Thrift Store Gold

Over the weekend I struck thrift store gold...well brass to be exact :-) If no one has ever told you, thrift stores are the bomb! Nevertheless, I'm always so awkward when I'm inside of one. I'm the chick holding stuff ten feet away from her--not because I think I'm too good (I surely don't), but because who truly knows if all the donations have been cleaned? Just the thought of it makes my skin crawl. Imagine that cute pencil skirt on the bottom of someone's closet  amidst dirty shoes. Or  picture that beautiful vase in a damp, dark basement with water from God knows where leaking on top of it, EWWW!  *Deep breath* But I digress.
Lately when I set out to the thrift store I'm looking to score on décor. Where else can you find unique and quality items for three bucks or so? Usually the prices are right up my alley and I've been fortunate enough to land some pretty cool pieces. The trick? Don't allow ugly color schemes to chase you away. When I'm searching for pieces I focus mostly on shape, if the item has engravings that will pop then that makes it even better. Who cares if something is an ugly Pepto-Bismol color? A few coats of paint (or an even quicker fix: spray paint) can make a old piece look brand new. So without further ado, this is what I bought:

 Get a good look at these beauties...

I absolutely LOVED the look of all these pieces as is, but I didn't think the colors would flow with the space that I purchased them for. Anyhow, See what  I mean about detail rich pieces?

 I found these candle holders bogged down under a bunch of crappy picture frames. They just scream the 1920's to me. Paid $3.13 a piece for them! That's cheaper than you would be able to find it anywhere.

 

I really liked the color variation on this figurine, but again I didn't think that it would work in my room, I regret that now...

This was from an older thrift store run (I think it's a planter). Like the others I loved it as is, however, I decided that I would paint it too.

 

Most times when I paint something  it enhances the appearance, but I have to admit that I actually liked these pieces better BEFORE I tampered with them :(

 

 

 

The color did not give off the shine that I wanted (the same brand in gold does), and more importantly I genuinely liked the pieces in their original state--oh well, no use crying over spoiled milk! Now let me explain what's going on with the bowl.

 

When I was searching for furniture I came across this in Art Van, and I freaking fell in love.



Unfortunately, this was only for display, but being the book lover that I am, I thought that it was the coolest thing. Right then and there I decided to try to recreate the look the first chance that I got.  Never mind the fact that I was mutilating a book to show my love of books...SMH...weird I know. Nonetheless, the pages of the chosen book would live in a way that other books could only hope to.  I headed to the dollar store and searched for the book with the nicest pages--and then proceeded to tear it to shreds. I already had twine at home, so no cost there. To create this look simply tear the pages from the book, roll them up, wrap the twine around several times, and secure it with a double knot. Be sure to cut off access twine and you're done.

End result. I ended up having to stuff the bottom with gift paper to hoist the scrolls up, and my bowl is a little too tall...but the general idea was achieved. I'll keep my eye out for a more appropriate bowl in the future.

And here are all 3 of my fabulous finds in their new home:

 

*Sigh* The paint job kinda cheapens the pieces, but you win some, you lose some. Once I thought about it, I probably could have kept them all how they were. Thank God I decided to hold off on painting the sconces.

 

There was also one more thing that I found at the thrift store that day:

 

Fishes!

I have no idea if this is what this is supposed to be used for, but  I will definitely be using the fish for door decoration...at a later date of course. I'm still swooning over my yellow wreath, I never want to take it down. Not sure how I will cope once the season change.

Here's a bit of a close up of the fish:

I love the bright colors. This is giving me New Orleans all day :)

 

By the way, the fish were listed at $8.75, but they only set me back $3.99...why you might ask...because I said that I didn't want to pay that much for them. Nothing is ever to cheap to not seek a deal.

 

So there you have it, my weekend thrift store finds and adventures with makeovers. Everything that you see here cost only about $20 bucks...I almost feel like a thief.  Next time you're in the thrift store, remember to look for hidden gems that can be upcyceled, or what should have happened in this case, left as is. Happy Shopping!