Hello sweet friends! I’ve got a fun post for y’all today! I’m sharing several pieces that I rescued from one of my own yard sales!
We moved Jack out of his college apartment in Charlottesville this past weekend, and it is so nice to have him home, but that didn’t leave me much time for creating, so instead, I’m sharing the makeovers of six items I rescued from one of our annual yard sales!
A few pieces I decided to keep at the last minute and redo for my booth, and a couple of items just refused to sell, so they got a redo too!
I’ve included a few affiliate links so you can find the products I love.
Meet my yard sale rescue pile:
I thought it might be fun to look back at these makeovers!
Yard Sale Rescue Makeover #1
The first makeover I redid from this small haul is this shelf that I painted in this bold blue for Brennan’s nursery:
I found it in my mom’s attic when I was in search of things to decorate the nursery. The bold blue didn’t do any favors for it though, and I don’t usually enjoy redoing items that are already painted, so there it sat. I finally decided to put it out for my yard sale!
Of course, at the last minute, I just couldn’t do it and decided to give it a makeover instead!
I painted right over the bold blue with a coat of Vintage Duck Egg Blue and then went back and dry brushed with some Cotton White to give it a more weathered look:
I then followed up with Best Dang Wax in white to seal it.
The outcome is so much more subdued!
And you can see how the white wax nestled into all the crevices:
Paint did wonders for this one!
See the original makeover HERE.
Yard Sale Rescue Makeover #2
Next up is this set of frames I had from our old house:
Yes, those are framed photos of our feet. It sounded like a good idea for our old bathroom at the time ha ha.
When I was pricing items, I noticed that this set of prints, that had also been destined for our yard sale, were about the same size:
Are you thinking what I’m thinking??
I decided to marry the two!
The frames got freshened up with a couple of coats of Dixie Belle’s Buttercream and then a good sanding after:
Then, I cut the images from the prints to fit the frames:
My rotary cutting set was perfect for this!
I sealed the frames with Best Dang Wax in clear and popped these images right into them!
Instant framed artwork!
I don’t use the creamier whites often, but Buttercream is a lovely buttery cream color!
See more of this makeover HERE.
Yard Sale Rescue Makeover #3
The third makeover in this bunch is this porch sign I picked up at a yard sale for a whole dollar:
I hung onto it for a year before deciding to stick it out for my yard sale to get rid of it. Then as I was pricing everything, I figured I’d just keep it and give it a quick redo!
Can you picture my inner turmoil as I let something go and then take it back, time and time again? “Just get rid of it!” “No, you can totally do something with that!”
I started by painting the inside of the frame in this pretty blue made with Dixie Belle’s Vintage Duck Egg Blue mixed 50/50 with Cotton White:
Then I used the easiest sign making method ever by cutting out letters I printed from Word and tracing around them:
See exactly how I did that in the original post HERE.
Then I just painted in the letters! I sanded to smooth and sealed with Best Dang Wax in Clear and that was that!
Hello, summer!!
This sign hangs in our kitchen year round!
Even at Christmas lol!
How to Make a Sign the Easy Way
Yard Sale Rescue Makeover #4
The next makeover in this pile was this $6 thrift store find that I brought from our previous house:
I’d had it so long and was so over trying to come up with a plan for it that I put it out for $5 at our annual yard sale.
Everything in this photo sold EXCEPT for the chair!
I reluctantly dragged it back inside. I didn’t have the heart to donate it back.
My friend, Jen from Girl in the Garage, had just released her new book, Amazing Furniture Makeovers, at the time, and we were all helping to promote it. I decided to use one of her dressers as inspiration for this chair in my promo post.
It got painted in two coats of Dixie Belle’s Manatee first, and then I used tiny stencils to have a little fun with it…
It turned out so darned cute paired with this white table as a desk setup:
I love the whimsy of the stencils!
I thought it could be perfect for any small space where you might need to fold it up and stow it away.
See more of this makeover HERE.
Yard Sale Rescue Makeover #5
Next up are the bowls that I paid one dollar for each at a yard sale. The condition of these bowls wasn’t great.
First, I tried to sand them to get down to the pretty wood. The smaller of the two had stains that went pretty deep, and the larger of the two had gunk in it that just smeared when I tried to sand it, like a waxy substance.
So at that point, I didn’t feel bad at all about painting them!
The larger of the two got painted in Dixie Belle’s Driftwood mixed with about 30% Cotton to lighten it up just a bit. Then, I used FrogTape to add some detail around the edge:
I added some more details to the outside which you’ll see in a minute. Then I sanded it all over with 220 grit sandpaper and sealed with Dixie Belle’s clear wax.
It was just perfect for holding seashells!
And here is the outside…
The smaller of the two got painted in The Gulf by Dixie Belle, a pretty beachy blue, and then dry brushed with white.
I then used a small dauber to add some fun details to the top:
The bottom got the stripe effect with FrogTape:
I absolutely love the summer vibe of this bowl now!
I actually kept both of these bowls for myself!
See more of both of these painted bowls HERE.
Yard Sale Rescue Makeover #6
And finally, this basket is one I reshared recently:
I tried to flog it for a dollar at my yard sale with no takers, so it too was added to the yard sale rescue pile!
You can revisit the makeover of this one HERE.
It got a summer-inspired makeover too!
That’s six makeovers from my yard sale rescue pile!
And a before and after comparison to pin for later!
I hope you enjoyed seeing these six makeovers as a group today!
They’re a long way from where they started!
And just in time for yard sale season… here are all my best tips for a successful yard sale!
See them all HERE!
I’ll be back on Thursday with this side table:
I hope to see you then!
Update: This table turned out so pretty! See it HERE now!
XOXO,
Don’t Miss a Thing!
If you like what you see, there are several ways to follow along!
Janette says
What fabulous make-overs, I just love to see the transformations, that chair was the sweetest, so cute.x
Christy says
Thank you so much, Janette! I’m so glad I finally figured out that chair lol! XOXO
Mary Kaiser says
It is so fun to look back and remember all the old treasures that you have salvaged and made beautiful again! So glad Jack is back for the summer!
Christy says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the look back, Mary! I thought this was a fun bunch with the summer approaching! As always glad to have Jack home… My family is complete again! XOXO
Christina says
Wonderful makeovers Christy! Welcome home Jack! I can’t wait to read your yard sale tips, thank you!!
Christy says
Thank you, Christina! I really need to purge lol…might be time for a yard sale of my own! XOXO
Marsha Price says
You have the best ideas, and make old things beautiful again! Thanks for sharing your talent, ideas, and instruction.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Marsha! I appreciate that! XOXO
Cindy Murphy says
You are so creative. Your makeovers are so well done and also so pretty.
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Cindy!! XOXO
Fran Blunt says
Each and every make over is a gem of its own! You have great vision for something dull and boring to turn it into something exciting! I love the wood bowls and the folding chair.
Christy says
Thank you so much, Fran! I’m so glad I kept those bowls! XOXO
Niki says
It’s kind of a smalls day…..😊 how weird nobody snagged up those wooden bowls. I would’ve figured they would go quick along with that cute little chair. I hope they all sold well for you after the redo’s except of coarse your SUMMER sign. You moved Jack home as I’m preparing for graduation- my boy isn’t going anywhere for now. He’s going to work until he figures out what he wants to do. Have a great week Christy, see you Thursday!!
Christy says
It is…I almost considered making it a Painting the smalls post lol! Just the folding chair and the basket actually made it to my yard sale. The other items like the bowls never made it out ha ha. I’m sure someone would’ve snapped those up real quick! I am so glad I kept those though as I still have them! Everything else sold Woohoo! Congratulations to your graduating senior. It’s bittersweet! XOXO
Cyndi says
These are all do darned cute! I really enjoyed seeing so many of your posts showing different examples of your work and techniques. I am still learning how to do a lot of this stuff, so these posts help!
Christy says
Thank you so much, Cyndi! I am so happy that you find what I share helpful! Happy creating! XOXO
Robin says
I remember these (all great, btw). I believe that the bowls were dough bowls at one time. I picked one up in my haul from an estate sale. It is similar in size to your smaller one & was stained on the inside also. It’s usually filled with apples or mixed nuts to shell.
Christy says
Thanks, Robin! Yes, they are dough bowls. Older ones can be worth something, but these were in sad shape! We were lucky to find them though…they were fun to play with! XOXO
Marietta says
OK, that shelf reveal made me gasp and I want that chair! I want them both!!! But, the bowls: thank you for giving me a little push to move forward. I recently picked up a few wood bowls, one of them a fancy brand that is still being sold for over $200.00. I kept telling myself to just clean it up and sell it on Etsy, while in my heart I want to paint it and keep it for myself! (So still on the fence a bit on that one). Thoughts anyone? The other two are for sure getting refurbed, paint and all. I already had hubby drill me a hole in one to make me a large bowl to crochet from and it is working great. I just do not know what I would do if not for you and all the other ladies you have introduced us to!
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Marietta!! These bowls can be worth something, but I really wanted to paint mine too! So I did! I still love them to this day and have no regrets! You can always sand them later if you change your mind, so I say go for it! And what a genius idea to use one for your crochet! XOXO
Rose Lefebvre says
I love the little shelf and the wood chair redone! You are great at making things look wonderful.
Christy says
I appreciate it so much, my friend! Thank you! XOXO
Constance Colvin says
Awesome determination Christy! 😀
Christy says
Thank you, Connie! I’m glad I didn’t quit on these items lol! XOXO
Caye Cooper says
Cool jobs! That larger bowl is what we would call a “dough bowl”, so maybe there was some old shortening left in the crevices that you ran into. All in all the items turned out great–as usual. Carry on! 🙂
Christy says
Thank you so much, Caye! That must have been the case! Now they’re shell bowls ha ha! XOXO
Val says
Your creativity amazes me. Love seeing what you do next.
Christy says
Aww thank you so much, Val!! XOXO
Cecilia says
It’s always fun to see a bunch of small makeovers together. My favorite is the bowls…especially the large one. Makes me want to find one for my shells! Enjoy your boy being home!
😊 Cecilia
Christy says
Thank you, Cecilia! I love the bowls too…I’m so happy I kept them!! Enjoying Jack as much as I can for sure! XOXO
Denise says
They are all fabulous but that chair and shelf should be mine! 😉😘
Christy says
Aww thank you, my friend!! Ha ha! XOXO