Scavenger Chic

5 More Easy Thrift Store Makeovers

• By Joan
• October 18, 2023
• 2 Comments

5 More Easy Thrift Store Makeovers

Today, I have for you, 5 more easy thrift store makeovers.  These are the items you may see at your local Goodwill and hesitate about taking them home with you.  The item may be broken, or dirty, or chipped.

How much effort will it take to fix the item versus just buying it new?

     Thrift Store Cutting Board

You find a cutting board at the thrift store.  Should you buy it? I say yes (if it’s a nice chunk of wood).

Cutting boards are fairly expensive and it is pretty easy to get rid of somebody else’s dirt and grime.

This project should only take about 15 minutes.

Get out your medium to fine grit sandpaper and start sanding back the years.  The oils in this board quickly clogged up my sandpaper and I ended up switching it out several times.

Use cutting board oil to seal the wood, following the directions on the package.

The cutting board oil will run you about $10 but you should be able to use it on many projects that require food grade oil.

A beautiful brand new cutting board.  Or make your own cutting board from scrap wood, as I did here.

     Hearth and Hand Magnolia Galvanized Goat Bookends

Next up, a pair of Galvanized Goat Bookends from Hearth and Hand by Magnolia.

These bookends, with the galvanized metal and gold trim match the candle holders I gave lids to a few weeks back.

Why would I need to update a pair of cute little goat bookends?  Only one of the goats had the vertical piece.

I removed the vertical piece from the  goat that was still intact and gave the pair a quick coat of satin black spray paint.

The vertical piece that was intact, was used as a pattern to create 2 new  scrap wood bookends.

I rounded off the corners on the new scrap wood pieces and sanded well to get rid of the old finish.

I finished off the wood upright pieces with 2 coats of  Watco, Dark Walnut danish oil and rescrewed on the goat bases.

     Painted Kid’s Step Stool

Now you’ve found this sweet little chair/ step stool for only $6. The only problem is that your child is not named Alissa.

Buy it, this is a super easy fix.

Six dollars is not so bad considering a new step stool will set you back $60.00.

Use your sander and a medium to fine grit sandpaper to remove all the  painted decorations.  Wipe with a clean cloth to remove all the dust.

Seal the wood with a clear polyurethane.

Imho, I like it better without the extra personalization.  You can now use the stool for all your children and for  generations to come.

     Suede Lumbar Pillow DIY

Your next easy thrift store makeover involves going over to the clothing aisle. This time you need  to be on the  lookout for, a skirt.

We are about to make a lumbar pillow.  

I am using a soft suede fabric but you could also use leather or tweed…whatever matches your decor.

Cut out 2 rectangular pieces.  Mine are about 12 x24″.

Pin right sides together and sew around the perimeter with a 1/2″ seam allowance.  Leave an opening for turning right side out and for stuffing.

Trim corners, turn right side out and stuff with fiber fill.  Hand stitch the opening closed.

     Vintage Ironing Board Centerpiece

My final, easy thrift store makeover actually requires no makeover whatsoever. It’s a vintage ironing board I picked up for my sister.

While the ironing board was waiting to be handed off to my sister, it made it’s home as the centerpiece on my kitchen table.  Unique and fun, I can definitely see it decorated with candles and greenery for the holidays.

Hope you enjoyed these easy makeovers.   As always, stay inspired.

If you enjoy easy thrift store makeovers, make sure you check out my past Easy Thrift Store Makeovers with White Chalk Paint,  5 Little Thrift Store Makeovers and,

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