Thrift Store Finds of the Week

Brocante (flea market) in Paris.

Second hand shopping is so much fun. I've been shopping at second hand stores - thrift/consignment/yard sales for years. I love hunting for treasures, wondering about the story behind some of the items I see, and snagging a good bargain in the process. Second -hand shopping is retail therapy with a bonus - it's good for the environment- all that stuff we accumulate gets passed on instead of ending up in a land fill somewhere.

My strategies for thrift store and yard sale shopping are pretty simple:

• Always keep a list of things you're looking for.
  



• Never assume that you'll find what you're looking for on the day you want it.
  But if you do find something you love, buy it as it most surely will be gone when you go back to get it. (I'm still in mourning over a leather -topped table I waffled over and lost).



• Look at the whole store, even if you're really just hoping to find some plates. That's how you find a treasure you didn't know you needed.
  


• Think "what else could I use this for " ?
  


• When looking at clothes, I see people going hangar-by-hangar - yikes, what a waste of time. I walk slowly down the aisle, looking only at fabric - if it looks like great fabric, I check it out. Otherwise, keep walking.


• Look over your selections carefully - for men's shirts, always check the cuffs for wear. Nothing worse than getting your treasure home and finding the real reason it was at the thrift store!
  


• Do a sweep of your favorite stores every week.
  


• Hit the yard sales in the swankiest neighborhoods.

Here are my "Finds of the Week":

A rug for The Captain's library.

How fantastic is this - NWT Chicos jeans and a Coldwater Creek embellished white shirt for under $20.00. Turns out white shirts are a trend for 2010 !
A shell planter. I have plans for this -stay tuned!

Holmes, Booth and Haydens silver nut picks from the late 1800s that will have a new life as lobster picks.

And, these fun espresso cups with with silver holders and saucers.

I don't usually find this much stuff in one week, but there was this amazing estate sale......