shopping – This is my hobby.

Trashé for Moi, please.

Palm Beach County’s thrift community is made up of the best, most generous and creative people.

As an avid thrift shopper, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know several local shop owners, and I’ve come to discover that folks who curate and collect have the warmest hearts. It’s just a tried and true combo.

I’ve known the owner of Trashé Vintage, Heidi, for many years. Our sons were elementary school friends, and when Heidi and I first met, her store was called Stitches and Rust.

Her eye for curation is impeccable, and her prices have always been within reach for the average shopper. The style of her shop has evolved over the years, which I think is a reflection of her own evolution as a person — a very cool thing.

Heidi hosted a community-wide rummage sale in the parking lot of her shop over the weekend and it was fun to see that, much like her artfully collected shop, she’s curated a community of people who love shopping secondhand, eating tacos, and singing karaoke in the middle of the day.

The Cozy Cottage table had items exclusively $5 and under

Mom snagged a free pair of sandals from the clothing swap section.

Baby chose her own outfit for the outing — head to toe black was an aggressive but respectable choice.

The rummage sale prices were insanely good. I spent $15 and came away with an awesome haul.

I also got to catch up with Denise, owner of The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach, who gave me a bag of clothes she’d collected that reminded her of me.

See what I mean about this awesome thrift community?!

Here’s my rummage sale haul:

Goodies included these wreath earrings (so tempted to wear these all year round) and a little vintage vase pendant. I’m picturing this on a long chain! Love unique finds like this.

I also grabbed two pins – I’ve been adding pins to some of my purses, and have been accessorizing sweaters with them this winter.

We ended the afternoon with a trip to Goodwill. Naturally, I left with a few bags.

Thrift haul coming soon to my insta profile!

Things I left at Goodwill:

I know someone was JAZZED to snag this side table. So good!!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

>> Dominica souvenir hauls on my instagram profile! <<

J.Crew sweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach

No tag sweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Nike windbreaker from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Sweater from Goodwill West Palm Beach, J.Jill linen button up from Goodwill Denver, Pin from Trashe Vintage’s Rummage Sale

Linnette bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Treasure and Bond Boots from Goodwill West Palm Beach

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!

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.