Seven Thrift Ideas for Your Wheel of Year Celebration

The Wheel of the Year sabbats are opportunities to pause and celebrate the changing of the seasons, both within and around you.  When you are just starting out, it can feel like you have to buy all.the.things in order to celebrate each sabbat properly. You may need certain items like candles or vessels, or fabric in a specific color that corresponds with that sabbat. Or maybe you are throwing a dinner party and need additional place settings and serving dishes. Thrift stores, charity shops and even yard sales are all great places to stock up on items for your Wheel of the Year celebrations. 

Anyone who’s been following along on my Instagram knows that I love thrift store finds. Most of my home decor is thrifted or second hand finds. I love thrifting because it's affordable and more sustainable than buying new. I can often find higher quality items than what is available in local box stores. 

Here are seven things that you can usually find for pennies on the dollar at your local thrift store:

Candles

I often find nice quality candles, new in the original packaging at my local thrift store. Candles are useful for altars, centerpieces or add a specialness to an ordinary day.  Imbolc especially embodies candles as part of its celebration.  

Dishes

A beautiful table doesn’t have to cost a lot of money (looking at you Pottery Barn).  I love (and I mean LOVE) picking up vintage dishes whenever I’m thrifting. I am especially partial to Blue Willow china because it’s easy to find and adds an instant charm to any meal. Plus it reminds me of Jessica Fletcher’s kitchen from Murder She Wrote.  

Along with place settings, I have scored most of my nice serving dishes from my local thrift store, including mixing bowls, various size platters, small serving vessels and pitchers.   

Table Linens

Along the same lines of thrifted dishes, thrifted table linens are an easy and inexpensive way to dress up your dinner table. Along with vintage tablecloths and napkins, I often pick up handmade doilies and dresser scarves to use throughout my house or on my altar, if I am setting one up. 

Picture Frames 

I love adding framed printable art and quotes to my seasonal decor.  It’s usually free or very low cost and easy to swap out as the seasons change. To make my thrifted frames look more cohesive, I’ll often give a mismatched collection a coat of spray paint. And whenever I find an oversized frame (bigger than 8x10) I’ll grab it, because they are harder to find and surprisingly pricy to buy new.  

Baskets

Woven baskets offer beauty and function for your entire house. I use them for holding bread on the dinner table, to store magazines or craft projects and corral clutter in my office. In the autumn, to celebrate Mabon, I like filling small baskets with dried flower bouquets from the garden and placing a larger basket of fresh red apples on our kitchen counter. 

Faux Greenery 

Not everyone has ready access or a budget for fresh flowers and greenery, especially in the winter months. Thrift stores are an excellent place for scoring gently used fake plants, picks and flowers. I use faux greenery to add a little color and texture to places in my house where real plants won’t make it, such as my kitchen which gets little direct sunlight.  For my Wheel of the Year celebrations, I will add faux greenery for sabbat decorations. 

Now, some might argue that using fake greens goes against the very essence of a nature based spiritual path. I argue that it is the intent that you have when using any item, real or fake. Plus I feel it's a bit elitist to assume that everyone can pick up a fresh bouquet of flowers for their Wheel of the Year celebration. I say do what you can, where you are, with what you have.   

Clothes 

Easily half of my wardrobe is thrifted. If you are looking for a special outfit for your Wheel of the Year celebration, thrift stores and consignment shops are a great place to look. ThredUp is another resource, if you don’t live near any good quality second hand clothing stores. I wrote a whole post on how to shop online for thrifted clothes. Buying second hand clothes is one of the best ways to avoid fast fashion and reduce the environmental footprint of your wardrobe.  

As you plan for your next Wheel of the Year celebration, I hope that these tips have helped inspire you. Be sure to visit the Member’s Library for Free Wheel of the Year Printables, calendars, art and more! 

How Are You Celebrating Imbolc?

Can you believe it’s already the middle of January? While I usually don’t mind the cold weather, this year I find myself longing for spring and sunshine and flowers more than usual.

That said, I’m determined to make the best of the winter and take some time to celebrate Imbolc, which is arguably one of the least known Pagan holidays. #yulegetsallthelove

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I’m planning on a pretty low-key Imbolc celebration. In fact, I think it’s just going to be me, some candles, my journal and quiet corner of my house. And maybe (which means I definitely will have) some sweet baked treats to mark the occasion.

One of the best parts of following an Pagan spiritual path, in my humble opinion, is that there are so many different ways to celebrate. You can do it up with a fully decorated altar and rituals or keep it simple with some candlelight and quiet meditation on the year ahead.

I want to use Imbolc as a opportunity to really slooowww dooowwwn and think about what I want to accomplish, and more importantly, how I want to feel in 2020.

How about you? What are you planning for Imbolc? How will you celebrate? I’d love to hear about it!

Give me a shout out on Instagram and share how you’re celebrating Imbolc in 2020!