5 Favorite Flea Market Finds

I love thrifting, junkin’, scavenging… whatever you’d like to call it. I love finding unique and inexpensive finds to use for me decor. I get asked a lot how I can picture how something will look, or how I pick some of the things that I do. This post is going to talk a little bit about my process and what items I will never let pass.

Honestly, most times I do not have a specific item or image in mind for what I am looking for; if I do, chances are pretty good that it’s guaranteed that I will not find it that day! (Haha!)

There are a few things that I have found that are always helpful in building vignettes. They are my MVPs.

1. Step Stools. I love a good step stool. They are great ways to add some height and interest to a display. I always seem to have at least one on my hearth and another at my coffee station.

Drew has even snagged one as a side table for his Drew sized chair.

I also love how Yvonne at Stone Gable uses a wider stool (or short bench) as a riser in her island countertop.

2. Old Books. Books are a great thing to snag when you see them because they are super versatile and easy to incorporate in your decor.

You can stack them up to create a riser like I did with this candle. I opted to turns the bindings to the back to show off the worn pages.

You can also tie some twine or ribbon around them like Sarah from Little Vintage Nest did here; you can leave them simply stacked or tuck them into a box or basket to display.

Any change you find a vibrantly colored cover, snag it! They’re fun to use to tie in a theme (think red at Christmas or Valentine’s Day or orange in the fall).

3. Old shutters. I had been collecting a couple sets of shutters before I ever figured out what to do with them. Now, I will continue to keep my eyes out for them because they are such an interesting item to use in a variety of ways.

I took one set and distressed it to make a backdrop for some galvanized vases. You can check out the ‘how to’ here.

I have a taller set I snagged from the ReStore. I have been using them on my mantle for quite a while now. I love them!

They are also really cool looking as a layering piece for a tablescape like in this image I found in Pinterest from Buckets of Burlap.

4. Baskets. Especially flat ones! They are great for layering in vignettes. They can be propped up (like I did in the kitchen to hide the outlets)…

… or as a tray on my coffee table.

It’s technically a tray within a tray, but I like how it grounds the little decorations on my larger tray.

I also love the idea of gathering several and using them as wall art like Carolina did over at @mythreeweekfix.

5. Candlesticks. This is one where I have rarely found any of my collection while thrifting. A majority of my (many) candlesticks have been scored in the clearance aisles of Hobby Lobby, Target, and TJ Maxx. Candlesticks can be used solo or in groupings. I personally am really loving the look of several grouped together (even without actual candles!).