Young House Love

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A Few Thrift Store Finds

I have been meaning to update you guys on four thrifty purchases (well, technically there are nine of them, because I got six of one thing) so let’s get into it. First we have this gilded pineapple vase that I found for $4 at Goodwill. Can you guess what I love most about it? Yup, the hex pattern all over the body of the vase. Even though it’s clearly pineapple influenced, it felt so “bees” to me (more on why we love bees here). And the antique gold finish is really pretty in person. Not too bright and shiny – it feels timeworn and authentic.

Brass Bees1

And see those three jars around them? They were sent over by a friend (ohmygoshIlovethem Amy – thankyouthankyouthankyou!) and they look perfect with my new vase. The color of the pretty lids are exactly the same antique-gold color and… wait for it… there are little bees on the lid of each one. I also love the criss-cross glass effect.

Brass Bees2

They’re sitting on our desk to the right of my computer so I can glance over and smile at them every sentence or two.

Bees 3

Not kidding. That happens.

Second of all, this guy is ours. And he’s also something that now lives on our desk and gets lovingly gazed at:

  WestElmPig

The minute he popped up on West Elm we put in our order (we knew he’d be the perfect way to enjoy music in the office and much cheaper than a Bose stereo or some of the other docks on the market). He was actually back-ordered for a little while, but he finally showed up and we love him (update: we hear he’s now back-ordered until mid March of next year! Crazy!).

The sound quality is great – and of course the white ceramic animal feature is our favorite. He definitely adds some sense of humor and some festivity (thanks to the fun music that we can now play while we type away). Oh and his name? Humphrey. He’s a total Humphrey.

  WestElmPig Butt

PS: Here’s a link to the music video for for the She & Him song that we were listening to. Zooey Deschanel is in all of her awkwardly weird glory, which we love. PPS: You should totally be watching New Girl.

Thirdly, I couldn’t resist bringing home six of these babies for $2.99 a pop from Marshall’s (originally $8 each).

Mugs Side View

I’ve never had matching mugs. We have one of those mish-mash collections that I never really minded (no more than two of the same kind) but I love that the next time I have John’s parents or my parents over we can all sip tea/coffee from the same mugs (and I still have my random mismatched mugs to use whenever the nostalgia hits).

It might be an embarrassing thing to admit, but they’re the first item of “china” that we own with a stamp on the bottom. All we registered for when we got married were basic white plates from Linens N Things without anything written under them.

Mugs Bottom

Is it weird that this is one of those purchases that makes me feel like a grown up? And it’s kind of unnatural how excited I am to toss these up on the future-open-shelves in the kitchen with all of our everyday dishes and cups. If gazing up at them while eating breakfast at the peninsula is wrong, I don’t want to be right. Has anyone else out there made any “I feel so grown up” purchases lately? Like a fancy sheet set (still don’t have one of those) or plush new bathroom towels?

But wait, it’s time for thing number four. It was a small (maybe about a foot long) thrift store rocking horse (also from Goodwill) that I grabbed for $1 because I knew that I could modernize the country-ish “outfit” that he was wearing for zero bucks. I stupidly forgot to take a before picture of the guy, but he was sort of faux finished with lots of paint and decorative details on him like the pony below (found here).

Horse Before

The scribbly blue stuff that I photoshopped in around his neck is supposed to represent the blue raffia around the neck that was glued with lots of globby mounds dripping down my guy’s legs. Hotness.

First I named him Bosley. Then I got to work. I ripped off the raffia wreath around his neck and used an exacto knife to peel/scrape as much of the glue blobs off as I could. Eventually I had a nice smooth finish going on. Then it was time to spray prime the guy (since he was made of raw wood, I thought I might have bleed-through issues if I skipped right to painting).

Horse Sprayed

After a few thin coats of spray primer and gray spray paint that I already had on hand from a past project, he was quite the looker. A bright color might have been fun too – but I opted to just use what I had for now. I’m loving the deep charcoal finish so far, but if I get antsy and Bos ends up hot pink I’ll be sure to tell ya.

Horse 1

He’s currently hanging out on the desk in the living room but I picture him traveling all over the house for a while (perhaps landing on a shelf in Clara’s room or the top of a desk or dresser in the playroom someday?). So far Clara has shown zero interest in him, but I have to admit that I got him because I hoped that someday she’d put a Barbie on him and gallop her all over the house. Yup, Bosley is perfectly Barbie-sized. We’ll have to wait and see if Clara is as crazy about this idea as I am…

Happy weekend everyone! Do you have any thrift store finds to share? Or new mugs with words on the bottom that make you feel oh-so-civilized? Or Barbie-sized anything? Lay it on me.

Comments

  1. Christa says

    I’m loving your pineapple vase! I finally made it to this antique shop in my town that I’ve driven by a thousand times in 24 years, but had never set foot inside. I ended up grabbing a couple awesome Owl figurines (to paint/glaze white) and a wonky-shaped porcelain bowl…also to be spray painted. The whole purchase was $11 thanks to some serious markdowns by the shop owner. :) I’ve got that bowl on my mantle and I’m starting to feel super grown-up!

    Reply

  2. Wom-mom Ethne says

    Humphrey is pretty much the best ever. We have one of those little robot dogs that move to the beat and stuff that our kids really like, but I don’t think the cord comes out his bum like that. I got my kids Barbies and they don’t play with them at all. They don’t play with any toys I get them. They like to play dress-up and feed us fake food. It’s cute anyway. The fun thing is you’ll never know what Clara will be into with her play phases. You’ll be surprised.

    Reply

  3. my honest answer says

    Oh my goodness, I was just speed-reading and looking at pictures, and I thought that the rocking horse was a full-sized toy for Clara. Imagine my surprize when I scrolled down and saw it sitting on your desk! Hilarious. Even if unintentional.

    Reply

  4. toni from says

    That piggy speaker is way too cute. I have always used my computer speakers for listening to music while working on the computer. Apple speakers are good, but once in awhile if I am listening to a video online I have to mute the music, but that works okay too.

    Reply

  7. Sarah says

    No nicknamed animals around here, but we do have a neighbor’s dog we named “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” He’s that scary.

    We also name parts of our house. It started as a joke to keep the kitchen closets straight when telling one another where something goes while unpacking, and then it just stuck – the one under the stairs is the Harry Potter Closet, and the next one over is the John Adams Closet (bare boards, pottery and glass on the shelves – very colonial).

    Reply

  8. dana828 says

    I’m sooooo bummed that the pig speaker is backordered! He would have made the perfect Christmas gift for my brother!
    I found a large mercury glass vase with a hexagonal pattern at TJ Maxx last week and totally thought of you when I bought it. I’ve been trying to find some big peacock feathers to put in it for my holiday decorating…

    Reply

  10. Meghan, UK says

    I *love* the pig speaker. So much so that I just ordered one – but it’s not to be shipped until March 2012, bummer. It’ll be a lovely surprise once it comes though, so thank you for the inspiration – my husband loves pigs and it’ll be news for him!

    Reply

  12. Sara says

    OH, I have been eying that pig too! And that little rocking horse…I thought it was kid size at first, a little rocking horse for your daughter! Good up-cycle on it!

    Reply

  14. Beth B says

    While I love your blog, I’m not generally a ‘commenter’, but today I couldn’t resist….my last name is Bacon and clearly everyone in the family will be getting a piggy speaker for Christmas. Too funny. Thanks for posting all your fun quirky finds.

    Reply

  15. Ashley says

    That pig plug in thing is BRILLIANT! Love him.

    I hit up Goodwill every Friday (half price days!). Usually I’m on the lookout for vintage Pyrex, but I’ll buy other cool things that’ll fit into my car, too.

    Reply

  16. Laura@JourneyChic says

    Looove that pineapple/honeycomb. Very cool! A few weeks ago I found a child-size rocking chair at Goodwill for $15 that needed some repair and paint. It now has a glossy navy finish (that I still need to touch up a bit) and my 16 month-old loves it. “Chair! Rock, rock!” :)

    I’m also a fan of “New Girl”, and “p All Night” makes my hubby and I happy to know that we’re not alone in all the weirdness of parenting.

    Reply

  17. Mandy says

    I am actually in process of putting together a massive Goodwill donation right now! They are opening a super store about 5 mins from my house, and I am so, so excited about it!! I can’t wait to go there and find fun things for around the house.

    I have decided that my goal for next year is to not buy any new clothes, second hand or hand me downs only. Won’t you join me? I have such a clothes hoarding issue, I’m hoping to be able to find love within my closet again, as well as get some great finds from the Goodwill!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That’s such a fun idea! Good luck, I know you can do it!!! I only have one bra, so I can’t promise to stick to play along completely (since a secondhand bra, if mine should unexpectedly “go” might not be as comforting, haha). Happy shopping!

      xo
      s

    • Mandy says

      You’re right, intimates are an exception, because I wouldn’t want to buy those second hand either. Score – $474 Goodwill write off!!! I can’t wait til it opens next month (just in time for Christmas!) so I can start scoring great finds as well (finally going to get on the blog bandwagon by the end of the year)

  18. darcie says

    Ok…you totally need to check out Target! They have the cutest mugs! They have different patterns and some farm animal silouhettes on them! Including pigs! They are even in a gift box :)

    Reply

  19. Misty @ The Family Math says

    I’ve officially decided that I lack confidence when I go to the thrift store. I went last night, and I saw a few things that I thought maybe would be fun to have around the house or that I could do something crafty with, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger.

    Maybe next time! I love the pineapple!

    Reply

  22. Carrie says

    Oh my gosh, you guys have some serious Oprah power. I went to get that piggy speaker right after your posted this. When I put it in my cart it wasnt on backorder and by the time I purchased it, it went on backorder until March 1, 2012! Wow! You guys are awesome. :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- that was sooooo not us!!!! But very sweet that you. I think House Beautiful mentioned it a few weeks ago (after we ordered it, thank goodness) and it flew off the shelves (haha, pigs do fly!).

      xo,
      s

  23. Crystal says

    I L-O-V-E Zooey Deschanel both in The New Girl and singing in She & Him. I read an article about her the other day that described her as “adorkable” and I thought it was the perfect description! Sherry, I truly can’t believe you didn’t wip out the ORB paint for Bosley. He would look like an artifact straight out of an Etruscan excavation!

    Reply

  24. Ann L says

    LOVE the dishes, although I may be a bit biased because I just purchased almost-the-same-pattern bowls and plates from Marshalls. They were $3.99 each, but I’m also in the “got plain white dishes from Target for our wedding” camp and thought they’d add something fun to the cabinets.

    As an aside, I didn’t know they were “china” when I bought them—do you happen to know if they’re dishwasher safe? I put them in the washer after I got them and they were fine, but I’d hate to ruin them!

    And because I don’t know how to upload a picture, a link to the dishes!

    http://annnewjerz.smugmug.com/For-Fun/Other/Miscellaneous-Pics/6191241_RzGbz9#1590644365_hQDWn24-A-LB

    :)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So pretty!!! As for the dishwasher, I plan to use them in there so I hope they survive! I figure most things are dishwasher safe unless they have a gold or silver rim around the outside like the really fancy china. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  25. tia says

    great job on the horse! Where did you get your mirror that sits above the desk in your living room? The one in the bottom picture? Thanks! Tia

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Not weird at all. I love her! Has anyone seen the makeup ad that she’s in though? I’m so mad for her. It looks nothing like her. They airbrushed her so badly she’s completely unrecignizable (it’s for lipstick or something). She still has the same eyes, but the rest of her face looks so fake!

      xo,
      s

    • Lauren says

      I TOTALLY know what ad you’re talking about. She’s so pretty on her own that I have no clue why they airbrushed her so intensely. I think it was for Rimmel London if my memory serves me right.

    • Lindsay says

      Oh my gosh, I just googled. You’re right! Doesn’t look like her at all! That’s really too bad.

    • Serena says

      I know exactly what one you’re talking about! In one of my mags its positioned so that her mascara ad is right next to it and she looks like two completely different women. My husband argued with me forever that they had made a typo and that was not her…

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha- John said the same thing! He didn’t believe it was her. But when we put our hands over everything but her eyes we could see it was her eyes. Just the nose and mouth and jaw area was so crazy!

      xo,
      s

  28. Katie says

    Totally thought that rocking horse was Clara sized, imagine my surprise when I scrolled to the next pic and he’s standing on your desk!

    Reply

  29. debbie c says

    Bosley! Love that name for the horse. :D Not too long ago I went to a new Goodwill near my home and found a mini Radio Flyer wagon for $4, metal and in great condition. It’s really small, but just right for a 1-2 year old to give her toys a ride around the house. Could be a really cute photo prop too!

    Reply

  31. Nadine says

    Love it all! I want that speaker badly! I emailed it to my boyfriend, and he didn’t seem to impressed with the spec. Would you mind telling me how the sound quality is in a large room? Thanks!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re not speaker buffs or blast-music-super-loud folks, but it definitely has better quality than playing music off the computer or the iPhone (which we used to do). Our office isn’t super large, but it’s definitely good in there. Not sure I’d use it to throw a party in a large loft or anything but it’s good for an office or bedroom or casual living room gathering I think (you know, for some background tunes but not dancing-music).

      xo,
      s

  32. Krys72599 says

    The closest to an “adult” purchase we got as a shower gift before we got married: plush, matching bath towels.
    All we owned before that were unmatching and thin tea towels or $5 beach towels… Not thick, soft, plush, WONDERFUL bath towels.
    But they come with a story, of course: They were my dream towels and of COURSE someone would kindly buy them for us for a shower gift so I chose them to be scanned when we did our wedding registry. But hubby-to-be said they were too expensive (“No one will pay that for towels!”)and he scanned the cheaper, definitely-not-as-thick-and-soft towel cousins from another shelf.
    If I learned one thing, it’s to pick my battles.
    So I went back the next day and cancelled his scan and scanned my beauteous towels and – ta da! We got them!!!
    We got married 12 years ago and do you know? They’re STILL our favorite towels! They’ve faded but they’re still soft and plush!

    Reply

  33. Stephanie M says

    Is it weird that I find the fact that Humphrey’s “tail” is used to plug into your Ipod rather endearing? In fact, the wire looks like a little pig’s curlicue tail in the first picture of Humphrey. Did you guys shape it like that on purpose? It is too cute!

    I also have a fascination with ceramic pigs and give them names; in fact, I have the same copper/brass pig you guys posted about awhile ago (I think from TJ Maxx or HomeGoods). He is on my mantle near the back door so I named him Wallace the Watchpig. It’s nice to know that there are others who name their ceramic pigs :)

    Reply

  35. Allyn says

    I. Need. That. Pig.
    He’d be the perfect stereo for the kitchen! He could watch and entertain us while we cook lots of bacon and pork chops.
    Oh yummy piggy…

    Reply

  36. jan hogge says

    I envy your luck in thrift stores. I think I need to find different stores

    Love the pig!

    That music video was oh so disturbing, but I couldn’t stop watching it.

    Happy Friday!

    Reply

  41. Anika says

    What fun finds – I LOVE goodwill shopping! And that pig is fabulous; I imagine it’s a fun conversation piece whenever someone new is in the office area. Thanks for sharing!

    Also, when you spray painted the horse it looks like you just painted his “hair” – did that result in a funky texture or it was okay? Just wondering, thanks.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I didn’t know what the heck would happen going into it, but the straw seemed to grab the primer and paint just like the wood, so it came out really nicely (it looks a little darker, but has a nice even hold so I’m happy).

      xo,
      s

  42. Briel K. says

    I really like She & Him. I saw them open for someone, possibly Ray LaMontagne, and they were really good live. I prefer this video for that song: http://youtu.be/rtVh8kVZ_XM since Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it as well and there’s fun dancing! :) What other musicians do you guys like to listen to often?

    Reply

  43. Donita says

    Love all of your new FINDS!!! The pig is hilarious. ;-)
    You are right, those cups are awesome.
    I have been acquiring MORE “white” guys. A small elephant, a large elephant, an owl. Who would have thought! ;-)
    Have a great weekend!
    P.S. Helpful tip: If you put a hair dryer on hot glue *or other glue/adhesive* it will soften, loosen it up, makes removal much easier. You will have a pretty clean surface after removal too. :-)

    Reply

  44. Morgan says

    I love that Zooey and her new show. I laugh out loud every single week. The Thanksgiving episode on Wednesday was HILARIOUS! I downloaded her CD on Monday and it is a great holiday mix!

    Reply

  45. Krystal says

    Four Things:

    1. Holy Chicago, I love New Girl so much but no one else I know watches it so they never understand when I randomly make a reference and start laughing. It’s awkward.

    2. I die for that Pineapple. I’m not really a fan of eating pineapples, but being an avid Psych fan and playing “Where’s the pineapple?” every episode, I’ve always wanted one in my house to keep moving around so people can find it. I’m so weird.

    3. I love that rocking horse. We had an ongoing stick pony inside joke when I was on my high school dance team, and all the girls graciously started me a collection of miniature stick ponies. I still crack up at them when I find them in a drawer or something.

    4. I bought wine glasses and a corkscrew a few days ago. The cashier carded me? I felt pretty adult.

    Reply

  46. Heather / It's So Suburban says

    LOVE the pig speaker. And you’ve got to get the She & Him Christmas album, it’s really good. AND it’s only $5 in the Amazon MP3 store.
    p.s. I said something really dorky the other day about how I was driving a Jeep while eating an ice cream cone (singing “How You Like Me Now?”) and my stepson said, “That sounds like something New Girl would say.”)

    Reply

  47. Casey says

    I just clicked over from facebook because, while scrolling down the newsfeed, my three-year-old walked by and said, “hey, i want to see that picture of that horse!” Haha. So maybe give Clara another year or so. :)

    Reply

  48. Stephanie says

    I almost screamed when I saw the pineapple vase (I am at eating lunch at work so I controlled myself). I have been scouring the thrift stores in my area for something shiny and pineapple themed… clearly I am just looking in the wrong state.

    Reply

  49. Kala M. says

    I just saw that ceramic pig speaker on another blog a couple days ago. It automatically made me think of you Sherry. That is so funny that you now have one. I also am a Zooey fan and love New Girl. Sometimes I feel just as awkward as her. I have a tendency to make up random songs too. LOL. Loving your charcoal Mr. Bosley as well.

    Reply

  50. Ruthy T. says

    I bought my first set of dinnerware when we moved into our house a few months ago…with matching mugs and all :) Recently i’ve bought a ton of thrift store stuff for “projects” that I have yet to start. Hopefully I’ll get to them soon!

    Reply

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