8 Goodwill Thrift Flip Challenges for Spring

Are you ready to bring a breath of fresh spring air into your home?

Today, I am doing a Goodwill challenge: I am transforming my recent thrift store finds into charming cottage DIY spring décor. So let's get started!

1. Impressionist clock

I applied some rub-and-buff gold wax to freshen up the metal frame of this 30 inch tall clock, and then brushed on some white wax to give it a more muted appearance.

Next, I removed the plastic clock covering, clock hands and the paper clock face, and instead inserted a poster board circle with a fragment of a Monet painting glued onto it.

Before attaching the picture I painted the plastic clock frame with cream colored chalk paint, distressed it with sandpaper and applied antiquing wax and gold Rub and Buff to coordinate better with the metal stand.

I then reattached the hands, popped the plastic cover back in place. Finally, I repainted the clock frame and glued a metallic looking rope around it for additional detail.

2. Bird wreath stand

I think this bird stand was intended to hold jewelry, but one hook had broken off, so I removed all but one with wire snips, disguised the holes with wood filler, and hung a pretty wreath on the remaining hook.

I made the wreath out of a spring garland, cutting off a section, twisting some wired stems together to form a circle, and tying a silk ribbon around the top.

3. Paper plate holder

The wood finish was looking drab, so I cleaned it up with some Restor-A-Finish and fine steel wool.

I added some fresh wood glue to make it snap back together, and inserted some cabinet knobs that looked like a fork and knife by drilling holes and inserting little screws.

In case you didn't know, you can buy individual screws at Ace Hardware for just a few cents each, which is what I did for this project.

Then I filled it with pillow stuffing and sewed the opening shut. The fabric was fragile and tore during the process, so I hand-stitched the tears closed and it added to the vintage charm.

5. Birdhouse centerpiece

I got six birdhouses, and drilled holes on top of each and applied wood filler and hot glue around the edges. In some, I inserted test tubes and filled in the gaps with more wood filler, and then sanded it.

I painted each house a couple coats of a different spring color, and covered the roofs with pretty scrapbook paper.

Next I printed out vinyl letters to spell the word “spring” in various sizes and applied the letters to the back side of each birdhouse.

Then I applied some small floral rub-on transfers, created six little separate bouquets out of a floral garland, and added them to each of the houses, turning them into little vases.

6. Vintage creamer bird nest

This wood piece décor matched a vintage creamer I had, so I decided to combine them. I cut a strand of florist wire and ran it through the creamer's handle and through the openings in the fleur-de-lis, twisting it tightly together on the back side.

I then filled the creamer with Styrofoam, Spanish moss and a vine from a floral garland, as well as a couple of blue bird eggs.

To cover the exposed florist wire, I ran some lace ribbon over it and tied it in a bow on the front side.

Finally, I hot glued a faux bluebird to the fleur-de-lis.

I then brushed on a coat of clear wax that would allow the antiquing wax to more easily be wiped off, applied some watered down antiquing wax and used a rag to wipe off most of it.

The dark wax that remained was mostly settled into all of those little details.

8. Heart jello mold

To turn this heart-shaped mold into décor, I glued a vintage Valentine image inside it, glued on two felt flowers and a few silk leaves and smaller flowers around them, as well as a silk bow on top and a pearl ribbon along the edge of the mold.