"Secret" Thrift Core Plans for 2013 + Happy New Year!

I'm very excited to work harder than ever on reselling, art and creative projects, and writing here at Thrift Core next year. Next year expect more posts on being healthy, delicious raw vegan recipes, thrifty DIYs, tours of second-hand-shops, reselling information, antique store booth tips, all-things-thrifting and thrifty, "things I left behind" posts, gardening, and a focus on creativity, art, and whole living- that's living with whole, natural ingredients for the uninformed.

I'll be listing hundreds more items in my Etsy shop, developing a couple of products lines, taking on graphic design and marketing clients, revamping my antique mall booths, and having as many adventures as possible. Fun times! I'm ready to get to it!

Comments are turned off on this post. I'm focusing on my annual clean-the-hell-out-of-the-aparment tradition to start the year off with a clean slate. Comments be back on tomorrow! 

Have a Happy New Year! See you tomorrow with a special post on my weight loss story to motivate a common resolution!

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Increase Blog and Online Shop Traffic, and Sales. Advertise in 2013!

I love the fresh slate that comes with a new year. A new chance to grow, change, and improve. I've been working on new content and improvements like crazy for Thrift Core, with ideas for posts spilling well into March already. It's exciting, and I'd love you to be part of the story! Drop me a line if you'd like to advertise on Thrift Core in 2013. You can read more information here. Let me know if you'd like to schedule a giveaway to help promote your shops or products, too!

And remember, if you don't have an ad, I'll design you one for free! I'm excited to work with you and put my experience as a webmarketer to work to help you promote your site. I want to help you be successful in 2013!

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Take the 13 Before 2013 Challenge + Five New Years Resolutions.

I constantly make lists, and New Years is the time of celebration for the list-lover.I'm excited to take my blog and business to the next level. It's a great time to push the envelope and improve. BUT FIRST, I'm going to push myself to finish 13 tasks before the end of the year! It's not too late to...

Post Holiday madness scene at my place. People still need to get their Bieber swag! Ha!

1. Finish photographing all the merchandise stored at my apartment for Etsy.
2. Take the merch to my storage room, (tour soon!) clean/organize the room.
3. List at least 50 more items on Etsy.
4. Refresh the Thrift Core blog layout a bit, making content easier to navigate.
5. Plan and write blog content for January, start one month ahead!
6. Organize/purge the credenza craft mess craziness.
7. Organize/purge the closet craft mess craziness.
8. Kitchen purge, organization, and deep clean.
9. Re-do my favorite business goal guide.
10. Order some essential oils, spices, and other kitchen/cleaning goodness.
11. Clean the House Top to Bottom!  At least this one is DONE! Will dust again, though...
12. Plan blog content as far in 2013 as possible.
13. Relax and have FUN on New Years Eve!

1. Put things away as SOON as you're done with them!
2. READ through my entire library and donate/sell it off.
3. MOVE more every day!
4. Produce the best quality with EVERYTHING I do.
5. More TIME for friends and family!

I haven't done bad in 2012, I finally organized and cleaned hundreds of pieces of merchandise, launched my online shop, and gotten my home clutter completely under control. It was a year of much needed personal cleaning after years of working non-stop. Now I'm ready to dive into work and random traveling adventures! I'm launching lots of exciting things in 2013. Thank you for following along!

What are your Goals and Resolutions for 2013? Wanna Take the 13 before 2013 Challenge with me? What are your 13?

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Top 5 Favorite Flea Market Finds of 2012: What Are Your Favorites?

I'm often asked what my favorite thrift store finds are, it's really hard to choose with the volume of what I find. That and, I love everything piece I bring home! But here are my Top 5 favorite 2012 finds:

[Behold the Toadstool lamp on Etsy]

I was shocked to find this beautiful lamp in near-perfect condition. It even came with a little Raccoon tenant which is still wrapped-up and packed somewhere. It's such a perfect groovy little 70s relic and I love everything about it. I got a good deal for something so rare, too.

[More photos of this artwork on Etsy]

My gardening soul cried out for these two gorgeous pieces. I wheeled and dealer as much as possible to lower the price on this duo at the flea market but the vendor wouldn't go down much, I had to have them anyway. It's all drawn in a way that's similar to my natural drawing and coloring style as well.

[My Coloring Books among others. Some are Sold.]

I found this lot at one of my favorite flea markets. I never took the time to take detailed photos of each one and they languished in my bookshelf for most of the year before finally being listed on Etsy- where they're selling quite well! I love the very vintage colorful covers and illustrations inside. I wish I had time to scan each page before they all sold!

[See more bedsheet details on Etsy.]

I rarely encounter decently priced Transformers goodness anywhere, so I was happy to find this sheet during my last flea market hunt. They're right at home on my bed until they sell. I love using them. I'm a huge Transformers fan.

Looks like all my favorite finds were flea market finds, with rising thrift store prices I hunt at flea markets more than anything now. So tell me...

What were your favorite finds this year? Let's find many more in 2013.

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Have Yourself a "Scary" Little Christmas: Happy Holidays from Thrift Core

My obsession with kitsch creeps over into gifting. This combination of awesome hand-crafted Germ Spider "Fangy Bears" acquired recently form a horror-themed event (photos later!) and resplendent Justin Bieber wrapping paper made my Holiday!  I'm forcing myself to take a mini web break until the 26th, so I'll see you on the blog then! (Although I won't be able to stop myself from listing things on the Etsy shop!)

Hope you're having a Happy Holiday with friends, family, and food!

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Holy Savings, Batman! Check Out These Discount Codes

Holy Savings, Batman! I've been having a blast photographing hundreds of beautiful vintage, retro, pop culture, and atomic goodies for the Thrift Core Etsy shop. To celebrate the holidays and the grand opening I'm offering a 10% Discount Code when you type in "DINOBOTS" on checkout!

I have plenty of affordable goodies (Browse by lowest price first so some lovely stocking stuffer and gift ideas) and if you order now I can get them to you before Christmas. I still have hundreds of items to list, so if you're looking for something in particular, I may have it. Drop me a line to see if I have anything in particular in stock!

If you're still making gifts (LIKE ME!) I'll have thrifty gift ideas up the rest of the week!

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Thrifty Holiday DIY: Small Toy Stocking Stuffers

Christmas will be here in five days! Every year I say I'll have all the present stuff wrapped-up by now but yet again I've failed. If you're scrambling like me, here's an easy stocking stuffer idea that you can thrift-for last-second.

[I'm about to take these jars to my antique store booth to sell, hence the prices.]

Nearly every thrift store has a selection of awesome little toys. I found these a flea market and was going to make jewelry out of them, but changed my mind. They're a set of colorful cowboys and Indians combined with toy soldiers:

You can bag them with crinkle paper and small clear cell bags (get them from the Dollar Store or the baking section nearly anywhere) for an easy, appealing look:

Or if you've been saving old jar, you can fill your jars with crinkle paper and colorful toys:

I have the DIY on how I made my set of comic book topped chalkboard toy jars right here.

What are you crafting-up these last few days before Christmas? I'm going to be cooking up a storm, wrapping thrifted gifts, and heading to a locally-owned toy store to find special gifts for my nieces and nephews.

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Antique Mall Adventure: Avonlea Antiques in Jacksonville, Florida

Treasure hunters have told me the tale of a giant antique stop that sleeps along Phillips Highway, Avonlea Antique Mall. I envisioned a wunderkamer museum paradise with vintage and oddities shining bright within protective glass cases. When I happened upon it this Saturday it was time to boldly explore new terrain.

Avonlea is less Wunderkamer and more like a traditional Florida Southern-style antique mall, but I was impressed by what the winding mazes inside offered. I let the shop's magic take me deeper down the rabbit hole.

Avonlea has over 40,000 square feet of retail space to explore, making it the largest Antique Mall in Florida's First Coast. You can make a whole day of exploring this beast and still not examine every square inch! If your body aches for sustenance after a long day of hunting, Avonlea has eats available in their indoor restaurant  the Olde Florida Café.

Two of my favorite booths were side by side, an atomic era themed booth with a carefully curated selection of only the best Mid Century Modern space age goodies Jetson's fans have wet dreams over.

Then right beside it this jar-lined booth filled me with an equal amount of inspiration. Both booths group likes for a dramatic, appealing, and cohesive look. It made me want to get to work on my own booths!

The ample amounts of pop culture and vintage graphic design made me want to create. I've been looking through the dozens of photos I took while exploring for motivation.

Do you explore thrifts and antique stops for inspiration? Sometimes it's nice to relax, window shop, and take a break from hunting.

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Thrifty Gifts: Is it Taboo To Hit Thrift Stores for Holiday Gifting?

Every year I'm curious about what my thriftiest friends are gifting for the holidays. Are they making gifts? Thrifting for gifts? Ignoring the whole season and going bahumbug? Furthermore, is it considered rude to give gifts from the thrifts? For the uninitiated, it's horrifying! Check out this quote from a thrifty gift giving post on Get Rich Slowly.

"i guess i’m spoiled but i would be horrified if someone gave me used thrift-shop purses and would probably spend the rest of the day crying (i get a little too upset over poorly-chosen gifts sometimes). my first thought would be if money is that tight that you’re gift shopping in thrift stores instead of proper stores, why couldn’t you have gotten something less expensive but new?"

Thrifted gifts are special. They required someone to hunt, and you're getting something no retail store could provide. This year I'm using the massive amount of stock I've acquired to create gift sets for friends and family and cooking massive amounts of delicious, healthy snacks to distribute. (Posts on this soon!)

Present it beautifully...when you give a gift from the thrift, think of presentation. Don't gift an item with unflattering chips or dents. Display it nicely; details count. Gift a vintage tin with homemade cookies inside or a vintage planter filled with poinsettia flowers.

With beguiling presentation, even die-hard thrift store haters will overlook the gift's humble, inexpensive origins. And if your friends are mad that you didn't spend enough on them, find new friends!

Do This: Check out The Elegant Thrifter for gift-giving inspiration. His Gift of Thrift posts display creative presentation ideas and remarkable thoughtfulness! Then check The Non-Consumer Advocate. Katy gives thrifted gifts and thrifty gift ideas, Viva La Résistance!

Bonus: I have an Ultimate Holiday Gift Guide of thrifty and useful gifts.

Is it okay to buy gifts from the thrift store? Where do you draw the line?

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Thrift Haul: Transformers and More Quality Vintage Goodies

I've been working non-stop since launching my Etsy shop, but the kinetic motion is addictive. I even returned to the flea market AND photographed and listed the items all in one day, it's a miracle! Here are my beautiful flea market scores from yesterday afternoon...

[Donkey Game Etsy Listing]

One of my favorite finds was this amazing "Donkey Party" vintage Pin The Tail on the Donkey party set. The Donkey "poster"-of-sorts it comes with is on a canvas-like material and it's damn gorgeous. I love the authentic Mexican painting aesthetic  The poster itself (29 inches wide/22 inches tall) would be gorgeous framed and hung in someone's home.

[Holy hell yes, Transformers Sheets on Etsy]

So what's different about my bedroom? What's making my bed more amazing than usual? I may be hard to see with the sun's bright light shining on it the ethereal glow it gives off, but it's...

A Transformers Generation One Flat sheet from 1984! It's a thing of beauty in my room and perfectly goes with the robot art above the bed. Of course you can buy it from me, but I'm enjoying having it around for now.

[Corelle by Corning Vintage Set of 8 Mugs Etsy Listing]

The cup fetish had to be satisfied! I almost left these "Cornelle by Corning" mugs behind but this set of four mugs and one saucer (odd, but it works) came home with me anyway.

[Japanese Chicken Coffee Creamer on Etsy]

And I love a good, expressive, 1930s classic cartoon ceramic of any kind and this chicken really fit the bill.

The paint is quite faded but I still think it's a lovely piece. I'm trying not to bring home flawed items but it broke through my defenses!

[You Asked for Half a Cup of Coffee on Etsy]

This little "half a cup of coffee" gag cup gets me every time.

I need to serve a friend with this cup and see what happens.

[Vintage Lime Green Sewing Box on Etsy, swear it's actually lime green!]

Here's another one I went back-and-forth on for a while before it came home with me. I need to re-shoot this piece, it's a bright lime green in person.

The inside compartment is perfect for organizing craft supplies. This would be a sweet gift for a sewing or crafty friend. I'm selling it for $9.00.

[Adorable Unicorn Bell on Etsy]

I sell unicorns well, so I thought I'd scoop up this cute little unicorn bell. It's more of a gold color in person, 5 inches tall and 2 inches wide. We've been having fun playing with it at the house already.

[Cute Vintage Bronze Horse Figurine]

And continuing the theme, we have a lovely bronze horse happily sprinting.

[Fish Price Happy Apple Toy, 1970s on Etsy]

It seems like these Fisher Price toy apples from the seventies sell well, perhaps it's the childhood nostalgia value sucking people in. This apple rocks back and forth and has a bell inside that sounds exactly like a windchime, it's very soothing. There's a little damage to the left leaf I didn't notice, so I'm selling him for $7.00.

[Vintage Tiki Style Las Vegas Mug]

I love a tiki-style mug AND I love Vegas...so I love this cup. There's a little damage on the silver lining but I think that just adds to its vintage charm.

I really appreciate this taped-on note on the back and took care not to damage it while cleaning it.

[Puerto Rico Tiki Style 1950s Mod Mug Set]

Funny how I have two vintage finds from my two ethnic backgrounds in this post with the Mexican-inspired pin-the-tail-on the donkey game and now these Puerto Rican vintage souvenir mugs. The contrast of white, brown, and saturated bright colors on these mugs works so well.

The backs are just as beautiful as the front, and I adore the faux wooden texture. These are some gorgeous mugs!

SALE! sale! sale! EVERYTHING in this post is for sale, if you'd like anything you see, please e-mail me. Click the photos or the links beneath them to go directly to their corresponding Etsy listing.

By the way, I added tons of new items to the  Thrift Core Etsy shop if you want to check it out. There are lots of gorgeous vintage finds on there I've never had the time to document before, and plenty of vintage for 7 bucks and under if you're looking for unique gifts for friends! 

What did you find this weekend?

Linked to: [Nifty Thrifty] [Thrift Share Monday] [The Penny Worthy Project] [Flea Market Finds].

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

My New Job in a Raw Vegan Kitchen: A Food Story

Nine years ago I ate a cheeseburger a day. If you'd have told me I'd "grow up" to work in a raw vegan kitchen I'd laugh my ass off between bites of fast food. I've changed in the past three years...

I've evolved from junk eater to "raw vegan", a vegan that eats fresh, unheated, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. I've lost thirty pounds along the way. Eating healthfully has become a passion, and seeking hands-on experience preparing "living food" was the natural next step.

Food Nirvana: Cooking raw vegan and working full time is tough. Overwhelmed and hungry, I looked for local raw vegan bites and discovered the delicacies offered by local raw vegan caterer, Shakti.

My first bite of Shakti's raw vegan chocolate moose was spiritual. I need not pray nor screw my way across Asia like that chick in Eat, Pray, Love for enlightenment. Give me Eat! Addicted to Shakti's culinary perfection, the path was clear. I had to work in that kitchen!

Learning, Growing: My new job at Shakti forces me out of  my comfort zone. Balancing the blog, reselling, freelance gigs, and the kitchen is challenging, but it's supercharged my passion for Thrift Core. New experiences are clinically proven to increase creativity and I'm enjoying this energy boost thoroughly!

A Clear Path: My bank account had more numbers after the dollar sign when I worked full time as a marketer, but that number on the scale went up with it! I'm still organizing my life as a bohemian and I make a pittance of what I earned when The Man provided my pay, but I am so much more fulfilled working in my home and in Shakti's humble kitchen. 

[Former co-workers see the difference: I've got my "glow" back. I'm so fulfilled helping others.]

Working for myself I provide new homes for forgotten relics and help people realize their dreams as a freelance small business marketer. I inspire people with my blog. Now as a raw vegan cook I'm nurturing people's bodies with healthy comfort food and it closes the circle. I earn less, but I'm creatively and spiritually satisfied.

Follow Your Passion: If you're passionate about something, do it! Open your Etsy shop, start reselling, find a way to work in the field you want to. Start slow. When you dive into your passions you'll discover some of them aren't for you. You'll flub. That's the most important part.

Try shit, fall on your ass, dust yourself off and start all over again. If you're not doing this, you're not living.

So tell me...what do you want me to write about this experience in the future? Got questions? I'm here to educate!

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.

Hot Damn, The Thrift Core Etsy Site is Finally Launched! Beautiful!

Well it's ABOUT DAMN TIME! The Thrift Core Etsy shop is finally back online after nearly three years of being neglected. I listed three items online back in 2010, then never bothered with Etsy again since antique mall and blog sales were steady. I've been dying to launch another online shop and recently finished organizing the last box of vintage stock (yay!) so I busted ass the past couple of days to get this beast running.

I have hundreds of items I can add to the shop, lots of them are goodies you haven't seen! I'm excited to get work and I'll likely be adding at LEAST 10 to 20 items per day this month.

If you're Christmas shopping I have dozens of cute gifts for low prices. If you're looking for something in particular that you don't see in the shop drop me a line, because I might have it! Many items in the haul posts are available as well.

Discount Code: I'm offering a 10% discount to celebrate the launch. Type in "Dinobots" upon checkout to receive your discount for one week!

I'd love your feedback! Any tips for a beginner on Etsy? Let me know!

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter andFacebook.

Quick and Thrifty Bedroom/Bathroom Colorful Art Remix

It's been eight months since I shared the first peek at my huge, sunny new 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment in Riverside, Jacksonville. I finally got the reseller mess (oh the boxes, they were everywhere!) under control but I'm still setting in and making the space a home. 

Today I'm sharing a look into a space you haven't seen, the master bathroom, and showing how hanging a few thrifted things I had around made a space more cozy and inspiring:

After I cleared out the final boxes to be organized (any other apartment dwelling resellers forced to use your poor bedrooms as storage?) I had to tackle the bedroom and attached bathroom which felt empty, imbalanced, and soulless.

Left: My nightstand, Right: A Wall in the Master Bathroom

Displaying art I've collected from thrifting, local art shows, and comic book conventions that were languishing (!) in the closet gave the spaces the personable, cozy, relaxing vibe they needed.

The bathroom feels much more comfortable with eclectic art pieces displayed on the walls, too. The Italian Little Mermaid Poster is a childhood relic...

And pieces like the Audrey II on the left and small fish paintings on Canvas on the right are from artist friends. Thrifted Plaques and art from sandy beach artists around the world are on display, too.

This is the biggest apartment I've occupied and I don't have enough furniture to make it feel cozy, but filling the tall walls with eclectic collections is helping to fill the gaps. I hope I'll encounter some chairs and couches while thrifitng to fill some voids as well!

In the past I'd have been tempted to hit retail stores to fill unattractive white space in my home, as many people do. After two years of buying nothing but essentials new, I'm patient. I wait for the right pieces to come to me and use what I have on hand to create a space that's uniquely me!

What do you use to decorate your home? I like to use record cases (I have Prince, Michael Jackson, and Jackson 5 ones on the walls!), and thrifted collections... 

Daily thrifting updates, information, & Inspiration: Follow Thrift Core on Twitter and Facebook.