My Thrift Haul #3

Every few weeks I like to share what I’ve found thrifting. This is my third thrift post like this and honestly, I love writing them because it helps me actually put away what I found. Plus I find value in sharing what I find. More own that in a minute. Here’s my third thrift haul!

I just found this $14 stair basket from an antique store. It’s full of shoes waiting to go upstairs! Cute and functional.

This week, someone asked me why I share my thrifting finds. She didn’t understand because each store has different things- how can seeing what I bought help her? It really got me thinking! Here’s why I like watching what other people get second hand shopping and why I talk about it as well.

1- It’s all about training your eye. Seeing what someone else buys and how great it can look helps you see value in the item. What about it looks good? Why do I like that? By answering those questions when you see what other people thrift helps you develop your own sense of what to buy for yourself.

2- It helps you learn. There and millions of old things you can find thrifting. When someone knows about a specific type of porcelain or a marking to look out for, you can grow your knowledge. Little nuggets help you hone your ability to find quality items that are special.

3- It’s entertaining! There’s so much junk at a thrift store. But when someone can dig through the shelves and find special things, it’s really fun to watch. Trash to treasure- I’m definitely here for that! Plus, the way someone decorates with a budget friendly find opens your mind to possibilities

my thrift haul

Here’s my thrifted finds and where I ended up putting them.

wicker duck

I found this pastel wicker duck for $1 in the basket aisle. I thought it was ridiculous. But then I also thought- I need that! It was going to be a gift, but the dang thing grew on me! It perfectly fits 4-5 peaches or apples. So it lives on my kitchen counter looking silly and cute and well, I clearly love it.

spoon rack

In our house, we have a tiny one room basement. When we go to Florida, we throw all our off season stuff down there. Plus the stuff we don’t want Air BNB guests to have access to. Which means it’s full of stuff I need to go through. I was doing that and found all my souvenir spoons I’d collected when we were first married. I figured, these should be out!

So I popped on eBay and put in a bid for a spoon rack. I forgot about it, but I won and it arrived and I hated the color, so I spray painted it white. Then I hung it on the side of my kitchen cabinet. And suddenly, there’s one less bag of spoons in my basement!

Plus, they remind me of the early days of my marriage when my husband and I traveled all the time. I’d get a spoon from each spot. The spoon collecting started 13 years ago and they’ve been in a bag since. It really feels great having them out! I remember each trip they are from. Those little spoons represent a lot of really happy memories!

tart dish

On Tuesday, I headed to the thrift store to look for a cabinet to use for my bathroom renovation. I didn’t find that, but the one thing I did get was this rose tart dish for $2. I don’t really cook tarts, but I thought it could be a great serving dish!

It actually nicely matches a bowl I got a few years ago at Macy’s. I thought they were a cute duo, so I put them together. One day we’ll host more and it’ll be nice to have some pretty serving pieces.

souvenir state plate

My state plate collection grew slowly over time. It started with one plate and over months I grew it until I had enough to hang a small cluster on the wall. And now, it’s so fun when I spot the perfect one! The moment I saw this Washington DC one, I knew I had to have it! The location, price ($2.50), and look were perfect! Sold!

I used my budget friendly method for hanging them. It’s been pretty great seeing this wall slowly grow. Especially since each place represents a place we’ve visited or lived at.

porcelain shoes

Alright, this might be an unexpected one, but I bought a few porcelain shoes. Why you ask? I don’t know! Ha! But they were calling to me. I used to have an epic collection of high heels. Honestly, I love beautiful shoes, though I’m more practical now and I usually wear flats. I thought I could pay homage to that.

For now, they’re sitting on top of some books in my bookshelf. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Art doesn’t have to be a picture in a frame! I wanted something special above the door, something a bit quirky that was personal. My mom has always collected delft, and I have Dutch ancestry. I didn’t own a single blue and white shoe a month ago, but the @thriftwiththemakerista community rallied and helped me start an amazing collection. I attached them with @3m strips and can’t wait to add more as I find them. Head to the blog for all of the laundry room sources. Photo by @larkphotos. #delftblue #blueandwhite #laundryroom

A post shared by The Makerista | Home + Style (@themakerista) on Dec 20, 2019 at 9:56am PST

I love how The Makerista hung her blue and white Delft shoes. I thought I could maybe hang my collection once it grew. Or maybe I’ll put it in a shadow box. Time will tell!

One of the joys of having a collection when you thrift is it makes the hunt extra exciting! Will I find the perfect piece this week? It makes it thrilling! A few weeks ago, I found a full collection of some one else’s travel plates and I grabbed a bunch. Maybe one day I’ll stumble on a bunch of shoes… Fingers crossed!

Anyway, that’s my thrift haul for the week! What was your favorite find?

Do you like seeing where these thrift finds end up? Any questions from this post? Let me know in the comments!