This post is sponsored by Value Village. I was paid for this post and received the included clothes as compensation.

My love of thrifting

I grew up thrift shopping. When my family emigrated from the Philippines when I was 5 years old, we furnished our first apartment with secondhand furniture, kitchen essentials, and more. We continued to thrift to furnish our future homes throughout the years and even for back-to-school shopping. Thrift shopping was vital to our family as we sent secondhand clothes, shoes, and home goods back to our family in the Philippines. We’d send boxes of food and goods at least twice a year (and still do) and except for the food, almost everything was thrifted finds.

I’m thankful that I was raised with the idea about the thrill of the hunt.

My parents and I used to get so excited when we found incredible pieces for a fraction of the retail price. And to this day, I still get giddy when I find something unique or something I would normally buy in retail stores for a great price.

This love of thrift shopping has stayed with me through the years. As a broke college student who loved fashion, I embraced thrifting even more as I balanced paying for tuition and maintaining my style. And now as a working professional, blogger, and graduate student, I’m still thrifting to refresh my work and weekend wardrobe.

So when Value Village invited me to celebrate National Thrift Shop Day, I was ECSTATIC! I have loved partnering with Value Village throughout last year to share tips for a last minute DIY Halloween Costume and how to find great clothes thrift shopping.

Before I jump into National Thrift Shop Day, who is Value Village?

Value Village is a part of the Savers family of thrift stores. Value Village is a for-profit organization that offers shoppers an incredible, diverse selection of secondhand household goods, furniture, and clothes at amazing prices. Headquartered in Bellevue, Value Village serves communities with their 300 stores across the United States and Canada.

If you’re looking for a Value Village store near you, you can find a store here.

Happy National Thrift Shop Day:

3 Influencers, 1 Shipping Container, 3 Designs in One Day

I’m so excited to present Value Village National Thrift Shop Day Event: Thrifting Spaces. Value Village invited three influencers to redesign the shipping container three ways in one day.

Charles Koh from @eatseattle and @charleskoh_ designed the shipping container for a family-friendly breakfast nook. He brought a modern design with pops of color.

Joanna Hawley from @jojotastic designed the shipping container for a living room space that was ready for entertaining. Joanna created an eclectic space that used both the inside and outside of the shipping container. She even brought along her chickens!

And me, from @emmasedition designed the shipping container as my dream closet! I brought my fun, feminine, and trendy style into my design.

From shipping container to dream closet

What were the ingredients of creating my dream closet? Clothes, furniture, shoes, and accessories of course! I couldn’t believe all the amazing things we found at Value Village. Here is what I added to make my dream closet come true:

Clothes

Before I even started shopping, I knew I needed to add a few key trends for fall and winter. I was specifically on the hunt for polka dots and plaid skirts. Polka dots have made a huge comeback in 2018. Whether you like large polka dots more spaced out or smaller polka dots in a tighter print, polka dots are a great way to refresh your fall wardrobe. With the 90s revival in full force, plaid skirts are also set to make a comeback. I was so excited when I found two different yellow/tan plaid skirts to add to my wardrobe!

Furniture

To be honest, I’m not picky with furniture. I wanted a statement chair, a vintage dresser, and a mirror. And luckily we found all three! I especially loved this vintage dresser because we could place the jewelry box and jewelry on top of it.

Shoes

For shoes, I was on the hunt for espadrilles, a solid pair of black booties, and a few pairs of bright heels. Why? I’m usually going from work to school during the week and I shoot for the blog on the weekends. I need shoes for work, school, and the blog. Espadrilles are perfect for summer – and I can wear them both at work and on the weekend. Black booties are a must-have for fall and winter. And bright heels work for both my work and weekend/blog wardrobe!

Accessories

A huge trend that I was shopping for was hair scarfs. I predict that hair accessories are also going to make a comeback before the end of the year. If you want to spice up a plain ponytail, add a thrifted, lightweight scarf to your hair!

What a day!

I had so much fun celebrating National Thrift Shop Day! But the truth is, thrift shopping is something we can do year round to refresh our wardrobes, embrace our unique styles, and furnish our dream closets and homes.

One of my favorite parts of this event was seeing how the three of us, Charles, Joanna, and I, approached design and furnished the shipping container. We all came in with our own point of view and made it happen with all the items we found at Value Village. If we can create our dream closet, a modern breakfast nook, and an eclectic living room, you can too.