Decorating your home with unique items doesn’t have to be expensive. We’re sharing our favorite vintage thrift finds that we love to use in our homes.
We love decorating our homes with vintage finds.
Honestly?
We didn’t always feel this way.
But as we’ve gotten older, somehow we find ourselves appreciating older things! LOL
While you’ll still find plenty of goodies from Amazon, Target, and HomeGoods around our houses, we’re both adding more vintage and thrifted things.
There’s something about decorating with pieces that have history.
And patina.
Unique treasures that often include a story of how we found them.
So when our friend Rachel invited us to be guests of a group of bloggers who share their thrifted and vintage finds, we couldn’t wait to join their fun this month!
We’re super lucky that we always have a partner in crime when we go shopping because it’s so much more fun to shop with a friend, isn’t it?
We both know the kinds of things the other is on the hunt for so we keep our eyes peeled for those items while we browse around.
We Love Our Local Antique Mall!
There’s a huge antique mall in our town with hundreds of fantastic vendor booths.
We don’t really need an excuse to go, but we figured a quick trip to browse would be fun to help us prepare for this post!
Of course, quick is a relative term…
We literally shut the place down!
Do you want to see what we found?
Or do you want to see what we bought?
Well…we’re going to share a little bit of both with you today.
We’re sharing the kinds of things we’re always on the lookout for when antiquing.
There’s also one thing we never buy when shopping for antiques…
Simply2Moms Are Thrifting with the Gals
If you’re joining us from our good friend Rachel’s home or if you found us online, welcome! We’re so glad you’re here. Isn’t Rachel’s kitchen incredible?
We actually met Rachel in person three years ago at another antique mall about an hour away from us.
We knew each other virtually through social media and our blogs, so we were excited to spend time together in real life!
It’s amazing how quickly friendships can form when you have so much in common.
During that trip, we decided we should all do a blog post about amber bottles since we all ended up going home with several of them.
If you’re new around here, we’re Anne and AnnMarie, two moms who are lucky enough to be besties and neighbors.
AnnMarie’s on the left wearing white and Anne’s wearing beige on the right.
We work together to share simple and budget-friendly ideas for decorating, recipes, DIY projects, and tips for life with older teens (and beyond!).
You can read more about us and our families over here.
But that’s enough about us let’s go shopping!
- We Love Our Local Antique Mall!
- Simply2Moms Are Thrifting with the Gals
- What Vintage Items Do We Have on Our Lists?
- Unique Vintage Baskets
- Antique Ironstone Dishes, Pitchers, and Containers
- Unusually Shaped or Patterned Amber Glass Bottles
- Affordable Vintage Books with Neutral Colored Covers
- Affordable Crocks
- All Kinds of Buckets
- Industrial Wooden Spools
- Unique Milk Glass Vases and Bottles
- What We'll Never Buy When We're Thrifting
- What We Bought on our Latest Shopping Trip to the Antique Store
- More Thrifting with the Gals Tips and Ideas
- Pin it to Remember it:
What Vintage Items Do We Have on Our Lists?
Walking into a huge antique mall, thrift shop, or any vintage store without a plan of some sort can be dangerous!
Not only can you end up spending a lot more money, but you might also end up with pieces that don’t work with the rest of your home’s decor.
Not that we aren’t open to bringing home something amazing that isn’t on our list!
We both have things that we’re always looking for, and sometimes we’re looking for something specifically for a particular room or purpose.
Like this amazing antique painter’s ladder that AnnMarie got for an amazing price!
But what are the vintage pieces on our regular hunting list?
Unique Vintage Baskets
There are always lots of baskets, but we keep our eyes open for unique shapes that can be used in different ways.
Aren’t these antique picking baskets amazing?
We’ve both been eyeing them up, but the price is a little higher than we want to pay.
Antique Ironstone Dishes, Pitchers, and Containers
Anne collects vintage ironstone dishes.
There are often lots of dishes that look just like the kind she grew up eating from!
We guess once you turn 50 it’s gonna happen that things from your childhood are considered vintage or antiques…
She specifically looks for smaller pieces with interesting shapes to display in her antique china cabinet.
Unusually Shaped or Patterned Amber Glass Bottles
When we first started collecting amber glass bottles, we weren’t super particular.
If it was amber glass, and the price was right, we brought it home!
We love how it looks as part of our fall decorating, and also during the winter.
But now, we’re pickier.
We want vintage amber glass bottles that either have a unique shape or an interesting pattern.
And a good price…
Affordable Vintage Books with Neutral Colored Covers
We love using vintage books in our decor!
They look great on a shelf.
Stacked flat, they work as risers to add some height to a vignette.
But man, can they be pricey!
We’re not really that kind of collector when it comes to books.
So first we look at the color, next we check out the title, and then we check the price.
If it’s more than $8 it’s not going into our cart!
Affordable Crocks
This one is tough!
Antique crocks are amazing containers for faux plants like this one in AnnMarie’s foyer.
But they aren’t cheap.
And if we find one that’s got a low price, we second guess whether it’s just a reproduction.
Sometimes we pull the trigger!
All Kinds of Buckets
Anne started collecting buckets when she photographed newborn babies.
Her mom gave her an antique firkin similar to this one, and AnnMarie has been admiring it for years!
Buckets are so versatile and they come in so many styles.
You really can’t go wrong with a good bucket whether it’s made from wood, steel, or enamelware.
Industrial Wooden Spools
We both love these chunky industrial wood spools.
Use them to hold pillar candles.
Add a plate on top for a pretty pedestal.
Or just display them as is in a vignette.
We love that they’re usually very inexpensive too!
Unique Milk Glass Vases and Bottles
Anne started collecting milk glass vases a few years ago.
They’re fun to use as vases or to hold small flags like she did on her fireplace.
But she has most of the standard designs now, so the hunt is more of a challenge!
This hobnail perfume decanter was hiding in a footed bowl, and with that unique stopper it’s a real find.
What We’ll Never Buy When We’re Thrifting
We’ve shared the things we love to look for when we’re out thrifting and antiquing, but there’s one thing neither of us will ever bring home with us…
We will never ever buy a creepy antique doll!
Seriously this thing gives us nightmares.
Because this is exactly the kind of thing that gets possessed and comes to life in horror movies!
There are always so many creepy dolls, we have a feeling we’re not the only ones who won’t bring them home…
Although they would be pretty fantastic for Halloween!
What We Bought on our Latest Shopping Trip to the Antique Store
Here’s a peek at what we brought home with us after this last shopping trip.
Be sure to subscribe so you can see what else we got and how we style everything!
More Thrifting with the Gals Tips and Ideas
Next up on our thrifting tour is Ann from Dabbling & Decorating with her fall inspired vintage finds. We can’t wait to read that one! Ann has some beautiful vintage collections.
If you have any questions or suggestions, contact me or leave a comment!
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