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You are here: Home / Maine Dining Room / 5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds

in Maine Dining Room· Summer Decor Ideas· Thrifting With The Gals

5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds

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You are going to love these 5 ways to decorate with yard sales finds near you this summer. Join me if you love all things chippy and vintage.

It’s the season for watermelon, picnics, the beach, bike rides, and my favorite, yard sales!

Do you enjoy a good yard sale?

I found my love for yard sales by watching my father go around town on summer mornings, in his later years coming home with all kinds of goodies. He would get such a hoot out of it. And sometimes he would even come home and put the finds back out to resell:)

I recently found an old sign in his shed that said “FREE, WORKS FINE!”…

Yard Sale Sign and Ella, the Bernese mountain dog.

YARD SALES

Where can you find A yard sale?

  • Craigslist. If your city is big enough to have its own Craigslist page (or if you live in the suburb of one that does), that’s usually where you’ll find them.
  • Newspaper Classified Listings.
  • Yard Sale Signs.
  • Facebook Online Yard Sale Groups.
  • Yard Sale Websites and Apps.
  • Driving Around Town

This past weekend on a visit to North Hampton, NH to do some antiquing, the yard sales were everywhere! And I was in heaven.

I found a stash of 12 blue and white dish bowls by Blue Meissen for $10.

Along with a large vintage crock for $20!

If you like thrifting, join me every week for the series “Thrifting with the Gals”. Learn all about it here!

stack of blue and bowls from yard sale

Stop by the post What Does Frugality Mean to You? to see how later on the same day I used these dishes and other items I found antiquing to decorate for an outdoor summer table serving up Maine lobsters.

What is the best yard sale app?

I am currently using the Yard Sale Treasure Map and Garage Sale Map. The Yard Sale Treasure Map app is $4.99 a year to access their premier features. Which I think is well worth it if you like to yard sale. The Garage Sale Map is free. Both work well in my opinion.

Outdoor Summer Lobster Table with yard sale finds.

Be sure to check out the chippy green apothecary cabinet I found thrifting this past spring too that I use as the foundation for 5 clever ways to decorate with yard sale finds.

5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds

1. Start with a Foundation

Like this vintage apothecary piece! You can use a cabinet like mine, a dresser, table, coffee table, trunk, shelf, bookcase, etc… A piece that you love and are looking to make shine.

Yard Sale finds and Bernese Mountain Dog

2. Stacks of Yard Sale Dishes

Collecting dishware with several different patterns at a yard sale is a really simple and frugal way to add all kinds of charm to a dining room, kitchen, living room, porch, or sunroom.

blue and white dish yard sale finds

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.”

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And how about a She or Garden Shed too?

Oh my gosh you guys, you have to check out my friend KariAnne over at Thistlewood Farms post on How to Mix and Match Plates Without Overthinking It!

5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds.  Stack of blue and white dishes and pink flowers.

I didn’t even realize how practical this setup was going to be for us when I was putting it all together. You see our sunroom is just a hallway away, and it’s now it’s so easy for me to simply grab a decorative plate to enjoy with a small snack on my way to relax with a coffee or the like.

5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds.  Stack of dishes and pink flowers.

3. Yard Sale Bud Vases

I found 7 white milk glass bud vases for $1 apiece. I can’t believe how much milk glass is making a comeback this year. I’ve been seeing them at all the antique and vintage shops, flea markets, and yard sales too!

5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds.  Milk glass bud vases.

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What is Milk Glass? Opaque Glass originated in 16th century Venice and came in a variety of colors, including white, pink, yellow, blue, and brown. The white variety beloved today rose to prominence during the Victorian era when it was coveted as an economic dead-ringer for porcelain. Source: Country Living Magazine

5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds.  Milk glass bud vases with pink flowers and dishes.

4. Flowers

Simple flowers picked from a wild bush around our mailbox decorate the thrifted milk glass bud vases beautifully. And they didn’t cost a thing.

5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds.

Growing up, my mother always kept a pair of clippers in her car so she could stop and cut weeds at any given time. Now I do the same thing. You can create some really beautiful arrangements from roadside pickings.

Would you like to see a blog post on roadside arrangements maybe? Check it out here!

A Vintage Dough Bowl

An old dough bowl for $60! WHAT?? I had been looking for one for years honestly, but never wanted to pay the price people were asking for them. I knew this was a deal when I saw it and so I snagged it.

Dough Bowls

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I only have one regret. That is that I didn’t buy them all at the yard sale…

Drop by 3 Finds at a Flea Market Near Me This Weekend to see how we hung this large old dough bowl.

5 Clever Ways to Decorate with Yard Sale Finds

I found a cute little pink picture that I attached to the center of the dough bowl with a thumbtack for a little added color and balance.

Vintage Apothecary, braided rug.

Which do you like better? The brown chair or with the rocking chair?

Vintage Home Decor

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I’m so glad you dropped by today friend, and if you are new to my blog, welcome! I hope you enjoyed your visit with us here today at our home here in Coastal Maine.

Please join me as a regular here at Dabbling & Decorating by signing up for my Saturday morning newsletter and never miss an update!

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A vase of flowers on a table

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A vase of flowers on a table

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Filed Under: Maine Dining Room, Summer Decor Ideas, Thrifting With The Gals

Previous Post: « What Does Frugality Mean to You?
Next Post: My Favorite Beach Day Essentials »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Marlene Stephenson says

    June 8, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    Thanks for these tips and as always, love your lovely homes and the way you decorate.

    Reply
    • Ann says

      June 8, 2021 at 3:36 pm

      Thank you so much, Marlene!

      Reply
  2. stacy says

    June 8, 2021 at 5:23 pm

    Ann I love all your yard sale finds. And that dough bowl is just incredible. I love all your pretty blue dishes with the pink flowers too! xo

    Reply
    • Ann says

      June 8, 2021 at 9:08 pm

      Thanks so much, Stacy!

      Reply
  3. Kathy A says

    June 8, 2021 at 9:51 pm

    That dough bowl is great! I have a (Maine) friend that tells a great story about picking roadside lupines. They were unaware that they were covered with aphids until the bugs ended up all over the car! I itch just thinking about it! One year I won a blue ribbon for a “roadside weed” arrangement of bullrushes, goldenrod, and Queen Anne’s lace in a birch bark watering can at the Windsor Fair! I think dandelions are about the only flower I don’t want growing in my yard!

    Reply
    • Ann says

      June 9, 2021 at 8:48 am

      Oh my gosh, Kathy, that’s such a great story! I’ve been thinking about a blog post about roadside arrangements. Send me a photo if you have one, I’d love to include it in the post if you like?

      Reply
  4. Rachel Harper says

    June 11, 2021 at 9:18 am

    Ann,
    You know I love this. I’m sharing a link on Sunday.

    Reply
    • Ann says

      June 11, 2021 at 4:29 pm

      So sweet of you Rachel!!

      Reply
  5. Kaye says

    June 13, 2021 at 12:05 pm

    Best entertainment and great ideas!

    Reply
    • Ann says

      June 14, 2021 at 7:43 am

      Thank you so much, Kaye!!

      Reply
  6. Barbara at Mantel and Table says

    June 13, 2021 at 4:15 pm

    Wow what an amazing find with the blue china! And I love what you’ve done with it, especially with the pink flowers – one of my favorite color combinations! I like the rocking chair best – such a beautiful area. Thanks for inspiring me with your lovely photos, and reminding me how much I love thrifting! 🙂 Happy Sunday!

    Reply
    • Ann says

      June 14, 2021 at 7:42 am

      Thank you so much, Barbara!!

      Reply
  7. Kim+|+Shiplap+and+Shells says

    June 19, 2021 at 2:52 am

    You have found the best stuff, Ann! I love your dough bowl and you know what a big fan I am of your blue and white dishes. I’d love to share this in my weekly wrap-up this week.

    Reply
    • Ann says

      June 19, 2021 at 9:29 am

      Thank you, Kim, of course!

      Reply

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Welcome to Dabbling & Decorating, a thrifty & vintage home decorating blog.  A place where I love to share decorating tips, vintage and thrifty finds, DIY projects, and antiques from our collected homes in Vermont and Coastal Maine. And our Berner, Ella who loves to pop in from time to time…  I’m so thrilled you stopped by today and I hope you will become a regular here at Dabbling & Decorating! Read more.

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Welcome to Dabbling & Decorating, a thrifty & vintage home decorating blog.  A place where I love to share decorating tips, vintage and thrifty finds, DIY projects, and antiques from our collected homes in Vermont and Coastal Maine. And our Berner, Ella who loves to pop in from time to time…  I’m so thrilled you stopped by today and I hope you will become a regular here at Dabbling & Decorating! Read more here.

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