Guest Blog: Five Thrifting Tips

Hey guys! I have the great pleasure of introducing my first guest blogger here at the blair affairs. (I'm guest posting for her today as well. You can check it out HERE.) Rylie is such a sweet girl who loves Jesus, pretty things, friends, vintage and so on. She has a great post about thrifting in store for us today. But enough with me babbling on!


Hey Rylie, I am so glad that you are my guest here today! Would you mind telling us a little about yourself? You know, the usual - who you are, what you do, where you call home, etc...

Hello, my name is Rylie. I live out in the sticks in Missouri (about 45 minutes outside of St. Louis). I am a student wanting to graduate with a double major in psychology and theology. My all time favorite verse is Proverbs 4:23 which says, “Above all else guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” I also have a love for reading. Author John Eldredge is my favorite.

Wow. College is going to be intense for you then! You sound like a very driven person. What are some of the things that you are passionate about? Feel free to pull out your soap box for a while. :)

Oh boy. You just opened a big can of worms… In short, my passion is freedom. I intend to be a counselor to girls in the sex trade in Southeast Asia with my cousins over at Ezekiel Rain. I want to be there for these girls and help them not just find physical freedom, but spiritual freedom that only comes through Jesus.

That is so awesome. No wonder you're double majoring in psychology an theology! You should pack me up in your suitcase when you go. I'd love to see that ministry in action.

There are so many lovely DIY project on your blog. What makes you like to DIY, or in other words, do things yourself? Where do you get your creative inspiration?

Why thank you. Crafting is in the family. My mom especially. She has the crazy ability to see the potential and good looks of something while it is still in the smelly, dirty pile at the GW Boutique (aka, Goodwill). Thankfully, she is teaching me her ways… And I’m proud to say, I am slowly catching on.  

Ok, last one. It's very obvious that you are a Christian. Your love for Christ seems to effortlessly seep through onto your blog, so I can't really leave it out of this little questionnaire. How did you get to this point?

THANKYOUTHANKYOU! I just love to hear people say that. I love to blog. I kinda live to blog too. Every time something fun happens, every time I have my camera in my hand I’m thinking, “How can I blog this?” And to hear people say that they see Jesus in that is too awesome. Another one of my favorite verses is Psalms 27:4. It says, “One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek Him in His temple.” In everything I do I want to gaze on the beauty of the Lord… And I only hope that while doing so, I invite others to see His beauty as well.

Thanks so much for introducing yourself to us Rylie! Now please take it away.

Five Thrifting Tips

Hey guys! I love to go thrifting. But I am still a beginner myself. So I had my mom, the expert junker, help me out on this one. So here is some “motherly advice” about thrifting.

1). Do not just window shop.

The diamonds are always in the rough. So dig, dig, dig! Roll up those sleeves and get dirty. And don’t be afraid to throw an elbow or two. (wink, wink)

Dress + Belt: GW Boutique, total of $12.

2). Shop early, shop often.

You have to remember thrift shops don’t have a big room in the back with duplicates of everything. This applies in a huge way to Goodwill and Craig’s List. At Goodwill, the whole store can change overnight. On Craig’s list, the good stuff can go really fast. So if you like it, get it.

Chandelier: Craig’s List, $50.

3). Persistence is key.

My mom calls it the “1-8” ratio. You will peruse about seven crappy garage sales before you find the one that makes it all worthwhile.

Vintage frame: Antique Mall, $15.

4). Be aggressive.

As I said before, there isn’t any big back room with extras of everything… Once it is gone it’s gone. At garage sales and flee markets there is no time to think. If you like it, grab it. One too many times someone else has scored on our moment of hesitation.

Typewriter: Antique Mall, $20.

5). Stay ahead of the trends.

Great example: my mom has had a forever love of old vintage frames. She could go to any junkin store and find a plethora of frames that would cost next to nothing… BUT, in recent months Pottery Barn has started selling frames for $129.00. So now that PB has drawn attention to their ‘yumminess,’ you can’t find them… And when you do they are ridiculously over priced.

Hope this helps! Happy Junkin! :)

-Rylie from www.rylierenee.com