Tag: thrift store makeover

diy, featured

How to transform a thrift store tray | DIY

Do you know why I dream about going to the thrift store frequently? Actually I wish I could go everyday or maybe every other day. I feel like a kid in the candy store at the thrift store because my “DIY makeover” eyes open as soon as I get there. I’m always so eager to scan the shelves and furniture area of the store to find items that could be easily transformed into useful items, brought back to life with a simple coat of paint, new parts or a quick fix. I once bought a floor lamp without a lampshade and a dent in its base for $12.99. If I had just looked at the item as is I would not have bought it. However, I was able to see beyond that it’s current state. Yes I bought the lamp, wiped it down, fixed the dent on its base and bought a new lampshade from Walmart. Now the lamp looks like new and you would never have guessed that it was a thrift find.

Ok. Enough preaching. Let me get back on topic.

So on a lovely thrift shop day, I snatched a wide wooden tray from Savers. See photo below. Of course It was not love at first sight, but I was able to see beyond the present.

Here it is in its initial state, this poor thing :(.

I spray painted the tray gold and then added contact paper. Walmart is my go-to place for spray paint (it cost about $4 for a can) and you can buy contact paper at shopbobbys.com or at homedepot.com.


So what do you think? Leave a comment:).

xo,

Abi

DIY Home Decor, featured

DIY Serving Tray Makeover

lovingthesimplethings

Do you know why I dream about going to the thrift store frequently? Actually I wish I could go everyday or maybe every other day. I feel like a kid in the candy store at the thrift store because my “DIY makeover” eyes open as soon as I get there. I’m always so eager to scan the shelves and furniture area of the store to find items that could be easily transformed into useful items, brought back to life with a simple coat of paint, new parts or a quick fix. I once bought a floor lamp without a lampshade and a dent in its base for $12.99. If I had just looked at the item as is I would not have bought it. However, I was able to see beyond that it’s current state. Yes I bought the lamp, wiped it down, fixed the dent on its base and bought a new lampshade from Walmart. Now the lamp looks like new and you would never have guessed that it was a thrift find.

Ok. Enough preaching. Let me get back on topic.

So on a lovely thrift shop day, I snatched a wide wooden tray from Savers. See photo below. Of course It was not love at first sight, but I was able to see beyond the present.

Here it is in its initial state, this poor thing :(.

I spray painted the tray gold and then added contact paper. Walmart is my go-to place for spray paint (it cost about $4 for a can) and you can buy contact paper at shopbobbys.com or at homedepot.com.



So what do you think? Leave a comment:).

diy

DIY Nightstand Makeover

lovingthesimplethings

Being a book lover means I have to have a book around me wherever I go. I usually carry a book in my bag with me when out and about or at work. I might not get a chance to read it but it’s comforting to know that I can just whip it out when I get a few minutes to myself, which rarely happens. This is why my ideal nightstand is practically a book shelf! I scooped this baby up at my favorite thrift store, Savers, for $6.99. It was sturdy enough to be used as a nightstand even though it was made of particle wood boards in a light oak color. The coolest thing about it was that it was built on caster wheels for mobility.

On the weekend following the purchase, I set out to transform this new addition to my collection. I sanded it first and then stained it with a red oak stain by MINWAX. This project almost turned into an epic fail because I did not completely wipe off the stain every time I applied a coat. I left it to dry for over two weeks and I still ended up with a sticky nightstand/bookself. Wood staining amateur problems….. *shakes head*.

After spending sometime researching the issue, I found out I could apply another coat to loosen up the sticky surface and then wipe it again. Completely! This idea ended up being a life saver. Who knew? After 24 hours, I ended up with a nice clean semi red oak surface, which wasn’t a surprise to me being that I was staining particle wood and not real wood. What I did was more like painting the surface because the particle wood did not absorb the stain. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with this simple DIY nightstand.

To dress it up and add some color, I used some adhesive shelf liner aka contact paper to line the top surface and bottom shelf. I had several prints in my stash but I chose a gray and white Chevron print to compliment the gray, blue, navy, turquoise color scheme of mi cuatro.



Also featured in these photos are my DIY fabric-covered lamp shade, DIY rope vase  and contact paper covered boxes.

This was such a simple project. Find a piece a furniture and make your own nightstand. Happy DIYing!