Thrift & Upcycle

When we moved into our new house I was determined to make as many things custom as I could. My goal was also to keep as many of these updated free. Cue Facebook Marketplace and a stroke of creativity. I picked up this chewed up broken crib to twin conversion bed on Marketplace for FREE! And I totally understand why. This thing was trash. But it was the perfect fit for our stairs which was exactly where we needed the baby gate.

The project started with so much sanding. Top and bottom weren’t terrible since I could use my hand sander. Even the fronts and backs of the spindles did okay with very light pressure. It was between the spindles that was a big ole’ pain in the booty! Luckily I had a secret weapon that I’ve become so fond of…BIN primer. This stuff sticks to everything. Once the cramp in my hand decided we were done sanding I used the handheld leaf blower to clean it up a bit then did a quick wipe down with a damp rag. Now time for this thick stinky miracle primer. It goes on smooth and even hid some of the chew marks that I didn’t sand perfectly.

With the gate primed and ready it was now time to figure out the colors. The previous owner had left behind a can of their trim paint which was a match for the spindles. We had 3 cans of brown could have been the railing. After painting a swatch of each we realized it was actually none of them. So off to Home Depot with our color matched suggestion (from the Home Depot App…this thing is pure color matching sorcery) and the realization that it may or may not be the actual color. We grabbed a sample and it was a success!! We also got lucky that the sample can was all we needed to paint the top and bottom. A few coats of polyurethane to kid proof it and the the gate portion was beautiful!

Mounting it was another challenge that required help from the hubs. Luckily he loves a good honey-do project. Since we were taking advantage of a piece of crib, the size was already determined, so we had to work within the constraints given there. The gate ended up being slightly too wide for the space, and if we wanted it to close flush at a 90 degree angle, we needed to build out the wall on the other side of the stairs very slightly. We also knew this was going to be supporting some weight, so taking drywall out of the picture was a good decision here. The solution that we landed on was to cut a 2x4 to size, and using some 3” screws, mounted securely to the existing 2x4 that ended the wall separating the stairs from the dining room behind the drywall. With that piece in place, we then wanted something that looked a little more refined than painted 2x, so we cut a piece of chair rail that was the appropriate width (3.5”), which then got glued onto the large face of the 2x. Lastly, we cut a piece of clean trim that was about the width of the 2x plus the trim piece to cap it off and not show the edging of 2x or the gap between the pieces. All that was left at this point was to fill the joints will filler, give it a light sanding, and paint it all white. We then mounted the baby gate using some hinges to the new secure 2x4 and we had a wall that was able to support the weight and was appropriately sized for what we were working with. We mounted 2 wheels in the middle of the gate to help support the weight and added a felt pad a the end where it touched the wall opposite of it when opened all the way. There is no reason the gate should hit the opposite wall but...well...kids. We used a hook and eye latch to secure it closed.

All in the gate cost less than $20 since we had to buy a few specialty pieces and paint to give it a more finished look. The rest were materials we had sitting around left over from other projects. UPDATE: The gate has been up for 3 years and still looks great! Our youngest is now 20 months and we've had discussions about removing the gates all together. This baby crib upcycle served us very well!!

NOTE: This post was create after the project had already been completed. Take a look at some other more recent projects for more in-depth tutorials and photos. Subscribe to my mailing list below to see project as they happen!

Crib Turned Succulent Holder

In the interest of breathing new life into my trash crib I tinkered around with different options for the other bed parts. The safety rail was the perfect size for a bare wall in our 1/2 bath. Down to the craft space to see what other saved blanks I had to contribute to the project and the succulent hanger idea was born! I'm incredibly grateful that my favorite yogurt (Oui!) is also an adorable jar that I have used for numerous projects in the past.

This project took some leftover navy paint, 3 of my coveted Oui! jars, floral foam, 3 succulents that I picked up from Hobby Lobby, a bit of pea gravel from our back yard, 6 zip ties, tan acrylic paint, gray yarn, and twine. I started the project by painting the crib rail with my navy paint. While that dried, I squirted about a tablespoon glob of tan paint into each yogurt jar. I was able to rotate the jars to spread the paint then set them to dry as well. Using two zip ties per jar, I was able to get the jars staged to be attached to the crib rail. I used one zip tie around the mouth of the jar then looped the second through the back where it would eventually attach to the rails.

After the crib rail was dry, I braided together three strands of the twine I had to make it look thicker. I knotted one end then braided it to the length I'd wanted then created a knot on the other end after I had strung it through the second hole. I got lucky that there were already two holes in the rail where it would have had screws to connect it to the crib! The next step was placing the floral foam into the jars and securing the succulents and rocks into the foam using hot glue. I attached the succulent jars to the crib rail using the second zip tie. After it was tightened down and the excess was cut off, I used some thick gray yarn to cover the zip ties and make it look like it was attached to the rail using these and not the zip ties.

This quick and easy decor project gave a finished look to our 1/2 bath, used mostly items we already had, gave purpose to another part of our free crib, and cost less than $10 for extras I needed to add! What a win!

Dumpster Dive Pedestal Table

Fireplace Mantel Decor

I absolutely loved this set of DIYs! I’m no artist but anytime I get to paint a little and let the kids make decisions and help I am over the moon. This project started with a $1 Hobby Lobby clearance frame, an old olive oil jar, and a stack of outdated books. The before photos aren’t the actual items I used since I’m blogging this after the project was completed but they are items that looked similar if not exactly like what I used.

The olive oil vase was pretty straight forward. I used a white spray primer then brushed it with a navy paint to match the rest of the houses decor. I left streaks to give it a more worn look. I wrapped the neck of the bottle with some burlap twine to cover the bottle top grooves and secured it with hot glue along the way. Done! Easy Peasy!

For the book stack, I looked for 3 similarly sized books so they would sit one on top of the other. I painted them with a cream paint I’d had leftover from a past furniture project. Once they were dry I wrapped them together with the same burlap twine I’d used on my olive oil vase. I secured the twine to the bottom of the book stacks as I went using hot glue. I tucked the greenery into one of the twine straps then secured it with hot glue in multiple spots so it would sit nice. For the letters, I used some abc stamps I had. A q-tip and some fingernail polish remover was perfect for cleaning up the sloppy ink! I also used a black Sharpie to make sure all the letters were clearly visible.

The giraffe frame was at the request of my then 20 month old. How could I argue? I started by spray priming the frame I had picked up. I left the backing white since it gave it a canvas look. Then taped off the edges to pint them a cream color. I used my brush with brown paint to create the worn spots. I turned to Google for a simple giraffe tutorial and got to work. This giraffe painting took about a week to paint since I was only doing it during nap time but my toddler approved so to the mantle it went!!

All in, this project cost me about $1 from the frame purchase. All the other supplies I’d had on hand! I always save interesting shaped glassware from sauce jars, oils, or dressings. I’ve even been known to purchase something different just to keep the jar after. I also keep an eye out for freebies which is where the books came from! You just never know what will turn into your next project!

Lemon Breadbox

We are currently renovating a pull behind camper trailer and have named it Lemon Lou! So naturally I have been finding projects that will fit it's vintage lemon vibe. This breadbox was a perfect find and for $9.99 plus my 20% off coupon at the thrift store, it was also a perfect deal! Like all of my thrift finds, I checked the box to make sure the wood was still good and all of the hardware could be reused. This baby was in great shape...just a little ugly and scratched up.

When I got it home and started in on the project I had the slightly delusional thought that I could be lazy and do this project without removing the lid. I started by sanding to really rough up the fruit image. I alternated sanding and a razor blade to scrape off some of the paper. I did not bother sanding and scraping down to the wood since I knew I was going to be using very durable trim paint that goes on thick with full coverage. From here I gave myself a reality check and took off the door making it infinitely easier to paint both the wooden surfaces and hardware.

For my color scheme, I headed over to Michael's with my $5 reward cash in hand to look for some lemon themed scrapbook paper to decoupage onto my breadbox. If you aren't a rewards member there now you need to sign up! I cannot count how many free items I have gotten using the reward money. I completely lucked out with a clearance $5 book of paper that had a perfect lemon pattern in it. I checked out and proudly texted over my $0 total receipt to my husband! From the lemon paper I pulled out the yellow color to use for the trim of the breadbox and wanted matte black hardware. I knew I had plenty of yellow and black paint options already on hand. The white paint was an easy choice since I wanted something that was going to be very durable since this thing will be opened and closed about a million times a day by 3 small humans who destroy anything and everything they get their hands on. Like pretty much all of my projects I also grabbed the polyurethane for durability.

I started painting with the yellow. Since I knew I was going to have the lemon paper on the side surfaces I knew I could be lazy about the edges of the yellow because the paper would cover the sides to create a straight line regardless of my yellow paint application. The same was true for the inside of the box. My yellow line did not need to be perfect since I was going to paint the inside with my more durable white paint and could focus on creating a clean line then. When I am in my final steps for painting and needing to create a straight line, I always use a large brush to paint the big surfaces, a medium tipped brush to push paint into the edges, and then a fine tipped brush to actually go down the edge to create a straight line.

The lemon paper I was using was a great size for the sizes of the bread box but left scraps to use for the top and bottom panels. I was able to line up the pieces to make the pattern consistent. From about a foot back the lines are undetectable but close up you can see where I had to place these next to one another. When I decoupage, I always start with a moderate layer of modge podge. If you have never done decoupage be aware that too much modge podge will create soggy wrinkles in your paper but too little modge podge will not keep the paper down. After this dried I did two more layers of modge podge over the top of the paper. I try to focus on the edges of the paper and when it is about 1/2 way dry I smooth the edges down with my finger. If these edges are flattened down they can easily snag and be pulled up.

I wanted to door to the breadbox to have the word "Bread" written on it. I played with a handful of fonts trying to decide if I wanted it more vintage, more cutesy script, or simple. I opted for a simple look since there was already so much going on with the box. I used my Cricut to cut the vinyl letters then put a mark on the very center of the breadbox lid. I lined the center of my "E" up with the center line and applied the vinyl. When I put vinyl on projects that I know will be used or touched I always top the vinyl with polyurethane (or modge podge). I have found that it doesn't matter how durable the vinyl is, when it is touched and picked at by 3 littles it will eventually come off if it isn't reinforced.

For the hardware I used a small jar of matte black model paint. I typically use spray paint for metal on hardware like this but with the white stone embellishment in the middle of the knob I wanted to try something that would be quick to apply without me having to tape off the circle. I haven't used this model paint much and my biggest advice would be to use the same brush with it every time. It is much thicker and hard to clean. I used a few brushes on this and each one is now stained black. Overall, the paint applied well and I love the final look. It is more matte than I think some of the spray paints look. I am still not sure of the durability but will update when it has a year or so of use.

This project was so much fun and very exciting! It is the first project I have had for our lemon themed camper and I love the way it turned out! The total cost was less than $10 out of pocket. I was able to use $5 in Michael's rewards and reuse 3 paints and vinyl I had already had. I cannot wait to see how it looks inside our camper! Follow along on the camper progress to see how things are coming there.