Vanessa Moss

The Day Vince Gave Goodwill a Chance — and Immediately Regretted it.

One of my proudest accomplishments in life has been converting my husband to thrifthood.

Vince is known for his bougie nature and has historically paid full-price for brand new items, but over our 13 years together, I’ve whittled away at his resolve and he is now willing to visit thrift stores with me.

He actually shops quite well and finds treasures!

Wearing a v expensive, non thrifted shirt. To be fair, it was a gift from me. 😉

Try as he might to embrace my lifestyle as his own, though, he has always struggled with the Goodwills, friends.

Perhaps it’s the general odor, the flavorful clientele, or the fluorescent lighting. Whatever the reason, he tends to avoid a Goodwill trip.

I did, however, drag him into a Goodwill in Wellington on our way home from lunch with his aunt recently, and I want so badly to tell you the visit changed everything and he’s now super comfy with my favorite store.

Though he did find and purchase several pieces without my guidance or prompting, this trip only solidified his prejudices toward my precious GW.

*le sigh*

Unfortunately, friends, the spicy patrons of this particular Goodwill were wild and ready the fateful Saturday I dragged Vince in.

We actually *almost* made it to the check out line when the incident occurred.

As we stood taking inventory of our cart near the dressing rooms/making final decisions on things we’d keep, we began to hear a low gasping sound.

That gasping, which was coming from a dressing room stall, turned into loud wailing interrupted by bouts of what sounded like retching.

I wondered if we should grab an employee to assist!

My eyes, the size of dinner plates, looked into Vince’s unmoved and unsurprised face.

“We’ve officially outstayed our welcome,” he said. “This is why I don’t come to these places.”

Oooof! Goodwill!!!! We were so close!!!

Turns out, the person in the dressing room was a middle-aged man who was not ill or injured — he just thought it would be funny to scream like a woman in distress.

He was chastised by the staff and Vince escorted me to the car, never to return to this store again.

In a happy twist, Vince did accompany to my friendly neighborhood Goodwill last weekend. Thrift haul coming soon!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Secondhand necklace from a nonprofit show room (my toddler broke it later that day)

Top from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Skirt passed on from a friend

Easter Table Details

I hosted an Easter lunch for my family and friends and naturally covered my dining table in thrifted springtime goodness.

I love layering fabrics and patterns on a tablescape.

I pulled out a gorgeous embroidered tablecloth I found at Goodwill for only $7 — it’s a bit small for the table, but I layered it overtop a larger white table cloth to make it work.

I also pulled out an embroidered tea towel (placed under the water bottle) and cross stitched napkin (placed under the bird house centerpiece) sourced from The Nearly New Shop in West Palm Beach.

I purchased the birdhouse from the Dollar Store last year.

The floral stoneware dinner plates were found at Community Thrift Store in West Palm Beach and the salad plates are from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach.

All of my candlestick holders are secondhand, and I used my recently found Fitz & Floyd shell plate (Goodwill) as a bunny candle holder.

Never not obsessed with this wall sconces found at Goodwill.

One of my best non-thrifted recent purchases is the six foot fold-out table I got at Costco. I don’t know how I went so long without one.

Now that Elaine is old enough to have a little social life/have her friends over, it makes the perfect kids’ table for special occasions.

I covered the Easter kids’ table in Dollar Store finds — don’t sleep on the Dollar Store!

I’m always going to advocate for shopping secondhand, but for party purposes, the Dollar Store always has a top-notch collection of themed decor.

I snagged a tulip print tablecloth, matching paper napkins, and paper plates with a pink gingham pattern for the kiddos.

I ended up using the paper napkins for the grown ups too!

I also sourced all my Easter basket goodies from the Dollar Store, including egg decorating kits and little craft activities for Elaine.

I hope this inspires you to shop secondhand for your next special occasion!

The embroidered tablecloth is my favorite Easter tablescape feature — which is yours?

Last Week’s Thrifted ‘Fits

Anthropologie skirt from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Strappy heels thrifted from a local nonprofit showroom

Button up from Goodwill Denver, Tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Cole Haan pumps from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Always Follow the Garage Sale Sign

A typical Saturday morning routine in the Moss house includes a stop by Dixie Hwy Donuts for an apple fritter the size of your head and half-a-dozen assorted treats.

I was assigned the task of pick-up last Saturday, and after securing the package, was dutifully driving back home when a bright green garage sale sign caught my eye.

I can’t go, I thought to myself. The donuts might melt in the car and my family is hungry.

But…I could just swing by for a few minutes. Pop around a bit and then head home — yeah!

My poor, sweet family.

No regrets, though, obviously (at least for me). I pulled up to the best garage sale I’ve seen in recent memory and left with several treasures:

Can you believe I snagged this gorgeous needlepoint art for $10?!

I love this so much! Instantly hung in our living room.

Another vintage needlepoint for $10. This one is for Elaine’s bedroom. It reminds me of our carousel rides at the Palm Beach Zoo and on cruises we take.

I found this vintage rattan lampshade and placed it on our bar lamp, which I sourced from Goodwill last year.

Y’all know how I feel about shells. This statement necklace is quite a statement indeed and I can’t wait to style it with an outfit.

Another fun necklace with a pressed flower pendant.

Garage sales are always fun to visit but let’s be honest, they’re usually full of junk.

This sale was truly impeccable, so I had to chat up the seller to find out how she curated so many beautiful things and was not surprised to learn that she used to own a boutique in Northwood.

We exchanged numbers and she’s going to hit me up the next time she has a sale — hell yeah!

In closing: the donuts didn’t melt, everybody at home forgave me for the detour, and I had my apple fritter and ate it too. 😉

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Comfy dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Sadly, the sleeve of this dress ripped, so this was my last wearing of it — found at Goodwill West Palm Beach

Dress and bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach. Vintage chintz charm necklace by Sarah Bray Bermuda.

This massive shell ring isn’t thrifted but I’m obsessed with it — found it in Gaudeloupe.

Top and Bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach. Pants thrifted and gifted from a friend.

Love this vintage vase pendant that I found at a Trashe Vintage rummage sale. My pink ring is from the West Palm Beach Antiques Festival.

Risking it All for No Reason in Cozumel

I’m pleased to report that I escaped our annual spring break cruise unscathed — sunburn and illness free.

My favorite parts of this annual vacay, aside from the nightly family dinners, are the times we get off the boat.

This trip’s highlights were our port visits to Falmouth, Jamaica and Cozumel, Mexico.

Unfortunately, we missed the port at Grand Cayman due to bad weather. That would have been a good one and our first time visiting that island.

As veteran cruisers and island explorers, we no longer book shore excursions through the ship.

Vince’s deep dives on reddit and chatgpt prepare us to create our own experiences on any island we visit. In Jamaica, we promptly left the port via taxi for an hour and 20 min drive to Dunns River Falls.

But one small part of a truly massive/long waterfall situation

I would not highly recommend bringing a three-year-old to climb a gigantic, slippery waterfall, even if she is turning four in less than a month.

It was a long hike up literal rushing waters, but thankfully, we had an expert guide who helped us carry Elaine through the toughest spots and our little adventurer actually climbed some areas herself!

Our 17-year-old also joined us and was thrilled by the experience. His favorite thing about cruising is unlimited burgers and ice cream and running around with fellow fluffy haired teens. This was his first year truly embracing an excursion/getting a little adventurous and he loved it.

In Cozumel, Vince found a beach club off the beaten path that wasn’t overrun by tourists.

We booked two oceanfront cabanas for $60 apiece for the whole day, the snorkeling was fab (stingray sightings!), and the food was delicious.

The day would have been perfectly peaceful had I not decided (in a completely random and unhinged way) to launch myself off the edge of the jagged rocks near our cabanas.

I guess I felt like I could just….handle the might of the ocean surf…???? rather than walk further down to a dock with stairs into the ocean like a rational person.

Newsflash, girlie: you are not Moana, you are a real human lady (nearing 40), and the ocean is not your friend.

Needless to say, the ocean kicked my ass, and I deserved it. I survived with some bruises, a few bloody scrapes, and a lotta shame.

Despite my narrow escape from drowning, this cruise was the best one yet. Here are the rest of my vacay lewks!

Dress snagged on sale from Anthropologie

Family matching swimsuit from RuffleButts, pants from Old Navy

Vince orders family matching suits every year for our cruises

Shell necklace souvenir purchased at the Cozumel beach club gift shop

Mom is wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and sneakers found at Goodwill West Palm Beach

Swimsuit purchased at a resort gift shop in Temecula, shorts thrifted

Love this dress! Sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach

I purchased this dress at a nonprofit fundraising event – it’s from a boutique in West Palm Beach

Daddy Daughter matching! These are from Kenny Flowers.

We take our annual family photos on our spring break cruise too!

Cruise ‘Fit Checks

I’m coming to you live this week from our annual spring break cruise.

I’ve never envisioned myself as a big cruise person, but at this point I’ve taken 11 voyages. This is due to being married to a cruise person.

My main issue with cruises is the number of people on them. I consider myself an extrovert and love making new friends but there are just too many people on cruises.

During spring break cruises in particular I often feel like I’m on a massive floating mall. Navigating through the sunburnt masses to snag a spot at the buffet does not make for a relaxing time.

I also worry about germs (again — lots of people on here, using the same tongs), and a cruise has taken me down more than once.

But, my husband loves them and I do see the travel benefits. Living in South Florida, cruising is an affordable way to bring the whole family on a week-long, all-inclusive adventure.

The fluffy haired teens run around with other fluffy haired teens all night long and then sleep on the beach the next day.

I enjoy not having to think about what we’ll eat or where we’ll go each day. And, it’s a trip that is perfectly suited for each age group in our family — from grandmas to teens to the toddler. There truly is something for everyone on this ship.

We’ve all agreed our fave part of cruising is the family dinners.

I look forward to the port days when we can explore gorgeous islands, and of course there’s the family bonding. And the spectacular people watching — iykyk.

Y’all know if I’m gonna be on a cruise, I’m gonna dress the part. In the spirit of spring break cruisin’, here are some ‘fit checks so far:

Night One Dinner – top and pants from Goodwill

Baby girl’s cute little skort from Goodwill

Night Two, Elaine and I wore matching Lilly Pulitzer dresses (professional photo captures of us together — will share later!)

Mom’s Night Two dress and purse from Goodwill

Repurposed my Night One pants for Day Three Pool Day, J.Crew swimsuit is secondhand

On Day Four, we visited Jamaica and I wore a Lilly Pulitzer swimsuit and a skort from Costco

For Night Four Dinner & a Show, I wore a Farm Rio set

For Night Four Dinner & a Show, mom wore a dress and sandals from Goodwill

In a big girl bed for the first time on this trip!

Last Week’s Thrifted ‘Fits

Sweater from Goodwill Denver, Dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Bag from Stone Button Studio

Top from The Nearly New Thrift Shop West Palm Beach

Last Weekend’s Goodwill Haul

I popped into Goodwill last weekend after a brief hiatus, so I’m sharing my haul with you (never mind the wrinkled jeans – never ironing anything is my toxic trait):

I love a good button up and couldn’t pass up this long, lightweight one — picturing it with linen shorts for our spring break cruise next week. $7.99

As soon as I felt this jacket, I knew it was high quality, and I always love an embroidered detail. $7.99

Here’s what it’s priced at online:

I’m picturing this silky House of Harlow top with black slacks for work. $6.99

I found this cute basket to add to my collection:

I almost didn’t get this little plate because it has some damage, but I flipped it over to see that it’s vintage Fitz & Floyd. You know I love a shell moment!

This hand painted wooden picture frame is absolutely adorable. I’m thinking of adding this to my gift stash and giving it to someone for a birthday or special occasion.

Elaine’s room has a thrifted toy bakery stand, and I’ve thrifted toy fruits, veggies, breads, etc. for her to play with. I’ve also thrifted vintage straw baskets to hold all her produce (photos of Elaine’s room here).

I found these gorgeous baskets to add to her play area:

I’ve been wanting a new travel backpack that is cute enough to wear all day during vacation outings (I always haul wet wipes, a change of clothes, etc. for Elaine).

The thrifterverse provided: My best find this Goodwill haul was a brand new Vera Bradley travel backpack — and inside was a matching purse! I paid $20, which is a bit more than I usually like to spend on a thrifted item, but it’s totally worth it.

I thought these chairs were adorable, but I don’t have a need for them, so they stayed at the store. The embroidered detail is so sweet — with a good scrubbing, they’d look great.

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

A fave comfy dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

J.Jill Linen Dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Baskets for a Better Life

My husband is the type of person who likes things in extremes.

For example, if he finds a pair of shorts he likes, he gets them in every color.

He’s really into baseball caps, so we have a plethora. He buys them everywhere we go.

Right now, he’s having a major sunglasses moment.

He discovered that for about $40, he can get an entire box full of sunglasses on Alibaba.

I don’t know anything about this site and am not endorsing it — y’all know I’m a thrifter/secondhand champion, so this sunglasses-in-bulk business is not my vibe.

I prefer to source cheap sunglasses from Goodwill.

We are aligned, however, in the general concept of cheap sunglasses for him, because he’s lost several expensive pairs, including on airplanes and in the ocean.

When the sunglasses box arrived, I immediately knew I was in danger.

With each pair Vince tried on, the previous was tossed to the side, and my kitchen counter was soon covered in sunnies.

A future flashed before me that was full of sunglasses — surfaces throughout my home covered in them — all the same pair in different colors.

The horror.

BASKETS TO THE RESCUE.

I’ve thrifted two baskets from Goodwill that are now full of sunnies.

These baskets are keeping me calm.

These baskets are keeping me sane.

These baskets are good for my marriage.

: a poem.

I recommend baskets for a better life.

A lil Collecty

The older I get, the more collecty I get.

As a younger person, I didn’t collect anything and didn’t really see the point. It didn’t seem like a practical thing to do.

Now that I’ve settled into a family home, I like having more stuff around me and genuinely enjoy staring at my shelves and walls full of collected things.

I’m sure there’s science behind the benefits of just….staring in this overstimulating world.

Lately, I’ve been collecting home design books.

Owning this type of collection serves two purposes — it’s easy and fun to style shelves and surfaces with books, and I glean lots of inspo from the pages.

I love cracking one open on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee after a busy week.

I’ve also started collecting pins.

I thrifted this old Dooney & Bourke canvas purse from Goodwill years ago, and have given it new life by sticking vintage pins on it that I’ve found while thrifting.

I love the shape and size of this purse, but it has some imperfections (stains on the leather). Adding the pins has gussied this old girl up!

I recently purchased a Lands End canvas tote for beach and travel, so now I have even more real estate for pin collecting.

Accessorizing bags, hats, and sweaters with pins is adorable! Why wasn’t I doing this before?!

Old collecty me is all about it.

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Top from The Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach

Button Up and Linen Pants from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Mom’s entire outfit is Goodwill West Palm Beach – Top, Skirt, Sandals, and Bag

Top and Bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Cardigan from my Swap Brunch Party, Pants passed down from a friend, Tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

A Beary Unexpected V-Day Moment

Valentine’s Day is for lovers plus everyone else in my house.

Vince and I celebrated the holiday with a little staycation in Ft. Lauderdale but came home on Saturday night to take our baby girl out for a date (the boys were away celebrating their mom’s birthday).

We took her to the mall to pick out a new Build-A-Bear stuffie (her first Build-A-Bear is a red monkey — when you squeeze its hand, Vince’s voice says, “Happy first Valentine’s Day Elaine, I love you!”).

Baby E chose a beautiful, sparkly fairy bear and dressed her in a Rapunzel dress and tiara.

While filling out the bear’s birth certificate, we asked Elaine what to name it and she quickly yelled, “SALIVA!”

…….

“What was that, sweetie?”

Elaine smiled up at us and cupped her hand to her lips.

“SAAAALIVAAAA,” she stage whispered.

Saliva it is and shall ever be.

We all know how hard updating government documents can be — if this bear knows what’s best, she should accept her fate and introduce herself as “Sally” to those who don’t know her.

Anyway, as I was saying… Valentine’s Day is for everyone in my house, including the grandmas.

So I pulled together a little V-Day lunch for the family and naturally filled the table with thrifted finds, which I’m happy to tell you all about:

The weather was perfect, so we sat on our back patio for a lunch made of Buccan sandwiches, chips, and salads — all mouthwatering and highly recommended.

Earlier in the week, Elaine and I decorated construction paper hearts, which we stuck into a fun floral photo holder thingy I thrifted from Goodwill, and that served as our centerpiece.

Goodwill items included:
-The adorable heart taper candles
-Disposable napkins
-White dinner plates
-Floral placemats
-Amber goblets

I went to a luncheon last week and they were giving the centerpieces away at the end, so I salvaged and deconstructed one for the table.

The painted leaves are so cool, right? I stuck the roses and greenery in a crystal vase that was thrifted and gifted from my mother-in-law. She also gifted the pink serving platter I used for the sandwiches and the white tablecloth.

The heart straws and gift bags are from the dollar store! I love shopping there for holiday themed items.

It was a busy, sweet weekend!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Anthropologie bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Earrings from Stone Button Studio

Top and MANGO tote bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Date night purse from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Kaftan/Swim Cover from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Baby’s sweet dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Things I left at Goodwill:

Picture a palm leaf sticking out of this — so coastal chic!

This shell lamp base had a different shade on top, but I found this other hand painted one and thought they looked cool together. I’m currently lamp rich, though, so had to leave this behind!

Goodwill’s Got My Back

I’ve mentioned before that my daughter’s room is my favorite space in my house.

The entire room is collected whimsy.

The shelves and walls are full of thrifted, gifted, or passed down items. A major moment is the gallery wall above her dresser.

The largest piece here is a painting we bought on our baby moon in Jamaica. The artist added Elaine’s name in the corner, which is such a sweet touch.

I also have a framed photo of Elaine’s name written in script across beach sand.