Thrifty Thursday - Chotskies

It's probably "a little outside of nature's laws" how much I love thrift store shopping. Part of it is finding amazing things for a steal, but I also love finding the quirky and disturbing. It's just FUN. And as much as I love finding a good piece of furniture, I also love hunting for accessories.

On a typical trip to my favorite thrift stores, I always look for three things: Furniture, wall art/mirrors, and accessories, and if there's anything that usually always come home with me, its accessories.

Recently I went shopping for figurines to add to my collection. Figurines are tough, because they can easily look junky and outdated, like your grandmother's ceramic collection.

These are examples of things you should probably leave on the shelf. As cute as a ceramic pig wearing a flower mumu and green feather boa is, if you take her home with you, I will call an intervention. Same goes for creepy clowns and 1990's floral details on country pink swans. Leave them on the shelf. 

And then there's this guy. The sad thing was that when I went back a week later, he wasn't there anymore. Someone actually took him home. I mean...

I apologize if this image gives you bad dreams tonight.

But on the flip side, here are a few options that I did consider buying.

I liked the owl, he was a little small and the intricate detail was a little distracting to me. And I have too many owls to begin with. I also liked the bird. He was heavy, almost like a paper weight, but he had a blue stain on him and I didn't want to paint over him because it would mess up the pretty finish the bird already had. So I opted not to get him. I did end up getting the bunny though. The color wasn't a deterrent for me because I could easily paint him white which would freshen him up.

When buying figurines, worry more about the scale and form of the figure, and less about the color. A coat of white (or black, metallic or any other color for that matter) on a piece can modernize it and give it a second life.

These three pieces look outdated and definitely not something to fit a modern, fresh space.

But put a coat of primer and spray paint on them and they have a new look.

The little cat found a home in my daughter's room, the vase is being used on our mantle, and the blue whatchamacallit doesn't have a home yet. Speaking of, when you find something you like,  don't worry if you don't have a specific place in mind for it. If it's cheap and you have the space to store it, buy it!

There's nothing wrong with having an accessory stash. And I'm not just saying this to support my own addiction. Keep a collection of things that you love, and change it around every once in a while! If you don't have a closet, maybe dedicate just a shelf, or even a drawer, and keep those accessories handy for times when you are ready for a change and want to mix it up a little!

And for full disclosure, here is my stash.

These are things that are currently not on display in my house. Picture frames on the bottom, pillows and blankets (which should be on the bottom shelf but aren't) and accessories above.

So have you had success buying figurines? Do you have an accessory stash? I'd love to hear!