Thrift Store Christmas Table and Thrift Store Tips

Thrift Store Christmas Table and Thrift Store Tips: beautiful Christmas table put together with thrift store finds, and 9 tips for thrifting.

I love setting a pretty table, especially for an occasion, and there is no better occasion than Christmas! I found lots of the things for my table today at the thrift store. They always have great finds in their houseware department.

Thrift Store Christmas Table and Thrift Store Tips: beautiful Christmas table put together with thrift store finds, and 9 tips for thrifting.

A Love Of Thrifting

I started thrifting when I was in University out of necessity. Money was tight and I found a few thrift stores near the apartment I rented with my friends. One of my best thrift store finds back then was a vintage bowl that I filled with vintage ornaments -also found thrifting. I loved it, and in fact I still have the bowl and the Christmas ornaments to this day. It was then that I discovered the thrill of the hunt.

I had so much fun shopping for this beautiful Christmas Table. Let me share some of my thrifting tips -things I've learned over many years of thrifting.

1. Look For Seasonal Items Out Of Season

Look for seasonal items out of season. Anything Christmas is a hot item right now, so if you see treasures like vintage ornaments, or antique Santas out of season make sure you grab them. It's a general rule of thrifting that you need to get it when you see it or it will be gone, and it's even more true of seasonal items.

2. Go Often

Go often. Try and make regular quick trips to the Care and Share. New inventory is coming in all the time. And new inventory is being put out on the floor all the time. Best to pop in often, since you never know when something you love will be put out.

3. Mix and Match

Mix and Match. When setting a table for an occasion like Chrsitmas it might be challenging to find a complete set of something. Feel free to mix and match. For example mix a couple different designs of dishes or glassware or jars but look for something that they have in common, like colour to tie it all together.

4. Think Outside The Box

Think outside of the box. Use teacups to hold Christmas trees, string lights as a garland, use a vintage enamelware teapot to hold a Christmas tree. Sometimes thrifting requires a little bit of imagination. Try and think about things beyond their obvious use.

5. Plan Ahead

Plan ahead. It might a few trips to the thrift store to find all the elements you're looking for. Give yourself time to look on different occasions so you can find what you need.

6. Be Flexible

Be flexible. Try not to go to the thrift store with a plan set in stone. You never know what you'll find -or won't find, so be open to changing direction depending on what you find that day.

7. Shop Your House

I always shop my house for a tablescape. I was looking for pieces to use at the thrift store, but also always keeping in mind what I already owned and what I could mix in with my thrift store finds.

8. Mix Vintage With Modern

I never want my table to look quite like it was my Grandmother's, or all from the antique shop so I always try to mix my vintage treasures in with modern pieces to create a nice balance.

9. Donate Items Back To The Thrift Store When You're Finished

If you love setting tables as much as I do, you have probuably run into the problem of storage. One great solution is to donate items back to the thrift store when you're finished with them. If you need to buy extra dishes for a big get together for example and don't want to store something that you'd use so infrequently, feel free to donate them back when you're done. The prices are so great, and the money used for so much good that you can pick up some more if you need to years from now instead of tying up space.

Christmas Table

Vintage Pieces

This table was so much fun to put together. I started out with the enamelware collection. It came in while I was shopping and it was the starting place for this table. When I saw it I thought it would look so pretty with little trees in it.

I also spotted the Christmas record and couldn't resist the pink and red together. I didn't buy it to play the record, I thought it would be really fun as a graphic decor piece. My other real find that day was the large vintage plastic Santa. It's actually an old piggy bank, and such a cute vintage piece.

When I set up the table I knew these pieces would be great as background. I also mixed in one of my printable art pieces -which you can read all about and how to make the hanging frame here.

The Table

For the table itself, I decided to repeat the Christmas trees down the middle of the table. While I was thrifting I also picked up a mix of mason jars. They've been used to hold assorted Christmas candy on the table.

I also found the pretty gold and white teacups while at the thrift store. They would be lovely for hot chocolate at this table, and great with all the marshmallows, candy canes, and chocolates on the table too.

I put some little bottle brush trees in each one. They look so cute.

Placesettings

Most of the rest of the placesetting is from items I already had. I shopped my house. I also love to mix vintage with modern pieces and the black cutlery, pottery plates, and fun napkins add a bit of an updated feel to the table.

Gingerbread Houses

One of my favourite elements on the table are the cute little gingerbread houses. If you didn't have glass cloches like mine vintage champagne flutes would be really pretty too.

I picked up the little gingerbread houses at the dollar store -or make your own, and surrounded them with mini marshmallows for a bit of snow globe effect. Just a little ribbon added to them helps tie them back to our colour scheme.