FAUX FUR FUN

I've worked in retail for a long time and January and February are always the slowest months in a clothing based business. Many people are guarding their wallets, perhaps still paying off Christmas bills, or they are focused on spiritual or physical renewal, maybe trying to fulfill a New Year's Resolution.  Still, this can be a great time of year to shop end of season sales or perhaps pick up an item to freshen a dull winter wardrobe.

If you've read my blog before, you know that I am passionate about the consignment clothing business.  One of my favorite things about shopping consignment for myself is that I can afford to buy indulgent, whimsical or extravagant items that I would not normally purchase at retail prices.  My faux fur collection is a case in point.  The following vests and jacket were all purchased at Twice Blessed/Diva's in Lake Orion. 

                                                              THE FOX 

This is a faux leather vest with studs and a faux fur collar that my family affectionately calls "the fox".  I have paired it with a pair of CAbi snakeskin printed jeans.

                                 THE WOLF
This is the newest addition to my faux fur collection.  I wore this on Thanksgiving with a pair of faux leather pants from Loft. The necklace, blouse and earrings are also from Diva's.

                                           GREY WOLF

This denim jacket with removable collar and cuffs is one of the first things I bought when I started working at Diva's and it continues to be a favorite.

                                                                BROWN BEAR

I love this little vest and wear it opened or closed, with a chunky necklace or without, with a t-shirt or with a tunic as pictured here.  These jeans are great, too, my first pair of 7 for all Mankind, also purchased at Diva's.  This is the street outside the shop in Lake Orion.

                                             THE RAM
Finally, a mustard colored knit cardigan with removable collar for cleaning, originally from the Buckle.  My jewelry and skinny jeans are also from the store.

I could certainly do a part II of Faux Fur, but I think the message is clear.  Anytime is the right time to shop at Twice Blessed/Diva's, and if you come in when I am working, I will personally help you find your own perky piece to brighten your winter wardrobe!

NOTEWORTHY: We just started a new sale, so many items that you can wear right now are on sale 20-50% off!  We will be accepting winter consignments through January 15th and then spring begins at Diva's on January 16th.

WE KNOW the street gets busy outside of our new location here at 27 S. Broadway, but did you know we have plenty of parking in the back?! Yes, for shopping or dropping off consignments, you may enter the back door of the shop anytime during store hours.

ONE LAST THING:  We now have a website:
http://twiceblessedbabesdivas.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
-Sherry

FAUX FUR FUN

FALL BLESSINGS

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I'm going to write down some of my blessings as I count them.  The list will provide a needed reminder of what's really important as I go through the next few weeks of holiday craziness!

• MY FAMILY: I am blessed to be hosting 20+ guests for Thanksgiving and I will not worry about the dust bunnies or possible dryness of the turkey. Instead I will treasure their company.
• MY EMPLOYMENT:  I have the perfect job for me.  I am priveleged to work with wonderful people in an inspiring space and love that our business gives back to the community in several ways.
• MY HOME:  I've lived in 4 countries and 3 states and always miss fall in Michigan when I am not here.  Is there anywhere more beautiful?
• MY HEALTH:  I've had to make some revisions to my diet and exercise routine in the past two years due to, let's say, my changing needs.  But I am blessed with good health and know many who are not.  

Most of you recognize this picture.  This is Twice Blessed/Diva's, the consignment shop where I work in downtown Lake Orion.  Here are some of the blessings we are counting this season.

• OUR EMPLOYEES:  Everyone who works here wants to be here! We look forward to coming to work and helping our customers shop and consign their clothes.
• OUR CUSTOMERS:  There are none better!  I know many customers who call Twice Blessed/Diva's THEIR consignment shop.  There is no bigger compliment!
• OUR NEW LOOK:  It was daring to go with this vibrant color when we had the fascade repainted, but we definetely stand out nd get many compliments on our new look.   Local artist Dina Glende handpainted the beautiful new Twice Blessed sign!
• THE END OF ROAD CONSTRUCTION:  I can't say the construction has totally ended, but the last couple times that I drove the stretch of M-24 south of our store that has been a mess for months, the lanes were clear!  There was absolutely no slow down from the road work!

This Thanksgiving, make your own list of blessings to help keep your focus during the busy holiday season. We can all use a reminder of what's REALLY important as we rush from here to there and feel the weight of trying to do it all!  And we at Twice Blessed/Diva's will be humbled and blessed if you include a stop at YOUR favorite resale store for holiday gifts and seasonal clothes for Mom and kids.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Sherry

Witches and Goblins and Ghosts...

        If you have kids age 13 and under, you are probably already starting to think about Halloween. And anymore, it's not only celebrated on October 31st as the costumed kids make their way around their neighborhood trick-or-treating.  Most schools have a parade and Halloween party,  many churches have a Fall Festival, and now some schools and other organizations have trunk-or-treat celebrations that may or may not fall on the holiday itself.  Of course you want your kid to have a fun costume or two, then add in the purchase of several bags of candy for each event and probably some decorations or crafts, and the dollars add up!
     Well, today's blog will show some fabulous costumes,  for a fabulous price, that you can purchase right now at Twice Blessed/Diva's, the consignment shop where I work in downtown Lake Orion. We stop selling costumes shortly before Halloween, so if you see something you like or if you want to see what else we have in stock, stop in sooner rather than later!

Up first is this darling girl who came into the store with her Mom and ended up buying this witch costume.

Next, this swarthy young man is the son of another Twice Blessed/Diva's employee. I heard he demanded a pirate's booty for being photographed, but I think it was worth it!

Here, I had a photo shoot with my daughter, top right, and friends, who generously agreed to model some of our costumes for free!   But I must add, their Moms did end up buying them each a costume, so all of the costumes here may not be available for sale!

My daughter Sarah isn't sure how she will style this dress, but she is thinking Ursula, the under sea witch from Disney's "The Little Mermaid".  Add a white wig, red lipstick and six more arms, and I think she's got it!

Kayleigh is a natural for a Minnie Mouse Costume!

Logan and Nico were having too much fun in their morph costumes!

Twice Blessed/Diva's is a great place to begin your search for a Halloween costume.  Many cost $10 or less and most are $15 or less.  We have everything from an infant bumblebee to a girls size 16 Unicorn costume. So stop here first and save some money for extra candy and decorations, and Happy Halloween!

-Sherry

HOMECOMING 2016

High School Homecoming is an annual tradition in the United States.  The school comes together, usually in late September or early October, to welcome back alumni.  The Celebration generally consists of a football game, played on a school's home football field, activities for students and alumni, a parade featuring the school's marching band, and a Homecoming Dance.

As a parent of high school twins, however, homecoming season also meant lots of expenses, and everything times two!  Senior year was the worst; Two yearbooks, 2 sets of graduation fees, 2 new back-to-school wardrobes, 2 times the college application fees, and all the while saving for 2 college educations!!  So, I would save costs everywhere it made sense, and it definetely made sense to save on Back-to-School and Homecoming clothes!

In my last blog, I talked about back-to-school clothes savings and some of the brands available at Diva's/Twice Blessed in downtown Lake Orion.  Well, it's worth the drive (even with the construction!) for Homecoming and Special Occasion dress shopping as well!  Most of our dresses are priced between $20 and $40, and we also sell shoes, jewelry, cardigans and wraps and evening handbags.  Look at these pictures of happy Homecoming Dress Customers!

Here is a sample of the evening shoes we currently have in stock:

And here is another customer who recently bought her special occasion dress, shoes, and jewelry from Diva's/Twice Blessed!  

Even if you don't need to buy a homecoming dress this year, you can bring in your former dresses, shoes and jewelry to sell.  We are accepting homecoming drop offs, and you earn 40% of the price when your items sell.  That could pay for the extra gas you need to buy to navigate the Lake Orion construction this fall!  

We know the traffic is slow out there, but here at Twice Blessed/Diva's we still have the same great Fall clothes and great prices you have come to count on, so whether you are buying or consigning, or both, we hope to see you soon!

-Sherry

BACK-TO-SCHOOL 2016

I've always loved the back-to-school season.  I love shopping with my kids for clothing and supplies, sharing their excitement for the new school year, and even the changing of the season (Fall is my favorite).  This year is no exception, although it is bittersweet, as going back-to-school this year means that my twins are both heading off to college!  Because I am the only family member definitely NOT going back-to-school (even my husband was considering grad school for a minute), I thought it appropriate to have a model other than myself for the blog this week, a true back-to-schooler.

My 10 year old daughter Sarah is wearing skinny jeans, a plaid shirt and converse, all from Twice Blessed.  This will be a typical fashion statement  for her this year, and, interesting fact, she doesn't care what size the shirt is because "(she'll) only be wearing it around (her) waist".

Another popular back-to-school look this year for teens and tweens will be athleisure.  Following in their Moms' footsteps by wearing Yogawear for Daywear, brands like Lululemon and Ivviva will be huge for young girls this fall.

In these two photos, our young customer/model Brittany is dressed head to toe in Lululemon, also from Twice Blessed/Diva's.

I can tell you, many Moms are already back-to-school shopping, and they are making Twice Blessed/Diva's their first stop.  I have heard several people say that they come here first to see what they can find BEFORE heading to the mall or department stores.  I have also suggested that they come back in another week or two because our fall clothes are rolling in daily and it's worth the trip to check back often and see what new bargains have come in.

Whether you are consigning or shopping, or BOTH, it's worth the trip to Twice Blessed/Diva's.  Imagine paying $14.95 for a pair of converse or $22.00 to $48.00 for Lululemon separates! We also have lots of top notch brands for boys, like Under Armour and Nike, and carry sizes from 18 months to 12 for kids, junior girls sizes, and women's sizes 00 to Plus.

Another interesting fact: We now have our own DELICIOUS roast of coffee at the local coffee shop, ABeanToGo.  So why not make your day complete and top off your day of back-to-school shopping with another "Shop Local" stop.  Hope to see you soon.

-Sherry