thrifting 101: thrifting with kids

We've all been there (at least those of us with children).  We're out shopping with our kid(s) enjoying our retail therapy time when your child decides they have had. e. nough.  They start throwing things, whining, yelling, crying, and eventually have a meltdown while everyone stares at you annoyed that your child is now interrupting their retail therapy.

Lets face it, shopping with kids is hard.  ESPECIALLY thrift store shopping.  At least at normal department stores you have a little more freedom to let your child out of the cart or stroller and walk around or play in the dressing room while you try on your clothes.  But at thrift stores you can't really do this.  They are dirty.  And I mean diiiiirtyyyy.

 After months of trying to figure out how to wed my love for thrift store shopping with one of the loves of my life, I have finally discovered the answer.  BE QUICK.  I know that sounds silly and really simple, but it's true.  And this is especially hard to do in a thrift store.  There is SO much to look at and it's SO unorganized that it takes a long time to comb through everything.  So here are a few ways I have discovered to be quick in a thrift store:

1.  Choose to only look at 1 or 2 sections.  I used to love spending hours on end combing through every single piece in every single section.  That's usually how you find the best things!  But that is no longer an option with kids.  Now when I go in to a thrift store I usually tell myself that I am only going to look at dresses and shoes or housewares and shirts, etc.  This way I only spend about 30 minutes total in the store.  I have found that any time after that your kid is definitely done and ready to leave.

2.  If you want to look at everything just do a quick scan.  This option may take more practice and experience, but try it!  Since I have been thrifting for so long I am pretty good at spotting the good stuff just from walking down the isles glancing at the items.  I may not find as many great things this way, but it allows me to look at everything in the store.  Just keep your eye out for bold patterns or colors in the clothing racks or any fun material or fabric that is unusual and eye-catching.  

3.  Go when there are little to no crowds.  It's easiest to look through a thrift store when you don't have to fight people for dressing rooms, take turns going down isles, or wait in long lines.  This also cuts down on a lot of waisted time.  Hit up the thrift stores when they open in the mornings and avoid the evenings and weekends.  That is when they are most crowded.  

And on top of everything else, make sure you have enough snacks and toys to keep your little occupied while you shop.  I have found that bringing toys Sawyer hasn't played with in a while really helps because it will keep him interested for longer.  

Good luck to all of you and and happy (quick) thrifting!

Home Decor Thrifting

Hey friends! It's been a while since I've showed you my recent thrift store finds! Today I'll only be posting the gems I've found for our home because, let's be honest, if I posted the clothes I've found we'd be here all day. So here it goes…

First off let me tell you how much I LOVE Nate Berkus. I have been following his work for close to 10 years now.  I have some of his books and have often dreamed of working with him as an interior design student. That being said, you can imagine how excited I was when he did a collaboration with Target. It has been SO hard for me not to buy all of his collection from Target. You all know how savvy cheap I can be when it comes to buying things.  Therefore it was hard for me to justify spending money on buying any of this things from Target.  

Fast forward a few months…As I've told you before, items that don't sell at Target are donated to Goodwill.  So needless to say I ended up scoring some Nate Berkus items at Goodwill for less than half the price! *happy dance*

I found this rug just last week while at a trip to Goodwill. It is originally $130 from Target but I got it for $60!  It's handwoven, super soft, and absolutely adorable.  

I also found these Nate Berkus pillows at Goodwill that were originally $25 for $12.  I wanted them from the moment I saw them at Target so I was SO happy when I found them at a thrift store.  I also found that rad mid century lamp at Goodwill for $7.  The lamp shade was a little dingy, so I just did a little Pinteresting and recovered it with this inspiration and this tutorial.   I LOVE the way it turned out.  

I also found this Nate Berkus bed spread set at Goodwill for $50, originally $90 at Target.  The African woven basket hanging on the wall to the left was also thrifted for only $2!  

These curtains, also originally from Target for $30, were purchased at Goodwill.  To be honest, I don't remember how much I bought them for, but again it was meant to be.  I wanted some simple white and mustard yellow curtains and had seen these at Target, but didn't want to pay full price for 2.  So I waited and found them at Goodwill for a better price!  YAY! 

You've probably started to notice a trend by now that I buy a lot of Target merchandise from Goodwill.  Well, here is one more example.  This cute little yellow pillow was originally from Target for $25 but I scored it for $10!

I have been searching for these handwoven baskets for a long time now but couldn't find one at a reasonable price, and low and behold, I found one at Goodwill for $6 people!  It doesn't get much better than that!  

i'm back and pregnant!

i'm back!  it's been a long time, i know, and for that i apologize.  i like to take my photos on our nice Canon camera, however when we moved back in the end of july, guess what?  we lost the charger :(  so our camera ran out of battery and i stopped taking pictures.  but blogging is one of my new year's resolutions for a couple of reasons:

1. i really enjoy sharing my thrift store finds with all of you

2. this is a great way to "journal" since i am so bad at actually writing in a journal, 

3. and last, but certainly not least, since i am PREGNANT (three cheers!) i want to document my pregnancy and my ever growing belly.   

since we can't use our nice camera right now, i had to resort to taking pictures on our iPhones.  not the best quality, but it'll do in the mean time.  i'm so glad to be back here with all of you and i hope you enjoy my upcoming maternity outfits from thrift stores, my crazy pregnancy stories, and just life in general! 

coat: thrifted, top: thrifted, cardigan: gift, corduroys: walmart, boots: thrifted, 

purse: thrifted, scarf: souvenir from london, watch: christmas gift

currently i am 15 weeks pregnant.  

i BARELY have the beginnings of a belly, but i like to pretend that i am showing more than i am.

this week i have been craving really crappy fast food.  

i haven't had any morning sickness - HALLELUJAH!

i have gained a grand total of 1.5 pounds. 

   

this was from one of my crappy fast food cravings last night.  for some reason chicken stars from Carls Jr. with criss cut fries have been my food of choice.  

we ventured to our favorite spot today:  main street in huntington beach.  

this guy could watch waves for hours.  literally.  

i can't wait for the summer to come back so i can catch some wonderful rays out here.

labor day weekend finds

 top: thrifted, shorts: free, shoes: rite-aid, hat: free, watch: thrifted, necklace: thrifted

dear diary, 

oh how this past weekend was filled with much thrifting and lots of GREAT finds!  saturday my mom and i hit up some thrift stores when we came back from san diego and we also spend a good part of labor day thrifting as well.  here is what i found:

{1} 2 super adorable mustard yellow pillows (originally $25 at target) for $5 each 

{2} a round, blue pillow (originally $25 at target) for $10 

{3} the awesome shirt in the pictures above for $5

{4} a green link necklace (originally $10 at target) for $1.50

{5} some cobalt blue shoes (originally $25 at target) that i have been wanting for a while for $4

{6} an awesome retro dessert holder (that i am using as a jewelry holder) for $5.  

aren't these deals awesome?  i was so happy :)  there is actually a funny story about the pillows.  i found ONE yellow pillow saturday night with my mom at goodwill.  they only had one and i was kind of bummed because i really would have liked to have 2, but i loved it, so i had to get it.  then, we went to a different goodwill on monday and i found another one!  it was meant to be.  we also headed over to a different goodwill while out on monday and i found another blue, round pillow that i had previously bought a few weeks ago from goodwill!  you guys, i seriously think i have magic powers sometimes when it comes to thrift store shopping.  i mean how does one get so lucky?  thank you goodwill (and my magic thrifting powers) !

{happy thrifting!}

must thrift fall items

dear diary, 

i don't know about you, but recently i have been getting really excited for fall.  i LOVE fall fashion.  boots, scarves, peacoats, umbrellas, beanies....i could go on forever.  i can't stop thinking about all of my fall outfits and it inspired me to show you some super cute items you can thrift and add to your fall wardrobe.  here are some must have, must thrift fall items....

1. fedoras.  lately i have been wearing a fedora that patrick got for free.  it's a great way to get ready without actually having to do you hair! (one of my least favorite things)  i actually just saw some fedoras at the goodwill i was at tonight, so i know you can find one thrifting too! 

2. chambray. chambray. chambray.  this is SO in right now and they are ALL over thrift stores.  you won't have a hard time finding this super comfy, yet chic shirt while thrifting.  i love the one i got from goodwill a couple months ago because i can pair it with any style, color, or pattern.  you will not regret buying one.  

3. scarves.  scarves are a MUST HAVE fall fashion item.  they are an awesome accessory that are also very practical by keeping you warm and cozy.  thrift stores always have scarves, so this should be another easy one to find.  in fact, i found one of my favorite scarves at a thrift store.  

4. maxi skirts.  this item is going to be a little harder to find at a thrift store, although i have seen ones from target at goodwill lately.  if you can't find a maxi skirt, try finding even a maxi dress and then you can just wear the chambray shirt over the dress.  i do this a lot with a maxi dress i thrifted a couple of months ago and you can't even tell i'm wearing a dress underneath.  

5. BOOTS. these are definitely my favorite fall fashion item of all time.  they look cute with everything!  shorts, skirts, pants, leggings, etc.  i prefer riding boots, but you can choose what style you like.  this is another item i see crawling all over thrift stores all the time, too.  in fact, i just saw an adorable pair tonight that were real leather, but almost identical to a pair i just bought, so i didn't buy them :(  so, if you live in the OC, go get those boots!

6.  bomber jackets.  i love this style jacket.  it, too, goes with so many things.  it can be paired with more feminine clothes, or even more edgy clothes.  you won't have a hard time finding these at thrift stores either.  it's so fun when you find one that is vintage because the leather has so much character and life to it.

so, for this fun labor day weekend head out to some thrift stores and see if you can find some of these items!  then in the comments below write and tell me what you found!  i can't wait to hear from you! 

{happy thrifting!}  

stepped out of a magazine

as many of you know i had the opportunity last night to talk to a group of women from church about "how to shop at thrift stores," and let me tell you it was so much fun!  

they started out with a cute skit about where some different women bought their clothes from and then it was my turn to share my thoughts!  i spoke for about 15 minutes about my best "thrift store how to" tricks and then opened it up for questions.  the women had some really good questions about where some good kids thrift stores are, if the outfit i was wearing was thrifted, where are some good thrift stores to get furniture, and more.  they then had a fashion show spotlighting women who bought outfits from thrift stores.  women of all ages showed of their finds.  the MC was hilarious so we all had a good laugh and enjoyed watching the shows.  we even got ice cream after! yum......

i had the chance to talk to many of the women after who told me that they, too, love to shop at thrift stores and that they couldn't wait to try out some of the tips i gave them.  i had a display table to highlight some of the amazing things i have found at thrift stores and many women stood there talking to me about how they couldn't believe i had thrifted those things.  it was so much fun to talk to these ladies and to hear how excited and pleased they were with what i had shared with them.  

my favorite quote of the night was from a young lady while she was looking at my table: "you look like you stepped out of a magazine!"  i highly doubt that, but it made me laugh and made happy to know that people are beginning to find out that you don't need to spend lots of money to be fashionable.  

{happy thrifting!}

thrifting 101: pricing

 shirt: thrifted, skirt: fitted, necklace: etsy, bracelet: thrifted, 

watch: thrifted, sandals: thrifted, hat: free

alright my little thrifing friends, it's time for another thrifting 101!  i recently asked my instagram followers what questions they had about thrift store shopping so i can answer them for you here on my blog.  first up today is pricing.  

it is widely known that thrift stores are super cheap...most of the time.  sometimes there are items that are over priced because they are designer or "popular."  most of the time you'll find this at the more well known thrift stores like goodwill or salvation army.  goodwill is probably one of the more "expensive" thrift stores (if you can even call it expensive).  the little mom and pop thrift stores are always the cheapest and they usually have really good sales.  here is what i usually pay for things that i buy.  hopefully this will provide you a little guide as to what is too expensive to spend money on at a thrift store.    

i think that over $10 for any clothing, besides a suit, is way too much money to pay.  i usually try to pay only around $5 for anything clothing related.  

as far as shoes go, i don't pay over $10 either, unless they are really nice boots or heels.  in that case $15 is usually my max.  i usually end up paying between $5-$8.    

for jewelry i typically don't pay over $5.  watches i am willing to pay more for if they look nice, but i definitely won't pay over $10.  

are you noticing a trend in the pricing?  that's because thrift stores are SUPPOSED to be cheap!  anything that is over $10-$15 is usually too much to pay.  that's even pushing it.  

i hope this helps you decipher what is too much to pay while you are out thrifting.  remember, it's all personal as well.  if you really love an item and you have to have it, then buy it!  because if you leave without buying it, and regret doing so, you usually can't go back to get it.  most likely someone else will have bought it!  so good luck and have fun! 

{happy thrifting!}          

vintage shopping spree

today was an awesome day.  i took the day off because patrick and i work on each other's days off, so we never get to spend a whole day together.  "and what did we decide to do together on our day off," you ask?  what else, but thrift store shopping!  yep, we spent the whole day hopping from one thrift store to the next to vintage/antique shops and we had a blast.  

we specifically went to long beach because some friends of ours told us about an antique mall there and a street called "retro row."  most of the shops we went to were more vintage shops than thrift stores so they were pretty pricy, but it was still fun to shop around and see some amazing pieces full of history.  here are some pictures from today.  hope you enjoy!  

{this picture makes me really happy because those were my wedding colors!}

do you guys have some favorite thrift stores or locations?  if so, i would love to know so i can go and check them out!