Happy New Year, dear friends!! I am always excited to see what a brand new year has in store, but as one year closes, I also enjoy looking back at all that was accomplished in the year before. Last week I shared your favorite furniture makeovers of 2023, and today, I’m counting down your favorite non-furniture decor makeovers from the past year!
Here are the pieces that made the top 13 in their before state:
So much potential right there!
I have linked to the original posts for each at the bottom of each makeover if you’d like to see more.
Enjoy!
13 Thrifty Decor Makeovers
13
Starting off the countdown at number 13 is this trio of lamps that I included together in one post last January:They each got a different look. The first two lamps got pretty simple makeovers that you can see HERE.
This is the lamp that y’all enjoyed the most:
I ended up taking it apart and creating a smaller lamp from the pieces.
The first two lamps were painted in Cotton, and this one was as well.
Then I rewired it. You can see how to rewire a lamp HERE.
Then, the shade got a some love with the addition of a piece from the Rare Birds transfer:
I loved how this one turned out!
With the little bits of gold peeking through the glass bits…
Much better!
See more of this makeover and other two HERE.
12
Next up is this set of vintage Singer sewing machine drawers I found at a yard sale for $20:
It was up for debate as to whether these were a set of two drawers from a sewing table that were combined DIY style, or whether they came just like this. However, what was not up for debate was the fact that they needed some love! It looked like a puppy may have had its way with those corners on the top.
I started out with the intention of replacing the top but discovered once it was removed that that was all that was holding these drawers together:
This is what led me to believe they were not always joined together.
Once i had them apart, I decided to keep them apart and used my router to help create new tops for each from an old headboard I had in my stash:
I wanted the look of them to be in keeping with the feel of the Singer brand and chose to paint them in Caviar.
I painted them both this way…
I hydrated the drawer sides with Big Mama’s Butta and kept them the beautiful wood:
While I loved the look of them together as one storage unit, I was able to get more return on them by separating them.
See more details of this vintage makeover HERE!
11
In the number 11 spot on the list is this mini wall cabinet I shared in July that I picked up for $6 at the thrift store:
I think we decided that this was used to hold tapes. I’ve come across a couple of them over the years.
After demoing the insides, removing the glass door panel, and adding a pretty wooden applique across the top, it got painted in Cotton white.
Then, I chose one of Dixie Belle’s new Cottage Collection, Secret Path to paint the interior:
I love this color so much!
Then, for the door, I cut a piece of hardboard, painted it, and embellished it with the Maison de Paris transfer:
This little cabinet now has a whole new life ahead of it:
The wooden applique across the top was a game changer for this piece!
I covered the back of the door with fabric also and used the rest of the transfer there.
This one was a favorite of mine as well!
See more of this makeover HERE!
10
Coming in at number ten is the chair on the right that I picked up for free outside our antique mall:
This chair was super wobbly and there was no hope of fixing it, so I decided to repurpose it instead.
I started by dismantling it a bit…
Then, I cut down the legs and added a top to create a shelf:
It got painted in one of my favorite blue shades, Savannah Mist:
Adding a hook to that center panel added some more function…
I would have definitely kept this as a chair had it been sturdy, but this is another great way to still get some use out of those parts!
See all the details of how I made this chair shelf HERE!
And, see what I did with the other FREE chair I picked up HERE!
9
At number nine is this mirror I found at the thrift store for $20:
I must have really like it to pay that much lol.
After removing the mirror, I painted this one in another favorite blue, Antebellum Blue.
Then, I highlighted some of those gorgeous details with gold Gilding Wax:
As you can see I also added a line of text from the Somewhere in France transfer.
Here is how this pretty mirror turned out:
Simple and elegant.
I love how the gilding wax brought those details to life…
In my booth, I paired this with the rolling buffet cart I painted in the same color, and they sold together!
Peekaboo 🙂
See more of this mirror makeover HERE.
8
Next up in the countdown is a flatware box! No countdown would be complete without one ha ha! Y’all know I love them!
I especially love when they have a drawer. This one was a great deal too at only $6.75:
After removing the insides and giving it a good cleaning, it was painted in Cotton.
Then for the top, I chose the Vintage Post transfer:
Here is how it looks from the outside:
I was unable to remove the hardware on the drawers, so they got painted as well.
And for the inside, I lined it with one of my favorite floral fabrics!
I also embellished the sides with the Black Gingham transfer:
See this makeover in more detail HERE.
7
Number seven started out as this tote I shared back in May that I picked up at the thrift store for only $3:
I’m assuming it was part of a gift crate of some kind?
After sanding that huge tree and fence smooth on either end, I painted this tote in Mint Julep:
I love Mint Juelp!
Then, I lightend up the Mint Julep with some Fluff and painted stripes with it on this little sign I cut for the front:
Here is how this cutie looks now!
The words on the front are from one of the mini transfers from the Classic Vitnage Labels transfer.
So sweet now, and not too shabby for $3, eh?
See the whole makeover of this tote HERE!
6
Next up at number six in our countdown is this silver-plated tray I picked up at a yard sale for $10:
I primed this one with Slick Stick bonding primer first. (A new product called Bonding Boss that combines this with BOSS is being released mid January, but I do still have regular Slick Stick available in my shop.)
Then, I chose this gorgeous Sea Glass:
To embellish, I used two transfers, the White Magnolia transfer and the Somewhere in France transfer.
You do not have to use transfers on one large project. You can cut them apart and use them on several smaller projects!
Here is how this tray looks now:
I love these transfers together with the Sea Glass…
And to highlight the details on the edges, I used gold Gilding Wax.
These pieces have so many gorgeous details that paint up so pretty!
See all the steps to this makeover HERE.
5
This next one was a surprise! I didn’t have any grand ideas when I started this one. It started out as this mass produced mirror shelf thingy I picked up for $6.50:
I went with Dixie Belle’s more vintage white for this one, Fluff:
Then, I chose this beautiful Blossom Flight transfer to embellish around the mirror:
Here is how this one turned out!
It is so far from where it started!
I took the transfer right up onto the mirror this time…
Much better!
See all the details of this mirror makeover HERE.
4
At number four is this tea box I found at the thrift store for $4:
I almost always grab wooden boxes because there are so many possibilities when redoing them.
I decided on bold for this one and chose Peony:
Peony is a gorgeous hot pink color. I decided to go glam with this layering the shiny gold Perfume Notes transfer over the Bright Meadow transfer:
This one was so fun to reimagine!
My favorite is probably the feet…
I used Kacha’s Faux Gold Leaf on those…
That tied them in with the gold transfer on top…
The interiror was lined with this fun dotted fabric I already had on hand:
See the many details of this makeover and where I found those cute feet HERE!
3
Coming in at number three is this frame I repurposed back in May:
I picked it up for just a few dollars at the thrift store and it was the final peice in my Spring haul last year.
It had a really nice recess to it and I thought it could make a really cool shelf. So, I set out to build it using wood from another project:
Once I had it mostly built, I painted it in Caviar, Dixie Belle’s perfect, true black:
To add some fancy to the back panel that I cut and painted, I chose the Dainty Blooms transfer:
Once sealed and assembled, it looked like this:
It looks like it was always a shelf!
See all the steps to this transformation HERE.
2
Number two is another freebie I picked up outside our antique mall, this unfinished wooden horse:
I really enjoyed working on this horse because I could really only go up from where it started!
I pulled out a few of my decor moulds to give this piece dimension:
I used Sea Spray to add texture and painted it in Baja Gray Silk Paint.
When it was done, ya’ll loved it:
But…I felt like it needed more.
So, a week or so later, I took my brushes to it once again.
I turned it into a festive, patriotic beauty!
It sure is a long way from that unfinished wooden horse they were giving away for free!
So fun!
See the first makeover and what moulds I used HERE.
See the second, patriotic version HERE.
1
And finally, your favorite non-furniture makeover of this year was a favorite of mine too!
It started as this set of storage drawers I bought at the thrift store for $10:
It was the very fist piece I tackled from my Summer haul.
Cotton for the win on this one as well:
Then, I chose this gorgeous Bouquet of Love transfer for the drawers:
Unfortunately, this transfer has been discontinued. I have no idea why since it isn’t that old, but it was so pretty!
It came with this hardware on the front and I just brightened them up with gold gilding wax..
I love how this makeover turned out!
The interior already had this green felt that was in great condition:
So I painted the drawer sides to go with it in this Mint Julep/Fluff mix…
And I printed out the letters on card stock to put in the drawer hardware…
This was so enjoyable to work on!
See all the details on this one HERE.
So many fun pieces to look back at!
I hope you enjoyed seeing your favorite thrifty non-furniture decor makeovers from the past year!
If you missed last year’s top 13, you can see them below!
You can see them all HERE!
Two non-furniture posts that actually made the top 13 were smalls posts. I decided not to include them here today, and instead, I’ll be back on Tuesday with a huge smalls round up to get your creative juices flowing for 2024!
UPDATE: No need to wait! Check out 30 more smalls HERE!
I hope your year is off to a great start so far!
XOXO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
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Mary Kaiser says
I LOVE all of the transformations! I would have to say the black singer drawers was #1 for me as I do all of my sewing on a singer 221. The next one is #1, that one turned out so cute! It is so fun to watch all year on the things you transform, but equally fun to look back at them grouped together! You always continue to amaze me how beautiful things turn out when you are finished with them!!
Christy says
Aww thank you, Mary!! I loved those ones too! I really enjoy seeing what were favorites. Many blessings to you in the new year!! XOXO
Melissa says
These are all wonderful! I couldn’t pick just one favorite. I love the Somewhere in France tray and the bright pink box because of the color and the sewing machine drawers, well because they’re sewing machine drawers. The deep blue mirror is lovely as is the wall cabinet. You are just so talented!!
Christy says
Aww yay… I love that it was hard to pick a favorite! Thank you so much, Melissa! XOXO
Janice Holt says
Happy New Year. My favorite are the pink flatware box and the tray although they are all great. You make it hard to choose.
Christy says
Thank you, Janice! Those were fun because I got to use color! Happy New Year, my friend! XOXO
Cecilia says
All of those turned out great! I love getting to see the round-ups of favorites from the year. Still love the storage drawers with that beautiful transfer. Too bad it’s been discontinued. Happy New Year, Christy!
😊Cecilia
Christy says
Thanks so much, Cecilia! It is always fun for me to look at them all together too. And yes, such a shame about that transfer. Happy New Year! XOXO
Tracey says
Gosh, you asked which one was my favorite. I have to say the chair to a shelf and the little drawer cabinet as well. All of your work is very pretty and always shows us HOW to do it. I haven’t quite jumped into my project yet. I have a transfer for a dresser that I am planning on trying soon. Thank you for the inspiration.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Tracey! That chair shelf was a fun one…and you just can’t beat free ha ha. Good luck with your dresser! XOXO
Nana Diana says
I think my favorite is the blue mirror with the gold embellishments. A close second is the aqua tray. Love everything but those are my top picks.
Christy says
I love hearing what everyone’s favorites are! The tray was almost a keeper lol. Thanks, Diana, and Happy New Year, my friend! XOXO
Barbara Warner says
I am choosing the green striped gift crate as my favorite, but honestly, you made it so hard to choose just one. I love the old chair turned into a towel rack with shelf, and love the first makeover on your free rocking horse. You do a fantastic job making over these old pieces, and I love it when you find a freebie! Keep on inspiring us!
Christy says
Oh I loved that crate too…it was so far from where it started! It’s so fun to hear what everyone’s favorites are! Thank you, Barbara and Happy New Year! XOXO
Michele M. says
Happy New Year, Christy!! Hope you had a wonderful holiday season!!!
So…..not easy to pick a fav from all your wonderful work….but if I had to pick I am down to two of my favs: I love how you took the old sewing machine drawers and made a three drawer tower in black. It’s just so cool. And I adore the white mirror with the gorgeous bird transfers….that’d be so perfect in my Aviary Guest Room! Love birds, ya know. (Finch Rest is name of my house.)
Looking forward to many more amazing re-dos this year from you. too!!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Michele! I love how everyone chose different favorites…it is understandable that you liked the bird one ha ha! Happy New Year! XOXO
Ann says
These are amazing. You are so talented. My #1 would be the same. Next favorite would be the chair back shelf and the little mirrored shelf with the birds in branches transfer.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Ann! That is my number one also. And the chair shelf was a fun one! XOXO
Hannah Reyor says
My favorite two (sorry) are 5 AND 7. That mirror 7 was gorgeous!!!
Happy New Year, friend.
Hannah
Christy says
Oh yay! Thank you, Hannah! Those were both fun since they both were in need of some serious help ha ha! Happy New Year!! XOXO
Virginia Somerville says
You make it impossible to choose! I love them all. You are such an inspiration.
If I have to choose, it’s the last on the list… the 6 drawer storage with the floral transfer. I’m so nervous about trying transfers but reading thru your steps over and over I’ve decided to try it!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to you and yours. All the best in 2024!
Christy says
Aww I appreciate that so much, Virginia!, thank you! That was my favorite too. And you can totally do this!! Happy New Year! XOXO
Kathryn says
I LOVE the bold colors of the pink flatware box and the teal mirror. And of course all the gold details and pretty transfers. I am a sucker for a box makeover!
Christy says
Thank you, Kathryn! I love that those smaller pieces give me the opportunity to play with color! XOXO