Author: Crystal Fleming

Crystal Marie Fleming is a writer, professor and sociologist.
Poppin' Tags

Better-Than-Sex Thrift Haul: $780 worth of clothes & shoes for $39

Crystal Fleming

It’s been a while since I’ve waxed poetic about thrifting.. but this latest haul has me over the moon with euphoria.

There’s only one way to start this post.  Seriously. Press play. Then continue reading.

So, I stopped by the thrift shop twice this week and hauled in these divine items:

  • Black Stuart Weitzman patent leather platform stilettos with suede interior. Tags STILL on. Original price: $375. I paid: $15
  • Brown Stuart Weitzman leopard kitten heels.  Approx value: $200. I paid: $12.50
  • Eddie Bauer leopard loafers (notice a trend?)  Approx value: $60. I paid: $5.
  • Red and black polyester Bankers Club blouse WITH matching belt/tie.  Approx value: $20. I paid: $1.
  • Black and red pinstriped Kasper suit.  Approx value: $100. I paid: $2
  • Gorgeous floral Talbots blouse. Approx value: $30. I paid: $4

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It’s just straight up insanity.  Those shoes?  THOSE SHOES?  I just.. can’t.. get over it..

Stuart Weitzman platform stilettos

Shoes 2

Praise be to the Thrifting Gods.  Praise be to the All-There-Is.  Hallelujerr, Hallelujerr.

So.. I love that the platform stilettos fit like Air NIKES.  They are super comfortable!  And the detailing is gorgeous.  Can’t wait to wear them to something sexy in the city!  The SW kitten heels are nice too – a little smaller, not as comfortable, but they will do just fine for a date night when I’m being chauffeured around. The Eddie Bauer loafers are faaaaabulous.  Perfect for work or a walk around town.

Blouse

The Bankers Club blouse brings joy to my heart.  Red and black are my favorite colors and I know this will look fantastic with my fire engine red lipstick, nails and some black slacks.  The Kasper suit was such a find.  One of my great joys in life is getting suits worth hundreds of dollars for less than the cost of a latte.. I’m running out of space for my collection at this point.

Kasper Suit

The Talbots blouse is especially close to my heart.  It’s just so damned pretty.  I wore it with some grey embroidered Chicos jeans, beige Italian leather loafers and a cream Talbots blazer. Soft pink lipstick.  #Yes.

Talbots blouse

My closet is a boutique.

I am incredibly grateful.

I love my clothes.

I love the universe.

That is all.

Vegan Recipes

Incredible Raw Chocolate w/ Almonds, Raisins & Chili Pepper

Crystal Fleming

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Whipped this up last week. Sad to say, I made enough for a family of 7 and ate the entirety of the batch myself. These few pieces are all that remain, and I don’t think they will survive the weekend.

Raw chocolate, made with coconut oil, cacao powder, sea salt and agave is an incredibly easy, decadent, mouth watering concoction that also has all kinds of health benefits. Coconut oil helps stimulate your metabolism and is fabulous for you skin, hair and nails. And chocolate is an aphrodisiac. Need I say more?

The basic recipe can be found here. I added the raisins, nuts and chili powder. Next time, I’ll drop in candied ginger and pistachios.. Yum!

Vegan Recipes

Easy Tofu Angel Hair Pasta

Crystal Fleming

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Prep time : 5 min

For this, I used half a package of House Foods shirataki angle hair tofu pasta. I’m not even a fan of tofu but these noodles are great! I used the other half of the package for miso soup. Be forewarned that it smells really bad right out of the package. This is typical for tofu noodles. But follow the directions for rinsing, draining and heating.. You’ll be just fine. The extra steps are worth it for this low carb, low cal, low fat, gluten free delight.

Prep pasta according to package directions. Heat up a quarter cup of marinara sauce. Toss pasta with minced garlic, capers, freshly ground black pepper, grated parmesan. I added a dash of hot sauce because I love spicy food.

The dish has about 100 cal, 2 grams of fat.