Welcome and I am so glad you’re here. Today is the next installment of the THRIFTED GOODIES series! If you enjoy thrift shopping and love the thrill of the hunt, then this post is for you. I often share how I build my table top repertoire with thrifted pieces. Today I’m sharing a thrifted Fall garden table setting, which is full of charm and interest, but does not cost a fortune. Please come on in and join me in the garden.
If you are new around here, welcome! I am so glad you are here today, and I hope you enjoy yourself. Drop me a comment down below and introduce yourself. I love hearing from you.
The Thrifted Goodies series consists of monthly posts where my friend, Rachel, from the Antiqued Journey, and I share thrift store intel. Topics might include particular finds, tips, techniques, up-cycles, stylings and general advice about thrift shopping mostly for home decor in general.
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All About the Thrifted Goodies Series
Let me briefly review what the Thrifted Goodies series is all about. As I mentioned, Rachel, from The Antiqued Journey and I share thrift shopping related posts each and every month. For example, today I am sharing how to set a table with thrifted pieces. The table has a Fall theme and is set in the garden with carefully curated and charming vintage pieces from thrift shopping excursions.
Rachel is sharing all about thrifted finds for the Fall season. She always finds the most amaZing pieces! You don’t want to miss her latest post and if you don’t know Rachel yet, when you are done here, head over to visit Rachel and introduce yourself, while you check out her new post all about thrifted fall decor on a budget.
You can also find Rachel in her other spaces; give her a follow:
Building a Thrifted Table Top Repertoire
I enjoy thrifting for my home goods, which brings me joy and satisfaction. It’s good for the pocket book, it’s good for the environment and I’m here to show you how it’s good for the soul. Through the years, I have collected dishes and candlesticks, and many other pieces, which grace our table designs.
The Inspiration behind the Thrifted Fall Garden Table
The inspiration for this table started with these pretty floral plates. I found these way back a few months ago in the springtime. The bread and butter plates at the top of the plate stack are Lenox from the same collection as our wedding registry china. What I loved about our wedding china, when we selected it way back when, was the combination of the classic Lenox creamy finish with the white detailing on the rims. The lace detail on each plate is slightly different, which also appealed to me. You can see it in the photo below.
The Lenox Temple collection is characterized by the fluted edges. The pattern on these thrifted plates is called Temple Blossom. There were an assortment of plates in this pattern at our local thrift store, but not a full collection. A handful of dinner plates, some accent plates, and these two bread and butter dishes were stacked on the shelf. If I remember correctly, there might have been some serving pieces as well. I’m very deliberate about the dishes I thrift and decided on just the small plates.
My Name is MaryJo, and I’m a Dishaholic
Although I wanted to bring all the plates home, I am always cognizant of how and where I will store said dishes, plus how I will use them. These small bread and butter plates are great accent pieces I can integrate into my decor and use for an intimate dinner setting like this. I only really thrift dishes we will use or that I have a specific project for the blog. I knew I wanted to set a fall table with these, and here we are.
Thrifting Pro Tip: Always have a list of makers and brands, which you collect and interest you. This way when you see the familiar marking on the back you know to put it into your shopping basket for consideration.
All the Details about the Thrifted Fall Garden Table Styling
Plate Stack
- Distressed Cream Plate Charger (Hobby Lobby)
- Lenox Citation Lace Dinner plate (wedding registry)
- Vintage Lace Napkin (inherited)
- Limoge Accent Plate (thrifted)
- Lenox Temple Blossom Bread and Butter Plate (thrifted)
Mixing and matching plate patterns is always a favorite around here. I love how our wedding china dinner plate coordinates with the other plates, which were both thrifted. If you seek out and select pieces that speak to you, chances are they have a certain look which is your personal style. If you stay true to your style, pieces will coordinate and play nice with each other.
Place Setting
- Assorted Silver Flatware (thrifted)
- French Style glass Goblets (thrifted)
Glassware and silver are on my ongoing list to check at secondhand spots. These glasses are fabulous for outdoor use since they are heavier in weight. This silverware is an example of pieces I bought specifically for styling tables. Unlike all the other flatware I share here in table designs, we do not use the vintage thrifted silverware in its practical manner. I’ve been lucky to find pieces under a dollar, anywhere from 25cents and up.
Thrifting Pro Tip: Make a list of items you would like to find while thrifting on your phone, and you will always have the list with you whenever you pop into a thrift. Update the list regularly as you find treasures and seek others. Have fun!
Centerpiece
- Vintage Lace Tablecloth (inherited)
- Assorted Brass Candlesticks (thrifted)
- Green Metal Bucket (thrifted)
- Limelight Hydrangeas (back yard)
- Floral Limoges Plate (thrifted)
- Vintage Butter Pats (antique store)
- DIY Brass and Vintage Plate Pedestal (thrifted)
- Dried Roses
The floral green metal bucket is one of my most recent finds, and I will be sharing it in more detail in a subsequent post. The assorted brass candlesticks have been curated over several years. The matching pair in the background are the most recent find, which I was happy to find at a reasonable price. Brass candlesticks have eluded me and when I do spy them they tend to be above my price threshold. The small candlestick I found years ago before the brass movement took over, and I created a pedestal plate with a vintage dish. I sold many of these vintage creations back in the day. I hope to share a post about making these fabulous accent pieces for your own home as well.
Thrifting Pro Tip: Look at thrift store finds while thinking outside the box. Sometimes you like an item, but don’t need to use it for its intended purpose. Make it yours!
Closing Thoughts About the Thrifted Fall Garden Table
If you look at all the table top wares on this styling, you will see that half of the items are thrifted. I love that! I love buying table top pieces in regular stores as much as the next guy, but there’s something incredibly gratifying to find pieces at a thrift. The items tend to be more unique and immensely cheaper. To give you a point of reference, I paid $4 for the Lenox Temple Blossom bread & butter plates, while they are listed for 12- on replacements.com. That’s a huge difference! AND I thought the $4 price was a bit steep at the thrift store, but since it matched my personal china, there was a level of commitment where I was willing to go higher.
Funny thing is, the floral Limoges plate in the centerpiece was priced at $2, which I purchased at the same time as the Lenox plates. Even the nice lady volunteer who checked me out at the thrift store wondered why the Limoges plate wasn’t priced higher than the other plates since they were smaller and didn’t have gold detailing. I agreed with her, but that’s the thing about thrifting. The pricing is at the discretion and knowledge of whoever is in the back, determining prices.
Anyway, I loved how the flower colors coordinated on both designs. I wondered if they were donated by the same person and if they displayed them together? Do you ever wonder about the folks who owned the stuff before? Regardless, these floral dishes look better on this table styling than I imagined. I will probably display them together again and again. I love the muted Fall-ish colors, but I could see using them in springtime as well.
Closing Thoughts About Thrifting in General
Thrifting is a Thing
Thrifting is on trend now and has become a whole thing or movement or whatever. Unfortunately, it has affected pricing and demand. I have enjoyed it since I was young. Although when I was younger, I focused on vintage jewelry and accessories and some garments, but through the years I migrated to mostly home accessories now. Below are most of my latest scores. I actually have plans for all these fun pieces and of course I will be sharing with you all here.
Thrifting Sale
The bulk of the stuff is actually from a vintage sale at our local Hospice shops from last weekend. I shared about this when I first discovered the annual sale here {vintage thrifting – tips & tricks}. The thing is, back when it started, it was an actual sale, where vintage items were reduced in price. This time around, it was a craZy scene! I showed up 15 minutes early so I could park, be prepared physically with my MS, etc. Well, there was already a line about 20 people deep. Not terrible, but by the time those 15 minutes were up, the line was pretty long behind me.
Once they opened the doors they just let everyone in! Oh goodness. No social distancing here. Lol. I had already scouted out the store a few days before and had spied some of the things I was interested in. You see, they had merchandised the vintage wares over the prior 7-10 day period and had it cordoned off, but you could still see in. I found the pieces I had my eye on, and then some. The problem was, there was no reduced, “sale” pricing on anything and the marked prices were spicy to say the least. I picked up an 8-9″ copper bowl, which was priced at $60. What? It went back on the shelf. Milk glass bud vases were $10!?! I remember when you could find them for $1-2. Yup, thrifting is having its moment.
Thrifting Fever
Many of the more aggressive shoppers, I believe, were resellers and were looking things up on their phone, etc. And…I get all that. It’s their hustle and good for them. Me? I just wanted some pretties for my home. I actually went back on Monday when the sale was over to see if some of the stuff I left behind was still there and you know what? Much of it was! Remember what I said about that spicy pricing? Anyway, I have another thrifting post coming your way soon where I will go more in depth on all of this, since this post is plenty long as it is. Until then, I hope you find some treasures of your own.
Thank you for being here today, and please hop over and visit my thrifty friend Rachel at The Antiqued Journey for more Fall thrift finds.
Shopping the Thrifted Table Look
- Lenox Pearl Innocence China
- Lenox Castle Garden Accent Plate
- Lenox Spring Vista Gold Banded Salad Plate
- Limoges Gold Medallion Salad Plates
- French Style Glass Goblets
- La Rochere Glasses
- Wallace Assorted Hotel Flatware
- Lace Trimmed Napkins
- Vintage Brass Candlesticks
- Brass Candlestick Set
- Green Metal Floral Bucket
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Collect things you love, that are authentic to you, and your house becomes your story.”
Ern Flett