3 Favorite Thrifted Finds and How You Can Easily Decorate Them

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(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)

Thrifted finds are always so fun to decorate with!  Check out 3 of my favorite recent finds and how I style them in our home for everyday decor!  And make sure to check out all of the Thrifting With the Gals posts today too!  There are some fun finds and inspiration!

First of all, welcome to Thrifting with the Gals!  This is one of my favorite blog posts to write each month because

  • I love using thrifted finds in our home, and
  • These ladies find the most amazing things and I’m always inspired!

You will love checking out all of their posts to see their thrifted finds, DIY ideas, and styling tips for home decor!

Ann from Dabbling and Decorating

Rachel from The Pond’s Farmhouse

Kristin from White Arrows Home

Our guest host this month is Renae at Peacock Ridge Farm!  Her blog is full of fun inspiration and some great thrifted finds today too!

Living in South Florida, our thrifting, flea markets, and vintage markets are a little different than my northern friends!  Sometimes, you have to look a little harder to find great vintage pieces (especially for good deals) but the upside is that it is so exciting when you find something fun!

Three times a year, we drive about 3 hours to Mt. Dora, Florida, to the Renniger’s Antiques Extravaganza.  There are several acres of vintage and antiques dealers out in the fields, as well as some great vendors in the antique mall and adjoining shops.

Sometimes we come back with a trailer of goodies and sometimes just a few things.  But we always have a great time!  Plus, it’s a perfect excuse to get away for a weekend and spend time together!

Our January trip was one of those where we didn’t find a ton of things, but I absolutely love what we did find and I even found one thing on my “unicorn list”.  (Meaning, something that’s always on my list but seemingly impossible to find!)

I didn’t waste much time getting these special pieces cleaned up and styled.  Today, I’m excited to share them with you!  I hope it inspires you to keep thrifting, because you just never know when you’ll walk around the corner and find your dream piece!

Here’s a little loot shoot picture of what we did find!  There are some fun DIY’s coming up in this pile and a few things headed to market!

Favorite Thrifted Find #3:

Thrifted finds that can be functional, like ironstone molds!

It is always exciting to find ironstone for a great deal.  Ironstone molds, however, are almost expensive and since I don’t necessarily collect them, I’m just not willing to pay the price they are really worth!  I do love the ironstone molds, though, so I was excited to find one on this trip!

The vendor had a price tag of $18 on it, which was already an amazing deal.  This particular mold is a little larger and I don’t usually see this size for under $50!  She offered it to me at $15 and I didn’t hesitate for a second!

I love the crazing and patina on this one and it is in really great condition too!  Ironstone molds can be styled in different ways and look so pretty to add some extra shape and texture to any display or vignette.  Here are a few ways that I love to style ironstone molds:

Ironstone mold with a candle

I love to use a battery-operated pillar candle (these are good ones!) and a little sprig of greenery in my larger ironstone molds.  I love how it turns thrifted finds into a pretty, functional piece.

And yes, candles are definitely functional. ????

Ironstone mold by the kitchen sink

I like to keep a sponge and brush by my kitchen sink, but they aren’t necessarily pretty!  I use one of my smaller ironstone molds to keep these functional items in a convenient spot and looking pretty too!

Ironstone mold on a shelf

You don’t have to put anything in an ironstone mold for it to look pretty!  I love to incorporate them into my dining room shelf styling.  They add beautiful shape, texture, and character, while mixing in perfectly with my white dishes and other ironstone pieces!

I found a few online in case you want one too!  I’ll link them HERE, HERE, and HERE!

Favorite Thrifted Finds #2

Thrifted finds that are the “real deal”.

One thing about thrifting and going to multi-vendor markets is to get to know the dealers!  When you can, take time to stop and chat.  Mostly, it just makes the whole experience fun and personal.  I have also been able to get pieces by contacting vendors when I’m on the hunt for something in particular.  It really can pay to get to know them a little!

We love when this particular vendor is at Renniger’s.  He is from France and we have so much fun chatting with him about my love for vintage French pieces!  He always has great pieces and it is fun to see the “real deal” items from his containers.

He usually brings leftover pieces and things he is ready to unload…my favorite kind of thrifted finds to dig through because the prices are amazing!  I especially loved a stack of vintage mirrors he had.  For $40 each, I wanted to buy the entire pile!

They were huge with perfectly chippy gold frames and evidence of age on the glass.  Think of the mirrors that inspired the popular Anthropologie mirrors…for only $40 each.  I showed GREAT restraint and only purchased one! ????

After cleaning it up at home, I styled it in my bedroom over a cabinet.  I love using mirrors and empty frames, layering them for texture and character.  I added some vintage brass candlesticks and my favorite flameless taper candles in front.  The mirror reflects the candlelight, making the whole vignette look extra cozy and adding a beautiful glow to my room in the evenings!

Mirrors are one of my favorite things to thrift for.  I’ll have to tell you about my antique oval mirrors sometime…they are a whole post of their own! ????

In case you need a mirror and aren’t coming across a thrifted one, I’ll link some vintage-inspired mirrors for you. These definitely all have that vintage French feel!

This smaller one is perfect for layering or using in a gallery wall.

This medium one has more clean lines and is perfect to balance out more ornate vintage pieces!

These are just gorgeous.  They are definitely timeless pieces that will blend with many different home decor styles and trends!  They do come in different sizes, so you can choose what works best for your space.  Even though they are an investment, they are beautiful pieces that you can enjoy for many years!

Favorite Thrifted Finds #3

This basket has to be on the list of one of my top thrifted finds ever!

No doubt, this vintage French harvesting basket, most likely used for grapes, is one of my favorite thrifted finds ever!  I found this in the actual antique mall part of Renniger’s and because of the Extravaganza, the vendor had 50% off many items.  I count a 50% off sale at an antique mall to be a thrifted find for sure!????

I love investing in vintage finds that are so timeless.  Can you think of an era when baskets weren’t part of homes, whether for practical function or decor?  I can’t!

While we won’t be harvesting any grapes here in South Florida, I do think this basket is making the perfect centerpiece and focal point for my early spring mantel and gallery wall decor!

I will probably add some spring flowers later on on the season, but to ease the transition from winter to early spring decor, I clipped a few branches from my yard (yay for free decor!).

These particular branches will last quite awhile since they are in a place where they won’t get bumped or touched.  A little later in the season, I can just add some touches of spring color with flowers!

I also love investing in vintage pieces that can be used year round!  A basket like this will be beautiful with fall stems or overflowing with dried gourds for fall, filled with pine branches for Christmas and winter, or a vessel for summer palms.

Rather than spending my decor budget on a lot of seasonal decor items, I prefer (as much as possible) to hunt for vintage pieces that I can style in many different ways for all the seasons!

I think this basket is going to be a lot of fun and you’ll definitely be seeing it a lot around our home!!!

For now, it’s bringing some life into this space with green leafy branches and anchoring a simple gallery wall that can grow into the spring season!

I was blessed to find my basket for such a great deal.  I did find one online (so someone hurry!  I don’t always see them available!) and will link it HERE in case you’re interested!  Even with the shipping, it’s still a very reasonable price!

I’ll link some other vintage harvesting-style vessels HERE, HERE, and HERE.  Though they are different than mine, they could give the same look!

Since every thrifting adventure is different, you probably won’t find these exact pieces.  But I hope this post inspires you as you style thrifted items around your own home.  Most of all, I hope it inspires you to just have fun thrifting, even on the trips when you don’t find anything!

You definitely will find some great thrifting inspiration from the other Thrifting with the Gals bloggers today, so make sure to check those out at the links below, starting with our guest host Renae and her amazing vintage finds!

Kristin – White Arrows Home

I’d love for you to follow me on social media!  You can find my home decor inspiration on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook!  

Blessings,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.  Posts on Robyn’s French Nest may contain affiliate links. You can see our full disclosure details here.)

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