Thrifting in the New Year: What I Thrifted vs. How I Styled It

Do you enjoy thrifting or consider yourself a thrifter? If you answered yes to either or both of those questions, then you’ll enjoy this post. I’m an avid thrifter and love to layer my home with found treasures. Today I am sharing my first hauls of the new year with ideas on how to style them. Join me as I share what I thrifted vs. how I styled it. If you’re not a thrifter, I hope to convert you after this post.

Welcome. It’s the next installment of the Thrifted Goodies series and the first installment for the new year. If you enjoy thrift shopping and love the thrill of the hunt, then this post is for you.  Thrift stores are a wonderful resource for so many things and provide so much character and charm to home interiors.

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All About the Thrifted Goodies Series

For today’s post I am sharing recent thrift finds, what I paid for them and how I’m styling them. Thrifting is an adventure, which yields unexpected and unique results. All these thrifted goodies can look like high end vintage decor, if styled and accessorized the right way.

Rachel is talking all about how thrifting is an eco friendly practice. You don’t want to miss her latest post. When you are done here and if you don’t know Rachel yet, head over for a visit. Introduce yourself, while you check out her thrifting eco friendly practices post.

You can also find Rachel in her other spaces; give her a follow:

If you are coming over from Rachel’s place, 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 would love to hear from you.

The New Year is the Best Time for Thrifting According to Experts

January is a great time to thrift shop whether you are just starting out or a seasoned aficionado. The new year is always a good time to shop second hand destinations since there’s a new wave of treasures to be found as folks purge their homes. The thrifting community has identified that there’s a surge in inventory in January.

As folks are decluttering and organizing their homes in the new year, they might be letting go of that long coveted item on your list. It’s time for all the thrifters to get out there and score big! Shop early, and be on the look out for an amazing find at a reasonable price. Like they say “one man’s trash, is another man’s treasure.”

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!

New Thrift Finds

Today I am sharing my treasures, including what I thrifted and how I styled it. Many times I know exactly how I want to use found items and other times, I just like them and know inspiration will hit eventually. If you are dialed into your personal style then your selections should compliment and match your interior design aesthetic.

Basket Tray

Baskets are always in abundance at thrifts and the best part is that they are regularly reasonably priced. This particular basket tray is about 12-inches in diameter with handles and it only cost $2.25. My favorite part, and why I picked it up is the color. It’s the weathered driftwood finish which I love. I shared a post years ago where I upcycled a few different baskets to have this particular “look”.

Basket are super versatile, which can meet a variety of needs in our homes. This particular piece can fit many of those uses, including decorative, organizational, practical and more. Right now I styled it as a base for a seasonal cloche. I will also be using it to serve bread or crackers with a pretty vintage linen when we entertain. It would also be great on a front door table to coral keys, sunglasses and more with style.

Cloth Napkins

Thrifts are a great resource for tables linens, and I am especially drawn to vintage pieces. There are napkins, runners and tablecloths in abundance. When I saw these napkins I was drawn to them because of their yellow color, but truth be told I don’t need anymore cloth napkins. I had my sidekick with me, Miss M, on this particular excursion and she liked them too. Then we saw the tag and it was Max Studio. It sealed the deal for us.

Are you familiar with Max Studio? Well, back in the day I bought their couture and baby girl has some of their home decor accessories in her room at college. We love the brand and we had just been discussing how we didn’t think they were around anymore. And here we are.

The napkins were merchandised in sets of four for $3.5O for the set. That’s less than a dollar per napkin. Well both sets came home with me. A table scape later in the year will honor these pretties. Yellow is a perfect spring color and I already planned a table display with these napkins in mind.

Thrifting Pro Tip: Know your makers and brands so you can identify a fabulous find immediately. Knowing about brands and makers helps in determining fair pricing. Certain makers warrant a higher price point than others, so it’s good practice to be aware and knowledgeable. 

Copper Tea Pot

Ahhhh, copper; it’s always a favorite with that French country flair. I think I picked up and put this tea pot down like three time in the store. It wasn’t because I didn’t like it, but more because of the price tag. It cost $14 and it was definetly a splurge for me. I’m very cheap with my thrifting expenditures. lol. But since I haven’t thrifted for a long time I went for it, and I’m glad I did. It’s the only item I purchased that day and I could have easily walked away, but I didn’t. Always listen to those thrifting voices in you head.

The pot is made in Portugal, has the cutest profile and is accented with brass and wood. Say no more, really. The lady at the store kept telling me all the good properties of copper and how she uses hers all the time. When I told her I was going to use it for decorative purposes, she insisted I use it for tea. And maybe one day I’ll take her up on it, but for today it holds flowers and looks gorgeous. You will see it soon again in a dedicated styling.

Side Note: After coming home and researching copper tea pots | kettles on-line, I’m super happy I picked it up. In retrospect maybe $14 was not too much. Always trust your gut.

Vintage Book

Vintage books is something I always look for at thrift stores. I love the crusty spines and gold foil details and weathered pages, but truth be told I have curate many, many vintage books through the years. Maybe too many if I dare say, but this little guy grabbed me for a few reasons. It is green. It’s diminutive. It is unique. A Shakespearean birthday book!?!? What in the magical literary world is this drama? Needless to say it came home with me AND it was half off. I would have paid the full $3, but it came home with me for $1.50.

Vintage books add charm, culture and drama to home interiors. Not only are they pretty all on their own, but they serve practical purposes as well as decor risers or fillers in stylings. I look for different themed books to match seasons, whether by color or title. History topics are great for patriotic decor or gardening books are great for summer stylings. This little charmer ended in my winter birdcage decor vignette which I shared the other day.

Potted Topiary

It’s no secret I love topiaries, whether real or faux or DIYed. Many of the topiary pieces I find at thrifts are many times in really sad shape, but this little guy is cute and well groomed. After a proper examination and noting the $2.50 price tag it quickly jumped into my cart. Although there were a few details I wasn’t loving, I knew I could work with it.

I’m not crazy about the base, but at the store I just figured I could tuck into another container. Well, the square shape proved to be difficult to fit properly in all the pieces I tried. So… I pivoted and used my trusty sheet music and simply wrapped the pot to camouflage until I find a more permanent solution. I also wasn’t loving the obvious faux look. Personally I prefer naturally preserved elements or moss or something more organic. An ivory crushed velvet ribbon soften the look and gave it a bit of charisma.

Thrifting Pro Tip: Look at the potential of an item beyond its current state or condition. Items can be altered, up-cycled and recreated with TLC, elevating them to a trend forward piece.

Valentine’s Day Decor

Thrifts are a great destination for seasonal decor on the cheap, which is unique and not mass produced generic decor. A grapevine heart, a brass heart dish and needle stitch linen are perfect for Valentine’s decor. The pieces all cost $3.50, $5.50 and $1.00 respectively. Although I found the hearts to be overpriced (I told you I’m cheap), they carried other value for me.

Brass is one of the things on my thrifting list right now and I’m growing my collection, which you can see in the picture below. The heart dish is perfect for a decor vignette, but it’s a great trinket dish for jewelry or coins and it would be a great soap dish in a powder room too. I suspect this will end up in little Miss M’s room, which I’m ok with since she’s my thrifty partner in crime. The little linen has the perfect amount of pink and red for me to honor the holiday of love. The grapevine heart ended up in the foyer with the Valentine’s vignette I shared the other day here. It’s the perfect base for a craft decor project next year.

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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

Thrifty finds create a signature style for any home, which can’t be replicated. Thrifting is a fun treasure hunt for adults and a secret weapon for interior designers and vintage store owners. I lean into thrifting to provide fresh and unique pieces for our home. Thrift pieces are sustainable, used throughout the seasons and curates a collected home.

Thrifted goodies will give your home a timeless and unique vibe. Don’t forget to hop over and visit my thrifty friend Rachel @ The Antiqued Journey for more thrifting inspiration. Thank you for being here today and may the Thrifting Gods be ever in your favor. Au revoir!

Shop the Look

• Tea Lover’s Copper Teapot, Heavy Gauge 1mm Thick Hammered Solid Copper
• Cloth Napkins 100% Cotton Set of 4 Reusable Napkins, Indian Block Print Toile Floral Dinner Napkin, Soft Absorbent Napkin, 18″x18″ Yellow Flower
• Trellis 100% Cotton Set of 6 Table Napkins for Dining Table Kitchen Wedding Everyday Use Dinner Parties (20×20 inch, Yellow, Hand Block Printed)
• Natural Seagrass Scalloped Tray, Woven Coffee Table Tray with Handles, Round Wicker Decorative Serving Scalloped Trays for Home Decor
• Decorative Hammered Brass Heart Shaped Dish
• Small Gold Heart Shaped Jewelry Gift Box with Etched Design – Brass Color Decorative Trinket Keepsake Box
• 1 PC Natural Grapevine Heart Wreath|Easter Home Decor | Natural Rattan Wreath | Wedding Wreath, 8 Inch
• Natural Grapevine Wreath Heart Shape Rustic DIY Wreath Crafts Base for Christmas Wreath Door Garland Wedding Party Home Decoration Hanging Wreath 8 inches

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To select well among old things is almost equal to inventing new ones.” 

Nicolas Charles Trublet

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sharing @ between naps on the porch