How to find Garden Decor at the Thrift Store

3 Tips for a successful treasure hunt

One of my favorite places to find great garden decor is at the thrift store. In fact, that’s where I got some of my favorite garden decorations. Last summer, I found a set of three plain old plastic butterflies that were probably intended for a little girl’s room. I could not wait to get home to spray paint them and hang them up on the corner of my garden shed. I arranged them together in a group. Standing back to critique my work, I was just giddy with delight. It looked so natural as if those butterflies had just landed there…contentedly sunbathing on the side of my shed.

Yup, for great garden decor, look no further than your local thrift store. It’s the best way to go to get those funky (and not-so-funky) finds that add a little joy to your time in the garden. They make great accent pieces and best of all, won’t cost very much! Many things made for indoor decor can be used outside in flower beds, hung on a fence or gathered into little groupings among your planters on the front porch or patio.

Knowing what to look for in the way of garden decor

Why is it that some people seem to get “all the ‘good’ stuff” at the thrift store? Because they know what to look for. They know which things will give their yard or garden the personality they want it to have. They know if an item will withstand exposure to the weather. And while certain individuals are just creative by nature, most people (including myself) have developed their imaginations over time with practice.

If you’ve never considered shopping the thrift stores for garden decor, it’s fun and I hope you’ll give it a try. Here are three important tips for a successful treasure hunt:

• Know your garden decor style
• evaluate an item carefully and make great selections
• use your imagination and discover new possibilities for garden decor

1. What’s your style?

Think of it as “exterior decorating”. Just like you have favorite colors and styles for your home, your yard or garden motif should be guided by similar principles. Otherwise, you end up with a bunch of clutter that makes it hard for anything to stand out.

First, decide on the “look” you want to achieve. Formal or informal? Are you creating a fantasy land with fairies and unicorns? Maybe you’re more into an English Cottage/French Countryside theme or something ultra modern. What about vintage or farm? It’s up to you!

I happen to like butterflies. I’ve always liked butterflies but the set I picked up also match the Woodland theme I’m developing for a little garden patch next to my shed. I also spray-painted them to compliment the color scheme I’m using.

When you spy something interesting on the shelf; you simply ask yourself, “will this item “go” with my motif?” You’ve got some idea of where you’d like to use it; in the flower bed among the petunias or on the front porch with the rustic wooden planters. That owl figurine may be super cute and exactly what you’ve been looking for–or not. My advice: If it doesn’t fit with what you’ve got going, it’s not a bargain.

2. Evaluate an item before you purchase

The second thing the people who ‘get all the good stuff’ do is to carefully inspect an item before buying it. Dust and grime aside, it should be in reasonably good shape. Remember the sheer volume of stuff that staff has to deal with on a daily basis. It’s easy to overlook something. Customers can also damage merchandise.

When it comes to figurines, I look to ensure all hands and feet and wings and hoof are intact. One time, I came home with two pretty resin fairies that I planned to use for a garden totem. I quickly checked for hands and feet. Thrilled with my find ($1/each), I paid for them and off I went. Weeks passed before I realized that one of the fairies was missing her wings. Other than that, she was in great condition so I decided to use her anyway. Next to her sister fairy, the absent wings weren’t all that noticeable.

While we’re on the subject, let me point out that not all blemishes are to be considered “bad”. A minor chip or two, a bit of fading, a small rip or tear simply adds character to a piece.

What’s it made out of?

As you handle an object, you’ll get a sense of how durable it is, or isn’t for an outdoor environment. You’ll be able to determine right away if it would survive out in the open or if it’s better off in a more sheltered location under a covered porch. Let’s face it, some things are just too fragile to be outdoors at all.

All materials deteriorate over time, some sooner than others depending on a variety of factors. Plastics fade, wood rots, metals rust. (although rust is fashionable!) But the attractive qualities and the enjoyment it brings for a few years are worth it.

Believe it or not, glass (the thick, heavy cut glass) and ceramics are the most weather resilient of all, providing they don’t succumb to a sharp impact. They don’t fade or rot and are easy to clean. Brightly colored plates and pretty coffee mugs are wonderful in the garden. Tea pots make whimsical planters for a simple pansy. It’s mainly just experience. The more things you try, the better able you are to quickly evaluate something in the future. Fortunately, it doesn’t cost very much to experiment with garden decor from the thrift store.

3. Use your imagination

Still not finding anything? Sometimes, you have to learn to see the potential in something that may not look too appealing at first glance. (like my butterflies) If its a little greasy or grimy, let it soak in a sink full of hot, soapy water at home. Remember that a couple coats of spray paint or craft paint will completely change its appearance.

What else could it be?

Perhaps the biggest reason why some people seem to “find all the good stuff” is that they have a well developed sense of imagination. While everyone has a sense of imagination and ingenuity, it can lay dormant until it gets a little exercise.

Children are usually pretty good at this. When my siblings and I were kids, we’d put colander’s on our heads and pretend to be soldiers. We could look at a colander and see a helmet. Believe it or not, that’s exactly what I had to do when I first started looking for garden decor at the thrift store. I see a soup bowl, a fork, a straw hat, an iron. But I had to ask myself, “what else could it be?”

The current trend of re-purposing or ‘up-cycling’ will have your creativity running wild. For example, the common gravy boat–the dish that’s passed around the table on Thanksgiving–has a generous capacity to hold bird seed. Ordinary hub caps can become whimsical flowers to display along the back fence.

Final thoughts

After a long day on the the hunt, nothing is more satisfying than enjoying the fruits of your labor. When you know what you’re looking for, able to determine if it’s good enough to use outdoors and can flex the imaginative mind set, you also end up saving time and money, too!

You can sit back and admire your hard, sought after treasures and congratulate yourself on a job well done. Next, be sure to invite someone over for tea because the whole point of making a space beautiful and interesting is to share it with others. When a friend see’s your clever garden decor, they’ll surely want to know where you got it. Then you can say (with just a slight tone of smugness) “I found it at the thrift store”. To which they will reply:

Oh, you always get the good stuff!

Related posts you may enjoy:

How to Get the Most Out of Your Garden Decor

How to Prevent Resin Lawn Ornaments From Fading