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July 1, 2012

Thrifting Trash to Treasure

A collage of pictures including a white vase and wood basket touched up to make usable accent pieces

Inspired by my recent visit to my Dad's and his thrift store finds I have been wanting to venture out to a local thrift store myself.  I used to thrift a lot but since having the three little guys it had lost some of its appeal...three kids five and under pretty much suck the joy out of any shopping in my experience!

Well, I was out on errands with just the baby this week and happened by a Goodwill and found these two little "treasures" I thought I could transform:

A close up of a brown teddy bear wood basket

I know, I know, you're thinking "Melissa-this bear crate is perfection, how could you possibly improve upon its impeccable design aesthetic?" You should have seen my husband's face when I brought it home! For $1.50 though I knew I could transform it into something great.

A close up of a white vase with gold accents

I also picked up this little ceramic pitcher for a dollar. I love the lines of it but wasn't loving the gold banding.  However, thinking back to my DIY Faux Ceramic Vases I knew it would be a fast spray paint transformation.

A picture showing the head of the wooden teddy bear cut off to make a rectangle wood box

The bear crate's makeover was a little more involved...unfortunately the bear's head had to be decapitated removed via my circular saw.  I then sanded the painted surface and restained it with my mission oak stain which matched the crate's original finish perfectly.

A room filled with furniture and vase of flowers on a table

The end result was well worth the time it took to transform.  Not bad for $2.50 right?

Do you thrift or yard sale often? What is the best "treasure" you've ever found?

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. [email protected] says

    July 01, 2012 at 5:58 pm

    Well, I for one, love it!! Can't go wrong with a wooden basket! I also love your dad's crib coop...junkin' blood runs deep:-)

    Reply
  2. stephanie says

    July 02, 2012 at 7:58 pm

    The make-over of the teddy bear basket is wonderful...So good that I had to become a follower!

    Reply
  3. Stacey @flickerwhips says

    July 03, 2012 at 12:29 pm

    Fantastic! You would never know! I love these kinds of make-overs!!! Visiting from the NJH Linky!

    Reply
  4. Debi says

    July 03, 2012 at 1:13 pm

    Love this. I have a Blog Hop on Wednesdays, and I would love it if you would link this post tomorrow. You can find it at
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com
    It is called Wednesdays Adorned From Above Blog Hop.
    I hope to see you there. Have a great Day.
    Debi Bolocofsky
    Adorned From Above
    http://www.adornedfromabove.com

    Reply
  5. Carolyn says

    July 03, 2012 at 3:03 pm

    I visit the Goodwill weekly. On dollar day. Love it! I buy and refashion clothes. Check out my blog!

    Reply
  6. Tamsyn says

    July 03, 2012 at 11:09 pm

    That little crate looks great now! I think I need to get some more thrifting in before I have my next baby ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  7. Jessika says

    July 03, 2012 at 10:36 pm

    It's amazing how nice you can make simple thrift store finds! Thanks for sharing!

    Jessika @ Refresh. Renew. Restyle.
    http://www.refreshrenewrestylediy.blogspot.com

    Reply
  8. Daniela @Frugal Aint Cheap says

    July 05, 2012 at 1:23 pm

    YES! what a difference!!!!

    Reply
  9. Carolyn says

    July 08, 2012 at 1:48 am

    Just dropping by to let you know that I loved your project and featured it on homework today. Have a great weekend and thank you for linking up on the Inspiration Board.

    Reply
  10. Michaela @ coveredinmodpodge.blogspot.com says

    July 08, 2012 at 8:56 pm

    You decapitated the bears! The crate looks wonderful now.

    Reply
  11. ath13 says

    July 09, 2012 at 3:20 am

    Ack! I love this!! Thrift stores are like crack...
    Nice work! (Although you cannot say, "No bears were harmed in the making of this blog post." Shame! ๐Ÿ˜‰
    Visiting from TT&J.

    Anne
    becausehomeshouldbegreat.blogspot.com

    Reply
  12. Motivated Mommy of two says

    July 09, 2012 at 8:02 pm

    Stopping by from Show me what you got link party, I love what you did. I really need to get to a goodwill and see what treasures I can find.

    Reply
  13. Corn in my Coffee-Pot says

    July 20, 2012 at 7:52 pm

    I just saw this at Oh My DIY... I love this idea. I've seen these crates 100 times over... and pass them up every single time.
    You clever girl.

    Pat

    Reply
  14. Dawn Cee says

    March 19, 2018 at 11:23 am

    OMG! I love it. Thank you for shocking me.

    Reply

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