Thrift Store Art Makeover

I just thought I’d do a short little post to show you a tiny makeover I did on some thrift store art.

I like to grab random art at thrift stores to help fill up my walls. 

I don’t usually know what I’m going to do with it when I buy it.

It’s just a grab for grab sake, with faith I’ll figure it out later.

I grab stuff sometimes just for the frame, if it’s got a really good looking frame. Or just a really large frame. (New frames are expensive!) You can always cover up the art/re-use the frame for something else.

Sometimes I grab it because I just love the art for itself.

I’m obsessed with this one I found for $4. 

(My girls are equally in love with it. What’s not to love about it?)

And sometimes I grab it just because it’s quirky, and I like that.

I saw this funny little squirrel for sale at GoodWill for $3.

I knew it was kinda a hit or miss piece.

I know tons of people hate squirrels.

I know this entire piece of art is rather hideous.

But I have a soft spot for squirrels. 

I found an abandoned baby squirrel when I was in High School and took care of it round the clock for a while. I think he was sick to start with, he didn’t make it. But I loved him.

I also just think squirrels are really adorable in general -- that tail just gets me.

And we happen to have tons of squirrels in our back yard here.

I watch them out our big family room window all the time. 

I just get a kick out of their scurrying about.

So I bought this little guy, not quite knowing how to fix him, but knowing I just thought he was really cute. No matter what anyone else thought.

I brought him home and took it apart.

This one was actually really hard to take apart, because the back was glued on.

And once it was apart I learned it was all one piece -- the squirrel was on the same page as the “mat.”

Which was kinda disappointing.

So, I took a gold pen and colored over the brown oval “mat.”

And then I spent a night or two cutting up some different whites, and sort-of-whites paint chips I had laying around, and glueing them over the faux wood grain area.

Once the weather warmed up I spray painted the frame flat white.

And I just really really love how he turned out.

He lives in my family room “gallery wall."

Sorry this is a not styled, lame iphone pic again. So I’m not gonna pintrest-woo you. But everything on this wall (besides the clock which we got for our wedding) came from the thrift store. Collected mostly over the past year, with a couple from longer ago.

It’s not like up to par with true design blog’s art walls -- but I think their art wall cost them a whole lot more than mine. And I’m pretty pleased with mine for now. (I’m sure I’ll tweak it over time.)

I bet I spent maybe $50 or less on all these pieces. And they each make me happy.

Anyway, just thought I’d show you my little makeover.