Hi awesome friends!! I’m back today sharing a third round of smalls for my booth! Smalls are the little things I need to help fill my booth, and honestly they are what pay my booth fee many months! These smaller makeovers are very simple, so they don’t each need a post of their own, but together they are a fun bunch!
Here is what these items looked like before my paintbrush and I got a hold of them:
There isn’t anything super exciting about these pieces. They all came from the thrift store and all together cost me less than $20. I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
I’ll start with these simple candlesticks:
I usually buy smaller wooden candlesticks any time I see them to cut up and use for other projects (like this one), but since I found a pair of these, I decided to paint them as is:
I used my DIY chalk paint (recipe HERE) in Behr’s Bit of Sugar, and then I highlighted some of the parts with Behr’s Gray Morning, also made into chalk paint.
A little sanding adds some character, and then I sealed them with Annie Sloan’s clear soft wax.
Next up is this bread board I picked up on clearance for 99¢:
To transform this, I first stained it with these staining cloths by Minwax:
They are perfect for projects like this since they dry super quickly.
I thought I could turn this bread board into a cute sign or something when I first bought it, but when I went looking through my stash, I found this metal piece I picked up at Hobby Lobby forever ago. I decided to painted this and the board in my DIY chalk paint:
I combined them to make a towel holder:
This would be cute in a kitchen!
How about a cute tote? You know I can never pass up a tote:
And I love that this was handmade for someone for Christmas:
I decided to give it a simple spray paint makeover in one of my favorite colors, Robin’s Egg Blue by Rustoleum:
A little sanding here and there and voila…
I added a little greenery to stage it, but I thought it would be perfect lined with a cloth napkin or towel to hold bread for the dinner table.
This next makeover was a pretty simple one too. I found this tray for $4 last week:
I knew those curvy details would paint up so pretty! I used spray paint for this one too…just removed the glass bottom first.
A light sanding really did bring out all the pretty parts!
And there is no need to seal spray paint.
Up next is this set of bookends I picked up for $3:
They still had the tag on the back and were purchased at Thalhimers. Remember that store? It was mostly in the Southeast I believe.
A couple of coats of my Behr’s Bit of Sugar chalk paint followed by some grain sack stripes in Dixie Belle’s Driftwood made these cute again!
I used FrogTape to tape off my stripes.
They look right at home on my bookshelves holding some of my favorite home decor books!
When I shared a set of bookends in my first smalls post, a few of you mentioned you ordered some of the books I had in the photo. I included the links to these below if you are interested in any of these:
I just love decorating books!
And the last smalls project I have for you today is one that I am actually keeping for myself. I have become a picnic basket hoarder ever since I found these three HERE that I redid last year. I seriously cannot pass them by! There are tons of them to be had at thrift stores which doesn’t help with my problem at all!
One is slightly smaller than the other and I knew they would be perfect for stacking:
I used just plain spray primer for these:
You could follow up with spray paint, but primer alone works great. (If you choose to use regular spray paint, be sure to prime first!)
I thought these would make great props for photos too!
I decided to go a step further and line the bottom of one of them with this toile fabric I had left over from my Mom’s Mother’s Day gift:
It originally had a pink gingham liner, so I used that as a pattern for this one. You could also use the method I used in this post HERE to line your basket as well, and that would probably be easier anyway!
And that’s all I’ve got for y’all today, sweet friends!
I hope you enjoyed these quick makeovers and are inspired to give something you have lying around your own house a little facelift!
If you missed my first and second Painting the Smalls posts, you can find them HERE and HERE! 🙂
I’ll be back here on Tuesday with my Trash-to-Treasure girls sharing this thing I picked up for 99¢ at the thrift store:
I told you I just cannot pass up a tote ha ha!
UPDATE: See how I turned this serious DIY job around HERE! 🙂
XOXO,
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Addie says
Well, you’ve been a busy bee!!!….and me?…just been celebrating my Warriors!!!!!!!
Love all your redos. Funny note….I was showing my neighbor your blog and all the redos you do. When she yelled out, “OMG!!! this woman has room for all this stuff!!! That is unbelievable!!!”….ahhhh no….she has a booth!!!! Needless to say, she was relieved. loll
Keep up the good work!!!
Addie xo
Christy says
Always, Addie, always busy ha ha! Thank you and yep…there is no way I could do what I do if I didn’t have somewhere to unload everything for sure!! Thanks for sharing me with your neighbor! XOXO
Bonnie Hipps says
Hard to choose which is my favorite. I love it when you do the smalls, I have so much trash to treasure my girls think I should be on the hoarders lol. I showed them the basket laying down in the photo, I have the exact same one. I said see Christy eventually gets around to what I have ????. Another great save on all your finds. Hugs!
Christy says
Thanks, Bonnie! I am so glad you enjoy these smaller makeovers! Even the most unassuming pieces have potential! I just love the baskets…now you can redo yours! 😀 XOXO
Mary Kaiser says
Wow, see now that takes imagination to come up with all those ideas. Those things will sell really quick at your booth. Now I have to get busy going through my stash to get my projects done. Thanks for the inspiration.
Christy says
Thanks, Mary! I’m glad you are inspired to tackle some pieces too! XOXO
Christina in SW FL says
Beautiful transformations Christy! And I adore the handmade tool chest was probably made from scraps and a spindle… and they all live on once again! 🙂 It’s a given none of them will last long in your booth. 🙂
Have a great rest of your week and weekend.
Christy says
Thanks, Christina! I just love that little tool tote. Now to get these to the booth! Have a great weekend too! XOXO
Sheila DelCharco says
I live your smalls posts! It’s so amazing to see what a little paint can do! My favorite (is that allowed?) is the bookends. I couldn’t tell what they were in the originally! Now they are beautiful! And that tray! And tote! Okay maybe I don’t really have a favorite…
Christy says
Thank you, Sheila! I’m so glad you enjoy these smaller projects! I love the bookends too…it’s hard to not want to keep them all after I redo them! XOXO
Paula says
Love seeing how you work your magic on these pieces! Thalhimers was such a great store. Those duck bookends looked mighty familiar to me. Someone I know must have had a set at some point.
Christy says
Thank you, Paula! It’s fun to come across pieces that remind us of another time. I always feel nostalgic when I see something familiar from my childhood or younger years! Have a great weekend! XOXO
Michelle says
What great ideas you have, especially the towel holder. So clever! Hard to pick a favorite as they are all great. They won’t last long in your booth! Thx for sharing!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Michelle! That metal ring fit perfectly on that little breadboard…so glad I was finally able to use it for something! XOXO
Sandi says
I love it all! Such great and easy projects. I want to try one of your ideas. Thank you. Hugs,
Christy says
Thank you, Sandi! I hope you’ll give one of these ideas a try! XOXO
Claudine says
Beautiful additions for the booth! The only thing is…you’d better keep doing smalls, ’cause I don’t think these will be around long! lol
Christy says
Thank you, Claudine! And you are so right…it’s hard to hang onto the smalls! I better keep working! XO
Marcie Lovett says
I love seeing the smalls, Christy! I was so sure the candlesticks were going to become chalkboards; we haven’t seen any in a long time. The bread board was dreadful, but the stain did an amazing job of bringing it back to life. You thoroughly surprised me with the towel hanger – it looks fabulous! My other favorite is the metal tray, which took the paint so beautifully. Those tragic bookends are so much better now and the picnic baskets are lovely. I’m always amazed at what you do with things that look – shall we say – less than impressive!
Christy says
Yay I’m so glad you enjoyed these, Marcie!! I need to make more chalkboards on the little stands…I haven’t made those in a long time. And yes even the most sad pieces have potential! Enjoy your weekend! XOXO
Melinda says
You little creative thing you!! These posts do motivate me to get my self in gear!! I have several projects out in the garage; that need my attention! It has been so hot here. I want to wait for cooler temps to be out there working.
Christy says
Ha ha thank you, Melinda! We must be having a heat wave at the moment…it has been so dreadfully hot and humid here the past week or so! It is definitely more enjoyable working in the garage when the weather cools off a bit! XO
Sherry Darlington says
Absolutely love everything you do! That little dresser really wants to come live at my house! Road trip!!!
Christy says
Thank you SO much, Sherry! That dresser told me it wants to live at your house too ha ha! XOXO
Kimberly ODonoghue says
You’re amazing! What a fabulous eye!
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Kimberly! XOXO
MJ says
I love the picnic baskets. My car has no storage space for picnic items, so I’m looking for two of these baskets to hold cutlery, napkins, plates, and glasses/mugs and a smaller Thermos. The other for travel food. i’ll keep them in the back for when i need a picnic setup. Fast food on the road is often unhealthy. Now, do I need a cooler, or not? Something to think about. Yours look so nice in white. Like the towel hanger, too. But my SO would grab that board up for cutting his long loaves of French bread. If I painted on side it could hang on wall nicely between cuttings. Lots to think about. thanks for sharing.
Christy says
Thanks, MJ! Great idea to paint one side of a cutting board so it is pretty when hanging! XO
Robin says
So cute, how ever do you decide how you are going to paint all of your finds?
Christy says
Thank you, Robin! Honestly, when I have no clue what to do with a piece, I paint it white. The ideas of what else to do with it usually follow. 🙂 XO
Kerryanne says
All fabulous make-overs Christy. I bet you find it hard to part with these smaller items. I know I used to be guilty of using some of mine for awhile and then moving them on.
Christy says
Thank you, Kerryanne! I do have a hard time saying goodbye to some of these after their redos, and yes I too have been guilty of enjoying things for awhile and then selling them ha ha! XOXO
Sue says
As always, I’m delighted with your creativity and good ideas. The cutting board transformation into a towel holder was probably the most unexpected! I enjoy seeing your finished projects even more when they surprise me.
Christy says
I appreciate that so much, Sue, thank you! Glad you enjoyed the cutting board redo! XO
MaryJean says
Love all the smalls, Christy! They turned out great. I know what you mean about the picnic baskets. We have them here too! I did the same thing and spray painted mine and I’m keeping too. It’s exactly like yours. There must have been a run on them across the U.S. ????
Christy says
Thanks, MaryJean! Yep ha ha you can find baskets like those in just about any thrift store you step into! Have a great weekend! XOXO
Ruth Anne Buterbaugh says
Such an enjoyable and inspirational post! I am currently turning candlesticks into tiered servers–need to finish them up and get them to my booth! I like made over smalls much better than the new small things I find to resell. I’ll have to look at my stash with a new eye!
Christy says
I am so glad you enjoyed this post, Ruth Anne! Yes candlesticks make great pedestals! I really enjoy tackling these smaller projects as well. ????
Julie Briones says
I need to find me some little picnic baskets, and some bookends… and some candlesticks… Oh, and a bread board! 😉 LOVE! I stared at those bookends for a wee bit!
Christy says
Ha ha! Thank you, Julie!! XOXO
Petra says
Christy, I don’t know how you do it, but you have a real knack for making everything beautiful <3 🙂
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Petra! XOXO
Melanie Maddy says
Thanks Christy you’re the best and a wonderful inspiration!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Melanie!! XOXO
Kelly says
Sorry for the dumb question — but how exactly do you attach the liner into the picnic basket?
Christy says
No problem, Kelly…I used the old liner as a pattern so it did require a bit of sewing. Then I used hot glue to attach the liner to the inside of the basket. You can also use the method that I shared in this post that did not require any sewing: https://www.confessionsofaserialdiyer.com/curbside-suitcase-makeover/ That was actually easier than what I did. Hope this helps! 🙂
Becky says
I love these! I was going to list my favorites, and then I realized I was pretty much going to be listing the whole post and that seemed a little excessive. Your taste is ever top-of-the-line!
Christy says
Aww thanks, Becky!! Sometimes even the most basic of pieces look 100% with just a coat of paint! You are the sweetest!! XOXO
Sharon Black says
Dear Christy:
I’ve just found your site via Pinterest. Wow, you sure do innovative, wonderful transformative works! I am thoroughly impressed, inspired, and motivated by your incredibly imaginative re-dos! I’m a new subscriber, so am quite happy about that, too. The only possible downside to your site that I can see (And I do respect and understand your need and desire to create viable revenue.), is the plethora of distracting ads that just keep coming, popping up, blinking, even videos that keep rolling and just won’t seem to go away. All of the ads shrink down the site of your pages, especially vertically. It would be great if at some time in the future, the adverts could be formatted in way that makes them less intrusive. That way, your content would shine all the more!
Thanks for sharing your fab, creative self with all of us!
Best regards,
Sharon
Christy says
Thank you for choosing to follow along with me, Sharon! I know the ads can be a pain, but I try to only allow ads that you can scroll right by, none on the images, and none that you have to close out. Have a great day! XO
Robin says
Hey Christy, I’ve been busy & not been able to read since now (I’ve bookmarked your emails, tho). All of your ‘smalls’ are terrific! I especially like the breadboard redo. And the tip for re-coloring the wicker baskets is ideal. I have my mother’s wicker magazine rack (tote). Ugly color but I just may keep it and refinish it differently. You really have great luck finding your small items in a thrifty manner, too! Regards
Christy says
I’m so happy you saved my posts for later! These smaller items are fun to do…makes me feel like a accomplished something lol! XO