Valentine Style at Triad Goodwill

This post is in partnership with and sponsored by Triad Goodwill.

Happy Monday! I am so excited for today's post! Back in December I partnered with Triad Goodwill to share some festive, holiday style and I'm thrilled to be partnering with them again. This time, it's all about Valentine's Style! Heart shaped everything, pink, and flowers are my favorite... all year round. So a holiday that incorporates my favorite things is definitely worth celebrating! I love the challenge of searching for holiday items secondhand. I have been pushing myself to thrift before I buy retail when it comes to clothing for the whole family, home goods, and even gifts. Goodwill is my first stop for the holidays and everyday!

I shopped in three of my favorite local Triad Goodwill stores to find all of the Valentine's themed goodies! You can check out my "GOODWILL VDAY" story highlight over on my Instagram account to see all of my festive finds. I found so many cute things for me, my home, and my girls! My main focus during my shopping trips was to create some Valentine's themed outfits that would work for a date night, everyday casual, and girls night out. Goodwill did not disappoint and I'm so excited to share the looks that I was able to create with my thrift finds!

I've labeled these looks in date night, casual day, and girls night categories but honestly, I would wear any of them for any of these occasions. Switch up the accessories to dress any of these style up or down! But this first look will most likely be exactly what I wear for a date night this Friday! How gorgeous is this top?! I spotted it at the end of a clothing rack and scrambled to see what size it was... as I was hoping it would fit me. I was so excited to find that it was my size! I love everything about it... the flower print, the sleeves, the style. Just everything! I also found a black satin cami during this thrift trip that I ended up making work for all of my looks. It's the perfect base layer and it was great for layering underneath this gorgeous top! I paired it with faded black denim, clogs, and my vintage bag (I also styled this one for the holidays back in December). I absolutely love how this date night look came together! That top is absolutely the star of the show. This is such a gorgeous statement piece and on a budget!

I plan on wearing a version of this casual daytime look on Valentine's Day for work. This beautiful pink cardigan was just made for a Valentine's outfit! Right?! It's too cute and I love the hearts on the sleeves. I was thrilled to find another great piece that is perfectly Valentine's themed! I'm pretty sure I squealed in the store when I spotted this cardigan. Add a pair of faded black jeans to your thrift wish list because they are clearly a closet staple for me. I kept the satin cami as my base layer with the cardigan and jeans then I added comfy sneakers and a little animal print to complete the look. This outfit is casually comfortable and so me!

This fun look is perfect for a night out with your girls! For this look, I reused this incredible jacket that I found at Triad Goodwill in December but it felt new when I paired it with the satin cami. I love the mix of tweed and satin! The colors in this jacket make me think of Valentine's Day. I kept the jeans (because they are so versatile) then added boots and a neutral bag to complete the look. I love finding and thrifting basics, like this black cami, to add to my wardrobe because I always get so much use out of them. I was able to wear it with three completely different looks!

I hope this post has inspired you to check out Goodwill for your next holiday (or everyday) outfit! You never know what you might discover when you shop secondhand. Thanks so much to Triad Goodwill for sponsoring this post! Have a great day and happy thrifting!

Thrifting 101

Happy Wednesday! I'm back for the second day in a row with a post! A question I get asked commonly is how I find such good stuff at the thrift store?! Well, today I'm going to take you to my "thrifting 101" class to share 15 of my personal tips and tricks for having success at thrift stores. I have been thrifting since I was a little girl so I'm basically a professional at this point, lol. 

I love thrifting so much! I love the thrill of the hunt and never knowing what kind of treasure you might find is just so much fun! I focus most of my time on hunting for home decor items, either for myself or to resell in my Instagram shop. I absolutely love having a space that is full of treasures that I have collected throughout the years. My favorite items in my home are pieces that I have thrifted! I have also been asked how I avoid having a cluttered home since I go thrifting all of the time and my answer is that I get rid of stuff. If it's not serving our home anymore, it's got to go! Bring something in, take something out. 

I also get at least 50% of my kids clothing from thrift stores. I have had really great luck finding items for them and now that they are older, they have gotten really good at spotting great pieces, too! Also, like I mentioned yesterday, I have gotten back into thrifting clothing for myself as well. I am being super selective about pieces that I add to my closet by focusing on quality, fit, style, and uniqueness. I love finding one of kind, vintage pieces!

Ok, now for some of my tips and tricks for maximizing your thrifting experience...

1. Go often! To find the best stuff you have to go thrifting on a regular basis so that you don't miss out on any great finds. I'm pretty lucky and my favorite thrift store is less than five minutes away from my house. I always go at least once a week but sometimes I go three or four times in one week depending on my schedule. My store restocks multiple times a day so there's always something new to find.

2. There is usually a "best day" to go. For many of my thrift stores it's Mondays. A lot of people make donations on Saturdays and often the new stuff isn't put out until at least Monday. I have the least luck finding great items on Saturdays because that's when most people are out shopping at thrift stores.

3. There are certain times of the year to be sure to shop. I always go the last couple of weeks of December. Everyone is cleaning out their home for tax deductions. I've found amazing clothes, toys, home decor, and more! Also, spring is a great time to shop at thrift stores. Particularly around March when most people are doing their "spring cleaning." Their trash is your treasure.

4. Shop for the whole family! I find amazing clothes for the girls at thrift stores! Their entire outfits above were thrifted. We have found such cute things at the thrift store!

5. Look out of season. This especially works well for children because kids clothes don't ever really go "out of style" plus I try to buy classic pieces for my girls. I buy summer clothes in the winter and winter clothes in the summer. I've had such great luck with this! I bought so many gorgeous summer dresses for the girls this past winter. I've also found great coats in the heat of the summer.

6. Find out if your local thrift store has a customer savings program. For example, Goodwill has a Preferred Customer program. For $15 per year, you can save 10% every time you purchase donated goods! It will pay for itself in no time if you shop regularly. There's also certain days where your savings double and you get 20% off!

7. See if your thrift store runs any sales. Many thrift stores will discount certain color tags or items that have been in store for an extended period of time. I love a good sale!

8. Have something in mind that you are looking for to focus your search. It can be really overwhelming to enter a thrift store if you aren't used to digging through stuff to find a bargain. Focus on jeans if that's what you need or a certain item that you need for your home.

9. This one might seem silly but I have found it to be a helpful reminder: look up and look down. I have found some of the best items when I looked up at the very top shelves and when I've squatted down to see what's on the very bottom shelves. There are treasures hidden everywhere!

10. Sizing is so different from brand to brand so don't be afraid to try on a large if you typically wear a small. I've found some really great items by giving an item that wasn't my size a chance. The top in the picture above is 2-3 sizes bigger than what I normally wear but it fits me perfectly in this style!

11. Most people say they don't have the patience to go through all of the stuff so here's a trick I use. I look at the fabric. You can tell a lot about the quality of an item by just looking at the fabric. I don't bother even looking at anything that looks worn out, faded, or the fabric doesn't look like it's of good quality. Josh makes fun of me for this one, but I also just go down the aisle and touch the fabric to see if it's good quality. Good quality = good feeling fabric!

12. Look everywhere! I've found women's clothing in the men's and children's sections of the stores.

13. Check out the racks and carts of stuff that hasn't been put out yet. I always find amazing stuff there because no one has looked through it yet. My local thrift store always has these racks and carts out. The staff at my store never mind if go through them.

14. Styling your thrifted items is the fun part. I love mixing my thrifted items with items that I've found at regular retail stores. You can make a thrifted item work with the latest trends but more importantly it's such a budget friendly way to fill gaps in your wardrobe. If you know you need a pair of shorts or a black dress, key an eye out for those items to get them secondhand.

15. Being patient is essential. You won't find a ton of stuff that works for you or that you love every single time but don't get discouraged. A piece or two at a time is fantastic and sometimes I leave with nothing. Don't buy it if you don't love it because it will just hang in your closet and end up back at the Goodwill in a few months. Sometimes it's so tempting to buy it because it's cheap but if you don't love it then leave it!

Do you have any other great thrifting tips?! Be sure to share them with me if you do and thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you have a great day!

Thrift Style .01

Hey y'all! I am so excited for today's post. This blog hasn't gotten much of my attention in the past year or so. I've mostly only put the time into my Friday posts and I guess there are lots of reasons for that. The top two reasons are that this past year has been crazy (for us all) and I really haven't been super inspired to share much more that what I've been Currently Loving. But, I am feeling a spark of creativity and inspiration again. I have always been a thrift store lover, even when I was a little girl. I was a pro at finding the best goodies while thrifting! I actually started my "fashion blogging" journey by sharing thrifted outfits. I took photos of my thrift style (including maternity outfits and really terrible lighting) and shared them here on the blog:

I have been taking outfit photos for over 10 years! I didn't start sharing outfits on Instagram until about 2012ish but creating outfits has always been a passion of mine. Dress up was always my favorite as a little girl! After I had Olivia, I was living in pajamas and lounge wear... having a newborn and a 26 month old had something to do with that. But, I wanted to start creating outfits again so I hit the thrift store to get some pieces that fit my body (on a budget). Sharing my thrifted style daily eventually led me to monetizing my outfits through affiliate linking. Over time I stopped shopping for my clothes at thrift stores so that I could link exactly what I wearing. Somewhere within that time, I got caught up in always wanting new things and having an overwhelming amount of stuff in my closet. Social media and the ability to monetize my outfits had me shopping too much, especially buying trendy/inexpensive pieces that wouldn't last more than a season. 

Over the last few years, I have definitely reigned in the amount of items that I purchase and have sought quality over quantity. I have been more intentional about filling wardrobe gaps instead of just mindlessly spending money on items that I don't need. But, I think somewhere along the way I lost of some my own personal creativity that I put to use when I used to exclusively shop at thrift stores for my outfits. A couple of weeks ago, I spotted a vintage top at my local Goodwill and I loved it. But, I didn't buy it that day. I thought about it that night and decided if it was still there the next day, I would get it. It was there and I'm so glad that I went back for it! Something about purchasing that top lit some inspiration inside of me to start thrifting clothing again. Thrifting clothes this time around is definitely going to be different for me. I used to be consumed with the brand something was back when I used to thrift my clothes. Now, I'm more interested in quality, fit, style, whether it fits a wardrobe gap, and if I can make it work with other items in my current wardrobe. 

Now, that I've shared the behind the scenes of this thrift style journey, let's get to some outfits! Some of the items are thrifted in these looks and some of them are not. I really love this balance of mixing vintage with new and thrifted with pieces I didn't find at a thrift store. 

I thrifted this chambray dress for $2! I had a chambray dress on my wish list and this one is perfect. I love the fit and the style! I paired it with gold strappy sandals and a straw tote for a fun spring look.

S A N D A L S | T O T E | C H A I N  N E C K L A C E

C O I N  N E C K L A C E |  R I N G

I have been wanting to try a jumpsuit like this for awhile after seeing something super similar from Madewell. But, I wasn't willing to spend a lot of money on something that I wasn't sure I would like. I found this Lee one, my size + new with tags, for $5 at the Goodwill! It retails for $138 and it's still available online. I was so excited to find this piece! It's so cute paired with sandals and I'm planning to style it with white sneakers or mules, too.

J U M P S U I T | S A N D A L S | E A R R I N G S

S C R U N C H I E | B R A C E L E T S

The last look is the top that rekindled my love for thrifting clothing again. This top is definitely from the 90s and I love the pleats! Just a reminder that don't worry about what size an item is when you are thrifting. This top is 2-3 sizes larger than what I typically wear but it fits just like I want it to. I paired it with denim cut offs and my vintage Dooney and Bourke bag for an easy weekend look.

S H O R T S | B A G | N E C K L A C E

Thanks so much for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful day!

fashion: pastels + metallics

Happy Sunday! I pulled out this top for the first time in at least two years. I thrifted when Julianna was a baby and I still love it. I had just forgotten about it! I love finding long lost gems in my closet and making them work with new things that I have. I love how this look turned out. I will be wearing this top more often now!

// top {similar} // jeans // purse {similar} //

// heels {similar} // necklace // pearl bracelet //

thrifty: look for less

I love getting the look for less. I love clearance racks, coupons, sales, and thrift stores. Getting the look for the least amount of money is my goal. Also remixing old pieces and basics is key. I love taking a basic t-shirt and adding a bold, statement necklace for a brand new look. Here are a few of my most recent outfits...

This top was thrifted and it was a great find! It's from Old Navy and I'm sure I will get a lot of use out of it.

The sandals were a clearance find at Target, the shorts were over 50% off at Old Navy, and I got this shirt on clearance for $5 at Banana Republic!

I found this t-shirt on clearance and it's a great basic piece. I've worn it at least 4 times in the past few weeks. 

This dress was a "splurge" for me. I paid full price-$20 and that is very rare for me. But it's a great basic that can be dressed up or down and it will never go out of style. I love chambray and how versatile it is!

And as you can see above, I'm obsessed with jewelry. I will post about my favorite jewelry stores/websites soon!

thrifty: shopaholic

I love to shop. That's definitely not a secret. I've always enjoyed shopping and I get it honest. My mom is big shopper too. I learned to be thrifty from my mom. We've shopped in thrift stores together since I was very young. I remember hunting for good stuff at the thrift store as a child. It was just as thrilling then as it is now. My mom always taught me how to be a smart shopper in regular retail stores, too. Shop the clearance racks or wait for something you love to go on sale. I can be impatient but I've gotten good at waiting for a sale. I did some regular retail shopping this past week and it was so much fun. Julianna talked to the mannequins and momma found bright neon pink shorts. Fun was had by all!

Here are a few of my lastest outfits...

 Top: Target

Shorts: Old Navy, thrifted

Necklace: Groop Dealz

Sandals: Target

 Shirt: Target, thrifted

Pants: Target, clearance

Necklace: American Eagle (old)

Sandals: Target

 Shirt: Target, thrifted

Shorts: Old Navy

Flip Flops: Rainbows

Necklace: Groop Dealz

 Dress: Target, clearnce

Shoes: American Eagle (old)

Necklace: NY & Co. (old)

 Shirt: Old Navy, clearance

Shorts: Express, thrifted

Sandals: Target

Bracelet: Groop Dealz

Necklace: Old Navy (old)

 Cardigan: Ann Taylor Loft, thrifted

Shirt: H&M, thrifted

Jeans: Target, thrifted

Shoes: Target, clearance

Necklace: Groop Dealz

Shirt: Anthropologie, thrifted

Jeans: Target, thrifted

Necklace: Groop Dealz

Flip Flops: Rainbows

thrifting 101: updated

Thrifting 101:

• Go often! To find the best stuff you have to go thrifting on a regular basis so that you don't miss out on any great finds. I go at least once a week to my regular thrift store.
• Check out the racks of stuff that hasn't been put out yet. I always find amazing stuff there because no one has looked through it yet. Last week, I found brand new Target and Gap items on that rack- with tags still on!
• Find out if your thrift store has a customer savings program. For example, Goodwill has a Preferred Customer program. For about $15 per year, you can save 10% every time you shop! It will pay for itself in no time if you shop regularly.
• Most people say they don't have the patience to go through all of the stuff so here's a trick I use. I look at the fabric. You can tell a lot about the quality of an item by just looking at the fabric. I don't bother even looking at anything that looks worn out, faded, or the fabric doesn't look like it's of good quality. Josh makes fun of me for this one, but I also just go down the aisle and touch the fabric to see if it's good quality. Good brands = good feeling fabric!
• Speaking of brands, I have a list of brands on my phone that I look for. This list would vary depending on your taste in clothing but some of my favorites are J. Crew, Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Lucky, Guess, and anything from Anthropologie. This brands generally have great quality clothing so even if it's second hand, it's typically going to be in good condition.
• Look everywhere! I've found women's clothing in the men's and children's sections of the stores.
• Sizing is so different from brand to brand so don't be afraid to try on a large if you typically wear a small. I've found some really great items by giving an item that wasn't my size a chance.
• See if you thrift store runs any sales. I have a favorite thrift store that has daily deals but they also take 50% of all clothing on Mondays. I love a good sale!
• Shop for the whole family! About 80% of our wardrobe is from a thrift store. I find amazing clothes for the girls at thrift stores!
• Styling your thrifted items is the fun part- I love mixing my thrifted items with items that I've found at regular retail stores. You can make a thrifted item work with the latest trends!
• Being patient is essential. You won't find a ton of stuff that works for you every time but don't get discouraged. A piece or 2 at a time is fantastic and sometimes I leave with nothing. Don't buy if you don't love it because it will just hang in your closet and end up back at the Goodwill in a few months.
• Look out of season. This especially works well for children because kid's clothes don't ever really go out of style. I buy summer clothes in the winter and winter clothes in the summer. I've had such great luck with this! I bought so many gorgeous summer dresses for Julianna this past winter.
• There are certain times of the year to be sure to shop. Always go at the end of December. Everyone is cleaning out their closet for tax deductions. I've found amazing clothes, toys, and more! Also, spring is a great time to shop at thrift store. Particularly around March when most people are doing their "spring cleaning."

thrifty: denim with a pop of floral

Here's how I styled one of my most recent thrift store finds...

Floral top: Izod, thrifted
Jeans: Target Mossimo, thrifted
Jacket: J Crew, thrifted
Boots: Dexter, thrifted
Tank: American Eagle
Necklace: Groop Dealz

Outfit total... less than $20!

thrifty: purple & yellow

Today's outfit is similar to Friday's- skinny jeans, bright colors, boots, and a bubble necklace. Since the temperature isn't Spring like yet- I'm using color in my outfit to make me feel like it's actually Spring.

The sweater in today's outfit was one of my thrift finds when I went to Goodwill on Friday. It's from the Prabal Gurung collection for Target. This sweater is actually still available at Target for $29.99 but I paid about $3.50 for it! I recognized the sweater from seeing it at Target, saw that it was my size, and quickly threw it into my cart. Such a bright color and it's so comfy, too!

The purple jeans are also from Target- clearance for about $8.00, boots were a birthday gift last year, and my necklace is from Groop Dealz for only $10! Even when I buy things that aren't thrifted, they are on sale!

This bright yellow and purple outfit makes this rainy day a little brighter. Happy Sunday!

thrifty: thrifting 101

I love thrifting and you definitely know that if you follow me on Instagram (http://instagram.com/emily_soto). I love posting my daily outfits to show off how I've styled my thrifted items. You don't have to spend a fortune to dress fashionably! I get asked pretty often what my "secret" is to finding good stuff so I'm going to share a few tips.



Today's outfit of the day: thrifted Gap sweater and Target leopard print jeans with a bubble necklace from Groop Dealz, boots from Belk, and a t-shirt from the Target clearance rack.

Thrifting 101:

• Go often! To find the best stuff you have to go thrifting on a regular basis so that you don't miss out on any great finds. I go at least once a week to my regular thrift store.
• Check out the racks of stuff that hasn't been put out yet. I always find amazing stuff there because no one has looked through it yet. Last week, I found brand new Target and Gap items on that rack- with tags still on!
• Find out if your thrift store has a customer savings program. For example, Goodwill has a Preferred Customer program. For about $15 per year, you can save 10% every time you shop! It will pay for itself in no time if you shop regularly.
• Most people say they don't have the patience to go through all of the stuff so here's a trick I use. I look at the fabric. You can tell a lot about the quality of an item by just looking at the fabric. I don't bother even looking at anything that looks worn out, faded, or the fabric doesn't look like it's of good quality. Josh makes fun of me for this one, but I also just go down the aisle and touch the fabric to see if it's good quality. Good brands = good feeling fabric!
• Speaking of brands, I have a list of brands on my phone that I look for. This list would vary depending on your taste in clothing but some of my favorites are J. Crew, Gap, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Lucky, Guess, and anything from Anthropologie. This brands generally have great quality clothing so even if it's second hand, it's typically going to be in good condition.
• Look everywhere! I've found women's clothing in the men's and children's sections of the stores.
• Sizing is so different from brand to brand so don't be afraid to try on a large if you typically wear a small. I've found some really great items by giving an item that wasn't my size a chance.
• See if you thrift store runs any sales. I have a favorite thrift store that has daily deals but they also take 50% of all clothing on Mondays. I love a good sale!
• Shop for the whole family! About 80% of our wardrobe is from a thrift store. I find amazing clothes for the girls at thrift stores!
• Styling your thrifted items is the fun part- I love mixing my thrifted items with items that I've found at regular retail stores. You can make a thrifted item work with the latest trends!
• Being patient is essential. You won't find a ton of stuff that works for you everytime but don't get discouraged. A piece or 2 at a time is fantastic and sometimes I leave with nothing. Don't buy if you don't love it because it will just hang in your closet and end up back at the Goodwill in a few months.

And here are my thrifted finds for today:

J. Crew button up for Josh and a floral Izod button up and a yellow Prabal Gurung sweater for me. All for less than 10 dollars!

Happy Thrifting!