So, You Went Thrifting. Now What?

A tiny download on how + where to style-up all those vintage beauties you just scored. Plus, the new show that is truly summer's GIFT🎉.

1. My new vintage Danish lamp and vintage Finnish bowl, both from Brimfield. In advance of my trip, I cleared out the other lamp I never really loved and gave away a few of the ceramic vases to make room for the bowl.

One of the most frequent messages I get when I do any kind of thrifting coverage is: “Did you know what you were going to do with it when you found it?” It’s a fair question. And TBH, I almost never do. I’m not really a planner that way. If I love it (even to the dismay of my partner), I just go for it. But, once I do, something interesting happens immediately after I find something truly special—so special I know it’s mine before I even pay for it—is that my brain zaps me to A Tiny Apt. HQ (a.k.a. our home) and starts moving things around like some deranged chess board. Before I’m even done grabbing their card, saying thanks, and “maybe we should get a coffee sometime?!” to the person who sold it to me, my spirit is back at home playing living-room Jenga, dragging a coffee table out to the curb to make space for a new one.

I love this process. So much so, that my apartment is in a constant state of (colorful!) transformation…which, in some ways, encourages me to have that same flexibility (I mean, I try). 

So, to reassure both you and myself that I didn’t buy a bunch of crazy useless shit a few weeks ago at Brimfield (prepare yourself…I’m heading back in July😬), I’m sharing some snapshots of how each of my favorite pieces has been settling into our everyday world. The trio of tiny Paris paintings, the possibly Kagan side table, the Scandinavian textile/blanket, and (ahhh😭), that $15 Hockney-esque painting of a skyscraper…they’re ALL here:). Plus, I’m sharing a few little tips to keep in mind, as you embark on the high season of summer sidewalk sales and flea-markets. And, speaking of sidewalk sales, I’m thinking I will have my next one in Brooklyn during the first two weeks of August. It will be hot AF, but you know, the deals will be, too. Stay tuned for more details. xxCb

PS: In the wake of the most gruesome + depressing finale in television history, I’ve been cleansing my soiled aura/memories with the ENCHANTRESS that is Patricia Arquette in High Desert. As a loyal ATA friend here, you know Palm Springs is where my soul annually goes to PARTY (and thrift, which is basically the same thing). Hence, this delicious show is not only the funny/dark stuff DREAMS are made of, the blazing setting is sensory sorcery for me. Watch it, if you haven’t already; any mutual love of Patricia’s crazy platform shoes and Rupert Friend’s poofy hair is required in the comments. Until next week…xxCb