Goodwill finds – Page 2 – This is my hobby.

White Elephant Exchange

Every year, my office gathers for a holiday lunch and white elephant gift exchange.

Since my thrifting habit has been insatiable, and I constantly seek excuses to be in the shops, I decided to create my first thrifted basket of the season for the holiday lunch.

We have several animal and nature lovers where I work, so I’m hoping someone enjoys the items I found — brand new and unopened (!!!) — at Goodwill.

I’m always snagging baskets when I find them, so it was easy to pull one from my growing collection in which to place all the white elephant items.

I think, ideally for a thrifted basket, I would arrange the items cutely and tie a ribbon on the basket handle — kind of like a typical fruit or gift basket.

But, the whole point of a white elephant exchange is that nobody can see what the gift is before selecting it from the pile.

So, I decided to tie up all the items in a thrifted scarf.

I don’t love the look, but it got the job done.

I found a fun dog puzzle and wild flower field guide — both great gifts for the animal and outdoor lovers.

Our white elephant gift spending limit is $25. This puzzle would’ve almost reached the limit, had I purchased it elsewhere.

I don’t imagine anyone is going to pull this field guide from their back pocket whilst traipsing Mounts Botanical Gardens, but I think it’s a fun thing to have on a table or bookshelf.

I added this beautiful glass ornament I found at the Nearly New Shop in West Palm Beach.

To decorate the basket, I tied on a bow of holiday ribbon (I found a collection of ribbon at Goodwill a few weeks ago), and another ornament found at Goodwill.

I’ll never tell you I’m good at wrapping gifts or tying bows. It’s a skill I have sadly not mastered, but I did my best and I think it looks kinda cute!

Happy holidays!

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Last week’s thrifted ‘fits round-up:

>> Last week’s thrift haul video on my instagram page <<

Lord & Taylor gingham dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach, layered with a non thrifted sweater.

Baby girl’s top from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Top and GAP jeans from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Linen top and pants from Goodwill West Palm Beach

GAP oversized button up and jeans from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Comfy coastal dress and MANGO tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Baby girl’s dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach

I forgot to do a proper outfit selfie, but the top I wore to brunch with Santa is from Goodwill West Palm Beach!

A Thrifted Thanksgiving Table

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

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 Raton

Cutie frog earrings from A Timeless Treasure West Palm Beach

Shells and rocks from Goodwill West Palm Beach styled in one of my plant pots

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 Beach

This basket from Goodwill West Palm Beach is solving a clutter problem on my desk!

Thrifting in Denver

I stayed in Denver for two nights last week for work and, though my schedule was packed, you know I had to squeeze in some thrifting time.

Maybe my new thing is visiting a Goodwill in every city I visit?

Thrifted conference attire – I got this jacket at the Rust Market in Lake Park, Brand – Love Sam

I was staying downtown, so I typed in Google maps “Thrift Store Near Me,” and a Goodwill popped up 2 miles away.

Conference sessions didn’t end til 6:30 pm but that wasn’t a problem – this Goodwill stayed open til 9!

I pulled on my sneakers and walked over to the largest and most organized Goodwill I’ve ever been in (the walk was also a great way to see the city at night — sorry, mom).

Threw on this sweater for my walk – The Drop, Source: thrifted and gifted from a friend.

First of all, look at this place.

All the clothes were organized by type, color, and size (!!!!) and the shoes had sticker sizes on each pair.

There were two levels and the first floor had a little bookstore section at the back!

Shook.

I only had about an hour to shop, but by now you know that ain’t a problem for me.

I’m like that classic story of The Princess and the Pea when it comes to sniffing out a cute top — I can just feel it in the piles of stuff.

I spent $55 and came away with a pretty good haul:

Almost left the picture frame but decided I could safely transport it in my backpack.

I only brought a backpack and a small carry on, so I had to be judicious in my selections.

Here are items I was sad to leave behind:

I wanted this so badly for baby girl! Imagine collecting thrifted minis for this.

Love a tiny chair! So sad to leave this!! There was also a pine chest I didn’t snag a photo of that would be perfect as a coffee table – they were selling it for $29!

Several Denver natives told me the truly good thrifting is in Boulder.

I’ll be back, Colorado!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Baby girl and I both wearing dresses thrifted from Goodwill West Palm Beach. Mine is Universal Threads.

Clearly was having a moment with this belt last week. 😜 Dress thrifted and gifted from a friend.

Ring from West Palm Beach Antiques Festival

Sterling silver shell necklace from Jupiter Medical Thrift

Baby girl’s shorts and shoes from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Janie & Jack Swimsuit from Goodwill West Palm Beach

More Dining Room Upgrades

Since I found that amazing chair + ottoman set at Goodwill last week, I had to rearrange several chairs throughout the house, leading to more changes to the dining room.

That’s one of the fun things about thrifting — when you find new treasures, you have to make room for them, so you’re constantly reconfiguring your spaces and expressing creativity.

A chair that was up in our loft (found a few months ago at Goodwill, naturally), and a chair that I thrifted for our wedding in 2015, were relocated to the dining table to become host chairs (chairs at either end that are different in style from the rest).

Chair found at Goodwill a few months back. Pottery Barn pillow found at Furry Friends Thrift in Jupiter.

Chair thrifted in 2015 for my wedding (maybe Faith Farm?), Pillow thrifted from a vendor at the West Palm Beach Green Market several years ago.

I often see home designers set up matching host chairs, but I think this mismatched look jives with the rest of my eclectic style.

A dear childhood friend helped me source thrifted furniture then reupholster and paint them for cocktail hour vignettes at my wedding.

Last week at Goodwill, I found these wooden wall sconces (which I’ve been manifesting!!), and they’re now flanking the lattice backdrop in our dining room.

The taper candles are also from Goodwill.

I can’t wait to light these up and add more romantic lighting to our everyday dinners.

My final dining upgrade of the week are these clip-on rattan chandelier shades! This was an impulse purchase from Amazon that I’m obsessed with. It’s a subtle change that elevates the room and integrates with surrounding decor.

I chose a shape that matches our kitchen island pendant lights.

Evolving a space with thrifted treasures brings me so much joy and creates a home that feels collected and personal. You should drop into a thrift store this week to see what inspires you!