Vintage F-L-O-R-I-D-A

Vintage Florida Oranges Candle Holders, Goodwill Outlet (<$1)

To give you an idea of last Saturday's sad little haul, the above vintage candle holders were about all I got!

Goodwill Outlet was packed full, and nothing great was to be had. I am glad I found these little guys, shown on the corner of our mantle. Vintage Florida kitsch is always a plus in my book :) (Can you tell I'm missing my home state just a bit?)

I hope you have a really great Thursday! It's almost the weekend, and I have Monday off too, so I'm double excited!!

Always,
Amanda

A Piece of Florida

I didn't find much on Saturday's thrifting outing, but I did pick up a new needlepoint! I love the down-home feel of vintage needlepoint art, especially when it reminds me of my home state :)

Seagulls Needlepoint, Good Samaritan ($0.50)

Florida is known for sunshine, beaches, and lots and lots of seagulls! Although some people think of them as a sort of rat (because they like to eat scraps off the ground), the sound of a seagull brings me back to my childhood.

It's nice to have a small piece of that feeling of home here with me in Virginia. Now, if only my little brother would come visit me!! (Miss you, Andrew!)

Always,
Amanda

My Thrifting Outfit: The Desert Limo

I had such a great time in Florida! It was so relaxing to just take a break from everything and chill out with awesome family and great friends :) While the thrifting in Brandon isn't the best (I only spent 50 cents on a bag of wooden beads!), I had fun hitting the thrifts with my mom, brother, hubby, and Grammy.

Here's my thrifting outfit from Black Friday:


Vintage Ray Bans, eBay; Sweater, Goodwill; Tee Shirt, Goodwill; Jeans, Goodwill; Socks, F21; Oxfords, F21; Vintage D & B Purse, gift from Grammy (Thank you!); Handmade Necklace from Mexico, gift from Mom and Dad (Thank you!); Bakelite Bangles, Antique Shop

I love my new necklace and purse! My parents got the non-metal necklace in Mexico when they went there a couple months ago, and my Grammy thrifted this awesome Dooney & Bourke purse for me too! I love my family!

Although I don't have much else to show you thrifting-wise from Florida, I do want to show you a photo of my parent's adorable new puppy Jake this week :) Tomorrow will be the Thrifty Blogger of the Month feature!

Always,
Amanda

PS: My camel tee has 'desert limousine' on it :) Awesome!

It's the Little Things...

Due to limited luggage space, most of the thrifted Florida goodies I brought back were small. But I love little things, so it worked out well :) I came home with a mostly full drawstring bag of jewelry and miniature treasures!

Pardon the odd background of the photos, as I took them on the long car ride back to Virginia. I used the camo shorts I was wearing as a backdrop to the brightly colored goodies:

Necklaces, Bradenton Beach Thrift Shops; Shell Bracelet, Holmes Beach Antique Shop; Pins, Various Florida Thrift Shops; Beaded Flower Coin Purse, Nearly New Thrift in Sun City

The red necklace was the best deal at 50 cents! It's super-long, so you can wear it doubled over. I found it hanging in a little antique shop called 'A Yard Sale' of all things! It didn't have a price tag, so I asked the cashier and he said anything that wasn't marked was 50 cents. Pretty awesome :)

The coin purse might end up in the etsy shop (sooo have to update it! it's been awhile!), but the rest of these little goodies are for me! I love how I can add a little bit of interest to an outfit with a pin or non-metal necklace :) Life would be easier if I could just wear whatever jewelry I pleased, but it sure is fun to hunt down things I can wear!

I hope your week is going well :) Mine is pretty much flying by- a great thing for the week after vacation!

Always,

Amanda

The Best Ever Oxfords and an Awesome Necklace!

We are driving the rest of the way to Virginia today! We stayed last night in Santee, South Carolina. It'll be crazy getting back into the swing of things after a week and a half off. I couldn't wait any longer to show you more Florida finds: my vintage wingtip oxfords and plastic chain link necklace I scored at 'Nearly New' thrift shop in Sun City :)

Vintage Wingtip Oxfords ($2); Necklace ($2); Both: Nearly New Thrift Shop

I am beyond excited about the oxfords! I searched for months and months for them, and there they were in a little room full of shoes in Sun City, Florida. They are perfect, too :) My size, regular width instead of super-slim like I usually seem to find, and the perfect caramel colored leather. Ahhh.

And you all know by now how much I love non-metal necklaces that don't break my skin out in hives! (Metal allergies are awful!) I couldn't pass up this cute 80s necklace, since it will fit in nicely with my recent stripes and navy blue obsession :)

That's about all for now! I'll be back to regular posting with beach thrift finds and fun stuff this week!

Always,

Amanda

First Florida Finds!

Although I'm now on my way to the beach for the week, I thought I'd share my first couple Florida finds from the Brandon thrift stores :)

Book, Lighthouse Ministries Brandon ($2); Scarf, Lighthouse Ministries Brandon ($1); Vintage Scarf and Pink Scarf, Goodwill Brandon ($1 each)

So, the thrift stores in Richmond beat the ones in Brandon by a long shot! But, the new Lighthouse Ministries thrift stores are starting to make up for it :) They have great prices and a pretty good assortment of goodies! I love the scarf in the middle- I think it resembles a beach ball. 

Happy Monday!!

Always,
Amanda

Thrift Crawl Destination: Orlando, FL

Goodwill Orlando, Photo via infoUSA

I spent four (great!) years of my life in Orlando, Florida, going to the University of Central Florida, where I graduated with a degree in journalism.

However, it seems like the time I spent frequenting thrift stores is more useful to me now! (Although, yes, I do write this blog, so I guess I use some of my journalism knowledge.) Anyway, these are my former haunts, and yes, I do miss them!

1) Thriftko
1442 State Road 436 Ste 1028, Casselberry, FL 32707

This place is HUGE, a little smelly, and really random. But they do have great prices and, if you dig, some fun stuff! I especially have had luck finding back issues of magazines (Lucky! Domino! Allure!) for 25 cents, cute bags for a couple bucks, and really great vintage clothes. So if you can get over the dingy-ness, you can dig up some treasure for sure!

2) The Salvation Army Thrift Store
1330 Semoran Blvd.Casselberry, FL 32707

Self-explanatory. Most people have been in a Salvation Army. This one is the largest one I've ever been to, though! And I've found some really cute old sunnies there. When my former roomie (Miss you, Steph!) and I were bedecking our half-bath senior year, we came here for beach-themed treasures- and everything ended up being half off!

3)The Auxiliary White Elephant Thrift Shop
2411 Aloma Ave.Winter Park, FL 32792

I really like this cute little thrift store. It is so small, they only take cash, so come prepared! But I have found really great vintage clothing, dishes, old Polaroid cameras, little vintage greeting cards, and much more. It is definitely worth it to stop in and take a look around.

4) Goodwill
10525 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32801

This Goodwill, although still slightly musty smelling, is a great source for new stock from Target. It has the largest Target section (right at the front) of any Goodwill I've ever been to. It also has a fairly large shoe section and is a great source for funny Halloween costumes! (I got a VERY 80s prom dress there freshman year of college and went as Miss Prom 1985. Hilarious.)

Boo

As I'm looking at directories to remind myself of my frequent haunts from college, I realize that I didn't ever make it out to a lot of thrift stores in the area. Boo. But if you'd like to check out more, you should go to: thethriftshopper.com and search Winter Park, Florida or Orlando, Florida. While you're there, search for the thrift stores in your area- it gives you a pretty decent list!

Have a great Monday, everyone! (And if you're off work, like me, have a good day off!)


Always,
Amanda

For the Record

Vintage Record: $1, Love of Jesus Thrift

The summer after my freshman year in college, I had my first full-time summer job. I saved most of what I earned that summer for my sophomore year of college, but I did have one splurge: a record player.


I am so glad I got it! I've lugged it to two different dorms and three apartments, and it is with me still.


I love to find old records at thrift stores- usually for a dollar or less. The 70s albums remind me of my dad- of my little bro and I riding with him in his grey Jetta listening to the now-defunct Coast 107.3 70s station in Brandon, FL.


That is why, when I saw this Fleetwood Mac album at Love of Jesus Thrift, I grabbed it. I can just pop it in and travel back in time. Maybe not to the 70s, but to the Jetta rides of my youth.



Always,
Amanda

Thrift Crawl Destination: Bradenton, FL

Photo: infoUSA

My first and favorite thrifting destination is Bradenton, FL.

I discovered a ton of thrift shops on the way home from a beach trip at the end of my senior year of high school, which was about 5 years ago. (Wow. I'm getting old!)

I've found some of my favorite old items at these shops (funky shoes! crazy cups! butterfly clasp belts!), but unfortunately, most of these have been lost along the way. This post is actually making me want to fly to Bradenton for the day just to thrift with some of my oldest and dearest friends...

Anyway, for those of you still residing in the sunshine state, here are a few diamond-in-the-rough thrift shops that you should definitely check out!

1. Goodwill 4720 E State Road 64, Bradenton, FL 34208
   (941) 749-5905 (Always a reliable source for random and awesome things! And this one is one of the better ones, for sure.)
   
2. Community Thrift Shop 5704 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton, FL 34209
   (941) 792-2253 (This one is tucked away, but trust me, it's worth it to stop in here. They have additional percentage off of goods that have been there awhile, which means double deals for really interesting stuff.)



3. Trinity Thrift Store 3306 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton, FL 34205
   (941) 746-8379 (Pictured above, this is a small, United Methodist-sponsored thrift store that has everything from 25 cent costume jewelry to very well-priced furniture. I got the butterfly-clasp belt mentioned above, a leather men's wallet, and some rockin' sunglasses at this tiny store! And I've had friends find some pretty cool old CDs here too.)
   
   
4. Manatee Memorial Aux Thrift 4517 Manatee Ave W, Bradenton, FL 34209
   (941) 745-2047 (The cool thing about Manatee Memorial is the room full of books and magazines for super cheap! They also have been known to have a bin full of freebies at the checkout counter. This is definitely a must-stop in a Bradenton thrift crawl!)