Thrift Store Throwdown: The Big Reveal

Are you ready for The Big Reveal?

Today all 15 bloggers participating in the Thrift Store Throwdown show off our awesome creations crafted from the thrift store treasures we exchanged a few weeks ago.

So many great ideas!

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Here are the items Stephanie from One Mile Home Style sent to me.

The good news is Stephanie sent me a variety of random items with so much potential to transform into something wonderful. Even better—the rules stated I didn’t have to use everything together. I could split them up into separate projects, which is what I did. I used everything except the chalkboard because my 4-year-old was having fun writing his name on it.

Let’s start with The Rooster Thingie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I really wasn’t sure what this Rooster Thingie was. Somebody suggested a hamburger press and another person thought it was a tortilla press from a souvenir shop in Mexico. Whatever it was … it isn’t that anymore!

I separated the two circles, painted over those crazy roosters and used Unicorn Spit to transform them into one-of-a-kind wall art. If you haven’t heard of Unicorn Spit yet, let me tell you how amazing it is!

Unicorn Spit is the new non-toxic rainbow gel stain and glaze we sell at our shop All Things New Again in Leesburg, Virginia and right here in our online store. You can stain wood furniture with it, but instead of traditional brown stain, you can stain your table turquoise or red or purple—and still have that beautiful wood grain show through. You can also use Unicorn Spit to create exuberant designs on furniture and just about anything else.

(You can see some of my other Unicorn Spit projects here, here and here.)

Since my Rooster Thingie may have originated in Mexico, I chose vibrant colors you would find in Mexican tiles to create my wall art. I squirted the Unicorn Spit colors all over the circles in all crazy directions.

Then I sprayed a little water, covered the circles with plastic wrap and spread my hands across it to smoosh the stain around and create the cool design.

This is called the Stain Press Technique. You never know exactly how it is going to turn out, but it always looks awesome!

After the Unicorn Spit dried, I sealed with Minwax Polyurethane. You can see in this photo the Unicorn Spit dries in a matte finish (top circle), but the colors become vibrant and alive when the polyurethane is applied (bottom circle). After 3 or 4 coats of polyurethane, the design almost looks three-dimensional in person (not so much in the photos).

I added crystal knobs for a little bling and attached hangars to the back. I love them!

Project #2: The Wood Trivet

I used more Unicorn Spit for my second Thrift Store Throwdown project, this time creating an entirely different look. I painted the wood trivet with a light gray chalk-type paint first.

This created a nice surface for the Unicorn Spit to adhere and makes the colors more vibrant than they appear when applied directly to wood.

I used a softer color pallet of turquoise, white, yellow and a tiny bit of green to match my bedroom and a different technique.

This time, I just “finger-painted” the Unicorn Spit right onto the trivet.

That’s right—I used my fingers. Unicorn Spit is non-toxic so you can do that. It was created by the former art director at a facility for adults with disabilities. She wanted her clients to be able to create art even if they were not physically able to hold a paintbrush. I layered my colors on top of each other, blending them with my fingers until I loved how the trivet looked.

Then I sealed with the Minwax Polyurethane again, but this time I sprinkled a little bit of glitter while the poly was still wet.

Now my trivet looked pretty (and sparkly) … but what was I going to do with it?

Re-purpose it into a cell phone charging station, of course!

My iPhone fits between the slats perfectly. I do have to turn the phone upside down to plug it in. I tried to run the cord up from the bottom of the trivet, but it made the charging station too wobbly.

My Kindle also fits in the slats so I can use this in the kitchen to follow along with online recipes. I love the functionality of this piece—and how pretty it looks on my nightstand.

Project #3: The Square Metal Container and Circles

I have to thank Teresa for this great idea! She came up with a clever way to use ALL of my items to create a little cart with a cheese block and a cute sign.

The only problem with Teresa’s plan is my husband and son HATE cheese! So we wouldn’t use it very often.

However, I fell in love with the idea of using the circles as wheels on the wagon—and I knew exactly how to adapt it for my home.

A little spray paint and some E6000 glue and—Boom!—I have the cutest container for my 4-year-old son’s cars. Well, for a few of the cars. He has about a million of them scattered around the house like little land mines.

And I am tired of stepping on them barefooted!!

Project #4: The Two Extra Circles

I thought I only had 5 metal circles, but I realized two were stuck together. I tore strips of Christmas fabric and wrapped it around the two extra circles to create ornaments. We go all-out on Christmas trees around here and I like to collect ornaments from places we go and fun things we do throughout the year.

I just know when I pull these out of the box in December, I’ll say: Hey, these are the ornaments I made for the Thrift Store Throwdown. That was so much fun!

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The fun isn’t over yet! Here are links to all of the blogs participating in the Thrift Store Throwdown. Head on over to see what awesome ideas these talented ladies came up with. And search social media for #ThriftstoreThrowdown for more up cycling fun.

Special thanks to Stephanie from One Mile Home Style for sending my goodie package and to Deborah from Salvage Sister & Mister for her great idea and hard work organizing the Thrift Store Throwdown.

My Life From Home | Farmhouse 40 | Refurbish360Blog

Sweet Pea | Dukes and Duchesses | Paint Yourself a Smile

Lovely Etc. | Shepherds and Chardonnay | Shop at Blu

3 Little Greenwoods | One Mile Home Style

One More Time Events | Rachel Teodoro | Salvage Sister & Mister

~ Courtney

All Things New Again is a family-owned furniture and paint boutique in Leesburg, Virginia (about an hour or so west of Washington, DC). Please stop by the next time you are in town—or follow our adventures online. Here are links to our Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. We love finding beat-up old furniture (and other treasures) and making them new again!