family – Page 2 – This is my hobby.

What’s in a Portrait

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.

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits round-up:

>> WATCH Video Thrift Haul here! <<

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 Festival

Love that they are two different shapes.

Shoes – J. Mchlaughlin (brand new!), Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Baby girl’s Beauty and the Beast needlepoint onesie (so sweet!) thrifted and gifted from a friend.

Kimono and belt from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Shirt – LOFT, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Dress – Old Navy, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach,
Leather & Silver Belt Source: Community Thrift Store West Palm Beach

Italian leather sandals, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Cat Toys Be Gone

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.

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: Goodwill

Top – Eileen Fisher, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach, Pants – gifted from a friend

Tory Burch Pumps, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Dress – Printfresh, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Dress – Universal Thread, 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 Beach

Floral stone dinner plates, set of 8 (!!), Source: The Community Thrift Store West Palm Beach

Picturing this on a beachy vacation, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach

Tunic – 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

Thrifted Gifting

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.

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.