Happy Thrift Score Thursday, friends!
You might have spotted this on Instagram (sidenote: Instagram is my favorite, you guys), but Bryan and I took a quick little trip down to Austin, TX this past weekend. We like to sneak down there whenever we get the chance – it’s such a fun, vibrant, funky city! The city’s motto is “Keep Austin Weird” and we just adore it!
For me, no trip is complete without hitting a few thrift stores, so we squeezed in a few stops between eating at our favorite restaurants and stopping by our favorite breweries.
My Find
I love the idea of bringing home special thrift finds from your travels, so I was on a mission: find something awesome (and “Austin”) to cart back home. Sadly, we couldn’t fit the awesome tufted brown velvet sofa I spotted at Room Service Vintage in the backseat of our car, but then I caught something gold glittering out of the corner of my eye…
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Buy what speaks to you.
Maybe not everything, all the time – grown-up responsibilities and all that – but you can also use the reverse as a filter: Don’t buy things that don’t speak to you.
Sure, you might find something trendy or popular or worth more money than you’d pay, but if it doesn’t speak to you, it just ends up being one more tchotchke in your home collecting dust or cluttering up a cabinet. So if you’re debating a purchase, just pause for a moment (but maybe go ahead and carry it around the store with you so no one else grabs it) and listen…
Well, this little wire tree with brass leaves was speaking to me loud and clear and I knew I would regret it if I didn’t take heed. Its tiny stamped-brass leaves fluttered in the breeze of vintage fans at the end of its wild and unkempt wire branches – they weren’t actually tinkling, but my brain instantly supplied a soft soundtrack.
I justified the slightly-more-than-I-would-typically-spend ($18.50) purchase to myself as a vacation splurge, but now that it’s home in its new spot on the mantel, I find it kind of humorous that there was ever any question in my mind!
We run our ceiling fan almost constantly in the summer, and I absolutely love the way this little sculpture comes alive when it’s on!
Best of all, it reminds me of a truly wonderful little getaway with my husband, who might not understand exactly what his wife sees in the crazy vintage things she buys, but has a great tolerance for her love for them!
Thrift Score Thursday Features
Sweet friends, as always you light a fire in my soul to head out to the thrift store once again, lest I miss anything wonderful! Picked by yours truly from the #thriftscorethursday Instagram feed, here are this week’s features:
What better place to start than with this incredible Chinoiserie pagoda headboard spotted by Caitlin (@caitlynrylander)? Because this is EXACTLY what I need in my life/in my guest bedroom. I didn’t know it, prior to seeing this shot, but I definitely do! Did you guys know such fabulousness existed?
via @caitlynrylander
Confession time: I think we need to talk about my strong affinity for portraits of women. Like, I have to stop myself from buying anymore, or it could get weird having at least one hanging in every room of the house. I just can’t stop buying them!
My problem (but is it really?) aside, I am positively drooling over this one Cara (@goldalamode) shared! And check out that blush wall detail – isn’t that a fantastic idea?
via @goldalamode
More dreamy colors in this vintage book vignette from Sutton (@golaville)! I have a hard time resisting sets off vintage children books, especially when the typography and covers are this cute.
via @golaville
And this bright and cheerful horseshoe Malory (@arganglou) thrifted and then yarn-wrapped! I would never have thought to do it, but it’s just so freaking adorable!
via @arganglou
We all know gray and white marble is having its moment in the sun right now, but check out the green and salmon in this fabulous coffee table Kat (@againkatharinelake) found! It is fierce and it is fabulous!
One of the many things I love about #thriftscorethursday is that it lets us celebrate every kind and size of thrift find and introduces me to so many beautiful things that are out there in this world that I might never have come across on my own. Like these little rope animal sculptures Linda (@lindadsalvatore) shared! They’re so wonderful and whimsical and I’m a happier person for knowing they are out there!
via @lindadsalvatore
As someone with the blackest of thumbs, I definitely appreciate a good faux plant find! Ashley (@biggerthanthethreeofus) scored this fake cactus at the Habitat for Humanity Restore – would you even know it was faux if she hadn’t told us?!
Finally, let’s wrap up with this drop dead gorgeous corner from Francine (@hotcoolvintage), who tells us that everything except the Ikea shelf came from a thrift store, estate sale, antique mall, or flea market. To which I say, “AMEN!” Absolutely beautiful!
via @hotcoolvintage
Thrift Score Thursday Facts
You guys, thank you so much for following along with Thrift Score Thursday each week! If you haven’t joined in yet, there’s no time like the present – here’s how:
Simply post a picture of any recent thrifty find on Instagram using #thriftscorethursday!
- You can share any thrifty finds with us – whether they hail from a thrift store, Craigslist, estate sale, garage sale, side of the road, or apartment dumpster! The fun, the funny, the awesome, the odd – this hashtag party is open to all!
- Feel free to use #thriftscorethursday any day of the week! We’ll be keeping up with the hashtag all week long to find our favorites for the following Thursday.
- Each week, Cassie from Primitive and Proper, Corinna from A Designer At Home, Maggie from Maggie Overby Studios and I will pick a few favorite thrift scores to feature! So please understand that by linking up with #thriftscorethursday, you are giving us permission to share your finds via social media or on our blogs.
- Please note that we can only see photos shared by public accounts, so if you have a private Instagram account and we haven’t been showering your finds with love, it’s simply because we aren’t able to see them.
My grandmother had that very same tree when I was growing up. It sat on the coffee table right next to her glass grapes. I used to sculp the little wire branched like a Bonsia for hours. I wonder where that guy went to? I loved it and I love all these finds but how in the world did I miss that pagoda headboard? Fabulous!
Aw! That’s so neat, Maggie! I need to sit down and spend a few hours untangling these branches!
so many of these i didn’t even see!!!! OMG! i love love love the pagoda headboard- fantastic!!! and ashley’s cactus i did see, saved, and forgot about. 🙁 i was so caught up in the moving of the blog yesterday. WAAAH.
This was a particularly great week for finding inspiration! I think I need to adopt a cactus into our home! 🙂
Oh I so so love your tree!
Thank you Julia! I’ll have to share a video of the leaves – it’s so much magical in person than in photos!
So many fabulous features! And that tree!!! Love.
Thank you Christina!
I have found three of these wire trees, different sizes. It took me a long time to bring them back to their original beauty by un-snarling the branches.
I too, love the way the leaves move with the breeze.
Oh my! That sounds like a wonderful collection to have! I also need to sit down and spend some time untangling the wires – it’s wildly unkempt at the moment!
So glad to have found you and #thriftscorethursday !! Thrifting is my life! lol I love seeing everyone’s finds. Off to follow all of you! 🙂 @recycleista