Socially Distanced Thrifting.

Socially Distanced thrifting during a pandemic has become a thing. For me anyway.

I posted this picture in one of my early posts containing a few thoughts and observations about our Pandemic experience. 

All very non-political or containing any blame. I'm not about that.

But this picture got a lot of feedback - 

While going to Goodwill and other favorite thrift stores is not essential a lot of us missed it! 

We are on Week 17 here and while many things have opened we must continue to be abundantly cautious. So we are at home 99.999999% of the time :)

For that reason we have worked very hard in our backyard on projects and improvements to make spending our Summer at home more enjoyable. 

One thing I wanted was a lounge chair to go beside our stock tank pool

 (which I call The Bucket.)

I wanted something other than a folding metal beach lounger if possible. I really wanted wrought iron and vintage was preferable. That's what I like and the new ones were shockingly expensive and then you need a big, thick cushion. Also a bit pricey. 

But by late April I thought I could make a FB marketplace transaction be safe if I wore a mask and we put the cash in a baggie and left it in the mailbox or somewhere like that for the seller.  I scrolled through FBM constantly. Let's face it, I had time, and then finally in May these popped up!! I didn't even try to bargain. She was 15 minutes from the house and so we jumped in the truck and headed to pick them up. And it was TWO for $50.00!! Yay!

When we arrived her husband came out and chatted from a distance! We were masked and safely apart. I'm so glad he came out. He told us that his wife's father had been a Master Welder and had made these two lounge chairs for her decades ago!! I love them even more. They are not exactly identical because they are handmade

 but they are soooo well made and sturdy.

So the next step was to find new cushions. I had shared on IG that the "color scheme" of the pandemic (for us) had been dark green and white because that's the paint I had on hand when the lock down began. We already had a lot of our outdoor furniture painted a dark green because 

I am from Charleston and it's in my DNA to paint outdoor and porch furniture dark green.

 I can't help it!!

So I, of course, wanted green and white striped outdoor cushions. 

Sounds easy, right? Not so much. 

But after diligent searching online I found an excellent price for Sunbrella chaise cushions through walmart.com. 

I read the descriptions and measurements on other sites where the green and white striped Sunbrella cushions were $249.00 and $198.00. The descriptions matched exactly, were Sunbrella brand like the others and were under $100.00 with free shipping and returns. 

I figured it was worth a try.  

They are so nice, thick cushioned, and perfect green and white striped Sunbrella fabric!

(The dappled light makes funny looking shadows on the cushions - there isn't anything wrong with them! In fact, they are fabulous and I've already spot cleaned one and it looks brand new!)

I have made another masked, socially distanced Facebook Marketplace purchase since this one!

 I'll share soon. 

A Spot of Christmas Green

I have a new little spot in my garden area. 

I started this project a few months ago but it's just now all coming together

 so I gave it a little Christmas touch!

I had a bunch of bricks that I saved from a patio demo 

when we installed The Bucket this Summer.

The hutch is one that had been shuffled into the back of a storage area. 

I thought a coat of SW Lounge Green (which is the same color our porch floors are)

 would liven things up!

 No playing favorites here - we use ALL the plaid ribbons!

The twinkle lights are staying up year round (duh!)

 I look forward to how handy it will be this Spring.

But for now it has a holiday feel. 

Everything I Know About Thrifting - What and How?

What to buy? What is "worth it?"

What will I find?

How do you find great items?
How do I find great items!!?!

All good questions.

 So the series continues...

(And be sure to catch up on the first two parts of this series here and here.)

I know thrifters who look for very specific items 

and others who just look to see what catches their eye.

 Some buy for resale and some buy for their own use. 

Some look for hours, some take quick looks and are content knowing they may miss something but that's all the time they have.

I'm right there in the middle. 

(Mollie on a particularly good thrifting day!!)

I think I have a fairly specific look in my house, have favorite items that I like to use to decorate with and I have a "wish list" in my mind as well.

Sure,  occasionally I do find something kind of  'different' from my norm

 that I like it or it has potential - but rarely do I stray from my look.
That makes looking for what I thrift easy to narrow down.

So you have to decide if you just want to thrift for, say,

 dishes or blue and white Chinoiserie pieces. 

Then you simply take a spin through the thrift store looking at those items. 

If you are just looking for something to inspire you or you are starting from scratch

then you are going to need to go row by row.

As I said, I fall somewhere in the middle.

So, generally speaking, this is what I do:

1.I walk in and get a cart. Do NOT be the person who misses something because they had to run get a cart. Not everywhere has 2 part tags or allows you to remove tags. Sometimes possession of the item is it!

2. I take a quick "overview" of the store. I like to scan the top of the shelves and the lamps up high. (I'm now on a self-imposed lamp purchasing moratorium but this is how I spot great lamps!) When I was searching for globes I found 90% of them on my first quick scan at GW.

3. Then I often go to the furniture section first to see if there is big item I'm interested in. 

I have found so many pieces in my home sitting in the big blue tape square at Goodwill. 

But remember when I said I don't always find something? 

This is what greeted me this week ... not a single furniture item in the entire store! 

4. Next I start down the rows. I take a quick glance and see if the things I'm looking for catch my eye. If I think I'm interested I put it in my cart. If I find something else a few rows later then I return my item to the shelf/area it came from so someone else will enjoy finding a treasure. I feel like this is good thrifter etiquette. 

5. And if I have time I do this - It's kind of my "secret technique" and I've found some great stuff this way -  I simply turn a round and run back through the aisles in the opposite direction. I am amazed at what catches my eye when I'm looking from the opposite direction! (And people sometimes set things down while they are looking - see #4!)

6. That's it. I basically can do this and buy something in 10 minutes if I'm pushed for time. Sure, I probably miss a thing or two with this quick approach but knowing I can do this in 10 to 15 minutes tops allows me to stop by my favorite thrift stores more often. And as I said last week - I think frequency is key to successful thrifting!

I also check out the art and mirrors. I'm specifically looking for original paintings (seascapes), bamboo frames and bamboo or Chinoiserie mirrors. I'll take a quick glance at the area but I know I'm really only looking for those 3 things.

If you are less specific then you may need more time to look at all of the art and mirrors.

I actually passed on this piece and then thought about it all night!

I sent my husband back to see and it was still there! 

(And it was a better deal than before! That story here.)

The cushions were faded but it was such a high quality piece that the inserts were still firm and super comfortable.

I made drop cloth slip covers for it. That's often my go to for thrifted finds. 

If I were more secure in my sewing skills I might attempt using nicer fabric! 

But I do like the neutral backdrop this gives me and they wash and bleach so easily.

See the coral chair below?

 We were on a mission trip doing house repair and painting for Senior Citizens who could not accomplish these things on their own. The sweet lady who lived here told me while we were chatting that she didn't sit on her porch anymore because she didn't have a chair out there. I pulled up google and searched for the nearest Goodwill. I ran over there and found this chair for $5.00 along with a small table and a couple of accessories. I ran by the hardware store and grabbed spray paint in this gorgeous coral color and the girls on the trip went to work painting and decorating the porch as a surprise! This homeowner did the sweetest thing too- she told the kids they could choose her front door color! They had the best time discussing the pros and cons of the door color and agreeing on one!

At the thrift store:

On my porch:

(with drop cloth slip covers)

(older view of my porch - see what it looks like now!)

I do not generally buy anything that requires much DIY-ing or 'work' on it.

 I will paint though! I love to paint!

For me DIY-ing = spraypainting :)

At first glance the condition seems a bit rough. However the vintage vinyl seats were in absolutely perfect condition and the color was good.

They swiveled and the mechanism was working perfectly as well.

Super inexpensive and a pair which is always a bonus!

They came home with me and got a coat of white paint. They looked great!

I forgot to get a good "after" photo and I sold them almost right away! 

And back to the first line of this post... "What is worth it?"

That is a good question!

What's worth it to me is different from your answer
 and that's different from "what is it worth?"

So you have to decide how much you are willing to do - polish, paint, slipcover, etc. before you decide to take home a thrifted item. 

And as far as he value of what you are buying? 
That's two-fold.
If I like something but think it needs paint to work for me then its value is strictly about my use of it. I'm not concerned about resale value or its historical value.
Some people have strong feelings about altering the state of a vintage item with value. For me, the value is in making it work for my home. 
I have found a few amazing finds but really only one has affected my paint/don't paint because of value decision.
And it was this Gampel Stoll mirror I found: 

I posted a quick picture on IG and someone immediately offered me hundreds of dollars! 
I did a little research and decided to clean the mirror well, embrace the slight places in the finish (it is vintage after all), and not altar the original finish. I have zero plans to sell it. I love it and where it hangs but, you never know, so preserving the value made sense.

If I think something is priced too high, I'll take a pass unless I really want it. 
If you want to look for items that have intrinsic value then you will need to learn about that type of item and research the resale value or its potential to increase in value. You can look at sights like Chairish to learn about the "value" of vintage items. 
Chairish is a fun place to see "how much" one of your great finds is "actually worth." 
It can also help you to decide if its "worth" paying the asking price. 
There are also some great sellers on IG and Etsy and following them is a good way to see what the going prices are. 

(Everything in this image was thrifted!)

Have any good thrifting tips you want to share??
Next time I'm going to take an area or room or two in my house so you can see how I pull my thrifted and vintage pieces in to my rooms and make them work and I'm going to share what I've paid for many of them along the way!!
Sort of  proof that great function and style does not have to cost a lot or begin with new items!! 
#morecreativitythancash

Everything I Know About Thrifting - Where?

This is probably the most common question I get.

It usually goes like this:

"Where do you find all of your great stuff? I never find anything when I go thrifting!"

(A good day but I visited two thrift stores on my way home from an appointment)

First I would like to say this:

I do not find amazing things every time I go thrifting. 

I often post when I do,
 but

 I obviously don't post pictures on my IG of the many trips
 I make without finding one single thing!

I think the where question is more about frequency and diligence than the actual where!

(I'm willing to have a glass shelf or two cut if the price is pretty low to begin with.

 You just have to decide if the effort is worth it to you)

I have found things in well organized thrift shops and in total dumpy, smelly spots. 

It's all in what you are willing to do.

(Here is my huge "Golden Girls" couch in a corner at a non-profit thrift store. 
Quick phone call home for someone to measure the spot on the porch!)

(Here it is in it's new home on our porch.
  Mollie actually sent me a screenshot of this exact couch in an old episode of  
Hawaii Five-O!! It really is vintage!)

I hit the "regulars" often.

Goodwill is my most visited spot where I live

 but I don't always find them to be that great in towns I visit. 

Location. Location. Location.

)

(Here are those chairs, refreshed and in our Library. BUT that zebra rug is the thrifting find of all time if you want to "score" it by price paid vs. actual value. Read this crazy story here!)

Now here's a great trio. 
I found these at a GW that had not been a very "lucky" spot for about 4 months. 
But I decided to pop in and here these beauties sat!! I grabbed all 3 tickets - one is missing the glass but it's an easy fix and they priced the one with broken glass under $15.00 so no problem! I'll get the glass cut!

These are in my family room now. 

I haven't had a chance to share how they look in their new home yet but I will soon!

Church affiliated thrift stores are often the best spots to thrift in smaller towns. 

I also check out "non-profit" type thrift stores. These are the ones that support homeless shelters, drug rehab centers, women's shelters, humane societies, etc. 

( I don't love the design on the doors. If I had purchased this it would have gotten a coat of paint!) 

If I'm in a different part of town or on a trip and have 10 minutes to spare I just google "thrift stores near me" and pop in the closest one or two.
My first ever Brighton Pavilion bamboo chair was found in a Restore in a pretty rough section of Atlanta. I was over there for an appointment and popped in. There was the chair in the middle of a ton of plumbing parts for... $15.00!

(This piece lives in my kitchen now. I painted it and it's a ton of good storage. 

This particular non-profit has been the source of quite a few great finds!

I always pop in when I pass by.)

I also hit up the occasional yard sale or estate sale but not on a regular basis.
That is too time consuming for me. I live in an area with a lot of traffic 
(Atlanta area traffic is legendary)
and I rarely have time on a Saturday anyway. I see people on IG who do the estate and yard sale circuit and have great success. Just doesn't work for me. 
That is the "success" part of this. You have to decide what works for you that doesn't feel like "too much time/not enough yield" to you. 

I stopped by this yard sale/estate sale on a whim on a rainy Saturday and that elephant now lives in my entryway. And since the weather wasn't great and they only had a half day on Sunday to finish selling a house full of stuff they made a great deal on a huge pile of vintage finds! It never hurts to ask prices. I asked how much two things were and the lady said "We are ready to deal. The more you buy the better the prices!"
 Done. I grabbed a bunch of vintage goodies that day.

I like to thrift and I'm happy when I find something I can use!
So, I guess I'm easily pleased in this process :)

I do like to browse Facebook Marketplace.
 It's great if you are looking for something specific. 
It's a very time efficient way to "thrift shop."

(This would have been a bit of a drive but if I had been searching for something and the price was great then I would make the drive. It has to be a really wanted/needed piece for me to drive far but I have made some road trips for great finds!)

I bought this vintage Pier One settee on FB Marketplace, 
used it for a year and found something I liked better 
and then sold it on FBM!

You can enter bamboo coffee tables for instance, put in a radius from your home you are willing to drive and all the possibilities pop up. 
I have had great luck shopping and selling on FB Marketplace. 
I also look at it when I am travelling.
 Just put in your location and see what's around. 
You never know!

And check those sites often. Amazing deals do happen!
 I saw this moments after it posted, messaged her, arranged to meet her in a grocery parking lot on the other side of town (near her) in about an hour, I was leaving on a mission trip the next day and had a zillion things to pack up for the trip but hopped in the car to go grab the set and by the time I met her she said she had had over 100 messages about it! I'm sure!! Look at that price!! For all three pieces. And to be honest I didn't even try to bargain - I just told her to consider them sold!!

Of course this amazing purchase sparked another One Room Challenge.

So go as often as you can.
And keep an open mind.
 You never know what you might find. I found my kitchen table and chairs when I was thrifting for my Master Bathroom One Room Challenge (which has an amazing thrifted find of its own!)  I ran in a Goodwill after a trip to Home Depot for supplies and literally had 5 minutes to give to the outing. And there it was. And I found two green Chinoiserie lamps for my entryway. Grabbed all the tags, paid and was out of there in about 10 minutes. It doesn't have to be an all day outing. Just stop as you pass by! 

 (That footbath was huge - literally 2 feet across. This was in a vintage shop so kind of the next step up from thrifting it but the prices were really good in this particular shop. It never hurts to look!)


These were "online finds" - either Craigslist or FB Marketplace. I really can't remember. Such a nice lady! We arranged a meeting spot and I was going to get the garden stool. When I arrived the buyer for the gorgeous planter had been a no-show. She offered me the planter as well. We had chatted back and forth while making arrangements to meet and she knew I loved blue and white. I didn't have her total asking price in cash on me (only planning to buy the stool!) and she ended up "throwing in" the amazing planter for the cash I had on me because we had enjoyed messaging back and forth and I had been friendly and she knew I would enjoy it! It was about 1/3 the asking price! It pays to be nice. 
And I do love that planter. It's here right now.

Do you have a go to thrift store or thrift shopping tip?
Please share!

In the third part of this series on Thrifting I'll talk about HOW I thrift and WHAT I look for. 

Bamboo Friday. And More!

I posted this photo in my Instagram stories this week 

to promote our new hashtag #thriftwithus

but I though it deserved a little more attention. 

 So. Much. Good Stuff.

I found a set of these great ship soup bowls out thrifting this week.

We love the coastal/nautical vibe so I thought these would be fun to use.

My husband loves them.

I can picture them filled with delicious shrimp salad 

and dining on the porch on a warm Summer evening!

The bamboo planters, brass sailboat, woven chargers, and tortoiseshell glasses 

were all found at thrift stores!!

Keep your eyes open - you never know what you are going to find!

If you don't eventually stumble across everything while out thrifting 
then here are some possibilities.

(nothing wrong with instant gratification!!)

Get the Look:

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