Duck Pulling Cart Waterslide Update

Hello and welcome to our Thrift Store Challenge for the month of March!  Here, a group of creative bloggers come together on the fourth Thursday of each month to share their lovely transformations of a thrift store item. Who doesn't love thrift store upcycle projects - whether it's actually creating one or admiring how an item from a thrift store was transformed!

The Rules:

• Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
• There's no monthly theme.
• There's no budget to stick to.

Meet the Hosts

Angela | Simply Beautiful By Angela - Gail | Purple Hues and Me - 

Marci | Stone Cottage Adventures - Dru | Polka Dot Poplars - 

 Beverly | Across the Blvd - 

Melynda | Scratch Made Food! & DIY Homemade Household

Our Thrift Store Upcycle group of bloggers is always looking to expand -- and we need your help! Why not consider joining in our thrift store upcycle challenge on the last Thursday of each month? Make some friends while having fun and share your love of DIY with the world. It’s a win-win! Sound like something you’d be interested in? Just leave a comment at the end of this post with your contact info and a link to your blog. Someone will get back to you right away. We can’t wait to meet you!

How many times have you come across an item at the thrift store you know was probably hand painted - and not a very good paint job, at that! Just take a look at this sweet piece I found at the Goodwill for ninety-nine cents. A duck pulling a cart!

Looks like something I might have done with my unsteady hands. I could never paint a straight line or stay within the lines. In fact, I don't like painting at all! Lol! Anyway, I could not resist picking this up at the time - although I've had it for a number of years. Now, with everything that's going on, it's perfect for a spruce up - just in time for Easter! 

The first thing I did after cleaning and washing the dirt and grime off was to sponge on two coats of white chalk paint, letting it dry between coats! The interior was already a nice neutral color that was in good shape so I didn't touch that.

In case you've never heard of waterslide decals, it's an easy way to transfer images and text using a special paper that you place in water and then slide the image onto almost any type of smooth surface.   And the waterslide decal paper comes in clear or white backgrounds and is available to use in inkjet or laserjet printers, too! 

I wanted to put a few flowers around the cart so I found a free image online that I printed out on the glossy side of the waterslide decal paper. Then, I used a clear top to outline the image to cut out.

Once the decal was cut out, placed the decal in a bowl of warm water for about 30 seconds.  

Then dampen the area where the decal is going and take the decal out of the water and place face-up on the spot, sliding the backing out and smoothing the decal out with additional water on fingers.

Let the decal dry naturally for 3-4 hours.

Just perfect to hold Easter treats!

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Paper Mache Suitcase Update

 

It's that time again for the monthly Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge, hosted by Angela @ Simply Beautiful by Angela!    where a group of creative bloggers come together to share their lovely transformations of a thrift store item. Who doesn't love thrift store upcycle projects - whether it's actually creating one or admiring how an item from a thrift store was transformed!

The Rules:

• Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
• There's no monthly theme.
• There's no budget to stick to.

Because of the pandemic, I had to shop my home for this challenge. It didn't take me long to find something from Goodwill that I've had for a number of years - a paper mache or cardboard suitcase - it was $2 back then. I know most of you will probably say why would you want to change that lovely pattern? Well, I've had it for over ten years and I've been reluctant to do anything with it. It is a pretty design but it just doesn't go with anything I have. It's been in a closet all this time.

I had been using it to store old photos and now it was time for a makeover - or so I thought!

You can see from the pictures that it's in good shape - both outside and inside.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. I had envisioned painting it and then either decoupaging something on it or painting a stencil or design on it. Time was not on my side. I started painting the case .  .  . one side at a time .  .  . letting

it dry between coats. I applied three coats and the finish still looked awful! Splotchy in areas. I could see the variations of the flower pattern - especially where the colors were darker. Then the paint began to lift. Oh boy! I know you're asking what type of paint did I use.  Anita's All Purpose Acrylic. And yes, it's a craft paint I got from Hobby Lobby. But what I liked about the paint is that it's made by Rust-oleum. The label stated that it is a "high quality waterbased paint for general craft use and decorative painting. For use on wood, artist's canvas, plaster, clay, metal, fabric, bisque, and more. Permanent. Soap and water cleanup while wet." What more could I ask for? 

Update in Progress:

After I managed to get a somewhat even paint finish I stopped working on the suitcase. I couldn't go on - after testing a corner, the paint still lifted and time ran out for me to complete the suitcase for this challenge. Now I have to re-think this project. But in the meantime, this is how it looks:

The color is perfect for my decor.

 But I'm not sure where I will place it, though.

All I can say is, stay tuned!

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Meet the Hosts

Angela | Simply Beautiful By Angela 

Beverly | Across the Blvd  

Gail | Purple Hues and Me  

Marci | Stone Cottage Adventures

Our Thrift Store Upcycle group of bloggers is always looking to expand -- and we need your help! Why not consider joining in our thrift store upcycle challenge on the last Thursday of each month? Make some friends while having fun and share your love of DIY with the world. It’s a win-win! Sound like something you’d be interested in? Just leave a comment at the end of this post with your contact info and a link to your blog. Someone will get back to you right away. We can’t wait to meet you!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Decoupage a Thrift Store Frame

Hey everybody! It's that time again for our 

Monthly Challenge Blog Hop!

I've joined a group of creative bloggers to bring you a monthly challenge blog hop. On the 2nd Monday of each month we share our themed creations for the month. 

 
The theme for August is Thrift Store Find ReMake Challenge where we 
 upcycle/repurpose an item we found at the thrift store, flea market or garage sale for twenty dollars or less!

The last time I was in the thrift store, the pickings were a bit slim for small items that I could give a new look to or a new purpose! But then I knew I could count on a variety of frames they had in stock to find something I could work with! There's usually a good selection in that category! 

And here it is! A bit ornate for my taste, but it was only three bucks, so I couldn't resist! But you know what? After I finish transfiguring, oops, I mean transforming this baby, you won't even recognize it! 

To begin, there are so many ways to update an old picture frame. And usually you start with cleaning it first - I just needed to wipe it down with a wet rag after taking the backing and mat board off. It was in great shape! 

Then I painted the frame and the wooden border around the mat board (I removed that, too) with a multi-surface white acrylic paint! And I made sure I got the paint into all the crevices with the sponge brush!

Some would just stop at painting this frame for a refreshed look - but not me! For a fun and festive design, I decided to decoupage napkins onto the frame.  I have been using napkins on lots of my projects and I really love the finished look each time! Napkins are so versatile and it's amazing to me what you can do with them! 

Here, I've cut the napkin into four strips with angle ends (that I eyeballed) - the length of the frame sides. After removing the white layers of the napkins .  .  . 

and applying mod podge to one side of the wood frame, gently smoothed out the napkin on top.

Then, using a plastic baggy, continued smoothing out the napkin into the grooves and crevices of the frame.

Next, continue to decoupage the napkin strips onto each side of the frame - matching the design, until completely covered. Once dry, use sandpaper or emery board to scrape and remove excess napkin paper from edges and sides.

And then add additional mod podge to seal the napkin to the frame.  The inner wood mat border was also decoupage with napkin strips following the same steps.

A  flower graphic that I found online and printed to size was placed on the center mat to compliment the napkin design. And finally, the entire frame was re-assembled for a whimsical decorative piece to hang!

The result is fabulous!

See how the new frame blends in with my decor - especially the curtains!

This post also contains affiliate links.  I may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra.  The affiliate money I earn per month helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

Now meet this month's participants!

Across the Blvd | Coastal Bohemian

Domestic Deadline | Cookies, Coffee, & Crafts  

Stone Cottage Adventures

Purple Hues & Me | This Autoimmune Life

You will definitely want to check out all of our hosts creations, ideas and inspirations for this month's Thrift Store ReMake Theme!

And be sure to come back on September 9th for our
Upcycle Challenge using clothing, fiber or material!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

DIY Decoupage Metal Tray Stand

 It's that time again for The Thrift Store Upcycle Challenge on the fourth   Thursday of each month! Here, a group of creative bloggers come together to   share their lovely transformations of a thrift store item. Who doesn't love thrift   store upcycle projects - whether it's actually creating one or admiring how an   item from a thrift store was transformed!                                                       

       The Rules:

• Upcycle an item(s) from a thrift store, resale store, or garage sale into a new piece of decor.
• There's no monthly theme.
• There's no budget to stick to.

One of the fun things about shopping at thrift stores is that you never know what you're going to find that day - like this embossed aluminum tray ($3) and a tumbler ($1) that actually matched - omg, just by luck! The guy at the checkout said the tray looked like a giant soda cap - I guess because of the curved ridges! Too funny!

Anyway, my idea was to combine the two items into a lovely decorative accent piece or accessory using napkins to decoupage onto them.   Perfect to hold just about anything you can imagine - like appetizers, baked goods, decorative fillers, or holiday knick-knacks, to name a few! 

Materials used:

Tray and tumbler (stand)

Decorative paper napkins

Mod Podge - matte

Soft paint brush

Scissors 

Sandpaper

RapidFuse All Purpose Adhesive

Let's get started by cleaning and washing the tray and tumbler with mild dish detergent like Dawn to remove grease and or stains and dry. Then separate the design layer of the napkin from the plain white layers. To separate, I lightly dipped my finger in Mod Podge and tap my thumb and finger together,  placing the corner napkin edge between them to separate the layers.  

Then lay the napkin design down on the outside bottom of the metal tray for fit. Since the tray is round, cut slits around the bottom of the napkin for a smoother adherence. The napkin doesn't quite cover the bottom, but I'll work on one piece at a time. 

Next, apply a layer of matte Mod Podge onto surface. Place napkin on top smoothing out from the center to edges using a soft brush.. Apply additional MP while smoothing out wrinkles. I like to dip my finger in MP to also help smooth out wrinkles, too. Sometimes I use plastic wrap to help smooth wrinkles out but this napkin seemed too thin and would probably lift up or tear, so I didn't use it this time.

Also, since the napkin didn't cover the bottom completely, after the first portion of napkin dried,  I matched up the pattern with an additional piece of napkin covering a little bit on top and on the side, and let that dry, too. The best part, you can't tell where it was pieced together!

Once the napkin was completely dry, it was easier for me to cut off the excess napkin using scissors first before using sandpaper on the edges.

And finally, apply additional layers of Mod Podge to seal. 

Next, decoupage the tumbler following the same steps, as before.

And don't forget to seal the tumbler with additional layers of Mod Podge, too!

The tumbler edges seemed too narrow for a good seal so it was easier to glue the bottom of it onto the center of the tray.  I use DAP RapidFuse Adhesive to glue the tray and tumbler (stand) together. It sets up in 30 seconds and has a permanent seal. Hot glue does not!

Don't you just love how the metal shows through the floral napkin - as if the flowers were handpainted on! Too cool!

What a lovely thrift store find transformation!

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This post also contains affiliate links.  I may receive a very small commission.  It does NOT result in additional charges to you or cost you anything extra.  The affiliate money I earn per month helps pay my crafting expenses. Thanks so much for your support!

Check out more thrift store challenge creations!

Meet the Hosts

Angela | Simply Beautiful By Angela - Meredith | Southbound Blog 

 Jenny | Cookies Coffee and Crafts - Angie | Grandma Creates 

 Gail | Purple Hues and Me  - Chas | Chas' Crazy Creations  

 Habiba | Craftify My Love  - Kathleen | Our Hopeful Home 

    Ann | Duct Tape and Denim

Make sure you follow our board on Pinterest for more upcycled decor inspiration!

And now for more thrifty goodness!

Check out what my fellow upcyclers created below!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter