My Sweet Savannah

making your house a home, one project at a time

~oh deer, it’s a holiday thrift shop challenge~

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Alice from Thoughts From Alice asked if I’d like to participate in a challenge making over a holiday item from the thrift store. Since thrift store is my middle name, 
I didn’t hesitate to say yes.

I found these 4 matching deer ornaments at my local thrift shop for $3.99.

I thought they were pretty cute as is, but decided to dress them up a bit. 
I bought 4 of these unfinished wooden shield plaques from Joanne Fabrics, along with some vintage looking floral scrapbooking papers.

The first step was to cut the paper to fit the tops of the plaques. I did this by flipping the plaques over and tracing around them with pencil onto the paper and cutting out. 
Modge podge them onto the plaques.

Any excess paper can be sanded off. 
This step also helps create a worn vintage look.

Drill holes through the tops of each one so you can hang them as ornaments on your tree.

They should look like this at this point.
The next step is to age them. I used Annie Sloan dark wax and a rag, but you can also use stain.
Go over the outside edges and smudge it onto the paper a bit as well.
Let dry.

Before and after the dark wax.

Use ribbon, or twine to tie a bow.
I used liquid nails to attach the deer to the center of each plaque and let them dry overnight.

I love how they turned out.
I wish there was more than four!

I hung them on my tree in our dining room.

This tree is new to me this year too.
It’s a narrow frosted frazier fir from Balsam Hill.
I’ve always wanted a frosted tree and this one looks so real!


Don’t forget to check out everyone else’s thrift shop makeovers:


Glam Christmas Throw Pillows by Thoughts from Alice






A Deerly Beloved Thrift Store Vignette by Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson

Christmas Cloche by Craftberry Bush

A Vintage Mantel for Winter by Finding Silver Pennies

Thrifty DIY Part One: Faux Fur Throw Rug by Creating Vintage Charm

DIY Holiday Walling Hanging by House of Hipsters

Christmas Decor from Thrifty Find by Town and Country Living

The Trellis Tree by Cozy Little House

DIY Centerpiece Tray by Cherished Bliss

Rustic Christmas Tree by Delineate Your Dwelling

DIY Crocks by So Much Better With Age

xoxo


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    FROM TRASH TO TREASURE

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    6. Alice Wingerden says

      I love every single detail of these…how you aged them with the sanding and wax and the papers that you chose! They are absolutely perfect! Thank you for joining me in the challenge!

    10. ~ rooms FOR rent ~ says

      OH MY GOSH Melanie!!! You never ceases to amaze me!!! Seriously these are fantastic!!!! I love love love them!! XO , Bre

    18. Amy@HomeRemedies says

      These are the cutest ornaments – so original and unique! The papers you used add the perfect vintage touch!

    19. Bethany~FurnishMyWay says

      I absolutely love how they turned out! The antiquing process was genius! The tip for sandpapering the extra paper off created the perfect look. If I every stumble across the perfect ornaments, I will keep this in mind!

    22. Kyla @HouseOfHipsters says

      WOW! THese are so awesome! Pinning immediately! They look like something Anthropologie would sell!

    24. Brenda Pruitt says

      Super cute! I love that you used decoupage in your project. It's one of my favorite crafts. This was really looking outside of the box, and all around it!
      Brenda

    25. Jennifer@The Chronicles of Home says

      Super cute idea! Sometimes I'm creeped by deer heads but these don't freak me out at all 😉

    28. Tammy...ClothandPatina says

      These are absolutely perfect, every last little detail! Love that you added the mix of papers to the backs, made them all the more charming! Thinking I will have to create a few of these this year. Thanks so much for sharing!

      Tammy

    32. Lisa @ 2Perfection Decor says

      Great Idea!! Could even make a cute wall collage..Looks amazing on your tree.

      Lisa

    33. Nicki says

      These are unbelievable! As I scrolled through the tutorial, I kept thinking it would end because each step looked great, but it just got better and better. So clever-I love it. Tweeting 🙂

    35. Anonymous says

      I am an American man, and I have decided to boycott American women. In a nutshell, American women are the most likely to cheat on you, to divorce you, to get fat, to steal half of your money in the divorce courts, don’t know how to cook or clean, don’t want to have children, etc. Therefore, what intelligent man would want to get involved with American women?

      American women are generally immature, selfish, extremely arrogant and self-centered, mentally unstable, irresponsible, and highly unchaste. The behavior of most American women is utterly disgusting, to say the least.

      This blog is my attempt to explain why I feel American women are inferior to foreign women (non-American women), and why American men should boycott American women, and date/marry only foreign (non-American) women.

      BOYCOTT AMERICAN WOMEN!

      http://www.boycottamericanwomen.com

    37. Noble Vintage says

      Love this. I have a little deer head mount that I painted all white, but have been wanting to change up- this is a great idea! 🙂

    39. Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson says

      The added plaque just finished them off. I love the papers you used and they look fabulous on the tree!
      hugs,
      Jann

    44. Charlotte says

      Your makeover is SO much sweeter and lovelier than the plain ol' deer heads. Also? Turns out deer are all the rage this holiday season. 😉 xxCharlotte

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