25 days of thriftmas

For 25 days, we’ll be sharing all sorts of holiday thrifting ideas and tidbits. Check back daily to see what we’ve added!

Day 25: No crazy thrifted treasure to share today; just wishing you and your family a very merry holiday!

Day 24: Are you stuck in a back bedroom furiously wrapping like I am?? Par for the course. This year I scored some plain off white paper at Salvation Army. I used it with some classic silver and gold ribbon and fancy tags for a simple and elegant package.

Day 19, 20, 21, 22, & 23: So I had to stack some days to ensure my family ended up with presents.

To make up for it, here’s something super fun to look at! Here’s 5 days of great ways to wear the great sequin from straight diva, to effortless, to party girl, to classic. It truly is the best time of the year to rock a sparkle.

Day 17 & 18: We love throwback accessories at THS. Apparently this season all the buyers agree, because we’ve I’ve spotted numerous throwback pieces displayed at in holiday themed windows. I spied this spread in my most recent Antho catalog and while I applaud the effort, I’m appalled at the prices. So nice try Antro. You’re furry ear muffs are cute and all, but we have legit vintage ones and some cream and black leather driving gloves to boot.

Day 16: Every now and then you just gotta treat yo self. Day 16 of #Thriftmas was celebrating via splurging and pampering with THS resident beauty blogger and bfry, Becki Maines. We braved the rain and the crowds and enjoyed a luxurious day on Michigan Ave. We started at Bloomingdales and treated ourselves to some jewelry and overpriced make up and ended at The Drake for high tea.

Day 15 (Early gift from THS resident beauty expert and guest blogger Becki Maines!): Do you love holiday-themed manicures, but have no idea how to achieve them without paying someone to airbrush a small wintry scene onto your digits? Try a simple candy cane manicure! All you need is red and white nail polish, scotch tape and scissors.  Paint your nails white and allow ample time to dry.  Then cut small slivers of scotch tape and lay them diagonally over your nails (I use three to four small pieces).  Next, paint over your nails and the tape with your red polish.  After a few minutes, simply peel off the slivers and viola!, you have yourself a holiday mani that’s almost edible.  This is a great addition to any festive outfit. NOTE: brace yourself for tons of compliments!

Day 12, 13 & 14: Need a holiday party dress? THS has you covered. These are three of our FAVORITE holiday finds, now available in our Tradesy Closet. The first is a classic and simple Nicole Miller LBD. You cannot go wrong with an LBD and a great piece of jewelry. The next is a sexy full length fire engine red number which is guaranteed to get you some attention…and maybe somethin’ else. The last is a vintage one of a kind beaded dress reminiscent of the glitz and glam of the roaring 20s. Who are you going to be this holiday season?

Day 11: We find great stuff all the time, but every now and then, we run across some really special. We aren’t going to lie, this piece was in rough shape when we found her. She had numerous rips and holes, and her fur was a bit matted. That didn’t stop us from adopting her though. Helen spent a lot of time finding safe hands to repair and clean her, and eventually took her to a specialty furrier up to the task. They did an absolutely amazing job restoring her to her former glory and educating us on furs in the process. We learned she is a very rare vintage Russian squirrel cape and insisted we not sell her.  She is absolutely STUNNING, and sorry ladies, but she will likely be making a an appearance in our Tradesy closet.

Day 10: Today we gave away a pair of teal oversized stud muffins for #WinItWednesday. These babies look great with almost anything from a tee to a cozy sweater to a LBD. Follow us on Instagram, for a chance to win your own treasure!

Day 9: A homemade Christmas card is a great simple and thoughtful gesture for anyone in your life. This isn’t so much a thrifted gift, but it’s DIY and creative which we love. All you need is some card stock, a nice pen, and an idea. Everyone can use some humor during this stressful time, so we chose this little ditty…

Day 7 & 8: Doubling up on these days with the coziest scarf of all time and simple brushed gold studs. Both thrifted, but never made it to The Hunt Shop closet. After throughly cleaning both of these items and seeing how amazing they are, I just couldn’t let them go. Sorry I’m not sorry. The best/worst part of having first dibs on everything is having first dibs on everything.

Day 6: Kicking Holiday season off with a ball. Literally. This year I had the opportunity to attend the 56th Annual Children’s Ball benefiting The Children’s Research Fund. Support from the Children’s Research Fund allows physicians, scientists, and researchers at Lurie Children’s and the Manne Research Institute to generate new knowledge leading to advancements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases that affect children. You may think this would be the last place I would want to rock thrifted items, but it’s actually perfect. “Unique” beats “expensive” any day of the week. Also, since really fancy attire is usually only worn once or twice, it frequently pops up in the thrift shop. Over a year ago I hunted a full length velvet gown that I have been saving for just such occasion. To my delight, it fit over my growing baby-bump. All hail spandex! To up the glam factor, I paired it with a thrifted black rabbit fur cape and some dramatic, but classic jewels. I felt beautiful and comfortable amongst a sea of designer dresses.

Day 5: Do you know who determines how great this holiday season will be? YOU!!! Yes, it’s easy to get stressed out whilst figuring out what to buy for whom, traveling from here to there, and flying about like a psychotic social butterfly all jazzed up on cinnamon spice lattes. Stop everything and take a hint from these sequin twinsie tops that demand you have some fun. You are in control, and you have plenty of time to get everything done. You are freaking Mrs. Clause and killing it this season. Thank Helen for hunting NWT Rachel Zoe stunners soon to be available in our Tradesy Closet. They are ready to party. Are you?

Day 4: There is NO need to spend a lot of money or time on decor for the holiday season. You and your money are quite busy, so keep it simple, elegant and cheap. Start by looking around at what you already have. I looked around and saw a bunch of random crap: xmas lights, little branch pieces (I scooped these up one day when the park district workers of Chicago were doing some trimming, because I’m a weirdo), tea lights, some sad looking red and gold ribbon, and my ornament collection which consists of exactly 3 ornaments. While this seems bleak, I have to say I regard myself as somewhat of a magician when it comes to creating something out of nothing. You can too. You just need some imagination, and if you don’t have that, Pinterest exists. Today I was inspired by rustic restoration hardware-esque displays I’ve been seeing in fancy store windows, so I decided to create my own tiny version. I started with a wooden box that someone made for me. Yes made. Like made with wood, nails, and a hammer. Then it was stained and filled with candles as a lovely wedding gift. It just so happened that my little tree branch chunks fit inside perfectly. Branches in a wooden box are a bit too rustic looking, so I grabbed a fake green poinsettia stem that I once found in a clearance bin for 25 cents. I pulled off the stem and stuck the flower right in the middle of the branches and fanned out the leaves. The result is the cutest little shabby chic holiday display you ever did see! It’s nice and short, so I placed it under the tv so I can look at it often. It will also most likely double as a center piece with a couple of tea lights at some point this holiday season. Poof!

Day 3: An LBD is a tried and true option for your holiday party, but why not mix it up a bit? Turn some heads without breaking the bank by rocking a thrifted silk vintage top and black skinnies. This is also great for a daytime holiday party, or an event where you aren’t sure what the other ladies will be wearing. You’ll be equally comfortable next to someone covered in sequins or someone in an ugly sweater. We recommend carrying a fancy clutch as an added item of interest as seen here. Just keep the rest of your accessories simple and modern, so you don’t look like you stumbled out of your grandma’s closet. Go forth and hunt for your own or scoop up our finds (cleaned and ready to go!) from our Tradesy Closet today. But, you will have to go find your own adorable pixie cut…

Day 2: I love receiving practical items that I wouldn’t typically buy for myself which is the inspiration for this DIY mug and tea set. Cute mugs are always on our radar for this very reason. A few months ago I scooped up this monogrammed one in mint condition for a whopping 99 cents. I packed it away in my rainy day gift closet knowing that one day it would come in handy for a lucky friend or family member who’s name begins with S. Last weekend I began planning out my gifts for this holiday season, and I pulled it out. My sister, Sarah, is in a relatively new place and still piecing together her kitchen, so I decided this would be a perfect gift for her. She is also a kick ass single mom, and thus in need of lots of coffee to wake her up and most likely could use some tea to chill out as well. (I hope she’s so busy she skips reading this post. Sarah, if you are reading this, first – thank you! Second – surprise!)

To make it a bit more special, I added a couple of Charleston Breakfast teas and put it in a little wooden thrifted bowl with paper stuffing from Michaels. The result is a personal and economical stocking stuffer which cost me a grand total of $5. Anthropologie sells monogrammed mugs for $10 bucks a pop without the added goodies. Want to make it more of a gift basket? Include a jar of local organic raw honey and some fancy shortbread cookies.

Day 1: Kicking things off with one of our favorite finds of all time, a burnt orange Tory Burch shoulder bag. Sometimes you need to gift yourself, riiiight? We dedicated a whole post to this gem. Click here to read all about it.