Thrifting Tips by Jana Faith

If you've been following the Two.Shades.of.Lovely blog at all - you probably know I'm in a bit of of a writing funk. Lucky for me, when that happens, I have great bloggy friends that are there to pick me up - and Jana is here today to share with you some awesome thrifting tips!

Hola chicos y chiquititas! Okay....so I don't actually speak Spanish but one of my superpowers is that I teach first grade. So that counts, right? I'm Jana Faith and I started blogging to write about fashion.

 

 My favorite color is pink. I love Valentine's Day. Glitter and sequins make my heart pitter patter and I'm  crazy about my husband. My lil' blog is still pretty true to its roots. I'm not the most consistent lady in the world.... I like to write about fashion and thrifting. I'm pretty sure thrifting should be a sport. It definitely increases my heart rate. Did you know "a person weighing 125 pounds burns 132 calories in an hour of shopping"? (I didn't make that up. Check my source) (Did I mention that I'm random, too?) 

Speaking of thrifting... let me tell you my tips on how to "Score at a Thrift Store"

1. Go several times to make up your mind about whether it's a "good one" or not.
2. Look at everything!
3. Try on lots of things!
4. Look up Thrift Stores in your area. Make a list. Hit them all. Not in the same day...
5. Don't rush. Take. Your. Time.
6. Go different times of year. Sometimes you'll find Christmas stuff in July. Sometimes you'll find Halloween stuff after Halloween. I find great sweaters and hoodies in summer. (Sometimes I don't buy them because winter attire makes me feel trapped. I should probably get over that...)
7. You can get great stuff for those Pinterest Projects at thrift stores!
   
8. Most thrift stores are not in the most savory parts of town. Try to go in the a.m. or early afternoon. 
9. Look at things with open eyes. Think about whether you could alter the piece to make it work for you. I cut out shoulder pads. I had a friend hem a dress. With furniture and home decor - could you paint it? Is it a good shape for a redo? Don't box yourself in when looking at things. 
10. Everything is washable. True story. If you only look for pristine, new stuff in thrift stores, tough nuggets people -odds are strong you won't find it.
11. Sometimes you get lucky and find brand, spanking, new stuff - tags still on it - in thrift stores. Know what makes my heart skip a beat? Deadstock, vintage. Sometimes I find vintage with the tags still on it. 
12. Lots of trends that are currently in Forever 21 can be found in thrift stores. Be aware of trends you see - "Jana, I don't have time for that!" Sure you do! If you follow blogs, there are lots of trends there. Observe magazine covers while standing in line at the grocery store. Without looking creepery, scope out what young folks are wearing. They're all about the trendy stuff.
13. Look for things other than clothing -I've purchased books for my classroom, wall hangings for home, chairs to redo (still on my to do list), figurines for my home, music (records, cds, 8-tracks), amazing vintage dishes, etc. 
14. Most thrift stores have a certain day of the week they put out new merchandise. If you're all about finding the new stuff, you can inquire about what days they put out new merchandise. 

I'd love to have some new visitors. I like to write about fashion, thrifting, teaching first grade, being married to hubbalicious, and the occasional DIY.

Here are a few of my most popular posts.

1.  There's a Whole Galaxy
   
2. Vision Vanity
3. I Wanna Be a Supermodel