Thirft Store Shopping

Anyone and everyone who knows me will tell you that I love Value Village.

And that is an understatement! 

To be honest, I like all thrift stores, but Value Village is definitely my top pick! They recently had a 50% off sale and this past weekend was the pre-sale for members. So of course, I got the baby dressed, rounded up some friends and made my way to the store in search of decent baby clothes. What I found was better than decent! I found a Calvin Klein hoodie, for The Professor, for $2.50! Barely worn!

I paid $17 for all of this! I think I deserve a self high five for that!

There are a couple tricks to finding anything in a thrift store, so here are some based on my experience as a shopper and former Value Village employee...

First - you need to have the time. This may sound silly, but you really need to take the time to look through everything if there is something specific you are looking for. And when I say 'everything', I mean every related section. If you are looking for a shirt, look in ALL clothes sections! People pick up an item, change their minds, and just put it anywhere.

Next - you need to go often! They get their truck loads during the week only and the people who put the stuff on the floor also only work during the week. So, if you go on a weekend, be aware that you are looking through merchandise that was put out on Friday.

Then- Try everything on! Just because it says size 4 - doesn't mean it still fits like a size 4! Remember that almost everything you pick up will have been worn/washed so it could have changed shape. If you are lucky, you will find a brand new item of clothing with tags! 

Lastly - shop out of season when possible. People tend to donate seasonal items at the beginning of the season - however - items are cheaper out of season. Seasonal items are usually kept closest to the front of the store, so don't be afraid to dive in!

And of course - have fun! This is key for me! 
I don't tend to go to a mall because it's too commercialized/busy for my liking, and I hate having to go to many different places to find the things I want! And Abby loves Value Village for the endless possibilities and mystery of what treasures we might find! 

So there you have it! 

Reduce, reuse, upcycle and help me make a greener place for our children. :)


{Daily Odd Compliment: The say Disneyland is the happiest place on Earth. Which is weird because I didn't know being in your arms had a name.}

Gnome Kisses

We made some pretty adorable gnomes for Abby's class for Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day has never really been my thing, but it occurred to me last year, (after Abby brought home many Valentine's Day cards) that maybe it's a bigger deal to kids. 
So this year, I'm going big! 
I think cards are a waste of money, so I decided to get creative and I found the perfect inspiration!
I fell in love with these gnomes as soon as I saw them! 
So here is our take on them.. 

Since I don't like felt, I used old file folders to make the hats. 
(I use these a lot because we go through them like candy at work, so it makes a great free material for our crafts! And recycling is just a bonus!)
Mel drew circles and Abby cut them out. She was a great helper!

I happened to find some colorful googly eyes at the dollarstore! I also picked up some boring ones, but I couldn't leave these ones!

See what I mean?

So I glued those first, with the hot glue gun, to the kisses. Once our circles were cut out, we cut them in four equal parts, to make little triangles, then I glued those to the top of the kisses.
They were almost done, but I needed somewhere to write the kids' names, so that's why they have beards! And on the bottom of the beards, I added my signature. 

And you are never too old to look your very best while crafting!

I think they turned out pretty good! I think they might look better in felt, but I prefer using recyclable supplies than having to buy more. 

Down with commercialism - Upcycle all the way! 

(If you are reading this because your child got one of these - welcome! And thank you for checking out my blog(s)!)


{Daily Odd Compliment: I was going to get you chocolate for Valentine's day, but then I was like, "An otter feeding you the chocolate would be so much better." Because they're cute, and you're cute, so it makes sense. But I didn't do that because otters seem hard to train, and they're probably expensive.}