We went searchin' through thrift store jungles...

For the sake of this post we're going to use "thrifting" as a verb. Now that we have that out of the way...

Thrifting is an adventure. It can most accurately be described as some sort of exotic excursion where its you against the elements in a "kill or be killed" battle for that one treasure hidden among the poisonous weeds and vicious predators. For a trip like that, first you would dream up the concept. Then you would figure out where you're going. Then you would map out a plan of attack and defense. Then you dig, dig, dig. For my sister and I, a day like this requires forethought...kind of. At the very least, it winds up scheduled in my phone, which is as good as written in stone! (hey that rhymes)

I'm not exactly what you would call an "early riser", but Lauren (the sister I speak of, who's closet I frequently reference) likes to get a jump on the day. So on this particular day in December we decided 8:30 would be the departure time and we had one destination- Goodwill in Paramus, NJ. I had never been to this one before, but Lauren had...and she was confident we would score big time. 

So tired. The alarm clock goes off and the war paint gets applied.

We say we're going to leave at 8:30 but in actual Lisa/Lauren language this means 9:15. By the time I get all of my children dressed (I only have one) get coffee made (press a button), and snacks packed, (already made the day before) we still have to take the long drive to Lauren's house. (She lives 40 seconds down the road) So, it's understandable we'd be a little late. We're only human. But, in any case, we're prepared...

Coffee, homemade apple muffins, lemon ricotta cookies, biscotti, and water. Gotta stay hydrated. 

Thrifting breakfast of champions

My sis, her boy Hauk, Lana, and I pile into her car. Off we go! Now, this particular day was rather exciting. Goodwill was having a 40% off sale on all apparel and shoes. On top of that there was a half price deal on certain colored tags! The palpitations start. I can't quite explain the rush of the hunt unless you've ever experienced something similar. Maybe you're an actual hunter. (probably not) Then, you would know what I mean. Also, the adrenaline high I get from my sister's energy is downright inexplicable. It's contagious. Her magical force field of excitement gets transferred to me and we're ready to go. As we pull up to the glass windows, she's already eyeing up some things on the front rack. Then, there's usually some sort of ground rule. This day was no exception. As our children are spilling out of the car with all of their crumbs and drool (Well, the drool is all Hauk. He's perpetually soggy...) she makes her proclamation... 

"Listen. Here's the deal. If you see anything crochet, pass it my way!" 

(Hey, that rhymes too...no wonder we're twins)

I agree to her terms and add no further stipulations of my own. We grab our carts, divide, and conquer. I am pretty sure everybody in that place hated us that day. At least all of the sales associates did. Hauk is pulling things off of the racks left and right. I know for a fact that there's an entire Rock Band set for the Wii scattered throughout that store. If you can find it I'll give you extra credit. Meanwhile, Lana is using her keen sense of style to dress herself as we shop. 

I have to give her my congratulations at this point, since this little look she put together is rather charming.

I need to take a moment to say that women in Goodwill are relentless. I almost had my cart swiped twice. And, I don't know what the difference is in Paramus, but it's worse. Maybe there's some sort of central Jersey "spirit" rushing through that store. Maybe it was pre-holiday mayhem I was feeling. Whatever it was, it was intense. I most certainly had a cart stalker. She would just pop up out of nowhere, her little beady eyes peeking in between the racks of ugly Christmas sweaters. She got progressively bolder as the morning went along. She even commented, "Wow, you have some good things in your cart." (Yeah, yeah...thanks for noticing. Move along. I think there's a mechanical reindeer calling your name over there...) For the record, we really did have some good things in our carts. 

Photographic proof

The fitting rooms in this place are a joke, so Lauren tries on a pretty sweet look right in the aisle

We start weeding through our carts and removing the things that are hideous. At this point the kids are hitting meltdown mode. So, we make our way to the register. Oh, this has to be my favorite part! I've done a tally in my head of how much everything should come to, but that's before discounts. So, I'm trying to figure out if I can add the most amazing lamp to my loot when this weirdo comes out of nowhere and strikes up a conversation. I would like to take a moment to talk about checkout line etiquette. It's ok to say hello. It's ok to briefly comment on the volcanic mound of clothes my sister and I have in our carts...after all it's exploding and spewing molten, hot vintage lava all over the place. But, the second you start talking to me about your life or how the thrift store here is better or there is better or "Wow, did you see the forecast for the weekend?" I'm going to TUNE YOU OUT. This guy was relentless, too. He was saying something about a Veteran's thrift store down the road and then he started giving me (unsolicited) directions to something and...thank goodness!! It's our turn to check out. 

I can't speak highly of the speed at which this lady was ringing Lauren up. I think it took a good 20 minutes to get through her mangled mess of crochet and wool. But, I had the kids occupied and my nephew was pretending to "ride a camel" (That didn't need quotes. But, I like it that way.) through the housewares section so it worked out ok. We played kid and cart relay and swapped when it was my turn at the checkout line. And, my grand total was...

$80!!!

That might seem like a lot for Goodwill, but you should see the amount I got for that. I got Lana an entire wardrobe, practically. And, after losing 20 lbs in the last year (moment of celebration! woohoo!) I was able to get myself some clothes that actually fit. That's always a good thing. My cart was packed. We got some vintage things for the store and I did wind up getting that amazing lamp I spotted when "relentless line talker" was distracting me. 

"I love lamp." 

We made our way home with the satisfaction of knowing that we braved this particular thrift store jungle. Our children were alive, our trunk was full, and, in the battle of "kill or be killed"...we most definitely killed. Onto our next adventure...!

Let me post this while nobody is looking

Hello. I'm Lisa. This is my first blog post. Welcome.

Someone asked me why I named my blog "My Sister's Closet". It's a good question. I've pondered the title for a while. If you've ever been to my twin sister, Lauren's house you may have an inkling as to why I chose this title. If not, let me clue you in on the wonder that is her closet.

Do you need a pair of jeans to wear this weekend? No problem. Do you need 17 pair to choose from? My sister has that for you. Did you want light blue? Dark blue? Something skinny and modern? Something shredded and vintage? Low-waisted? High-waisted? Hold on, she'll go to the back and see if she can find that for you....and she'll come out with three or four pair that all fit the bill. It's that amazing. Unless you want acid-washed jeans. I'm pretty sure she has nothing acid-washed. But my Dad may be able to help you out with that.

Do you need a scarf that matches a mustard colored blazer you just picked up at Goodwill? She'll shuffle through fringed vests, embroidered dresses, and macrame, beaded bags to find you the perfect one...or perhaps the perfect four. You may think some are hideous, but that's ok. She won't take it personally. She'll just explain why she loves it and grab you something else.

And, the wonders of her closet reveal themselves even more fascinatingly when I ask for something extremely specific. For instance, here is a re-enactment of a conversation we recently had...the details may be fuzzy, but you get the idea:

Me: (picks up phone) Ring..Ring...

Lauren: Hey Li! 

(My 2 year old nephew is in the background yelling up a storm or drilling with his little, wooden tool set , or dancing like a crazed lunatic to a song about tractors...)

Me: Emergency! I need a vintage sweater..something cream or pink, and cropped to wear over that black tank dress you gave me. 

(Yes, I understand that this doesn't constitute as an emergency by any stretch of the imagination)

Lauren: Ok, hold on. I think I have something for you! 

(ruffling and jingling through "the" closet)

Yes, I have this little, vintage pink wool one. I also have that cotton one that I bought when we were at Beacon's Closet last fall...Oh yes, wait! You said cream or pink? And cropped? Yep, I have 5 for you to choose from. I'll bring them by tomorrow

Me: Excellent!

(breathes huge sigh of relief at my self-proclaimed crisis averted)

And, it's generally as simple as that! Fortunately she's extremely willing to share, unless it's something she hasn't worn yet. That's usually the rule. Is her closet organized? That depends on who you ask. My sister knows where every little thing is in that glorious 5'x5' space. Now if you ask anyone else to find something in there, I'm not gonna lie. They might have a bit of a problem. And, while I certainly wouldn't call it "organized" it is sorted in a way that makes sense. Maybe not to anybody else, but to her it does. And, that's the endearing part.

The simple answer to the question posed at the outset is that I didn't want to pigeon-hole myself into talking about just one thing. I have been wanting to start a blog for a long time now. A good friend (and fellow writer) told me to stop procrastinating because I was wasting time. She told me I should just write about my life...which seems simple enough, right? I started out thinking this blog was going to be about the Etsy store that my sister and I run together, Bird in Sea Vintage but that's just a small snippet of what I feel compelled to write about. So, there will certainly be vintage-loving posts for our vintage-loving readers. But there will be more.

Like the vintage treasures in my sister's closet, my thoughts are not always organized. But I know where each and every one of them are. And like half of those scarves, you may think some of my ideas are hideous, but that's ok....

Maybe the next thought that passes through my fringed, embroidered, macrame beaded brain will catch your interest.