Let's Go Thrifting Has Been Nominated For a Liebster Award!

I am thrilled to announce that Let's Go Thrifting has been nominated for a Liebster Award from the lovely Sally over at the Passport & Plates blog. Many thanks, Sally! 

And what is the Liebster Award, you ask? The Liebster Award is a nomination-based online only recognition of new or up-and-coming bloggers for their achievements within the blogging community. When you accept this award, you proudly display the Liebster Award logo and nominate 11 blogs of your choosing you receive the award. This is cyclical way of community-building, whereby bloggers can loan their traffic to other bloggers, and readers can discover some fresh blogs to follow. 

I was asked 11 questions over at Passports and Plates.  And here are my answers:

1. What inspired you to start blogging?   I have contributed to several blogs as a freelance writer, but longed to start one of my own. And a blog about a favorite pastime activity seemed only natural. 
2. If you could live in any one country of the world, where would it be and why? Though I would love to be a world traveler, if I could only pick one country other than my own to live, it would be Japan without question. I was fortunate enough to spend six weeks in Tokyo studying abroad. It was an amazing experience of traditional Japanese culture mixed with advanced technologies/architecture/media. 
3. What is your favorite movie? Why?  I don't think I could name any one movie as an all-time favorite. But right now my favorite movie is High Fidelity. I just re-wateched it today and could not stop laughing. I think it captured the tone of the book perfectly, and despite being a comedy...really captures the uncertainty of longtime relationships and new prospects...of music as communication....and Jack Black. I mean come on... his cover of "Let's Get It On." Perfection.
4. What books/music are you currently reading/listening to? Right now I'm reading 'The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic, And Madness At The Fair That Changed America' by Erik Larson.  And music... I just found Booker T & The M.G.s on vinyl. It's amazing. 
5. What's your favorite quote? "Though the sex to which I belong is considered weak, you will nevertheless find me a rock that bends to no wind." ~ Queen Elizabeth I
6. What is the best advice someone has ever given to you? To be myself without apology. 
7. What is your biggest goal/dream? To see Let's Go Thrifting become a brand that allows me to work completely for myself as a professional blogger/thrift shopper/writer without need for a supplemental income. And I'm working tirelessly toward that goal.
8. What impact would you like to have on others?  If my words on donating to thrift stores has kept even one bag of usable items from the landfill, I have done my part. But ultimately I would love to encourage and inspire others to be their best selves.
9. What book or film has had the biggest impact on your life?  I have always known that I wanted to be a writer. But Stephen King's 'On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft' really solidified that.
10. What is your dream job? #7 pretty much answers this question. This is my dream job. 
11. Last meal on earth--what would it be?  I'm going to cheat on this one and say a trip to Shady Maple Smorgasbord in East Earl, PA with family and friends. 

And here are my 11 Liebster Award nominees! 

• Whole, Healed & Happy
• The Curious Professor Z 
• Thriftanista In The City 
• Haddock and Dill
• Whimsical Vintage 
• Madge's Hatbox 
• My Vintage Life
• Woman In Real Life
• A Vintage Green
• The New New Girl  
• Say It Ain't So

Congratulations, bloggers. If you would like to participate in this shared community award, keep the cycle going by answering the 11 questions below on your blog, by nominating 11 bloggers of your choice for Liebster recognition, and by asking 11 of your own questions. And lastly, don't forget to link back to the blogger that nominated you. 
Hey, that's me! 

1. What has been your biggest reward or achievement since beginning your blog?
2. What is your hidden talent?
3. What is the strangest thing you've ever encountered at a thrift store, yard sale, or flea market?
4. If you could choose an alternate career path, what would that be?
5. Who is your greatest role model?
6. If you could go on a five-minute shopping spree at any store, which store would you pick?
7. What is on your winter survival list?
8. If you could wake up tomorrow an expert in any one skill/language/trade, what would that be and why?
9. What is one piece of indispensable wisdom you would give to a beginning blogger?
10. If you could go back in time and do one thing differently, what would that be?
11. What future plans do you have for your blog?

Bagels & Bargains: The In-Store Thrift Event

A lovely curated collection 

On Saturday, April 6th I was invited as a special guest to the Impact Thrift Store in Feasterville, PA.

Of course, I never need an invitation to feel welcome at Impact, as I'm recognized on the regular basis as "the thrift blogger" by a number of the employees.  Since interviewing the staff prior to the Impact grand opening almost a year ago , I thought I'd eventually be just another eager shopper scavenging for secondhand deals.  So, imagine my delight and surprise to be a blogger invited to another Impact in-store event.

I arrived at Impact at 8 am, when the 20 or so bloggers, crafters and invited guests walked through the doors an hour before the store opened. Given first dibs on the merchandise and fun prizes, we were all wide awake despite the early hours. In a partnership with Denise Sabia of The Painted Home crafting and design website, the Bagels and Bargains event featured curated items fresh from the Impact donation warehouse, 25% off coupons, craft supply goody bags and much more. And all of this swag was provided to promote the Impact ECOfest Home Show on April 27th, another event which I also plan on attending.  

But I couldn't afford to be distracted by all of the glitz and the glamour. I was in a thrift store, prior to opening. It was go time. 

I decided to skip the complimentary breakfast, for the time being. Instead I managed to politely socialize with other bloggers, photograph the things I loved and prowled the store for savings. And all the while I was fascinated by the fact that I hadn't seen it so desolate since my behind-the-scenes Impact tour. 

After stuffing a few small finds into my cart, we gathered around Denise for a game of The Thrifted Price Is Right.

Jackie Jardine, come on down!!! 

The rules were simple: The first person to shout out the correct price for some of her curated thrift finds was the winner.

And when the time came to price that lovely framed  photograph from 1902...you better believe I stepped up my game.

"$20!" 

I shouted and hit the price right on the nose, winning myself a $25 gift certificate. Man, let me tell you. It was almost like I won a car from Drew Carey...almost.

After a few more rounds of pricing and some raffle prizes, we were encouraged to roam around. The small crowd immediately swelled, gravitating to the selection of curated lovelies that Denise had handpicked. But I pushed forward as all of the stools and suitcases were grabbed, and got my fingers around what I knew I was meant to buy from the beginning...that very antique framed photograph that I had correctly priced.

It's the perfect addition to my collection of vintage photographs. 

I made several trips around the store, carefully searching each aisle for a hidden treasure. And it didn't seem like long before the doors were opened to the public, and our little private shopping event came to an end. But I was by no means, disappointed. I received a goody bag of paints and supplies that will soon come in handy for some repurposing projects in the works. I got a 25% off my total order coupon and won a $25 gift certificate. 

Of course, I grabbed a bagel for the road.

After thanking the hostess for her hospitality and saying my goodbyes to the staff, I drove back home with thrift scores in tow. 

It really was a great day, one that I needed. I met other bloggers with a similar passion for thrifting, won some prizes, got some much-needed repurposing advice from an expert in design, was again recognized as the girl behind Let's Go Thrifting. And on top of all that, I scored some sweet thrifted loot.

FREE! FREE! FREE! 

A little wicker and wood curio cabinet, a wooden owl pin, a vintage white doily, Sex In History book and the antique 1902 framed graduation portrait. And with the combined savings of the 25% coupon and the $25 gift certificate...not only was this all free...but I have $4 to spare in certificate spending. I went to the Bagels and Bargains event and actually earned thrift money!

Do I love being a thrift blogger, or what?