HEY KITT!! What a lovely comment to leave, thank you! And thank you for sharing your stories (and happy place, Ikea!) My first introduction to Ikea was in Philadelphia where I went to school. YES, it as gorgeous! It’s fun to play there! I agree with you about that dressing room. I want a room devoted to vintage collectibles!

Get up North! haha I love that statement! I say that about going to my homestate below New York … I’m heading “south” of the border! ;-) As for vintage designer, I think it’s definitely easier to come by so I will say a prayer to the vintage Gods for you. Let me know when they answer so we can rejoice! xx

Natalie thank you for communicating with Stephanie! ;-) You are two vintage lovers who I know would be good friends in “reality” life!

You definitely bring up good points about maternity clothing! Ah those baby doll tops of the early ’00s, definitely a hot trend for one summer with Daisy Duke shorts! Work for any expecting lady of any age now!

THANK YOU for name dropping the book Thrift Score … why have I never heard of that?! I am going to order it on Amazon now!

thanks for spreading the thrift love with this wonderful, thoughtful comment Natalie! Your attention shines! xx

Thanks so much Megan! ;-) That piece was an ’80s garment of Western inspired wear … meant to be worn by DAY! Not as a costume!!! I think that if you cut the skirt/dress part away from lace top and wore that as a jacket or shirt with high-waisted cut-offs, you’d be looking pretty fly!

I think that we should dress in costume for every holiday. Next up is the 4th … I want to DIY an American Flat into a dress or cape! God bless America’s thrift stores!

xx

I love that lace number with the fringe under ‘costumes’. I want it! Hahaha

Awesome list. Thrift stores sometimes have the most excellent furniture and housewares!

XO

Stephanie, that is a really great point about maternity clothes. Baby clothes are great to find at garage sales as well as thrift stores, and sometimes the moms sell their maternity clothes at those kind of garage sales.

Sammy, I usually find a maternity section in most stores, but sometimes they are mixed in (especially in smaller stores.) Sometimes I find maternity tops in the regular section that are only distinguishable as “maternity” by the label – styles like babydoll tops or empire waistlines that have been popular in recent years. They look so much like the non-maternity tops that either the staff put them in by mistake or shoppers stick them in the racks. (I’ve even bought a couple of shirts and later realized, I think this might be maternity… LOL) Even some non-maternity tops in those styles would work for moms-to-be before they get farther along, I think. So if there is no maternity section at your local store, if you have a lot of time and patience, you could look through the regular section and see what could work for you or if any maternity tops were mixed in.

And back to Stephanie, I LOVE the white dishes idea – I’ve seen that a lot, too. That principle also works for knicknacks (if you find a figurine that is kind of cute but an ugly color, you can spray paint it white and put it with other all-white objects and it looks very chic.) I’ve been re-reading Al Hoff’s book “Thrift Score” and actually just read the section on dishware – the author suggests shopping for dishes in a certain color palette and make a game of it. Every time you go to the thrift store, pick up a pink plate or a blue plate or whatever. If you find dishes that fit your color scheme better than the ones you bought early on, trade them in and redonate the ones that don’t fit as well. It sounds like fun!

Okay, after some reflection, I should probably take back part of my statement… I *have* found a couple of higher-end designer things (in Peoria, IL*, no less!) but what I meant to say was *vintage* designer. I’m itching for a vintage piece with a great label! But thank you for the thrift energies, I can feel them working! haha

(*I’m a couple hours south of Chicago, so there could definitely be an influence here, but I’m hoping to get up north soon to see what the thrifts have in store for me there.)

hey Stephanie! I know you have definitely bought everything on my list ;-) I bet you could produce a top 50 list! As for maternity clothes, what a GREAT point. I think it depends on the store. The store (Salvation Army) we shot this article actually didn’t have a maternity clothes section … I think most would break that clothing away from the rest, correct? Or perhaps an expecting mother would shop the Plus Size section, although that is a bit depressing for some so I would never want to suggest it ;-(

Mismatched white dishes …. hmmm … I like the sound of this, almost like the art that can be created with different levels of candle sticks on a table or mismatched mugs with various sayings and photos on them.

Thank you for this very thoughtful comment!