Styling thrifted finds is probably one of my favorite parts of the entire thrifting process!

But it’s not one that’s usually shared about too often, and I think sometimes people can feel overwhelmed trying to seamlessly add new pieces into their existing décor.

But no more! One of my goals with this post being the 2nd installment in a series on styling thrifted finds is to help inspire and give you the confidence to get the most out of the treasures you find while thrifting and garage saling!

I think the story of thrifting lies with both finding and using the items in a way that speaks to you and fits into your home well.

You can find my other thrifting related posts here:

• Tips for Styling Thrifted Decor (video 1 in this current series)
• How to Clothes Shop at Thrift Stores
• 4 Tips for Finding Decor at Thrift Stores
• Antique Mall Sales & Shopping Tips
• 10 Tips for Negotiating at Yard Sales
• How to Yard Sale with Children
• What to Pack when Shopping Yard Sales
• 5 Secrets to Shopping Yard Sales

My Garage Sale Finds:

I’m sure I’m not the only one who can say that I don’t feel like I’ve gotten out to garage sales nearly as much as I would have liked this summer – but I’m happy to report that this past weekend I got to stop by two, both held by friends of mine!

One of my friends, Anne (who also works for me on admin tasks) was hosting a big multi-family sale with her in-laws in their yard. She said it was a “bunch of junk”, but I told her it was great!

Just about anytime you can hit neighborhood or multi-family sales you’re in for some treasures!

Then at my friend Jessica’s sale, I found some really cute furniture pieces that I’m excited about!

I’ll show you everything first, and then give you a few examples of how I plan on styling my thrifted finds and incorporating them into my home décor.

My Finds:

Clothing: I always make it a point to look through the clothing sections at garage sales and thrift stores. A lot of the time you can find pieces for $1-2 each, and that’s about as cheap as you can get clothing, other than if it’s free!

This time I found this cute fall shirt, (which you’ll see in a picture below, or in the video) and this sparkle skirt that I think will be really cute for Christmas.

Another section I always look through if they have it, is textiles and linens or fabrics.

Fabrics:

This time I got a few pieces of really high quality, “luxe fleece”, which actually feels almost like cashmere.

It’s a cute buffalo check, and I trimmed them down into rectangles and we’re going to use them as car blankets for the winter!

Someday I’d like to add a pretty copper colored blanket stitch around all of the edges, but I’m not sure when I’ll get to it.

I know they’ll look really cute paired with my other fall blankets in grey and copper colors.

I also found three pieces of high-density chair foam, and anyone who does upholstery will know finding nice foam at a great discount is a blessing – because it can be spendy!

You’ll see those foam pieces make an appearance again on the blog before too long because I’m planning a tutorial on redoing some of my dining room chairs with a DIY oil-cloth process that creates a waterproof layer. Keep on the look out for that post!

Miscellaneous Pieces:
Part of the fun of garage sales and thrift stores is that you’ll stumble across things you weren’t exactly looking for, but that will fit in perfectly in some place or another.

That’s what I thought of this white and glass abacus that I found!

I’m going to use it as functional decor in a baby room I’m currently working on.

I think it will look really classic and unique in the play corner.

Now, I know some of you are thinking, “Glass? And babies?!”, but I can assure you that babies and children in this room will be well supervised, and this glass is thick and not very likely to break.

It’s about as much liability as a lamp or something similar which most families keep in their homes.

Another category I always like to take a peak through is

Dishes:

This weekend I found cute this transferware teapot in the Liberty Blue Historic Colonial series.

I think I’ve shared about this before, but I just love using dishes in my seasonal decorating!

| I also have a post called 12 Creative Ways to Display Dishes. |

Blue transferware is one of my favorite things to include in my Fourth of July decor.

The green transferware series is a favorite for Christmas or Spring, and the chocolate brown feels so cozy during fall.

Another cute dish find was this simple white starbucks coffee mug. Anytime I find white mugs in good shape I like to add them to our collection, and I especially liked the simplistic typed label on this one.

My last dish find was this cute glass jar and lid!

These jars can literally find a use in every room of my house. I have/would store anything in them, including : oatmeal, soaps, ribbon, seed packets – you name it!

(Oh, and did you see the new shirt? Cute, isn’t it?!)

Crafts:

For anyone who is into craft projects, you know that the supplies can really add up – so I always snatch craft supplies up at yard sales if they’re something I can use!

This time I got a jar of white glitter – which I think I’ll use as snow for winter or Christmas décor.

A bag of mini-pinecones, which I truly think are going to be coming as a trend in the near future (don’t forget you heard it here first!).

Faux florals – I love using faux flowers in my décor because of their longevity that far outweighs fresh flowers. So when I spotted some this weekend, I knew I’d need to grab them! I came away with 2 hydrangea stems and 12 magnolias!

I also got a trimmed section of faux olive branch that I have some fun plans for.

And last but not least…

Furniture:

Small accent furniture pieces are another of those things that I’ll often find and grab at yard sales. And I got really lucky at my friend’s sale!

The beauty of these pieces is that they’re small and easy to rearrange whenever you desire. They are great at rounding out spaces that may be awkward like a corner or near a couch edge.

The three I got this go around are:

• Round red end table
• Chippy grey stool
• Old green folding chair

Cleaning:

Cleaning thrifted finds is one of those steps you do not want to skip! I try to wash just about everything we buy second hand. Over the years I’ve gathered a list, and you can read more about those tricks in my post 12 Tips for Cleaning Vintage Finds.

Then comes styling my thrifted finds:

Here are just a few ways to incorporate these items into your decor, but there are many more I don’t have time to share all in this one post!

For the vintage green chair, I styled it two ways on my front porch. One a more spring look with the faux magnolias in cute tin bucket.

And the other, great for Fall – a stack of my favorite fall blankets, with my new luxe fleece car blankets added in, and a small cheery pumpkin on top for a pop of color.

I turned the olive garland I got into a cute small wreath, and replaced the olives with the tiny pinecones for a more winter feel.

I added my DIY Vintage sleigh bells, which totally are made from old toilet paper rolls!

I added the glitter to the bottom of my new glass jar and added a few bottle brushes for a faux snow-globe feel, sitting on top of the new red end table. How cozy it looks with the books – can’t you just imagine steam coming off a hot drink from the top of that mug on a cold day?

And that’s that! I hope these ideas inspire you in your thrifting travels!

Do you already have key pieces that you’re always on the look out for? What are your favorite tips for styling thrifted finds?

If you don’t already have a running list, why don’t you check out my free Thrifting Checklist to get you started?

Pin this for Later, when you’re ready to practice styling your thrifted finds: