Happy #thriftscorethursday you guys! I hope your week has been going great! The weather here has been super iffy and we’ve had some car trouble lately, so I have not been to the thrift store in weeks. WEEKS. (Picture me pulling my hair dramatically.)
Then, yesterday afternoon it was sleeting like crazy so I decided to make baked potato soup and banana bread. Hours later they were done, delicious, it was completely dark outside, and I hadn’t even thought about snapping pictures for today’s Thrift Score Thursday post. So I decided to get a little creative and put together something a little different for today!
I’m inviting you to join me on…
A Thrift Store Scavenger Hunt
I’ve noticed that no matter where or when I visit a thrift store, certain items seem to pop up over and over. Some are expected (where else are you going to stock up on old Blockbuster VHS rental copies?) and some are a little bit stranger and the kind of coincidence you might only notice if you visit thrift stores often enough to have a thrifting schedule and planned route through the store.
Results may vary based on region, which is why I’m challenging YOU to shout out your own most commonly spotted thrift store items in the comments. But for the Dallas/Fort Worth area, these are the hot items to keep your kids and/or husband occupied with “I spy” while you shop…
1. Personalized Champagne Glasses. Whether featuring a wedding date, monogram, or the year 2004, these glasses don’t seem to be exactly the type of enduring keepsake that the wedding/New Year’s industry would have us believe.
2. The Creepy Clown. Every thrift store seems to have one. This isn’t to say that all clowns are creepy (okay, fine, I do NOT like clowns), but honestly, is there a setting in which this painting wouldn’t be a little bit disturbing? Most disturbing of all: the $50 price tag.
3. The Unicorn. These magical, mystical creatures can yet be spotted in their natural habitat… the cold metal shelves of your local thrift store. My inner Lisa-Frank-obsessed-six-year-old rejoices.
4. The New Identity. Should you ever find yourself on the lam in need of a great new cover, simply stop by a thrift store for some new credentials… I could pass for a “Lonnie”, right?
5. A paperback from the “Left Behind” series. Bonus points if you find all 16 books! I don’t think I’ve ever visited a thrift store that didn’t have one or more tattered copies from the series that has inspired as many movies as “The Hunger Games”… (Four to date)
6. An only-slightly-used candle. Do me a favor: don’t ever look at your slightly drippy, slightly discolored, slightly dusty used candle collection and think “I should donate these.” Okay?
7. The Pilgrim. For some reason, I spot Pilgrims at the thrift store so often that I created a hashtag for it (#pilgrimsatthethriftstore, if you want to be a cool kid and use it too). I feel like the pair on the right are plotting to murder me. Don’t they have a homicidal gleam in their eyes? The really creepy part: I spotted the pie-bearing pilgrim wife at a different thrift store in a different town. I think she ate her husband.
8. Faux Ficus Tree. Bonus points if the dusty old Spanish moss in the planter is still in tact.
9. Garden State. For some reason, every thrift store seems to have a Garden State in the DVD section. I mean, why? Are there people who don’t love this movie?! I was excited the first time I found a copy for $2 but now it’s like I’m in some kind of weird universe where Zach Braff and Natalie Portman are just following me…
10. A doll that wants your soul. What happened to her eyes??? Find me a thriftstore without a possibly-haunted doll, I dare you.
Now, I want to invite you to join me in recording the occurrences of these thrift store staples across the country by snapping a quick picture and adding #thriftstorescavengerhunt if you spot something from this list! Should you happen to visit a thrift store that has ALL TEN of these fantastic finds in one place…
I don’t know. The universe might implode. At the very least you should pick up the copy of Garden State.
The Features
That was a much-lengthier-than-usual first half of the post, but I’m glad you’ve made it this far because, as always, the features are out of control.
This woven wall hanging found by Amber from Wills Casa (Instagram: willscasa) is just incredible! Those colors! I very graciously refrained from “borrowing” it (without permission) when I was lucky enough to admire it in person the other day. (You’re welcome, Amber.)
Oh how I adore this delicately embroidered clock Sandra from Light Glass and Trend (Instagram: lightglassandtrend) shared! Think of all the patient, loving work that went into creating this!
This vignette shared by Thalita from The Learner Observer (Instagram: thelearnerobserver) features the most darling vintage tea cups! Isn’t it just so sweet? I love the black and white and soft pink color combination!
Finally, one last thrift score of intense awesomeness, shared by Claire from Claire Brody Designs (Instagram: claire_brody). This lamp is EVERYTHING! (And I do not use that exclamation lightly.) And I’m completely taken with everything else in the shot as well!
The Facts
So here is your call to action: we want to see YOUR awesome thrift finds!
Simply share a picture of any recent thrifty find on Twitter or 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, Trisha from Black and White Obsession, Cassie from Primitive and Proper, Corinna from For My Love Of and I will pick a favorite thrift score or two to feature! So please note that by linking up with#thriftscorethursday, you are giving us permission to share your finds via social media or on our blogs.
Oh, and a few public service announcements: Make sure you’re using #thriftSCOREthursday to tag your finds! We found out we’ve missed a few that were tagged #thriftSTOREthursday 🙂 Also, the hosts can only see posts shared by those of you with public Instagram profiles, so I want to make sure that if any of you have been using the hashtag with your profiles set to private, you know that we haven’t been ignoring your awesome finds, we just aren’t allowed by Instagram to see them!
Be sure to check out the finds and features from Trisha, Cassie, Corinna & Nicole!
Blog // Twitter // Instagram
Blog // Twitter // Instagram
HAHAHAHA!!!!!! love this! creepy clowns not so much. and i totally meant to feature amber's find, too, but got side tracked by all of the goodness.
Yes, there were so many awesome finds to feature this week!
Challenge accepted!! We too have monogrammed champagne glasses left, don't even get me started on the 50th anniversary white and gold plates… Regionally, we seem to have bread makers up the wazoo along with overpriced used shoes. I will be sure to snap a shot for proof.
Oh and boo for awful weather, hope it clears up soon. Potato soup sounds divine!
The potato soup was delicious, but it took an hour and a half longer than the recipe quote to make it which is why I got completely sidetracked 😛
Bread makers, huh? I don't know that I've ever spotted one of those!
I had a friend in high school whose mom decorated their house in pictures of clowns (she's a clown). It was a little surprising when I first went in their house, but I like that she surrounded herself with things she loves… So I guess that's the type of person that loves finding pictures of clowns at the thrift store.
What a great reminder – surround yourself with things you love! I do think this particular painting, even if someone loved it, was quite overpriced though 🙂
Ahhh! I had that exact same Breyers unicorn figurine when I was a kid. Unfortunately at some point the horn broke off but I've kept it all these years… the horn, that is. Sounds weird but if you dig around in my jewelry box, you'll find an old unicorn horn! Also, I love the new hashtag… I'm forever haunted by pilgrims too!
I collected Breyers figurines religiously for birthdays/Christmas, but I never managed to get my hands on that unicorn! I had a treasured copy of their little catalog that was circled and dog-eared and underlined to pieces though!
ha! well, I can tell you that creepy clown paintings aren't that common around these parts, because if they were my house would be FILLED with creepy clown art! maybe not really. but c'mon–you think $50 is too much! it's an ORIGINAL creepy clown painting. someone worked hard on that, Brynne! 😉
Oh dear. I had no idea I would ruffle feathers with Mr. "I Only Have Eyes for You and They Follow You Around The Room" Clown… Definitive proof that I don't hate ALL clowns. 😉
Amber's wall hanging is a-maaaaaay-zing!
Right?! Love it so much!
I need to have Amber's wall hanging too!
No, I have dibs! 😉 😀
#1 is probably due to high divorce rates nation wide. Yikes! Though the prom memorabilia I can't come up with statistical reasoning. We all just don't want to remember high school? Anywho, your meal sounds delish and I'm hungry now!
But what's the reason for #9? It's creeping me out. 😉
LOVE this post — those scavenger hunt items are on point! So funny!
LOL! Oh god it's not much different across the pond – in fact, I picked up a pair of gold rimmed champagne flutes in my local thrift shop not realising until I got home that ever-so-lightly-etched was 'Anne' and 'Harry' in each. We still use them and toast to Ann and Harry's nuptials despite the fact that the reason they probably ended up in the thrift store was either divorce or death. Still, they were happy once, right? xxx
P.S. Agree, that light is EVERYTHING. ERMAHGAHD.
Ok those features (mine included because I'm not that humble and it truly is awesome) are incredible!!! I mean geez that lamp!!
Girl, no need to be humble! 🙂 Your find was awesome and in fabulous company!