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 grew up with framed portraits of my sister and me hanging in the upstairs hallway of my childhood home.
They were in a spot I couldn’t avoid seeing every time I walked from my bedroom to the bathroom.
I hated the way I looked in my portrait. She didn’t look like me at all and, in fact, looked homely compared to my sister’s portrait, which was gorgeous.
Naturally, this would be the case, right? One sister jealous of the other sister’s portrait — a tale as old as time.
But I ain’t lying. Mine looked like a boy to my 12-year-old eye.
Also — my ears were not that big. So rude.
My mom eventually gave me the portrait when she sold her home and I’ve tucked it away in various spots in the couple of houses I’ve lived in with my family.
I decided recently to hang it on the wall again, right in the entryway of my home.
I still don’t think that little girl looks like me (or how I used to), but now when I look at it, I think about my childhood, my sister, and my mom’s love for her kids.
As a mom now too, I totally get wanting portraits of your kids — it feels elegant and more meaningful than a photo in some ways.
I also understand wanting to capture your children at a moment in time so you can cherish it forever. This portrait is now a reminder of that.
Dress – Lands End, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach; I think it needs a belt, noting this for the next time I wear it!Vintage blown glass candy earrings from The West Palm Beach Antiques FestivalLove that they are two different shapes. Shoes – J. Mchlaughlin (brand new!), Source: Goodwill West Palm BeachBaby girl’s Beauty and the Beast needlepoint onesie (so sweet!) thrifted and gifted from a friend.Kimono and belt from Goodwill West Palm BeachClose up of the details!Shirt – LOFT, Source: Goodwill West Palm BeachDress – Old Navy, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach, Leather & Silver Belt Source: Community Thrift Store West Palm BeachItalian leather sandals, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
A special thing about my home and decor is that I have a lot of items that friends have gifted to me.
One of those items is a gorgeous pine cabinet that sits in our dining area. For years, it has held my boys’ library books and…cat toys.
Yes, all those drawers had cat stuff in them. Why? Because until recently, our cat Gloria was the most spoiled girl in the house.
One of my husband Vince’s love languages is gift giving, and all the girlies in his life benefit from it, the cat being no exception.
It’s unclear whether Gloria thinks Vince is her boyfriend or father, but either way, he belongs to her and up until my daughter was born, she was in charge.
Gloria lurking at the top of the stairs
Now that our (very bossy and commanding) little girl is here, Gloria has settled into her rightful place in the pecking order, but the cabinets have remained full of toys that she’s honestly too chunky to play with. The girl gets winded after 2 minutes with a squeaky mouse, God bless her.
So, it was time to repurpose the cabinet and fill the drawers with items more appropriate for the dining area.
I’m now proud to share that I’ve organized our napkins, place mats, table cloths, napkin rings, and taper candles in the cabinet – such easy access and so satisfying!
These are actually the only drawers in my house that are organized.
I’m doing great.
Last week’s thrifted ‘fits & treasures round-up:
Plant pot, leather western-style belt, shell wall decor, Source: Community Thrift Store West Palm Beach Ralph Lauren Button-up, Source: The Coastal Consignment Boutique Purse – Dooney & Bourke, Source: GoodwillTop – Eileen Fisher, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach, Pants – gifted from a friendTory Burch Pumps, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Dress – Printfresh, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Dress – Universal Thread, Source: Goodwill, West Palm Beach Dress source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Minnie Mouse purse and Ty unicorn backpack, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Doll highchair in the background also from Goodwill West Palm Beach We bought these fairy wings at Community Thrift Store West Palm Beach, and realized when we got home that there were no straps for Elaine to wear them so now they are wall decor.I found a basket just like this at a different Goodwill in West Palm Beach years ago! Vince uses it under his desk as a trashcan. Cool to find another one.Another basket from Goodwill West Palm Palm Beach Pretty bowl for holding shells, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Fall napkins for an upcoming party and cute taper candles, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Pretty dish that we’ll use as a plant tray, Source: The Community Thrift Store West Palm BeachFloral stone dinner plates, set of 8 (!!), Source: The Community Thrift Store West Palm Beach Picturing this on a beachy vacation, Source: Goodwill West Palm BeachTunic – BCBG Maxazria, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Picnic basket, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Earrings (each pair less than $3!), Source: Community Thrift Store West Palm Beach Top – , Skirt – UNIQLO, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach 
Our daughter is besties with the little girl who lives across the street, and any time our families get together, the kids run around and scream and the parents drink wine.
So, inevitably, wine glasses break. When my neighbor had a birthday recently, I decided to go in search of a nice set of wine glasses — fellow thrifters will know that it’s hard to find 6 or 8 matching glasses, much less quality ones.
Last week’s girly thrift haul.
I don’t want this to jinx me or anything, but I truly feel that the thrifterverse has my back. I found six gorgeous Italian wine glasses and (bonus!) two fish-shaped stone serving dishes, glazed in a pretty blue color (wish I had taken photos).
I shined everything up, packed them in tissue paper, and gifted them.
This was the first time I’d thrifted a gift for someone who isn’t family (me, my mom, and mother-in-law all love thrifting and have a shared understanding that secondhand gifts are more than welcome).
So, I felt the need of course to disclose that I’d thrifted the items and say, “…I hope that’s not weird?”
Girly girl with her thrifted suitcase and heels. 💅🏽✨
This led me to wonder how people in general would feel about receiving a second-hand item as a gift.
I think because most people who know me understand that thrifting is *gulp* (whisper) my life, they probably wouldn’t be surprised or offended to receive a thrifted item.
It would be curated by a careful and practiced eye, of course, and cleaned prior to gifting.
Baby girl in a beautiful top found at Goodwill West Palm Beach
The more I’ve been in the shops — which has been weekly lately (coping mechanism? these times we’re in are trying) — the more I’ve thought about how important and ideal shopping secondhand is.
First of all, the stuff is FANTASTIC. I live in a place where people give away pristine, quality, high-end pieces. But also, shopping secondhand offers a way to scratch that pesky consumerist itch without breaking the bank and harming the environment.
A short list of the benefits of thrifting:
–It’s affordable (still screaming over my $60 chair/ottoman set…will be riding that high for the foreseeable future).
–It’s sustainable: Thrifting keeps usable items out of landfills and reduces demand for new manufacturing, making it one of the easiest ways to live more sustainably.
–It’s fun: I can’t fully describe the high I experience when I find a high-end item for a steal. If I could bottle it, I’d give it to you for free.
–It supports your community: I frequent charity shops that donate a percentage or all of their proceeds to a cause.
–It keeps things interesting: Thrifted finds spark creativity and give you a reason to switch things up in your wardrobe and rearrange things around your house.
I’m considering practicing mostly thrifted gifting for the holidays this year. What do you think? Would you be skeeved to receive a thrifted gift?
Last week’s thrifted ‘fits & treasures round-up:
I took my kids to Resource Depot in West Palm Beach and, let me tell you, we had a time.
We did not buy this hat, but it felt right to wear it while we sifted through shelves and bins.
We got a nice collection of things for only $22 and explored the super cool art exhibit.
Most of last week’s haul, sourced from Resource Depot and The Nearly New Thrift Shop West Palm Beach. Can you tell which items baby girl picked? 🤪Purple dance costume, Source: Resource Depot West Palm BeachLoved the “M,” not sure what I’ll do with it yet. Source: The Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach Heart shaped pillow, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach Top, Jennifer & Grace, Source: Goodwill West Palm BeachSeagrass wall basket, Source: The Nearly New Shop West Palm Beach Seagrass mat, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
This is my hobby. 