Amazing Thrifted Home Decor DIYs

It’s time for a little moment of truth. I grew up with the stigma that buying second hand things from thrift stores was more or less looked down on. My parents had two different upbringings. My father grew up middle class and had everything he needed. He was the oldest of 3 kids and since there was only 3 of them, it was a little easier for his father to provide for his family. My grandfather was not afraid of entrepreneurship and was a fairly successful business owner and welder on the side. However, my grandfather was reasonable and they didn’t really splurge on things they wanted, and only focused on the things that they needed. 

My mother on the other hand grew up number 10 out of 12 kids. They slept 3 to a bed sometimes, had to wash their clothes in the river and while things were tough growing up all I heard was nothing but fun stories of how they found ways to entertain themselves (while not having much at all). I often heard that they could only have one pair of shoes for school the entire year and they rarely got toys, so they would build or create things with what grew on their small acreage.

Fast forward to when my parents got married and they moved out to the United States when my father decided to join the military for a better future. It was a big deal to my parents when they purchased something new for the home and everything they owned was “special”. I grew up with a formal living room that we could not play in and was only for when guests would come and visit. I understand now that this was all because they didn’t have these luxuries growing up so it was a big deal when they were able to attain these things from their hard-earned money. 

It was big deal if we broke a glass or a dish and we rarely got rid of anything (my parents still don’t). Would you catch my mother in a thrift store? Absolutely not. I don’t think she ever entered one until I was in 10th grade. I don’t share these things to make my parents look bad, not at all. But it’s because I can look back in time and make these observations, that it helps me understand why they are they way they are and why I have my own outlook on things based on how their behaviors have affected me. They cherish each and every thing they buy and it seems even more precious when it’s something new and of value. 

It wasn’t until I was an adult and looking for ways to furnish my home that I thought of buying second hand myself. As most young individuals just starting out, I didn’t have much left to spend on “nice” things for the house after all the necessary bills were paid, so I had to get “crafty” with how I furnished my home. This is when I started looking for inspiration online and found the blogging world, more specifically, women who were making show stopping  decor for their homes while not breaking the bank. 

I got hooked. 

Their secret? Buying and flipping second hand. 

This new way of thinking really resonated with me. Why work for several months to save and buy one $900 piece of furniture when I can buy something old along with a few supplies and spend less than $100? All I needed was a bit of time. This was so freeing to me. From then on I looked at things differently and my love for finding thrifting treasures began.

I find pleasure in seeking out diamonds in the rough and experience true excitement when I can turn them into something I am proud of and can showcase without feeling bad that it had a previous owner or two before me. Like my parents, I cherish everything I buy, but unlike them I can let them go because the investment isn’t as great. And I really enjoy having the flexibility of changing things up whenever I wish. 

Now, not everything I am sharing today is earth shattering and the best thing you have ever seen, but I hope that some of these DIYs help you look past what something you might see in a thrift store currently is versus what it could become.  

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Amazing Thrifted Home Decor DIYs

1.Basket Wreath –

This first DIY is pretty simple. I bought this basket a my local Goodwill and loved the shape and size. I wasn’t too keen on the colored basketweave, but I knew with the right colors and florals I could turn it into a cute piece for my front door. 

All I needed was some green and white chalk paint and some florals from another arrangement that I had taken apart.  With those changes I brought this cute basket back to life. Painting the basket changed it up quite a bit, but adding the bright florals really made for a welcoming display on my front door. 

2. Wicker Bookshelf  – 

If you recall, when we sold our home in Georgia we ended up moving in with my parents for a few months before we were able to start working on our land up here in Tennessee. While there I made over a couple of their rooms that really needed some help. One of them was the bathroom that I used as a teenager. It was still suffering from dark pink walls from my teenage years. 

The transformation turned out great and till this day, everything is holding up well, including the painted linoleum floors. 

One of the things they had in the bathroom was this wicker arched bookshelf. They had purchased it in Poland if I remember correctly and I knew they wouldn’t want to get rid of it. I didn’t want to get rid of it either, since it had great bones and all it needed was some TLC. 

I had previously painted it white many years ago and the paint was coming off in various places. In addition, the white was just looking dingy in general  so I thought giving it a refresh would be best. I used  this durable brown spray paint  and gave it several coats (along with a matching wicker hamper). It instantly warmed the space up and looked way more elegant than what it was previously. 2 years later and it’s holding up nicely. 

Not only was I able to keep it for my parents’ sake, but I was able to successfully DIY it and that made my heart happy. 

3. Floor Lamp – 

I love transforming thrifted lamps! Let’s be honest, lamps are pretty expensive nowadays if you buy them new and to be honest I don’t know why. Like, what has changed to make them so costly? 

Anyways, I found this lamp at Goodwill as well for $12.99 and it was a yellow wood tone with a dirty blue trapezoid shaped lampshade. It wasn’t pretty. Taking some inspiration from Serena & Lily’s floor lamps I created a dupe and love how it turned out below. 

All it took was some glossy spray paint and a new seagrass lampshade.  Even with the expense of changing it up, it was still much cheaper than the inspiration piece. 

4. Secretary Desk – 

Some people may or may not like the following transformation and it’s okay. I found the following secretary desk back in Georgia and I think I paid $120 for it. I ended up removing the doors and painting it white. It had a bit of water damage and stains so I didn’t feel bad going over it with paint, plus I think it looked charming afterwards. At this time, I wasn’t into dark woods. 

I added bead board to the back of the shelves and painted it a very light gray color. I enjoyed having it in my living room and it had a very “cottage-y” look that worked in my last house. 

This is another reason why I love second hand items. It gives us the chance to experiment to find out what we like. If we mess up, we can change it up. And whether or not others agree with your choices, if it brings you joy it doesn’t matter. These are your things and your home, do what makes you happy.

5. From Teapot to Planter – 

Another thing that second hand items allow us to do is change the purpose of the items you have. Things don’t always have to function in the manner they were originally intended. 

The following was a “not-so-pretty” teapot I bought on super clearance at Hobby Lobby. I didn’t care for the color so I painted it and instead of using it as a teapot, I decided to make a planter out of it. 

The irony of it is that I used faux plants in this pot for a while, but my mother saw it, fell in love with it and she’s had it in her house ever since with a beautiful water plant. She has a greener thumb than I do.

And the paint job, you ask? It’s still as perfect as the day I painted it. 

6. Candleholders from Balusters – 

This next one is one I am truly proud of. Not only because these balusters cost me $10 for the set, but the fact that I made 3 different DIYs out of them. 

These beautiful green candleholders were one of the results. They are so unique and special to me and they were so cheap! I was so proud I was able to think these up and actually execute them the way I did. I am hoping they are okay after being stored away for 2 years. I am looking forward to putting them in my new home. 

7. Mirrored Art – 

If you create your own decor like I do you may often end up with the most random things in your stash collection in hopes of making something out them in the future. That is what happened here – a Dollar Tree mirror, a square thrifted wooden art piece and some square dowels. 

I put them together, painted them with white satin spray paint and some wood stain and created this unique wall piece. Much like my nautical mirror, this one would look great as a set. 

This is just another example of how we can use things we have in different ways to come up with something completely new. 

8. Favorite Dresser Makeover Ever – 

It is a given that the more we DIY the better we get. I bought the following dresser for $50 before our big move and with the help of DIY Paint and my Cricut Maker I created a truly unique piece. I understand that not everyone is crazy about the Cricut machine because it’s marketed towards “crafters” and it can be an investment, but I truly think it’s an amazing tool for home decor and have shared many tutorials to back this up. 

The great part is that now Cricut has the Joy Xtra which has robust capabilities at a fraction of the cost of their main machines. This way you don’t have to have a “business” to justify the expense and actually put it to good use for the home. This post isn’t sponsored by Cricut, but I do like sharing the Joy Xtra because most people hesitate on purchasing one because of the cost, however this one is an amazing option for those who don’t want to make a huge investment. I share more about it in my review video. 

The result speaks for itself. I was able to create that pattern myself using Cricut Design Studio and cut it to fit the drawers with all of its turns and curves. I used spackle to make the pattern raised instead of just painted on and the paint finish on the rest of the surface is chef’s kiss.

I am so excited to create unique pieces like this again. 

9. Trellis Mirror – 

Now I am going to take you back… way back when I started my Look for Less series on Youtube. I love recreating high end decor into affordable DIYs and this mirror kicked off my obsession on Youtube. I was so proud I was able to recreate this look inspired by this Pottery Barn mirror that they still carry. Their version is over $349 and mine cost me about $10 or $11 if I remember correctly. 

I would actually like to do this on an even bigger scale. 

10. Rustic Vase – 

Sometimes, we have to get our hands dirty and do a little more work when it comes to creating the unique piece we desire. That is what I did with this green vase. The color and pattern wasn’t doing much for me at the time, but the shape was perfection. 

With the help of joint compound, a little bit of patience and a little bit of paint, I was able to turn this into a high end piece reminiscent of those artisan vases Pottery Barn is known for. It’s simple, yet so elegant. 

11. Another Set of Candleholders –

If you ever wish to try changing the look of something drastically start small with candlesticks. They are super easy to change up and manipulate and if you don’t like how they turn out you can change them up again. The investment and time would be minor compared to a bigger project. 

These two received a huge makeover with the help of paint, spackle and tiny wooden beads.  They were instantly brightened and brought back to life with a little bit of TLC. 

12. Metal Shelves – 

These metal shelves were a FB Marketplace purchase and I got two of them for $10 since they did not have the glass shelves that originally came with them. I wasn’t worried because that could easily be fixed. I had some scrap MDF boards at home that would be the perfect fix. 

I wiped the shelves clean and cut the MDF scraps to size. I painted them and stamped them and it instantly brought them back to life. One of these ended up in the bathroom that I made over in my parents’ house (pictured below). I was happy I was able to find these shelves a sweet a permanent spot in their home. 

To see exactly how these all came to life watch the full video below.

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I hope you enjoyed this little roundup of thrifted makeovers. It’s so fun to me to be able to bring old, dusty and dated items back to life. It allows us to have unique pieces in our home, save a little bit of money and even help the environment a little by keeping things out of landfills. So many benefits.

Let me know which one was your favorite and I will see you in the next one. 

Until then… adios!