For those not in the know (like me five years ago), OBX = The Outer Banks. Which is actually where John first took me for our one year anniversary of dating. Cue the collective aw. Anyway, now that we divulged some details of our recent Outer Banks trip this morning, we wanted to share all of the house-related stuff that we found while we were there. One of our favorite things to do when we travel is search for thrift stores, so I just did a quick hunt for “thrift” on my iPhone and it led us to Hotline Thrift (in Kitty Hawk – it’s a big pink store, you can’t miss it).
Which is where we found these two chunky pedestal bases for $40 (for both) along with a big tabletop. Not a bad deal if you grabbed them both and made two pedestal tables out of them (like we did way back when for our old sunroom). Of course you could paint them any color you’d like after adding one of those $40 ready-made 36″ tabletops from Lowe’s (like glossy white, moody gray, happy yellow, chippy turquoise, etc). Each table would probably factor out to around $65 when it’s all said and done (read more on a project like this here).
This cute desk lamp was just $4, and could totally look like something straight out of Pottery Barn if you spray painted it bright red, dark charcoal gray, or even something fun like lime green.
This Paris map was awesome. And we totally would have bought it if it wasn’t $200 (!!!). I guess the folks at this thrift store smartly googled it and learned it was worth a ton of money. It really was amazing.
Then I laid eyes on this relic from the past. Yes it is an Alf tray, and yes it was only $4. How did I ever leave the store without it – even if just as a gag gift for my brother. “Let’s do lunch! How about yours?” Oh Alf, you slay me.
Then there was this furry lamp. It looked like it was all stinky and musty… not that I leaned in to confirm. It’s so funny to realize that there was a moment in time that this was in fact considered stylish. Crazytown.
Then we found our way over to Hotline Thirft Too, which is basically their sister store in Nags Head, where we found this cute $4 fish tin (once again I can picture it spray painted for a fun modern take – maybe in bright turquoise or poppy orange and hung above the window of a kitchen sink). I think I have a spray paint problem. Sort of along the same lines as my pillow problem. Can’t. Stop.
Next we have the piece de resitance. An item so mystifying that you can’t help but scratch your head and giggle simultaneously. Ladies (and gentlemen?) I present to you, the oversized hairy nutcracker bear. He was literally over two feet tall. Have you ever seen anything like it? I just stood there transfixed – trying to make sense of the whole thing. In the end I couldn’t. What could this possibly mean?
While in Nag’s Head we also had some fun at Meme’s Antique Mall. The first thing to catch my eye were these awesome teal and red glasses (I’ve loved that color combo since the days of Domino magazine). They were $16 for the set (there were around 10 in the set) so definitely not bad.
Clara loved this cute $25 kissing giraffe art + frame (two words that she knows are “kiss” and “giraffe” – the latter of which cutely comes out as: “gee!”).
This industrial white stool was $29. Could be fun in a sleek bathroom pulled up to a clean-lined vanity for putting on the ol’ face every morning.
This old troll gal was $25, which made me want to drop to the floor holding my face. Why? I owned approximately 100 of them as a nine year old. And at $25 a pop, my collection would have earned me $2,500 if my mom hadn’t donated them over a decade ago. Who knew those would be worth something someday? Clearly not me.
This whale weathervane was a whopping $295, but it did make me wonder if someone could DIY one with an old piece of wood and a jigsaw (they could then attach it to a cheaper weather vane base).
This next store isn’t exactly a thrift store, but it was next door to one, so I ducked in. It was called Daniel’s Homeport in Kitty Hawk, and although nothing was as cheap as most thrift store finds (except for that $200 map!) there was some cool stuff.
Like this painterly flower guy ($62 with frame):
And this cool geometric picture frame ($40), which I definitely think could be DIYed with a stencil – or even freehanded if you’re fancy.
This honeycomb wine rack totally had me at hello (you know we have a thing for bees). At $40 we didn’t grab it, but I still remember it fondly.
This cool octagonal mirror was also something I thought could be homemade (hardware store wood and trim mitered and secured over a larger round mirror could recreate the look). So rustic and charming.
I know I’m weird, but I thought this octopus pillow ($37) was the bomb diggety. And yes, I’m cool enough to use that term, circa 1995.
I was also in love with these hook & loop pillows ($50 each) thanks to their bold designs and fun subjects. A little too spendy for a cheap girl like me though. Even with my pillow problem. But I could see them in someone’s hip LA crash pad- like, I dunno… Selena Gomez?
We also ducked into Kellogg Supply Company (right near our rental house) and spied this hilarious version of Monopoly. Burger was chuffed.
Amazingly enough, we left empty handed (well, we did grab a post card to send to ourselves, per our tradition). And my ten year old niece Olivia and I got $2 friendship bracelets. BFFs for life, yo.
Do you like to go house shopping on vacation? Is there ever room for anything in the car anyway (ours was pretty packed)? Did you also have dozens of troll dolls as a tween? Did you name them all and line them up in the window so their hair got faded on one side? Yeah, me neither.
Joni says
Trolls + Jimmy Fallon = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lsjtmq69Zs :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- he makes me snort laugh.
xo,
s
Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says
Oh man… I used to LOVE Alf. When I was a baby, I would stay up so I could watch him and then kiss the TV screen! I even had an Alf figurine and an Alf stuffed doll.
YoungHouseLove says
That IS love!
xo,
s
Amber says
I may very well need to make a trip to NC to purchase that ALF tray. Now that I’ve seen it, I don’t think my life will be complete without it.
AliP says
I recently bought that very same giraffe print from art.com! So cute! Clara has great taste!
Terry says
Okay I must admit this comment is not house or troll related but it is related to vacationing! How did you decide what to take and what to leave for Clara while on vacation. I am vacationing with the extended family this upcoming week and I think I’m packing waaaay to much for my little one! I mean there is only so much room in the car! What did you really need and what could you have done without?
YoungHouseLove says
We just bring enough clothes and pjs (with extras for unseen disasters) and her pool floatie and a few books for her and her pack & play and sound machine and diapers/wipes. We try to travel light since we also have dog stuff (like a big ol’ crate) to pack.
xo,
s
annabelvita says
Oh, and I totally copied your idea of sending postcards to yourselves from holidays, except we send one each with our ten favourite things about the holiday. It’s so fun to compare later on!
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so much fun! Love it.
xo,
s
danielle says
i love that you are hitting all my vacation spots…for the past few years we vacation in rehoboth beach with my family in July and then with the in laws in Duck in September! Now i have some great spots to hit, but I think it would annoy me to find cool things and not be able to fit them in the car!
Jenn(ifer) @ heim-elich says
I actually had the giraffe picture in my teenage room. It was a poster and had a black “frame” around the picture with “the first kiss” written on it in white… I finally threw it away last year…
http://www.posterlounge.de/first-kiss-giraffe-pr17181.html
And I had one big troll with blue hair and a blue and white striped pyjama…
Lindsey says
Love all the reminders of my past reading your blog! Loved Alf and Troll dolls!! I think I cut all my Troll’s hair though…probalby not worth anything with out the hair, LOL!
Jessica Tankersley says
Bizarrely, my parents still have that same Alf tray! Weird. I’ll send it your way if they ever decide to get rid of it. Might look good in your hallway frame wall, right?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- amazing.
xo,
s
Rachel Tatem says
That wine holder and some of those frames are awesome! Looks like you had a really fun time.
KiTX @ The Big Grateful says
I loved this post- you had me at the Alf tray, but the furry bear nutcracker just made me snort at my desk. And on our vacations, we always buy Christmas ornaments to commemorate where we went that year so we can get all excited about the trips we’ve taken together as we put up the tree each December. I’m hoping it turns into a fun thing for our future kids, too, and good memories for them to have as they grow up. =)
Krystyl says
So totally nothing to do with this post specifically but I just found out that I’m coming to VA for work next week. Virginia Beach more specifically, anything that I just HAVE TO SEE or DO while I’m there???
Ok I’ll throw something in about the post…I LOVED ALF and I have a ton of the UGLY troll dolls, as a matter a fact I even had troll earrings that I think are still at my moms house!!!! Ya I’m that cool!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, we’re not really pros when it comes to Virginia Beach. Anyone have suggestions for Krystyl? Here’s a post we wrote about Richmond if you stop by though: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/02/five-richmond-top-fives/
xo,
s
Krystyl says
Thanks S I’ll keep looking around!!!
mariela says
I really love the honeycomb wine rack! So geometric and fun!
KH says
I have that exact same honeycomb wine rack! I got it for only $9 (yes, $9, marked down from $40)at the Plow and Hearth outlet in Madison, VA. They had a few of them at the time, but that was about six months ago. No clue if they still carry them.
YoungHouseLove says
Amazing! So jealous.
xo,
s
DanielleR says
My sister used to have what we lovingly called the “Troll Morgue” … She has obsessive compulsive tendencies and she used to have one entire bookshelf devoted to Beanie Babies and another bookshelf devoted strictly to Trolls in her bedroom. She had all of the troll dolls in perfect order, just as she wanted them, even taking the time to tape the bottoms of the not so steady trolls so they couldn’t fall over. She had so many trolls that she had to start laying down some of the troll bodies to make room, and the neighborhood boys I used to hang out with would come over and rearrange her troll display to drive her crazy lol. They all nicknamed it the Troll Morgue, where all the unwanted trolls came to die they said lol.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- that sounds like my type of ten year old fun. Amazing.
xo,
s
BrassyDel says
I am in love with the bomb diggety blue and green octopus pillow!
Susan says
That nutcracker looks like Rick James, a wookie, and an old German lady got together to make a wooden baby.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- 500 points for the Rick James reference.
xo,
s
Tracy says
My new thing is using the camera on my phone to remember items that inspire me and that I think maybe some day, I’ll want to get. Even if I can’t find the exact item I snapped a pic of, I can use the photo to get me started. It’s helped my shopping habit tremendously :-)
Dena says
I have a fish mold like that from my grandparents’ old apartment, and it’s hanging in my kitchen. Love it!
Anne says
That lamp shade looks like a really pretty party dress from the 50’s. And that map of Paris is GORGEOUS! J’adore la Ville-Lumiere.
Now to go dig up my trolls . . . I could use the extra cash!I loved how they smelled like baby powder.
alg says
One church bazaar + 12 tubes of craft paint + WAAAAY too much time = something that should never see the light of day.
Put down the glue gun & step away from the nutcracker, Aunt Millie…
SingleMama says
Oh I wish I had saved all of my trolls! And I love/am terrified of the hairy bear nutcracker. That is just asking to be a gag gift.
Kacie says
Love the whale vane and the paris map… of course the two most expensive items!
Kacie
http://www.acollectionofpassions.blogspot.com/
my honest answer says
Is it just me, or does the troll look a teeny bit like Clara? In a nice way, I mean, I loved trolls too!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- it’s true. She’s the better version of all the trolls I knew and loved growing up!
xo,
s
Jillian says
I totally had a million trolls, My Little Ponies and Beanie Babies. The ponies were by far my favorite. A friend of mine growing up wasn’t allowed to have Ken dolls (no clue why,) so she would pull the heads off of her Barbies and call them boys. Not sure as to why she did that either, but it makes for a funny memory.
Kristen: Turning a House into a Home says
I am head-over-heels in love with with $4 lamp. I’m envisioning it spray painted peacock blue and sitting on my desk.
Looks like you had a blast on your vacation! Good for you!
Kristen
YoungHouseLove says
Ooh, yes to peacock blue. I can just see it now…
xo,
s
georgia says
I was a troll collector too!! Well my mum bought me loads when I was like 3 or 4, I used to comb their hair, and let them fade on the windowsill. But they got trashed by my brother when he came along grrr.
Still to this day Alf scares me!!! I love the programme but he creeps me out on the chucky childs play level!! Arghhh lol
Holly Tremblay says
Ah! I soo had at least 200 trolls. Strangely, my mom (who doesn’t save ANYTHING) saved all of my trolls and still has them. I think they are too battered and bruised to sell though. Bummer!
Erin says
The fish tin is actually a Jello mold- my mom used to have them hanging all over her kitchen in different shapes. The fish one is especially cool because you can make the scales from little mandarin oranges. Yum!
Rocky B says
I love home shopping while on vacation…so much so that I carried a 2’x3′ rug home from thailand in my backpack :)
Troll dolls = kinda creepy…
Jules says
NO word of a lie my brother had that Alf tray! I had a cabbage patch kid one and my other brother had a Muppet one. We got to use them on Sunday nights when we would eat dinner in front of the TV and watch “The Magical World of Disney” oooh 80s flashback!!!
YoungHouseLove says
That Alf tray got around, huh? Love it.
xo,
s
Mel says
Oh dear Lord, what was that “oversized hairy nutcracker bear”? I saw it, gasped, and said to myself, “what is that”. I think you were very justified in taking a picture of that craziness.
I do love a good thrift store myself, but I rarely buy anything other than clothes.
By the way, happy anniversary.
Bethany Peterson says
What? Troll dolls are worth money now? Time to dig the box o’ trolls out of the basement! And I think that lamp has a twin in the Northern MN cabin we rent every summer. It is hideous. I look at it every day for a week and wonder if I should do the world a favor and “accidentally” break it.
Sarah says
I was also a collector of trolls and I was one for Halloween! Another wierd thing I hoarded were those candles that looked like wizards…can’t remember what they were called.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh my gosh I remember those too! What were those called? Anyone?
xo,
s
Corien says
Wow, the fish! We had the same tin fish hanging in our kitchen in the Netherlands – got it from some lady in Switzerland, like 35 years ago. I think my mum even made semolina pudding in it…
Cheryl M says
Sherry
Is it me, or if you put troll hair on the bean don’t they look eerily similar?? LOL Your bean is way cuter with that snaggled tooth grin!!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha- it’s true. She’s the better version of those trolls I used to love.
xo,
s
Sally says
You should have bought the ALF tray! We used to watch it all the time with our now 26 year old daughter. Loved it! Probably have some VCR tapes we recorded in the attic. Ya think I ought to do some attic cleaning? Looks like all you you had a blast!
Carrie says
that nutcracker is the Cowardly Lion from Wizard of Oz… or at least I see it that way. :) I love that movie but that cracker is creepy!
I still have my mom’s trolls from the 60’s I bet they are worth something.
YoungHouseLove says
That might make sense actually- but what about all the Hawaiian flowers going on?
xo,
s
Kristy says
I have a Parisian map similar to the one you found, except mine was a page from a 2009 calendar that I fit in a gold frame I got from my grandmother. Probably cost me around $10!
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo,
s
Abyars says
Can I just say that I always question if I am being too cheap when I go out shopping for home stuff, but these posts always make me feel better because you guys are pretty thrifty yourselves! Thanks for posting all the details!
Kate says
I think ym mom still has all of my trolls in a box in her basement… along with my pogs, my Polly Pockets, my race cars, my legos…..
NinaNaNaNa says
The industrial white stool…look at all those owls on the bookshelf. I die! I <3 owls. We also love to thrift at each opportunity and I used to go to Nag's Head with the fam as a kid. Oh, and good to know about the trolls…I still have mine..belly jewels in tact! Hello Ebay!
Sarah says
That nutcracker is…special. People make (and buy) the weirdest things. 95% of the time when I’m scouring craigslist for furniture, the big question is “why on earth did someone buy this in the first place?
Carrie says
OMG that LAMP! Straight out of my childhood! My nana had a pair of those until the mid to late 80’s! They went well with her avocado green wool wall to wall carpet and green itchy couch. I always thought the shades looked like ballerina dresses!
Molly says
Ok. Now it’s just getting WEIRD! You are my sister from another Mister (minus the whole troll thing), as *I* just went thrift browsing:
http://thenestinggame.wordpress.com/2011/07/06/just-browsing-antique-factory/
If you ever make it back to GA, you should definitely check this place out. No trolls, but there is some FINE fashion from the Limited Express circa 1992.
Hairy Tropical Nutcracker Bear, was DEFINITELY the hit of this outing, I must say. Bravo.
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! Great minds thrift alike!
xo,
s
Stephanie says
We just got back from a trip to North Dakota. Not much exciting house shopping to be had there… BUT I did get to go to Hobby Lobby!! I scored some cute drawer pulls and closet door knobs for only $9!
Virtual Tour says
I really miss the old troll dolls. Thanks for the funny post and great pictures!
kathy says
It must be the fiction writer in me, but I couldn’t help but notice the family portrait photos in a couple of your pics. Whenever I see someone’s discarded family photos in an antique store, it makes me a little sad…
YoungHouseLove says
Those always get us too! We wonder how the heck they came to be in a random antique shop! I wonder if anyone stumbles upon their own family photos…
xo,
s
Megan says
I love some of those items! I wanted the giraffe kiss poster for my daughter’s room but could never find it! I would have definitely paid the money for it. However, that troll is not worth $25. I’ve collected trolls over the years and had almost 200 at one point. The Russ style dolls that all 20-30 year olds are familiar with are not normally worth anything. Now the old Dam ones can be and I have a few big ones that are. The frames and pillow are great, I’m surprised you walked away empty handed… I definitely wouldn’t be able to!
Maureen says
you can get the giraffe poster here – just search on google for “giraffe kiss print” or “giraffe first kiss” – i have it in my son’s room! I have the one with the black border that says underneath “The First Kiss”
http://www.allposters.com/-st/Giraffe-Posters_c1367_.htm