A designer belt is a great way to posh up a bread and butter outfit. The last two designer belts I've purchased was a GG Gucci belt from an outlet mall...

...and the one I most recently bought is a black elastic Prada waist belt for under $40 off Poshmark!

The thing these belts both have in common is that they were wayyy too big when I originally bought them. You can get a lot of clothing items altered, but the great thing about belts is that they are so easy to alter yourself, or super cheap to take into a cobbler! The Gucci belt was way too long, so I took it into a shoe cobbler who only charged me $5 to add a couple more holes and trim the end of the belt off. 

The Prada belt consists of an elastic piece that I had to take about six inches of material away from. I didn't want to actually cut up the elastic band in the event I wanted to do anything different with the belt in the future (or gained weight lol) so what I did is, I sewed u where I would want the belt to end with dental floss, then sewed down the ends for a cleaner look. Almost looks like a bow!

A great way to find some killer designer deals is to start looking outside your usual size!

I would definitely consider myself the queen of the sale rack (trademark pending ;)) so I've had my share of good and bad sales purchases. It can be really tempting to make a quick purchase just because the price is so low! But when you do this enough it can really add up price wise, and if you are making purchases that you aren't totally in love with it can contribute to the negative effect our shopping habits are having on the environment. I've tried to be smarter when shopping clearance items, and have shared a few questions you should think about to avoid any regret!

Yeah the price is low, but WHY is this particular item on sale? Is there an irregularity? Are there many like this on the sale rack? Is the fit off (ie try it on!)? If none of these apply, maybe the style was just not very popular with the masses, or it is an off return. 

I've found a lot of one off items on the sale rack have some sort of damage (usually stain or a hole) Don't let this scare you off! Story time: I found a beautiful, classic, silk button down Theory shirt for $10 at Marshalls on clearance! However, I noticed it had a 1/2 inch pen mark along the side. But luckily I knew that hairspray magically erases ink from silk! I often see makeup also on sale items. These can also be easily cleaned out of clothing!

This is something I constantly have to ask myself. What do I like better, the price or the item? Would I even pick this up if it wasn't on the sale rack? This takes a lot of honesty on your own part.

Something very important to me currently is creating a versatile wardrobe. So when shopping the sale rack I want to make sure this is a valuable addition to my closet, not just a purchase to make because it is cheap. If I can imagine three outfits with completely different items from the pieces I already own, I am more interested in purchasing. 

As I expand my reselling business and learn more about how we shop and get rid of our clothing, I'm looking more at my own purchases when it comes to the longevity of the item in the my closet. Is this a trend item (ie only "in" for a short amount of time) or is it a classic wardrobe builder? There is no shame when it comes to buying trendy items, but it is worth the time to consider whether the trend is at the beginning or end of its trajectory. If this trend has been around for a while, is the price of the item worth it? On a side note, when you are ready to get rid of those trendy items, always donate instead of throwing in the trash. :)

Happy Friday!

​It's been a few months since taking Fancy Free blogging and thrifting full time, and I've found it definitely takes a variety of platforms to build a consistent and appealing business! I wanted to share a few of the apps and tools I've been really utilizing that really helps building a business just a whole lot easier. 

Canva is a design platform that provides a variety free of templates to create everything from logos to flyers and thank you cards. I made the new Fancy Free logo through Canva and also use it to make cute phrase photos for Pinterest. 

Since I travel a lot, I utilize Fancy Free's outlook email to take advantage of the office products included that are saved on the cloud. I can work on blog posts from anywhere, and can update my inventory spreadsheet whenever and wherever I sell items. 

I am new to utilizing Pinterest for Fancy Free, but I have found the free business analytics to be really help in assessing how, who, and when my pins are being utilized. All you have  to do is sign up your account as a business and then you have tons of info at your fingertips!

Instagram has become incredibly important for growing a business, and a consistent and storytelling feed is essential for grasping the attention of followers and soon to be customers. Plann is great for planning your future Instagram photos to ensure all photos mesh well and are consistent, so when someone new looks over your profile all they see is one beautiful story! 

I utilize this app way more for thrifting, but it a great way to log all the miles you drive for business, so when tax time comes you are eligible to get back the biggest refund for the miles you drove and the wear you put on your car. It's super easy, and logs the miles every time you start driving automatically. All you do in the end is swipe whether each drive you took was personal or business. The rest is done by the app!

I tried to learn all the nifty systems and multiple apps that a lot of bloggers utilize to edit their photos, but I prefer more real photos. I've really been able to utilize the photo's editor that comes with Microsoft because it offers a variety of tools, including the ability to edit lighting, color, warmth, and completely erase any blemishes. Easy and in one app!

​Thank you for reading! I would love to hear the free apps and tools that help you with blogging or running your business!

You've seen these shades through most of my posts since the break and I'm finally going to share the where and how!

If you've seen my everyday makeup routine (if not watch it here!), you'll know that a large part of my makeup collection comes from Clinique. <3 Their products are high quality, last all day, and are also good for your skin. How can you not love that?

Well yeah, Clinique products are more expensive than your drugstore beauty buys, so that IS something to NOT love. Sometimes it can be hard to justify spending 5x the price on a higher end brand. But if you shop Clinique like I do, you can get a whole lot more beauty for your buck!