Believe it or not, a chamber pot with a lid. Sadly, it is now broken. But while I needed it, it performed with marvelous aplomb. (I belonged to a medieval recreation group, and middle ages or not, camping far, far from the outhouse is for much younger folks than I.) I started out with a blue spatterware pot, but the enamel was chipped in too many places, so I haunted the antique and junk shops until I found my china chamber pot. Very fond memories which do not include any of extra chilly rims, since not much is too cold for long in Phoenix.

An art deco bedroom set (dresser and 2 nightstands) found at Salvation Army - $60 for the set. They cleaned up beautifully, and have the original brass and orange bakelite hardware.

I found an 1848 Bible at the thrift store for $3!

I picked up a Catalina Island vase years ago at a garage sale for $1. I have always loved the thing. It looks like this one, but mine is a turquoise-y sky blue. Btw, isn't the yellow fabulous?! I want one!

In my hometown there is this tiny ma and pa store full of cheap finds. I found this terribly awful pair of lamps which worked but were a shade of green only Scooby-Doo and Shaggy would love. They had such great lines and are very tall which is nice for the table they sit on. I bought them for $0.50 (together), and a can of matt black spray paint ($4.00) and two lamp shades from target ($12.00) and they are gorgeous. They are a great conversation piece and I absolutely love them now.

When I married my DH (at aged 52 and 53) he'd been a lifelong bachelor - lol, the entire house was his 'man-cave' and rather short on real furniture. It was almost immediately apparent he needed a place to call his own so we hit all the charity shops in our market town and within three hours and for under £200 we completely furnished his study!

Every thing in the room except the electronics came from the charity shops and are vintage - except the Edwardian sideboard you can partially see in the far right, it's now a certified antique at over 100 years old. It was also the most expensive piece at a whopping £45:)

Found a Waterford rose bowl at a garage sale for $1.00! I didn't realize it was Waterford until I washed it and the sun hit the watermark just right. What a thrill - I almost dropped it in the sink!

I've participated in Medieval/Renaissance faires and I've gone to charity shops and come back with pewter goblets and pottery that would pass for period-correct pieces.

18th century Louis Philippe mirror from France. Gorg and waited a lifetime for it!

"Paris" in metal roses--goes well with my Palais de Glace oversize print. Or my 4 pairs of silk lines & interlined drapes found for $75 at Thrifttown; took them to an upscale fabric store and they told me they were Thai silk and probably cost $12,000 new.

Oh, this is an EASY one.... my Kitchen Island! you can see it here - it's the first Island you see on the page: http://farmtables.us/kitchen_islands__only_a_top It actually is a Bedroom Dresser - and got it at a consignment store for $75.00!! (: Then I found a local Lumber Mill guy who cut and joined planks into a Top for me. I added the corbels which were salvaged from an old Victorian porch and were at my local Habitat for Humanity Re-Store (LOVE them!) This one piece led to my Table-Making business! and I still have it and use it and love it.

HINT: the third pic I am attaching would have made a fabulous Island too - it was two matching bedroom dressers! Would have needed a new Top, but OMG how incredible would this be. And it is very easy to make these taller, if needed, with new legs or feet.
Anna at www.famtables.us

Very Nice thistledc! Went on your site - Wow- I like!!

My most recent one was a round sterling silver tray for $12. The original price was still on and it was $274.95.

It's hard to pick favorites--I have too many. But I found a section of an aluminum coffeemaker and a colander at an estate sale awhile back and immediately knew they'd work together in a lamp. I think she's very cute. https://www.etsy.com/listing/160692053

A hidden desk/bureau that I found at a thrift store for $175. They are only custom made and retail for $16k.

A Tapiovaara rocking chair for € 17,50. Somebody has made a mess of it painting it but I don't care. I entered the shop at the moment it was brought in, held my breath trying to hide my excitement and in the end the chair left the shop one minute after its entrance!

An 1819 book for €2 (in France) !!

A wonderful Bombay chest painted in a deep Chinese red. Also an antique wine carrier basket from France that I found at an estate sale several years ago for $10. Both pieces make a wonderful statement in our family room.

I bought a 1950 Henredon french provincial bedroom set. Love it

I found a pair of tongs on a table--an EMPTY table I had walked PAST to get to a garage sale and when I was leaving there they were--the ONLY things on the table!!!---that turned out to be Coin Silver; made in 1811 by Joel Sayre Silversmith and hand engraved. They are not large--probably sugar tongs.

Aside from the gorgeous simple design-almost "Modern"---when I researched the maker I discovered that he had been born and worked in the same town I had grown up in in NJ; then he had a silver smith business in early NYC in almost the exact location as my grandfathers silver business was 150 years later---and both of those locations are now part of the World Trade Center plot.

Cost? 25 cents. Value to me? Priceless.

To be honest, I've grown up around vintage items all my life-with two sets of grandparents who were born in the late 19th century-but if I had to pick one, it would be this late thirties/early forties Smith-Corona portable type writer that my dad got for me in high school, when I had the dream of being a "budding" journalist. I actually typed one of my term papers on it in college. Unfortunately, some of the striker keys have gotten bent, but it will always mean something special to me that my dad bought it for me.

As a poor student, fell in love with this little painting at a outdoor antique market in London. Afraid the piece would be well out of my price range, I finally worked up the courage to ask about the painting. "It's an oil" was the reply. Realizing the dealer had no more knowledge about the little gem than I, I gladly handed over £8 (about $15) and it has been a prized possession ever since. (We still refer to it as "The Oil").

Well, my find was not a little piece. My mother had an antique cherry corner cupboard at home in NJ but when my father wanted to give it to me I lived in a small apartment and did not have space. Forty years later, my husband who had wanted so very much to buy a cupboard like that for me, died. Then, on a trip with a dear friend who knew this story asked me to stop in Abington, VA so she could search antique shops she called me over to see the gorgeous cupboard in the corner. It now stands in the corner of my den in Alabama.

I frequently go to thrift stores with my family. I've picked up some awesome things here and there but my best find were actually two things: The Beatles 'White Album' set hiding in-between some random records that I bought bulk and a Michael Jackson 'Thriller' vinyl at a Goodwill store for $3 before he passed away (R.I.P.)

Bought what I thought was an old wood door from a used building supply store, stripped the paint off and found a copper door underneath!

A pink fiesta ware soup bowl with a handle for 10 cents at a fleamarket. It was a perfect soap dish for the pink bathroom in our first rent house( a 1920's cottage) until hubby decided to clean our the soap scum. His method is a subject of debate 30+ years later.

I got a scallop-front burled maple dresser at an auction for far less than I expected (can't remember the exact price) " because large items don't sell"). It took up residence in my front hall and has ivied there ever since (about 35 yrs). I also have a lovely 5' oak desk that I use every day. It fits perfectly in my 5' x5' office.

Krrb.com has tons of amazing vintage finds! :)

My best find in a hand-made youth bed I bought at a Church auction. No one wanted to make the opening bid of $25.00, so I did. There were no other bidders, so I got it! My s-I-l did not like it, so I kept it and used it as my couch!

Thanks Emily for liking my post. I'm trying to convince the woman I mentioned in the post to create a houzz pro profile.