The Return of Betty, with a Cry for Help

I'm back! Possibly. After finally finishing the planning for my sister's baby shower, I have some more time on my hands to pick up some of my old "hobbies" again. We'll see how long this lasts...

I am excited to tell you that I went on a much-needed shopping trip this past week! I am not fortunate enough to live in an area with many shopping opportunities. In fact, our shopping is quite limited; the nearest (decent) mall is about an hour away. But I was out visiting my mom this past week and able to make a quick trip to her nearest mall (about 45 minutes away!). I only visited a select number of stores (Target, Old Navy, and American Eagle, to be exact), because I am still unemployed and therefore still on a tight budget. This was a trip for some necessities.

On my shopping list:

1. Artist jeans from American Eagle (specifically these because I already have pair in a dark wash, love how they fit and wanted a second pair. Not to mention that I currently only own two or three pairs of jeans, one of which is nearly worn through).
2. Pajama pants (I split the back of mine one morning when sitting on the couch. Oops!)
3. Shorts (I only own ONE pair of shorts-really not a shorts type of girl)
4. Bathing suit (would it depress you too much to learn that the last bathing suit I purchased was nearly 5 years ago? Two children and 15 pounds ago? Yeah. It was about time for a new one).
5. Shampoo
6. Face wash

 I am happy to report that I found all of the items on my list, and then some! I'll share all of those purchases in separate posts later.

Before I do that, I need everyone's help! I also recently purchased a vintage shirt from Etsy. I made the mistake of falling in love with it through a photograph, and was slightly disappointed when I finally received it (refunds not accepted!). Unfortunately, being a vintage shirt, it also came with a vintage smell. And I can't get rid of it. Two washings later. Any tips?

I also had to have it altered to fit me the way I wanted it to, and luckily I received it just in time to take to my mom who was able to fix it for me, although not completely the way I wanted it to look. That was through no fault on her part, but rather due to the fact that the style of the shirt ended up looking different than how it did in the photo. And speaking of which, here is the shirt:

Cute, right?

I had contacted the seller prior to purchasing, and she did say that she was pretty sure that she had pinned the shirt to the model, so I was expecting it to look differently on. However, I wasn't entirely prepared for it to be the length that it was, but that was a mistake on my part for not paying attention to that part of the measurements. But anyway. Long story short, I'm having a difficult time trying to figure out how to style this shirt and would love for some ideas. (It would also be worth noting that the "white" parts of this shirt, in person, are more off-white, or rather "old white", as in a discolored looking white. The fabric is also fairly stiff).

I would love to be able to wear this shirt, seeing as I paid for it and all, but am lacking inspiration. Someone please help a girl out!