santa maria thrift stores are awesome

Did I mention I love 70s things? SO exciting. $5 for both! My mom visited this weekend and told me her mom had these exact canisters in the 70s. True vintage awesomeness is what these are.






Hot air balloons are my new love. They're just so cute. I dunno. $1 for both.




Behold: the wall of Golden Books. Easiest, cheapest thing to find at thrift stores. Probably the most expensive one was $1 (Alice of course, very important). I have been collecting these for years and I have so many of these that they wouldn't fit on this part of the wall. And clear thumbtacks are becoming my decorating tool. Get yourself some. Oh yeah, and I love Disney things. (insert shocked face here)

Apartment things!

Oh no! Months have gone by! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!

Exciting things have been happening! I am attending PCPA and moved to the Santa Maria area, where I will be living for at least 2 years. I found an amazing apartment attatched to a family's house, and have had so much fun using all of my stuff from my other apartments (that has been packed away since the last time I lived on my own!) including many thrifted things! AND there are many exciting thrift stores here and in the San Luis Obispo area...The Thriftosaurus Rex is very hungry...nom nom nom...


First, something old:



BEHOLD: the wall of Disney records.

I started collecting these about 5 years ago. They are relatively easy to find if you're willing to search through the BILLIONS of records thrift stores carry. And now that you know I collect them, it is your obligation to buy Disney records if you see them at thrift stores and send them to me. I will pay you the 50 cents (plus tip). I just put these up today and it took about 10 minutes (clear thumbtacks).


Then some things that I found today...thrift stores are amazingly cheap here compared to the Bay Area...hmmmm....



WTF are these things called? I don't think it actually works but I do not care! 75 cents

So excited. I love 70s things, or things that look like 70s things. Pretty sure these are legit. 50 cents each!

There will be more, my friends!

A TRIBUTE TO MICKEY MOUSE!

Friends, it's been too long and it's NOT for my lack of thrifting. So here are some new things and some old things, featuring a fantastic actor named MICKEY MOUSE.




I got this vest probably 5 years ago. It's a little boys' vest...I always get excited about little kids' things and buy them thinking "IT'LL FIT I DON'T CARE!" and then forget that little kids are...hmm...shaped differently. it's cool, who needs to button things up all the way anyway? I forgot to take the tag off, it was $3 from Goodwill.





Got this one a couple of months ago for $1 at this random thrift store in Livermore. I literally laughed out loud. It's a little boys' size small...once again, little boys are not shaped the same as 23 year old girls...efffff




My favorite thing EVER. Probably got this one 3 or 4 years ago...it is sooo soft and comfy. BUT I feel the need to explain the picture because people see the word "munchies" and think "marijuana." Okay, so Mickey and Minnie are in that car. They are at the drive in watching a movie that they are also in, and for whatever reason the snack bar where they SELL "munchies" is right in front of the screen. We don't KNOW for sure whether Mickey and Minnie are actually high. Okay? This one was in the BABY bin at another random Livermore thrift store. Why? I don't know, but I got lucky. Also $1





Yes, I am making my OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE I FOUND THIS face...the reasons are 3-fold:
-it's awesome. Mickey and Minnie, low ridin'.
-it has never been worn and is SUPER fuzzy and soft.
-it has the ORIGINAL tag from Disneyland!



60 years of Mickey Mouse = 1988. When Disneyland sweatshirts were $14.97. It's like I got it out of a time capsule. I am having a hard time deciding if I should actually wear it or just save it another 20 years...Most exciting thing ever, found in an Oakland Goodwill for $4.






And lastly, my favorite record I've ever found. It has held a place of honor on the walls of all of my previous apartments.

Sigh, there are probably more Mickey things packed away with my apartment stuff. Be patient.

NO DINOS LEFT BEHIND.

Again, just doin' my part to save the dinosaurs:


Savers (AMAZING thrift store in Redwood City)- $4 new with tags. Yes I do realize I am not ACTUALLY a little boy but that does not mean I can not steal their sweaters.


And another one that I was absolutely DEVASTATED to leave behind. It was too small, which usually doesn't stop me, but it was like, so small that I didn't even try:


TELETUBBIES.
I know, nightmares for days.

Quick Thrifty Decorating Tips.

So this isn't exactly a post about things I found in a thrift store, although some things in these pictures are. Another thing that I get pretty excited about is thrifty decorating. When I first moved out on my own, I was 19 and working retail, but I really wanted my apartment to be cute. I had to use a lot of creativity and I had to search a lot of places AND I had to learn how to build/paint/alter things. I definitely got stuff over time too, instead of all at once. I don't have pics of my past apartments but I have pictures of my current room; hope you like them:



All of the artwork you see was almost FREE. All of the images came from either the internet, or were scanned from other Alice things I own. The frames were some pretty sad looking frames that were either found in my parents' garage, a thrift store, or the dollar store. I took the glass out of all of them and sprayed them all the same color green. It took about 10 minutes. So I guess the total was about $7 between the paint and the thrift/dollar store.

The Alice bedding (there is a quilt and sheets under there too :D) was on clearance at Disneystore.com. It's actually king size because that's all they had left. I don't care. The polka dot bedding is from Target and the throw pillows are from Ikea. Super cheap. The headboard is one of those "shadowboxes" with cork that allows you to change the display. I'm working on making it a really badass Alice display.






These shelves are real wood- they were my parents', and when they got different shelves, I inherited these. Only I had to paint them myself, and it took about a month. Seriously, between sanding, priming and painting...oh my. It was worth it, you should have seen the sad Ikea shelves I had...I guess what I'm suggesting is that you should steal from your parents.

All of those boxes are from either Ikea or Target, none of them was over $10. And they look so much better than having your stuff out. The TV I've had since 7th grade, so that's pretty thrifty. The paper lamp on the floor was from Ikea. The paper lanterns are from (I think) Cost Plus, I think they were around $6, but I already had the lightbulb fixtures. Some of those Alice things that you can't really see were thrifted too :D







More old frames...Those butterflies are ANCIENT. They're from my grandparents' house. I have had them since I was a kid and I have painted them probably 5 times to match whatever phase my room was going through. I like 'em.

PHONE...HOME.

E.T. LIVES!!!!!



I'm so happy I could just PEE. A couple of weeks ago, Lauren and I saw this, laughed at it, but didn't buy it. Then, the regret and anxiety started to eat away at me and I went back a week later. It was gone. OR SO I THOUGHT. Today, I went back to make a donation, and I looked up, and on top of a high shelf, there he was.

Of course, the question is, what will I do with it? Besides put it in a shrine and WORSHIP it???

PS: It was half-off day, so he was only 75 cents. WIN.

Thrift Horror

CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE: THRIFT HORROR

I can't believe I didn't see this website until recently. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes, and then spewed diet coke at my computer screen. The commentary is really what makes this incredible. ENDLESS entertainment.

my favorites so far:

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

KITTENS! [inspired by kittens]

$4! I've always wanted an ironing board that appeared as if from nowhere! That's the dream! I make a lot of my own t-shirts using iron-on transfers so this was exciting, especially cause our ancient one just broke. What do you guys think? 60's? 70's?

THIS...IS...A SWEATER POST.

SWEATERS!!!


Today's lesson is: hit the kids' sweater rack.





Do you get it? He's the black sheep. Probably my favorite thing I've found ever, because I am the black sheep too. Can we talk about this? Anyway it was a DOLLAR at a thrift store in Livermore, probably 3 years ago though.



Oh oh oh-oh-oh, I'll be loving this sweater foreeeeeeeevvverrr...
They must have JUST put this sweater out when I found it at Goodwill. Because seriously, who would see this and not buy it? I think it was around $4 a couple of years ago.



Who's your favorite? Raph? Don? Leo? Mike?
You know that giant bin they put the baby clothes in at most thrift stores? I dug this out of that. It was also $1, Salvation Army.



My mom got in a really bad bike accident 2 years ago, and when I showed her this sweater, I said "look, it's my mom, and she's trying not to fall off!" I thought it was pretty funny.
I got this one yesterday for $3. It itches so bad that it makes me feel slightly suicidal, but whatever.



I got this one with Lauren last week- see the anchors? It's big and baggy and I don't think it's ever been worn. I think this is my only grown-up sweater. $4


LESSON #2: WE DO NOT PASS UP THINGS WITH DINOSAURS ON THEM. FOR ANY REASON. RESCUE THE DINOS. RAWR.

I have a problem, and it's that I am in denial about the fact that I shouldn't be wearing a boys size 4t sweater. My catchphrase when I'm thrifting is "i'll make it fit! could i make this fit? it'll fit!!" It doesn't fit like a sweater but it's like, a cropped sweater. with 3/4 sleeves. see, I follow trends...got this one for $2 last week.

There's plenty more where that came from.

Oh, and I'm sorry, but you're all just going to have to deal with my cutesy faces and angled photos. I can't deal with self-timers and I like to use my phone because it uploads straight to facebook. It's all for the greater good anyway.

HAPPY POCAHONTAS DAY

Okay guys, I don't know if you'll think this is freaky, but I totally did. I was watching POCAHONTAS last night. I watch Disney movies when I can't sleep. And when I can sleep. And when I'm happy. And when I'm sad, etc. But really, I was watching it. Then, today, I was in the Walnut Creek area for 2 appointments, with 2 hours in between to kill. Sooooo I went speed thrifting. First, I went to that thrift store that's by DVC in Pleasant Hill. And I saw this:


THAT'S A POCAHONTAS VEST. I could not believe my eyes! Not just Pocahontas, but her friend Nakoma too! And then I almost didn't buy it because it's HUGE. Like a 3XL or something. It's hand made though. But I knew if I didn't buy it, I'd just live with regret forever, and I'd feel the same way as I do about not buying the ET toothbrush holder I saw last week. I can probably alter this somehow. It was half off- $1.50.

So, I thought that was a fun coincidence, but then I went to the Animal Rescue Foundation Thrift Store in Concord, and I GOT THIS:

A POCAHONTAS SWEATSHIRT! I don't know about you guys, but I never see Pocahontas things in thrift stores, and today I found 2 right after watching the movie. I LOVE POCAHONTAS. This was a great day. $2


THEN, on my way out, I found a whole table full of these Disney cups:

I got Sebastian because I had/will soon again have a Little Mermaid bathroom to put him in. There were so many others! John Smith, Mulan, Esmeralda...I wanted to get all of them. But seriously, they were really scary looking. And at least I know I'll use Sebastian. $1

today's goodwill haul

i had to drive my mom to a doctor's appointment (they said she wasn't allowed to drive home) and I had a couple of hours to kill in san leandro of all places...luckily, there was an awesome goodwill down the street!

finds:

I kind of stared at this one for a few minutes, not sure how to react. WHAT IS A BRILLIANT BUCKAROO? COULD I BE ONE? it was 65 cents! what sold me on this one is that it is soft and feels vintagey!


I never really looked for funky t-shirts at thrift stores but I have been looking closer and have found some really strange/funny/quirky ones so I may start to buy more. these are always the cheapest things at thrift stores too. this is a little boys' shirt and also feels vintagey- $1.50



FREAKING ELEPHANTS! I'm sorry, I can not pass up anything with elephants on it. Lauren my thrift consultant thinks I will not wear it. I WILL! $4

ok this is kind of boring. I usually don't get things that are THIS boring- it's just a little girls' old navy shirt but it has OWLS on it. I loooove owls. $1

There are more. I promise not all of my pics on this blog will by myspace angle pics (lolz)- just the fastest way to get 'em up here. I gotta get my sister the photographer to take some cool artsy ones.

San Leandro Goodwill

14750 East 14th Street, San Leandro - (510) 352-6966

INTRO

Well, friends, I am so excited to get started on this blog. I am happy to have a place to share one of my passions, which is the art of THRIFTING.



Most people are surprised to find out that I am a thrifter. I am not sure when I started thrifting, but I imagine it was sometime in high school. I have always loved expressing myself through clothes, and as my taste got more "eclectic" and "funky," I found that I was really bored with current styles. Plus, once I got my first job, I never wanted to spend a lot of money on ANYTHING! Also, once I moved out for the first time, I had to be creative in order to furnish and decorate my apartment. I got so excited when I could find something cool at a thrift store for less than $5, especially because the stuff I found was cooler to me than anything new I could have found.



Thrifting is the best hobby (way of life) ever, and I'll tell you why:

-it's good for the planet. reuse. recycle. repurpose! rescue.

-most thrift stores' proceeds go to great charities.

-it's funny. half of the thrill of thrifting, especially with friends, is laughing at the monstrosities you have to dig through to find the cool stuff. some (let's face it-most) of the clothes are GOD AWFUL. Or, they are so dated that you can't believe you are actually seeing clothes that you have only heard about: velvet jumpsuits, taffeta prom dresses with giant sleeves, sequined sweaters with shoulder pads...once you've been thrifting for awhile, these things actually start to look cool to you and you get pretty excited when you see them.

-it's awesome for those of us who are nostalgic. I personally am constantly looking for cool Disney stuff in thrift stores, partly because it reminds me of my childhood. Even if I don't buy them, it's really fun to see cool late 80s/early 90s things like LITE BRITES and Easy Bake Ovens.

-Records and VHS tapes. Mountains of them.

-You can take some fashion risks- if you only end up wearing that $3 sweater once, it's not the end of the world.

-You can singlehandedly bring back old trends. I am convinced I am going to bring overalls back. It's already starting to happen. You'll see.





There are so many more reasons, which I will share as we go along. I am happy to share my thrifting wisdom and tips that I have come up with over the years, as well as my favorite stores, and of course pictures from past and future exciting trips. Leave lots of nice comments (ridiculous ones will be deleted), send pictures of your thrifting successes to share, and...Disney's 1951 Animated Feature Alice in Wonderland is literally the greatest thing ever, and not just out of all the movies. I mean out of all the things.



here's a picture to get you started:

Me (center) with Amanda and Lauren, my favorite thrifting buddies, at the Thrift Center in San Carlos. I had just bought that dress at Goodwill, and then we got Starbucks, which was ironic but coffee frappuccinos are SO good.