.expressing.

The truth of it is, I am in constant need of some sort of project. I'm not a crafty person by ANY means. But I have this desire inside of me to be reorganizing, decorating, designing, painting, writing. Anything to get out my creativity (or lack thereof). Yesterday I was feeling very low. I was very emotional. I'm talking tears streaming down my face while I tried to explain my feelings to Zack. I was a mess. A total mess. My plan was to go to the grocery store and go home to wallow in my tears while watching HGTV.

But instead, I decided this would be a perfect time to go thrift store shopping. I really needed to find things to make me happy and feel good. Shopping alone can't do that-it's when I go to a second-hand store where I can make old things beautiful and save loads of cash. Shopping at any thrift store is more work than shopping at any other store. You see, at other stores, lets say Forever 21, you could easily go online and see what outfits their designed have already put together and find the items, "add to cart", "check out", bada bing! Done. Will recieve in 5 to 10 business days. Or Anthropology, go in, see all they have to display, match exactly what they have because they have 5 of the same piece in stock, put it all together head home and set it up the same way they had in the store.
But see when your thrifting, you're on your own. You can have an idea of what you want, but who's to say it will be there? How do you know what will look good together? You really gotta have confidence in yourself that what you're throwing together will be of value to your home or wardrobe. I've done it before, came home from DI with this dress that I thought I could make cute wore it once, hatted it the entire time and haven't worn it since.

And so, I did it. I went to DI. The Provo DI is picked through by tons of cute girls decorating and creating and dressing so cute. But I thought, maybe I'll get lucky. As I walked around the "knick knack" section, ideas started rolling through my head about how to decorate this coffee table we've so desperately needed that my dear friend donated to our cause. I wandered and wandered until I found the most perfect pieces and laid them all together. I was getting giddy just thinking of all the ways I could decorate and not spend more than $10!

Our apartment is cute and cozy (I'm certain I've told you) but it very much lacks any sort of theme. It looks like a college apartment. I mean text books, shoes, dirty dishes in the sink, clean dishes out on the counter to dry; you get the picture, right? (I hate explaining my apartment's flaws. She tries so hard to be nice). But I have been trying to slowly get it to have a purpose. While I was at the store I thought to my self that I was finally going to have an apartment that looked complete. Just like all the other Provo wives.

So as I was gathering my treasures I decided to check out the dress rack. See if there was anything inspiring. And there most certainly was! I found this GORGEOUS dress. I'm so excited about it. I had to try it on right away. I feared it would be too small. I found myself in the dressing room trying to wiggle it over my hips and then trying to zip the thing was another story. The zipper is super old. I finally go it up. Wasn't a perfect fit but I could still breathe. Just don't ask me to bend over.
"I'm sorry babe, I can't pass this dress up. It's gorgeous and best of all, only $8!"
Sent with this picture to "My Love" contact:

Please ignore the angry look on my face- I'm not very good at taking pictures of myself in the mirror, I have to concentrate.

Turns out, it was only six bones. Steal! Well actually I text, "score!" to just to emphasize the deal I just got.

I still had to run to the grocery store because that's where I told Zack I would go. I made it the quickest trip ever! After picking up the table from the friend and driving as fast as I could knowing I couldn't get pulled over (so at the exact speed limit) I finally made it home with my goodies.

I put put the groceries away and put my design together. Although, the apartment was still kind of messy so it didn't look right. So I had to clean. I even cleaned the bedroom even though nothing new was going in there. Except the dress will go in the closet probably. Eventually. I went back to storage and grabbed whatever I could find to pull this together. Hard covered books, candles, large plates, a clock that doesn't work, a German Hymn book. I put it altogether. Rearranged it over and over about one hundred 'n sixteen times. Done. I am well pleased. I wish I had before and after pictures but I didn't know I was going to have a sudden urge to decorate. but here are a couple snippets of what I discovered at the thrift store:





The roses are from Zack, I dried them and have been trying to figure out how to decorate with them. Do they look OK?

So for a total of $12.25 (I make that in less than an hour at work) I got a newly decorated coffee table which then inspired decorating the rest of the room and a new dress that I will attempted to wear but will look like a poser. But I am happy.

P.S. I love you.