Last week I promised a post about all the window shopping slash actual shopping that we did during our week at the beach with the fam. And that includes the two items we actually purchased: the whale sign for Clara’s room (made from wood, a five year anniversary material)…
… and the thrift store basket that I’d love to turn into a hanging pendant somewhere in our house (more on those items here).
But I owe you guys the rest of the eye candy that we perused, so here we go. As we mentioned, we stopped at the Ole Sale Barn in Maryland where we found the L-turned-7 in our office last Labor Day. And that’s where I picked up my little basket-soon-to-be-turned-light.
Here’s what it looks like inside. Chaos. But the fun kind of chaos that you can’t wait to root through.
I also spotted this giant metal grate outside that I thought would be an awesome “top” for an outdoor table. Picture it on top of a big ceramic planter. That would be a killer side table, right? Just use some heavy duty adhesive to glue it in place along the top lip of the planter.
Of course this is also the home of Beyoncé the chicken (and her subsequent children). More on that here.
There were other questionable discoveries there, like this little blast from the past. Yes, I totally had about 25 of them standing on all of the windowsills in my bedroom growing up (for so long that the back of their hair got bleached white from the sun). Guilty as charged.
There were these fun guys too. I love the idea of using things like this for towel bars in a bathroom…
… like we did a while back in our hall bath with a $7 thrift store horse we picked up:
There were also amazingly gorgeous architectural items. Like these awesomely ornate wood panels, screens, windows, etc. Super cool.
I also loved these little two dollar gold plates because I kept picturing them hung on the wall in a big grouping. There were about 7 of them and I just kept picturing a swarm of them hung with plate holders on the wall in an asymmetrical collection. Could be cute, right?
Then we made our way over to Beach Plum Antiques in Bethany, which is always a favorite stop (we’ve mentioned it a bunch of times here and here).
This time my favorite find was this $85 bench. In case it’s not obvious, it was super long. As in, twice as long as a normal solid wood bench that might cost around $199 at a big box store. I totally pictured it up on our porch painted a dark matte black color. But alas, it didn’t fit in the Altima. Haha. Here’s hoping someone else took him home…
I also was in love with this chunky wood based floor lamp. The stitched rectangular shade felt so “authentic” – like it was right out of Dwell magazine. It was already sold, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t stand there and stroke it for a while.
These old suitcases were also pretty darn charming. Especially the pairing of the reddish leather one with the nubby linen-ish brown striped one in front. I like that he looked like he was wearing suspenders.
This giant metal pig also could have been fun as random art (picture his entire body painted bright yellow to cheer up an office, or even coated with chalkboard paint and hung in a kitchen as a place to write notes and lists and stuff).
Then there was this house. We biked by it and I thought it was so sweet I had to snap a photo. I love the bright white trim and the navy door (this picture doesn’t do it justice).
We also made it to Mod Cottage in Rehoboth, which is where we got Clara’s wood whale sign for the frame wall in her room. It should also be known as the place Sherry tried to convince John that our kitchen needed at least eight colorful gurgle pots on the floating shelves. John didn’t go for it. Total fun hater.
But in his defense we do have one small yellow one already. So I’m not completely gurgle-pot-less.
These pretty vases were so sculptural and geometric. We were hypnotized by their beauty.
And this giant beachy print was, in the words of Justin Bieber: swag, swag, swag. I wanted it bad but it was out of our budget. Maybe someday it can serve as inspiration for a little DIY watercolor painting though.
This is just a picture of John holding a pillow with a chihuahua on it…
… which is funny because the last time we were in this store (over two years ago when I was still prego with Clara), we snapped this picture of John holding a pillow with a chihuahua on it (more on that excursion here):
That, my friends, is called Full Circle Chihuahua Pillow Blogging.
Oh and I also loved these cool woven plates that were hung on the wall. I totally felt inspired to dig up some cheap woven platters at a place like HomeGoods and paint them matte white with a pop of color in the middle. So pretty, right?
These lights hung over the cash register and while John said they “weren’t his thing” I thought they were playful and charming. A nice little splash of quirk for the sliding-your-credit-card experience.
We also stopped at a shop in Rehoboth called Bella Luna (which we stopped at over a year ago as well), which is where I fell in love with these pretty scarves (wouldn’t they be sweet table runners, pillows, or even fun cafe curtains for a kitchen? so breezy!).
They also had these fun faux animal heads that had a lot of personality. Especially when they were hung together. We voted the deer one as our favorite since he has “a Burger face” as we like to call it.
They also had this gorgeous mirror. It was around $300, so it wasn’t cheap, but it was mesmerizing. And see the ceiling? I liked that. It was soft wide plank wood with big white chunky beams breaking it up. It was very beachy but not as common as something like beadboard might have been up there, so I liked that it was a little more unexpected.
There was also this really pretty bird art. We loved the green one in the top left (he had a long skinny beak like some sort of sandpiper). Looking back at this shot I’m sad that we left without him. Oh well, next time…
This is also where we instagrammed a shot of the scrabble mugs. So much fun (and such a great, easy personalized gift- especially if you fill them with the person’s favorite candy, makeup, gift cards, etc). I totally should have grabbed one for a friend of mine and filled it with her favorite thing ever (bold and inexpensive bottles of nail polish).
On the way home we also stopped at this random thrift store about 45 minutes out of Bethany off of Rt 113 (yes, I randomly scream “stop the car!” and John dramatically pulls into the parking lot and I hop out to explore).
It was pretty small, but had some fun things hidden among the piles. Isn’t that chair and ottoman combo totally Emily Henderson-ish. She would reupholster those bad boys in charcoal or emerald or navy and they would be to. die. for.
I also liked this pretty green glass container (might be sweet on a kitchen counter full of flour or sugar).
And these trays. Can’t you picture them hung in a grouping on the wall? The black owl one (with the owl in the same tone as the other two frames) sealed the deal that someone should totally buy all three of these and use them together somehow. Hope they’ve already been adopted en masse (let’s just say I put them back on the shelves in a group in the hopes that someone else would snatch them up that way).
And so ends our latest window shopping slash thrift store spree. Part of me is sad that we only returned home with Clara’s wooden whale and the basket-to-be-turned-light, but most of me is relieved since it means we didn’t spend too much (leaving the chance that more thrift store goodies could come home with me in the coming months…). What have you guys been loving lately while window shopping? When you go on vacation do you try to stop at a few places on the way in, during your stay, and on the way out? Have you found any cute things?
Andrea P. says
Can’t wait to see what you do with that basket :)
I found a very similar mirror to the one you saw at Bella Luna, from Home Depot for around $35. It now hangs happily above our bed :) http://www.homedepot.com/Decor-Wall-Decor-Mirrors/h_d1/N-5yc1vZbve6/R-203024519/h_d2/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&storeId=10051
YoungHouseLove says
So pretty!
xo
s
Michelle says
A little unrelated… but kinda related. For a wedding, I made a friend a customized scrabble board with all sorts of little things about her and her husband on it. We’re putting it in a shadowbox frame, and we want to basically glue fabric to the back portion of the frame (which is… on the wood-like side of cardboard… maybe luon ish?) and then glue the scrabble board to the fabric. We know we’re going to need to paint the glue on with a paintbrush, but we don’t know what type of glue to use. The wedding is saturday, and we have to do this tomorrow night….
Any super sticky glues that will spread or spray easily and hold the weight of a scrabble board with a bunch of tiles on it to fabric, and hold that fabric to wood?
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so cute! I love that idea. Maybe try super glue? That stuff is sticky.
xo,
s
Sabrina says
Awesome! I just bought this great ceramic owl holder that was in the dollar section at target. I told my husband it was a must to hold my reading glasses on my bedside table (he rolled his eyes at me) I also tried to tell him I needed the ceramic fish they had but he told me I had 30 seconds to tell him where I would put it or I couldn’t get it. I failed lol
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, that’s hard! I feel your pain!
xo,
s
Margaret says
I read your blog every day, but rarely comment (your panel painting tutorial saved my house!). Anyway, we totally own that owl platter. It was my in-law’s that they got as a wedding present 37 years ago and MIL was going to send to goodwill, so I snatched it up. II use it to set up glasses and ice whenever we have a party.
Also I love your Rehoboth posts because that’s where I’m from but don’t get back too very often anymore living in SoCal. A little taste of home!
YoungHouseLove says
No way! That’s so cool! I love it.
xo,
s
Blake says
I love my gurgle pot! I have the blue one! Do you guys use yours as a pitcher? A vase? Just curious… I just assume the masterminds would use it for something other than a water pitcher :) My 9 month old loves when we pour water out of it… he thinks it’s too funny!
YoungHouseLove says
Mainly it’s just a cute little thing on the floating shelf, but sometimes I get to use it as a vase.
xo,
s
Tracy a says
Speaking of window shopping…just searching on etsy, saw this, and couldn’t help but think of you guys!
http://www.etsy.com/listing/93798073/honey-comb-picture-frame
YoungHouseLove says
So cute!
xo
s
Hannah says
I had two of those exact chairs, except they were black leather. They were the perfect counterpart to my white Ektorp sofa, but they’re kinda uncomfortable. Like, when you try to sit back in it, your head is pushed way forward and results in a neck cramp. But man, they sure looked great! :) I love your shopping posts!
Ally says
I believe that the great state of Virginia just passed a new Building Code…
Every newly constructed deck must be load-bearing to support a Beyonce Chicken and 10 Gurgle Pots :)
xox
YoungHouseLove says
That’d be just my luck!
-John
lizzy says
I’m pretty sure I saw the scrabble mugs at a Kirklands recently.
Koliti says
Thanks for the window-shopping road-trip. I feel like I should be chipping in some gas money.
I love thrift stores – so much inspiration…
what can this discarded interesting thing become?
And the great thing is it will be one of a kind – like your basket soon to be a light fixture.
Ashton says
BEYONCE!!!!! I wish they had those in England. It makes me miss the South, but I don’t think any of my neighbors would appreciate it.
Leah says
What are those little elfy guys called again?? I remember them but now I totally forget what they were called!
YoungHouseLove says
Troll dolls!
-John
Eileen says
So I just google mapped it and found I’m less than an hour from the Ole Sale Barn. I see a road trip this weekend …
Cara says
What a flashback moment when I saw that owl tray. That same tray lived on my mother’s coffee table for at least half my childhood.
I confess to loving you both more for knowing who Beyonce the Giant Metal Chicken is. Of all the wonderful blogs I adore, that is still hands down my favorite post of all time.
Heidi P. says
My jaw dropped with those vases and that chair/ottoman combo. Thanks for sharing!
The other day I dropped off some clothes at a thrift store and saw some glass jugs waiting to be priced and put on the floor. I went back the next day to get them, but instead found a giant glass Pier 1 vase for $12! (sticker on the bottom – $40!) and 2 Ramseys as book ends! I guess they’re more like cousins to yours – these guys have corkscrew horns. They’re bronze, which I kinda like, but would you paint them? I can’t decide!
Heidi P. says
Ohp, just looked it up – they’re actually antelope antlers!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I love that! Such great finds!
xo,
s
Hemma says
Thank you Thank you Thank you for referring back to the ‘Beyonce the Chicken’ story. I had a fab belly laugh. She is sooo funny. Have you read her book? Thanks again for the reference!
On another note: do you know if you can seal inside furniture enough so that it will make it as outside furniture? Thought about this because that bench would be poifect outside.
YoungHouseLove says
John and I have read her book and it’s really funny! Definitely has some curse words going on, but it’s deprecating and hilarious. As for sealing furniture that’s meant for the inside to be outside, we haven’t had luck doing that (tried it once for a table and moisture got into some cracks even though we sealed them and it was pretty much ruined after one season). So sorry!
xo,
s
Anjelica says
Craziest thing, I JUST bought a pair of those green chairs WITH ottomans at an estate sale! $50 for the pair!
They are soo comfortable and I can’t wait to get mine reupholstered!
Love your blog!!!
Karen J says
This is totally unrelated to this post, but I just found this site that makes custom legs for furniture at a very reasonable price. Thought someone might be able to use it: http://www.unclebobsworkshop.com/category/custom-furniture/all/
YoungHouseLove says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing the tip!
xo,
s
Ingrid says
The basket looks like the Cambodian fish basket my mother has in her apartment. She was in Laos from 1963-1965 with the United States Foreign Service and brought home the fish basket as a souvenir. It has a stand, so she made it into a side table by having a piece of glass cut to fit on the rim inside the basket. She put a silk flower arrangement in the bottom of the basket before slipping in the piece of glass. Unfortunately, one of her cats knocked over the table a few months ago and the glass broke. :( I’m going to try and get a new glass piece made up for her as a Christmas present. :)
Lisa from Lisas Creative Designs says
Looks like you had a great shopping day. I have been so busy I have not had much time to hunt the thrift shops but I hope to get out there hunting soon. I’ve got the itch!
Sayward says
You’ve probably already seen this, but your pendant find is a fifty million times better version of this West Elm one http://www.westelm.com/products/hoyt-outdoor-pendant-w706/?pkey=csale-lighting
Victory!!
Terry C says
LOL… Beyonce! The Blogess would be proud!
Rebecca says
I feel like a freak for making this comment… but here it goes lol. I am trying to stop using toxic cleaning supplies, makeup, etc in my house. I had never thought about my nail polish until your previous post about how you don’t paint your nails inspired me to think about the nasty junk that is nail polish. I tried going without for a few weeks but it was hard because my toes were ugly! I researched and found nontoxic stuff on amazon… I already forget the brand. So anyway, do you use a nontoxic kind or figure it isn’t a big deal to use regular? I am super interested in your take on the whole organic/healthy living topic because you seem to do a great job of doing it but not going crazy and obsessive with it. thanks and sorry for the long winded comment :-)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, there are a few great brands with “eco” nail polish, and the best one that I’ve found is Zoya! I think their site is just zoya.com. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Jennie says
My parents definitely had that owl tray when I was a kid. I guess we were putting a bird on it before that was cool. Thanks for the flashback!
Heather @ What Does She Do All Day? says
I love those wood panels! I totally need one for the big, blank wall in my master bedroom!
Katie says
When I read the part about the scarves being used as cafe curtains and you described them as “so breezy” all I could think about was this clip from “Friends”…I’m breezy! Haha :)
Allyson M says
My husband caught me reading this and originally thought that I had somehow managed to find a way to shop at thrift stores online! I’m always talking about “Young House Love”, so all I had to say was, “Young House Love went on vacation and went to all these cool thrift stores! They’re showing us all the cool things they saw!” So, now I’m being forced to admit that on our honeymoon we spent an entire day running around Virginia Beach looking for all the coolest thrift stores and junk shops around. Yes, I made my new husband do that. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Probably for the best that he learned fast. :)
-John
April was in CT now CA says
I’m so thankful to your readers who posted links to the artist that did the bird prints because I ordered one. I saw it and fell. in. love. It’s just…awesome sauce. https://www.etsy.com/transaction/88528254 (not sure if that link will work, but I sure hope so because you need to see the awesome)
Loved this post and the virtual window shopping we got to do with you!
Gina says
I was just at that antiques store in Bethany back in June! I loved it there too! And I totally had a few things I wanted to bring home with me, but wouldn’t have been able to fit anything with all our luggage(we were on vacay in OC, MD). It was definitely fun to look around though :)
Megan says
We bought each other a 6′ privacy wooden fence for our 5 year anniversary! As my family says… the joys of homeownership!
Christine Witt (Brush Dance) says
Adore those wood panels – and tray with the sweet owl. We have family near Rehoboth – next time we’re out there, we’ll need to check out the shopping.
Sophie from France says
very nice post full of eye candy! and I’d like to thank commenters for giving the name of the artist of the bird prints (and his stuff ships to France, how cool is that?)
I’m kind of sad you didn’t buy this awesome urchin print. My husband would say I need lessons from you to spend less money.
sarah says
I love that you’re going to turn your “basket” into a light. Did you know that it was once part of a mid century drum table? Think Tiki as I desicribe it placed inside a black wrought iron frame. A glass top would have sat upon it. As groovy as it was, your idea is a fab rehab!
YoungHouseLove says
Who knew? So interesting!
xo,
s
Christine says
Just sayin….I’m so glad I live in MD and get make it to all of these places! Thanks for the low down!
Craig says
Some great finds! The outdoor table with the metal grate is a fantastic idea, plus the decorative panels are lovely items. I’d love to find one for our garden out back that can handle the weather and not break the bank.
I think the winner in my book is the geometric vases. Very sharp! Thanks for sharing :)
Laura says
I totally have that green jar in amber. It sits on my counter next to the coffee maker with fresh beans in it! :) FUN!
YoungHouseLove says
Cute!!
xo,
s
S says
Treasures!
Morgan says
Love this! It’s amazing what you can find at antique shops and for cheap!
My mom and I went on a little antique excursion a few weeks ago at the Metrolina Tradeshow Expo. We had a blast. If you and John are ever in the Chalotte, NC area, you should go! So much fun!
http://livingyoungwildfree.wordpress.com/2012/07/16/antiquing-aint-just-for-gramma-anymore/
YoungHouseLove says
Sounds awesome! Thanks for the tip Morgan!
xo,
s
Margaret says
Nothing says love like a big metal chicken.
Seriously, I’m almost envious of your thrift store access. I haven’t found anything to compare where I live.
Jennifer Hutchinson says
Awesome find!!! My fav: the sculptural and geometric vases! And of course the owl tray at the very bottom!
Mandy says
I am loving the ornate wood panels, screens, windows!! 1. Do you remember how much they were and 2. Can you recommend somewhere in Richmond that I might find something similar?
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, I don’t think I even looked for a price on them (didn’t want to knock them all over since they were balanced perfectly). As for a place in Richmond, I would check out Caravatti’s (it’s a salvage yard full of awesome items like this).
xo,
s
Kiki says
This is kind of random, but I feel like I’m at least a little blogger cool because we just bought one of those gurgle pots. Even though we ended up gifting it, I still think they come in the prettiest colors and I love that you have one.
I also love that green glass container. Seriously, you have the best eye for finding treasures in stores! I’m a little jealous of your superpower. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks Kiki! You’re sweet. I love that you got a gurgle pot too!
xo,
s
Jillian@TheHumbleGourmet says
I am lobbying that you guys buy a bigger car so that you will never have to pass up a big, beautiful bench like that again! Bring on the SUV!
YoungHouseLove says
We definitely fantasize about it, but the truth is that we can probably afford to take on more projects thanks to having one small family car (saves on gas money, insurance, this car is paid off, etc). Maybe someday we’ll upgrade, but until then we like to just rent or borrow a truck when we need one- although that doesn’t really work at the beach…
xo,
s
Lauren Lerch says
I commend your bravery for visiting the Ole Sale Barn! The last time that I was there, it reeked of cat pee. Perhaps it warrants a return trip??
Looks like you all had a wonderful time. :)
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh that’s pretty gross! It was a super hot day (like 100) and there wasn’t much air flow in there, but it just smelled kinda musty to me- not much cat pee in the air, at least by my cat-pee-sniffing standards. Haha.
xo,
s
Carrie says
Hehehehe about the funky light fixtures. They are from stray dog design and I was trying to talk Kevin into one for our dining room. He said the exact same thing! “it’s not my thing”, while making a funny face. (-:
-Carrie & Finn
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! Boys!
xo,
s
Christy says
Fun finds! I just went antiquing and bought a glass container identical to yours in aqua!
Can’t wait to see what you guys do with all your fun finds!
Lauri says
Great finds!!! And I was in Bethany Beach this past weekend also :) Great place!!
Jaye @ Just Trying to Make Cents of it All says
DANG! My husband and I lived in the Philly area for three years – had I known treasures like this were up there we would have never moved back to Denver! BTW, love the new bedroom paint. You guys rock!
Tina Bland says
Oy!! I live in MD and these posts makes me want to hop in my car and drive to the Eastern shore to shop these stores!! Maybe I can convince my hubby to take us on a 2nd vacay – lol (our first? we were the ones that posted that pic of your IKEA chandelier in our Paris apartment rental) to Ocean City so I can sneak off to those awesome stores!!! COOL BEANS STUFF!
Kate says
Ahahahaha! I had that EXACT troll, and I ALSO put my collection on the windowsill!