Madewell New Arrivals

Hey and Happy Thursday! One of my favorite e-mails to get receive in my inbox is one announcing new arrivals at Madewell. In case you are new here, when I'm not thrifting (you can see how I styled my latest thrifted wardrobe item here)... I'm shopping at Madewell!

Over the past few years, my shopping has definitely slowed down and I've become much more intentional about my purchases. I prefer to invest in more classic, higher quality pieces that will last me for years instead of seeking out the latest item that is trending on Amazon. One of my favorite places to find these long lasting pieces for my wardrobe is Madewell. I love their denim (it gets better with wear), their leather bags, their jewelry, and really, just everything. I'm a fan! 

Today, I'm going to round up some of my favorite from their latest release of new arrivals. Between the unseasonably warm temperatures in North Carolina and this look book, it's making me have some serious spring fever and it's only early February! 

Ocean Isle Beach: Winter Edition

Happy Wednesday! Now that I'm back to blogging, it's time to catch up on some travel. The last time I shared about travel was from our summer trip to St. John. You can read about about that trip here. It was an amazing experience! We took some short trips during the fall and winter that I'm planning to share here over the next few weeks. Today, I'm going to begin with our most recent weekend getaway, Ocean Isle Beach. Some people think I'm crazy for wanting to go to the beach in the wintertime but it's magical. I am summertime and sunshine kind of person as well as a beach person. Of course, I'd rather have my beach days be warm and sunny but I honestly love going anytime of year. I can always go for some beach therapy! 

Four Things Tote Bag

Pros for a wintertime beach trip: it's not crowded and accommodations are significantly cheaper.

Cons for a wintertime beach trip: it's cold and some restaurants are closed this time of year.

The pros definitely outweighed the cons when I booked this wintertime beach getaway. We secured an oceanfront room for a great price with an amazing view. We have been staying at The Islander Inn for at least 7 or 8 years. It's right on the beach at Ocean Isle and it's been the perfect spot for a beach vacation for our family of four. This isn't a fancy hotel by any means but it's updated and clean. They serve a great deluxe continental breakfast that my kids look forward to every single morning.

We loved The Islander Inn because it's right on the beach but beyond the beach there's an outdoor pool for the warmer weather plus an indoor plus and hot tub. My girls hit up the indoor pool every morning after breakfast and every evening before bed. Josh and I personally loved the hot tub! One evening we ordered pizza and hung out in the indoor pool area for three hours. We were the other ones in there and we had so much fun! Like I mentioned, the last of crowds is a huge pro for the beach in the winter.

There weren't as many restaurants open this time of the year but it didn't bother us. One of our favorite things to do on vacation is a grocery store dinner. We go into the grocery store (Ocean Isle has Lowe's and Publix) to pick out whatever each want for dinner that night. The girls absolutely love this! It's a win for everyone. Grocery store sushi and bubbly with an oceanfront view was pretty amazing. We also picked up some key lime pie (with a chocolate chip crust) from Causeway Gourmet. It's a must try!

So, what else is there to do at the beach during the winter? Well, for me personally, I can sit on the beach for hours. Yes, even when it's cold! I bundled up in layers, brought a blanket and a book, and sat on the beach. It's just so peaceful, especially with hardly any other people out there. We also really loved hunting for shells, which is also much easier to do when it's not crowded. Family walks on the beach are always fun too, no matter what time of the year it is.

We also visited the local brewery, Makai Brewing. It's a great family friendly stop with a sandwich next door. I love the Hawaiian theme and decor! I also went to Drift Coffee for a caramel oat milk latte and their gluten free banana bread. It's topped with honey, ricotta, and fresh berries. So good! Oh and our other food stop was to Provision Company but we went to the location in Supply, NC on our way to Ocean Isle. This is the only location that is open during the wintertime. It's a tradition to stop there as soon as we get to the beach. Always delicious!

Have you been to the beach during the winter?! I'd 100% recommend it!

Currently Loving .259

Hey y'all! Currently Loving is finally back and it's not even Friday. I traditionally *for years* posted a roundup of what I'm Currently Loving on Fridays only. But it's time to change it up and share it any day of the week. I've been randomly sharing what I'm Currently Loving on Instagram Stories as I find amazing things that I love so I'm leaning into that approach here on the blog as well!

Today is all about coin pouches! I was browsing on Etsy and came across the most fun accessory shop, Three Potato Four Co. They sell the cutest rubber squeeze coin pouches! Does anyone else remember having one of these as a kid?! I can't even remember what color mine was or if it even had anything on it but I definitely remembering having one in the 90s. I found six of them that I love and now I can't decide which one I want to buy. Which one would you pick?!

THRIFTING MONEY

WEEKEND MONEY

ICE CREAM MONEY

FLOWER MONEY

COFFEE MONEY

FRENCH FRY MONEY

LET'S SHOP

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:

Hair and Beauty Bag .23

Hey y'all! Wow... it's been months and months since I have posted here. My last post was in August and I'm so excited to get back into blogging! I have so many ideas for posts to write on a variety of topics that I love. First up, hair and beauty. The last time I shared one of these hair and beauty bag roundups was back in August of 2020. That seriously feels like a lifetime ago! 

First, let's talk hair. I just got mine done this past Friday and it always feels good to have fresh hair! My stylist has been gradually lightening up with some fun caramel pieces so I refer to my latest hair coloring as "caramel fudge brownie" lol. The cut is long concave layers with framing around my face. I have been getting this particular cut since last April and it's my favorite of all time. It lightens up the weight of my thick hair and it gives my hair movement as well.

For washing, I currently wash about every three days... sometimes four. I used to go at least a week but I gave up dry shampoo awhile back. It was making my scalp so dry, no matter what brand I used so I decided to say goodbye. It took my hair a couple of months to recalibrate without it but my scalp is so much healthier now. I also switched to a fragrance free shampoo and conditioner over a year ago because of my extremely sensitive, eczema prone skin. It was another game changer for me!

Haircare Favorites:

Now, let's talk skincare and makeup. Like I mentioned above, I have seriously sensitive skin and I get patches of eczema often (well, I did... not so much anymore after years of trial and error). My skincare is super simple but it's been incredible effective. In the morning, I rinse my face with just water, apply my face oil, and a little petroleum jelly on eczema prone areas of my face. At night, I remove my makeup with a makeup remover cloth, cleanse with a fragrance free face wash, apply my face oil, some sensitive skin friendly moisturizer, and a little petroleum jelly on those eczema prone areas again.

The face oil that I use twice a day is really the star of my skincare show. I start with jojoba oil as the base and fill my dropper bottle about 2/3 of the way full. Next, I add my favorite oils: geranium, tea tree, lavender, and valor (because of the blue tansy that is great for your skin). There are other great essential oils for your skin but those are a few of my favorites. I always avoid citrus oils in my face oil because they make your skin more sensitive to the sun. I order all of my essential oils (and so much more) from Young Living.

Skincare Essentials:

My makeup routine has been drastically simplified over the past year. I have always worn less makeup during the summertime and I just decided to keep the simplicity year round. After my morning skincare, I add the the Glow 30 sunscreen, which does exactly what it says... it makes you glow. Next, I apply the anti-aging perfector (it's basically just like a BB or CC cream). It gives just enough coverage to even out your skin tone. I'll add a little powder as necessary if I need extra coverage for breakouts. After that I apply the cream blush using a beauty blender. For eyes, I've been using the quick stick, which is a eyeliner and shadow combo. I have this in a couple colors and I love it! Sometimes I also add a little liquid eyeliner if I want a little bit more of a dramatic eye look. I finish my makeup look with my favorite (sensitive eye friendly) mascara and a coat of my favorite lip gloss. From start to finish it takes about five minutes or less!

Makeup Routine:

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!