I had to have it, even though it was a little pricier than the Et-Cetera Shoppe usually marks things. Green Coldwater Creek party dress. Like new. $7.00.

I adore designer bags. I always carry one. And they're NEVER fake. Ever. That's why I was extremely happy to find this Dooney and Bourke bag at Et-Cetera. Even more so when I inspected it to find that it was in near perfect condition AND it wasn't a fake. Dooney and Bourke bag. Used but clean. $6.00.

UPSCALE RESALE -- MORTON, IL #1

This dress was too phenomenal to pass up. 'Nuff said. I tried it on and it was beyond perfect. The length, the size, everything was just right. It was even on sale for half off (original price was $20). Jessica McClintock spring dress. Used but clean. $10.00.

Hope you all enjoyed my purchases as of late. Keep on thriftin' and I will too! Feel free to post your awesome secondhand salvages in comment form! I always enjoy seeing other peoples' finds. Have a great week!

Love,

Raven D.

Hard to Concentrate

Sorry I've failed to update my blog for a while. My father has been in the Intensive Care Unit at OSF and I've spent most of my time there. It's hard to concentrate on much of anything when you're in a place so filled with mourning and fear...

Raven

Et-Cetera Shoppe -- Eureka, IL #3

I went back again, as I do every weekend. My limit was $10. I stayed well under that limit.

I found these absolutely awful frog earrings. They're sure to get a laugh. Especially since they have googley eyes. My ridiculously silly friends will get the joke... Horrible googley eyed frog earrings. Sanitized. Used. $0.50.

These are either stone or glass, not that I want to find out the hard way. They look as though they are supposed to be jade, but one can never be too sure at a secondhand store. I thought they would look good with something I own... Jade (?) earrings. Sanitized. Used. $0.50.

This pair of sneakers is sort of the gem of this day's purchases. Brown plaid Rocket Dog sneakers to go with my vintage look. Rocket Dog tennis shoes. New out of package. $3.00.

It seems I should have gone with a darker background for this item, but oh, well. It's a vintage uniform shirt with a fabulous shape to it. I can't wait to find a random reason to wear it. White uniform shirt. New vintage. $2.75.

Last, but certainly not least, have you noticed the backdrop I used for all of these images? I got it on the same trip! It's white polyester, it was a tad dirty, but it was worth what I paid for it so I can have a consistent background. 1 1/4 yards of white polyester material. Used. $0.30.

The Et-Cetera Shoppe - Eureka, IL (Yes, Again...)

As this is my favourite second hand store in the area, you'll be seeing a lot of posts from this store. But don't, fret, I promise there were some fabulous finds today! My limit was $15.00 and I spent $13.46.

Forever 21 isn't the most expensive or exciting store on planet earth, but as their sizes run phenomenally small (typically a medium = size 2), I have a hard time finding clothes that fit me there, unless they're in a much larger size that I usually wear, leaving me feeling bad about my purchase. But this time, I found something at Et-Cetera from Forever 21 that fits me and isn't a Juniours 2x... Little black dress, here we come! Size Medium Forever 21 Twist little black dress. Like new. $3.75.

My favourite bank, which is shaped like an old red phonebooth from the UK, recently had a cork explosion. I've been holding it together with tape and hoping for the best. Today, I can retire it as a trinket for my shelves and use a more practical bank! It is hardwood, Fair Trade from an artisan in India, and has a lock and key. Serrv Fair Trade bank from India. New with tags. $2.00.

Anyone who knows me knows that I live in vintage jewelry. I spotted this in the front jewelry case and had to have it. Its missing a couple of very small stones, but that's a price I'm willing to pay for antique jewelry. It used to be a brooch as well as a charm, but it appears that the pin was broken off the back. It's still incredibly beautiful. Charm and necklace. Vintage. Used. $1.75

I read a lot of classic novels and plays, and I get a majority of them at secondhand stores. I found a couple of them today at bargain prices. The inside is what matters, so if the book is a little cosmetically damaged, I don't tend to mind. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Used. $0.30. As You Like It by William Shakespeare. Vintage. Used. $0.15.

Fossil makes watches that tend to last quite a while and are unique looking. I found this one today and it has the appearance of showing the inner workings of the watch through the face, which I found quite amusing, and it worked, unlike most of the other watches on display... Ladies Fossil watch. Used. $3.00.

There are a few things I purchased which aren't quite as noteworthy as the rest of my posts, but here's the scoop:

I am very picky about the appearance of my leather shoes, so I polish them and watch their upkeep very closely. I found a shine brush today at a fabulous price. Pure horsehair shoe shine brush. Vintage. Like new. $0.10.

Once again, I found a pair of earrings. These aren't cute or unique, but they'll look great with the dress I bought. Black dot earrings. Sanitized. Used. $0.25.

It would have been a bit hard to show this one, since all you would have seen was my camera and my hand, but I found a small (5") freestanding mirror with two sides, one normal, and one magnifying. I had been looking for one, so it was quite a deal! 5" freestanding magnifying mirror. Used. $1.25.

So, those were my most recent findings. Please feel free to comment and post YOUR second hand shopping spree findings! Keep on recycling!

--Second Hand Raven

Et-Cetera Shoppe -- Eureka, IL

I went on a hunt today and found very little. But what I did find made me smile. Today's shopping trip had no limit, but I only spent a little over $5.00 with tax.

Remember Advantix: Advanced Photo System Film and Cameras? This is an old Advantix camera. The film is still in production, so it is still useful. The main reason I bought it, was because it still had an old roll in it. Seems strange to sell a camera with someon

e else's pictures still loaded on it. I guess we'll find out who they were later... Konica Revio-CL Advantix camera. Used. $0.75.

Yet another Advantix camera. I've been on sort of an Advantix kick lately. The benefit of these cameras, thanks to the fact that they

were the short-term precursor to the modern digital camera, they have a more up-to-date display and load style. The film only goes in one way and all it takes is the user dropping the roll in. There is no feeding or wasted film. It's all do

ne by the camera itself. The system also enabled the photographer to create panoramic, classic, or high definition images. If you want to know more, go here. Vivitar Z360ix Date Advantix camera. Used. $1.00.

Who else enjoys a good mystery? I found this sweater on a rack with no size tag, no brand tag, and no care and content labels. It's kelly green (one of my favourite colours) and it's a cardigan. That is all that is known about this sweater. Green sweater. Used. $2.00.

This might make me a horrible person, but I enjoy watching older episodes of South Park from time to time. I'm not such a big fan of their current shows, due to their unnecessary level of filthy content, but I enjoy the the first few seasons because, despite their crass nature, they always contained a fantastic moral. I found volume 5 of season 1, which I had been missing. It contains the episodes Starvin' Marvin and Mecha-Streisand. South Park vol. 5 VHS Tape. Used in package. $1.00.

Last, but certainly not least are the earrings I found. It seems that every time I go to the Et-Cetera Shoppe, I find earrings. This time, I found hot pink bicycles. They're tiny, they're cute, and they're just right. Bike earrings. Sanitized. Used. $0.50.

I've decided to start a new blog of sorts called "Second Hand Shopping Spree." Here are my rules of the shopping spree:

1. The price paid will always be stated and will always be 100% accurate, no rounding up or down.

2. The best items will be posted with pictures, the lesser items will be posted as well, but images won't be neccesary.

3. The status(es) of the item will always be stated. Statuses are as follows:
New with tags
New in package
New without tags
New out of package
New vintage
Like new
Used in package
Used but clean
Used
Vintage
Sanitized

4. Updates will be posted in form of comments. Updates may be about the use of an item, an item going to charity, an item up for grabs, or if it was used for a unique situation or a special event/occasion.

5. In the event that an item is put up for grabs, the first person to post a comment saying that they want it gets it. If you are the first to tell me that you want it, send me a private message with your real name and address. It will be shipped to you or handed to you (depending on how far away you live and how well I know you) within 3 weeks. If you fail to send me your address, it goes to the next person who commented, and so on.

6. You, the reader are challenged to do the same thing. If you do, tag me in your post! I hope to see other people finding awesome things second hand!


Thanks, ladies and gents!









Raven X. Dies