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!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits & highlights:

Easy breezy dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach
Sweater 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
My dress from my swap brunch party!
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!

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
Close up of the details!
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

Thrifting into the Holidays

It’s hard to believe the holidays are nearly upon us. After October it’s basically Christmas, so buckle up, folks.

One of the challenging things about being a mama is that holiday gifting for the kids, family friends and extended fam usually falls on your shoulders.

Baby girl and I stopped by A Timeless Treasure in Northwood to start our holiday gift hunting. This store has treasures in every nook and cranny and also sets up a booth at the Lake Park Rust Market!

My husband is in charge of arranging with Santa the big gift each kid will get, but there’s still stockings to fill and smaller presents to find — all while attempting to maintain some semblance of a budget and keep the spending even among all kiddos.

There’s also sharing gift ideas with extended family — you have to keep straight what you’re getting the kids vs. what you recommend the family gets for them.

*Parents, take note:* Last year, my genius idea was creating a Pinterest board for each kid and sending out links! It worked great.

We scored several perfect, vintage gifts at this shop! And, naturally, a few things for ourselves as well. 😏

Lucky for this mama, I love gifting and shopping, so sourcing holiday gifts is mostly fun.

It’s going to be even more fun this year because I was inspired by an influencer I follow, Margo Roth, to gift thrifted baskets.

The Goodwill by my house always has a variety of cute baskets to choose from, so I’m collecting them and filling them with thrifted items that remind me of the people in my life.

Baby girl’s favorite thing about the shop.

I can’t emphasize how primo (often brand new) the items I find in the shops are. I’ve already started collecting and will eventually share the details on each basket I make.

Gifting this way gives me an excuse to be in the shops even more than usual (twist my arm), and also allows me to share about my obsession with thrifting and its benefits with my people.

It’s been so much fun searching for things that are personalized — can’t wait to share what I’ve found with you soon!

Last week’s thrifted ‘fits & treasures round-up:

>> VIDEO THRIFT HAUL HERE <<

Dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach
Sterling silver shell necklace from Jupiter Medical Thrift
Shorts and shoes from Goodwill West Palm Beach
Dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach
Dress from Goodwill West Palm Beach
BCBG heels – BRAND NEW, $9.99! – found at Goodwill West Palm Beach. Perfect for holiday outfits.
Goodies found at A Timeless Treasure in Northwood.
Can’t wait to layer this shell necklace with others.
Not thrifted, but a pretty poolside moment this weekend – love the light and how beautiful this thriving Crown of Thorns is!

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
Close up of the embroidered detail

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.
Baby’s Goodwill outfit
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

Basket my life, baby.

Living with a lot of people means you’re also living with clutter. It just builds up — even if you’re not a maximalist like me. 😉

My solution?

BASKETS

I might have a bit of a basket problem, tbh.

I’ve embraced that at this stage in my life, toys are part of the home aesthetic. I know that one day, I’ll look around and wish there were toys on the floor, so I accept it with my whole heart. Toy Basket Source: Stone Button Studio West Palm Beach, Mini Rattan Chair Source: SoFlo Finds Delray Beach

It started with my daughter’s toys. The two baskets I got for the living room quickly overflowed, though, which actually made things look more cluttered, imo (my solution for that further down).

Book Basket Source: Gifted from my MIL
Baby Girl’s Shoe Basket Source: Stone Button Studio West Palm Beach

This kid has a lot of toys but it isn’t entirely her mom and dad’s fault.

When you have a baby (especially one as cute as mine 😏) people start bringing toys every time they see you or visit, it just happens!

Anyway, back to baskets.

Magazine Holder Source: The Cozy Cottage Lake Worth Beach, Basket Source: Nearly New Thrift Shop West Palm Beach

I’m married to a recovering clutter bug.

You can track his movements throughout the house based on the trail of items left on counters and floors.

Until a few weeks ago his bedside table was…atrocious.

Upon it sat a mountain of the miscellaneous: remote controls, books, snacks, cups, glasses, etc. etc. etc.

My solution was this cute lil basket! Now, instead of me worrying about putting the items back constantly, they’re thrown in here so I don’t have to look at them!

It has honestly done wonders for my peace in our room.

I basket up toys, stuffies, piles of books the toddler pulls from at will, blankets…

I found this perfect toy chest at Goodwill to better store my toddler’s plethora of toys.
Love that I can just toss things in there willy nilly and close the lid. It’s also an extra seating option, and has wheels for easy moving!

Kinda wish I could put my LIFE in a basket, ugh, sounds so cozy.

This week’s thrifted ‘fits & treasures round-up:

Top, Max Studio London, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
Dress, Ileen Girl, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
Shirt, Unknown, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach, Bag Source: Thrifted & gifted from a friend
Baby girl in an adorable matching set from Goodwill West Palm Beach
Top Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
Skirt Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
Janie & Jack Top Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
This lamp!!! Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
Here it is in its new home. I love it so much.
She cute.
Woven Grass Table Mats, Source: Goodwill West Palm Beach
Had to do some rearranging to welcome in the new lamp. I think this vintage tulip lamp is better suited here anyway, it was getting lost in the plants in the old spot. Here, it will get the attention it deserves! Source: Jupiter Medical Thrift – the lamp still had the original shade, which was in rough shape, so I found this gorgeous alternative in the store same-day!
Woven mat under the lamp is from The Nearly New Thrift Shop West Palm Beach