April In The Burbs

 It's no secret that I love a good thrift store . After a lifetime of thrift love (and let's be honest, sometimes hate), it's hard to pick only a Top 5. It may as well be a Top 100, and that still wouldn't do. But alas, here we are!    I thought it'd be fun to post my top 5 thrifty finds here for y'all! These all include little things that I keep around the house. Some are vintage and some are just super cool pieces that I've picked up along the way. There are no rules when it comes to my decorating, but I would probably call it closest to flea market fabulous meets utilitarian minimalist.  Now, for my top 5 favorite thrifty finds:  1. This amazing handmade wood jewelry box. It sits atop our bedroom dresser and holds all of my most prized jewelry possessions and pictures of loved ones who've passed. I also like to keep cash money in the bottom drawer of my jewelry box, you know, for Tooth Fairy emergencies.  2. Constantine - This piece I actually bid on ...

 I learned a lot having a kiddo with a rare condition like Panhypopituitarism . But the most important is exactly how to advocate for my child. When you're thrown into such uncertainty, one thing you do know by instinct is to keep moving. But no one teaches you how to move.  With Dot, the medical issues that she has had since birth like Craniosynostosis and Panhypopit - they're extremely rare. The Magic Foundation explains the Panhypopit thing a lot better than I ever could.  The point being: You learn to advocate. You learn early, you learn quickly, and you use what tools and skills you have to fight for you kid's life as best as you can.  Here are some tips to help those of you who are new to this process, there's always more to learn, but this will get you started.  1. Ask questions . This is not only for your information regarding what's happening with your child, it'll also give the doctors and nurses an idea that you're on top of things and there to a...

 I was on Instagram one day, and noticed this artist @redmonks whose drawings were super realistic. I was so impressed, that obviously I had to follow him and his art and admire from afar.  I've always wanted a professional portrait of Sailor, but the cost honestly made me shy away from committing to it fully. I've followed Jason Branson (Redmonks), for at least a couple of years and noticed that he was offering commissions at a reduced price. He was offering a discount due to Covid19, so he could use his talents to bring joy and happiness to those on lockdown all over, like myself.  I jumped at the opportunity to message him and inquire about having Sailor drawn. I figured that this would be a lovely gift for my co-parent, after the long and difficult year we had just experienced together.  Sailor is the first of our children, so you know we needed a realistic family heirloom portrait of him. I completely love what he did with this piece! I'm working on finding th...

We took Dot to the Round Rock Garden Center recently, and had so much fun! I love that most of the space is outside. They have a building that was kind of like a barn style, with big open doors and lots of circulation. There's also a huge greenhouse with lots of space to wander around and get lost among the various plants.  Don't worry! There's always someone on staff nearby incase you truly get lost!  I loved that there were signs placed around pertaining to Covid19 safety protocols, but also safety in general - which I really loved as a mom of an active and curios 6 year old. All staff and customers has masks on, and as far as I could see, worn appropriately. Another major plus in this mama's book!  We rarely get the kids out these days, due to having multiple people in our home who are very susceptible. Therefore, we have to weigh very carefully anytime we get either kiddo out for something nonessential. I wish I could make a joke about plants being nonessential rig...

  So here I am. 37 and seriously thinking about going back to school. For what? Would be the next obvious question here, and I cringe when I say this Dear Reader (catch that Bridgerton reference) - Business.  WTF do I know about business? Really? Have we met? Like, have you read anything I've written here on this small little baby blog of mine? You know me. I think you do, anyway. The concept of me going to school, which probably means going into debt - to go back to school - scares the shit out of me. And what? For Business? I'm always going to say that shit with a capitol 'B', because - you know. Business.  What I've realized, is that I'm good at it. I've always had little side hustles. Buying and selling vintage, tie dye. I've had a couple of pretty successful Etsy businesses. One where I made and sold Duct Tape wallets with cool vintage pop culture and especially creepy horror magazines pics on them. Think vintage Star Wars, Dr. Who, etc.  There'...

 Hi y'all! I hope everyone's having a lovely day out there!  I made a video this morning over on Instagram, detailing my top 5 tips for finding vintage when you're shopping.  I've included the video here , but for those of you wanting a very quick rundown - here are my top 5 tips for finding that amazing vintage to resell.  1. Look for dates or years, especially on printed T shirts. If it's a graphic shirt and it does not have an actual printed label on the inside look around the border of the graphic on the front of the shirt for a year.  2. Look for patina on items. If something is showing its age, that might be a good indication that it's vintage. A lot of people looking for vintage want something that looks its age, so do not clean all of that beautiful patina off of the piece that you just bought to resell. Give it a good wipe down and get that baby listed!  3. Beware of "vintage inspired" pieces. Simply because something looks vintage, does not n...

 Please excuse my busted hair in this video ! I'm going to explain to y'all where I find the vintage that I resell or flip. It's easy and if I can do it, you can too!  I'm going to make a second video for the blog that I can embed here, but in the meantime;  Here are my top 5 takeaways from the video - or what works for me.  1. Hit up Goodwill stores that are outside of your major city. Think smaller more rural towns, where the supply has less of a chance to be picked over.  2. If your town has them, shop Goodwill Bins. They sell not per item, but per weight and you can find lots of great deals this way for cheap.  3. If you've seen it a million times - your mom, grandma, dog and cousin's neighbor has it, you should probably pass on it.  4. Make a schedule and stick to it. Shop frequently.  5. Don't buy anything because you feel like you can't leave the store with nothing. That's the point of going frequently. Your vintage will find you, I promis...