Remember we mentioned on Monday that we were taking it easy and enjoying some family time? Well we were actually at the beach! We snuck away to John’s parents’ beach house in Rehoboth, Delaware for a nice long weekend of R&R (while the guest bedroom took care of itself- just kidding it was just as messy when we returned, darn). We had lots of fun going on long walks, eating seafood, getting our thrift on, and bringing Clara down to the beach on a particularly warm day (it was 65+ degrees on Monday!). So we thought we’d share some of our adventures with you guys. First, we hit up our favorite secondhand shop in Bethany, Beach Plum Antiques (also seen in this post of yore).
A few things that caught my eye were these $10 woven lamps (I think I would have spray painted them bright canary yellow or emerald green to take them from beachy and rustic to bright and ca-razy).
I also loved this huge woven ottoman.
Oh and this cute $20 bench reminded us of our $7 thrift store bench makeover a while back.
This side table was just $5. I would have grabbed it and tossed a fiver at the owner had there been another one to match for our bedroom (or even one that looked mildly similar). But alas. There was just one.
Here’s what I did grab after tossing a fiver at the owner. Yup, this geometric eight sided mirror was just five beans. Mine. I was so enamored I didn’t even remember to haggle him down to $4. Hah. Can’t wait to paint it something glossy and fun (lime? plum? I guess time will tell).
We also did a bit of non-thrift shopping along the boardwalk in Rehoboth.
At first glance this extra large calendar full of vintage map prints still seemed pricey at $20, but after flipping through it and adoring every page, we realized it was just $1.60 per print. And we can’t wait to frame them all and display them en masse. Seriously, there was a happy dance associated with this find. And it went on for hours.
We I also skipped to the cash register with one of these adorable $18 paper lantern pendants for the playroom. We knew I probably could have picked up a white paper lantern for around $5 and attempted to DIY my own painted hearts, but we reasoned that eighteen bones wasn’t too bad for such a smile inducing lantern that would probably surpass anything crafty that I could attempt. Especially since Ikea sells light kits for $5, so we’ll end up with an entirely new playroom light fixture for just $24 total.
Then it was back to the thrift stores & antique shops that abound. We stopped at this cute place called Millsboro Basaar Antiques…
… where I found these two crazy ceramic horse book ends for $2.50 a pop. No doubt the price break was thanks to their zany orange and black glaze, but I’m thinking I might just spray paint these babies for a whole new look. Maybe white. Maybe something bolder like navy or yellow.
This frog butler was just insane so I had to snap a pic. It reminded us of that funny Modern Family episode where Jay gets the life-sized dog butler and Gloria hates it.
This $15 guy was kinda fun, but I passed. Let’s just say John wasn’t as enamored as I was.
Oh and this $22 stuffed bear head was wall-mountable. So funny! We briefly considered it for the playroom but decided it was better left behind for someone with a woodland themed nursery (like Clara’s boyfriend Will– although word on the street is that his nursery might have a new inspiration when he moves).
Oh and this little $12 luggage rack was kinda perfect for the guest room makeover. So I snatched it up (and haggled them down to ten bones). We’re definitely planning to replace the ribbon that stretches across it, and the jury’s still out about the color, but it’s fun for now.
We slipped through Goodwill, just for kicks, but didn’t leave with anything. We did see some cute things stuff though, like this $2 bowl, which would be sweet for storing jewelry (I picture stacks of bracelets) on a dresser.
The funny thing about this $1 find is that it’s the exact same glass container that we bought a while back and used to create our T-giving “Thanks” jar.
Here’s another $2 bowl that could look charming holding anything from keys to jewelry or even all those extra buttons you get with shirts and coats. You save them out of fear like I do, don’t you? What if you need them someday? I never seem to, but you never know…
And here we are having some good old fashioned beach fun. First there’s beanarina and daddy looking pretty darn happy.
Next we have Clara showing off her two adorable front teeth. What an accomplishment! So proud.
Oh and here she is playing in the sand. Trepidatiously. But still sort of playing none the less.
Good times! I’ll be back later with a breakdown of everything we actually bought home with us (we gave ourselves an $100 thrifting & shopping budget and we came home with 12 items – well, 23 if you count our calendar as 12 prints, since we’ll be framing ’em individually). Wahoo. More on that in a few hours…
Travelstovegas says
So great to hear about your trip to Rehoboth! I’m from Delaware & my family always vacationed in Bethany, with nightly trips to the Rehoboth boardwalk! My husbad and I are now expecting our first baby (currently nicknamed Button), and I can’t wait to take him or her to Rehoboth to put their feet in the sand too – such great memories!
There are so many great antique shops in that whole area, so it’s great that you can go back regularly to visit. Now you’ve got me daydreaming about the ice cream shop a few shops off the main boardwalk on the main drag in Rehoboth. Last time I had pear & green tea ice cream, but they also make the best chocolate peanut butter cup you’ll ever have!
Jenny R. says
What a great trip with some great finds! You guys are just the cutest! One of my favorite stores on the Rehoboth boardwalk is a glass store called Scandinavian Occasion. They have the prettiest glass birds and things to hang from a window or ceiling. If you haven’t been you should definitely check it out next time! Oh, and gotta love Nicola Pizza!
Michelle says
The beach and junk shopping (I mean treasure)….this Iowa girl is VERY jealous! :)
Tracy says
Love those lamps, want those lamps, need those lamps. Did I mention I really like the lamps?
Ami Rae says
Hey y’all! Great finds! Next time you’re in DE please do come to Milton. I have The Vintage Cafe on Union St. And the Milton Antique Mall is right next door. You can get a bite to eat and get your thrift on! And when you’re done you can pop over to Dogfish Head Brewery for a really cool tour. Hope to see you soon!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! We actually ate at The Dogfish Head Brewery (didn’t have any beer because we’re not beer folk, but we looooved the calimari). So much fun! But we’re sad we missed the Antique Mall. Next time…
xo,
s
r8chel says
I admire your ability to see the potential in so many needy items!
Amy says
I have the green bowl!! We feed our cat out of it- it matches his eyes :) I’ve got it on a cute little tray that has him name stenciled on it (he’s messy, and the tray catches all the food he flings around) If I was in delaware I’d pick up the match!
Rachie says
Seriously that thrift store looks amazing! I wish we had stores like that in the UK! Great finds!
xo
Sarah M. says
What a fun trip! That’s the kind of thing I would love to do all day, every day! (Ok, that might have to wait until retirement..)
I just love your writing (and John’s)! You two have a way with words, makes it so enjoyable to read your posts!
And I save all those little button/thread packages they attach to clothes. I actually have a giant ziplock bag stuffed with them. I’m sure I don’t even own half the clothes that those dang buttons belong to anymore!
Heather says
Cant wait to see how those horses turn out!
Holly says
The picture of Clara laughing (w/John) is adorable! Love the luggage rack – the color is very spring-y. And I’m all for spring about now!
Heather says
Hi guys–I can’t believe you did a post on the Beach Plum! My husband and I have a place in Bethany, and every weekend we go down this is the first place we stop. So far we have scored a wing back chair with nail head trim, a lovely white mirror with drawers, an old wooden piece used to store firewood that we are currently using as an end table, and a bunch of buoys and oars. This might be my favorite shop in the world!!! http://fallsdesign.blogspot.com
Heather says
Beach Plum is by far my favorite antique store. I was just down there two days after you…and believe me all of these lovely pieces were already gone :) But I did find a couple beautiful finds I took home with me! Check out my finds: http://fallsdesign.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-decorate-on-budget-start.html Love your blog!
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! You found some amazing stuff. Love it!
xo,
s
Meghan M. says
My husband and I are taking a last minute trip to Rehobeth this weekend. I’ve never been and wanted to see if you had any restaurant/things to do and see recommendations, since you frequent that beach :) Thanks in advance!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we love eating at Nicolas and shopping at Beach Plum Antiques (it’s like a fun beachy thrift store) and otherwise we just usually hang out on the beach. Good luck!
xo,
s