Monday, August 06, 2012

Thrifty Exchange

If you know me at all then you know one of my all time favorite things to do in life is to go thrift store shopping.

Ever since I was a little girl I remember going with my mom to the thrift store and finding treasures around every corner. I was raised in a family of 5 kids. My dad was the main provider and he worked for over 20 years as a disc jockey in NV. Now, maybe in CA a DJ like Ryan Seacrest might make a pretty penny being a DJ, but my pops was on a tight budget. 
Still, we managed, and one of the main reasons why we managed so well was because my mom was/is so thrifty.
She was always making something out of nothing, and the thrift store was her best friend.
Thankfully, that gene got passed on to me.

Second hand use stores are like coming home.
I love the way they smell.
I love the way they look.
I love how each one has it's own quirks and special spots for treasure untold.
It is a rush like no other for me to get a good deal on everyday items at the goodwill.
I have found everything from classic records to my favorite brand name jeans at my thrift store. 
I have written about my secret love affair with Value Village
before so I'm not going to go into much more detail about that, but the reason I'm bringing up thrift store shopping again with you all is because...
Recently I saw the amazing idea that these lovely young ladies below came up with, and I was beyond excited. To go thrift store shopping for someone else sounded like the ultimate good time for me so I signed up.



For my exchange I was paired up with Alanna Rose over at Suburban Gnomes. If you haven't checked out her blog before you really should go meet her. She is the Sweetest Alanna Rose I have ever met ;)and I had so much fun shopping for her. I was hopeful that I would find a cute gnome to add to her collection, but apparently they are really popular right now because I didn't see one single gnome in all my thrifty spots. The top pic has some of my finds for her. 
And here is what she sent me.


I love each and everyone of her items, but that mug in the bottom left corner... Oh My heaven's I'm in love. 
Is it possible to love a cup?
I believe it is.
And her packaging was beyond sweet.
Every item was tied up with string and came with an imaginary story. 
Alanna, if you are reading this, your stories for each item was my favorite part.
Oh and thanks for not keeping that mug for yourself because I absolutely love it.





10 comments:

Rach said...

such great finds! glad you enjoyed the exchange as much as I did!

LeiShell said...

That is such a fun idea! I love what she got you and you got her! Adorable!

Barefoot Hippie Girl said...

How did I not hear about this? If they ever do another, let me know! I love thrifting!=)

Kelly said...

HOW AWESOME IS THIS IDEA!! Oh i wish i had heard of it! I LOVE thrift shops too! And I love the smell too!!! I also love the smell of gasoline so i thought perhaps I was just strange! Bahahaha!

Jeni said...

This might be one of the most brilliant ideas ever... And I can see why you love that mug - it totally looks like you. :)

Alyx said...

What a fun idea!! !

Unknown said...

what a sweet idea! That mug is very pretty. I love what you both got for each other! I love thrift shopping as well. Finding that hidden treasure is divine! :)

Jami said...

Yay, you got some great stuff. Glad you had fun!

momto8 said...

we are at the beach right now..the rental we are staying in is full of thrift finds...soooo fun. the kids are having a a ball looking at this collection of stuff!! an assortment of treasures!!!

abby said...

You got some great stuff! Wasn't it so much fun?!?!?!

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