The thrill of the thrifty hunt

June 17, 2013

This weekend a girlfriend and I went to a local barn sale and found a few goodies that I wanted to show you, and I realized I hadn’t shown you a few others I’ve gotten while thrifting over the past few months.

I love the “hunt” – I think it’s so much more fun to shop antique malls and consignment shops and second hand types of places! You never know what you’ll find and what you find is most likely something that’s unique to your home.

I got these big marquee letters a few months ago and still haven’t decided on where they’ll go:

big marquee letters

I’m planning on putting them in two different spots, and I may try to light them! (There’s a hole in the back where I can slip in some lights.) How fun is that?

I found these beautiful coasters this weekend and couldn’t pass them up:

vintage glass coasters

The bonus is we actually needed coasters. ;) So we’ll use them a lot. Aren’t they pretty?

I got this one a while back, I can’t remember where, but I love changing up the use for things. This vintage floral “frog” sits on my desk and holds pens and pencils:

glass floral frog

Including my DIY flower pen that the Bub made me for Mother’s Day. ;)

My friend found a little succulent in a vintage container this weekend, and I was inspired by it’s cuteness! I grabbed a succulent at the nursery and stuck it in part of a vintage creamer set I found at Goodwill:

succulent small container

Adorable, eh? I love it!!

I found this old boat oar recently too, and I have an idea for a little redo:

vintage boat oar

It’s in rough shape, but I like it that way. ;) (See the boat oar makeover here!) 

I LOVED these old wood window screen/frame things I found this weekend:

DIY window art

I’m trying them out in a few places and will let you know where they end up. They’ll get a paint job eventually too. It’s so hard to find big art and these are awesome to fill a big space!

I found a cute hanging basket too – perfect for a few (of my meeellions) magazines:

hanging magazine basket

I swear I looked it over so well and missed a broken part at the bottom, which doesn’t really bug me. Then I got it home and realized the whole top row was busted up. So I just cut out some of the slats that were still there to make it look like it was supposed to be like that. ;) 

So there’s a few of my favorite thrifting finds lately – do you love the hunt too? If you don’t know of any sales or shops near you, do a quick internet search -- you may be surprised at what’s nearby! Some of my favorite places are little spots that I found just by searching “antiques” on my iphone map!

I’ll be back with the bathroom reveal this week! 

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Comments

  1. My grandma has those coasters! They are classics! Love the lattice wall hangings!

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  2. you are the best. i didn't realize anything was up with that basket until you pointed it out! i love reading your blog every day. especially mondays. your joy and enthusiasm gets me ready for another week!

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  3. These are some great finds! I love the magazine basket and lattice frames!

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  4. Love all of your new finds. I need to copy the little succulent idea, it looks so cute and I am all about plants right now. Hugs, Marty

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  5. Fun stuff!! My grandmother has those coasters and I have always loved them. They are so pretty and they've always been on my wish list!

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  6. Wow, you truly have been busy Sarah! Love the creamer idea and that oar! wish I could have a vintage one like that for my small outdoor shower room

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  7. Wow I love those windows! I enjoy the thrill of the hunt too - you can see my latest finds @ http://thecreativemeandmymcg.blogspot.ca/2013/06/thrifty-findsweekend-three.html

    Cheryl @ The Creative Me and My McG

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  8. Wow that oar is awesome. I have been looking for one like that around here, but no luck! Can't wait to see what you do with it!

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  9. I have a zillion of those coasters ... if anyone REALLY wants some, reply here and we can make a deal.

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    1. I'm interested please email me at glabe_zaragoza@yahoo.com for details. thanks!

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  10. My Gram had those same coasters! I think my cousin has them now, so pretty! And I never would have noticed the magazine holder was broken, I had to look at the picture again to see what you meant :) Love the marquee letters, can't wait to see what you do with them! And I am going to copy you and put a succulent in some of my old milk glass.

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  11. I am all about the hunt. :) I have picked up some amazing deals over the years. Just a couple of weeks ago I found a new in the box Cuisinart ice cream maker for $20 at the Goodwill around the corner from me. I have found Emile Henry jugs for $5, gorgeous button tufted chairs for $25, umpteen embroidery hoops for 49c or thereabouts etc. etc. My kids book collections get boosted regularly too. I visit thrift stores way more than anywhere else just to see if there are any treasures (I am very discerning though - I am not a hoarder by any stretch).

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  12. My parents had the same coasters except they used them as icky ashtrays! Yuck! Wish I could find some. Beth email me at reneemccrory@gmail.com Thanks!

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  13. I am so jealous of those Marquis letters!! I have wanted some my WHOLE life. No joke!

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  14. I used to have those same coasters, too! I also had some of those marquee letters in high school - a P and a Z - my boyfriend's initials. He'd stolen, oops "borrowed", them from a local store and given them to me. Of course, I ditched them when we broke up. Who knew they'd be cool 40 yrs later?

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  15. The hunt is the most fun part! I LOVE the succulent idea! I'll definitely have to find something similar and make one of my own! :-)

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  16. What fun finds! I really like the succulent in the creamer and what you did to that basket. :)

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  17. Almost every Monday I share my thrifty finds from the week, I'm also hosting a "Go Get Your Garage Sale On" Linky Party for Bloggers to link up their best finds! I'd love it if you get a chance to hop over and share one of your awesome finds! http://www.brightgreendoor.com/2013/06/go-get-your-garage-sale-on-finds-and.html

    -Jess
    www.BrightGreenDoor.com

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  18. So funny about the coasters. I must be old enough to be the grandmother of some of your followers because we got a set as a wedding gift back in 1975.

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  19. Omg, I got those coasters as a wedding gift too! In 1978. I no longer have the coasters... or the husband!
    Happy shopping! Cindy @ sunsetcoasting.blogspot.com

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  20. My parents had those coasters! That was in the 1960's, so that will give you an idea of how old they are. Enjoy!

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  21. Today I rewarded myself after an hour at the gym with a trip to the thrift store. I didn't buy anything today (but I've still got that little dresser on my mind) but I'm excited to go back to the gym again, so I can justify another trip to the thrift store!

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  22. I did a bit of thrifting myself this weekend! I found an adorable little rooster lamp (rooster base with an adorable gingham check shade) at an estate sale. Hubby thinks I'm nuts!!! I also found a beautiful wicker chair (real wicker no less in excellent shape)at the Salvation Army when hubby and I were donating a piece of furniture. It wasn't out on the floor yet, & when I asked the gentleman that manned the donations area about it, he thought that it would be our the next day. I went back and got it the next day (after convincing a new worker to sell it to me - which they don't usually do :) Cleaned and painted it, new cushion - looks GREAT on my front porch!!!!!

    Thrifting is SOOOOO fun!!!!!

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  23. Great find with the marquee letters! I love them!

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  24. I'm drooling over that paddle! My guest room is a nautical theme complete with an old oar hanging on the wall. I wish we had cool thrifty stops like that here in Vegas. Bummer. But awesome finds for you!

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  25. I love thrifting for sweet little treasures. Can't wait to see what you do with the marquee letters!

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  26. Love me some thrift stores! I recently started renting a booth at a small shop- part of the deal is working there one day a week. It's really hard to pass up bargains when you're looking at them for 8 hours! :P

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  27. Love the succulent! I'm gonna have to do that.

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  29. I'm totally jealous of those letters! My twin daughters are Sophie & Ella - those would be so cute in their room!

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  30. I love it all! I have an oar and vintage window in the house too and I just adore them! My son gave me a small creamer pitcher thingy with flowers in it for Mother's Day-- I'm totally getting succulents for it tomorrow! Thanks as always for the inspiration!
    Barbara at Chase the Star :)

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  31. I love the old wood window screens. They'd be perfect to add visual interest to an otherwise boring wall (and undoubtedly less expensive than artwork). Great find!

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  32. those may have been my glass coasters...I donated them because water would pool in the bottom (from condensation) and make my beverage glass stick to the coaster. The coaster would lift up then fall back to the table...sooooo be careful when you lift your glass!! Luv everything else!!

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  33. A flower frog repurposed as a pen holder, genuis!

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