Sydney's Vintage {Product Review + Final Post}

It's been a while. Which is why I've decided to leave A Pinch of Classy. I've had an amazing time here, but I don't have the time or dedication to post every week like I should. After this (long overdue) product review, that'll be it for me.

Anyhow, let's get on with the post.

Unfortunately, I do not have pictures of this skirt. I wasn't able to take any (which is one reason why this post is so late, since it felt wrong not to take pictures of it). But it's a nice, solid green color, with white lace trimming just a few inches above the hem.

 It is vintage, so the fabric is a bit rougher than I'm used to, but it doesn't make it uncomfortable at all.

Overall, it's lovely. The skirt is amazing. And the seller is a sweetheart. So many apologies to her for not getting this up sooner. But she was incredibly understanding and the picture of patience, and I thank her for that.

Anyways, this is my final post. It's been great. I wish I had the time to continue with this, but I just don't. I will be keeping up with this blog. Thanks, everyone!

Staying Classy in Internet Debates

Sorry if another blogger has already covered this, but I had an idea and I decided it was about time to actually write a post that doesn't involve a review. In advance, my keyboard is sorta messed up, so I apologize for any mistakes.

Once upon a time, I was twelve. And being twelve, I had a desire to prove my intelligence. Apparently, in my still-developing brain, intelligence equaled being able to hold your own in an internet debate. There were an abundance of these on Facebook and sites like it. Now, I didn't go looking for them or starting them on purpose, but I never backed down from one. To be honest, I still don't back down from a debate.

But, in the past three years, I've figured out how to control my hothead temper online. I actually enjoy debates, now. So here are a few tips I've picked up while debating.

1. Always stay calm.

If you can't stay calm in an internet debate, you don't need to be in one. I'm not talking about exclamation marks!!!!! AND ALL CAPS. Though, you should try to keep those to a minimum too. But I'm talking about when you physically feel as if you are about to faint from anger, and are shaking so hard that you can barely type right. Until you can physically control yourself to not get too involved in the debates, you need to stay far, far away from them.

     2. Always show respect for the other person's opinion.

I know, I know. This is a harder one. It can be hard to respect a person's opinion when you think or absolutely know you are right. But if there's one thing I've learned the best in three years of debating off and on with anyone and everyone, it's that people have the right to their opinions. And respecting their right for their opinion is the only way to have a good, clean debate.

     3. Be the bigger person.

People aren't always nice. Especially older people to teens during debates. If anything, they like to call you out on everything you might do wrong or say wrong, thus causing you to feel belittled and childish. When I was twelve, this was the biggest thing that angered me. I would attack with a fierce need to defend myself. But I learned that's not the way to do it. Instead of attacking, be sugary sweet. Nothing makes your opponent angrier than being nice to them while they attack your character, your age, even your family (Whether they know them personally or not).

     4. Dig Deeper (This mostly applies to being cyber-bullied)

If someone is saying hurtful things about you, or to you, the urge to fight back is immensely strong. But don't. Chances are, they're hurting even more than you, and they're looking to hurt you so they can prove something to themselves. I've been bullied by more than a few people on a few different occasions, and I only just figured it out recently. I'm a very discerning person, so if you're not, it may not work for you like it did for me. But, on the last time I was "bullied" by someone, instead of attacking them, I laughed at them. I made them feel little. Which was not really the right approach, by the way. But I said something. Something about them hurting too much so they came to take their pain out on me. They denied it. Viciously. But I kept on. Refused to give into them. I asked why they thought attacking me would help their pain. Asked them a few other things about why they would be cruel to someone just because they're hurting. They kept denying it. They said I was stupid. Told me to shut up. The last thing I said before telling myself that if they continued attacking me I would never open that conversation again, was that if they needed to talk to about anything, I was open to listen.

And you know what, they admitted it. And they said they were sorry. And I forgave them. People do strange things when they're in pain. While I may not agree with their approach to "handle" their pain, I wasn't going to condemn them for it.

     5. Use proper grammar and spelling.

If there's anything an opponent wants most, it's a debater that can't spell. A sure sign that you're winning the debate is when your opponent starts correcting your spelling and grammar. Some will even nag on your age. But there's nothing you can do about the last one.

     6. Last thing, if you start feeling uncomfortable in a debate, leave.

Don't feel obligated to stay just so you can "prove your point." They won't ever forget your points. They'll remember what you said. If you start feeling like you don't need to be in that debate any longer, you leave it. Trust your instincts.

And with that, I finish this post. Thanks for reading!

Tabor's Treasures {review & ClassyGarb}

I feel like I've been away from blogging so long, I forgot how to start this post. I've been here for ten minutes, typing and then deleting what I wrote.

I was sent a skirt a few months back (Yes, this post is way too late, and I'm really sorry for that), and I fell in love with it. 

 

The quality of the pictures might be a little blurry, since I had to have my eight year old sister assist me with the pictures. I tried doing it myself, but it's harder than it seems to take a picture of yourself wearing clothes (unless you're willing to do it in the bathroom with help from the mirror. But I refuse to stoop that low and admit defeat).

The skirt is the Vintage Gypsy Skirt. It's so light and bouncy. It feels as if it were made of air. Perfect for southern summer weather. 

Most skirts I try to wear are either too bulky for summer, or too short for modesty. And this skirt was neither. 

 

All in all, I believe the shirt goes pretty well with the skirt. I have no idea where it came from, sadly. My mother gave it to me. 

The shirt has a little dip in the middle, so I normally wear an undershirt with it. I bought a tank top from Ross's for five dollars to use for a few of my dresses that had too deep of a V neck. It works just fun with this shirt too. When I can't find my tank top (which is annoyingly often), I try to find a safety pin to pin the top of it.

I'm wearing the shirt right now, so I can't see what the tag says. I'm far-sighted, so anything closer to me than, say, eight inches,  is just a blur.

 

Yeah, yeah, it's wrinkled and my hair is a mess. Welcome to my life.

 

The shoes are from Kmart. From the Sofia something collection. These are actually the shoes I wear whenever I do anything. I know, it's probably not good for my feet, but I dislike flats and rare them only when I have to.

 And for the last item of my outfit . . .

 

Ah, yes. My favorite piece of all. My Mockingjay Pocketwatch. Abri bought this for me (and no, it doesn't come with the charm. That was also from Abri, but the chain for it broke, so I improvised). It's sturdy, does actually tell time (though mine fell and now the hands are loose, so it won't allow me to set the time), and not at all expensive.

Shirt - ???

Skirt - Tabor's Treasure 

Shoes - Kmart

Accessory - ThreeDollarShop

 

417 Favors Gifts Decor {Product Review}

Hey, guys! Another review for you.

This one is a notebook. Notebooks are cool, right? I think so. But, I'm a writer, and writers love notebooks, even if they never write in them.

 

It's a custom made notebook. It's very lovely and compact. Not too big. Big enough to fit in my medium-sized purse.

 

 

AND THE PEN CAN BE A HIGHLIGHTER. AND A PEN.

HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!

All you have to do is push the little black lever-thingy on the side and the pen clicks open.

It's really cool. I am in LOVE with it. It's customizable, just tell the very nice lady (Whose daughter's name is also Katelyn. HOW COOL IS THAT?) how you want it.

You can check out the store HERE.

You can check out the product HERE.

It really is awesome. If you like notebooks, you need one of these.

 

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Fourth of July for all Americans reading this. I'm not sure how many people from other countries read this blog, but I assume that, if you are outside of the USA, you understand that the 4th of July is a very big day for Americans

In honor of today, I will not be posting. I just want to say thank you to the military and military families. I hope you all have an awesome day!

Enjoy the fireworks!

1247 Periwinkle Lane {Product Review}

*History lesson. If any of it is wrong, feel free to correct me*

Masquerade balls started around the 15th century at carnivals in Europe, and they continue to be a big hit to this very day.

These balls were the highlight of the carnival. There was just something about the mystery of who was behind the mask that lured people to them. You could know the person, they could be your best friend or family. But you wouldn't know if they were or not. The masks didn't leave much room to see anything but the eyes and nose and lower face. And sometimes they didn't even leave the lower face.

But masks were meant to be pretty. To draw attention. To add a light of mystery. After all, that's what humans like best, isn't it? Mystery. It adds a certain allure to any situation.

So, I was thrilled when I found a person willing to let me review a mask. I love anything that comes from an old and elegant background. I love the historical backstories. And even though I will never go to a Masquerade anything, I still think it'd be fun to have around, right?

This is the Fairy Eyes Mask. It's very elegant and pretty. A bit rough near the eyes, but if you adjust it just right, you don't feel anything itchy.

I wasn't able to get a very good shot of it. I had siblings running around me, asking me why I was wearing "a cat mask." They kept bumping into me, knocking the mask lower and lower. Plus, the lighting stunk, so shadows kept falling on my eyes, making it look weird.

It's very light. And elegant. It's the real thing. No plastic or cheap materials. It's lace and ribbon. Glued together.

It's tied with a ribbon at the back of your head. Though some people use what the shop owner called "spirit gum" to keep the mask attached.

The shop owner has sold masks all over the world. They've been in operas, ballets, plays, etc. They're really pretty, and not very expensive at all!

You can see more of her masks HERE. They're all gorgeous. Go check them out!

Lovell Dennis {Product Review}

Just a warning, these pictures are awful. I tried. But it's really, really hard to take pictures of yourself wearing a t-shirt. A no one wanted to help me, so I had no other choice but to try it myself.

This is the Hunger Games/Catching Fire t-shirt from Lovell Dennis on Etsy. I received it in the mail a week ago. It's light and fits well enough. The fabric is a bit rough, but it hasn't been broken in yet. After a wash or two, it should soften a bit.

 

You can't see the shirt very well, and I'm sorry for that. You can see what it says "Mellark Bakery. Since 2086. District 12." Of course, they made up the date. But it's close enough, I suppose.

It's pretty comfortable. I ordered a size small. It's unisex, so it's a bit baggy on me. And the sleeves are pretty big. They reach just a few inches past the shoulder.

 

 

 

It's a really cool shirt. I enjoy wearing it.

The back is plain. No words or pictures. I mean, you wouldn't exactly want to wear a picture of bread or cupcakes on your back, would you? If that's your thing, though . . .

 

 

100% cotton, ect ect. I didn't read the washing instructions because I don't know how to read those. Pretty sure you have to study a whole new language to figure that out. Like Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Overall, it's a great t-shirt.

You can find it HERE.

Kennie Blossoms {Product Review}

Another Etsy review. I promise, in the next two weeks, I'll slow down on the reviews, K? I don't think I really have anything after next week, so I'll post something non-review related then. So don't get annoyed at me, m'kay?

Anyway, this is the Girl on Fire Hunger Games scrabble piece necklace.

Sorry for the blurry photos. The camera had just finished a round of pictures (Last week's review) and didn't want to focus after that.

Anyway, it's a glossy little square picture thing glued onto a scrabble piece. It's slightly off-center, which annoys me a teeny bit. But, then again, I know everything can't be centered perfectly, so I've accepted it.

The chain is one of those plastic beads that you can adjust with the little pill shaped thing. I don't know what it's called, so that's the best way I can describe it.

I know, I know, I'm terrible at description.

Yeah, I was experimenting with the camera and angles, so that's why there's a close-up of the beads. Sorry about that. The chain's pretty long. Not sure the exact measurements, but it's about chest-length.

You can find the necklace HERE. The owner is on vacation (At least, last time I checked). You can still place orders, though. Click HERE for her shop. She has really cool stuff!

Benito Dreams {Product Review}

I am very excited about this review. I just received this in the mail a day or two ago, and I wasn't disappointed when I opened it.

At first, I noticed it came from a different country. I was a little scared, at first, because I don't know many people outside of the US. And people who write in French/Italian (not sure which one because I'm stupid) are even rarer.

So, I figured someone from one of those countries hated me and had sent me a poisoned letter or something. And then I remembered that I get review items in the mail. So, I opened it.

 

I couldn't remember which review this was until I opened the pretty little boxes that are so feminine and cute I could die.

Lace socks/footies/I don't know what you really call them. They're charming and adorable and so much fun to wear.

 

Low-cut and pretty. They feel like they're made from angel hair, dandelion fluff, and classy happiness. I have always hated socks. I would lose them on purpose. I'd refuse to wear them. I'd throw them anywhere and everywhere because I hated them and the very cotton fibers they were made from.

But these are different. These are perfect. They're pretty and soft and they slide around on hardware floors so easily. I've never had so much fun sliding around floors before.

These footlets are like insta-class. They are too pretty, and just too much fun. All of the footlets are handmade. I'm not sure if that means the lace is handmade as well, but it is a European country, and I read that they make handmade lace.

 

You can order your own footlets HERE. Or you can see if she has any other footlets that you might like. There are a lot. You can see her shop HERE. Her stuff isn't expensive at all. Most are less than ten dollars (some including shipping, and others not including shipping).

So go check it out! These are the best quality and prettiest that I've ever seen.