May Finds
Oh man, it's been a few months since I've been able to browse the thrift shops. On Sunday I had a lunch and shopping date with Poopy's niece (it's hard to believe she's turning 25 in a few weeks...I met her when she was just a little baby at 9!) We were out for several hours and I was starting to feel a bit bummed because I hadn't found anything...she suggested we try a thrift shop in a neighboring city that I had never been to before. It's only about 45 mins away so I thought sure! Why not!
I am so glad I decided to go!! I came home with some cute treasures:
- (Not Pictured) A flute! It's in really good shape minus a small dent. This was for Poopy as I am horrible at the flute. (When I was in school I would always fake playing along in band LOL) It's nice to add this to our instrument collection.
- A very cute homemade wooden shelf for a couple of dollars. The bears are etched in and hand-painted. I plan on hanging this in my work office so I can use it for my coat and bag.
- One of the most gorgeous things I've ever come home with!!! It's a beautiful statement piece, no? The faux flowers were in shockingly good shape, and don't look cheap at all! The vase (? I don't know how you would call this tbh!) is brass.
- A heart-shaped wicker basket. I'm going to hang this. I think I might put this in my work office as well! Not sure yet though.
- And lastly...the cutest little bear figurine! He's from the Cherished Teddies line of figures and is from 1998. He's almost 30!!
My haul this month was not big at all, but I am soooooo so happy with what I've got. There were a few "catch & release" dish sets I came across; I really wanted to take them home but I banned myself from buying more dishware and mugs because I have way too many right now.
(5/28) edited to add:
I went out on a whim for a brunch and thrift date. I didn't find what I was looking for (something big and decorative to put on the wall in the foyer above a mirror) but that's OK because I found the sweetest birthday bears.
A frame I will use as a pinboard for my enamel pins & some cherub decor that I'm going to put on my vanity.
January Finds
A small haul for this month so far! I went out with plans to find a new stool or bench for my vanity. The one I have now is a couple of years old, and it was bought from TJ Maxx so it's not the best quality (the cushion has already gone flat!) I didn't find what I was looking for so I think I might just make a new cushion myself. Anyways I came home with a few treats:
A simple Corningware casserole dish for $3. I got this because my mom notoriously keeps all my dishes when I bring something over to my parent's house lol
Check out this brass cherub mirror...isn't it beautiful? I think I had mirrors on my blacklist at some point, but I really could not resist this one! Debating on whether or not I want to replace the actual glass mirror—it's kinda ~aesthetic~ all scuffed up lmao.
A porcelain candle holder. Another thing that's on my blacklist but I couldn't help but be charmed by the blue peonies on it! Lastly, I got a cute shelf! It matches the heart wall candle sconces I got back in August (How lucky!)
November Finds
A small haul for this month! I was planning on hitting the thrift stores in search of a cute lamp for my new office, but, of course, I did not find one. Instead I found a few other treasures. Firstly, this giant Autumn wreath (it's about 31 inches) from Hobby Lobby. It was practically brand new, the sales tag was still attached though it's from the year 2011. I don't ever shop there but this was too good to resist—who could resist a wreath that retails for $149.99 but only costs $12 at the thrift!? Crazy right? I feel like I really lucked out because as much as I love wreaths, I hardly ever buy them. Beautiful wreaths can be so spendy.
sidenote: we ordered new antique-styled brass doorknob sets that will be in this week! can't wait to install them. it's been expensive and quite the journey to customize our home to match our "grandma-core" taste but it's so worth it!!!
We also found these Grecian themed wall plaques. These are metal with wood carving pieces on top. After a quick search, I found out these are from the now defunct brand Syroco, a company from the 1900s (founded in 1890 to be exact) that specialized in decorative wood carvings and mantelpieces for late Victorian homes.
I think in this particular piece, they are Greek goddesses. The bottom left one could be Demeter? But I am probably wrong (LOL) so if there are any Greek mythology/art aficionados out there that care to correct me...I'd appreciate it hehe. These are currently hanging up in the library.
And lastly a couple of holiday themed items! This year I plan on moving away from a pink and rose gold themed tree and trying to style the tree in a way that matches my home. So I've been on the hunt for vintage ornaments. Not much luck yet, but I did find these cherubs:
I still have a long way to go though to fill up an 9-ft. tree x_x
Lastly! This cute little ceramic trinket. A kitten sleeping in a Christmas stocking. She is currently under the pink Christmas tree on my desk at work. She's precious. I'm going to be cliche and name her Marie! 
September Finds pt. ii
Is there anything better than a successful thrift trip that cost less than $20!? I think it's one of the best things life has to offer haha. When I was out and about the other day, I could not resist the siren call of this thrift shop I came across. The outside of the entire building was painted a bright barbie pink! Of course I had to go in.
I'm glad that I did because I found a few cute things:
- A handpainted, porcelain trinket dish. It's even signed! It's stunning irl and pretty big, about 6-8 inches wide. I plan on using this for work to store some office supplies.
- A brand new cute little wooden box! This still had the tag on it when I picked it up. I didn't get a chance to read the Japanese on the tag because the cashier ripped it off T_T But I'm pretty it came from a Japanese dollar store.
- Brand new Sanrio pens that were still in the box!!! Can you believe I only spent $1 on these!?
- I've been looking for a large picnic basket in good condition for FOREVER! This one doesn't have a liner in it but I will sew something up.
- A cute hanging basket. I'll be filling this up with flowers and foliage (faux or real, I'm unsure yet!) and hanging it on my front door in place of an autumn wreath.
- A lovely rose embroidered + crochet table runner. This is on that sage green cabinet that houses my little angels.
- An egg trinket dish to go on the wall shelf in my dining room! It needed a pop of color. Inside, I will store matches that I will use for that candles in room.
I am adding this little pink shop to my monthly rotation of thrift and antique stores. There were lots of wonderful things I came across... I wanted to buy them all so badly but I'm in my self-control era. b(￣▽￣)d
September Finds pt. i
Another thrift so soon!? Yes. I've just been in ~the zone~ working on my house and swapping out the mass produced big box decoration/furniture I have. I've been giving that stuff away to family and friends so it hopefully doesn't end up in a landfill somewhere. Anyways, we went to a place we normally go out of state, and on the way back we took a wrong turn somewhere...and we happened to come across the cutest little place! This store had a pirate ship/treasure theme, and we definitely found some treasures there ♪(´▽｀) It was also run by the cutest older married couple. Definitely made me dream of running my own little oddities and curiousities shop when Poopy and I are old and grey hehe.
Our big (cheeeaap) score! A lovely grandfather clock (I think technically it's actually a grandmother clock because of the smaller size/profile but idk! Semantics.) from the mid-to-late 60s. It was quite dirty and banged up when we got it, but Poopy worked his magic and restored it quite beautifully. Unfortunately, there's something up with the cogs that we couldn't figure out but we will have someone come out to take a look at it and repair it soon. Anyways, I was quite nervous that it wouldn't look good in our home, but it fits perfectly in the dining room. The metal on the clock face is carved, so it adds nice dimension and texture. I thought it was just printed (lasered?) on at first but nope! So lovely.
We got this gorgeous painting to replace a really cheap looking canvas picture we bought years ago at Target. Isn't it pretty!? I love the scenery in this one. The frame is sturdy and pretty heavy, too. I'm extremely happy with this find. We also picked up this resin + wood ornate shelf. Also such a good find! According to the owner, this is from the 70s. She told me that she used to have parties selling these style of mirrors and shelves back then (she likened them to Avon parties haha!) Anyways, the shelf right now is empty but I plan on styling it soon.
- More cute things! Some lightswitch covers for my hobby room. These have a pearl finish and are made of resin I think. The roses are 3D and it looks to be handpainted. I installed these yesterday and they look adorable on my walls!
- Picked up country goose glasses. I was immediately charmed by them. Poopy swore his mom had these when he was growing up, so he snapped a picture and sent it to her and yup! There was a whole goose collection that she had. Now I need to find the matching plates and bowls.
- Resin wall planters from the 70s!
- The cutest little teapot salt and pepper shakers. These are from a 1993 Precious Moments collection.
- A porcelain cross for my shelf in the living room.
- A beautiful crystal bowl with brass feet. This is currently on my sage green cabinet in the living room. I'm going to find (or make!) some potpourri to put in it.
How I styled the wall planters:
I used some faux florals I had saved up and went to town on the arrangements! Made me think of how I used to watch my mom as a little girl when she would make her own floral arrangements and swags by hand. I think these turned out pretty nice but on a second glance, I will probably adjust the lower one (take out the green leaves I think!)
- OKAY so after this last clock purchase, clocks are definitely blacklisted LOL. The library has like 7 clocks in it already so that's it. No more! But isn't this one neat? It's metal, heavy, and intricately detailed. This is currently on the entryway table in the foyer.
- Another picture! Got this because of the frame. It handcarved wood and very heavy. I don't care much for the picture inside it but we can swap it out whenever. This frame was just too nice to pass up.
- A little wooden footstool for that red chair we got in one of the August shopping trips. I rather like the sage green, it's a nice contrast to the chair and the maroon carpet we have in the library. Still unsure if reupholstering it is necessary but either way, it got a nice steam and cleaning.
- An ornate mirror from the 70s! I typically stay away from resin mirrors but this one was too pretty to pass up. Please excuse the stickers all over it, I had to censor myself and the mess in the house o(*￣▽￣*)ブ
This was a very good haul! I'm soooo happy with how much more charm these items have added to my home. I can't wait to go out again and see what else I can find!
Angel Lamp Update
So back in May, I made a /thrift entry that included these nice angel lamps that I thrifted and talked about how I wanted to replace the ugly lampshades that they came with. And yay! I finally found some cute replacements. What do you think? I think they suit the fancy vibe of the lamps quite well.
Old shade on the left vs. the new ones! A huge difference, no?
These will actually go in the master bedroom. I've been (finally) planning a design/theme for it! These will make cute nightstand lamps. The plan now is to thrift or find some nice nightstands for a reasonable price at an antique mall. Wish me luck!
August Finds pt. iii
We went on a short family trip out of state for a little bit, and the thing I was most looking foward to was shopping the thrift stores and antique malls in a new city (of course lol!) I am very, very happy with what we found! In the collage above we picked up:
- clawfoot planter
- porcelain tissue box holder
- decorative glass bowl with brass details
- 4x6 rose frame
- brass cherub candle holder
- brass candlesticks with red glass crystal orbs
This absolutely stunning urn! She is quite heavy so I won't be putting this on a wall shelf. To be honest, we picked it up because it was priced for less than $10 and I'm never one to turn down a good deal...I'll find a place for this soon.
This beautiful green clock. Made of porcelain and still works! (I probably need to add clocks to our DO NOT BUY list lol but I can never resist a lovely clock.)
This very large frame & print. It's propped up against the desk in the library, so you can just imagine how big it is. Currently, it's hanging up in the hallway bathroom in my house, which is the home upgrade project we are currently working on & where the stuff in this next collage is placed!:
- vintage brass mirror tray with rose handles
- vintage brass vanity mirror
- ceramic urn vase
And how I styled the above in the bathroom!:
Pretty good haul, huh? I'm very pleased with what I came home with! Though, I am still looking for some nice big frames for some art prints for my room. Fingers crossed that I will find some in September! ^_^
August Finds pt. ii
Just a small haul. We went out to lunch with my parents on Saturday and after the meal, we stopped by an antiques mall on the way home. (My dad of course sat in the car reading on his iPad because shopping is not his thing lol!) I went in with the hopes of finding a picture frame (still looking...) and a painting for the guest bathroom! I found neither sadly. However I did find a very pretty rose wall plaque that is currently hanging in the living room's hallway! Also a very cute Spring rabbit dish that I used as deco in the guest bathroom and also for cotton ball storage. I'm going to start working on the bathroom when I get back from my trip next week...I've already gotten new brass light fixtures and hardware that's going to look good. I love renovation projects!!
Lastly, we grabbed an old wooden chair. This of course is going in the library. I like the color of the upholstery but I'm thinking about replacing it with something a little more fancy in the future.
August Finds
We went thrifting on a whim on Sunday while we were in a nearby city for some other stuff. We visited two stores and wow! I was really surprised by how many neat things I found (but didn't come home with! It was shockingly expensive.) It was nice seeing different stores and fresh inventory though. I didn't find what I was looking for (something cow related and a fancy frame for some beautiful art I received of my wife ocs, from a very talented and lovely artist ♥) but I did come home with some other goodies!
An absolutely charming and beautiful handpainted porcelain music box that plays Pachelbell's Canon in D. The roses are so pretty! And the colors are perfect. This is currently sitting on my shelf with my other porcelain knick-knacks. (Sidenote: I think I want to reorganize my room and then I may record a room tour for my site! Pondering whether photos or a video would be better! If you have an opinion, please do let me know hehe.)
I also found this brass vintage lipstick holder. With cherubs as a motif of course! This is weighty and very pretty. I planned on putting some limited edition Pat McGrath lipsticks in it for the ~vibe~ but sadly they did not fit. My YSL ones do and it looks alright, and my (unused) MAC lipsticks fit but it looks ugly. I don't think it's an excuse to buy more lipsticks though so I'm going to go through my drawers and see what I have.
The Pat McGrath lipsticks are the pink tubes with the gold heart button and gold filigree.
We also grabbed this vintage brass mantle clock for the library and a 70s Coke mirror for the arcade.
My favorite find of this small haul! A pair of brass heart wall candle sconces. Aren't they just darling? Right now there are some plain ivory candlesticks in them but I think I might find some fun spiral ones to replace them (can't decide if I want to stick with cream/white or a pastel pink!) And a small brass (of course) trinket basket. I'm going to be using this to display the wrapped artisan handsoaps that I have in the guest bathroom. I'm working on decorating that space next to match the rest of the house and I'm so excited! My next thrifting and antiques shopping trip will be spent hunting for a frame and for some stuff for the restroom.
go back!
