Special Sunday Announcement: We Have a Winner!



Not the lucky winner but looking to get your own copy of the My Memories Suite? Visit their website and use the special code above during your checkout for a $10 discount.



Congratulations to Van of Thrift Core fame on winning the first Let’s Go Thrifting! officially sponsored giveaway promotion. Van will be receiving a code to download The My Memories Suite v2.0, (a $40 value) absolutely free! This promotion was made possible by My Memories.com and I thank them for the generous offer.

I have been having a lot of fun playing with all of the features of the My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software...downloading free virtual paper packs, adding and editing photos, customizing the page layouts and exporting my creations  to jpegs to share with all of you.

And I just know that if anyone will enjoy creating digital scrapbooks, greeting cards, posters and slideshows, it will be Van. Thanks for promoting the giveaway, Van! You’ll be contacted shortly with all of the information you need to claim your prize.

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I'd like to thank each and every one of you for reading Let's Go Thrifting! 

The Week in Review: On Tangibility

 

Don't you just love the smell of an old book?

 
Secondhand shopping means hunting down treasures of yesteryear, sniffing out bargains and unearthing cultural oddities.  But it also means saving an item from certain death at the local landfill.

And this got me thinking of aesthetics. What visual and physical features must an an item have to appeal to you as a buyer? What deciding factors qualify a must-buy purchase?

And when it comes to thrifting records, CDs, tapes, books, DVDs, videos and media that could otherwise be downloaded, how does tangibility affect your decision? Do you only own the item if you can physically prove your rights to possession tangibly?

Not so long ago, I half-considered buying a Nook for quick and easy downloads of all my leisurely reads. But I just can’t reconcile my love for books, actual books. The texture of the paper, the smell of a vintage read, the scintillating cover of a good pulp. I guess I’m for the tangible.



Welcome to the virtual exhibition.



But that doesn't mean I hold contempt for the available technology. After all, where would I be without this blog? I welcome the exploration of techy aids to creative aspirations.

Right now, for instance, I'm in love with virtually cataloging my collections of thrifted finds with The My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking Software. It’s nice to organize photos and other spiffy ideas with a little help from the technology. And I plan to experiment with digital scrapbooking even more in the future.

With any luck, I’ll find some sweet secondhand fashion to model, photograph and later scrapbook in this upcoming thrift-week. Oh the possibilities!

If you’re looking to balance your beloved tangible thrifted finds with your love for technology, enter  The Let's Go Thrifting! My Memories Suite Giveaway It’s much more than digital scrapbooking. It’s a way to preserve and share the past, even if it’s just a pile of dusty ol' vintage books.

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What's your take on the tangibility factor?

Odds 'n' Ends Thursday: It's the Time of The Season

You know what season I'm talking 'bout. It's that lovely time of year when the wind blows crisp and clean, and the leaves change color. It's perfect for layering all of your cute thrifted fashion pieces and cozying up to a hot cup of coffee for a horror movie marathon. God, I love this time of year.

And I love, love, love going through my closet and subsequently making a new fashion thrift wish list for the changing temperatures. This season I am dying to find a poncho that doesn't make me look like a sack of potatoes...or some sort of a cat lady. I would also like some saddle shoes, colorful tights (which are not likely to be thrifted, but hopefully bought on discount), a few fashionable tunics to layer over leggings and anything else that'll blend together for a comfortable look that works with the cooler weather.

And this is exactly the reason that the "Odds 'n' Ends Thursday" post will actually be published in the wee Friday morning hours. I spent a considerable amount of time today hunting the Salvation Army and the clearance racks of a few of my favorite stores for looks I love. I did find a lovely black and white print dress which I plan to layer over leggings and top with a cute cardigan. And I got some cute costume jewelry from Forever 21...including a... wait for it... robot necklace. Pictures will follow shortly.

Back to the "Odds 'n' Ends Thursday" topic...I find it a bit odd that no one has officially entered the Let's Go Thrifting! My Memories Suite Giveaway. I'd really like someone creative and thrifty to win this software. Did you miss the initial announcement? No worries.

There are six ways to gain entries:

1. Visit the My Memories website and pick out your favorite Digital Scrapbooking Kit.  (1 Entry)
2. Become a fan of My Memories on Facebook.  (1 Entry)
3. Follow the My Memories Blog through Google Friend Connect. (1 Entry)
4. Tweet @LetsGoThrifting and @MyMemoriesSuite about your passion for scrapbooking. (1 Entry)
5. Post about the My Memories Suite Giveaway on your blog. ( 1 Entry)
6. Follow Let's Go Thrifting! through Google Friend Connect. (1 Entry)

Just follow these instructions and then comment on the original post letting me know which entries you've completed. Please use separate comments for each one so I can make sure all of your entries are counted toward the giveaway. Also be sure that your comments have your name and email so I can let you know if you're the lucky winner.

Be sure to read my rave review of the product and the official announcement of the My Memories Suite Giveaway for more details.

Best of luck, thrifters!

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What thrifted fall fashions are you looking for?

Special Sunday Announcement: The My Memories Suite Giveaway!

    



Let’s Go Thrifting! is proud to announce its first sponsored giveaway. MyMemories.com the premier website provider of digital scrapbooking needs has offered its services…absolutely free for we privileged people of Let’s Go Thrifting!

I had the opportunity to download the My Memories Suite v2.0 software and take it for a test run. I was extremely impressed with the variety of features. Users can choose from designer templates themed for specific events and holidays, or create their own customized design. Beings that I try to hail myself as some kind of creative genius, I opted for the latter. Notice the tilt of the photos above, the sepia tone to that photo of my favorite camera and that little speech bubble I gave that asskickin' grandma? Those are all my personal touches in creating my own custom design.

While I enjoy the good ol’ fashioned cutting and pasting of the standard scrapbook, I’m all about convenience. And what’s more convenient than digitally creating something you can share with friends and family? Both Mac and PC compatible, My Memories Suite is rated #1 by Amazon and for good reason.

After downloading the My Memories Suite, I was pleasantly surprised with a clean interface that makes creating albums quite simple. Picking from the lovely digital inventory of paper backgrounds and photo layouts was tough, as there was a lot to choose from. You can even add neat little embellishments like ribbons, buttons and other assorted flare.

And you know what having a digital scrapbook means? You can add special features not available to the standard scrapbook, like video and multimedia. This is something I will definitely be having some fun with in the near future.

And of course you can add text, word art, various sized and spaced photos and everything else you need to create your perfect scrapbook album. You can even use the My Memories Suite to create your own templates for greeting cards, calendars, personalized photo albums, posters, tee shirt designs and more.

Once the My Memories Suite is downloaded and installed, you can even add additional paper backgrounds to your inventory. These digital paper packs come in a variety of designs and colors and are available to download right to your Suite, all priced to move and some even free!

MyMemories.com also has a whole team of designers crafting new and beautiful themed kits for download. These combo pack kits come with the background paper, design embellishments, monogram frames and more, all in perfectly complimentary high-resolution images. And if you're looking for some creative inspiration, or tips on how to best utilize all of the design features, the My Memories Blog is a valuable resource.

Heard enough awesome things about the My Memories Suite and want to win a copy of your own?

With a little bit of clicking around the web and commenting on here, you can have 6 entries to the giveaway.  

1. Visit the My Memories website and pick out your favorite Digital Scrapbooking Kit.  (1 Entry)
2. Become a fan of My Memories on Facebook.  (1 Entry)
3. Follow the My Memories Blog through Google Friend Connect. (1 Entry)
4. Tweet @LetsGoThrifting and @MyMemoriesSuite about your passion for scrapbooking. (1 Entry)
5. Post about the My Memories Suite Giveaway on your blog. ( 1 Entry)
6. Follow Let's Go Thrifting! through Google Friend Connect. (1 Entry)

Please follows these steps and leave separate comments on this post for each entry, with links to your blog re-post, favorite digital scrapbooking kit pick, etc, etc. This way I can guarantee all of your individual comments count toward extra entries when it's time to draw the winner. Also, if you do not have your contact information on your Google profile, I need a way to contact you if you're the winner. So please leave your name and email on the comment entries as well.

I am really excited to give one lucky reader a code for a free copy of the My Memories Suite software, so please send in your entries and tell all of your crafty friends too!

The Let's Go Thrifting! My Memories Suite Giveaway will end Saturday October 1st and the winner will be announced and contacted Sunday October 2nd.

Good luck to all of my crafty thrifters out there!

The Thrifted Life: Frugal Philly Has Arrived!

Well, dear thrifters, I am pleased to announce that the new 'Frugal Philly' section of my local Macaroni Kid newsletter has officially launched. At this time we are planning for at least two thrift-related posts per month. And for the first article in the series I decided to sketch a portrait of 'Why We Thrift,' and with socioeconomic ties and theories of rebellion this is a personal manifesto of sorts. Want a little snippet of quotes?

"They may choose the thrift store as a means to deny corporate control over their paychecks. They ignore the impulse to spend a predetermined amount money on what is advertised and instead spend a fraction of the cost on what is available at the thrift store. Maybe they won’t find what they’re looking for right away, but when they find the sought after item, there is a satisfaction that it was purchased on their terms."

You can read "Why We Thrift: The Cause, The Cost & The Cultural Resistance" from the 'Frugal Philly' section of Macaroni Kid right here.

Use this code for an instant $10 savings!

And since I am feeling especially frugal this rainy Tuesday afternoon, I would to share with all of you a special discount being offered by the folks of  My Memories. Especially for the friends and fans of Let's Go Thrifting! My Memories is offering an incredible $10 discount off the #1 rated digital scrapbooking software, My Memories Suite version 2.0

Perfect for crafters looking for a tech-savvy solution to the cutting and pasting, this digital scrapbook allows for organized creativity that you can share with your friends and loved ones forever.

To take advantage of this special offer visit the My Memories store and type in the special promotion code: STMMMS24809 at the checkout page. Feel free to share this special savings code with your friends and family so we can all be creative and frugal together, courtesy of Let's Go Thrifting!

What does being frugal mean to you?