Six Items Challenge: the Bag Lady

I finished grading the second stack of papers on A Doll House about 2 p.m. Saturday and decided to celebrate with an impromptu Arm Party.  In real life, I seldom wear any of the bracelets and bangles I own because whether I'm blogging or teaching, they get in the way of what I need to do on my computer.   I still didn't leave them on for long...as the weight of them collectively was pretty heavy and I couldn't bend my wrists.

At left, you'll see the donations I took to the thrift store Saturday afternoon.  When I did my wardrobe inventory, a couple of weeks ago, I was embarassed enough by what I listed that I did not reveal how much I had weeded out as well.  In this pile there are 8 pair of shoes, 11 tops, 8 pair of pants, 5 dresses, 8 skirts, and 3 sweater vests.

Also, not revealed would be those items (about 50 now) I've separated out with thoughts of an eventual  eBay and/or Etsy store.  I had never seriously considered such a possibility until early in June, DH and I attended an auction.  We bid on the umbrella you saw in the last post, and another box of things which proved to contain a number of vintage fans, kid leather gloves, and silk scarves.  The wheels began to turn...  But to make this a reality, I seriously need to pick the brains of those of my blogger friends who have some experience with this.  I've made purchases from both eBay and Etsy, the learning curve to SELL may prove to be very stiff.

Sunday, I wore this--which I considered a bit of a fail.  In my imagination, it was cute, although in retrospect I probably should have taken the time to baste the two scarves together and wear them with a black bandeau rather than the beleaguered black tee.

And Today, Monday, I decided to wear all 6 items at once, just for contrast with those first few photos in which I wore no accessories.  As I piled the layers on, I found myself thinking about an encounter I had over 30 years ago with a "bag lady" in Grand Central Station.  She had claimed a pew in the central waiting area.  As those of you who've been there know, these pews are long--likely a hundred feet in length.  When another passenger dared to take a seat on her pew, she let loose with a string of foul language unlike any I'd ever heard before and it echoed loudly off the high ceilings.  I was petrified...and yet, that woman who carried all her worldly possessions with her, or wore them, remains in memory today.

Of course, I didn't wear them all day. My grades are turned in and I have "inventory" to build for my imaginary shop...so in actuality, here's what I wore to shop...the bag's from Morroco.  A place I'd love to visit.

I hope to do a post that recaps all the looks I've worn in the past month(there are MORE than 30) as well as a bit of meditation on what I've learned from the challenge. But I first want to extend my hearty thank you to all the readers who stuck with me through what could have a very boring and lonely exercise. I especially want to thank those who made a contribution to Labour behind the Label and for those who sent surprise packages that ensured I had plenty to work with during the challenge.