Event Recap: Goodwill Summer Style Exchange

Hello beautiful sustainable shoppers!

This post will be a recap of the event I proposed and created along with Goodwill of Greater Washington D.C and my community. The event, Summer Style Exchange was inspired by a similar event held within the Nashville area Goodwill and roughly titled, Style with a Purpose. After viewing their event preparation, concept and execution on Instagram it was safe to say that I had serious FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and I wanted so badly to have that experience for myself in my community. After pitching the idea to the Marketing Director with D.C. Goodwill, we were a GO & what’s better is that this event was held on National Thrift Shop Day on August 17th, perfect timing!

Summer Style Exchange’s main goal was to gather a select few of Washington D.C.’s thrifty and sustainable fashion bloggers for the opportunity to curate a collection by hand picking their own garment racks for customers to shop from. Each collection will then be displayed on a garment rack for customers to learn their individual style, thrifting tips and to get a personal look into the style of their favorite bloggers! In addition, shoppers have the opportunity to experience styling tips from various body types, tailoring tips, enjoy refreshments and music!

Having individual collections from bloggers would aid in building relationships between bloggers & followers by taking away the barrier that social media builds by allowing each party to get to know each other through a mutual enjoyable activity. There is no better way to get to know someone on the fly than to appreciate how they choose the clothes they wear!

Leading up to the event, I had the opportunity to curate my own rack, and let me tell you, it was liberating! For events like these, anything goes. You don’t have the pressure to pull together the perfect thrifted outfit to impress others on the gram because, you are simply choosing items that bring you joy, that spark pleasure FOR YOU. In just under 2 hours I curated my perfect rack consisting of my primary moods including, athleisure, graphic tees, skinny jeans, printed dresses and masculine outerwear. Needless to say,  I am satisfied about how my items came together. My friend and co-host, Carolyn even said “I can tell this is your rack just by looking at it”.

Event Recap:

7AM comes quickly but even more so when it’s a Saturday morning lol. Despite my grogginess, I was excited for the next few hours to come! I got dressed, make-up, hair black tea in hand & headed to Goodwill.

Once there, Carolyn and I set up a marketing table, food table, and the DJ arrived shortly after to set up his table for the tunes. As we got closer to the start time, bloggers began to trickle in and attendees started to outline the outside of the building; things began to become a bit more real. I think anyone can relate to that feeling you get just before something great is about to happen. It’s like a 6th sense that is indescribable but, it FEELS good. That’s what I had as the bloggers greeted our guest just before opening the doors. And let me tell you, once those doors were open, it was a race! It for a moment reminded me of my retail career on Black Friday or the day before Christmas but, in a much more wholesome harmonious way.

During the event, I took time to focus on witnessing our customers experience, their behaviors, identifying any inconveniences and looking for room for improvement. I also took this time to just relax. After planning and organizing, its nice just to live in the moment of your event and live vicariously through each attendee. I documented majority of the event on Instagram stories and in feed posts as it was happening. However, I still have a ton of photos to file through but, these photos speak to the volume of this events success.

I’m already eager to plan the second iteration of this event before the year ends. Stay tuned!

Gearing up for Back to School with Goodwill!

It saddens me to say this but, the start of the new school year is upon us. Depending on what part of the country you live in, your last days of summer are numbered. As a student who has had school out of session for some time now, it definitely feels weird to once again be part of the “back to school crowd”. While I was attending school regularly, I would look forward to getting my back to school looks from the mall and various other fast fashion shops. However, now that I am more consciously aware of my environmental impact,  I am excited to create fashionable secondhand looks!

And although I am heading back to study online, I thought it would be fun to incorporate some looks for myself using one of my favorite and flexible pieces in my wardrobe, my thrifted men’s blazer.

If you go back a few posts, you will see that I have spoken about this blazer once before and the various ways it can be worn. I found this beautiful houndstooth blazer in the men’s section and I was lucky to score it for just $7! I saw so much potential in it when I purchased it back in January and am still amazed by its flexibility almost a year later!

This first additional look incorporates a classic jean and tee. I feel the most comfortable in this combination on a regular basis but, since I want to feel a bit more put together, I thought this blazer added a nice touch.

While headed back to school, it may seem like the weather didn’t get the memo and can still feel like summer. So instead of wearing my high-waist shorts, I thought these bermuda shorts in black could be a nice compromise. It adds a nice contrast to the long boxy sleeves on my blazer. Underneath, I added a ruffle crisp white tank to add texture to the neutral canvas.

 

If you’re heading back to school this year, what trends are you excited to try?

 

 

How I Thrifted My Small Bedroom Into the Pinterest Room of My Dreams!

By now you may have gotten the idea that sourcing clothing and accessories at Goodwill isn’t as intimidating as you may have thought it to be. With that in mind, have you ever thought about utilizing the thrift store to source items to add for home decor?

One of my favorite retail stores to shop for home decor are typically Target, Ikea, HomeGoods and T.J. Max. And while those store are known to reasonably affordable, they also have the potential to do some damage to your wallet as things add up. Especially,  if you are making over a large space in your home or completing a large project.

Earlier this month, I recently moved into my new apartment and needed to rethink how I would organize my items in a more efficient size space. Minimal closet storage, less square footage and sharing with 2 other roommates, presented a challenge of how I would create a space that was well kept, without looking cluttered. Not to mention, keeping within a budget, since moving can be expensive all by itself!

So with that in mind, I hopped on Pinterest to pin some ideas that spoke to me and were also items that I could find while thrifting.

My color scheme was for the most part, neutral. Including creams. whites, exposed natural medium wood, gold accents and greenery.

Here are a couple screenshots of the Pinterest pins I drew creativity from:

With my ideas in mind I traveled up to my favorite Goodwill’s within my area and cross my fingers in hopes to find what I was looking for.

Gold Metal Desk Lamp: Although this lamp might be used typically in a desk setting, it also works just as well right by my bedside. It really reminds me of something pulled from Target’s Opalhouse Collection! Best part is, it was only $8! It’s in great condition and came with a bulb in working condition already. I simply switched it out with a brighter white LED bulb from personal preference.

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Next is my Marble and Gold Table: I thrifted this over a  year ago but I still absolutely love how it matches the rest of my decor and color scheme no matter how many times I change it. This one cost me just under $15 and after a quick couple coats of acrylic paint, it looks good as new!

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Wooden Bowls: Such a simple find you will most likely see at any thrift store. Best part, these bowls can serve so many purposes for your home. I found this set of 3 for $1 and are currently using one as a soap dish in the bathroom and the other to hold my jewelry & accessories.

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Wicker Storage Basket: As I mentioned, after moving, I had to seriously consider downsizing my current wardrobe into nearly half the size while finding a better way to organize my clothing. If you’re anything like me, you also keep shoes, jackets and extra blankets in your closet spaces. This large wicker bin was the perfect size to put on the top shelves in my closet and out of the way of everything else.

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I thought this geometric bin was cute, and it matched my desk lamp that I purchased at the thrift store I stopped at just before. It may not be sensible for smaller items but, I like to keep my toiletries nice and organized under my bathroom sink- Marie Kondo would be proud of me 🙂

Floating Shelves: These were actually purchased on clearance from HomeGoods. The box said these were easy to hang but, I couldn’t disagree more lol. A few more holes and assistance from my awesome roommate, they are finally hanging nicely in my bathroom. Primary used to as decor to prop up a couple smalls plants and my favorite jewelry pieces.

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Sine I was going for a neutral vibe, I was so happy to find this reversible comforter for less than $20! One side is tan and the other is a creamy beige. I love the floral detail on it and how it reminds me of cotton fields and and imitates nature. It definitely adds some texture to the room as well.

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Speaking of texture, the final touch are my plants. Now, I will admit I am a little saddened about the current situation of some of my plant babies since they were sort of abused during my move. (I left them in my hot car for longer than initially intended) They are in recovery but, I have hope they will flourish and come back to life with a little TLC! But, adding greenery in any setting puts me in-tune with nature and presents a calming effect after a long day. Faux plats are also a wonderful option and are at an abundance at most thrift stores! With that said, I’m ashamed to show you an actual picture of them for this post 😦

There you have it! What home decor projects do you want to try but not willing to overspend? Leave me your thoughts, I’d love to hear and offer suggestions on how you could do it on a budget!

 

Good Luck,

Danielle

 

Wicker & Rattan |The Trending Bag That Makes a Statement This Summer

The wicker bag trend is one of those trends that everyone has jumped on within the last couple years. From the big, oversized beach totes and buckets to itty-bitty woven picnic baskets and clutches, each size definitely knows how to make a statement! I’ve seen a bunch of renditions of this style of bags pop up in the malls and at several boutiques; many of which I have had my eye on but, what stopped me from making a purchase is the fact that, I wasn’t quite sure how I would wear it? However, I told myself that if I can find it during a thrift trip, than I would pick it up and give it a go with styling.

Since I usually thrift on the weekends when I have more free time, this past weekend I decided to try a new Goodwill outside of my typical honey hole location, and I am so glad I did! I found this gorgeous hand-woven rattan backpack, yes- BACKPACK that was obviously constructed by the most tedious and trained hand; I just knew that it would become the perfect summer essential to add in my wardrobe.

To describe it would be to tell you about its bumpy course texture as I run my fingers over it, the various gradient shades meet and pass each other from the multiple materials that were used to embody it. It has that familiar creaking and shifting sound from the tension of each woven stitch wrapped within itself when you adjust or remove the lid. When I saw it, it reminded me of outdoor picnics at the national park just as the golden hour of late evening set in, late night movies at the drive in, spontaneous beach trips, glamping with a group of friends (cause your girl doesn’t camp lol), and I wondered, how many bottles of chardonnay could fit safely inside without damaging the interior structure?

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When I come across something so rare like this, I instantly like to check to see who the designer is with just a quick Google search. Since this bag has NO internal markings or tags from the original creator, I typed in a few key words and was surprised to see there were a few others similar online for sale for upwards of $75! Seeing that this was priced for less than $6 I knew it must be special.

Also from my Google search, I discovered that that it is thought to have roots in the Philippines estimated production from the 70’s. It is in fact hand made, and contains bamboo, rattan and straw materials.

Being the embodiment definition of a TRUE vintage piece, I will be sure to do my best in maintaining it’s condition given its age. I am beyond excited to use this in my upcoming adventures this summer! Pieces like this I also feel compelled to share with others and will be sure to pass it along to a new prospective home via my online store one my season with it is over. Stay tuned for updates when it’s listed!

 

-Danielle

Are You Overlooking the Most Important Essential Accessory at Goodwill?

After years of thrift shopping, I have scored a lot of finds that I am always happy to share with you all. But, when I’m not shopping, I dedicate that time to let my wallet catch a breath while I live vicariously and enjoy a few thrift hauls with some of my favorite YouTube channels. Those that I follow always have a great perspective on what items to look for, how to style their finds while in store and by the end of their video, I’ve put a few new tricks in my back pocket and walk away with inspiration for my next trip.

However, one thing I’ve noticed is the lack of accessories that are highlighted in many thrift hauls. And by accessories, I am speaking about jewelry.

A question for you, What do you think about the idea of purchasing jewelry from second hand stores? For me, I have a guilty confession of purchasing many accessories from fast fashion companies like H&M, Target and Forever 21. Mostly because of the affordability, accessibility in finding pieces that are on trend and the ease of finding an abundance of these types of stores instead of looking for a thrift stores in the immediate area.

After thinking about why my shopping mentally is this way, I’ve deducted that the structure of most thrift stores sometimes easily allow for jewelry to be overlooked. As an avid thriftier, I find that I like to take my time when shopping. Maybe for obvious reasons- but, in most thrift stores, the jewelry and other accessories are behind glass casings, inaccessible for close examination or require assistance from a employee. So by the time I make it to the register, that is when I notice the jewelry; but its too late.

What deters me from making a purchase is a variant of things like, there are time constraints and I need to check out as soon as possible, budget, or to be frank, I am fatigued from shopping the whole store!

With that said, I want to make it more of a conscious effort to start there first, ensuring that I can take a few goodies home with me. As someone who purchases most of her clothing secondhand, the idea of buying jewelry is a no brainer. However, I’ve noticed that I hardly talk about the items that I’ve picked up overtime while shopping. So, I thought for this post I would show you a few of the jewelry items I’ve that I am currently obsessed with and have worn the most.

*Not all these items were purchased at the same store or purchased at the same time. 

 

Nautical Wheel Earrings

I actually found these while traveling in Puerto Rico at a secondhand store! I figured since I was on an island, surrounded by beautiful water, these earrings were an essential to pick up! Since then, everytime I wear these I think of the beauty of Puerto Rico and the memories I made there. I scored these for under $5.

 

Aztec Circle Engraved Earrings

These cuties were picked up during my last thrift tour in Washington, D.C. (recap post coming soon). I found these for $1 while waiting in a long line to to check out. I love the fun print on them that are oh so subtle but, still bold enough to make a statement.

 

Flower Fields Earrings

I have a thing for earrings, can’t you tell? I have tiny ears so, I love to add to them to make them appear larger (lol) These are my first pair of vintage clip-on style earrings. Unlike the typical clip-on’s, they actually screw-on. I had never seen anything like this and was amazed about how comfortable they actually are! With such a contraption, I was not expecting to last too long in them- a pleasant surprise to say the least! I picked these up for less than $3.

 

What are some of your favorite second hand jewelry pieces you’ve collected so far?

-Danielle