Awesome thrift shopping finds are one of my all-time favorite things! So it’s hardly a shocker that I’m back to buying secondhand things now that I’m on my own again.
I gave up far too much of myself in order to suit him. I did it willingly, but it’s relief to be able to live according to my values again and to surround myself with things I love, many of which will be thrift shopping finds.
For nearly four years… ok, can we just look at the ridiculousness of this for a minute? In less than four years, I was engaged, married, and divorced. That’s absurd, and now I’m even too thin to fit into that gorgeous blue Gucci wedding dress! That’s not a humble brag, it’s just to say that this divorce did a number on me and I didn’t even get that fabulous dress out of it!
As I was saying… for nearly four years, I didn’t set foot in a thrift shop. We’d bought some mid-century modern furniture, but I’m talking about actual charity-run thrift shops where you decide to pop in spur of the moment and happen to come across the most perfectly patinaed thrift shopping finds for ridiculous prices, like this poncho, change purse, work bag, shoes, ’60s electric curlers, vintage camera, vintage vanity set, toaster, ’60s dress, more shoes, Spanish bowls, or velvet sofa. You get the idea :)
I’m totally back to my thrift shopping ways and I wanted to share three recent thrift shopping finds that I picked up for my new-to-me vintage apartment. I’m falling a little bit more in love with this place every day!
A Vintage Tea Kettle
I find that buying new things leaves me with too many choices. I spent hours browsing online and agonizing over which tea kettle to buy and still hadn’t decided, but 5 minutes in a thrift shop settled it… and for like 10% of what I was going pay for a shiny new one that I would’ve always second-guessed. I love leaving my shopping up to chance!
Aside from a bathtub, a gas cooktop is one of the things I’ve missed most since moving to Denmark. I’ve tried to like induction for its energy efficiency, but in addition to being nearly impossible to control temperature wise, only certain types of metal will conduct and as it turns out, none of the prettiest tea kettles are induction-friendly. Now, after nearly eight years, not only do I have a gas cooktop, but I’ve got this pretty vintage tea kettle to go on it :)
A Vintage Oil Painting
Spoiler alert: If you follow me on Facebook you might’ve seen that I was testing paint colors over the weekend… here you can see which color I chose. I’m waiting for my seat cushion covers to be delivered, then I’ll give you a proper look :)
Anyway, I love vintage artwork, like this piece I had in my first Danish apartment. So I was psyched to find this oil painting from 1962 for 55 kr. (about $9)! It’s not exactly a masterpiece, but the person who painted it was probably pretty proud of it and I think it’s unfortunate that it showed up in a thrift store with no one to love it.
It’s a happy coincidence that the mat under the flowers is a slightly brighter version of the color of my kitchen walls. I like that it’s one of the first things I see when I walk in the front door. I think it tells new visitors a bit about me and the things I like.
A Secondhand Ironing Board
Admittedly, this is the least interesting of my three treasures. I used to have an ironing board with a really cool vintage flower power cover, but his lordship deemed it too big for his apartment when we merged households so I had to re-donate it. Since then, I’d been making do with his half-assed tabletop ironing board, which sucks for sewing projects. I’m happy to say that I found this one, which is almost as cool for 65 kr. (about $11).
Okay, it’s not nearly almost as cool as the vintage flower power one, but it beats buying a new ironing board from IKEA and it’s hard not to like something that’s predominantly shades of pink with cupcakes on it.
My Other Thrift Shopping Finds
I also found a black feather boa for 15 kr. (about $2.50). I have no clue what I’m ever going to do with it, but I’ve always wanted a feather boa, so it obviously had to come home with me!
When my sister came to visit a few weeks ago, we went to the secondhand stores in the town where I used to live. They still have a stack of vintage bone china dishes that I donated because “we didn’t have space for them.” I would’ve bought them back, but the matching teacups and saucers had been sold. I’ve felt sad about that ever since :(
On a happier note, here are a couple of photos of Opie, who will be 15 next month and whose hyperthyroid condition is successfully managed thanks to my wonderful vet!
He’s still my shadow after all these years! My sister kept commenting on how she’s never seen a bond between a cat and their human like the one between Opie and me. He follows me everywhere, sleeps on my pillow, chews on my hair, and even holds my hand! He’s the best companion I could hope for and regardless of how busy I am with work I always have time for a cuddle, if he asks…
Jen says
I’m not sure if the thrift shops in my town never have anything good or you just have a better eye for stuff than me (or both) but I never find anything cool like that! :)
Sage says
Location and demographics have a lot to do with it. I rarely have luck in central Aarhus because there’s a big student population (lots of people buying, few donating). Even in the suburbs, I come up empty-handed more often than not. We went to 5 thrift shops to find these three things. One of them had a fill a bag with as many clothes as you could fit for 100 kr. (about $17), that was awesome!
Janice keating says
Welcome back. It’s nice to see you posting again.
Sage says
Thanks, Janice… it’s nice to be back :)
Eryn says
Those are wonderful finds. I have a question for you.
I am an expat living in Norway and find a lot of your posts relatable :) I am going to buy my first home here soon (hopefully), and I would like to fill it with second-hand furniture.
Here there are a lot of people not just selling, but also giving away furniture. What do you do when you find a big piece that you like, like a sofa? Obviously, public transport is not an option.
Sage says
Hi, Eryn… thanks :)
I’d start by looking for a local Facebook group, often there are people in those groups who own vans/trucks/trailers and who are willing to transport things at a very reasonable price (100-200 kr.), depending on what it is and how far it needs to be transported). That wasn’t an option when I first moved here and lived in a less urban area. There, I asked around in the town’s thrift stores and I eventually got the contact info of a guy who transported pretty much every piece of big furniture I bought for that first apartment.
Happy hunting :)
Eryn says
Those are great ideas. Thank you! And I am very happy Opie is doing well :)
Barbara Paola says
Love your finds! And I’m sorry about the stress weight loss. I, too, lose weight when I’m stressed :( on a happier note, Opie looks great! I can’t believe he is 15. Josephine had hypothyroidism also, but she sadly passed of FIP, not related to her thyroid. May Opie have many more healthy years!
Sage says
Thanks, Barb! I don’t know what I would’ve done if I’d lost him on top of everything else. I don’t like that he’s 15, though you’d never know it by the way he runs around and gets into things. He thinks he’s still a kitten :)
noname says
YAY! Opie.
Thanks for hanging on in there for Sage.
Sage says
I’ve thanked him for you… and told him to keep it up :)
Leanna says
Being able to find really beautiful items in a thrift store is a real talent. I especially love how you photographed everything, the items are beautiful.
Mother K says
Love, love your finds, especially the tea kettle. What I would give to be sitting with you in your new digs, sipping a big ole mug of Earl Geay tea. Love Opie. I’m thinking of rescuing a kitty and looking at him makes me think it’s a really good idea. Good job kiddo, keep up the good work.
Rita Tocta says
That vintage painting is everything! What a find!! Happy that Opie is well :) your new apartament is a dream. Keep doing what makes you happy. You have a good heart and a gift for happiness which aparently not everybody has.
Karen says
Hellooooo
Will you let me know if you ever consider vintage shopping in my area. I live in Tisvildeleje and I go to a few places around the area and it’s so amazing what I find. Are you still living in Denmark? I have found amazing things here. My favorite being our 250 year old London working grandfather clock ?