Charmstruck Vintage Clothing & Accessories is Now On Etsy

A few years back, I started Charmstruck as a blog for thrifters. My main goal was to share my love of thrifting with others, and to hopefully help encourage one or two towards secondhand fashion as an eco-friendly and ethical shopping alternative. It was also a way for me to combat the homesickness I was struggling with at the time. This blog gave me the distraction I needed, and also led to other wonderful opportunities, opportunities I had never expected such as a career and new friends. Eventually the Charmstruck blog helped rid of my homesickness completely, and guided me towards more confidence, and that new found confidence created wonderfully positive things for me.

One of which was Charmstruck Vintage, my small and charming shop now on Etsy, featuring vintage clothing and accessories for women and kids. My mission for Charmstruck is still the same: to establish a home for that which other's have set aside. There is so much unique beauty to be found in vintage & discarded items; I like leading people to discovering the quality cast-off that just happens to be everything they've been looking for, that just happens to be just their size. It brings meaning back to fashion; that feeling of: this was meant for me.

If you check Charmstruck Vintage out and like what you see, please give my shop a follow, and thank you in advance! Charmstruck Vintage is also on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest all of which are great ways to stay up-to-date on Charmstruck's latest finds and fashions. 

Also, if you live in or near Waukesha, WI feel free to message me on Etsy if you would like to try any items on or if you would like to schedule an order pickup to avoid a shipping fee, I am always more than happy to help!

Thanks for stopping by & visiting my new vintage shop!
Jacqueline Lee

Wore My Boyfriend's Shirt on My Birthday

My birthday was on July 1. I went home to WI for the weekend and spent time with my family and friends; cured that homesickness that always sets in - That in itself is a gift, but I also bought myself a little upcycled something-something, of course!

I wrote about my "me present" for Soul Flower, (since it's from Soul Flower) but it's thrift fashion at its best, so I wanted to share it here with all of you. I really, really like like this top! You can find this blog on their Facebook page (where more people are replying, especially if you want to join the Birthday convo) OR simply...

Click HERE to READ: Wore My Boyfriend's Shirt on My Birthday :)

Those cute white earrings were also thrifted for 40 cents! And I've been wearing them all week with pretty much everything! See, I even wore them on the Fourth of July!

Hope you've all been enjoying your thrifty summer finds as much as I have! Any item you've found lately that you just can't stop wearing?

Still Alive & Writing

A lot of changes have been taking place the last couple weeks, so I haven't had much time to write here. I miss all you bloggers out there, and will be back reading, commenting and sharing as soon as I get all settled. I haven't completely stopped blogging though, one of my latest life changes is a new job at Soul Flower. I'm their Creative Writer (Copywriter) and will be working on their product descriptions, social media, blogging, etc. It's pretty exciting because I absolutely love their eco-friendly clothing! Matching my work life with my eco interests and creative passions is AMAZING! These first few weeks have actually felt somewhat surreal.

Well, today I did my very first blog post for them, about what Penny Lane and Richard Hammond from Almost Famous would buy if they shopped Soul Flower. I really do love Kate Hudson's style and was so excited to put this blog together. Every now and then I'll share some of my other work and you can check it out if you like! Blog link:

Almost Famous: Soul-Flower Style

This post received a great response on their FB wall! Worth checking that out and answering, "If you could snag the wardrobe of any movie character, whose would it be?" Click HERE if you wanna answer!

...I can't believe I get to call this "work." Soul Flower rocks! More than I imagined.
Before I landed this job, I did an unpaid post on their eco-friendly fashions, you can check that out if you want to oogle some sweet, environmentally friendly clothes:

Sustainable Fashion: Soul-Flower

I'll be back on track with Charmstruck super soon! You haven't ridded of me, yet! ;)

Love & Happiness
Jacqueline

Thrift Shoes: Three's a Charm

Most days my thrift wanderings result in nothing too exciting, but every now and then the stars align and I find things in beautiful abundance. This weekend was overly abundant. That I-feel-like-I-should-feel-guilty, kind of abundant. I bought my years worth of heels in one day. Yet, I feel no guilt-ridden negativity, because these pretty thrift things have blinded me and put a goofball grin on my face.

To avoid any future guilt, let's place blame...

I'm gonna have to point fingers at the colors. Clearly it is their fault entirely, sitting on the shelves all brand new and bright, flaunting their cheeriness, while making unspoken promises of ending the perpetual gloom that has overtaken Minneapolis...if it wasn't for all the vibrant, enthralling colors I would be a much stronger person.  I would NOT have purchased the amount of dress shoes I buy within a year if there hadn't been all the pretty colors!

They were all thrift temptress cheap, too, even Cleopatra would have swooned...and I think that says a lot.

Oh! And the size! I blame the size.

All size 8? Oh my god, I didn't stand a chance, did I?

Who we really can blame is Johnathan.

You see, it started with the green heels; obviously they stand out in a crowd. Then I saw the red Steve Madden heels and truly got excited because I have a black pair of them at home, and they've always been a comfy favorite; they don't feel like heels at all.  I was done shopping. It was decided - I was going to get the red heels and only the red heels.

But then there was Johnathan, practically placing all 6 feet of himself on my left shoulder..."You should get them both!" and then seconds later exclaiming, "Look at these!" as he dangled a pair of purple strap Gap wedges before me...and then a gray pair of heels trimmed in yellow. A devilishly handsome grin spread across his face; I should have turned away, but being that strong, well, it just isn't any fun.

So I tried them all on. Each and every temptress. Of course they all fit.

I once again declared I'd be getting just the ONE pair, but then Johnathan said what every girl would want him to say, "But, I really like that green pair." (me too!) "And those purple ones, I know you'd wear those a lot." (i would!)

That's when I stood for a solid 5 minutes staring at my thrift train of shoes, listening to both the good Jacqueline, and the bad.  The Good Jacqueline knows I've never purchased that many shoes in a day - in my life. I estimate I might buy one pair of heels a year, like the Polka Dot Steve Madden pair I love so much.  I also wear them not only with dresses, but jeans too. I take them to more than one ball, so to say. The Bad Jack knows this and was milking it for all it was worth: you could sleep in them, wear them with a robe; ladies in the 50's did that, right? You could wear 'em everywhere, everyday; heels are the new tennis shoe - minus the comfort - how could you not want them?! A sexy lady deserves sexy heels!

....the bad me is always so flattering.
Bad boys are, too.

In the past I have admitted I am spoiled, and I am here to admit it again. I decided on one pair. I honestly did. But Johnathan then decided to buy the other two pairs of heels for me. At the checkout counter he still had that devilishly handsome grin on his face.

It's not my fault I picked a great boyfriend is it? Pretty sure we could blame that on him anyways...

Red: Steve Madden, Purple: Gap (never worn), Green: Unknown (never worn)

Besides, they always say every girl likes a bad boy, and they also always say three's a charm.
It's not my fault I listen well, is it?? ;)

I'm just a Charmstruck girl living in a charm-filled world, and my closet's a little brighter because of it.

At least I turned away the gray pair, the black pair and the brown pair...I still sorta, kinda got a grip on things, right? Lol

Similar Posts:

Polka Dot Heels I Heart

Hiding, Stalking, Thrifting

Sustainable Fashion: Soul-Flower

I've discovered an eco-friendly online boutique based out of Saint Paul, Minnesota that has some unique, funky-fun pieces. It's called Soul-Flower, and they offer eco-fashions for men, women and children.  If thrifting secondhand goods isn't quite your thing, but you still want to aide in the Earth's sustainability, organic and hemp clothing are the way to go -- they're very easy-going on the environment. If you're looking for some new clothes with bohemian flair, (minus the materialistic guilt), Soul-Flower is the online shop for you. 

Here are a few of my favorites (All photos below are via Soul-Flower):

 Closer Look

Without a number one hit on the radio or their hooters in a centerfold, owls have achieved a legendary level of fame. Impressively enough, they've won us with their wide-eyed wisdom alone, soaring over geekdom and straight onto popularity! If this adorable owl tank dress couldn't make me cool, nothing ever will. ;)

But the one I really dig is this Raine Tie Dye Hemp Dress. I practically live in dresses in the summertime because I like staying cool and hate having fabric cling to me -- I look at this dress and I immediately feel that cool, summer evening breeze.  I love the loose, flowy feel and, as we all know, I have a hard time passing by those soulful blues.

Take a Hike & Hunter S. T-shirts

Beyond having great looks for the ladies, Soul-Flower has a ton of really cool men's organic tees.

This Vibrate Buddha Tee is especially unique and eye-catching. The vibration effect is caused by closely paired double lines, a visual trick that is sure to be a conversation starter! Another plus side, beyond being awesomely fashionable, is that these organic T-shirts are incredibly soft and comfortable!

Hemp clothing, such as these stylish pants, is a smart, eco-friendly fabric choice. Hemp uses less resources such as land and water, and unlike many other plants, hemp actually revitalizes the soil as it grows.  It's also insanely durable, and is known to have three times the strength of cotton fibers!  And, did you know, hemp is UV and mold resistant? Yeah, it's a pretty versatile, benifical and amazing plant!  The environmental benefits of hemp go far beyond what I've listed above...if I get into it all now, this blog post would never end!

Which is why the products Soul-Flower has to offer are well worth our pretty pennies! So even if buying secondhand isn't quite your thing, there are other environmentally beneficial ways to shop and stay sensibly fashionable.

On that note, I leave you with one last piece of eye-candy:

 

This artsy Ski Girl Skirt is on sale! And these recycled wood earrings in teal (only $12.99) are absolutely stunning! They pair well together, which makes it all the more tempting, don't you think?

"Cool threads for kind heads" is Soul-Flower's signature tagline, which is perfectly suiting; if you want your fashion sense to match your sensibility I do believe this is the online shop for you.

I definitely dig it!