Branchbound Giveaway: Win The Abarne Necklace!

Spring has sprung, and in honour of the season I am giving away the Abarne necklace from my shop Branchbound!



This prize is for Tzipporit readers worldwide. Post up to three comments for your chance to win:

1. Leave a comment with your email address and tell me how you follow my blog (Google Reader, Bloglovin', etc.)

2. Post about this giveaway on your Twitter and comment with a link to the tweet.

3. Mention this giveaway on your blog and comment with a link to the entry.

A winner will be chosen on Monday, April 12th. Also, from now until then, I am extending a sale exclusive to my blog readers! Get 15% off your purchase at Branchbound (before shipping)! Just write TZIPPORIT in the "notes to seller" when checking out and I will refund you!

Good luck and thanks to all of you for supporting me and my blog. 51 followers so far! Yay!

The Perks of Being a Packrat

I'm really trying to be a good girl and pare down my clothes to the essential. It's taking years, and it certainly doesn't help that I still shop a lot. However, in the past few months I'm finally donating a few bags to Purple Hearts, attended two (one I hosted) clothing swap parties, and eBayed/etsied a lot of my better looking new and vintage garments. I am just now finally letting go of many of the beautiful vintage dresses I purchased in high school and inherited from my family that I hoarded for costumes for photography series in college.

One thing that is helping me finally purge is the fact that I have lost weight from when I was sixteen so a lot of these things don't even fit me anymore. On the other hand, dresses I saved even though they had never fit me that I am now willing to part with suddenly fit me like a glove. Luckily those items are in the minority and I've come out of my sorting with three gorgeous frocks.



This is one such dress. I was all prepared to sell it this week. Though this morning when I was showing it to my roommate I thought that maybe it will finally fit me. I received this dress when I was seventeen from a penpal who sent me many great thrift store finds, including Electric Warrior on vinyl. I was never able to zip it up the back so blaming my ribcage (and not the fact that I was on the chubby side) I would wear it with a corset over it for photoshoots). Today I was able to zip it up save for the first few inches at the top, which I will either continue to lose or be able to just let out a tiny bit with the help of a seamstress.



Otherwise, look how perfect it fits me! I cannot bear to part with this dress. If nothing else it would be a perfect wedding dress. The lace and the ribbon...and I'm not wearing a bra since the corset is boned, and you can't even tell. How dreamy.

The other two dresses I wanted to post about I was too lazy to put on and take pictures in, but here they are anyway:



This green floral maxi dress never fit me, even when I was 14! I was going to sell it in the early summer but I figured what the hell, tried it on, and it also fit like it was made just for me. It's the perfect length for my height and is the first dress with a long skirt that doesn't make me look stumpy. I was also surprised how perfectly it fits my boobs since this dress belonged to my mother and she was a 32A her whole life. The back is also deliciously low, it's so sexy and I love showing my back off.





Same story with this dress. Never fit me even when I was 14, was gonna sell, figured what the hell, fit me perfectly. However, this dress was purchased by my skinny dad in his 20s when he went as Joan Crawford for Halloween- ha! And that's not the only dress dad thrifted for a Halloween costume in the late 70s that I think is very pretty and fits me, my parents were into Halloween in a big way. Anyway, I love 70s take on Victorian dresses, and the detail on this one is stunning!



I really love the lace with the ribbon (a pattern is emerging I see here) and the high neckline. It's also a great length for my height, but I'm thinking of hemming it to just above the knee. Opinions? I also am not sure if I hem to leave the skirt as-is or attempt to make it a pencil skirts. Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Anyway, I am going to update my etsy shop soon with a ton of great dresses, a few blouses and pairs of shoes, and a whole bag full of hats! Stay tuned.

Things I Love Thursday

Sorry blogiverse, I know it has been a while (a week is eons on these Intertubes). I was in Lawrence visiting my gent until Tuesday night (so the only thing I was hating Tuesday was leaving...and my wicked caffeine headache, but I digress). In general, though, I have a bunch of ideas for articles for this thing, and I'm going to try to be more diligent about writing them up. I often think of these things while in my hair/makeup zone-out time or riding the train/walking around zone-out time and then once I get to a computer it's all gone.



• EZ Combs - I saw a woman on the train wearing one of these about a month ago and thought: Oh my god, how neat! It's like a comb and a snood combined! I debated asking her where she got it but didn't; luckily it turned up on a google search for "double combs" (which is also the name of a similar product. Basically you put one comb in your hair and stretch the other side around your loose/bunned/twisted hair, and ta-da. I have a glamourous hairdo in seconds, and thank god for these because my hair looks like shit down lately cos I need a haircut!

• summer drinks - On the alcoholic side I have my constant companion- Vodka tonic, the sweet Tom Collins, and the delightful $3.99 Trader Joe's Vinho Verde Espiral. It's a Portuguese green wine- a white wine with immature ("green") grapes that give it a light yet dry taste, but sweeter than other dry whites. Normally I'm a sweet Reisling fan, but I am liking the taste of this with and without food. And at that price, why not? As for non-alcoholic, if you can get thineself to a Sonic, please drink a Cherry Limeade for me.

• my shows, my precious shows - Now that I am finally all caught up with Weeds, and it seems it should be ending its 5th season in a few weeks, I am running out of things to watch...and just in time! August 16 is the premiere of Mad Men's third season, the 20th is the premiere of Project Runway's sixth season, and a hop, skip and a jump away on September 17th is the premiere of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia's fifth season. Good thing I renewed my Rapidshare account!

• assembling furniture - While in Lawrence I talked my guy into getting a desk, and then I promptly (well over the course of two days, but not my fault) put the entire thing together. And, as far as I know, it has not collapsed so I think I did a pretty good job IIMSSM. Also, since I am in a tiny tiny bedroom I have wall shelves all over, and I put them all up myself- and again, no collapsing, whoopie. I recently bought myself an electric drill/screwdriver and am itching for more things to put together. Know anyone in need of a handybird? By the way if you share my love, or at least a passing fancy, in furniture construction you must read one of my fave blogs, ikea hacker, hours of entertainment and good ideas.

• free stuff - Who doesn't love free stuff? I've been haunting Allure because of their month of free giveaways, and just poked the head in at Bionic Beauty for the first time today and got some coupons for freebies. Also my Seattle's Best Coffee coupon for a free cookie is burning a hole in my bag. Man, I'm hungry.