Top 5 Items to Look for When Thrifting

Sonya
by Sonya

If you know me then you know that I love thrifting for my home. Recently I had the opportunity to be a guest of thrifting with the gals and wanted to share my top 5 items to look for when thrifting.


You may be wondering what thrifting with the gals is.


Once a week a group of gals get together on instagram and share in stories their thrifting hauls and adventures.


It is such a fun way to see what there is in other states and the fun and unique things they find.


This is such an amazing group of ladies and I am so honored to have been a guest participant in their blog hop as well.


Thrifting


Thrifting is a great way to shop for various reasons.


It is a great way to find solid wood furniture, unusual pieces and unique things to add to your home.


I love repurposing and bringing back to life things that others have gotten rid of.


Usually I will have an idea of the things I need for my home or items I would like to find.


When I go thrifting there are 5 things I always look for when I am out.


Top 5 items

I look for many things when thrifting, but these happen to be my top 5 items.


  • mirrors
  • furniture
  • pottery
  • blue and white dishes and accessories
  • architectural salvage


These 5 items are things that I always look for when I am out thrifting.


I want to break down each item individually and share some great pieces I have thrifted for each.


Thrifted mirrors


Mirrors are a great thrifted item to bring into your home.


They are a great way to reflect light in a dark space and bring in texture and interest.


I have seen some gorgeous mirrors while out thrifting and think they are a great way to get a vintage piece at a great price.


Often times these mirrors are made of wood and are very heavy.


This beautiful thrifted mirror was an awesome find for $50.

thrifted wood ornate mirror over mant

That may seem high, but this mirror is very ornate, in great shape and super heavy.


What I really love is that is an unusual shape and it is not something you will see in everyone else’s home.


Finding unique pieces out thrifting is one of the many great reasons to thrift.


It gives our space a unique look much like a great piece of furniture.


Speaking of furniture, that is another thing I always look at when thrifting.


Thrifted furniture


I am always amazed at the furniture I find in thrift stores.


Many of the pieces I have found out thrifting have been in great condition, though I have seen some that were not in great shape.


One tip is to look past the initial appearance of a piece.


If it is in great shape the cosmetic look can be changed so easily with paint or stripping.


Be sure to carry with you measurements of spaces that you are looking for furniture for and imagine a particular piece in your home.


Here are a few examples of great pieces of furniture I have found out thrifting.

Room with thrifted settee, chair, pillow and nightstand

These pieces are great quality and value for our home, they have already stood the test of time and have many years of life left in them.


After looking through mirrors and furniture I love going through the dishes and decor items.


Thrifting for blue and white items


Blue and white dishes and accessories are one of my all time favorite items to thrift for.


I always search for pieces when I am out because you never know what you will find.


Typically I find bits and pieces of blue and white ironstone, but I have seen complete sets a few times.


Recently in my area blue and white dishes are becoming harder and harder to find, but I continue to look.


There have been a few times that I have found some great blue and white dishes and accessories for the kitchen.


You can see how I have used those pieces here.

thrifted German stoneware
thrifted blue and white ironstone and stoneware in hutch
vintage blue and white liquor decanter

You can see in the photos that each piece brings a unique feel to my home decor and shelf styling.


The possibility for use of blue and white dishes and decor are endless.


They make great shelf styling pieces and can be used for various things other than their original intended use.


I also have a love for pottery, especially when it is blue.


Thrifted pottery pieces


Growing up near Seagrove, NC the pottery capital of the south, I have always loved pottery.


Pottery pieces are not as easy to come by in thrift stores but I have found some great pieces at my favorite Haven Home thrift store.


Recently when doing thrifting with the gals I found an amazing piece of pottery.

Bennington Vermont pottery

These amazing mugs from Bennington, Vermont.


I just loved that they have the two finger holes which is so unusual.

Bennington Vermont pottery stamp

At first I only purchased one but loved it so much I went back the next day and purchased another one.


It is so neat to me that those mugs from Vermont ended up here in North Carolina.


My friend Ann who has a home in Vermont could not believe I found those here at my thrift store.


Just goes to show you never know what you can find, and where it originated from.


Last but not least is another love of mine, architectural salvage.


Architectural items


Interesting wood architectural pieces are another of my favorite items to shop for when thrifting.

architectural salvage piece over window

It is such a great way to add texture and interest to a builder grade home.


I prefer to search for pieces that are broken or need some tweaking.


Pieces that can be altered just a bit and used over doorways and windows to create interest.


I have found some amazing pieces over the years and one piece was actually found out by the trash behind a local thrift store.

wood piece over door frame found in trash

It is amazing to me that someone felt this beautiful piece that was in perfect condition was trash.


This is hands down one of my favorite of the top 5 items to look for when thrifting.


I love trying to figure out what the piece once was or how it was originally used.


Thrifted pieces has a history and story to them and I love that.


If you are looking for more on thrifting read here and here for where to look for item.


I would love to know what your favorite items to thrift for are.


Be sure to visit Kristin next on the blog hop at White Arrows Home and the other thrifting gals below.

Dabbling & Decorating
The Ponds Farmhouse
French Creek Farmhouse
Bricks N’ Blooms
White Arrows Home

Till next time

Xoxo

Sonya

Sonya
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  • Thao71 Thao71 on Aug 02, 2022

    I'm tearing up.

  • Cheryl Cheryl on Feb 28, 2023

    Thank you for the pictures which are BEST use of your type of post.

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