Thrifted It Styled It: Rattan Arch Shelf

 

Hey y'all! Today, I'm back for another Thrifted It Styled It post! The past two posts in this series have been clothing items but today is home style. I actually thrift home goods way more than anything else. I really only look for clothing items for myself while thrifting if there is a sale (partially because I love Madewell so much that I buy most of my clothing there). I absolutely love vintage, retro, antique, and anything unique. Finding a special piece while thrifting, especially something that I've been hunting for, is so much fun for me! One item on my hunt list was a rattan arch shelf. I was seeing them at antique malls for way more than I wanted to spend or if I did find one in a thrift store, it had a sold tag on it! If you are a thrifter, you know finding that sold tag on an item you love is super disappointing.

Well, back in January, I stopped at Salvation Army before picking up my girls from school. This parking lot is usually crazy but I was excited to get a spot right at the door. I had plenty of time on my hands so I was looking forward to browsing the store. A couple times around the store, I literally found nothing. Not one single thing. I feel like this happens to me every time that I get a good parking spot, I have time to look around, and of course, when I decide to actually get a shopping cart, lol. I was giving up and leaving, when I passed a white shelf full of pillows.

I had passed this shelf at least two times before and I never noticed it! It was the rattan arch shelf that I had been hunting for. I walked over to it *hoping there wasn't a sold tag* to discover that it was available and only $30! I immediately purchased it. So fast! A man from the store helped me bring it to my car and he wasn't convinced that I was going to be able to get it home. I drive a Honda Pilot and we have used my car to haul all kinds of things so I knew it was possible.

See! I did it... and with room for my two kids to ride. My girls weren't the least bit surprised when their thrifting mom pulled up to school to pick them up with a big piece of furniture in the car. They are quite used to this!

Like I mentioned above, I got this shelf back in January. I found a home for it in my living room the same day but then it sat empty for awhile.  For some reason, I found the task of styling the shelves to be challenging. I just wasn't even really sure how to start. Once I got started, it became such a fun styling challenge. I think I have changed something pretty much everyday. Added, taken away, or moved an item. 

The first thing I started with (and have kept there) is the rattan loveseat with the plant on the top shelf. The one thing I definitely wanted on this shelf was plants so it was a great starting place for styling. I also really wanted this shelf to be full of pretty treasures but also be purposeful. I love having a place for my watering can. It's pretty and on display but I also use it often to water my plants around the house. The seashell dish that I thrifted for 99 cents is going to hold my favorite little shells from our beach adventures. The disco ball is the most recent addition. I have been wanting one for awhile and I found this one for $5 at Five Below over the weekend. I think it adds a fun, whimsical touch to the shelf and now I want more of them! This shelf will be an ever changing space and definitely a focal point in our living room. One of my very favorite thrift finds of all time!

L E T ' S  S H O P

Thrifted It Styled It: Vintage Cardigan

 

Hey everyone! Today, I'm sharing another recent thrift store clothing find: a vintage cardigan. I found this cardigan at The Salvation Army, the same store where I found the vintage pink blazer that I shared last week. I found the blazer on Saturday when that particular tags was marked down even further to 49 cents but I was also really lucky with this find. It was 99 cents!

I spotted this cardigan right away because I have a thing for cream/white/ivory sweaters and tops. They always catch my eye and they are one of my favorite things to wear. I was still a newbie to the discounted price tags and didn't even realize that it was only going to be 99 cents. I had it in my cart when one of the employees at the store commented on my great 99 cent find. I was like... wait? what? Then, she explained to me about the pricing discounts each week on clothing. Now, I go on Friday and Saturday to see what I can find! I did a clothing redesign project with my Fashion Club at work last week so I went to The Salvation Army to grab clothing items. I was so impressed by the clothing redesigns that were created by my students in grades K-5. It was definitely proof that you don't have to spend much money to create something that you love to wear!

I washed this vintage cardigan as soon as I got home and tried it on. I was so excited that it was a perfect fit and in great condition! My husband and I went on a date last Saturday and I knew I had to wear it. I wish I would have taken a full length mirror photo but really, the cardigan was the star of this comfy date night look! I paired it with wide leg jeans, heart shaped earrings, a statement ring, a leopard leather bag, and my Birkenstock clogs. I loved the mix of old and new in this look!

L E T ' S  S H O P

With Style Treasures

Happy Fri-YAY! I hope you've had a great week! Today, I'm sharing a little side project of mine and one of the reasons why the blog took a backseat over the past couple of months. I have been a thrifter for years and years (literally since I was a little girl). I feel like I have a pretty good eye and I can often find the gems at the thrift store. I always see things that are great finds but I don't necessarily need it for my home or I already have something super similar. 

Back in 2021, I started an Instagram account, @withstyletreasures, to sell some of my finds to friends via the app. I had a little bit of luck but it really wasn't super successful so I put that venture on hold. I say I put it on hold but I was still accumulating items that I hoped I could sell one day. I have always wanted a booth an antique mall but it's a big investment to get that started. But, at the end of 2022, I decided I wanted to give it a shot so we started asking about spaces at our local shops downtown. At first, there wasn't anything available. My sweet husband kept checking back for me and we finally scored a book shelf at Flea Marketeers. A book shelf wasn't my original plan at all, I wanted a whole booth but it felt like a really great starting point to see if I could be successful.

Once I saw this bookshelf, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much space it actually had. We paid our first month of rent in the morning and by the afternoon, we already had it filled up with lots of treasures!

The craziest thing about this first day was that I sold something within my first 30 minutes of setting up and it covered my entire next month's rent! I took that as a sign that this was the right next step.

My booth... bookshelf... whatever you want to call it, is filled with a curated collection of treasures. A lot of vintage, boho, home goods, kitchenware, baskets, mirrors, and more. Basically all of the things that I really love! I have also really enjoyed theming out the space but including holiday related pieces. This month I have been adding pops of pink, flowers, red, and hearts, of course!

If you are in the downtown Asheboro area, be sure to stop by my space at Flea Marketeers! Also, please follow along and tag me in your purchases, @withstyletreasures, on Instagram. 

Thrifted It Styled It: Pink Vintage Blazer

Happy Monday! I'm back... for the second day in a row! Today's post is kicking off a new series here on the blog. It's a series that's been on the backburner in my brain but it's time to get it published. The new series is Thrifted It Styled It. In this series, I'll be sharing items that I've thrifted and styled. This will be a variety of items ranging from clothes, accessories, home goods, and more. I am hoping these posts will inspire you during your next (or first) thrifting trip as you hunt for treasures!

Ok, let's get started! First up, this amazing rose pink vintage blazer. This past Saturday, we went thrifting at our local Salvation Army. I'll be honest, I typically skipped thrifting here for most of my thrifter career. I'm not exactly sure why but I literally never went but now it's my favorite spot in my area to find the best stuff. It's priced super reasonably and for what you would expect at a thrift store. They always have a color tag that is 50% off and on Friday they discount a different color tag. That color is 99 cents for clothing and other items are 4 for 99 cents! On Saturday, the discounts on that color get even deeper. The clothes become 49 cents and they conveniently pull this color from the main racks and put them on rolling racks around the store. It's so much fun looking through these deeply discounted items to find the hidden gems.

I spotted this vintage blazer and my oldest daughter immediately said that I had to get it because I could make a great outfit with it. Sold! The style, the price, and the validation from my daughter had me immediately throwing it into the cart. My styling wheels immediately started turning as I was thinking of outfits that I could create with this fabulous 49 cent blazer! When I'm styling a bold piece, especially for the first time, I like to keep the rest of the look classic. The blazer is definitely a statement piece so I decided the first time I wore it, I would try a black base layer and black accessories to make the blazer pop. I debated on styling this look with leopard ankle boots but I ultimately decided that pairing the blazer with Converses just felt more like me. Wearing sneakers with a dressier item is my favorite. I love how this look turned out!

Let's Shop:

Back to School at Triad Goodwill

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

Happy Thursday! Did y'all know that yesterday, August 17, was National Thrift Shop Day?! I certainly did and of course, I celebrated with a trip to my local Triad Goodwill to do some treasure hunting. I absolutely love the thrill of the thrift! I love going thrifting just to look but I also really love going with a specific purpose. Whether it's finding vases for my flower stand, hunting for holiday decor, prepping for a project... I just enjoy finding things that I need for a great price! Well, back to school is no exception. Getting my girls ready to go back to school is one of my favorite reasons to head to Triad Goodwill! If you are a parent or guardian, you know that heading back to school can be super expensive. From school supplies to backpacks to clothes, there's so much they need! Well, today I am going to share how I prepped my girls for back to school on a budget and some of my personal thrifting tips that will help you score at thrift store!

My girls have grown up in secondhand clothing for the most part... besides the few years that I made them dress the same every single day, lol. They honestly prefer to thrift their clothing because they are able to find unique apparel that not every single person in their class is wearing. We often go into regular retail stores and leave empty handed because they can't find anything that no one else already has. I feel like thrifting has helped my girls define their own personal style because there's so many options at your fingertips when you are thrifting. You see a variety of brands and clothing styles right in front of you so you aren't limited to just one specific look. They love to shop for themselves but they also always ask if I got them anything when they know I've been shopping at Triad Goodwill! 

When shopping for clothes specifically, we love to go to several Triad Goodwill locations in the same day. You can easily find the nearest location to you here! In the photo above, we drove a little farther to a different city and she scored so many great tees that she absolutely loved. She was even shopping in an all thrifted look from Triad Goodwill! Julianna is currently in the oversized, comfy tees, and athletic shorts phase and these kind of items are so easy to thrift. She was so excited about her finds at this location that we hopped to two more Triad Goodwill locations and found everything we needed clothing wise to get her back to school ready! Best part? Everything was less than $50!

Olivia didn't need as many new items for back to school because we believe in hand me downs and she gets so many of them from her older sister! However, we love letting her hunt for pieces at Triad Goodwill that are unique to her personal style. She absolutely loves unicorns and anything that sparkles so she was so excited to add some new magical items to her back to school wardrobe. I even found her the cutest unicorn pop it purse to carry her hand sanitizer and lip products in style!

I love shopping for clothing and shoes at Triad Goodwill to get back to school ready but they also have other items that will save you so much money (...and who doesn't love that?!). Did you know you can find folders and binders there? I was able to score several school supply items for a fraction of the price I would have paid at a regular retail store! The items I found were in perfect condition. I also spotted water bottles, lunch boxes, and backpacks! I even found a letter board that is just like the one I recently purchased that would be great for documenting the first day of school. Is your student headed to PE class? I found great quality athletic wear from all of my favorite brands! Triad Goodwill makes back to school easy and oh so affordable!

I've sprinkled tips throughout this post but if you are new to thrifting and need some help getting started on your thrifting journey, this part of the post is for you! These are some of my top tips for becoming a savvy thriftanista at Triad Goodwill!

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 Triad Goodwill 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. Shop for the whole family! I find amazing clothes for the girls at thrift stores! Almost everything they are wearing in all of the photos in today's post is from Triad Goodwill. We have found such cute things for them there!

3. Get a Preferred Customer Card! For $20 per year, you will save 15% off every time you shop at Triad Goodwill. How amazing is that?! This is a must have!

4. 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 searching 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.

5. 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. The treasures are everywhere!

6. 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.

7. 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 and condition 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!

8. 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.

9. Styling your thrifted items is the fun part. 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 at Triad Goodwill.

10. Have fun! Thrifting is supposed to be a fun and exciting experience. You just never know what you might find when you are shopping at Triad Goodwill!

I hope I have inspired you to head to your closest Triad Goodwill location to get your kids or yourself back to school ready! Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!

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!