ThredUP Review and $10 Off Link For You

I'm pretty excited about ThredUP, so I want to tell you a little about it. This isn't a paid review. I don't do paid reviews because it's too tempting to write only the good stuff when someone is paying for your opinion. I tried ThredUp on my own, using my own money, because it looked promising to me. The folks over at ThredUp don't even know who I am.

So here's the scoop. ThredUP is a huge online resale site dealing in high-quality, like-new, brand name women's and children's clothing. I even found some of the brands I've loved from Stitch Fix.

Here are a couple of examples I pulled from ThredUP's site this morning.

This would make the perfect Christmas dress for some little girl.

The prices are more than what you'd find at a local thrift store, but these aren't typical thrift store finds.

The items are meticulously inspected. Each item is listed as either New With Tags, Practically New, or Tiny Flaw. If there's a tiny flaw, ThredUP describes it for you.

Shipping is free over $50. There's a deal going on right now where you pay $9.99 shipping once and then get free shipping on orders of any size for the rest of the 2013.

I decided to give ThredUP a try. About 9 days after checking out online, this package arrived in the mail. (ThredUP ships from California.)

I purchased a New With Tags denim jacket by Max Studio.

And a dressy yellow cardigan by Banana Republic.

The jean jacket was in brand new condition. On first pass, I considered the cardigan perfect as well. Later, I found two tiny pulled places on the cardigan. Honestly, I can't be sure I didn't snag it on my rings as I handled it. In either case, it's a beautiful sweater, and no one else will ever notice those two itsy bitsy flaws.

I paid 79% off retail for these items, and I couldn't be happier.

Bottom line: ThredUp offers exceptional prices, selection, and quality. Think end-of-the-season, rock bottom clearance prices every day of the year on thousands of items from top name brands. ThredUp's high standards insure top quality. The sheer volume of items makes it easy to find great deals.

Two things ThredUp could do better, in my opinion:

Better Descriptions: Each item has only one photo so you can't see the back or some of the details. Descriptions are scanty. I found myself wondering, "Is that colored denim or corduroy?" Or, "I wonder if that's Dry Clean Only?" And even, "Is that a chambray shirt (which I'd like to buy) or a light blue blouse (which I have absolutely no use for).

Easier Searches: ThredUp's search engine is still in BETA, and it took me a little longer than I'd like to sort through the thousands of items on their site.

Finally, ThredUP will pay you to clean out your own closets. I ruthlessly went through our clothes and cleaned out the things we simply don't wear anymore. Things that showed wear went to Goodwill, and everything that was in like-new condition went in this giant, pre-paid bag from ThredUp. I checked out ThredUp's Better Business Bureau rating (they get an A) and decided to give selling to them a try. There's no guarantee they'll accept everything in my bag, and there's no guarantee of what they'll pay for what I send. But it's out of my house. And that's worth something all by itself.

I'll write a review from a seller's point of view when I get my total for this bag.

Want to try ThredUp? Here's my referral link for $10 off your first purchase. Happy Shopping!

Sharing at WFMW.

Labor Day

I guess you could call it water tether ball. . . or something like that.

It was wet. It was rowdy. It was the perfect Labor Day fun for my four not-so-little kids.

Better still. . .I taught them all how to play Spades. It was a rite of passage for them and for me. Now they can play cards with the adults. And I've arrived at the stage of parenthood where I no longer have to play Candyland. . .or Monopoly. . .or Uno.

Looks like my partner is working up a pretty good poker face.

We won.

At this point, whoever is my partner is assured of winning.

Enjoy the last little bit of your Labor Day.

7 Quick Takes Friday

--- 1 ---

It starts Monday. 31 Days of Preparing to Parent. . . when you're adopting an older child. 

I'm so excited. The guest posts throughout the month are going to be great. Adult Adoptees. Therapists. Adoptive Parents. I hope you'll check in every day. And I hope you'll help me spread the word.

I've been thinking of doing this series for a long time. But posting ever day -- for 31 days? I was intimidated and a little afraid to fail.

Then, I saw this on Nester's blog. And I was inspired to go for it.

Lara Casey

--- 2 ---

Since this blog is going to be unreservedly devoted to all things older child adoption for the month of July, the next six quick takes will be totally random!

For years I've been basically using my fancy DSLR camera as a point and shoot, but today is the first day of the rest of my life, and I'm learning to shoot in manual. Yes, I am. I'm taking a class called Manual 'n More from Nancy over at Ordinary Miracles and the Crazy Nine. Today's assignment: Grab your favorite model and take a photo to upload to the class website. I picked Julia. The above photo represents the starting place for my work. I hope to take Nancy's Lightroom 101 editing class when I graduate from Manual 'n More. Get ready. Gorgeous photos coming your way soon.

--- 3 ---

This time last year I was begging someone to put me into a medically induced coma for a few days while Nathan went away to camp for the first time. I poured out my heart in a post called Missing Someone, Sniff. . . Sniff. Well, it's here again. Summer camp. This weekend. Help!

--- 4 ---

Guess what's arriving at my house next Friday? Stitch Fix #4. I was completely happy to take a break from Stitch Fix for a while, but then you guys went crazy ordering Stitch Fix fun for yourselves through my referral link. So now I have a pile of Stitch Fix credit burning a hole in my pocket. What's a girl to do? Oh my, I'm deliriously happy anticipating what my stylist will choose for me this time. You'll have to wait until August to see the photos. Because me modeling trendy, pricey clothes really has nothing at all to do with preparing parents to adopt older kids. In the meantime, you can read about my previous Fixes here.

--- 5 ---

Here's the post that made me laugh the hardest last week: Kristen Howerton's the time the kids and I drank beer at Target.

--- 6 ---

Here's the post that made me think the most last week: Scooping it Up's Two Cents on why it's OK to be Disgusted by Ms. Deen.

--- 7 ---

Lastly, here's a post that I didn't expect to love as much as I did: Glennon Doyle's I Love Gay People and I Love Christians. I Choose All.

Have a great weekend, and be sure to drop by Monday morning!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

How I Use Pinterest

In my opinion, Pinterest, used purposefully, is an amazing tool.

If you've been around here long, you know that I'm an information junkie. I'm constantly reading and researching things. In the past, I'd often spend a whole evening on Google, trying to find an article I'd previously read online or a photo I remembered but couldn't seem to find. Pinterest gives me a quick and easy way to archive useful information that I might like to revisit at a later time.

To show you how I use Pinterest, I thought I'd share a few of my favorite boards.

Pinned Via Pioneer Woman

Tried It, & It Was Yummy! - I have a Pinterest board of recipes I'd like to try, but this is different. This is a board where I pin recipes I've already tried that were winners. This is the digital version of a recipe card file. Tonight, I cooked that yummy dish pictured above. I love this board!

Pinned Via Brabourne Farm

Bedrooms for Girls - One day, I hope my girls will be able to have their own rooms. So when I see a pretty bedroom online that would work for tween/teen girls, I just pin it to this board. It's the digital version of tearing photos out of decorating magazines. I love this board, too!

Via Pinterest

Hair - Just getting started on this one, but it's fun to be able to pull a Pinterest photo up on my phone to discuss with my stylist. Don't tell anyone, but I even started pinning photos of gray hair, in anticipation of the day -- a day in the very distant future -- when I decide to grow out my natural color. Shhh. . .

Via Pinterest

Building a Wardrobe - I started this board to help my Stitch Fix stylist, but it's really helping me as well. It's helping me define my style so I don't make impulsive purchases, just because something's on sale. It's also helping me think about the clothes I already have, so I can be purposeful about future purchases. This is the digital version of window shopping.

Older Child Adoption - I'll say it upfront. I LOVE THIS BOARD! This is a board where I pin articles from Death by Great Wall, along with great posts and resources from around the web. New adoptive parents glean tons of helpful knowledge by hanging out on this board. Along those lines, I think every adoptive parent should create an adoption board on Pinterest. Probably not the last time you'll hear me say that!

Parenting with Connection - This is a new board I created just this week. I'm especially excited about this board because it's a collaborative effort. A group comprised of parents, bloggers, and even a counselor who works with adoptive families will be pinning to this board. We all want to encourage a parenting style that promotes a secure attachment in our kids. There's a little overlap with the Older Child Adoption board, but there will be different material as well. I think most adoptive parents will enjoy following both boards.

So that's how I use Pinterest. It's fun, it's helpful, and it works for me!