Harry Potter Bound - Hufflepuff Inspiration
Hat Wall Display Essentials & My Fave Hats
I adore how easy and effortless it is to display your hats - who doesn’t love accessories doubling as decor? Here are all the tools you need (minus a stool) to display your hats, plus some inspiration from Pinterest & links to my favorite Lack of Color Dupes now on sale (4/21) for only $34!
Disney Graphic Tee Round Up
Sharing many of my favorite Disney Graphic Tee’s from Etsy small businesses! Feel free to share you own favorite small & local businesses in the comments - bonus points if they’re magical!
Chic Soul Spring Break Try On
Accessories & other bits used in the video can be found linked below & on the Like to Know It App!
Pura Vida - My First Order, DIY Packs - Gift Guides
Having recently fallen in love with another company doing a whole lot of good - and making a whole lot of sweet, cute gifts - I made my first order & wanted to share with you my picks! I typically am not a big jewelry person but I love that there is a mix of dainty and bold in addition to truly something for everyone.
use code CARALENTZ20 for 20% off your order OR during Black Friday use my link!
On top of sharing my first order, I wanted to share a few “DIY Packs”! Pura Vida & the folks on their team make various packs based around a theme (and a ton of them are super cute!) but one of the best things (to me) about Pura Vida is that YOU can make your own signature pack by mixing and matching! I’ve created some below for a few different looks!
Be sure to use CARALENTZ20 for 20% off your order or during Black Friday my link!
Cyber Monday Shopping & Gift Guides
It’s somehow December but the Cyber Monday deals are going strong! I’m sharing with you WHERE to shop with details on their deals below! Just remember- I’m sharing with you IN CASE you want to shop - not because I believe you HAVE to shop! Do what’s best for you, and if that includes shopping at least you’re getting deals & saving dolla dolla bills!
How to Style Your Thrifted Treasures
You came, you flipped through every rack and dove in every bin and somehow conquered… but what’s next? Thrifting in and of its-self can be such an exhausting process you might find yourself a little lost on how to style all your new treasures! To fully celebrate #nationalthriftday I’m rounding up some fits in hopes to inspire you on how to style alllll those new finds!
I hope you find some inspiration in how I styled some of my favorite thrifted finds! I’d love to see what you find this weekend on #nationalthriftstoreday and how YOU style it! Feel free to leave a comment or DM me! Wishing you the best luck at finding your best finds yet! Happy thrifting!
5 Tips To Remember While You’re Thrifting
Sadly we’re coming to the end of Thrift Week but gosh it’s been so much fun sharing all these tips and tricks with y’all! We’ve already talked about how to prepare for a thrift trip, today we’re diving into tips to remember while you’re sorting through those racks, bins and more!
ONLY BUY QUALITY
While I love some cheapie type clothing items for DIY projects, thrifting is the time to snag high-end, high-quality items. Not only are they a total steal, they last much longer and will be around for you to love on em much more than a piece from a cheaper brand. Thrifting is a great time to look for well-known and expensive brands for staple items. Even though these pieces will be relatively more expensive- they’re worth it. For example, I purchased a Kenneth Cole winter Coat for less than $40 while thrifting. Granted, this was much more expensive than other $10 or less pieces I was purchasing, but, in looking up the coat online- it retailed for almost $300. Relatively, it became a total win and I can’t wait to wear it this winter.
If you come across a piece or brand you’re curious about, google it. Chances are it's REAL vintage or even a high-end brand you aren’t familiar with. If not, then you’re avoiding snagging something that isn’t going to last you like it should. Additionally, when looking up pieces and brands you can get a better idea if you’re getting a deal on it. I’ve definitely thrifted at a local store where they were selling a dress from Target that was more expensive in the thrift store than Target’s clearance.
READ LABELS
When it comes to sizing - ignore these. For real - it sounds a little out there but I mean it. With so many brands, decades and styles of clothing on the racks I PROMISE you the sizing is wonky. If you love something, try it on. There are times I have sized way up and way down from my norm and deciding to try it on let me bring it home to be worn and loved.
When it comes to washing/drying instructions - be realistic. If you’re not willing to dry clean an item, hand wash it, iron it or something else, don’t waste your time, money or closet space purchasing. Even if it's a steal and you *swear* you’d dry clean it, I typically say pass. Thrift racks change, laundry habits are (mostly) forever.
THRIFTED ISN’T ALWAYS VINTAGE
So I’m someone who is plenty happy shopping for both thrifted and vintage pieces. However, I know some folks really do prefer one over the other and certainly deserved to not get duped. While the line between the two can be blurred, I try to think of it this way. You MIGHT find a vintage item in a thrift store but you basically NEVER find a thrifted item in a vintage store. Vintage stores are almost exclusively unique, dated pieces that are not made at all anymore. Thrifted pieces can be a pre-owned dress a gal purchased from Target and was ready to donate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with preferring one over the other, but knowing what you want and making sure you get that is important so make sure you keep the difference in mind while shopping!
STAPLES
When in doubt, look for staple items. If you LOVE graphic tees focus on those! If you are obsessed with denim and believe in the power of a kickass pair of jeans - focus on that! Buying staple items not only make your trip a success, they help build out a wardrobe you’re going to love much longer than the span of time gifted to a current trend. Win for you and your closet!
As always, thank you so much for reading! I hope you found these five tips helpful and if you have any I missed, I’d love to hear them below! Happy Friday and (early) National Thrifting Day!
4 Things to Know Before You Thrift
With this Saturday being National Thrift Day AND the fact that the top requested content I get is more on thrifting, I am spending this WHOLE week’s blogging on her! Now days, thrifting is seen as trendy, sustainable and a whole lot more. Regardless of what motivates you to thrift, there are definitely some do’s and don’ts you learn from trips to countless stores.
I started thrifting in middle school with friends because it was the thing to do. Growing up outside Broad Ripple Village, vintage was always cool and a huge part of the fun and retro art/bar/shopping scene where I lived. To this day I love sifting through the racks of clothes wondering what life they’ve had before I even came along and thinking up a million ways to style pieces that I swear are calling my name. Since my love affair with thrifting began, I’ve shopped all over the US and bought my fair share of both trash and treasure. While some have ended up back in shops, my thrifted pieces are typically my most favorite and cherished items I own.
With all these years of experience and many a #thriftthursdays under my belt, I’m sharing with you 4 major things to know before you head out on your next thrifting adventure.
LOCATION
Before you even step foot into your car to head to your thrift shop, consider what type of area your store is located. What types of retail stores are near it? What are the demographics financially of that area?
While those answers should not necessarily dissuade you from shopping somewhere, knowing these things can help you better find what you’re looking for. If you thrift at a store surrounded by Wal-Marts, Targets and similar type stores, that is probably going to be a majority of what you will find. If you head somewhere with more high-end stores and folks with higher incomes you are much more likely to come across better and unique items. The richer someone is, the more likely it is they will donate clothes or items they’re ready to move away from on a whim while folks with more modest budgets may only be donating more used and common items. Remember, this is not to say one is better than the other, BUT, if you know you’re looking for particular types of items, this can drastically help you find the best locations to have a thrifting experience of your dreams.
MAKE A LIST
While I do a lot of my thrifting just for fun and not really seriously looking for particular items, when I am in need of something specific, I make a list. Not only does this help you save time, it makes sure you use your time wisely. If you’ve thrifted before you know how tiring it can be - there is so much to look at! By snagging your “need” finds first, it leaves your bigger and better spent browsing time to find thrifted treasures.
Before you head to the store, make sure to check the location out online to see if they are having any sales, offer discounts of even have coupons. It might surprise you to know that thrift stores have sales since everything is already so discounted, but they do. Goodwill typically has different color tags 50% off or Saturdays can run similar deals. Saving money, even when things are already inexpensive, is a bonus worth googling. Plus, if you’re checking out them on maps you can peek at some reviews of the location if you’re a first timer there. While some reviews should be taken with a grain of salt I have definitely been steered to locations that better fit my needs just from checking out some online reviews.
GET INSPIRED
Thankfully we’re in a time of fashion where everything - and I mean everything - is in style. Every decade and style of clothing has their fair shot at being trendy and personally, more than ever, I think the style has really evolved into allowing ANYONE to style ANYTHING how they want. If you are looking to stay “on trend” but feel so lost when you get into a shop, pop on Pinterest, Instagram or your favorite shop and screenshot, save or add to your cart the items you love. When you’re shopping, refer back and be willing to big-picture that piece. By this I mean the following: On Instagram my very favorite influencers have been ROCKING long, button-up, flowy “teacher” skirts. When I headed out to thrift last week, I made sure I saved a few Grams and looked through the skirts. While I didn’t find her exact skirt fresh off of LuLu’s I found a very cute blue skirt I adore (see below). A huge part of thrifting is seeing the potential in an item. I promise you, a lot of pieces you might find are not exactly what you envision when you are looking to recreate a trend or look you’ve seen. It takes a lot of vision, creativity and big-picture moments to be happy with your pieces. When you can do this though, I swear you will reach thrifting nirvana and have way better experiences in store.
I hope these tips will help you take on your next (or first!) thrift trip with more confidence and excitement! If you have any tips you want to add, comment them below! If you liked this post, don’t forget to check out my posts this Friday and Saturday as they will ALL be thrifting related touching on more tips for thrifting and how to style your new finds!