Thrift Thursday. The Foundation.

I am so thrilled with the response over the beginning of Thrift Thursday and also with the united bitching concerning some second-hand store pricing. I said it last week, but after your input, my mind is spinning even more wildly with ideas ... I'm a little afraid you have released the beast. The hardest thing will be to pace myself with all this thrift blabber. I have to remember that I am a blogger writing short posts, not a novelist like Lauren Conrad or George W. Bush (And you never thought that those two would be in the same sentence... but it just happened. right here.).
So much to say but I have to start by laying the thrift foundation. The most important ingredient for successful thrifting is a good attitude. Yeah... it sounds pretty lame, like this is the kindergarten of thrifting up in here or something... I feel lame writing it too but it's the truth. I have gone thrifting with many friends who, within five minutes of entering the store, are looking at me with frustration, hands on their hips and whining about how I always find the good stuff. A few things to note about this scenario...

1. I have friends.
2. Their hands are on their hips.
3. They are giving me eye contact.

Hands on hips aren't moving the hangers over one-by-one as they should be. And eye contact is an absolute no-no. Eyes in a thrift store need to be searching for treasure, not expressing feelings.

When you go thrifting you need to really, really look. Sometimes things will jump out at you like a little thrift gift...

... this shirt did...

...but in general, finding that vintage dress means combing through 67 dresses with stains, triple shoulder pads and Christmas beading first. So, if you are new to thrifting or slightly overwhelmed by the whole idea, go on a day when you are in a good mood. If you are feeling crabby and lamely attempt to thrift, you will find nothing, declare that certain thrift store a dud and leave all the good stuff for me. Thank-you in advance.

A little story (that I've told before but it was a long time ago and I am getting old so I am entitled to a repeat)... in university I went thrifting with a friend and found the most perfect Marni cargo pants.

The best hardware, over-all straps, crisp cotton... perfection. In my excitement, I yelled 'Linda! Look! Marni!' only to discover Linda was way across the store and I was yelling at a stranger beside me. But I had the right attitude, I was so focused on the search that I wasn't aware Linda had left me.

If you are new to thrifting or just ready to try again, make sure you are
1)well-fed (for most hungry equals angry)
2)inspired (check blogs to find inspiration for what to look out for... I've heard of this great one called MyEdit... she thrifts a lot and she's really humble. Has she ever told you how humble she is?)
3)having a good day. You need to be patient because you will need to kiss a lot of frogs before you get your prince. Don't think too deeply about that analogy...

And thus concludes the first lesson on thrifting. If you managed to make it through, you have now passed Thrift Kindergarten. Hopefully next week will not be so elementary.



*Yes, the first sneak peak at the closet in our new house. We're moving this week (so tired...) and the closet is the only thing partially organized... shame on me...