vintage finds – This is my hobby.

Tour Heidi Ferguson’s Colorful, Completely Thrifted Lantana Apartment

I’ve known Heidi Ferguson, thrift maven and Lake Worth Beach vintage boutique owner, for about seven years.

Our boys were elementary school friends, and her son was one of the few kids my kid was allowed to have sleepovers with.

A clear indication that she’s always had high marks in my book.

I stumbled over her cozy little shop back when it was called Stitches and Rust and was located on North Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach.

I was instantly drawn to her sense of style and impeccable eye for curation — every corner of her shop was filled with the most unique secondhand and vintage treasures I’d seen.

Her prices were were fantastic and the atmosphere a total vibe, so I came back over the years to purchase items here and there for my home.

Her shop location has changed several times, and her style has evolved, but the constant has always been the way she’s able to source and layer patterns, texture, and color masterfully.

When I filmed her home tour, I wasn’t surprised to learn that every item in her Lantana apartment is secondhand — no exaggeration!

Heidi’s passion for thrifting started young. She stole away to thrift stores as often as she could, rearranging her room and bringing in new pieces to revamp and style.

She was never the cool kid in school — that was her brother. When he would throw parties while their parents were out of town, Heidi had to make herself scarce; she wasn’t invited.

But, she’d come home to find that all the cool girls liked hanging out in her room.

Like I said, she has an impeccable eye for curation.

In a world that often feels chaotic, having a beautiful, collected space has always brought Heidi peace.

Her ability to style feels innate — not necessarily informed by a specific moment, but rather the seasons of her life.

Where she’s living and how she’s feeling bring out different angles in her design eye, and it always naturally flows. A true gift.

This home tour highlighted a sense of style that is fearless, unconcerned with trends, and deeply personal.

After you watch her episode, you’ll understand why people have always gravitated toward the spaces she creates, whether it was her childhood bedroom or an iteration of her vintage shop.

Heidi has a gift for making spaces where people want to linger.

Inside a Lake Worth Beach Jewel Box of Art, Color, and Thrifted Finds

Some of the best pieces in Liz Schoettel’s Lake Worth Beach home were found at Goodwill or on the side of the road.

Liz and her family discovered the cozy, artsy, coastal town of Lake Worth Beach during the pandemic, when they were looking to escape the Chicago suburbs to sunny South Florida and discovered almost everywhere else was booked up.

This town wasn’t their first choice but quickly became one of their favorite places in the world.

They rented a house on M street and completely fell in love with the community — the neighborly feel, proximity to the water, delicious food, and iconic Lake Worth Beach cottages.

Liz was bidding on houses on their flight back home.

She wound up making offers on at least 20 homes, flying back and forth from Chicago only to lose out again and again before finding her current house in a stunning historic neighborhood.

The yard was overgrown, the fences were falling down, the a/c and roof needed replacing, and the property just hadn’t been loved in a long time.

Liz and her friend Alicia, a former coworker from her retail days in New York, collaborated on redesigning and styling the house into the beautiful jewel box it is today.

They drove a truck around to different thrift stores and on Facebook Marketplace runs — sometimes finding pieces on the side of the road.

Liz refurbished and repainted, giving each piece new life and creating high end designs with materials that were anything but.

The house has become so beloved by Liz’s entire family that her daughter chose to get married in Florida and wedding festivities were hosted in the backyard.

Artifacts from that special day can be found throughout the house, many created by Liz (did I mention she’s an artist?) — the watercolor guest list hangs in a bedroom, a massive painted flamingo in the garage, and little pink touches here and there were all part of the celebration.

This Lake Worth Beach house tells several stories: of Liz and Alicia’s friendship, of a daughter’s wedding, and of an escape from daily life in Chicago to a tropical dream.

I love that this home represents Liz’s journey from knowing nothing about my community to becoming a Lake Worth Beach resident. It’s a place where friendships have deepened, family milestones are celebrated, and new roots are planted.

There are many more stories for that house to come.

Introducing Styled in South Florida Home Tours

Having this platform to express my creativity through writing sparked a desire for me to create something new.

In the chaos of modern living, I’ve found the most peace and self-care in my hobbies of thrifting, decorating, and admiring home design content.

So, I decided to create Styled in South Florida Home Tours, a YouTube series inspired by the same elements that drive the This is My Hobby blog – documenting style, spaces, and the personality behind creative, inspiring home design.

So far, I’ve filmed a five episode season, which I’ll launch this Sunday, June 7th — Eeee! I can’t believe it!

Each episode opens the doors to one of my stylish South Florida neighbors, who leads the viewer through the thoughtfully curated spaces in their house, highlighting design choices, style hacks, and sourcing details.

This is wholesome, feel-good, inspirational content for your screen.

An easy 15-minute watch on a Sunday morning with a cup of coffee and your favorite home design magazine.

A look inside that cute house you pass on your evening walk and wonder about.

I hope you’ll subscribe to the channel and tune in!

Styled in South Florida Home Tours: Season 1 Dates

June 7 – Tour a Colorful Coastal Home in Hypoluxo, Florida
June 14 – Inside a Collected Lake Worth Beach Home Full of Creativity and Charm
June 21 – Inside a Stylish Lantana, Florida Apartment Filled with Thrifted Finds
June 28 – Inside a Stunning South Florida Pool Cabana Designed by a Professional Organizer
July 5 – Tour a Pink Lilly Pulitzer-Inspired Home in West Palm Beach, Florida

Here on the blog, I’ll share behind-the-scenes content on each episode weekly, including images of the spaces and more about the home owners.

I hope you’ll subscribe, watch, and enjoy! Thank you for allowing me to share this with you.

xoxo Vanessa

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

I wore a romper sourced from City Girl Consignment for my first birthday celebration with my bestie.

We went to The Modern Rose in Delray Beach for breakfast – delish and the owner came over with a slice of cake and a rose – so special! Afterward we went on a thrift shopping spree.

Tank, pants and sunnies all sourced from Goodwill for continued birthday celebrations with the family.

Vince planned a thrift tour for me – isn’t this amazing?!

But first, brunch! I got a birthday serenade with cinnamon rolls at Berry Fresh Cafe.

I layered this Goodwill top over a maxi dress also sourced from Goodwill

Love throwing on this super comfy maxi from Goodwill WPB

Make it Beautiful

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 MIL

I 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.

>> Visit my previous post to see how the space looked before.

First stop – pick up the truck from Home Depot

One 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 Beach

A Very Vibey Guest Bedroom

I re-styled my guest room and in a word it’s giving: vibes.

My mom stays in this room several months out of the year, so she has collected most of these pieces.

I don’t know where this came from — is it Gen Z terminology? My algorithm? — but now I just say, “vibes” in response to most things.

I say it so often that Vince asked me to stop.

Rude.

Sadly for Vince, this verbal tick is here to stay and now a core part of my personality *shrug*.

So, as I was saying — the room is v, v vibey and (naturally) full of thrifted finds. Here’s how it’s laid out:

My mom lives in this room several months out of the year, and there’s only one small closet, so coming up with storage solutions for her stuff has been tricky.

She found this gorgeous dresser at The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach last month which has been a total game changer. It’s just missing a handle on the top drawer, so she’s on the hunt!

My mom was worried this piece would crowd the space, but placing it against the wall near the head of the bed has actually made the room feel less crowded to me.

We have more than 60 house plants at this point, so we’re in a phase of coming up with creative ways to place them and make sure they’re getting enough light.

This little macrame hanging shelf does the trick in this room.

I love styling with books and stack them everywhere, much like our house plants. Mom’s old yearbooks and a few others are leaning against the chair in the corner here.

Mom found this chair and pillow at separate thrift shops. The chair previously lived at The Breakers Palm Beach.

Baskets are utilized as clothing hampers and extra storage.

The artwork was gifted to my mom from our neighbor in Columbia, Missouri. We have lots of this artist’s pieces throughout our home.

The tassel pillow is from a local thrift market and the crochet throw is from The Cozy Cottage in Lake Worth Beach.

My mom almost got rid of this little dresser because she thought it would be too heavy in the space across from the other larger dresser she found.

I convinced her to keep it for more storage (it now holds her purses) and also because I’m obsessed with it. The stud detailing and color is perfection — we found this piece at Quantum House Thrift in Jupiter.

The basket tray keeps tabletop items tidy and is sourced from Goodwill, the mirror is from Stone Button Studio in Northwood, and the matching pair of lamps is from The Nearly New Thrift Shop in West Palm Beach. They originally came with old fashioned lampshades so I replaced them with these modern gray ones I found at Home Goods years ago.

My favorite thing in this room is the macrame hat organizer I gifted to my mom for her birthday last year. It’s so practical but also feels like art.

I love the use of trays to organize surfaces. Mom found this tray at a local garage sale and I styled various thrifted and gifted items inside. The gorgeous shell box next to it is from Stone Button Studio.

This room is the only one in the house with so much gray. I tend to stay away from “millennial gray” but the cool tones in this room feel refreshing rather than bland.

Let me know if you want to come visit, the room is ready for ya. 😉

In other news, I wore a $15.99 Goodwill gown to a Gala over the weekend and truly felt like a million bucks.

My super comfy shoes are also from Goodwill.

I fear this is the type of dress you can only wear once, which kills me because it’s perfection.

I forgot to snag a photo of the back — it’s sheer!!

The only good full length photo I got of the dress. Here we are with our handsome cousins!

I found this gown a few weeks ago while shopping with my mom and remember telling her, “When am I ever going to wear something like this?!” I debated over it and decided the price was too good not to take it.

Who would have thought a last minute gala would plop onto my calendar?!

Goodwill comes through in all life’s moments, friends. Have I turned you into a thrifter yet??

Last week’s thrfited ‘fits:

Dress and Bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach

An Airbnb Refresh

Vince and I purchased our first home in 2017 — a tiny, historic Spanish Mission style house with a cottage behind it.

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.

So many sweet memories in our first home as a family.

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.

We did keep our first place, though, and now rent out both the main house and cottage.

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.

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 Boca

The Day Vince Gave Goodwill a Chance — and Immediately Regretted it.

One of my proudest accomplishments in life has been converting my husband to thrifthood.

Vince is known for his bougie nature and has historically paid full-price for brand new items, but over our 13 years together, I’ve whittled away at his resolve and he is now willing to visit thrift stores with me.

He actually shops quite well and finds treasures!

Wearing a v expensive, non thrifted shirt. To be fair, it was a gift from me. 😉

Try as he might to embrace my lifestyle as his own, though, he has always struggled with the Goodwills, friends.

Perhaps it’s the general odor, the flavorful clientele, or the fluorescent lighting. Whatever the reason, he tends to avoid a Goodwill trip.

I did, however, drag him into a Goodwill in Wellington on our way home from lunch with his aunt recently, and I want so badly to tell you the visit changed everything and he’s now super comfy with my favorite store.

Though he did find and purchase several pieces without my guidance or prompting, this trip only solidified his prejudices toward my precious GW.

*le sigh*

Unfortunately, friends, the spicy patrons of this particular Goodwill were wild and ready the fateful Saturday I dragged Vince in.

We actually *almost* made it to the check out line when the incident occurred.

As we stood taking inventory of our cart near the dressing rooms/making final decisions on things we’d keep, we began to hear a low gasping sound.

That gasping, which was coming from a dressing room stall, turned into loud wailing interrupted by bouts of what sounded like retching.

I wondered if we should grab an employee to assist!

My eyes, the size of dinner plates, looked into Vince’s unmoved and unsurprised face.

“We’ve officially outstayed our welcome,” he said. “This is why I don’t come to these places.”

Oooof! Goodwill!!!! We were so close!!!

Turns out, the person in the dressing room was a middle-aged man who was not ill or injured — he just thought it would be funny to scream like a woman in distress.

He was chastised by the staff and Vince escorted me to the car, never to return to this store again.

In a happy twist, Vince did accompany me to my friendly neighborhood Goodwill last weekend. Thrift haul coming to Instagram and TikTok soon!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits:

Secondhand necklace from a nonprofit show room (my toddler broke it later that day)

Top from Goodwill West Palm Beach, Skirt passed on from a friend

Easter Table Details

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

Anthropologie skirt from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Strappy heels thrifted from a local nonprofit showroom

Button up from Goodwill Denver, Tote from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Cole Haan pumps from Goodwill West Palm Beach

Always Follow the Garage Sale Sign

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.

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 Beach

Sadly, the sleeve of this dress ripped, so this was my last wearing of it — found at Goodwill West Palm Beach

Dress and bag from Goodwill West Palm Beach. Vintage chintz charm necklace by Sarah Bray Bermuda.

This 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.

Last Weekend’s Goodwill Haul

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).

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: