Spring from a Thrift Store!

I really enjoy going "Thrifting" as I call it. We have a few thrift stores around here that are ok, I have been to some in ATL that are wonderful. However, I try to go to Goodwill at least every other week just to see what I can see. On one of my last trips I was not looking for anything particular but I found these goodies. (I am ready for this cold weather to be gone and flower to start blooming and amazing me with just how creative God is.) One of the things I want to start doing more of is decorating for the seasons and holidays. My mom always did this and I remember some of the decorations so vividly in my mind that I would love for my son to have some of the same memories.
Here are some of my latest finds:



A cute egg print, 3 pastel mug/cups, a yellow wire basket, and a 4H award. And yes, I know what you are thinking, 4H award? Really? Do you have a connection with 4H? No, infact, I know nothing about 4H! But more on that in a minute.

The Egg print I thought was neat and would be good for Easter. However, I was not loving the faux wood frame that had some nicks on it. It seemed too dark for the print to me. So I went to work. I asked my friend for her opinion and I came up with this.

I love how the now green frame accents the green egg. Plus, I dirtied it up a little bit with some brown paint. (Much like you would with stain after you sanded it but since it's not real wood that wouldn't work.) I brushed it on and wiped it off. I think it looks so much better and springy-er.

Now for the 4H award: It's a 4-leaf clover! I simply pried the "award" stamp off the clover, deglossed it with Klean-Strip Easy Liqiud Sander Deglosser, sanded it some more to get the poly off that made it oh-so-shiny.

Warning, it blends in with my floor!

Next I painted it off white and pulled out the Mod Podge and a piece of scrapbook paper. I am not a pro at this by any means so I just went with it. I traced the clover onto the paper and cut it out. It was still a little big due to the fact that the top of the clover has a beveled edge so it is slightly smaller than the clover. After I mod-podged it onto the clover I took my exacto knife and trimmed the edges some more. Sanded it. Added a couple more coats of Mod Podge and

here it is with a new lease on life. So think outside the box. You never know, you might find a discarded award that you can breathe new life into.
(Note: see the wonderful bird's nest? Yea, shortly after this picture was taken it fell and no more bird's nest.)