**(Mini) Blog sale!** Cleaning out my closet!

Do you ever have a few items that you hold onto and hold onto, because they are really cute and you don't want to let them go? but then time passes, and for whatever reason, you rarely end up wearing them, if at all?

I feel this way about a few items in my closet for sure! As I was looking through my closet to take an inventory of what I will need for spring and summer, my eyes kept falling on a few things that I like, but for whatever reason just don't work for me or haven't been worn. (Okay, and I also decided that if I sold a few things, maybe some of the guilt I have over splurging at Piperlime's "Give & Get" will go away...;))

How this will work

1. If you are interested in an item, e-mail me at Misshark122 at aol dot com - use the item description as the subject line. Items are reserved first come first serve.

2. I will accept payment only through paypal: use the same e-mail address as shown above.

3. Shipping - I will ship USPS priority mail, which you will receive within 2 weeks. Shipping will vary depending on the item weight, but I will always ship the cheapest possible way. For the dresses and top, I anticipate shipping to be approximately $6, for the shoes, a little more because of weight. I will scan the receipt for you so you see exactly what I paid.

OK, here we go... not too many things at this point.

Item #1. Banana Republic Navy & White Striped Dress - on trend with Spring & Summer's nautical theme!

Size: XS
Fabric: 95% Rayon, 5% Spandex
Made in Vietnam, Hand wash or machine wash cold, gentle cycle
Worn once, item is in "like new" condition, no snags, no holes, absolutely no imperfections.
ASKING PRICE: $20



Item #2. Banana Republic Blue Dress - very pretty bright blue, great for spring and summer!

Size: XS
Fabric: 93% Rayon, 5% Spandex
Made in Vietnam, hand wash or machine wash cold, gentle cycle
Never worn (aside from trying it on and off), like-new condition, no snags, no imperfections
ASKING PRICE: $20




Item #3. Express Floral Dress
Size: 4
Fabric: 100% Silk shell, 100% polyester lining
Dry clean only
Worn once for a wedding, like-new condition, no defects or imperfections
ASKING PRICE: $15




Item #4. Anthropologie Navy Ric Rac Brand Sweetheart Ruffle Shirt

Size: S
100% Cotton, machine wash cold
Worn once or twice, in like-new condition, no defects or imperfections
ASKING PRICE: $15




Item #5. Banana Republic Brown Leather Espradille Wedges - on trend for spring and summer!

Size: 8 1/2
Brown leather upper with Espradille "straw style" wedge
Lightweight and solid, comfortable, good quality
Worn probably once for a few hours!
ASKING PRICE: $40





Item #6. Ann Taylor Deep V-neck Crimson Top
Size: S
Fabric: 96% Viscose, 4% Elastene
Machine wash
Worn once or twice, like new condition, no issues or imperfections - this fabric is very nice and soft, comfy
ASKING PRICE: $10




That's all for now. I have a few other things I KNOW I should part with, but I just can't bring myself to yet.

If you are interested in any of the above, be sure to e-mail me to reserve.

Thanks!

Huangshan (Yellow Mountain), Anhui Province, China

The Walkway


This is how they carry up supplies to the hotel at the top. It is back breaking work and they do it for 15 USD a day.


And a last glimpse


There is a saying that once you see Huangshan, you don't need to see the 5 most famous mountains in China.

Donate directly to the Japanese Earthquake & Tsunami Relief Efforts

Many thoughts and prayers to everyone in Japan affected by the devastating earthquake and tsunami. If you want to donate directly to the relief efforts in Japan, you can do so with the Red Cross.

CLICK HERE to donate specifically to the Red Cross relief efforts in Japan.

Adventures in custom tailoring

A couple friends and I set out early Saturday morning to Beijing's largest fabric market. This fabric market is located in Beijing's Fengtai district, near the Muxiyuan long distance bus station. It is called Muxiyuan fabric market, 木樨园纺织品市场 in Chinese.
It is filled with stall after stall of fabric - every type imaginable. Not many foreigners venture out this way, so the prices are low.

I didn't go with anything in particular in mind, but I stumbled across a print that reminded me of exotic, far away places and beach destinations. I'm always drawn to exotic looking prints like ikat or batik.


I decided I didn't have anything to lose, as I paid less than 10 dollars for enough meters of fabric to make myself a beach tunic/swimsuit cover up. The colors are more vibrant in real life and sort of fade into each other. The fabric is a light linen-y type fabric, very lightweight and slightly sheer with one layer.

Now I just have to find a picture of what I want and bring it to the tailor... who is currently making me a shift dress and a pencil skirt out of some super 120s wool fabric I bought a couple months ago - for $39 USD total. Basically, for $55 USD (fabric plus tailoring) I will have a pencil skirt and a shift dress completely tailored to my body, in the fabric and design of my choosing. Pretty awesome, huh?

Anyway, back to the issue at hand - which tunic style should I have them re-create?

Should I have some unique edging added to the neckline, bottom of the sleeves, and hem of the tunic, like this Milly Cabana Tunic?


Or just have them create a simple, casual design like the one below?


Or this shape?


Any thoughts?

I'll post pictures of my tailor-made shift, pencil skirt, and tunic when I receive the finished products!

ETA: Another picture of the fabric so you can see that it is actually pretty sheer.

Hong Kong help!

HI everyone - currently planning a trip to Hong Kong and hoping for some help from my readers! If you've been, what area is the best place to stay in? Hong Kong seems huge and I'm having a hard time figuring out where to stay.

Thanks for the help!