Recent Vintage Finds (and how I’m using them)

See my recent vintage finds from estate sales, garage sales and church sales. DIY tips to revive and repurpose, and how to use them in your home decor.

Summer is treasure hunting season around here, and I’ve been busy thrifting fun vintage finds! In the last couple of weeks, I hit a great country estate sale, a couple church sales, some good local garage sales, and a few vintage shops. Today I’ll catch you up on my Recent Vintage Finds (and how I’m using them).

Recent Vintage Finds (and how I’m using them)

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Recent Vintage Finds at a Country Estate Sale

A friend and I got numbers at an estate sale that was out in the country. It had a full outbuilding full of great, junky stuff that I love, plus the whole house and three stall garage; plenty of vintage finds to dig through!

In the online pictures, I’d spotted an old green trunk that looked interesting. And a whole table of vintage green enamelware. You never know prices ahead of time, but I knew this company was pretty fair when it came to pricing.

Estate Sale Tip: If you see something you like in the estate sale pics (I usually find them at estatesales.net), try to decipher what room of the house/garage it’s in. Then you can head to that area first and see if you like the price and condition of what you have your eye on.

I headed to the attached garage first to find the green enamelware. This lady loved the color green and had many vintage collections to show for it (unfortunately the jadeite was too expensive for me). I scooped up the pieces that I loved (almost all of them;), and also grabbed the tag off an awesome scrolly shabby white metal table. I also brought post-it notes and a pen so I could write my name and “sold” on the table (because the workers are usually very busy at the start of the sale).

Once I got the worker lady to write up my purchases, I made a pile outside with Sold signs on them and headed to the outbuilding.

Find vintage green enamelware HERE.

Reviving the Antique Green Wooden Trunk

I found the green trunk minutes before another guy who wanted it. I was peeling off the price tag and putting my post it note on it as he was asking if I was taking it over my shoulder. You gotta decide fast at estate sales…or carry it while you’re thinking.

I got it for $30, and was pretty happy about it. It seems to be an antique trunk that someone had come to the U.S. with at the turn of the century. His name was painted on the sides, along with New York, NY, USA. Wish I could decipher the rest.

Once home, I got my favorite palm sander and 120 grit out and started sanding to reveal the pretty blue paint underneath the green. I love the artistry of sanding just the right amount of paint off to reveal the years of colors underneath.

Find my favorite DIY tools HERE.

I also sanded the inside to smooth out the rough edges. I will be cleaning it with vinegar and water and letting it dry in the sun before I poly the insides.

Once it was all sanded on the outsides, I brushed on a coat of THIS, my favorite sealer. I decided not to scrub it on the outside, because sometimes it gets too clean looking; I want it to still look old, and a little grunge helps.

Think this cutie is going to land in our upstairs den, full of toys for when little kiddos come over. I’ve got other ideas for decorating my son’s former room with vintage finds, too.

Vintage Green Enamelware, an Instant Collection

I’ve always loved vintage green and white/tan enamelware. I’ve got a collection already, but was thrilled to add these pieces to the family. Here are the smaller items I came home with from the estate sale.

I’m thinking the three colanders would be cute tiered with wooden spindles. Then I can have more fresh veggies spilling out from the layers. Stay tuned for the DIY!

With all this pretty green enamelware, I feel a big late summer/early fall hutch display coming on, with sunflowers and corn. Still deciding where I can tuck the cute ice cream table in.

Thrift Store Finds: Thrifted and Styled

Most Mondays I join a few ladies on Instagram for a Thrifted vs. Styled challenged. On my recent thrift store jaunt, I came across two fun sunflower candles. They were the perfect inspiration to set a sunflower themed table.

That same day I picked up a green vase (had gotten 2 others at a church sale recently), a brand new green foliage wreath, and four vintage green plates. A cute green and yellow trolley and a bee skep caught my eye, too. I was definitely in the green and yellow mood that day!

This hand painted wooden tray joins an ivy family heirloom I’ve had. Love their warm wooden tones this time of year.

You can see the whole table setting on my IG, HERE. Follow me while you’re there! Here’s a couple sneak peeks.

Local Garage Sale Finds

I always tuck some cash into my fanny pack when I go for my morning walk. You never know when there will be a good local garage sale in town! I live in a sweet, little old town, and every once in a while I hit a good old grandma sale that has plenty of the vintage things I like;)

Here’s what I got at 2 sales the other day; perfect seasonal decor! Think the squirrel needlepoint will be cute surrounded by green enamelware for the display I’m dreaming up.

Vintage Occasional Shop Find

I’ve got great vintage occasional shops near me, so my friend and I whipped through a couple after the estate sale. I was thrilled when I spied this old beadboard door leaning against the outside of one shop. I was thinking about $35, so when the dealer said $15, I quickly said, “I’ll take it!”.

I sanded it all over on both sides and smoothed all the rough edges. I brush polyed both sides to seal it and bring out the beautiful patina.

Find my favorite Vintage Reviver’s Products HERE.

I’m thinking this may hang as a backdrop for some pictures in the new den decor. I love using architectural pieces as layers. {see “Best Ideas for Using Vintage Architectural Salvage in Your Decor”}

Yes, it’s been a good treasure hunting season! Now to get all these finds cleaned up, revived and upcycled so I can use them in my decor!

Have you been finding fun vintage things this summer? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

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