After a few year’s hiatus, I recently started shopping ShopGoodwill again & was thrilled to find that not only is the online Goodwill auction site as good as I remember, it’s even more of a thriving treasure hunt. Some of my favorite recent wins are featured here, and if you’re going to give it a try for the first time, here are 5 things you need to know to bid & buy on ShopGoodwill like a pro.
You may have noticed a big shift on Shoestring these last four months: the posts are maybe a bit more frequent again; the mood might be a little more upbeat; and, of course, you may have noticed a visual shift from getting-the-job-done to gorgeous. All of that is thanks to our new staff photographer, the relentlessly positive and boundlessly creative Chelsea Laine Francis.
I brought dozens of souvenirs from home to tide me over until my next trip back in the fall, but by far the best of them all was this perfect summer uniform, thrifted from Goodwill and Uptown Cheapskate with a pair of totally destroyed DIY denim cutoffs tying it all together, and it works for the Cape, the lake, the city, the humidity, and the blazing sun.
Just like the clothes they sell, Twice — one of my favorite online consignment shops — will be getting a second life and a new home. In an announcement to customers this week, the Twice co-founders shared the news that they’ll be winding down operations and joining eBay to power eBay Valet.
In my mind, Chuck Taylors are a timeless classic that go with pretty much everything, and are always appropriate no matter the occasion. I’ve loved them my whole life, putting them in the Shoestring logo for a reason. But what I really love is that Chucks (and classic street sneakers of all kinds) are having a major moment in fashion right now — especially with dresses. Or at least that’s the case here in Texas.
One of my favorite 2015 summer trends is layering a breezy vintage kimono over a great pair of shredded cutoffs and a slouchy cotton tank, and thankfully my (dear friend and) fearless beach babe of a model, Catelyn, also happens to be the owner of a drool-worthy vintage shop that currently has a duo of vintage Japanese kimonos in stock. Plus all the best tips for making DIY denim cutoffs, all in one place.
This year, I thought it would be really fun to poll my mom friends on Facebook and find out, in a very real and crowdsourced way, what mothers actually want for Mother’s Day. Find out what else they said in this pretty, thrifted Mother’s Day guide for Austin Goodwill I wrote this week, including some of my favorite Mother’s Day brunch ideas from the Shoestring archives!
Sometimes, a trip to the garden center and digging your hands in the dirt is just what the doctor ordered. Last week, I did just that, in the name of journalism and this week’s post for Austin Goodwill, and bought up dozens upon dozens of delightful little succulents, potted them in upcycled thrift store vessels in the name of Earth Day (hello, pineapple colander!) and had the funnest photo shoot with the lovely Chelsea Laine Francis.
When I left Boston for Austin, my dear friend (and former partner in crafts at DIY Boston) Tara took over my social media partnership with Goodwill Boston, so of course we had to do the full tour of my favorite downtown Austin Goodwill stores while she was here in Texas. (And other secondhand and vintage shopping of all kinds!)
Thank Goodwill It’s Friday! Last night, I made it home to the arctic tundra of Boston, and y’all: They ain’t lying. The struggle is real. Snow is EVERYWHERE. It’s well below freezing with the wind chill. Luckily, I found the most amazing and fortuitous ($4.99) score at the South Lamar Goodwill before leaving Austin: a pure lambswool vintage Irish fisherman’s sweater that is quite literally saving my life.