What To Look For When You Go Thrifting

In case you’re new around here.

There is something you should know about me.

I am a girl who loves a good thrift store find.

And lately?

My thrifting rhythm has been in overdrive.

Honestly?

Thrifting is a version of therapy for me.

Can you believe all three of those cut glass cuties are recent thrift store home decor finds?

Thrifting allows my brain to release itself from the pressure of the daily grind and trade it in for a brief break.

Pulling into the parking lot of a local thrift shop is like the grown up version of recess for the little girl inside my 45 year old body. 🙂

Because what I have realized is strolling the few short aisles of a second hand shop for ten to fifteen minutes, is a way that I allow myself to practice…play…as an adult.

Yes, it’s a chance to let my brain be creative and play versus…

Planning, performing, preparing and producing.

And you know what else?

Standing in line at the thrift store checkout is totally different than standing in line at the Target checkout.

Instead of everyone scrolling their phones…women are friendly, engaging and excited to peek at the treasures the person in front of them picked up and strike up a conversation about it.

Simply put?

Thrifting is friendly and social and just plain…FUN.

Thrifting definitely seems like it has picked up in pace with the heavy design trend of the Ralph Lauren and Nancy Meyers home decor aesthetic having a major moment and well deserved attention back to timeless, cozy design.

For me?

I’ve been thrifting for years.

Remember that time when I thrifted a table lamp from our local Goodwill and gave it a makeover and turned it into a Pottery Barn lookalike lamp?

Shawn loves that lamp still and uses it everyday in his office. You can see the thrift store lamp to Pottery Barn dupe step by step transformation HERE in this post.

Or, remember the time I rescued a gorgeous wooden chair from the side of the road and brought it home?

You can see the chair rescue story HERE in the post: Home is a Feeling – 7 Little Known Ways To Decorate Your House For Free.

Turns our after a little research, my wooden chair from the side of the road was an old court house chair.

And?

It is worth a pretty penny…I realized the history from an old coin pressed into the back of the seat!

And that right there…is another reason why I love to thrift.

There is history in a thrift store, or road side find.

History that carries character…something that our big box stores just can’t deliver on.

And that special ingredient of character – that is what adds charm to your home.

Today on the blog, I am sharing my latest favorite thrift store finds and how I am styling them as thrifted home decor in our home.

Plus, I’ll share a few thrifting tips and what items I specifically go looking for when I pop into our local thrift stores.

Ready to see my most recent thrift store favorite finds and where they are in our home now?

Follow me friend!

What To Look For When You Go Thrifting

There they are.

A round up of thrift store home decor favorites!

Now, let’s dive in on the specific categories of items I like to shop for when I am thrifting…

What To Look For When Shopping Thrift Stores

Hurricane Lanterns & Candle Holders

Hurricane lanterns and glass candle holders are having a major moment again and I am here for all of it.

Image above from McGee & CO. website.

Growing up, my Mom used to have a bunch of these glass hurricane candle holders and of course…

Yep, you guessed it.

At some point, she got rid of them.

Needless to say, I was delighted when I came across this pair on a recent Goodwill visit.

I have also been picking up small glass taper candle holders, as I come across them, to place inside the hurricane glass, in order to place a taper candle inside the hurricane.

And now?

Now, we enjoy these hurricane glass candle holders outside on the patio along with smaller glass candle holders I have also thrifted.

I also picked up the woven flat basket, that is placed under the vase of lilacs at our local ReStore by Habitat for Humanity.

I am loving using the woven flat basket as a “grounder” for the vase!

coffee table books

I love to briefly peruse the book cases at our local thrift stores for the larger coffee table style books.

Last week, I was so excited when I came across this Martha Stewart Gardening coffee table book!

Pro-Tip: Take the cover off the book while shopping to see if the actual cover is “pretty.” Then, when you get home, remove the cover completely and you have instant, new-looking table decor!

Below, I have the thrifted coffee table book paired with more thrifted glass candle holders.

cut glass vases, bowls & dishes

The flat cut glass dish is one of my most recent favorite thrifted finds…

It works perfectly as a “gounder” tray for our kitchen soap dispeners.

Amber Glass Soap Dispensers With Labels

The cut glass vase and bowl are my most recent thrift store finds and are currently serving as kitchen counter decor.

Picked a few violets from our yard for this thrifted small bud vase…

Loving this little trio of thrifted favorites styled together!

A small cut glass bowl works perfectly as a bedside jewelry dish on your nightstand.

glass bowls with pedestal feet or unique bottom shape

I love using unique glass bowls as a candle holder for jar candles, styled on a console or coffee table.

Pro-Tip: Adding a dish, glass bowl or marble tray under a candle elevates the look!

items you can spray paint & transform

You might remember the gold bird wall decor from when I re-decorated Maci’s bedroom and gave her a teen girl bedroom makeover, HERE in this post.

When I first spotted the bird all art on the shelves of the Good Will it looked like this…

And then?

I bought it for $2.50 and used a can of gold spray paint on it…

And now?

Now, the vintage bird wall art is part of Maci’s bedroom wall decor on her mini gallery wall.

items you can paint & transform

That large ceramic vase in the upper right hand corner above did not always look like an aged artisan vase.

I found the vase several years ago and it had what I affectionately referred to as “Saved By The Bell vibes.”

I brought that oversized vase home and gave her a new paint job.

You can see the step by step DIY tutorial on how I made the vase looked aged HERE in this post: Wait Until You See This Thrifted Vase.

Today, the thrifted vase sits in my home office, or sometimes in our entry way with these artificial stems showing off throughout the year.

Artificial Bougainvillea Floral Stems

blue & white plates, vases & dishes

Blue & White is having a MAJOR moment right now.

Just walk into any home decor store and you will begin to notice, blue and white ceramic decor, blue and white bedding and throw pillows and blue and white fashion too!

I’ve picked up these blue and white cuties in my recent thrifting travels and love the color they add to any shelf or kitchen space!

dishes & pitchers

I thrifted a set of gold rimmed dishes and bowls a few years ago and have not only put them to use but they also serve as pretty shelf decor, when not it use!

Added the thrift store, baby wavy edged pitcher just recently!

items that add whimsy & charm to your home

I picked this floral ceramic pot from our local Restore By Habitat for Humanity and enjoyed this pot of tulips in early Spring…

And now?

I am enjoying these pink African Violets in my thrifted planter pot!

Because sometimes…you just need a little whimsy in a playful pattern to lighten the mood!

Last but not least on items to keep any eye out for when you are thrifting…

items – just because!

I spent a few minutes sifting this bowl of pins…

Somehow, simply thumbing through this bowl was nostalgic and therapeutic.

Each pin, surely holding a story…

And then, I settled on these three to come home with me…

One to honor my friend Karen, and the other two…

Just because.

These cutie pins and small dish with a painted peacock, just made me feel…

lighter.

And now, here they sit…

Did I just become a crazy lady pin collector?

I think…friend…

Maybe I did.

This sweet painted dish and trio of thrifted pins is a little happy spot on this side table now…that just makes me smile when I see it.

Final thrifting tips to remember!

Thrifting Tips

Visit the thrift stores often!

• Every day there is new inventory.
• Some days you may pop in and out in less than 5 minutes and leave empty handed and that’s OK! Some days you might leave with the beginning of a new pin collecting hobby. 🙂

Ask about bargain shopping and discount days

• Most thrift stores will have special days for senior discounts and half price shopping.

don’t buy dust collectors

• I have one rule when I thrift…and it’s this:
• If I can’t put the piece into rotation immediately, it does not come home with me!
• If I am bringing a thrifted goodie home…that means I have a place and a plan for the new treasure…and that place is not collecting dust in the basement! 🙂

Well friend, I hope this post was fun for you and perhaps inspired you to go thrifting yourself!

You just never know what you will find!

Living on a prayer,

Heather