Those of you who know me and have followed me for awhile, know that I love getting the majority of my accessories and home decor second hand. I am an avid thrift store shopper and hit up flea markets and yard sales the minute the weather gets nice.
Church sales are actually my favorite places to shop because they often have the lowest prices, great hidden treasures…and sweet church volunteers who are happy to see you find good stuff! I occasionally shop on Craigslist as well and have scored some of my most loved pieces that way.
Here are some of my favorites along with the details of how I acquired them.
By far one of the pieces that I get the most comments and questions on is this crystal chandelier that I actually found on Craigslist just by chance. I decided to search one night for “vintage chandelier” and it popped up. An elderly woman was selling it. She had this beauty hanging up in an apartment complex dining room, but was moving in with her son so needed to let it go. She wanted it to go to a good home with someone who would care about it. That’s what she told me when I went over to check it out. And she only wanted $75. I did not even consider talking her down one cent when she said I met her criteria 🙂
The chandelier in our living room was my first Craigslist purchase back in 2008-9ish. It was only $50 and I was head over heels in love with it for a long time. It really fit my style. I am getting ready to move on from this one, but it still holds a special place in my heart.
Continuing with light fixtures while we are on the topic…I found this bronze desk lamp at Savers for $10…sold. Works perfect and looks good almost anywhere.
Last fall, I stumbled upon a dated brass light fixture that I decided to repurpose. It was only $2 at a church thrift store! Sometimes you have to look beyond things as they are when shopping second hand. Think of how they can be repurposed or given new life. I am always doing this when I am out thrift shopping.
We have a small antique store at the end of our road that I like to frequent. The owners are so nice and always have amazing treasures. We purchased this rustic “Evenrude Motors” wooden crate a few years ago and it has been useful all around the house.
Here I styled it with my kids in mind.
Not too long ago, I even used it as a coffee table! It cost $85 which was a little steep for my thrifty blood, but definitely a unique antique find. You can see more from that post
here.
I always wanted a home with a fireplace (the more the better!) but our home didn’t have any, so we decided to see if we could find an antique mantel. This one was painted brown and very chippy when we first purchased it for around $175 at a local architectural salvage store. If you visit me a lot you know how
I love to redecorate my mantel!
Last fall I found a rattan chair and side table at a charity sale. They were half price the day I was there, so both ended up costing me around $25. Good deal in my book.
I have a love for old chalkware anything, and can’t resist a pretty figurine like this one
on my dresser. She’s not perfect, but I love her just the same. I’m pretty sure she only cost around $1.99 at Savers.
Same with the $25 yard sale dresser
in my bedroom. It’s seen better days, but is still beautiful to me.
A couple of years ago I found a collection of school science equipment at a yard sale and got it all for a steal. I shared much of it together in
this vignette post.
I was instantly smitten by this sweet old teddy bear when I found him at a sale. He reminds me of the Velveteen Rabbit…he’s definitely been loved enough to become real.
And on the topic of old toys, I found this vintage stroller and antique doll at a family friend’s antique shop. All of these pieces were in
Hazel’s nursery before Owen was born. The stroller was $19 and the doll $10.
And because I am definitely floating on dollhouse cloud nine right now, last but definitely not least is this $17 yard sale find! I have to give all the credit to my husband who found it. If you missed my post earlier this week about the
Dollhouse Therapy challenge going on, be sure to check it out! This is honestly one of my favorite finds in our home right now! Brings hours and hours of enjoyment and is something our entire family is having fun working on.
I am always on the hunt for new second hand treasures for our home. I have days where I just feel pulled to the Salvation Army or a church thrift store. Now, my kids love it too (of course just to find toys of which we always end up bringing home a few too many. One of the downsides of thrift shopping with kids!) But I do love that they enjoy it and we have a great time going together with
their grandma, another avid second hand shopper. It’s in our blood I suppose!
Till next time…
~Alice W.
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6 Comments
Cassie @ Primitive & Proper
i just love your home and style so much…. i could move right in. want me to?
Emy Flint
We have a similar bear that was my father-in-law's as a child. We brought it home with us when he passed away.
Your living room is one of my inspiration pics for my dollhouse! 🙂
Meg @ Hello Farmhouse
I love that teddy bear!! I just bought a vintage chandelier just like yours on ebay, but I paid about $200 and I completely forgot to look at Craigslist first! Lesson learned! Do you have any tips on finding things on Craigslist? I search several nearby cities when I'm looking for something, but even when using keywords the weekly searches can get exhausting!
Rose L
Shopping for vintage and other treasures is fun. We have about 10 thrift stores within 11 miles of me and sometimes I go on a marathon! Now that the weather is soon to be good there will all sorts of garage/yard/estate sales coming! Whoopee!
A Designer At Home
I'm still so in love with your "fireplace" and dining room chandelier. Those were some of the first things that I discovered from you!
Sarah Krouse - {Home-ology} modern vintage
It's all so sweet! As much as I love clean and modern, I also love incorporating a few found relics as a way to warm up a room. There's nothing that makes a house feel like a home more than a little wabi sabi.