Introducing: Thrifty Thursday

I've always loved scavenging and repurposing. My favorite game as a kid was 'store' where I'd go through my house collecting items, lay them out on a blanket, and offer them up for sale. I am five years younger than my sister and seven years younger than my brother, so most often I would be both the seller and the buyer. I loved digging through the basement of discarded home decor and imagining a new context for each item. I went on to study Art History in college, and went on to work in an auction house where I got to go through other peoples discarded art and decor, cataloguing, photographing and displaying for sale. Offering up potential uses and contexts to customers as they browsed previews. 

On Sundays when the weather warms up there is a huge flea market in Rowley at Todd Farm. Vendors arrive at the crack of dawn and display their goods. It's one of my favorite past times to walk up and down the field, the earlier the better, in the crisp morning quiet. I enjoy feeling the character, history and the stories that emanate from the tables of objects. I love thumbing through old books, flipping through albums, and seeing the beauty in the unexpected. I really enjoy shopping in a way that is not prescribed. Stripped of context and marketing, shopping second hand really allows you to discover what speaks to you and dig into that deeper.

Sometimes I will have a loose idea of what I am looking for or 'need' based on whatever home improvement projects are on the horizon, but sometimes it's the inverse and something will speak to me and suddenly a piece will inspire an entire space. This past fall, a new clipper ship print inspired the creation of an entire ship gallery wall in my dining room.

I've found numerous Nantucket baskets at thrift stores and even tough I can make pretty much anything - with the full understanding of the time commitment that each requires, I am always looking for baskets to add to my collection. Especially for a good price where I know they can be used and abused for things like laundry, kid toys, pool towels, you name it. The charm character and stories of these baskets is much preferable to me than anything found on the shelves at Target. 

I see this blog space as a place where I can share all the things I am working on my life - so what better place to display my thrifted treasures than here At Home with Parker River Proper! 

Without further ado, the first edition of Thrifty Thursdays. What I found, where I found it, and how I plan to use it!

Thursday, Feb 29

thrifted from: Goodwill in Seabrook 

Two Nautical Flag Lamps - $10

Ceramic Nantucket Basket Dish - $2

Pottery Barn Teen Print - $10

How I plan to use them:

The Nautical Lamps will be perfect as we transition my oldest son into a new "Big Kid Room" in preparation for the baby. I want to mix all the things he loves into the decor of the room while keeping it subdued and classic. Kind of like ski lodge meets boat house meets mountain cabin. 

Here is the inspiration board:

bed: Crate and Barrel

nightstand: Target

blanket: Pendleton 

The Pottery Barn Teen Frame will be the perfect size for this Sara Fitz print I am eyeing. Our upstairs playroom needs some love and I plan to create a light bright fun gallery wall. 

At $2.00 and perfectly on brand, obviously I couldn't resist buying this ceramic Nantucket Basket trinket dish. It plays nicely with the rest of its lightship basket relatives on our living room shelves. 

I also picked up a few toys for my kids. Our mornings are sometimes a chaotic mix of whining about watching TV (a no on school days) trying to find socks, sibling teasing, the list goes on. The kids were thrilled with their new treasures this morning and they went off to let their imaginations run wild with some independent play while I enjoyed hot coffee, packed lunches and got ready for the day. Well worth the $3.00!

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That's it for this week! I hope you enjoyed. I can't guarantee I'll have a successful haul each Thursday, but maybe on the weeks I don't shop I can feature some of your favorite thrift store finds, and how they are used in your home.  I'd love to see! send them my way. katie@parkerriverproper.com

xo Katie