Like eBay? You're going to love this!

Before I got really into thrifting, I used to be OBSESSED with eBay. It's kind of like thrifting…only you can do it from your couch at weird hours of the night, and things magically show up at your door a few days later. Plus, instead of taking the time to go through piles and racks of stuff, there's that friendly little search box at the top that does the digging for you. You can get some amazing deals, it's quick and efficient…what's not to love?

Well, my friends. I have a little secret to share with you--and this one goes out to my true vintage appreciators and eBay obsessors specifically. Did you know that Goodwill has it's own online auction site? No? Neither did I (until the other day when I got the suggestion to go there). It's called ShopGoodwill.com and it's basically Goodwill's equivalent to eBay, where they list a lot of items that might do better online--I've noticed a lot more collectors items, true quality vintage, and luxury brands (Louis Vuitton, Coach, Burberry…I'm staring at two Vera Bradley purses (sold together) for $6. My finger is about to accidentally slip on the bid button…). Basically, I'm in love because now I can thrift any time of the day, on my phone (there's an app!), or at home when I'm trying to procrastinate doing homework!…kidding, but you get the idea. It's super convenient and you can score some awesome deals just like you would on eBay, but possibly even better.

Here are some reasons I'd suggest checking it out:

1. To my knowledge, it's a little bit more under the radar and not as well known as eBay, which I would chalk up as a pro--your bidding competition might be a bit lower because of this. 
2. Because of the magic of the internet, you're getting to shop at over 70 Goodwill thrift stores at once, giving you access to a wider range of items (again, minus the digging) that is searchable. 
3. Finally, the money you spend on ShopGoodwill.com still goes to the same great causes that the normal Goodwill retail stores support, so if you're particular about your thrift stores and where your money goes, you can still trust that your money is going toward a great cause and making a difference. 

You're welcome in advance for the secret (all I ask from you in return is that you won't bid on those gold Tory Burch flats I've got my eye on…!)

P.S. My roommate just found a six foot palm tree floor lamp (with lights that look like coconuts) for $12 on the site that she's getting for her future apartment in Florida. Clearly, there's bound to be something for everyone no matter their tastes :)

DIY Wall Art from a Box!

This past week one of my roommates has been working on rearranging/re-doing her room. This consisted of moving a big bulletin board from the living room wall, and getting a new bed frame delivered to the house. You’re probably wondering what the significance in those two things is. Let me break it down for you.

1. Blank wall
2. Big cardboard box.

If there’s one thing that I can’t stand, it’s a blank wall. They drive me crazy (others might call me crazy because I have close to no blank space left on my own walls…this is why my art projects are invading the rest of the house). Just as my roommate was getting ready to lug the bulky bed frame box down two flights of stairs in the snow, I decided I’d be a good friend and take them for her. Well, more from her. Clearly I haven’t changed much since grade school and still get equally as excited for cardboard boxes. 

What I did was super simple, and I guarantee anyone can do it no matter their artistic ability (or lack of). Seriously. SO EASY. All I used was a big box as my surface and some 69 cent craft paints at Joanne's. I didn't even use a paint brush (I can hear all the true artists cringing). I simply plopped paint around in different sections of the "canvas" and used a scrap piece of cardboard to drag the paint across. I ended up doing several layers and alternated dragging the paint horizontally and vertically, but it would look great if you just stuck to one direction too! It's also fun to experiment different ways of laying the paint down. I tried doing circles of different colors before dragging, letting it dry a bit before dragging--there are tons of different effects to try out! My only recommendation would be to wait a bit in between switching directions, otherwise it ends up looking a little too messy/blended (for my tastes). 

Materials used: Repurposed cardboard box (left), and craft paints (right). Over excited cat not necessary.

I didn’t really know what I was doing when I took the boxes, nor did I really know what I was doing when I decided to paint them. But what I do know is that for about $5 worth of paint and an hour of my time, I successfully conquered the blank wall and have gotten a lot of complements since. I know it’s not a masterpiece—in fact, it kind of reminds me of those ugly abstract paintings you see in big fancy art museums. You know, the ones you walk by and think “Really? I could do that”. But personally I feel you can’t justify saying that until you’ve actually done it. So I made ugly abstract art myself (and can officially criticize “those” types of paintings wherever I go from here on out).

I truly believe the secret to this project was the box. Had I spent money on a canvas that size, which I’m guessing would cost upwards of $50, I would have been too nervous to start painting and it would have collected dust for the next year while I thought about something great to do with it. The beauty in using a box was that it cost $0, so I really had nothing to loose if I didn’t like it in the end (plus the box had another half, so I got two tries!). The biggest cost was buying the 69 cent bottles of paint from Joanne’s. 

If you have an old box or canvas lying around, I'd encourage you to try creating your own wall art! Even if it doesn't end up "wall worthy" in your eyes, creating it is half the fun!

Pin It and Thrift It!

I love going to Pinterest for outfit inspiration (check out my Pinterest here!), reading other fashion blogs, etc. But what I don't love is clicking on the links of awesome outfits to find out that the prices are wayyyyy out of my clothing budget (...which should realistically hover as close to $0 as possible). 

So instead of dwelling on the fact that I can't afford most (or any) of what I'm pinning, I make it a mental challenge to look for items close to those that I've pinned and use that as a guide for what to thrift for (seems like the logical thing to do). 

Today I found a great deal on an outfit I pinned from The Northeast Girl (left picture). Her vest from the Gap retailed for $79.95, and her gingham button down is from J. Crew Factory, retailed at $59.50, rounding out for a total of $139 for the top half of the outfit.

Right photo: Red Land's End vest (Goodwill, $2.95),
navy Abercrombie & Fitch ginghambutton-down (Goodwill, $3)

I was surprised how easy this one was to find at Goodwill, and how close it looks to my original inspiration. The red Land's End vest was a steal at under $3--they are usually around $70, so it's safe to say I was pretty happy when I came across it. The A&F gingham was a great find as well--while I know Abercrombie screams middle/high school, I'm not ashamed to use the brand's clothes especially when it comes to basics. I can see myself layering this button down under a solid colored sweater with a statement necklace or with a different colored vest--I'm happy to have finally found a gingham shirt after searching for one for quite a while! Overall, I'd say for $6 I was able to come pretty darn close to my original inspiration!

The feeling you get when you find
 EXACTLY what you were looking for :)

And just as a heads up, I've been on a thrift hunt for vests lately, so don't be surprised if you see a few more in the near future :)

Happy Thrifting!!