The Thrifty 6 in Boho Mania
For June’s Thrifty Six collaboration, Grace has chosen bohemian styles as our prompt to create an outfit from preloved or thrifted things. It is the perfect style prompt as we enter summer music festival season. Boho is totally my jam all summer long. In fact, we kicked off the summer this weekend by attending Smoked Country Jam, a bluegrass festival held at Quiet Oaks Campground in Cross Fork, Pennsylvania.
This was our first camping adventure with the children and I have to admit that I had a bit of anxiety as we kicked off the weekend with a 5 hour drive to the festival on Friday. I was exhausted by the time we arrived but was determined to make the very best of the weekend that was also threatening thunderstorms at every turn.
Fortunately, we were only blessed with some passing rain showers, but we did get to witness some pretty cool lightning storms way in the distance, far enough away to appreciate the wrath of nature without getting pummeled by it!
My kids quickly made friends with all of the other kids who were camping in the same cluster as us. My dear friend Becca from North Carolina works this festival every year and so she invited us right into the inner circle when we arrived on Friday. It was cool to discover that the inner circle consisted of quite a few people whom I had met two summers ago when I first discovered the bluegrass music festival community.
I was also able to catch up with my close friend Carson and the boys of Fireside Collective also from North Carolina as well as my friends Libby and Niko of Jakobs Ferry Stragglers coming from the Pennsylvania/West Virginia border.
Strangely, or perhaps not so strange at all, I did not take a single photo during this trip. When we were about 45 minutes from the festival venue in very rural Pennsylvania, our phones completely lost signal and we did not get service back until we left on Sunday morning and got 45 minutes away from the campground. Rather than get upset about it, I embraced it as an opportunity to just turn my phone off and live in the moment for the entire weekend. Of course, the camera on my phone still worked, but I just didn’t want to be bothered with it all. And I have absolutely no regrets because the fun was enough to keep the memories alive without photographic evidence. It really felt wonderful to just unplug and forget about the rest of the world outside of the festival grounds.
After we set up camp on Friday night, I was able to catch some of the live music on stage but there was an adjustment period getting settled in and so we ended missing a lot of it. But we were fortunate to join Fireside Collective for a late night picking session at one their family member’s campsites. We finally turned in around 2:00 a.m. on Friday night/Saturday morning after waking at 4:30 a.m. that morning to begin our travels.
On Saturday night after Fireside Collective closed out the festival with another amazing performance, the band as well as the members of The Dirty Grass Players (who also gave a mind blowing performance on stage) all joined up around the fire at our own campsite. With about 80 festival friends gathered around for another late night jam session that lasted until 4:30 a.m., I got very little sleep once again. Somehow my kids and husband slept straight through it all. They even slept through a drunk guy falling on top of our tent sometime around 3:30 a.m. But it made me laugh hysterically! Those tents are dangerous in the dark. I tripped over my own tent the first night we were there and I seriously bruised my foot to the point of limping. But it was all so worth it. We made so many great memories and plan to make this festival our big summer outing each year.
But now let me talk about my boho outfit for this post. As you know, the Thrifty Six focuses on preloved or thrifted fashion. Our goal each month is to share how you can create outfits around a style prompt using second hand items. For my boho look, I chose this turquoise embroidered maxi dress that I picked up with my birthday coupon at Thrifty Shopper for $6. After I washed it and was steaming out the wrinkles, I noticed a few little bleach spots on the back of the dress so I grabbed this old crocheted duster vest to act as camouflage. Plus it adds to the overall bohemian effect of this outfit. My cowboy boots were also thrifted a while back for just $7. My jewelry is all old stuff that I dug out of my overflowing jewelry armoire and my hat is brand new from Tractor Supply. I don’t know how I didn’t already own a cowboy hat, but now I have two. I also bought a white one recently. I am ready for some summer boho fun, for sure!
Now let’s check out my thrifty friends in their boho mania.
The Thrifty Six is a group of international fashion influencers who meet once a month in our little space on the internet to share our thrifty outfits. On the third Monday of every month, we will all share an outfit based on a theme that features preloved wardrobe pieces. Shopping and reselling preloved clothing is so much better for the environment and you can find some of the best fashions in thrift or charity shops. The Thrifty Six are here to inspire you to shop second hand!
The Thrifters:
- Emma of Style Splash
- Grace of Graceful Rags
- Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
- Lucy of Lucy Bertoldi
- Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
- Shelbee of Shelbee on the Edge
Emma of Style Splash
“For me, boho style means long, flowing dresses, vintage floral prints, tassels and floppy hats. I’ve managed to include all of those elements in this outfit. My dress is a vintage find from eBay. It has an unusual neckline that had me a little baffled at first – I wasn’t sure if I was wearing it back to front!”
Emma
Grace of Graceful Rags
“It was my turn to pick this month’s theme, and in hindsight, I have no idea why I chose boho! I really struggled putting together an outfit for today’s post and finally landed on this more subdued boho look. In my head, I was imagining flowing garments, pattern mixing, wild hair, lots of layered jewelry, lace-up sandals…all while frolicking in a field. This outfit is none of those things, except for the hair—I had fun adding tiny braids, twists, and hair rings. My secondhand skirt and matching elephant clutch felt like the next best thing to embody this month’s theme.”
Grace
Jane of Preloved-Vintage-Handmade
“Musings under a cinnabar sunset…Lost in thought, relaxing in the evening sun, I contemplate my attire and the complexities of its origin. I muse upon the vintage patchwork skirt, hand-stitched by a bare-foot flower child…the trinkets and adornments collected over time, ethnic, Byzantine, Bedouin…crossing continents for me to unite them under this cinnabar sunset – my vision of bohemia…”
Jane
Lucy of Lucy Bertoldi
“Boho fashion and styling-I’m all in! For me boho is all about flowy and reminiscent pieces filled with florals and embroidery. This lovely dress I inherited from my Mexican friend Ernestina. She completely hand-embroidered it ages ago-making it all the more special to me. Artisanal work speaks to my heart-from soul to hand, creations blossom. Precious!”
Lucy
Nancy of Nancy’s Fashion Style
“This blouse is actually a hand me down as you name it I think. I never wear a boho look and this was the only item that came close to me. And it’s not the blouse that gives me a bit of a boho feel, it’s the hairband, which belongs with the blouse, and the mules. But I only wore the blouse for this photo a few years ago. It ended up in the give away bag.”
Nancy
And Me!
“I found this turquoise embroidered boho dress when I went thrifting last month with my big birthday coupon and I combined it with my brown thrifted cowboy boots for some festival hippie vibes. I accessorized with a cowboy hat and beaded jewelry. And then I added a long crochet lace vest to cover up a few tiny bleach spots on the back of the dress that I didn’t notice at first.”
Shelbee
Have you found any fabulous thrifted or preloved items recently? I have so many favorite things in my closet that were purchased second-hand, I would love to hear about your favorite preloved purchases as well.
Keeping it on the edge,
Shelbee
Linking up with these Fabulous Link Parties.
Outfit Details: Dress and Boots-Thrifted / Duster-Cato / Hat-Tractor Supply / Jewelry-All old
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
I am a midlife woman, wife, and stay-at-home mother of 2 boys and 2 cats. I have a passion for helping other women feel fabulous in the midst of this crazy, beautiful life.
44 Comments
Barbara
Hey Shelb!
I’m glad festival Season is in full swing again over in America! Here we have lots of big festivals but a few of them will not go back to their true and original form just yet. Fabulous boots, they have a bit of a burgundy hue in the photos.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Barbara! I was actually really surprised at how many people attended this festival. I was told they usually have about 4,000 people attend each year but they expected less than 1,000 this year. It ended up being about 2,000 which was a beautiful turnout but ended up with no fun festival merchandise left for us to purchase! At least we know for next year to buy early! My boots are a really dark shade of reddish brown giving them a burgundy hue for sure. I hope you have a fantastic week!
xoxo
Shelbee
Ellie
What a great boho inspired look! The turquoise dress was another fabulous thrifty find and loving it paired with the vest. Definitely a perfect outfit for a bluegrass festival!
Your camping/festival trip sounds like it was lots of fun, I can imagine the boys had a fantastic time making new friends and sleeping outdoors! Glad the thunderstorms stayed away!
Ellie
Ellibelle’s Corner
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Ellie! I was so excited when I styled this outfit for this post that I was determined to dress like this at the festival! But I ended up with all my fave tie dye cotton dresses and pants but mostly was a mismatched mess all weekend long with the weird weather. It was such a great time though and I didn’t give a damn about how I looked all weekend long…unshowered and dirty like an old hippie!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lisa Blair
It’s a cute outfit and I think the crocheted duster vest actually helped carry the Boho inspirational look all the way to success. It sounds like your family had a wonderful time camping and enjoying the bluegrass festival. So happy for you!
I appreciate the Thrifty Six and how each person reflects their style, personality and thrifty finds. It’s fun!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Lisa, thank you so much! Those little bleach stains turned out to be a blessing because I really liked the dress better with the duster and I wouldn’t have tried it had the stains not been there. I think we found our people in the bluegrass community and we will definitely be making it a new family tradition! And I am so glad that you enjoy this group. It is really fun to take our style themes and create outfits from preloved pieces. We are all so different, too, which really makes it super fun!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sally in St Paul
I’d say you totally nailed the bluegrass/boho vibe with this outfit. Nice!
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Sally! Boho and bluegrass and western vibes are my summer jam!
xoxo
Shelbee
Sheila (of Ephemera)
I love this turquoise dress, Shelbee, and the vest adds that perfect layer. You are certainly looking the part for a bluegrass festival. That sounds like it was a hoot, by the way! I can only imagine how utterly startling it would be to have one’s sleep interrupted by a staggering person crashing into the tent! How nice that you got to enjoy it without the stress of having your phone -it’s so good to step away from technology once in a while.
Thank you so much for the link-up! I’m so NOT a boho person, so I’m going to link up with a crazy leather ensemble I wore last week.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Sheila! I just laughed out loud that you are emphatically NOT a boho person! While I think you could certainly pull off any damn style you wanted, I really don’t picture you as a boho person at all either! But you are cool AF and that’s all that really matters in my world.
I am still laughing about the guy who fell into our tent, too. He was really polite as he belted out, “SORRY GUYS!” Which made me laugh even harder for some reason. Festivals are fun! Drunk people are funny. And drunk people are funnier when I am not drunk. Gosh, I do love being a pothead!
xoxo
Shelbee
Jennifer
I absolutely love the colour of your dress!!
Jennifer
Curated By Jennifer
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Jennifer. I love it, too! It made me smile all day long. A good dose of color therapy for the soul!
xoxo
Shelbee
jodie filogomo
I just love this look Shelbee…it’s basically boho and country combined!!
I know what you mean about going on vacation and not taking photos. That’s how we were when we went to Denver. It’s nice to really have a vacation!!
XOOX
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Jodie! I always feel like Western and boho are kind of the same thing! Actually, I just found this really cute article that talks about why cowgirl and boho styles overlap. It seems like a natural partnership for free spirited, adventurous, untamed women…like us! It was so nice to be truly unplugged all weekend long. I definitely will look forward to that each year going forward.
xoxo
Shelbee
Nancy
Oh I am so jealous of your weekend. How I would love to attend a festival! But I am so glad for you that is was great, and that the kids enjoyed themselves. You were at a perfect event to wear a boho look.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Nancy! We really had such a great time! It was a hot muddy mess but so good for the soul! And character building, too. I hope you get to a festival soon!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lynda
I love all the pieces you chose and how they came together, very cute 🙂
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lynda! I was really happy with this outfit, too! The turquoise made me smile.
xoxo
Shelbee
Emma Peach
Beautiful boho outfit! The festival sounds like a lot of fun. I have never camped out at a festival but it’s on my list of things to do. Now Isobel’s almost 12 it should be a bit easier for us to go as a family and it not be too stressful – no more constantly needing the toilet! Lack of Wi-fi might be a flash point though!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Emma! I was a little nervous about how my boys would do with camping at 8 and 10. And they did really well. They played until the point of exhaustion so sleep ended up not being an issue for them. I, on the other hand, barely sleep in my own bed, so I got basically no sleep all weekend long! But that’s okay because it was totally worth it. The kids did bring their iPads and were able to play a few games that didn’t require internet during their down time. But they weren’t on them very much because there was so much other stuff to do. Other people had service, there was just no cell tower nearby for our provider, so it depends where you are going and who your carrier is. I highly recommend it though! It was so good for us, for my soul, and for reconnecting with nature and amazing people.
xoxo
Shelbee
Patrick Weseman
Looking so happy and such a fun outfit you have. Very nice.
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Aw, thanks so much, Patrick! I think the bright turquoise color really boosted my mood and gave me some extra happy glow! Plus we may or may not have been also taking some very sexy pictures during this particular shoot! Hehe
xoxo
Shelbee
Anita Ojeda
What fun to camp at a music festival! And even better with no Internet ;). We spent three days on the San Juan Islands in Washington, and there was very little Internet service or cell service. I kept my phone on so I could use the photo of the map of the island I’d taken to navigate around to the different parks and beaches. But it was lovely to just keep my computer closed and enjoy family :).
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Anita, thanks so much for stopping by! It really was such a fabulous time. Definitely the most fun we have had on any family vacation. The kids played harder than I ever saw them play. And they really thrived in the festival environment. This is definitely going to be an annual thing for us now. I did turn my phone on a few times to use the flashlight and check the time. But no service meant I couldn’t do anything else which was fine with me!
xoxo
Shelbee
mireille
It sounds like a really fun weekend! I really need to unplug more. I bought a tent for the boys a couple of weeks ago and we camped one night in our backyard. We will have to do it again before summer is over. I love your boho outfit! I am on the lookout for another hat. I stopped by a local boutique last week and picked up a couple new pieces and want to go back: they have some fun boho pieces.
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Mireille, it was an absolute blast! I was so impressed with how well the boys did with it all since it was their very first time camping. We have set up tents in the backyard before for them to “try it out” but they never stayed the whole night outdoors. I was a little nervous about the whole sleeping thing. But then they played so hard for so long each day that they were completely wiped out by bedtime. I can’t believe the amount of noise they slept through! That little boutique sounds like a wonderful place to find unique items! I just recently discovered a cool shop near me that I talked about in today’s post. I look forward to seeing what kinds of hats and other boho pieces you have added to your closet!
xoxo
Shelbee
ANNA
Shelbee, this dress is fabulous. I so much love this colour on you. All the other details fit perfectly inot the theme. I must say all the participants did a great job 🙂
https://lookingfabulousat50.blogspot.com/
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Anna! This was a really fun theme and I love how all 6 of us have such different styles to create a fun variety of looks under the umbrella of a specified theme. I hope your week is going well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Rena
It sounds like you and the fam had a great weekend and be still my heart on your boho outfit! This look is amazing. Turquoise and brown is an awesome color combo and I need a vest/duster like yours. Absolutely fabulous.
Rena
http://www.finewhateverblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Rena! The festival was such a great time and so good for some soul healing as well! Turquoise and brown is a great combo. Those colors alone have a sort of boho vibe, don’t they? I think I bought this duster the first year I was blogging. In fact, it is the duster I wore in the fashion rainbow sketch of me that Anne did all those years ago when we met in LA for her art show!
xoxo
Shelbee
Lovely
Your festival trip sounds fun! I love this turquoise dress and layering it with the crocheted vest is a cute idea!
xoxo
Lovely
http://www.mynameislovely.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Lovely! The festival was one of our best family trips to date! I am excited to make it an annual thing.
xoxo
Shelbee
Kathrine Eldridge
Yes to all this boho! Love the cowboy vibes with your look Shelbee! This color is so pretty on you. The festival sounds like it was a great getaway for you. So glad you enjoyed every moment instead of being on your phone. I tried to do that on our family vacation as much as possible.
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Kathrine! I love combining boho and western! They seem like a very natural pairing to me! I just shot another boho/cowgirl outfit this morning that will be posted on Monday. The festival was so much fun and so good for my soul! I plan to unplug every year even if I eventually end up having a cell signal when I’m there.
xoxo
Shelbee
Claire
Such a beautiful dress Shelbee and I love the colour 🙂 Great outfits that everyone picked for the challenge,
Thanks so much for linking up to Creative Mondays 🙂 #CreativeMondays
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thank you, Claire! I really appreciate the lovely comment!
xoxo
Shelbee
Claire
Love this dress. Thanks so much for linking up to The Wednesday Link Up, too #TheWednesdayLinkUp
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks, Claire! Have a fabulous day!
xoxo
Shelbee
Angie
Hi, Shelbee – It’s so much fun to hear about your music festival! I haven’t been to one in years. Usually, I’ve gone to the electronic music festival at Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit every year. I’ve been to Frog Island in Michigan for a bluegrass festival in times past. More often than not, I go to outdoor concerts on the grass, big and small. You’re inspiring me to check out what’s coming up! Your dress is my favorite color and the lace duster looks great over it! Thanks for the inspiration – Angie, http://www.yourtrueselfblog.com
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Angie! It was such a great time. So good for the soul to be around like minded people, listening to great music, and reconnecting with nature. I have to check out what kind of other live outdoor music is going on in my area this summer as well. We haven’t planned anything other than this last festival weekend. I hope you get to see some live music yourself this summer!
xoxo
Shelbee
GODDIVA
Lovely darling. Love the cowboy vibes with your look Shelbee! This color is so pretty on you. The festival sounds like it was a great getaway for you. So glad you enjoyed every moment instead of being on your phone. I tried to do that on our family vacation as much as possible.check this also Goddiva.co.uk
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much! I really appreciate this lovely comment. It was really nice to unplug and just enjoy nature, great music, and fabulous community! I hope your week is going well!
xoxo
Shelbee
Chickenruby
Stunning outfit, love the colour and great for a playdate and catch up with friends.
Thanks for linking with #pocolo
shelbeeontheedge@gmail.com
Thanks so much, Suzanne! I think I need more of this color in my wardrobe. It’s not one I am usually drawn to but I do like the way it looks on me!
xoxo
Shelbee