To Thrift or Not to Thrift--3 Pro Thrifting Tips

If you haven't noticed or are new here, I LOVE thrifting!

Why, you might be asking? I love finding vintage and antique items at a good price. Finding unique objects while helping to keep them out of the landfill is another plus. BUT, there are some thrifting pitfalls. I am sharing with you THREE things you should ask yourself before you buy an item. I am going to share some recent thrift store art finds, and how to tell if a piece of art is an antique or vintage. The THREE rules can apply to any thrift store find--clothes, furniture, dishes.

The first question:

There is a whole lot of stuff out there in thrift world. It is easy to get caught up in the latest, greatest, hot item. But, if you don't love it, I mean really have happy, warm, and fuzzy feelings for it, don't buy it. I know some people buy items to resell (including me). I still want to love and be excited about what I am selling. I can't make things anymore that I wouldn't use in my own home. I mean, I can paint something in a color I don't use, but I am not making signs with cute sayings because I don't love them and don't decorate with them.

I bought these watercolor paintings because I loves them. They aren't great masterpieces, but vintage amateur art makes y heart go pitter-patter. 

These came in new frames, but I could see a signature and date, '72, so I knew they were old. I also could tell their age by the yellowing paper and tape once I got them home.

This painting, a study of vanGogh's Irises, is not old.

Even though this isn't old, I loved the colors and the amateur quality. I can tell from the edges and back that it isn't old. I am not sure why it is double signed, but I liked that too.

To determine if I really love something, I ask myself, "Would I buy this item if it were full price?" I especially apply this question to clothing.

Rule #2 is:

This might seem like the same as rule number one, but there is a difference. There is a lot of stuff out there that I love, but it doesn't fit my style or home. I can appreciate the items that aren't me and leave them for someone else to buy. The exception to this rule is if you are going to resell it. As long as you love it, even if it isn't your style, if you are a reseller you probably want to buy it.

I do not decorate with wildlife art. I still loved and bought this painting entitled Bull. I love the simple style, the Montana wilderness, and the information on the back. I bought it to resell.

I can tell by the handwriting and the back of the canvas board that this art piece is definitely vintage. It was painted in Browning, which is the location of a MT reservation, so I am guessing it was painted by someone from the Blackfeet tribe, which I appreciate.

Vases and glassware are gaining in popularity for thrifters. And even though there are some beautiful vases out there, decorating with them is not my style. I have no desire to try to resell them, so I don't buy them.

Rule #3 is:

I thrift for deals! If I want to pay full price for something I will go to an antique store. Thrift stores have really raised their prices. Some sell used drink bottles for $5! Make sure what you are buying is a price that you are happy with and that you feel you are getting a good deal. If I absolutely love something and it is for me to use in my home, I might be willing to pay a little more. People always ask what something is worth and is it a good price. That varies greatly from place to place. In the antique business we would always say that something is worth what someone is willing to pay.

I love this old oil landscape, it totally can fit in with my home style, AND it was $3.

I can't tell a lot about it, but it is signed on the front, and again with a pen on the back. It is stamped Italy.

And it has an inspected stamp on the back.

If something is beyond repair, stained, ripped, you probably don't want to buy it. And a side note, please don't donate it either. If you couldn't get the stain out, don't expect someone else to either. 

This, what appears to be, original, abstract flower painting met my three criteria: I love it, it fits my style, and it was a good price at $4 and in good condition. (Thankfully the price tag you see in the upper right corner came right off. Why, thrift stores, why??) I did take a picture of it while I was in the thrift store shopping and did a quick google search. Based on what I found and the signature, I might have thrifted a rather valuable piece.

I am still researching, but had this painting not met my first two rules, I wouldn't have bought it. I don't and won't buy something JUST because I think it may be valuable. When trying to look up prices of items, remember to look for SOLD prices, not simply listed. 

Y'all, there are some fabulous finds out there at thrift stores, second-hand shops, and estate and garage sales. Don't get caught up in buying ALL the things by asking yourself the three questions that I use: do I love it, is it my style, is it a good price for its condition? It is okay and even fantastic to leave some wonderful items for other shoppers. 

What I Thrifted & How I Styled It

What activities do you and your partner enjoy doing together? I believe couples need activities and hobbies they share, some individual hobbies, and some that you might do together to support and hang out with each other. Thrifting is one of those things that I love and that my hubby will do with me, although he tires of it quickly and sometimes gets sent to the car to nap while I finish perusing. This past weekend we drove over the mountain to another town to do a little thrifting, wandering, and to have lunch. 

I didn't find anything major or big, and some of the thrift and junk shops have closed since I last shopped there, but we did find some wonderful vintage items at great prices. One such item I bought was this ornate wall shelf (and the creepy, vintage Steiff hedgehog).

When I buy items at a thrift store I am not always sure if I am keeping them to use in my own home or will be reselling them when I get my occasional shop up and running. Often times, I use the items in my home and then decide it is time to pass them on.

The shelf is hand-carved and maybe walnut, definitely vintage (at least 30 years old) and maybe antique (at least 100 years old). The bottom part reminds me a bit of an eagle's tail. I like the black painted parts that add more interest and detail. So, for this thrift store find I decided to use it to fill a spot on my great room gallery wall. I will "sit with it" for a few months and then if I decide it isn't me, I will use it somewhere else or resell it.

To the small shelf I added a brass vase that I bought at the same place as the shelf and a newly planted succulent in a sunny, bright yellow planter that I also thrifted.

This wall space is to the right of my TV. On the left side I have a picture hung lower. On this side I thought I would add a draping, hanging plant to the octagon planter. But, I haven't found one I like so to my eye, there has been a hole in the wall above this chair.

Hanging something with dimension that isn't a flat art piece creates more visual interest. 

The dark wood tone is also eye catching. The shelf style is Victorian so putting a bright yellow pot on it keeps it informal and playful. I love playing and mixing styles like this. Something boho and bright with something Victorian is unexpected.

Everything else you see here is thrifted, except the live plants and the walnut buffet the TV sits on (that was sitting in my garage with a vise grip attached to it). The chair, the fabric the chair is covered in, the pillow, the octagon planter and basket I added to it, the bird screen print above the door, the light, the candlestick, the rug, and the hanging light, and the bench you can spy in the entry, and the art you see are all thrifted! 

There are so many wonderful second-hand finds out there. Take the time to curate objects that you love and try them out in your home. Play with your decor, break the rules, mix styles, and most importantly, have fun!

5 Ways to Style a Wood Bowl That DON'T Scream Farmhouse

I always look for wood bowls at the thrift store and buy them if the price is right and they aren't too damaged. A wood bowl might scream farmhouse decor to some, which is a style I tend to steer away from. But, I think a wood bowl is and can be more of a traditional and classic decor item, it just all depends on how you style it. Wood is warm and adds organic texture and feel to any home style. This recent, large wood bowl (some might call it a small dough bowl) was a definite YES purchase from the thrift store.

The wood bowl needed some clean up before I could use it. I started using very hot water and Dawn dish soap. When it was thoroughly dry, I then scrubbed the bowl with coarse salt and a lemon. This removed some of the stains and scratches, but not all of them.

I then rubbed coconut oil all over the bowl, really working it into the wood. Coconut oil doesn't get rancid nd is of course, food safe. The oil protects the wood and covers more of the bowl's blemishes. Not all of the scratches and spots disappeared which is fine, they help to show the bowl's age and give it character.

Now, if you were going to style the bowl in a farmhouse style, you would probably fill it with white or wicker orbs or maybe gingham or French striped linens. 

Let me show FIVE other ideas that are more contemporary and fit my home style more.

Think about using a wood bowl to display an unconventional collection. 

I love collecting brass candlesticks and like to use them in the winter with candles. Rather than store them away the rest of the year, they create an interesting visual display jumbled together in the large wood bowl.

Using a washed rug as a table runner adds to the funky and fresh table decor. Other fun, weird collections to display in a wood bowl might be used lightbulbs, vintage toys, cream pitchers, vintage silverware, smaller wood bowls, alarm clocks, old cameras. Think of a collection that you might normally arrange on a shelf.

Fill a wood bowl with natural objects for a fresh look. Moss and driftwood bring the outdoors in and creates an organic feel.

The natural elements, a planter full of driftwood, all sitting on a velvety, textural curtain panel table runner create a boho aesthetic.

Corral items in a family room in a wood bowl for a cleaner, less cluttered look.

Books (bird watching books in this case because, yes, I have reached bird watching age), coasters and a small plant gathered in one location on an end table create a cohesive display.

This is a great place to keep remotes too so you know where to find them (as long as you train your family to return them to the bowl).

Create a decorative vignette in a wood bowl and display it on a small wood chair. This one holds a vintage tablecloth,  a brass owl, and alabaster grapes. Owls were all the rage five years ago. They were also popular in the late seventies and early eighties and my parents were owl collectors. I only have this one, but it is a nod to my childhood home.

Decorative objects aren't just for shelves and table tops. Setting them in a bowl on a chair is a surprising and unique way to share favorite finds in a spot that needs a little something.

A bowl of fruit may not be that new, but setting the bowl on a bar is contemporary idea.

Also, place things in the bowl of lemons that you would use with them--a cutting board and knife, a zester and reamer. 

It gives the bowl more interest and makes it more purposeful rather than simply decorative.

Five BONUS wood bowl ideas that I didn't picture include:

1. Fill a wood bowl with loose photos and set on a coffee table for a great conversation starter with guests.

2. Add small, brain teaser puzzles to a wood bowl and set it in a guest bedroom. You can use a rubric's cube, wood shape puzzles, twisted metal brain teasers.

3. Keep a large wood bowl on a counter in the bathroom to hold washcloths, soaps, lotions.

4. Keep small stuffed animals in a wood bowl in a child's space. The wood is warmer and more homey than a plastic storage box.

5. Keep a wood bowl on an entry table or bench for mittens and hats. 

Don't automatically think farmhouse when you see a wood bowl, keep your eyes open for them at the thrift store, and utilize them in a variety of ways in your home.

Vintage Litho Print Upcycle and Adding Art to Bookshelves

The art sections of the thrift stores have been my favorite and first area to visit lately. I love finding vintage, amateur, unique art that speaks to me such as this recent vintage, $2 print from a local thrift store.

It was a little wrinkly and had one small tear in it, but I loved the subject, a woman at the ocean and the soft colors and the price, so I bought it. I did a little research on the artist. Christine Rosamond (1947-1994) was a self-taught, feminist artist who began painting in the early 1970's. She showed her first two paintings in 1972 and soon became the most published artist in the world. 

I used a knife to cut the tape holding the print to the matte.

I was able to see more about this vintage print when I removed it.

I definitely wanted a better frame for this piece and wanted to add texture to it. A 99 cent thrifted frame and a piece of foam core board from another thrift store frame, both from my stash, were just what I needed to elevate this tattered print.

I used spray adhesive to attach the litho to the foam coard boar. Then using matte Mod Podge,

applied with a rough bristled brush,

I added texture and a finish to the print.

I fit it into the frame and hung it on my library bookshelves (which you need to keep reading to see why I hung it here).

It did end up with some wrinkles in it from the mod podge, but I don't mind them. Our lofted library...I have a love/hate relationship with this space. Here is a view of it from my kitchen:

Things I love about it: BOOKS, especially the hardback, older ones, the puzzle able, the view out the windows, the original windows, the shelves for display, great place for plants. 

Things I do not like: the blue/grey flat carpet, the railing, the short and shallow bookshelves built specifically for a certain sized paperback books, all of the paperback books, the windows are sealed shut. The previous owners were avid readers and left all of the paperbacks. We are readers, not necessarily the same genre. I also prefer hardback books--the look nicer. I am slowly getting rid of the paperbacks we will not read and adding vintage hardbacked books and books we have read.

The problem is these books are often taller and wider than what the shelves were made for so they have to be stacked and they hang over the edge. I will take a saw (because they are built oddly and will need to be sawed away) to some of the shelves some day. They are busy with my little collections, and I don't love that. Hanging art over the books helps to hide some of the paperbacks.

I could turn all of the paperback books around as some people do. But, I am not a huge fan of that look because it says, "Hey, we don't really read books at all so we don't need to see the spine to see the title." I plan to add more portrait art to the shelves.

I do love the warmth and organic feel that this frame gives to the library shelves. 

I like how a larger piece of art breaks up all of the small things on the shelves.

And while this lofted library space is definitely a work in progress, I am okay making and adding small changes over time.

 Do you have a space in your home that you aren't happy with? Do what you can gradually. Oh, and remember thrift store art is a great way to curate art for your home.