If my blog hasn't motivated you to thrift store shop, yet...

Whenever I travel, I love taking time to poke around the local resale shops and charity stores. I've had some great luck in Atlanta, Boston, Monterey, and in my small hometown of Seymour, Indiana. Of course Austin is home to some great thrift stores, but we by no means have the market cornered on awesome thrift store finds. I recently asked some of my blogging buddies to share their own favorite thrift store finds, and I've been so excited to show them to you (be sure to click on their name or photo to visit their own blogs, too!):

1. Suze (of Miss Vinyl Ahoy): 1970's coat. St. Vincent de Paul. Westland, Michigan.

"I wear [this] pretty much all the time in the winter. I found it at a thrift store for about $7 and was shocked. It looked like someone bought it in the 70s and never wore it."

2. Kate (of Iris Inspired): Handmade circle skirt. Goodwill. San Diego, California.

"I loved the perfect sunny yellow color that was sure to bring a smile to anyone's face when they saw it. And wearing it made me feel like a million bucks. It was the kind of skirt that begs to be twirled in."

3. Desiree (of Distinctly Desiree): vintage Italian leather riding boots. Friends of the Inn. McKinney, Texas.
"These boots were the VERY first item I thrifted nearly two years ago. They were 1/2 off of $4 and I couldn't NOT buy them. They are the softest leather ever and even thought they weren't my normal size, they fit."

4. Amanda (of Already Loved): Authentic Ray Ban Wayfarers. Goodwill. Pensacola, Florida.
"Last February, I gave my pair of Ray Bans to a friend who really wanted them. As much as I loved them, I had plenty of other pairs of sunnies. A couple weeks later when I was visiting family in Florida, I found an authentic pair of Ray Ban Wayfarers for $4.99! I couldn't believe my luck. That was last April, and I still wear them all the time!"

5. Sarah (of Small Town Chic): 50's style dress. Salvation Army. Massachusetts."I love this dress. I love the style. I love the color. I love the fabric and the uniqueness of it. But most of all, I love that this is the dress that I wore for my maternity photo shoot, just 4 weeks before my baby was born... This dress may not have held such importance to whoever owned it before me, but it will always have meaning in our little family."

6. Emily (of The Daily Fashionista): 60's dress. Goodwill. Portsmouth, Virginia.
"I basically love the way it fits my body. In my area it can be rare to find vintage gems in such good condition and also fit like a glove. The dress was also my first red item in my wardrobe in practically forever. Red has always been a color I've veered away from, but this particular red makes me cherry and happy."

7. Meredith (of Yours, Mine & Ours): J.Crew riding boots. SPCA Thrift. California.
"I've always wanted real live J Crew boots and when I stumbled on a pair of soft black leather ones for 8 bucks I just had to have them. There was one small catch though: this year I'm not shopping for myself at all. In order for my hubby to know to buy them for my anniversary present last May I had to hint my head off. He eventually got the hint, score!"

8. Leslie (of Life Told By Leslie): Vintage silk dress. Annie Laurie's Antiques. Cape Girardeau, Missouri.
"I saw this dress on display outside the store blowing in the breeze on a clothesline. From the street I could already tell that I loved the print and the cinched waist, so I stopped and went in to try it on--perfect fit! I love that it's silk and fits so wonderfully. You really can't find a dress now-a-days that's this kind of quality, and only $10!"

9. Meg (of Tiny Glimpses) : Her wedding dress (!!!). Frenchy's. Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada.
"... $9.50! What an amazing steal. We had to get the zipper replaced, but no other alterations were needed. I looked great on my wedding day, and no one was surprised to hear I'd found my dress at my beloved Frenchy's. Since the wedding, I was contacted by another client of my photographer's, asking if I was willing to sell her the dress. Instead, I gave it to her, and she's getting married this coming weekend, the day before our one-year anniversary. It warms my heart to think of this lucky find of a dress bringing joy to two women on their September wedding days."

10. Taimi (of Taimi to Get Dressed): mod dress. Buffalo Exchange. Somerville, Massachusetts.
"It was love at first sight when I saw this $5 orange dress at Buffalo Exchange last winter. It was on their vintage rack but there's no label on it so I'm not sure of its past. So mysterious! It fits me like a glove so I'm almost positive we were destined to cross paths... it's perfect for pretending you're a chic 60s actress in front of the mirror (I mean what? I never do that)..."

11. Jen (of Purse and Clutch): Delman boots. Estate sale. Tyler, Texas.
"... About a month ago, [my mom and I] stopped at an estate sale/consignment. Typically I find estate sales to be overpriced, but this gem was quite the pleasant exception. Among other treasures, I found size 10 boots (10! that NEVER happens!) in wonderful shape. They were in the original box with a price tag from the 70s of $185. My price - $5!! Turns out everything I bought was from the same woman with initials EH. What style she had. I love imagining what EH wore these well kept boots to! I think we would have gotten along quite well."

12. Heidi (of Literally Stylish): J.Crew Swiss dot Fontana dress. Goodwill. Stillwater, Minnesota.
"i love thrifting so much because there's always the possibility of finding really nice, high quality items like this jcrew dress. i snagged it at the goodwill for $6.99. i've only worn it a couple times (the first was to a big event hosted by my work), but each time i do it feels so special to me. i think that's the way all our clothes should make us feel, no matter where they came from!"

13. Kate (of Divergent Musings): Brand New Tracy Reese "Plenty" Dress (Originally from Anthropologie). Goodwill. Fremont, California.
"... The print on the dress screamed out to me from across the store and I just had to check it out. When I saw the tag, I nearly had a heart attack. It still smelled brand new, and the fit was perfect. I walked out of the store with this dress for only $10, when new it was near $250. To this day I still can't believe the deal I walked away with. It almost felt like stealing!"

14. Kelsey (of Snappy Casual): 1977 sports tee. Goodwill. Des Moines, Iowa.
"The Iowa vs. Iowa State football game is a big deal for Iowans. I didn’t grow up as a fan for either team, but I love this ISU shirt I found at Goodwill about eight years ago. It is by far the greatest thing I’ve ever thrifted. It’s from 1977, and was the first time the two teams played since 1934. It’s so special, I’m not even sure I should be wearing it."

Aren't these great finds? Anyone else have a story to add? If so, please feel free to leave your blog links below!

Psst- Are you motivated to thrift, yet? If you live in Austin, you'll have your chance to comb through some used dresses with me this Thursday from 5- 8 pm. More info coming soon!