my treasures.

i love thrifting and antiqueing! being surrounded by old and well-loved things gives me joy.

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!

October Finds


Whoops! Retroactively adding this to my thrift log. I forgot to add these here, I've been so busy lately! I didn't have much time to thrift in October because of starting my new job. However, I found a cute floral tray that I will use for serving charcuterie or cut fruits when I have guests at home. I also got a resin wall placque to hang up in my guest restroom.

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:

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.

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!)

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:

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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.

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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.)

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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!:

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And how I styled the above in the bathroom!:

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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.

June and July Finds


I finally had some time to thrift and go antique hunting! This summer so far has been filled with seeing family and friends so updates to lovesick have been small or very few compared to my normal update cadence! We found quite a few steals and cool trinkets, some of which I'm still trying to find their proper age! (I am always really curious about how old some of the things I pick up are.) A lot of antique brass goods.

We got our hands on a beautiful tabletop clock, made of brass with a marble base. She's surprisingly heavy! This piece is going straight into the library. There's also this really cool antique brass thermometer...it was too cool to pass up. And then of course a green-ish porcelain cherub vase. I will be using this as a planter.

More brass and more marble! The plant stand pedestal we picked up is soooo pretty. There are some rust spots on the marble base from the previous owners so I'm going to try and remove those. This thing is super heavy. Perfect for the corner in my dining room that has the heart mirror sconce posted in a earlier /thriftlog entry. I'm trying to decide what new plant I'd like to put there. Something big...perhaps a peace lily!

I also grabbed a random tray basket for my kitchen counter. I'm going to be using it for whatever fruits and veg I pick up at the farmer's market down the street. (Sidenote but I'm so freaking happy that they have farmers that sell brocollini there!! My fave.)

Yes...another lamp. As soon as I see an angel motif, I can't help myself. I had no idea that it would look like a painting when lit!! Isn't it pretty? I will have to find a spot for this somewhere in my house. I'm totally adding lamps to my BAN LIST. So no more buying lamps (or candlesticks ;-;)

Now for the biggest find of them all!!!:

A Kimball upright piano!! Valued anywhere from $800 to $3k. Can you believe I grabbed this for like $10? So crazy. But I can finally upgrade from my crappy little electric Yamaha keyboard so I'm so stoked!! It needs to be tuned, and I plan on reupholstering the bench to something not so...70s. I'm thinking something sage green (of course) and maybe something like velvet? Any fabric connoisseurs please let me know what fabric would be best to sit on for minimal wear and tear...

Unrelated but I have definitely already played my faves on it (Tifa's theme/FF7, Via Purifico/FFX, and Suteki Da Ne/FFX) and it's got me thinking of making some sort of piano shrine? lessons? something page on my website.

Oops! Almost forgot, also picked up a brass antique umbrella stand for the foyer. It's been really rainy lately so this will be nice to have...also check out the base, styled to look like an opened umbrella. So cute!

May Finds pt. ii


I had a pretty good haul! I was looking for something special to put on the top of my trestle shelf but unsurprisingly, I got lots of other stuff too. I got some kitchenware: a cute mug, cooking spoon rest, a teapot, and two pieces of Corningware from the "pastel bouquet" collection that ran from 1985 to 1990. I found these at two different shops, so lucky!

A closer look at the pattern:

It's perfect for spring and Easter, but knowing myself I will use them all the time! I plan on making some parmentier pie (french shepard's pie basically) in it soon for Poopy.

I'm really stoked about the vase I found, I can finally replace the plain white one on the entryway table I got from Target a few years ago. Also found some small ornate cherub lamps! The lampshades are ugly so I will get new ones for them. I honestly don't have a place for these (yet) but I think they will be great for the plan I have in mind once we find some suitable chairs & a sofa.

Speaking of sofas, here's a 'catch & release' we found at an antiques mall. A 3-pc. set for $1,000. It's pretty but was super uncomfy to sit on plus it's not very pet friendly ;o;

I hope it finds a good home!

Updates


Tada! The new look of my candlesticks. Isn't it funny that I put in effort to make something shiny look old and aged? I know it's usually the other way around, but I can't help the aesthetics that my heart loves hehe. One of my friends was like "why on earth would you do that??" But like with everything else, it's a preference. Surely someone out there understands my love of old looking things...anyways, now I need to find a place for them.

Just a living room update. Most of this stuff was found at thrift stores or antique shops. It's all really coming together! I still need to find another Monet print to put in the frame on the cabinet. I would love to change my couches out but I'm still unsure in what direction to go. I think I'll stick with a neutral color like the medium grey in the picture but style-wise....who knows! One minute I want a velvet couch, the next something really pillowy and fluffy. I've looked around some antique shops and found some really gorgeous sofas with ornate woodwork frames but if I got them, I'd never sit on them. Plus, it's hard to get a dog to stay off the couch lol!

May Finds


An unplanned thrift trip! We were only planning on heading to the local hardware store so we could buy a couple of supplies to finish up the box moulding in the living room, but we ended up getting sidetracked (as usual.) Not a terribly impressive haul, but I did find what I was looking for. I really wanted to find a cute flower basket so I could have my dried lavender out on display in a way that wasn't lazy. Also scored an old lionhead vase (unsure of the material but it's some kind of metal), a cute green trinket jar, and a reeeaaally old book filled with ballads and poems for the library (originially written in the 1800s but this copy is a 1st Edition reprint from the 1900s.) Also some candlesticks. I have way too many in my house but I couldn't resist the swirled design of these ones! I wasn't too keen on how shiny they were so I took some paint and aged them myself. I'll take a pic of how it turned out once it dries and cures.

The most impressive thing we got was this vintage alabaster base lamp & shade from the 1940s! Not the best picture (I was testing the wiring so the lightbulb is on...making it look really yellow v_v) but I plan on taking another pic when the weather isn't so stormy and gray. My favorite detail is how the light shines through the alabaster bottom. So pretty! I think we will replace the wiring though just for safety reasons.

February Finds


Thrifting again so soon!? Yes. On Sunday, we were bored and decided to head out to do some window shopping but of course, we came across some treasures that had to come home q(≧▽≦q)

The cherub heart mirror was such a lucky find...It's made of wood! So it's heavy and sturdy. The paint is chipped in a few spots but I think it adds character. It's such a pretty mirror. A small little urn, another Lenox trinket dish (that I honestly like more than the flower petal one that I picked up a few weeks ago n_n I think I'll gift that one to my mom or someone at work if I can't find a place for it!) An absolutely beautiful brass easel. The picture frame on it right now is from a thrift last year, I'm unsure if I'll use it here but for now it's a placeholder. Lastly, an antique frame/painting. It's kind of dark but it's really big...it looks really good.

My croc for scale hehe

Also! Finally got the cabinet out and decorated with all of the cherub knick-knacks I bought last month. I think it looks lovely. The green color is so cute and adds a pop of color to my living room that was much needed. Still unsure if I want to find matching paints to touch up the scuffs. Should I paint over all of them? Or maybe leave some scuffs for that "shabby chic" look? I really do love the look of well-loved furniture hmmm...I think it's missing a lace or crochet doily on top, so I'll be on the hunt for one!

January Finds


Finally! I had some free time to go thrifting and antiqueing. I've missed it so much but work and the holidays have been so hectic for me. Saturday I went out with the intention of finding a few things in particular: some new knick-knacks for a new shelf that will be placed in the living room, some cute spice jars, and maybe a new planter for Spring! I was successful for the most part. I couldn't find any spice jars unfortunately but I did find a very cute house-shaped cookie jar. The green (Grecian?) vase in the collage above is for the library (which why it doesn't match the vibe of everything else :P)

The cookie jar will be used as a tea jar! I'm going to place all of my single use teabags in it and set it on the coffee bar area of my kitchen. As I was washing it though, I inspected it closer and realized it was lovingly homemade! I've stated this in other places on my site, but I really adore homemade and artisan goods.

Though, when I flipped it over...my heart broke a little bit lol T_T

The bottom reads: "X-mas '91. Love, Mom"

I'm going to cherish and love this jar forever! I'm very sentimental and a crybaby (as you all may already know haha) so this got me more attached to it than I already was.

Oops! Please ignore Koya's wagon in the background lol.

Isn't the icecream bear planter so cute? I'm going to put him in my room on a windowsill. I'm still thinking of what exactly to put in there, but maybe some white flowers or a succulent. Something that will thrive from just windowlight! Unsurprisingly, I picked up some angels (one planter, one vase, and a set of figurines), a Mikasa petal-shaped bowl for my earrings, and a cross (just because.)

Once the shelf for the living room comes in, I'll dress it up with this stuff and share a picture here!