Alex G

Thrift Shop by Alex G

This is one of my favorite covers of Macklemore's song Thrift Shop by Alex G. I love the message of this song and I adore Alex's version. 

xoxo Anna Lynne

Good Karma

Good Karma

Last week I visited my favorite thrift shop, Good Karma, and asked the owner Cherie Anderson her thoughts on why thrift shopping is important.

(This sweater was from a thrift shop as my ugly Christmas sweater for work.)

Why are thrift shops important?

Thrift shops are important, number one because they provide affordable shopping for those who don’t have a lot of extra money and second of all, it keeps things out of our landfills. It encourages people to recycle, up cycle, and reuse.

What kind of impact do they have on our future?

Huge. Huge. I think we are a throwaway society coming out of many generations of wasteful people and the more popularity that thrift stores gain, the more we save our earth.

How much of what is given to you do you accept and put into the store?

 I would say 95%.

And what do you do with the stuff you can’t sell?

The stuff that I can’t sell? I do take a lot of items that aren’t necessarily sellable, I mean shelf ready, but they’re artist ready. So we have networked with a lot of up cycled artists and I’ve got people, for example, if I have chipped glassware I save it for schools, for artists to use as mosaics, to break and use for mosaics. So the list goes on and on and on. We try to keep it alive and not let it go to the landfill. Clothing that we aren’t real… they aren’t in our genre we donate to other thrift stores that I know are, or to other organizations.

What would you tell people who don’t thrift shop?

People who don’t thrift shop don’t know what they’re missing. I think it’s a plethora of hidden treasures out there and people would be surprised…here’s the bottom line, if you find something in a thrift store for example a blender, okay, and it’s still working after five years, it’s probably pretty  good quality. If you buy a pair of jeans that the zipper still works and the bottom hasn’t fallen off and the pockets haven’t come unsewn and the seams aren’t busting, it’s good quality. If you like spending money and supporting the big corporations then shop at the mall, but you can get a pair of Abercrombie jeans at Good Karma for two dollars and fifty cents or you can go to the mall and pay eighty-five dollars. It’s just up to you. Support your community. Teach your kids, teach your kids. That’s most important.

Thank you Cherie for taking the time to do this interview and Allison Joy for taking all the wonderful pictures.

Good Karma is located at 1120 Tucker Rd Hood River, OR 97031. If you're ever in the area you should drop in or check them out on Facebook. 

This trip to the store only cost me around $22.00 and I got a couple of craft supplies, clothes, books, a bag and a chair which will hopefully be featured in an upcoming project.

xoxo Anna Lynne

Stripped Bag

Stripped Bag

This stripped bag I designed took only about a half an hour. I got the bag at a local thrift store for $1.50 along with the other bag in my previous blog. All I used was acrylic paint, masking tape, and clear spray paint which were materials I already had. I used a ruler and a pencil and I marked every inch. I then took masking tape to mark off the lines. Next I used a blue acrylic craft paint to paint my stripes. When it was dry, I took off the masking tape and wiped up any excess paint. Lastly I took it outside to spray it with clear spray paint so the paint would stay. It was so simple and quick and it only cost me $1.50. It is so important to look for potential in things you already have or things that are going to be thrown away because with a few minutes of your time it might end up being your new favorite accessory.

xoxo Anna Lynne

Galaxy Bag

Galaxy Bag

I found this purse at a thrift store the other day for $1.50. 

There isn't anything really special about it, in fact a friend told me it looked like an old ladies purse, but it reminded me of Carries purse from The Carrie Diaries and I was instantly inspired. In this show a young girl, Carrie, wanted to wear her recently deceased mother’s purse to school as a reminder of her, but her younger sister had taken it and spilt fingernail polish on it. Carrie was initially upset but decided to roll with it and splash fingernail polish all over it and personalize it with her name. Her bag was an instant hit and caught the eye of a prominent fashion magazine and the first few episodes center around this bag.

            Instead of using fingernail polish, like Carrie, I decided to use acrylic paint and a galaxy print. I can’t show you exactly how to paint it because there was a lot of trial and error. I started with the darkest color of paint and I painted some little blotches on the bag and spread it out with a triangle face sponge. I then kept layering on lighter colors of blues and purples until I was satisfied. 

After that was dry I used white paint to scatter stars across this mini universe.

            I could have stopped there and been pleased with the final product but I decided to take it a bit further. I used a Prismacolor metallic silver pen to write the word ‘wanderlust,’ which means a strong desire or impulse to travel about, across the back of the bag. I finished it by taking the bag outside and spraying a thin coat of clear spray paint on it.This took the bag over the top and now I am beyond happy with how this purse turned out.

            This project only took about an hour to do and didn't require me to buy anything except for the $1.50 bag. For me it is perfect for shopping or school but as music festival season approaches this bag would be perfect and easy to do for those wanderers out there who wish to attend.

xoxo Anna Lynne

Thrift Shopping

            I love shopping but it can become expensive and wasteful. That’s why I choose to thrift shop. Many people don’t see thrift shopping as a good alternative to what they are used to doing because it can take a lot of time and you can find a lot of ‘interesting’ stuff. This may be true but thrift shopping can also save loads of money and it is very eco friendly.

            Through this blog I hope to open people’s eyes to the world of thrift shopping. I want to teach others the importance that this type of recycling has on this world and on our future. I also hope to show how to turn many common thrift store finds into one of a kind pieces of art, furniture, and clothing.

            I hope you enjoy this blog and thanks for reading.

xoxo Anna Lynne