My Favorite Find of 2010, and The Magic of Thrifting!

It was fun looking back at my thrifted finds throughout the year the past couple days! I've had a bunch of lucky ones, including Ray Bans, a couple designer purses, and some awesome vintage treasures.

But my hands-down favorite? Well, it was something that I thought I'd never get back- the bear that Josh got me when we were 13 and 14 years old. The original bear got lost when a hurricane hit my parent's home in 2004, so when I found this identical one at Goodwill Outlet this year, I couldn't believe it!


Ty Teddy Bear, Goodwill Outlet

This bear reminded me that there's something almost like magic about thrifting. To one person, this little teddy bear was just a stuffed animal, but to me it represents so much more.

And that is why I love to thrift. While it's true that you never know what you might find, I never imagined I'd spot a piece of my history sitting in a Goodwill bin. Here's to hoping that next year will bring finds just as special as my bear to us all :)

Always,
Amanda

My Favorite Finds of 2010: #2

Today's favorite find is my floral rayon shirt :) It's the perfect lightweight, breezy summer top! It's easy fit, comfortable material, and cute print make it my favorite.


Floral Shirt, Goodwill; Necklace, Busch Gardens gift shop; Jeans, Target Clearance; Sandals, Goodwill Outlet; Bag, Goodwill Outlet; Sunglasses, Good Samaritan

This was also probably my favorite outfit photo of the year. I love when the hubby captures funny moments, like me about to fall off a huge mountain of mulch! I had to watch my feet as I balanced precariously on it...

Tomorrow is the last countdown post, and you might be surprised of my favorite find of the year! (Then again, if you've been reading very long/ know me pretty well, you might not be :) Care to guess?)

Always,
Amanda

My Favorite Finds of 2010: #3

Number three on my favorite finds of '10 countdown is my turquoise typewriter I dug out of an estate sale basement for ten bucks!



Black Typewriter: gift from Grammy :); Turquoise Typewriter: Estate Sale

 It's so pretty next to my Grammy's typewriter, and it works like a charm! As a journalism graduate, I especially appreciate these beauties :)

My dream find would be an old pink typewriter!

Always,
Amanda

PS: I forgot to mention it here, but Monday was our 2 year wedding anniversary :) Thanks for a great two years, Josh :)

My Favorite Finds of 2010: #4

For the last four days of the year, I'll be counting down my favorite finds of 2010 :) It was a great year for thrifting, so it's extra-tough to narrow it down to just four finds, but here we go!

Number four on the countdown is this very high-quality leather purse I found amongst the fake LV bags at Love of Jesus. I had been looking for a backpack-style purse that would be sturdy enough to last, and this beauty fit the bill perfectly:

Black Leather Backpack, Love of Jesus

My favorite feature of the bag is the exposed zipper, which seems to add a bit of toughness to an otherwise innocent staple. Of all the bags I've thrifted this year, this one is my favorite, and I know it'll be around for years to come :)

Stay tuned for my other favorite finds of the year, and let me know if you had a favorite!!

Always,
Amanda

A Wolf Hat, A Polaroid, and Snow!

I got one of the new Polaroid 300 cameras for Christmas from my parents, and it's awesome! I went a little Polaroid crazy on Christmas Eve and Christmas :)

Here's one of my favorite presents- a wolf hat/ scarf from my hubby!

Wolf Hat, Gift from Hubby; Vintage Coat, eBay

I love the wallet-size pictures that the new Polaroid takes! And with our new wireless scanner/printer from my in-laws, I can have the best of both worlds: a physical Polaroid and a digital copy :)

I especially like the effect of this shot, taken outside on Christmas day while it snowed. Is anyone else a big Polaroid fan?

Always,
Amanda

My Thrifted Holiday Outfit: Christmas Eve Sunshine

It's so weird to look at this outfit photo from just two days ago, because it was so sunny then! Now, it's snowing outside and looking a lot more like the holidays :)

Here's what I wore for a day of gingerbread house making (and accidentally destroying-woops!), Christmas lights looking, A Christmas Story watching, board game playing and late-night church service attending- a pretty cool Christmas Eve:

Shirt, Goodwill; Jeans, Goodwill; Vintage Camel Coat, eBay; Shoes, AJ Wright; Purse, TJMaxx; Vintage Gucci Sunglasses, eBay ($12!)

Oh yeah, and to almost top the awesome vintage coat eBay find, I scored these vintage Gucci sunglasses for twelve bucks! Just when I was about to give up on eBay, two great finds in a row have convinced me that it's still pretty great :)

I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and holiday :)

Always,
Amanda

Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to pop in to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! Here's mine and the hubby's Christmas card to you :) Thanks for reading!

I took this picture last night while out looking at Christmas lights :) Neat huh? I'll have my Christmas Eve outfit up tomorrow :)

Always,
Amanda