Making every day moments feel beautiful brings me a lot of joy, and it’s no wonder because science is proving the mental health benefits of aesthetics.
During my day job, I’ve become familiar with the concept of neuroaesthetics — the neuroscience of beauty.
This research shows that when people view something they find beautiful, reward pathways are activated in the brain.
Memorial Day weekend poolside spread with my thrifted bamboo tray and snack plates from TJ Maxx.
Meaning the beauty you witness makes you feel good and prompts you to continue seeking out that feeling.
The science is backing up something kinda obvious when you think about Martha Stewart’s decades-long success.
So, making every day, small moments in your life beautiful is something worth doing — it makes you feel good in a brain nourishing way.
We’ll eat outside a ton this summer now that we have our fan on the lanai.Saturday’s al fresco meal with thrifted bowls and a centerpiece from Trader Joe’s.
This weekend, I decided to make a visit with our cousin beautiful by bringing out a few collected items to enhance a simple snack spread.
Candle holders and blue dessert plates from Goodwill, Vintage floral plate from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach, Gorgeous table runner handmade from Stone Button Studio in Northwood, Pink serving platter thrifted and gifted from my MILI can’t get over these napkins from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach.
I loved pulling it together, which was a brain reward, but then our cousin noticed the beauty and the effort to create the moment, which brought its own reward.
Double. Doozie.
Slowing down enough to make small moments beautiful has big benefits — and brings a lot of joy, in my (and also science’s) humble opinion.
Baby girl worn out from her entertaining duties
We visited our Airbnb with new thrifted decor pieces over the weekend, and I think the place is looking a lot better.
First stop – pick up the truck from Home DepotOne of the bedrooms with the trunk thrifted from Goodwill for added storage and a wall hanging I’ve had for years from Stone Button Studio in Northwood.We found the new couch on Facebook Marketplace, and it brightens and airs out the space. We’ve been told we need to reconfigure the placement and swap the chair and couch. We also need to move the rug further under the furniture (and potentially add a new rug?).My mom thrifted this table from Goodwill and it was in our guest room for a while. Now it’s a sturdy side table and I’ve added a basket to hold the remotes and some new artwork from Goodwill. I’d love to replace the coffee table — keeping my eyes peeled in the shops! I found all the couch pillows at Goodwill.I’d also like a few new lamps for all the rooms in the house. This little bedroom table had an ugly canvas basket on the bottom shelf so I replaced it with a thrifted basket. We’ll continue to make incremental updates as I source things.
Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:
Tank top, pants, and tote from Goodwill West Palm BeachDress from Goodwill West Palm BeachLove the bow ties!
The crowd faves at my daughter’s birthday party were Goodwill finds.
As you might have gathered by now, my baby girl is a princess. She wasn’t really given a choice – my husband had it decided long before she was born.
The moment she arrived he stuck a bow on her head – perfectly coordinated with her outfit, of course.
As she grew and became more aware, she leaned right into the princess role with ease and it was reflected in her clothes, accessories, and attitude.
She dresses the part as often as possible and has drawers stuffed full of princess dresses – some passed down from her older cousin, but most found during my thrifting trips to Goodwill.
Elaine’s birthday party wasn’t princess themed, but of course we knew she’d want to wear one of her dresses for the occasion.
I decided to bring our collection of thrifted princess gowns, tiaras, and a vase of little wands (also found at Goodwill) so other girlies could be princesses too if they wanted.
We found this gorgeous Belle dress at Goodwill in West Palm Beach
As the kids arrived, before exploring the museum (which is a dream, by the way, Palm Beach County parents — run to take your kiddos if you haven’t been!), they immediately beelined straight to the rack of princess dresses.
It was a blast to watch how much joy this brought to the party — and it was such a simple add-on.
I thrifted the vase of wands and the basket holding the tiaras – don’t tell Elaine I gave most of the wands away to her friends! Fingers immediately in cake.
When it came time to sing the happy birthday song, in true princess fashion, Elaine interrupted the festivities to announce to the room that she did not want anyone taking the wands home and they all needed to end up back in the vase. lol.
That’s our girl!
Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:
Bag and sunnies from two different Goodwill stores in West Palm Beach; Chintz necklace by Sarah Bray Bermuda Dress from Poshmark, Kate Spade bag from Goodwill Palm Beach GardensShirt made from a vintage tablecloth; found at the Rust Market in Lake Park; Elaine’s little skort is from Goodwill West Palm BeachShirt from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Jeans from Goodwill Boca RatonDress and belt from Goodwill West Palm BeachTop from Goodwill Ft. LauderdaleDress from Goodwill West Palm BeachSunnies from Goodwill Ft. Lauderdale
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
Top from Goodwill West Palm BeachAnthropologie skirt from Goodwill West Palm BeachStrappy heels thrifted from a local nonprofit showroomButton up from Goodwill Denver, Tote from Goodwill West Palm BeachCole Haan pumps from Goodwill West Palm Beach
This year, our boys were out of town for Christmas, so Vince and I hosted a small Christmas dinner with just baby girl and our moms.
I’ve been collecting items for my Christmas tablescape for several months and am sharing here all the details of my completely thrifted, gifted and secondhand Christmas table:
-White Dinner Plates – Goodwill West Palm Beach -Green Cloth Napkins – The Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach -Napkin Rings – Thrifted and gifted from a friend -Silverware – Wedding Gifts -Milk Glass Goblets – Passed down from my mom -Candle with Glass Christmas Tree Charm – Goodwill West Palm Beach
-Taper Candles – Thrifted from Goodwill West Palm Beach or gifted -Crystal Candle Holders – Wedding Gifts -Table Runner – Goodwill West Palm Beach
The table runner originally had tassels on either end, but they fell off after I ran it through the washing machine, so I tied ornaments on either end to replace them! The vintage wreath ornaments were sourced from The Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach.
-Brass Candle Holders – Passed down from my mom -Small White & Green China Candleholders – Goodwill West Palm Beach -Glass Christmas Tree Votive Holder – Passed down from my mom -Christmas Holly Candle Holder – Goodwill West Palm Beach -Cake Stand – Garage sale find -Wooden Nativity People – The Cozy Cottage Lake Worth Beach
Now that all my Christmas gifts have gone out, I’ll also be sharing details on most of the items I thrifted for friends and family this year — stay tuned!
I hope you had a cozy Christmas full of warmth and love, friends.
Sweater and MANGO tote from Goodwill West Palm BeachRing from A Timeless Treasure West Palm BeachSweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach; Madewell Jeans from Goodwill Boutique in Boca Raton Hightop chucks from Goodwill West Palm Beach J. Peterman jumpsuit and leather belt from Goodwill West Palm BeachAnthropologie skirt from Goodwill West Palm Beach; Amazing necklace made of vintage fabric, charms, and shells sourced from thrift and estate sale trips made by Sarah Bray BermudaA closer look at my stunning Sarah Bray Bermuda necklace! Baby girl’s dress from Goodwill West Palm BeachMom bought me a pair of tassels from the Rust Market in Lake Park – they are on our end tables in our bedroom for now. This stunning handmade, one-of-a-kind dress made from a hand stitched vintage tablecloth is from a Rust Market vendor named Marcia. She doesn’t sell online/has no digital presence and more people need to know about her!! This dress is one example of many gorgeous designs. I highlighted her in my recent instagram reel – check it out! Vince and I brought a bottle of wine to dinner with friends and I popped on this vintage ornament sourced from a collection I found at Goodwill West Palm Beach.Elaine’s set from Goodwill West Palm Beach
I was thrilled to host Thanksgiving this year, not only because I love spending time with my family, but also because it gave me an excuse to create a holiday themed tablescape.
In recent years I’ve gotten more and more into tablescapes.
It’s another outlet for creativity, and I like pulling things from around my house to place down the middle of my dining table.
I’ve pulled framed photos, shells, and collected trinkets for my tables when hosting friends and family.
Lately, I’ve been feeling like almost anything goes for a tablescape.
You want bows? Butterflies? Bird houses? Tie and stick them onto candle holders or table runners and make it a thing!
(My husband was sure to tell me that placing miniature chairs down the middle is a little insane — I just love a miniature piece of furniture, okay?!)
This holiday, I’ve had a lot of fun thrifting specifically for my tablescapes.
Here, I’m sharing the details on where I sourced all the items for my Thanksgiving table.
Goblets – Goodwill West Palm Beach
Glasses – Home Goods (I store these separately / away from our daily use cabinets so nobody can break them, and only bring them out for guests)
Flatware – Passed down from my mother-in-law
Crystal candle holders – wedding gifts
Pink taper candles – Goodwill West Palm Beach
Beaded/wooden candle holder – Nearly New Thrift Shop West Palm Beach
Napkin rings – thrifted and gifted from a friend
Fall wreath – Goodwill West Palm Beach
Bronze candle holders – passed down from my mom
Dark blue dessert plates – Goodwill West Palm Beach
White & blue dessert plates – thrifted & gifted from my mother-in-law
Floral urn – Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach
Block print napkins – Etsy
White vessel thingy I used as a candle holder – thrifted & gifted from my mom
Glass cake stand I used as a candle holder – found at a garage sale years ago
Baby girl made this sweet centerpiece at school!
Teacup I used as a candle holder – thrifted & gifted from my mom
Dinner plates – fiestaware; I chose dark blue plates for our family’s everyday use because the color hides scratches and they look nicer longer!
It felt like a blessing to be able to make my table beautiful for friends and family to gather around — I hope your Thanksgiving was fab, too!
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Last week’s thrifted ‘fits & highlights:
Easy breezy dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach Sweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach GAP shirt dress, linen pants, Target sandals from Goodwill West Palm Beach I left this at Goodwill and kinda regret it!!!Top from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Madewell jeans from Goodwill Boutique in Boca RatonCutie frog earrings from A Timeless Treasure West Palm Beach Shells and rocks from Goodwill West Palm Beach styled in one of my plant potsMy dress from my swap brunch party! Still screaming over this bag found at Goodwill West Palm Beach — the red and the bamboo handles!Button up from my Denver Goodwill haul, MANGO bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach I styled an area in my bedroom with shells, a basket, and design books from Goodwill West Palm BeachThis basket from Goodwill West Palm Beach is solving a clutter problem on my desk!
I decided to switch up my holiday cocktail party/girly girl hang this season and throw a different kind of party.
Of course, I did not sacrifice the girly girlness (NEVER).
I wanted to host an event that served multiple purposes:
Foster connection with fabulous women
Honor my love of thrifting/buying secondhand
Help me clean out my closet (Things are severely out of hand — you see my thrift hauls! Gotta make way for more. 😏)
Offer food and drinks aplenty (obvi)
I decided to throw a ~Sip ~Shop ~SwapBrunch — a serial thrifter’s closet clean out.
Over a series of weeks, in preparation for this extravaganza, I went through my drawers and racks and created a massive pile on the floor of my closet.
The pile was full of pieces that I still love, but don’t need to hold onto any longer.
Pieces that I wanted to go to a good home and get more quality use.
In my profession, I wear a lot of dresses to events and sometimes when I see photographs from those events, I feel like a major outfit repeater.
Several of my friends feel the same way, so I thought, why not bring all our outfits together and swap? We each get to leave with new (old) things.
Or, we might find something we’d like to gift to a loved one over the holidays (gifting secondhand is cool, let’s make it a thing!!).
Baby girl was truly in her element at this party! She loved pulling pieces and bringing them to the ladies to try on.
The whole idea was to offer a fun way to shop for free and sustainably while also hanging out with my favorite people.
In preparation for the party, I activated my network to source portable clothing racks, extra tables, and hangers. The girlies came through.
Can’t have brunch without donuts 🤤.
I picked up bags of clothes from friends in advance, and two sweet ladies helped me set up the whole first floor of my house like a boutique.
The party had This is My Hobby vibes from top to bottom: The disposable wine glasses, wine charms, silverware caddy, serving platters, decorative fall napkins, party garland, and accessory display trays were all sourced from Goodwill.
I found a small storage piece in the service entrance of my friend’s condo building that was being thrown out; it displayed shoes, hats, belts, bags, and scarves perfectly.
I met this cutie on the airplane on my way home from Denver. She recently moved to the area and left the party with bags full — a new Florida wardrobe! This girlie found the perfect holiday dress!We don’t know where she’s wearing this, but it was made for her — stunning! My mom flew in just in time for the party and racked up on cute findsDidn’t snag all the ladies for this, but — look at these gorgeous friends! ❤️
The event came together better than I could have dreamed. I loved watching my friends connect — many meeting for the first time — and fill shopping bags with gorgeous finds.
*I’ll share an event recap reel on my instagram later this week!*
This was the best kick-off to the holiday season. I’m thinking I should make this an annual thing.
Last week’s thrifted ‘fits round-up:
Bag sourced from Goodwill, West Palm Beach Sam Edelman shoes sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach Trina Turk dress sourced from Goodwill West Palm BeachThese are the pumps I found during my Goodwill excursion in Denver!Baby girl’s ~ interesting~ outfit includes a Ruffle Butts swim top sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach Baby picked this dress out herself from Goodwill West Palm Beach Express shirt sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach, skirt secondhand/passed down from a friendCole Haan pumps sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach Comfy, cotton guauze button up sourced from Goodwill, West Palm Beach My faves lately – huaraches sourced from Goodwill West Palm Beach Baby girl couldn’t keep her hands off the merch during party set up 
*Bonus:* This sweet girlie shared pics of her party haul — how gorge?!
I sourced this Reformation dress from Goodwill several years ago. It’s a classic cut that will never go out of style – doesn’t she look gorgeous in this?!LOVE how she styled this dress – perfect for the holidays! 
We had our neighbors for brunch over the weekend, so I used it as an excuse to pull out thrifted wares and style them!
My husband is the brunch chef in our house. He invited the neighbors to come at 12:00 pm. He *started* chopping the potatoes at 11:40 am.
🥴🥴🥴
It drove me temporarily insane but at least my table was cute.
Here’s the tablescape tour:
Candle holder – Lake Park Rust Market, Pink taper candle – Goodwill, Vintage Pyrex mixing bowl – Goodwill, Vintage dessert plates – Goodwill, Dinner plates – Goodwill, Paper napkins – a TJ Maxx impulse purchase My husband propagates plants, so we always have jars of cuttings around the house and I usually have one or two as the centerpiece of our dining table. I found him this new propagation vessel at Goodwill this week!I found the mixing bowl and plates at Goodwill on two separate occasions – they match perfectly!Can’t have brunch without donuts! Pink serving plate – thrifted and gifted from my mother-in-law. Adorable stone plate (soon to hold bacon!) from Goodwill.No vintage at the table for the kiddos, I’m afraid – non breakables only. But they grabbed their donut holes from these cuties I picked up at Goodwill this week. Water served from an IKEA jug found at Goodwill.
This week’s thrifted ‘fits & treasures round-up:
Dress – Printfresh, Source: Goodwill, Bracelets – Unknown, Source: The Nearly New ShopDress – Charlotte Kellogg Palm Beach , Source: The Nearly New Shop, Earrings – Unknown, Source: The Church MouseBag – Unknown, Source: GoodwillTunic I used as a swim cover up (has pockets!) – J.Crew, Source: GoodwillAdorable set, Source: Jupiter Medical ThriftSome may be skeeved by a thrifted swimsuit, but I have my cleaning methods and own many! This one is Sanctuary, Source: GoodwillCute lil vase I’m using for baby girl’s toothbrush holder, hand painted, Source: Goodwill Set of 4 Anthropologie bowls, Source: GoodwillSet of six Queen’s salad plates, Source: GoodwillMilk glass bowl, Source: GoodwillStarfish drink stirrers, Source: Goodwill, Vintage basket, Source: The Cozy Cottage Lake Worth BeachI used this adorable basket to store towels for post brunch pool hangs, Source: The Nearly New Shop
It was such a pleasure to share my thrifted finds with friends over food (say that 3x fast) – hope you enjoyed, too!
This is my hobby. 