Not too long ago, I found a wonderful treasure at a Habitat ReStore: a framed Navajo sandpainting. It was such a special and unusual find, but the sandy texture sparked a most peculiar idea. Could I create something beachy with a similar texture? Some framed coastal wall art, perhaps…Read more ›
Coastal Candle Holders with Sea Glass Paint
May 30, 2024 · By · Leave a Comment
Clothing, books, clear glass- these are some of the things that overwhelm thrift stores. Which means, of course, that I love coming up with new upcycle ideas for them. So, today I’m sharing some coastal candle holders that I made with glass vases that I found at one of the Habitat ReStores here in Charlotte.Read more ›
Pillar Candle Holders with Coastal Style
July 19, 2023 · By · 12 Comments
I first spotted these pillar candle holders at one of those “color-coding” thrift stores. You know the kind I mean, right? Where they group all the housewares by color, and these wooden fellas somehow ended up on the red shelf.Read more ›
Sailboat Decor from a Weaving Shuttle
July 26, 2020 · By · 31 Comments
One year ago, I had gathered up the materials I’d need for this project. I had a couple of weaving shuttles and clear vision for transforming them into decorative sailboats. But right as I was getting started, an email appeared in my inbox.Read more ›
Antique Diving Helmet from a Light Fixture
July 9, 2020 · By · 40 Comments
For the first time since very early March, I went thrifting. Now that we’ve moved to a state with stricter rules, I finally felt more comfortable to go inside a thrift store. So, I headed to Habitat ReStore, where I found a series of eyeball lights in their section of light fixtures. But as I stared at them, all I could see was an antique diving helmet!Read more ›
Starfish Decor from a Lighted Star Christmas Tree Topper
July 7, 2019 · By · 10 Comments
While working on my recent Thrift the Look: Beach Cottage blog post, one of the most challenging elements to find was a large starfish. I didn’t want to buy a real/dried one from a craft store, so upcycling one was my best bet. I just wasn’t sure what I’d find that could become the starfish decor that I needed.Read more ›
Fishing Floats from Thrift Store Vases
September 4, 2018 · By · 22 Comments
Many years ago, I published this project for glass fishing floats by upcycling some vases and bowls from the thrift store. But in the years since, the craft product I used to make these fishing floats went off the market. So, I decided to start from scratch with an even better craft paint to create a new set. Read more ›
Sand Collection Display in a Vintage Spice Rack
August 2, 2018 · By · 28 Comments
There I was in Goodwill, crawling through the housewares when I paused to check an alert on my phone. A friend’s photo of a gorgeous sunset on the beach popped up, and when I went back to thrift shelf scanning, there it was. A vintage spice rack that someone else had painted purple, using it to house her button collection. But with the beach photo still burning a hole in my mind and the spice rack in front of me, I had an idea. To create a sand collection display in the old spice rack!Read more ›
DIY Message in a Bottle
May 17, 2018 · By · 27 Comments
Ever since recycling glass stopped in my county, I’ve been trying to come up with fresh ways to repurpose the glass bottles I end up with. Now that summer is on the horizon, my head is already in the sand- beach sand, that is. So, this time around, I had an idea for DIY message in a bottle that I wanted to try.Read more ›
Nautical Wall Decor with Vintage Drawer Handles
April 25, 2018 · By · 19 Comments
As luck would have it, my friends are constantly offering up freebies for me to repurpose for my blog. And so was the case with these vintage drawer handles. My friend, Teri, had given her mother’s dresser a makeover for her daughter’s new apartment. When she asked if I wanted the old hardware, I eagerly took them off her hands. They looked JUST LIKE dock cleats or boat cleats to me, and I wanted to transform them into some nautical wall decor.Read more ›
