Category: Thrifting Fun

July Thrift Haul

This month, I’ve been feeling super burned out so I decided to take a Friday off as a mental health day. It was very much needed and of course, two of my stops on my free day were to a couple of my favorite thrift stores! I did some dressing room snaps while shopping too, so you can see how each item fits.

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

J. Jill linen cardigan, $3.99

I love this pretty pink cardigan from J. Jill and I especially love the oversized tortoiseshell buttons! I wear cardigans year-round, so this lightweight linen version will fit right in with my wardrobe. Similar cardigans are on the J. Jill website for $79-89, so this one for just $4 is a steal.

BeachLunchLounge blouse, $4.99

I went into the store with a thrift list and one item was a short-sleeve, button up shirt in a neutral color/print that I could tie over dresses. I actually found a bunch of options, but decided to go with this blue striped version from BeachLunchLounge. I’m familiar with the brand because I see it often when shopping at TJ.Maxx or Nordstrom Rack. I’m pretty sure this is the Spencer Shirt, which is still being sold on their website for $58. The fabric is fun and crinkly and it looks fantastic knotted.

SEDA Modell Severin Daners skirt, $2.99

I did so much googling on the brand, and as much as I can tell it is a German brand vintage skirt. I love the fabric and the print is super cute — to me it feels very ‘Kate Spade’ with the floral. For just $3, I couldn’t pass up this fun midi-skirt and it will be great for work with a wrap top, or paired with a blouse and cardigan. I wore it to work last week and you can see it in action here with a simple wrap top and bright sandals!

J. Crew Chambray Shirt with Pearl Snaps, $6.99

YEEHAW! This was another item from my thrift list – a lightweight denim shirt that I can knot over dresses. And this exact shirt is STILL being sold on the J. Crew website for $89.50. It is such a great, classic top and I can’t wait to wear it over my dresses and skirts as an alternative to my typical cardigan.

Rainbow hand-knit afghan, $3.99

You guys, I’m obsessed with this cute handmade afghan! I can’t believe that after someone took hours to make it with love… it ended up at a thrift store for $4. That just makes me so sad! Luckily, it came home with me and will join the other 10,000 blankets in my home.

Triominos Game, $2.50

Jack has been really into card games and domino’s lately, so when I saw this game sealed in plastic, I scooped it up immediately. It was only $2.50 and it should give us at least a few hours’ worth of fun.

Books, books, books, $11

Once again, I scoured the book section for books that I thought Jack might like. I will do ANYTHING to encourage reading in our house, and a fresh set of books usually does the trick. There are so many fabulous kid’s chapter books at the thrift stores and they are typically $1 – 1.50, so it makes sense to buy a bunch and just re-donate them when you’re done with them.

June Thrift Haul & a Quick DIY Dye

I had a couple opportunities to go out-and-about this month, so I took some time to make a couple thrift stops. This month was apparently topsy-turvy month… my favorite thrift store was a bust and the thrift that typically is terrible had some fun scores. It just goes to show that you never know what you’re going to find when you go treasure hunting at the thrift store!

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

Books, books and more books! $10 total for 8 books

I struck out in the clothing section of my favorite thrift store, but the kid’s book section was on fire! Jack recently read The Lemonade War in school, so I picked him up a copy for him to keep. I also found another book in the series, The Bell Bandit. The rest of the books were just things I thought he might like.

So far, he has LOVED the Kids are Punny joke book, the Animal Origami book and the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook. I will do anything possible to encourage Jack to read, so every time I go thrifting I pick up a few books to add to his collection. Eventually, they will be passed down to cousins or re-donated.

Halogen striped top, $5

Halogen is a Nordstrom brand and they typically have very well-made basics. This top is very lightweight (without being transparent) and incredibly soft. It has a kind of heathered stripes thing going on and at an XL is it nice and oversized. I like this one as something comfy I can throw on around the house with a pair of leggings or pajama shorts.

Eileen Fisher Crepe Side Zip dress/tunic, $7

You know it’s hard for me to resist a classic Eileen Fisher piece! This dark brown dress is a medium, but consistent with the brand it fits towards the larger side. The design is a little weird tough – it’s a dress with cap sleeves, but it has hidden zippers on both side seams. I found a couple photos online that show it much better:

Source: Eileen Fisher

From my online research, this one was originally sold for $238. It’s made out of the same washable crepe that I love from the brand – in fact, I have 2 pairs of slim pants and a skirt made out of the same material. I kind of like it styled with the slim pants in the photo above and I’m thinking adding a long necklace and sweater would complete the look. I’m going to experiment with it a bit and worse case scenario, it gets added to my Poshmark closet for someone else to enjoy.

Loft tiered dress, $7

I loved the crinkly fabric with the tiers on this dress. It just seems so nice and flowy for a hot summer day. I wasn’t able to try it on in the store, but it is a large and fits with some room to spare thanks to the flowy fit. The one thing I didn’t like was the minty color. It just didn’t look very good on me… so I decided to dye it!

My Quick DIY Dye:

  • Super important: put on gloves before starting!
  • I filled a bucket with hot water then added: 1 cup salt, 1 tsp Dawn dish soap, and 1 whole bottle of Rit Indigo dye.
  • I wet the dress, squeezed it out, and then added it to the dye bath.
  • I stirred it consistently for about 15 minutes while playing on my phone.
  • I then left it alone for 15 more minutes without stirring.
  • After a total of 30 minutes in the dye bath, I rinsed and rinsed and rinsed the dress until the water was mostly clear.
  • I threw it in the wash with a load of dark colored clothing on cold.
  • I hung it to dry.

The Rit dye made the color of the outer layer a beautiful blue, but didn’t dye the slip layer or the thread because they were made of polyester. I love the new color and the little peek of mint that you can see on the edges!

May Thrift Haul

I suppose this post should actually be called May “secondhand” haul, because none of these items were thrifted. Instead, I had a super fun weekend in Annapolis/Edgewater/Deale with my friend Lindsey and picked up a few treasures along my way at secondhand, consignment, and antiques stores. Let’s check out my treasures!

{Pssst, you can read about my previous thrifting adventures here}

Cronin Tulip Pitcher, $9

I loved the look of this little pitcher, so I wasn’t surprised at all when I came home and did a little research to find that it is from the 1950’s. I scooped it up for only $9 with the intention to add it to my pretty Pyrex display in my china cabinet. While I felt great about that purchase, I felt even better when I came across the EXACT pitcher at another antique store later that day… for $20. If you search ebay, you can find my pitcher and many similar designs ranging from $20 – $40.

Brooch, $3

This sparkly little brooch doesn’t have any markings on it, so it’s most likely nothing special. However, I love the antique rhinestones that have a little bit of age to them. This simple style will look pretty on my cardigans when I want to add a little extra sparkle to my work outfits.

Cutting Board, $28 and Vase $9

There were two of these pretty blue beaded bud vases and I kept looking at them every time I’d walk by. When Lindsey picked up one, I had to pull the trigger and we both bought matching bud vases. Since she influenced my vase purchase, I had to do her the favor of influencing her cutting board purchase. I bought this pretty little striped version and she ended up with a solid walnut version. No regrets!

Kantha Quilt, $35

I had actually been doing some light internet stalking for a Kantha quilt a couple months ago and never decided on one that I loved. If you’re not familiar with Kantha quilts, many of them are made in West Bengal of vintage Indian saris, with no batting and a unique combination of patterns and a straight running stitch. This one is super soft and lightweight, and I love the colors. I think this one will initially be added to my sunroom as a lightweight cover on chilly evenings. But it might make its way to the end of my bed, to add a little pop of color to our bedroom.

Now, onto my clothes haul. I was initially looking for some casual skirts and dresses to add to my closet since I’ve purged so many away. However, all I found was exercise gear. No worries though, I got some fantastic deals!

PraNa leggings, $12

PraNa is a socially responsible, fair-trade company that makes really great athletic clothing. I think these are the Beksa leggings, which retail for $89 on their website. They are in perfect condition, so I figured for $12 I might as well add them to my rotation.

Atheta tank top, $15

Athleta is another fancy brand for athletic clothes (owned by the same company as Old Navy, Gap and Banana Republic). I have a few pairs of Athleta joggers that I LOVE and also a couple pairs of their leggings. Their clothing is built to last and after lots and lots of washing, there is very little wear and pilling. This tank top was in great condition and similar tops are selling for $49 on the Athleta website.

Under Armour Sole of the City half zip, $4.50

 I saw this top on the rack and HAD to have it. I actually have the tank top version of this shirt that I purchased last time I ran the Sole of the City 10k. This long sleeve version was probably sold after the race for $50 – 75ish. It’s super comfortable and in perfect condition and I will absolutely get some wear out of it when the weather is chilly. It was also marked all the way down to $4.50. SCORE!

Lululemon Align Joggers, $35

I’m pretty sure this is the third time straight that I found Lululemon while out ‘picking’ with Lindsey. And Every. Dang. Time. It is in her size and too small for me. I found like 5 new with tags items over the weekend and gave them to her to try on… and she said she didn’t like the joggers because they came up too high on the tummy. Well, I LOVE pants that suck my tummy in, so I decided to give them a try even though they are an 8 and I’m more of a 10/12ish. As luck would have it, they fit great and I finally thrifted my very first Lululemon item. These retail for $98, so even though $35 is paying up for secondhand…since they still had the tags on them, I’ll allow it!