Thrift Store Decorating – Side Table

I love a good find, don’t you?  I am a fan of thrift store decorating.  I find as soon as I get home with my new found treasures in tow, I have to get to work right away to transform them. I found some thrifty DIY decorating finds this week at a large thrift store near me called 2nd Avenue.

It is like Goodwill but on steroids!  It is very highly organized and I can’t stress enough just how organized it is. Everything – even little junk, is organized by item, style, and color.  I know exactly what aisles to find the decorative items that I look for every week. So I am in and out quickly.

If a shopper places a lamp in the clothing section because they no longer want to buy it – you can be sure an employee will have it back where it belongs in no time flat.   The day I went, they were having 50% off of your entire purchase sale. What a deal, considering my total purchases were a deal to begin with at $6.10. 

Garage-Sale-finds-truned-in

I thought about using the tray stand as I found it, as it is very pretty – but I knew I had a white wicker tray that would go nicely on top to make a summer side table for the chair in my family room.

So I sprayed it white.  The fake flowers in the vase even came with fake water. As I carried them around the store several women stopped me to ask where I found them and if there were any more. They wanted to touch them to make sure they truly were fake. They add the perfect color pop to my family room.

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I am into movable furniture, especially accent tables lately. I love the fact I can easily take this out to my deck or patio and place a drink or candle on it and then easily bring it back in when I come back inside.  In the winter I have a big basket by the chair with warm and snugly throws.  I lined the tray with polka dot fabric for another pop of color.

Line-fabric-with-Heat-n-Bon

To keep the fabric from getting dirty, I covered it with clear – iron on vinyl from Heat N’ Bond. It is sold in rolled up sheets at JoAnn’s.  You simply cut out the size you need, remove the paper backing, place the vinyl sticky side down onto the fabric, and then the paper backing shiny side down on top to protect it while you iron the vinyl on.  Takes only a few minutes, but now if I spill something in the tray it is easy to wipe clean.

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Heat N’ Bond Iron On Vinyl

As far as what I am going to do with the square basket – I collect them to organize my drawers.  I can never have enough.

When I bring them home, I wash them in hot sudsy water first and then line drawers like a jig saw puzzle with them. It makes the insides of my drawers look fresh.  If you want to see how they look you can hop over to my post at Momtastic.com.

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34 Comments

  1. Diane, I am telling you- I’ve been thinking about this all week! I need to go get some of this Heat N Bond because I think I know where I could use it. Thanks so much for linking up to Transformations and Treasures!

  2. Katharine says:

    Hi Diane, Love your finds! Thanks for the info about the Heat N Bond. I’ve been looking at laminate fabrics for table cloths and I’d have more options with the Heat N Bond. :)

    Have a great Summer. Katharine

    1. Hi Katharine-

      Thanks for all the lovely comments :) I love Heat n Bond vinyl. It is one great product and holds up very well. I wish it did come in larger rolls so that you could cover an entire tablecloth with one piece. That would be perfect.
      You should go visit your uncle -especially this time of year – it is so pretty in Vermont.
      I hope you have a fun trip to Ikea.

  3. Looks fantastic and great tip on the heat & bond vinyl!

  4. Ingenious…I love it!!!

  5. Woah, smart reuse! that came out adorable! I’m inspired to see items around the house in new ways…Can’t wait!

  6. That’s so cool. Thanks for sharing. :-)

  7. I have already commented here once, but I wanted to say that I have been going through your blog and you are one SMART and CAPABLE lady!!! You have done some amazing projects!!! Your kitchen is gorgeous and your banquette is both charming and a great use of space! I love it.
    Hugs, Cindy

    1. Hi Cindy-
      Thanks so much. I just left you a note on your blog :)

  8. Great finds! Can’t wait to see the bathroom makeover! Cute kitty too :o)
    ~Des

    1. Hi Deserae-

      Thanks. Trax the cat always has to get in my photos. As soon as I bring out the camera or start working on a project – he always show up. He is such a bub! I am sure he will be in the bathroom makeover photos, too.

  9. Oh, wow, I just realized that thrift shop is not very far from my house! I know the Impact stores very well but didn’t know about that one. Maybe I’ll bump into you there at some point!

    1. Hi Carrie-

      I love Impact too, but 2nd Avenue is my favorite. It is right on Rt. 63 in North Wales. We should arrange to meet there.

  10. What a fabulous find! Looks great!

  11. That sounds like my kind of store and what a great find you came home with. Your side table looks wonderful!
    Hugs, cindy

    1. Hi Cindy-
      It is quite a fun place and they get new items daily. Sometimes I have to take a deep breath before I walk in to relax myself before I shop – I get too excited as I know I will find something good.

  12. Wow! I love it!
    It turned out so bright and pretty!
    :D – Cindi
    (visiting from Nita’s Mod Mix!)

  13. Nan @ Playful Decor says:

    Oh what great finds! How nice to have a great store like that near you…one of the challenges of rural living. I did my first garage-sale-ing this weekend and found a beautiful light turquoise vase for 50 cents! I’m tempted to make a short post just because I love it! Enjoy!

  14. Nita {ModVintageLife} says:

    What a cute table! And I thought those flowers were real too. They are fantastic! What a great thrift store you must have. I love the way you combined the stand with the wicker tray. Very very nice. Thanks so much for linking up to my Mod Mix Monday party!

  15. I went thrifting today and found some totally cool stuff. I get the need to fix them right when you get home. It’s killing me not to roll up my sleeves right now! Great table!

  16. What a steal! It looks great with the wicker basket and painted white! I love the pop of color from the floral arrangement. I thought they were real. Thanks for the tip about the iron on vinyl.

    ~ Tracy

  17. Ashleigh @ Sincerely says:

    What a great way to make a side table. Such a good idea! Thanks for sharing :)

  18. so cute! I’m so far behind on showing my deals :) Love the tray- so cute with the basket. Does the iron on vinyl kind of make it like an oil cloth? I have to look for that next time I’m in the craft store.

    1. hi Denise-

      It does sort of resemble oil cloth. They used to make a matte version as well as the shiny kind I used to line the tray, but all I can ever find anymore is the shiny kind. I use it to protect paper as well. It lasts a long time. I covered fabric and made one of those tool bucket aprons with it. It is about 15 years old and it gets a lot of wear. The fabric looks brand new. It is a great product.

  19. Amanda @ House Revivals says:

    Great thrifting score, and I love your drawer organizing idea!

    1. Hi Amanda –

      Thanks. I should really credit my mom for that basket organizing idea as I learned it from her – she was like Martha Stewart – everything was pretty and organized in my house when I was growing up. The baskets used to be much easier to find. I did stumble upon a large one recently, I think it was the bottom of a picnic basket that lost it’s top.

  20. Ashlyn@pinecone says:

    Oooohhh those polka dots are so cute. You are amazing – it turned out perfect!
    xo
    Ashlyn

  21. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says:

    Wonderful finds, Diane! I love the tray stand and it looks great white with the basket on it.

  22. What a great place to shop! And then 50% off, too. I really like that flower arrangement and the pop of color it gives. I’ve banned myself from Goodwill/thrift stores until I lose 3 lbs. Baby steps….

    1. Hi Patrica-

      That is great incentive. Lose 3 lbs every week and then get to splurge on great finds instead of food. What a great concept. You could start a club :)