Pocketful of Joules

I think it’s pretty clear that I wish I was a Rockstar.

I mean, give me a pair of studded motorcycle boots, some dark denim and a microphone and I’m a happy girl! As it is, my day job is NOT being an actual Rockstar, so I do need to dress a little less Living on a Prayer and more Marketing Queen.

With that being said, I like to add a touch of fun to my clothing… so when I saw this sad denim jacket for just $8, I thought I could refurbish it a bit.

It already had some fun bedazzling going on the shoulder area, but it had lost some of it’s fun with just splotches of glue left behind.

First things first, I bought a pack of 100 black metal studs. I searched and searched Amazon for the exact kind I wanted – I didn’t want them to be too pointy, or too flat… I wanted the Goldilocks of metal studs. And I found them here: https://amzn.to/2NYfmph for just $6.

I used my pocketknife and scraped off the remaining glue, as well as ripped off any other loose bedazzled pieces. Then, I just started adding new black studs. They have four super stabby bits on the bottom of them, so I poked them through and then used my pocketknife to squish the pointy bits down.

I’d then rub my finger over the squished inside to make sure that it wouldn’t catch on my clothing or stab me and did some extra squishing when necessary.

Then I kept going. And going. And going until I felt like I had enough studs on the jacket.

Here is my finished product:

And here it is on me:

I wore it to work last week and then left it at the office so I always have a topper to keep me warm on those chilly office days. I mean, a jean jacket looks good with basically every outfit… but a STUDDED jean jacket makes me feel like a marketing ROCKSTAR!

Disclaimer: This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

Cable & Gauge Gray beaded cardigan, $8

Poshmark sales post:

I bought a pretty black beaded Cable & Gauge cardigan 7 years ago when I was pregnant with Jack because I wanted a fun way to make my boring maternity tops look a little snazzier. Well, that sweater has been in heavy rotation, so I decided to do a little Poshmark search for something similar. I came across this grey version for just $8 and it looked to be in perfect condition, so I went ahead and snapped it up.

Here it is in action:

It is exactly what I was hoping for and I plan on wearing this lots and lots with dresses and tops throughout the year.

Good HYOUman Sweatshirt, $30

Poshmark sales post:

I was walking through Nordstrom a few weeks ago and a display of Good HYOUman sweatshirts and t-shirts caught my eye. I went over to fondle them (of course) and they were so freaking soft that I wanted to throw one on and immediately snuggle up with my dog. I saw this one and this one. Instead of dropping $74 on a comfy-at-home shirt, I added the brand to my Poshmark stalking list. Within a couple days, I saw this one listed for $36 and I made a $30 offer which was accepted.

Here it is in action:

As I’d hoped, it’s PERFECT for lounging!

Rebecca Minkoff Maddox Booties, $76

Poshmark sales post:

This one is my score of the season! I’ve been in love with these badass booties since last year, but could not justify the $195 price tag. They would occasionally pop up on Poshmark and sell for $90 – $120, so when I see a pair in my size I’ll “like” it and wait to see if the seller sends me a better offer. I got lucky this time and the seller offered me a private discount of $76 and I hit BUY so fast I’m sure their head was spinning.

Here they are in action:

I’ve already worn them once and they certainly add a little skip to my step.

Have you had any recent Poshmark scores? Feel free to share in the comments!

If you’ve been meaning to try out Poshmark, I have a special invite code that you can use. Just open a Poshmark account and enter the code POCKETFULOFJOUL to get $5 off your first order.

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. If you choose to use my special Poshmark code to sign up for an account, you will get $5 off your first order and I will also get $5 off a future order.  This post contains ShopStyle affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you

August was not a great thrifting month for me.. .but not for lack of trying! I actually did make a few thrifting stops during the month, but walked away empty handed time and time again. I’m not sure if it is because I’m getting pickier or if there just wasn’t as much great stuff to pick from.

Actually… I do think it’s because I’m really happy with my current wardrobe so I’m getting super picky about any additions.

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

I ended thrifting two items this month:

Chico’s open cardigan, $9

First up is this pretty moss green open cardigan from Chicos. It still had the original tags on it and had never been worn, so I didn’t mind paying ‘up’ for it at $9 dollars. It’s super lightweight and I already wore it to work once:

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A post shared by pocketfulofjoules (@pocketfulofjoules) on Aug 23, 2019 at 4:01am PDT

Halogen sleeveless top, $5

On my last thrifting trip of the month, I ended up finding this pretty burgundy Halogen sleeveless top. Dressing room pic with Jack judging my outfit… Halogen is a Nordstrom brand and similar tops sell for around $60. This one has some pretty fall colors and sparkly thread running through the design. I’ll wear this one with a sweater and jeans for Casual Friday and probably tucked into a skirt for other workdays.

I’d love to hear your thrifting stories! Did you find a diamond in the rough (literally or figuratively)?

My plan was to share this post last week, but then I got all in a tizzy about the Anthropologie Labor Day sale and pushed it to this week. As you all know, I find it helpful to take a look back at the month’s outfits to decide which ones are working and which ones need a little help.

This month we had some winners and we certainly had some losers…

{You can see my previous Work Style posts here}

Let’s take a look at August:

Week One

It was easy to pick my favorite outfit of this week, because I’m totally obsessed with my new ModCloth x Dupenny Ikebana skirt (you can find it here). I don’t typically shop at ModCloth unless I’m looking for a swimsuit, but when I received a 40% off coupon in the mail I didn’t want to waste it. I paired the skirt with a simple black wrap top from Boden (secondhand, of course) and a pair of black Rothy’s points.

The ‘runner up’ outfit this week is definitely my Casual Friday outfit in the lower right corner – I love the whole combo of thrifted top, yellow beaded necklace and sassypants shoes!

Week Two

For week two we have a winner and a loser. The winner is the comfy, yet work appropriate outfit o’ neutrals there in the center box. I kept it simple with a black slub t-shirt, moss green thrifted sweater and jeans, since I was excited to wear my new Inverse Stripe points. I love the way all the muted colors play together and it was the perfect outfit for a rainy Friday at work.

The loser outfit is that navy blue dress in the bottom right box. It looks okay with the floral sweater, but that dress was pulling on my shoulders all day long. At the end of the day I totally felt like hulking out of it and ripping the thing off my body. As it was, I didn’t actually rip it… but I did throw it directly into my donation bag. The sweater is in ‘time out’ in a box where I stuck some of my I-don’t-love-you-but-I-don’t-want-to-get-rid-of-you-yet clothes. I’ll revisit that box in a few months and make some listing/donating decisions.

Week Three

Yeah, I totally should have put one of my WORK style photos in the center, but I kind of loved my running around town outfit that week. My friend handed me down some lovely black and mesh leggings from Athleta and they are so wonderfully soft that I could live in them. I paired them with a Lucky Brand Def Leppard shirt (also soft like the wings of fairies) and a lightweight Nike hoodie. Oh, can’t forget the slip-on sneakers – my first stop was the doctor’s office, so I basically wanted to be as naked as possible when stepping on the scale!

As for the losers this week, I have two. I decided about 2 hours into the day that I hated that blue and white top in the lower left corner. It’s a size too big and too flowy in the tummy area, so I felt like I looked about 5 months pregnant. NO THANK YOU. Also, the adorable Boden skirt in the top right block looks awfully cute in that photo (and has pockets!), but in person by the end of the day I felt like it was super unflattering on me. Something about the length along with it sticking out a bit in the front on my tummy. Sigh. Anyways. When I got home I stuck it right on my Poshmark closet, so hopefully someone else will buy it and love it.

Disclaimer: This post contains ShopStyle affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you