Goodwill Shopping!

As all who are close to me know, I'm a huge (huge, huge!) believer in The Law of Attraction. The Law of Attraction goes as followed: we attract what we think, be that good or bad. By conjuring up the thoughts, you are putting that desire out into the universe and the universe always delivers. Don't believe me? Try it! Anyhow, lately I've been stricken with jealousy surrounding the purses I've been seeing some of these lovely ladies sporting via Instagram and other picture sources and have been really wanting some cute, unique purses. But goodness, are these purses difficult to find, or really expensive. But today while out picking up some hair accessories, I had the inkling to go into the Goodwill, which is right next to the beauty supply store and check out the purses, as I'm always meaning to go to the Goodwill and just browse. So, after looking at the purse rack, I was disappointed by the lack of selection and was ready to turn tail and give up. Then I remembered the last time I got a cute purse from this particular Goodwill, it was in the clothing section sitting in a bin (Make sure if you're Goodwill shopping for a purse, wallet or hat, you check those bins that are atop the clothing racks) So I made my way toward the back of the store. And boy am I glad I did! 

Take a look at what I found! 

This beautiful lavender one is almost exactly like the ones I've been seeking (the shape and all). I was hesitant to purchase it for a second as it was lavender. I don't own a single lavender garment, but hey! What better excuse to get something? This thing is in pretty good condition, (minus what looks like a crayon mark or something on the back. It very faint, and is not very noticeable [and it doesn't bother me]. The metal also has some scratches but nothing serious.) and the best part? It was half off! If you've never been to a Goodwill, each week they have a color and if the item has that color tag, it's half off. So, I think it was meant to be! I attracted this to my life ;). The color this week was green, and my sister found a super cute laptop case, which was also half off.

In the end, I paid a good $2.47 for it. That is awesome! Also, if anyone can tell me what the brand is, I'd highly appreciate it. As you can see, the tag faded.

Now this one is my favorite!

I don't know...maybe it's because it's red, or maybe it's the shape and size. I guess all of the above! It's so cute! And I almost left without even seeing it, but I just decided last minute to look inside of the wallet bin, which is where I found this little cutie. And it's perfect! It is - by no means - an everyday bag, because I am one of those girls (the ones who put everything into her purse), but it's really exactly what I was looking for. It is one of my most prevalent accent colors, and it is in excellent condition! I don't know the brand, as it doesn't have a tag, but I'm not a huge "brand-namer" anyhow.

This one, however, was not on sale, but it was considered a wallet so it was only $2.92! Eek!

So, next time you're in need of a cute purse, stop by your local Goodwill, you never know what you'll find!

Until next time, thank you for viewing!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

   It's that time of the year again! I remember when I was younger, I used to love December. The commercials that would come on TV, the jingles that would conjure up all sorts of nostalgia. The funny thing about is that I don't celebrate Christmas, and I haven't for many years. These days, I'm not feeling the same way. There's a difference in the air for me. One thing I've really begun to notice this year is the amount of joy and helpfulness that fills most people. I see people donating, holding the doors open and in the grocery store where most people tend look utterly bored and unhappy. I've heard repeatedly, "Why not, it's Christmas." or "It's the least I can do, it's Christmas." What I don't understand is why is it that we can only have this attitude during Christmas? Is it not worth it to be a good person every day of the year? I remember many years back, my sister asking my mom why we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, and my mom's response was "We should be thankful every day." And from that day on, I knew I would never celebrate Thanksgiving. I've never really been the type to wait for a special occasion do anything, whether that be dressing up, being thankful or being helpful or just plain out nice. So I just find it mind-boggling the difference in attitude at this time of the year. I think every day should be an opportunity to help or do something nice for someone. 

 But that's just my 2 cents, I hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and happy holidays!

Vegan Veggie/Chip Dip!

Vegan veggie/chip dip!

   Hi guys! Y'know, I never realized the goodness of chips 'n dip, not until my sister my sister started going crazy on it. Every trip to the store, she'd buy rippled or wavy chips and one of the variety of dips that she likes. It's usually french onion. Anyhow, after a while of jealously watching her chow down on the addictive snack, I finally decided to do something about it! At first, I looked up recipes that didn't seem too difficult, but them I recalled the blue box that my mom had up in the cupboards for what seemed like centuries, that said "soup and dip mix." So, on my next excursion to the grocery story, I searched high and low for this blue box. 

This is a very simple way to make a veggie or chip dip! 

    First, you want to start with your favorite vegan (or non-vegan) sour cream. I'm going with Tofutti's Better than Sour Cream. (Follow Your Heart also has very good sour cream!)

Next, choose your flavor! I like Ranch and French Onion. I particularly like Lipton, because they are kosher and they have a variety of flavors. But as you can see there are other brands to choose from!

 

Start by spooning the desired amount of sour cream into a bowl. I usually prepare just enough for one sitting, which is usually (for me) about 2 or 3 tablespoons.

  

This part is all up to preference, how little or how much flavor you want. The package (for Lipton) recommends 1 envelope of mix for 16 oz. of sour cream. I use about 1/2 tablespoons.

Mix it all up!

Chill or serve immediately with your favorite veggies or chips!

(It's also delicious on veggie wraps!)

Enjoy!

This is my life when I'm trying to get work done... .___.

Thanks for viewing!

Welcome!

Come one, come all! 

   Hi there, and welcome to Wonderfully Odd. You can call me Panda! I'm pretty new (totally new) to this blogging thing, so please bear with me. I'm starting this blog because in my journeys, I've hit many walls looking for the perfect products to help me achieve a 50's look. (And I love a 50's look!) Now, I suppose typically this isn't too difficult, but as an African American girl, there aren't a lot of tutorials, products and - just plain 'ol help - geared toward me. I'm hoping that maybe I'll be able to help other women who are stumped by how to achieve glossy curls (for any hairstyle), flowing waves, on natural, straightened or hair. Also along the way, I'll be posting other things I love, such as, makeup tutorials, reviews, cooking and a whole bunch of pictures of my cats!

Lindy Bop Review (Featuring "Marla" a Jackie O style dress)!

Hi there all!

   So it's that time of the year again. The sun is disappearing sooner, wind is sharp and no more cute sleeveless dresses! So, I've been in need of some thicker dresses with sleeves. This is going to be a more in-depth review of my recent Lindy Bop purchase! Now, I've already done a video review of the unraveling, the fit, showing and ordering experience on my YouTube channel, so I won't be covering the things I covered in that review here, but if you want to see it, click on me! I was excited to see that Lindy Bop was participating in Black Friday, but it was tough to decide whether to go with Lindy Bop or get something from Collectif (who also had a Black Friday sale). I ended up going with Lindy Bop because I wanted to get a black dress. So, I ended up ordering "Marla," a Jackie O-styled dress, with a boat neck and 3/4 sleeves. It was adorable! So I was very disappointed when I opened the package and did not see the "Marla" that I saw on the website. The buttons along the bust line were hanging, not sitting perky like in the picture. The shape of the dress was a bit off for me, but most distressingly - to my dismay - there was some sort of wear on the back on the dress.   However, I'm doing a follow-up review for my interaction with customer service and including some pictures of the spot. 

Some sort of rubbing wear on the back of the dress that is highly visible in light! :(

So, as you can see from the pictures, there was some sort of wear on the dress. Ugh, looked like opossum hair. Okay, so I didn't like the fit of the dress, I fee like it wasn't shaped like it was in the picture. There was no definition between the waist the loose part of the skirt. Then again, in the picture on the website, there is a petticoat present. But aside from the spot, my biggest problem - oh goodness, my biggest problem - were these buttons! These buttons made me want to cry! T__T So, in the picture on the website, the buttons are sitting up, so from frontal view, you only see the front of the buttons, but in person, they look like rhinestones. Ugh, they're so ugly! I don't know if they are just loose, or if the front is not sewn down properly. Alas, I didn't make too huge of a fuss about the buttons because I'd either be returning the dress or getting it exchanged.

The next day, I contacted Lindy Bop by responding to their last email with me, when I thought that maybe that was not the best way to contact them. So the next day I contacted them again via their online question form. Two days later, a representative responded to question form apologizing said if I returned the dress they could resend or exchange the dress. But she also gave me the option to send pictures and they would simply refund me if they found it to be severe enough. Of course, that was the most convenient option for me, because even though there were so many things wrong, the thought of sending it back, waiting the 5 days (that's the turnaround time for returns according to their website) for the return to be processed, then another 6 days for it to arrive was a little too much for me to handle. So, I sent her the pictures and waited patiently for a response. That was on a Friday. I received an email Sunday afternoon, but was surprised when I realized it was a response from the very first email I sent (the one I replied to), basically saying the same things as the other email. So all of that was a little strange.

But! On Monday, I did receive my refund without having to send the dress back. Now I'll just have to find a way to fix up the old dress and I'm even thinking about using the refund to purchase another dress while they still have their Christmas sale going on. So, all in all, I'm not all that satisfied with my Lindy Bop purchase, however, I am satisfied with the resolution. Though their customer service could use a little organizing. :/ But it wouldn't stop me from ordering from them again.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoyed this review. If you want to see more of the dress, please check out my YouTube review, linked up top.
Feel free to ask any questions here or over on the YouTube video!