August Thrift Haul

This month’s thrift haul is quite the cornucopia of vacation thrift and consignment finds, and a quick run out to celebrate National Thrift Shop Day. It just goes to show you that while you may have a ‘thrift list’ of what you’re looking for, you never know what you’re going to find…

First up, some thrift + consignment shop finds from North Naples, Florida:

Modcloth Linen skirt, $7

While my husband once again had all the Florida thrifting luck with shorts and pants, this is my ONLY item I thrifted on our vacation. It’s a linen Modcloth skirt and it’s probably 1-2 sizes too large for me in the waist. With that being said, I feel confident that I can easily add elastic into the channel of the waistband to cinch it to my size, while still leaving all the wonderful volume through the hips.

I think that this skirt will look adorable in the fall and winter with booties, tights, lightweight sweaters and maybe a denim jacket.

Eileen Fisher linen sweater, $20

I love Eileen Fisher sweaters and this linen sweater is so soft and pretty. It’s a v-neck dolman sleeve cut, which is super flattering. This is one of those tops that will be great for telework days (since it looks professional on a Teams video), but also super cute with a pair of distressed jeans and some sparkly necklaces. For $20, I couldn’t resist!

Johnny Was Workshop shirt, $27

I love Johnny Was brand clothing and I’ve been lucky enough to pick a few pieces up secondhand over the years (since retail prices are ridiculous). This top is from the Johnny Was Workshop brand, which is where they re-imagine menswear and retailed around $300. It has super soft flannel on the front, and then the back is velvet with embroidery! It’s oversized and eclectic and I love it!

As for styling, I will play up the ‘grunge’ by layering it over a graphic tee and leaving it open over jeans for a warmth layer. I’ll also button it over a tank top and pair it with comfy joggers for telework Teams meetings. It’s super fun and I can’t wait to try different ways of styling it with what I have in my closet.

National Thrift Shop Day was on August 17th, so I hit up my favorite thrift store to take advantage of their 50% off sales. I also had an additional 10% reward in my account, which took the prices down even more!

Black cotton/linen Target dress, $7 on sale for $3.14

Just a simple dress – I just liked the feel of the cotton/linen fabric and the cut of it. It also has an open back with a tie that secures it (right at your bra line), so I’ll probably try layering this over some slim fit tank tops as well as some of my exercise bras/tanks that have fun strappy backs.

Jenny Yoo Annabelle Convertible dress, $15 on sale for $6.74

I was initially drawn to the pretty purple color of this dress and all the tulle. The tulle placement on the bust is just so gorgeous! While in the store, I did a quick google to make sure this wasn’t some sort of Shein brand. I found that this exact dress is still sold on the Jenny Yoo website for $280 and that it is a convertible dress where you can style it in like a dozen different ways.

It was a couple sizes larger than I wear, but I tried it on over my clothes and it fit… so it looks like its bridal sizing. With that being said, I LOVE the style of the dress and have a couple weddings on the horizon. I have no idea what the dress codes will be though, but it’s always good to have options. Also, I have had to attend Gala events over the years in my line of work, so it makes sense to scoop this up for less than $7 just to have it on hand if I need it!

Converse embroidered high tops, $13.50 on sale for $6.07

I’m pretty sure someone was hiding these shoes. I was walking past the kids toys section and found them tucked away with the toys. They’re Converse high tops + fantastic embroidery + MY SIZE, so they were obviously waiting for me to find them. Ironically, I added them to my cart and was walking around and another lady stopped me to tell me how cool the shoes were and inquire about the size… so I almost had to throw hands to keep them.

They were a little scuffed on the toe and sides, but a quick rubdown (inside and on the rubber) with a bleach wipe returned them to perfect. These retailed for $90 and I got them for $6! I can’t wait to pair them with leggings, joggers and oversized hoodies in the fall when it gets chilly.

Sewing Projects: Clothing I’ve Recently Chopped, Tailored & Changed

One of the benefits of having a wardrobe that is mostly secondhand is that it’s easier to justify cutting it up. If I had paid full price for a dress, I’d think a lot more before hacking into the hem. However, if I thrifted it… bring on the scissors!

Here are a few items of clothing that have recently hit my ‘Sewing Projects’ pile.

Caftan —-> Shirt

Back in 2020, I purchased this gorgeous caftan off of etsy from a company that hand tie dyes clothing in Bali. As much as I loved it as a Mrs. Roper muumuu when swanning through the house during the pandemic, it wasn’t getting much use over the years. And I LOVED the fabric, neckline and tie dye, so that was a shame.

One day I decided to chop it into a top – within 10 minutes, I had grabbed the scissors, chopped it down, and ironed on a hem. And just like that, the caftan went from being unworn shoved in the back of my swimsuit drawer, to being one of my most frequently worn tops of the summer!

Linen Dress —-> Shirt

I thrifted this linen dress for $7, even though I HATED the color and the shapelessness of the fit. I did love the linen fabric and the neckline though, so I dyed it a rich green, chopped off the length, sewed up the pockets and hemmed the bottom with iron on hem tape.

I absolutely love this as a top now and it looks nice with pretty much everything in my closet.

Oversized Green Floral Shirt —-> More Fitted Cropped Shirt

I thrifted this fern top in Tuscan and it was quite oversized on me (I think it was maybe 2 sizes larger than my normal). It looked fine tucked into skirts, but the armholes were large enough you could glimpse my bra and the body of the shirt was wider than I like for pairing with shorts.

I kept going back and forth on whether to re-donate it, when I decided to give it a last chance makeover. I took the sides of the shirt in by a couple inches, which also closed the armholes a bit. I also cut off some of the length and sewed it a new hem. Now it fits so much better and it’s kind of cropped perfection with a pair of denim shorts!

Embroidered shirt —-> Pillow

I loved the embroidery on this shirt, but I just could not make it work on my body. However, inspiration hit when I was staring at it because the fluffy side pleats looked kind of like pillow ruffles. I cut it apart, sewed on a new back from my fabric stash, stuffed it… and boom, look at this beautiful little pillow!

Workcation in Naples, Florida: My Remote Work + Vacation Combo

One of the perks of my new job (okay, not that new, I’ve been there since October 2024) is that I get to work remotely most days. This summer, we decided to take full advantage of that flexibility and head back to a VRBO we previously enjoyed in North Naples, Florida.

We flew down on a Wednesday evening, right after I wrapped up my workday. My plan was simple: log in from the house for two days, enjoy the Florida sunshine from my laptop, and then roll straight into a vacation. The house has its own pool and hot tub, complete with a lanai, so I could set up my workspace in the kitchen overlooking the pool. While I worked, Travis and Jack lived their best pool life, hopping in and out of the water all day long.

By knocking out two full workdays remotely, I only had to take two additional days off to stretch a long weekend into a full week of Florida sun. We flew home early the next Wednesday, and I was logged back in that morning. So yeah, I’m loving the work/life balance!

What We Did:

When I say we had the laziest vacation ever, I mean it. Most days we alternated between reading on the couch (me and Travis), playing video games from a bed nest (Jack), checking out the local thrift stores, eating all the food, going in and out of the pool, and walking along the nearby beach. One night, we enjoyed both a rainbow AND a sunset at the Delnor-Wiggins beach.

Where We Ate:

We revisited: Turco Tacos, Michaelbobs BBQ and Kilwins for ice cream. New places we enjoyed: Steamers Seafood, Mystic Lobster Roll Company, and Naples Brunch Restaurant.

Where We Shopped:

Most of our thrifting luck was had at the nearby Goodwill locations. However, I also found a couple fabulous scores at the St. John’s Shoppe consignment store.

I barely changed out of my swimsuit all week and it was PERFECT. I actually ended the week feeling rested and refreshed!