Thrift Store Score Thursday - Just In Time For Valentine's Day!

I love Valentine's Day! The red and pink hearts, sequined everything, and of course, chocolate! This year it falls on a Sunday, which is going to be great! Our predicted weather, however, is not great...cold, so, so cold, with a chance of a wintry mix. Definitely a bundle-up kind of day.

I'm really over winter the moment Christmas passes. In addition to the miserable unpleasantness of the being outdoors even for a second when it's freaking freezing (sorry all my Northern friends but you can't sell me on the idea that it can be pleasant and/or fun!) it's quite hard to feel fashionable when you have to wear more layers than the Michelin tire man and your friends don't even recognize you when passing on the street. So I was delighted when, on a recent thrifting venture, I found this scarf, just in time for Valentine's Day!

Double take! It's reversible!!!

I love when stitching is visible on a garment, and when I saw this tag, I was even more excited!

green 3 apparel seems to be a pretty amazing company. Committed to high-quality eco-fashion, made in the USA, all organic, and they even work with Aspiro to provide opportunities for for disabled adults. I was delighted to discover this brand! And all of their artwork is hand-created, original to green 3 apparel. Sweet.

Love it!

And folks, my investment was a mere $1! So I'll be rocking my new scarf while out and about this cold Valentine's Day! How about you, what will you be doing on this day of love and friendship?

Happy Thrifting!

Thrift Store Score Thursday - From Tan Pants to an Artist's Dream!

I'm so thrilled my son embraces thrifting for all the same reasons I do - to stay away from fast fashion, help the planet by reusing what's already here, and save money for things like trips and fun experiences. So when he asked if we could run by the thrift store last week to look for some tan pants to wear to his first dance (what?!) I was happy to oblige him.

Where could he possibly have gotten the idea that tan pants are cool?

He also wanted to look for a hat rack for his bedroom. Tan pants and hats. I just love his fashion sense. And since I hadn't had the best day at work, I was looking forward to a bit of thrifting to lift my spirits. Five minutes into our favorite shop, I found this book for fifty cents!

I judged this book by it's cover...which is wonderful!

Then we found the perfect tan pants, a steal for just a few dollars. I neglected to snap a photo, but in all honesty, I think one can use their imagination here.

However, this beaut below was the find of the day! Every since I discovered single-serve French press at Caffe 312, I have wanted a tiny French press for myself. And, voila! The thrift shop delivered!

And it's gold! Squeeeeeeee!

And there was even a handmade pottery mug to go with it! We've been slowly converting all of our dishes to pottery, and I love the color blue, so this baby came home with us as well!

No words. Just Awe. #potteryobsession

HW made this mug twenty three years ago.... I love things that have a few years on them, and a story. Who was HW? We'll never know!

Of course, when you live in a small space, something old has to go whenever something new comes in...so this baby went to a friend who is moving and needed to stock up her mug collection!

Sayonora, Starry Starry Night. You served me well, but it's over now.

Of course, there is often something I stumble upon that is akin to winning a thrift store lottery. And friends, this was it. Right here. An artist's dream, especially an artist without deep pockets who knows exactly how much these sell for new...

TEN DOLLARS??? I'm speechless. I am without speech. 

Alas, this easel could not come home with me because I already have a perfectly good one, and these tend to be one-time investment kind of purchases, but if I had a wee bit more space, I'd have certainly snatched this up! Instead I immediately shared it on social media, and an artist friend snatched it up! Sometimes you just have to share the thrifting love!

What were your finds of the week? The tiny French press made my day and my son can't wait to wear his new tan pants to his school dance. They need a nip and tuck here and there to fit perfectly, but the money we saved, not to mention charity we supported and environmentally-destructive fast fashion we didn't buy is worth a few minutes with needle and thread! The entire total of our purchases that day? Around $7, and that includes the wall mount hat rack, which we also found!

Happy thrifting!

***Jack Kerouac photo from Levi Strauss article 15 Facts About Tan Pants.

Thrift Store Score Thursday...It's Not Always Clothes!

As I write this, we are currently awaiting a temporary new family member...Kade, brother to our dear Ilsa, will be staying with us for the next few days while his owner is out of town. Should be interesting...we all know how well it goes when you mix adult cats together for the first time! But I digress! It's Thrift Store Score Thursday, and here's one of the finds of the week!

Oh my golly gosh, do you know what this is???

A beautiful, hardback copy of poems by one of my favorite poets, Kahlil Gibran! With gorgeous illustrations that evoke the twenties, one of my favorite historical eras! The art, the writers, the music, the flappers! A time when a woman could be considered radical and dangerous just for wearing pants. But again, digression! Back to the book!

Thrifting can be so much fun because you just never know what you will find! I was thrilled to discover this just as Caffe 312, coffee shop extraordinaire, began hosting a monthly open mic night for poetry! Since our weather is supposed to be Carolina winter this weekend (think days of freezing temps and rain) I'm hoping to spend some time in front of the fire with this book! Reading poetry always inspires introspection, which fits my mood in winter.

I hope you enjoyed this edition of Thrift Store Score Thursday! Happy thrifting!

Thrift Store Score Thursday - The Devil Carries Prada

Oh my golly gosh...when I slipped away for a few minutes to my favorite thrift store Monday afternoon, wasn't I rewarded nicely!

Yep, that's a ***Prada*** bag. This devil may not wear Prada, but I'll carry it. A good handbag can do wonders, like pulling yoga pants and generic Uggs up to acceptable levels of style (a good thing, too, considering that ensemble is basically my weekend uniform!)

This little easily fixable flaw...

...enabled me to receive 25% off the asking price...of FOUR DOLLARS!!!

I was far more interested in the cross-body strap anyway. Having lived 4 years in the shadow of a major metropolitan city, carrying my bag cross-body to thwart snatching is just too ingrained in my psyche for me to be comfortable with all my pursely possessions dangling loosely from my hand or elbow. So little wire and Gorilla Glue and that - for me - purely cosmetic handle is all fixed up.

I do tend to prefer a more colorful purse, however, so I decided to jazz this up a bit by adding a zebra scarf I thrifted ages ago and never really wore.

My three dolla Prada....ain't she a beaut?

Scarves on purses, are we still doing that? Well, I am! I love the combo of the faux tan alligator skin and silky black and white fabric! And the scarf-bag combo's understated elegance will keep me from yielding to the temptation to dangle a blingy Hello Kitty bauble from it.

This three day weekend (yes!) I'll be sporting my new bag as we venture down to Columbia to see an art exhibit, hang out with friends, drink lots of coffee and visit a vegan cafe!

Bad lighting...cool pose!

Btw, that Michael Kors top I'm wearing was free from a clothing swap I hosted, my flare-legged cords with buttons at the ankle were thrifted for $2, and my black boots were thrifted for $3. So the entire expenditure for today's look? Less than $10, including my bag.

Better lighting...boring pose

Here's to holding on to our hard-earned money! Have you have any thrift store scores this week? Happy Thursday and Happy Thrifting!

Sunday Zen: The Temptation to Buy Clothes (and other items) We Don't Need

Last night I hosted a fall clothing swap at my home and was really pleased with the 'new' items I discovered among my friend's cast offs. It's always fun and I love that reusing and recycling clothing is also free and sustainable!

I used to thrill at the deals I could find shopping big chain stores. Armed with coupons and a keen eye, I could easily rack up deals that would make me feel...I don't know...successful in some weird way, because I'd scored a lot of new things really cheap. When you live and support another life on one income, it's a good feeling to get a deal, yes....but was I really getting deals on things we needed...or was I simply falling for the clever strategies of marketing directors?

Perhaps it was a little bit of both. However, I have since learned that there is a cost for cheap fashion. I may have been proud to completely outfit my son and myself for a season for less than $50, but somewhere, somehow, someone paid a price. The environment likely took a hit as well, because the industry of fast fashion - think stores who regularly sell high priced items for 50-75% or more off - is a major contributor to icky toxins in our environment, not to mention the poor working conditions some garment industry employees toil under.

Back in April, I featured a bit more about the high cost of cheap clothing in my post on Fashion Revolution Day. I've done experiments where I didn't shop for clothes for 6 months, didn't shop for anything for an entire month except food, and most of my readers know my love of thrifting and upcycling. However, it's the temptation to shop the chain stores that reels most of us in.They just make it so easy. Some even give us money to spend.

Having committed loosely to another round of not shopping for any non-food items for a month, I was able to resist the urge to use this coupon last week. Why? Here are 8 reasons I resisted the temptation to use this coupon:

1. I currently do not need any new clothes or other items.
2. My son currently does not need any new clothes or other items.
3. It is highly unlikely I'd have only spent $5 had I went in, and it would have been money spent on items we don't need.
4. I'm committed to making my wardrobe eco-friendly and sustainable, which means applying a less-is-more mentality and shopping brands like Spiritex, Globe Hope, and Sustainably Chic.
5. I also believe thrift shopping is more eco-friendly and sustainable and try to find what I need at my favorite local thrift shop before looking for new items.

But more importantly...

6. I currently do not need any new clothes or other items.
7. My son currently does not need any new clothes or other items.

And perhaps most importantly...

8. It is highly unlikely I'd have only spent $5 had I went in, and it would have been money spent on items we don't need.

Still, a small part of me felt I had wasted the coupon...after all, it was $5 to spend, and it's possible I could have found an item on the sale rack for myself, my son, or a holiday gift for someone that would have been in the $5 price range... which means that with the coupon it would have been basically free, whoo hoo!

But a deeper part of me knows that fast fashion does have a cost, somewhere, to someone.  So while I may visit these big chain stores from time to time when I actually need an item I can't find elsewhere, my personal goal is to avoid unnecessary purchases, no matter what the deal.

How about you, how do you resist the seemingly every-present push to purchase items, especially clothing, that you and your family don't really need? And what eco-friendly, sustainable brands do you support? Would love to hear your thoughts!