And how does that make you feel?

As previously noted, I am painfully broke right now. I am actually quite a penny pincher, and I can do pretty well with very little money. But Spring is Springing as I type, and it's begging me to refresh my wardrobe, makeover my shabby wannabe-chic apartment and hoard 683 new bikinis for the Summer.

I love a fresh start this time of year, and I'm yearning for it. So, here's my plan. I'm doing Closet Therapy. I am going in deep, facing all the skeletons (clothes) that are hanging in there from years past, and forcing myself to look, really look at myself with them on. I'm hoping this will force me to deal with the painful fact that, no, I can't have the new things I'm dying for right now, and I just have to learn to love and accept my wardrobe and apartment for what they are right now, in this moment. There will be tears, there will be self discovery, there will be hideous, ill-fitting tops, and fortunately (I guess) there will be no giant bill.

Oh, and I will also be acquiring a select few items from the faaaaabulous vintage and consignment palace, What Poppy Wants. Lucky for me, I am the heiress to this cache of fashion treasures, so I get to pick up a few key pieces here and there. Take this little number, for one:

 This amazing vintage dress is unlike anything I have in my closet. It is ladylike and sweet, two characteristics I unwittingly tend to pass over in my usual selection process. Right now I have an overwhelming urge to go outside my sleek, body-skimming, Bad Sandy comfort zone, and throw some unexpected pieces into the mix. Here are some closeup detail shots:

 Not to worry, my version of ladylike still comes with a healthy dose of cleavage, much like the proper ladies of yore. I simply adore the smashing together of these two very different striped fabrics, and I love the fact that the one thing really tying them together is a smattering of green sequins. Hear me now: I always have been, and always will be, a slave to the Almighty Sequin. They pass in and out of style from time to time, and I couldn't care any less. J'adore la sequin. Sequin Lyfe 4 Eva.

I'll be sharing some revamped, forgotten finds from my closet in the coming days. I am also working on one of the few DIY home decor projects on my very extensive list that I can do for very little money, a shadow box. My hunky carpenter boyfriend built the frame, and much of the content will be found objects, beach "treasures" and the like. I'm pretty excited, and have time to murder, so it should be done fairly soon. Don't touch that dial.

Hello, Lover.

OK. I am completely ravenous for these:

Behold, the flawless orchid sandals from the Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011 collection. I simply adore anything with a tropical, resort-y, Goldie-Hawn-in-Overboard feel. I just know that I am really supposed to live in a tiny palm-frond hut on a coconut scented island, subsisting on pineapple and hand caught shark meat and looking perpetually like I just emerged from the sea.
These shoes make my heart pound and my palms sweat. I have a little crush, in fact. I like like them. I write their last name with my first name in bubble letters on my binder, then try to rub it off with spit before someone sees. They have a fab 70's vintage thing going (doy, S/S 2011, hello) and they are so simple and bare, yet flashy. Love that chunky heel. I'm getting all worked up just typing about it. So, what's an infatuated, financially-challenged girl to do? I do believe I will attempt to show Marc (yep, first name basis) the sincerest form of flattery and create a little something myself. A few more gems:

This collection has a sexy jungle vibe, like they were created from bits of real jungle. Love. I'm also seeing a relatively more delicate, spare thing happening in shoes, as opposed to the ultrachunk, double platform, tough biatch hardware thing of late (all of which I am an enormous fan of). Not sure if I'm completely sold on the comeback of the dainty shoe, but here, in Marc's world, I'm in.

You see, ladies (and gentlemen?), I happen to be a supremely covetous person. I see something I like, a shoe, a dress, a sofa, a loaded buffet table, and I must have it. I also happen to be just the teensiest bit  unemployed at the moment, and just a hair shy of completely broke. Time to make things happen. I am on a mission to have my reasonable share of gorgeous clothes and accessories, fabulous home furnishings and savory culinary delights, by hook or by crook. Join me, won't you?

                                                               photos from becomegorgeous.com, obsessedwithshoes.com