Category: Fashion

June Thrift Haul

I have an ongoing thrifting list of things I’m looking for saved in my phone notes, so if I ever find some thrifting time I can take a few minutes to check for things I want. However, when it comes to thifting, you really just have to trust the process. Oftentimes I’ll find NOTHING on my list, but other treasures that I now can’t live without.

Which brings us to this month’s thrift haul. Nothing on my list, but quite spectacular nonetheless!

Garfield Virgo Mug, $2

Did I need a smaller sized coffee mug? Nope. But this Garfield mug was calling this Virgo’s name. And this picky worry-wart feels seen. And a bit called out.

Garfield McDonald’s Mugs, $2 each for 4

This was a total bummer because I picked up these mugs knowing Jack would love them. He loves the Garfield show and also has a couple of the comic books. However, when I got them home I googled them and found that they test high for lead. So sad! Instead of using them as drinking glasses, Jack has claimed them to display in his room.

Hudson River Inlay, $3

I thought this fun lighthouse picture was so cute and when I turned it over, I was thrilled to find out that the picture was made by inlaying different kinds of wood to make the different colors. So, so cool. I couldn’t pass up this fun piece of handmade art for just $3, so now I just have to decide where it will end up in my house.

Original art, $3

Another handmade piece for just $3! This little unsigned original painting called to me and someone even custom framed it too. I love the brush strokes on the canvas. And while I’m sad that someone threw this in the donate pile, I’m happy to add it to my collection.

And here is where it ended up (check the bottom boot shelf):

Longaberger basket, $8

I remember back in the late 80’s/early 90’s that my mom collected Longaberger baskets and now when I see one at the thrift the nostalgia takes over and I have to buy it. This little basket with leather handles is signed on the bottom by the maker and in perfect, unused condition. It even has spotless blue cloth lining and a plastic cup so you can use it as a planter. I kill all plants, so I’ll probably use it for something non-living.

Handmade vase, $1

ONE DOLLAR? For this adorable hand painted vase? Are you CRAZY? Mine.

Metal and Wood Sculpture, $6

I love this sculpture. It’s the circles and the tree-like bottom and the metal and the mounting. Just everything about it is pleasing to my eyes. There are no markings anywhere on this, so I’m not sure if it was made by an artist or sold at Homegoods.

Either way, I knew exactly where it was going to go in my living room:

Flower picture, $6

I used a banana for scale so you can see how big this picture is. I love the way it’s mounted in the frame with a bit of space around the picture before the mat. The flowers are beautiful and the colors are vibrant, what’s not to love? I’m thinking this one will end up in our new bathroom or toilet closet.

Tie Dye skirt, $7

I love the swish of this skirt, but I’m not sure how long it’s going to stay in my wardrobe. The waist is quite stretched out and even with the drawstring it tends to get looser as you wear it. It’s quite cute though and looked adorable with a t-shirt when I was at the beach last week. I may be able to make it work by adding a belt, but this kind of skirt is more of a throw-on-in-the-summer skirt and adding a belt feels a little higher maintenance that I like for hot days.

Who What Wear x Target Birdcage Midi Skirt, $9

Another blue skirt found on the same day. This fun polka dot midi skirt still had the tags on it from Target’s Who What Wear collection. I thought it was super cute to add to my work outfits and can’t wait to style it for work soon!

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Home Update: Walk-In Closet

Whew, this closet project has been A PROCESS and I’m so thrilled that it is finally done.

Here are all the catch-up posts:

If you don’t feel like clicking through, here is a quick recap: We had a spare bedroom and decided to turn it into a master bathroom and walk-in closet. However, I was impatient and decided to start on the walk-in closet first. I figured that way I can pay for some of the components and start using it early, rather than having to do everything and pay everything at the same time as our master bathroom project.

So we went from here:

To here:

Okay, all caught up!

I lived with my partial closet from December 2021 to May 2022, so about 6 months. Then, we covered the closet area with a sheet and demoed the rest of the room.

Over the next few weeks, walls slowly went back up:

I painted the first weekend in June and then the following weekend I was able to build the rest of the closet. And it is MY DREAM CLOSET!

I did a walk-through video here:

But you prefer photos, here is a look:

Whenever I read these posts online I just want to know… how MUCH did this actually cost? I mean, I’m not a famous influencer so none of this was gifted to me. For someone who wanted to recreate this in their home… let’s break it down.

From Ikea:

From The Container Store:

From Amazon:

If I would have purchased everything all at once, the cost would have been: $1,394.

As it was, I had 2 of the shoe organizers from 2014 (back when they were just $40 each), I spent about $600 on the one side of the closet back in December and then bought the remaining pieces in May. So, it was nice to spread the costs out a bit.

I was still able to get the results I wanted at a lower price by using Ikea rather than doing a full closet with The Container Store, or any of those closet companies that charge you your firstborn. I did a quick mock-up of the Elfa on The Container Store webpage and it was more than double the price for something similar.

I am very, very happy with how it all turned out. Just being able to see all my winter stuff and summer stuff at the same time feels pretty magical. Not to mention that I no longer have items stored under my bed, in my office closet, or packed away in boxes. Everything is accessible and organized, just the way I hoped it would be!

And since we are talking about money, let’s be clear with the items in the closet too. I estimate 80 – 90% of everything in that closet is secondhand (I’m actually thinking it would be fun to count up exactly how many items are secondhand vs store bought… so let me know if that’s a blog post you’d be interested in reading). While some of the items are obviously new to me (as you can see in my monthly thrifting posts), many have been in my wardrobe for 10+ years. As for the shoes, back when Rothy’s were a new thing I was lucky enough to be one of the bloggers who had a lot of readers use my special referral code. So my entire Rothy’s collection was free to me.

Next up, the master bathroom…

Disclaimer: This post contains a ShopStyle affiliate link and an Amazon affiliate link. The Ikea links are not affiliate links. This means that clicking on a link may help me earn a small commission at no cost to you.

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My Style: May 2022

This month the weather has been swinging back and forth between the 60’s and the 90’s. However, even with fluctuating temperatures outside, the office is typically pretty chilly each day… so layers are the way to go.

Here are all my work looks for the month. With this layout, if you want to see any look closer just click on it and the photo will blow up larger for you:

My yellow cardigan made three appearances this month, but that’s mostly because I’m kind of half living out of my office closet while most of my clothes are blocked off due to construction stuff. It is very springy though and adds a fun pop of color!

Favorite Outfits of the Month

I have a few favorites outfits this month:

First up, is this combo of my crazy polka dotted skirt (it’s super trippy to look at, because the tulle overlay circles and the underskirt circles swish around) and embroidered cardigan. Both the pieces are from Anthropologie, by way of Poshmark. They are also both very “me” in style. I love this skirt so much and the fact that it has nice, deep pockets is a bonus.

I found this gorgeous linen skirt at TJ Maxx recently and it pretty much jumped into my cart. This is totally going to be on repeat all summer long paired with a graphic tee shirt or solid tank top. However, I figured I’d also style it for work with a straw belt, navy blouse and purple cardigan.

The morning I wore this outfit, I had a completely different top in mind. However, I had recently picked up this gauze button up blouse from Target and I liked the way the greens went together, so I figured I’d give it a try. Initially I had it tucked it, but the blouse fabric was so thick it was giving me an unflattering look underneath the top of the skirt. I love it tied in the front though!

Least Favorite Outfits of the Month

I also had a couple ‘nope’ outfits this month, where at the end of the day items made it into my donation bag:

Both the black cotton Boden dress and the green patterned dress won’t be sticking around to see another day in my closet. The black dress was a bit too fitted in the bust and also the length was shorter than I prefer. After a day of the skirt creeping up and me yanking it down, I decided it’s time to donate it.

As for the green patterned dress, I thrifted it a few years ago and it’s looking a bit too worn nowadays. Both items were added to my thrift store donation bag to be dropped off once it’s full. The melon-colored gauze blouse (Target) and black cardigan (thrifted) will stay in my closet.

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