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!
Our cookie cutter 2020 home has all the amenities of modern living — a garage, a laundry room, and ample closet space.
All things we didn’t have in our first home, which was full of historic charm but had little convenience.
When we chose to leave our first family home, I was initially devastated to sacrifice the charm, but quickly grew accustomed to not having roof leaks, rats in the attic (a horrific chapter of my life), roots growing through old pipes, etc. etc. etc.
Smiling faces in our new home
New build homes have their own version of charm — the charm of a lifestyle devoid of constant home repair.
At least, not major ones. *raps knuckles against forhead*
As new build home owners, we quickly learned of the term “builder grade” and its true meaning when the appliances that came with the house started falling apart, along with the cabinets.
So, we’ve found ourselves in a state of constant cabinet repair. Which is not as big of a deal as rats in the attic, so it’s okay.
This last repair round, we decided to finally add knobs to our cabinets!
New kitchen knobs and drawer pulls Bathroom knobs
I have no explanation for why we didn’t have knobs for six years. This is a safe space, I know you’d never dream of judging me.
For someone who cares deeply about design and aesthetics, I was oddly pretty hands off with the knob choosing. Vince wanted knobs that could be delivered next-day, which limited our options, so I picked out of a set of Amazon links he provided and I think they look great!
While we were at it, we installed a fan on the lanai (fancy word for porch) and added shelves to the boys’ room due to our increasing number of house plants that need surfaces to live on.
I shall not provide photos of the boys’ room — you’re welcome.
The knobs might be six years late, but they’re an example of how incremental tweaks over time make a house a home.
While I still miss the charm and character of our first home, I certainly do not miss squeaks that echo in the night or the scrabble of taloned paws overhead.
For now, I’ll happily take my builder grade cabinets, Amazon knobs, and structurally sound roof, and I’ll layer the charm on with my thrifted wares.
Speaking of thrifted wares, I finally styled some of my finds around the house last weekend:
I found the small pressed flower art on top at Goodwill recently; I’ve had the butterfly pressed flower art for several years and found it at American Thrift in West Palm BeachI purchased this crocheted garland from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach and layered it over a garland purchased at World Market in our loft. I hung this sconce from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach in our entryway and placed beach treasures on it. Everything in my entryway is thrifted – the antique chair, pillow, table, and lampThese shells and sea fan remind me of beach days in the Bahamas. Another sconce from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach, now holding more beach treasures and resting underneath a gorgeous needlepoint piece I found at a garage sale in West Palm Beach
Last Week’s Thrifted ‘Fits
Dress secondhand from a friend, sunglasses from Goodwill West Palm BeachDress from City Girl Consignment Top from Goodwill Denver, Tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach
Vince and I purchased our first home in 2017 — a tiny, historic Spanish Mission style house with a cottage behind it.
The charm!!!
We had our two boys and lived on top of each other but absolutely loved that little house.
Vince used the Florida room as his office, we knocked out a closet to put in a stackable washer and dryer (a lot of old FL homes don’t have laundry hookups indoor or in the main house), and I filled each space with thrifted finds.
I miss that ceiling so much. So many sweet memories in our first home as a family.We both look like babies!Had so much fun styling and sharing with my friends.Love, love, love this piece and will never get rid of it. The hardest thing about living in this house was that our headboard was right against the boys’ bathroom, so they were constantly waking us up! I had a blast making style choices for the boys’ room.Was obsessed with this bird chandelier we ordered on Etsy but had to eventually dismantle because of our cats. We filled the cottage with thrifted finds.
We moved to our current home just as the pandemic started — it couldn’t have been better timing. I can’t imagine us weathering lock down and virtual learning on top of each other in that small space.
Our new house is much bigger, but it’s a cookie cutter new build, so we sacrificed the historic charm of our first house for modern comforts as our family grew.
It was fun and special to watch our new house being built.
With my hectic schedule, I hardly drive by the house and haven’t been inside in over a year, maybe longer. With all the amazing thrift finds I’ve come across recently and left behind, Vince asked me to consider snagging some and saving them for an airbnb decor revamp.
The current styling of the airbnb is much more modern, neutral and less eclectic than my house — it needs to appeal to broader tastes — so my challenge is finding ways to update decor that fit within as specific palate.
The cottage
I went out over the weekend and came away with some starting points:
At Goodwill, I found four matching pillows to brighten up the couch, a basket that can be used on the kitchen counter or maybe living room coffee table, some artwork for the kitchen, and a woven trunk.
I’m thinking the woven trunk would be good to double as a table and extra storage in the secondary bedroom of the main house.
We are in desperate need of a new couch (maybe leather this time around?), so I’ll be visiting the Nearly New Shop in West Palm Beach weekly to see if I can find the perfect piece.
What do you think? I’m open to all suggestions for sprucing up the place. I’ll share styling details here as I go!
Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:
Shirt thrifted and passed on from a friend, Madewell jeans (my fave) from a Goodwill Boutique in BocaSweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach
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
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. She’s gorge.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 BeachSadly, the sleeve of this dress ripped, so this was my last wearing of it — found at Goodwill West Palm BeachDress and bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach. Vintage chintz charm necklace by Sarah Bray Bermuda.Bag from Goodwill West Palm BeachThis 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.
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).
A shelf in Elaine’s bakery stand
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 BeachJ.Jill Linen Dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach
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.
Just a few hats in our entryway
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.
Sunnies basket on the top shelf
I’ve thrifted two baskets from Goodwill that are now full of sunnies.
GAP Sweater, Anthropologie Skirt, and MANGO Tote from Goodwill West Palm BeachLand’s End Dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Beaded Leather Belt from Trashe VintageDressed this look up for an evening dinner! Eberjey Swimsuit from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Sunnies from Goodwill Ft. LauderdalePrintfresh dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach
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.
These vibes but make ’em thrifted.
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 BeachSandals from Goodwill West Palm BeachButton Up and Linen Pants from Goodwill West Palm BeachMom’s entire outfit is Goodwill West Palm Beach – Top, Skirt, Sandals, and BagTop and Bag from Goodwill West Palm BeachCardigan from my Swap Brunch Party, Pants passed down from a friend, Tote from Goodwill West Palm BeachCole Haan Pumps from Goodwill West Palm Beach
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).
But first – mama needs a massage.
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.
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.
The V-Day Crew!yum yum yum
It was a busy, sweet weekend!
Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:
Anthropologie bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Earrings from Stone Button StudioTop and MANGO tote bag from Goodwill West Palm BeachSunnies from Goodwill West Palm BeachDate night purse from Goodwill West Palm BeachKaftan/Swim Cover from Goodwill West Palm BeachBaby’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!
I was able to put my Goodwill sweater finds to good use over the weekend we spent in Chicago.
Red cardigan and boots from Goodwill West Palm BeachBeaded belt and boots from Goodwill West Palm BeachCloser look at the beaded belt detail; the dress ins’t thrifted, it’s Anthropologie!Baby’s pants are thrifted from Goodwill West Palm Beach and her top is thrifted and gifted from a friendH&M Sweater, GAP jeans, and boots from Goodwill West Palm BeachSeeing snow for the first time! Baby’s coat is consigned from Kid to Kid in Palm Beach Gardens.Sweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach
This is my hobby. 