Farmhouse Style Decor from Yard Sale Finds!

I’m so excited to show you these yard sale decor scores today! I am teaming up with some friends to transform an item (or items in my case) from a yard sale/thrift store. But the special part about this one is near and dear to my dog loving heart. We had to find something from a store or sale that benefits animals in our community. We don’t have a dedicated thrift store in my county for that, but we do have an annual garage sale that benefits the Oconee County Animal Shelter. All proceeds go towards the medical fund for the shelter dogs and cats of Oconee County. Win win! It’s held yearly at the local civic center and it’s huge! I didn’t make it until the last day, but still found some amazing deals!

But first, I’ll tell you the reason this is so important to me.

Meet Charlie, aka Brown Dog:

That’s an old pic of him above – he’s much thinner and grayer now! He’s the name behind the blog. And he’s been our kid for the last 12&1/2 years. We adopted him from a local rescue group when he and the rest of the litter were left behind and neglected. He was about 10 weeks old when we got him. And let me tell you. This dog has been through the ringer. He’s had every problem under the sun. He survived GDV (or Gastric Dilatation-Volvulus) where the stomach “flips” and is often fatal in dogs. He’s had allergies, chronic stomach issues, joint problems – you name it. However, I wouldn’t change a thing. This old brown dog is the best dog – sweet, gentle, still like a puppy a lot of times, and he loves us unconditionally.

So when I heard about this opportunity to jump in with some other bloggers for a good cause, I was all over it.

Farmhouse style decor is crazy popular right now, but it can get a little expensive to buy all new stuff. And truthfully, you can makeover a good thrift store, yard sale, or junk store find and give it your own take on farmhouse style for a fraction of the cost!

Farmhouse Style Decor

Yard Sale Scores Before:

Not exactly my style, but the yard sale was pretty much donation only. Make them an offer and it’s yours! I’m saving the checkerboard and the platter for later, but I knew I could make the candlesticks and the mirror into the perfect farmhouse decor for my bedroom.

And this is the area of my room that needed a little help:

Not bad, but it needed something. We recently added a shiplap feature wall so this side could use a little more farmhouse style decor.

First up, these candlesticks:

Black and red don’t exactly fit into my home decor. I started by painting them with flat black latex paint. Then I dry brushed them with white paint, but didn’t love the look of them. I recently bought some rose gold spray paint so I thought, why not? Well, they still weren’t quite what I wanted so I dry brushed some more white paint onto them after I sprayed them rose gold. If you’ve never dry brushed before, here’s how easy it is. Get a teeny amount of paint on your brush and make sure it isn’t thick. Then just go over your surface lightly. I love how these turned out. They have a rustic farmhouse feel now. Much better than the previous black and red.

And now the mirror:

This mirror was in decent shape to start with. It’s super heavy, the actual mirror is in perfect shape, but it had a small crack in the frame. I added some gorilla glue and clamped it for a few hours and it’s good as new!

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Since I knew I wanted to keep my copper planters on the wall, the gold in the mirror frame was just too much. I used the same dry brushing technique as the candlesticks except this time I went even lighter on the paint since I want the gold to show through a bit. I seriously spent about 2 minutes painting the frame. It’s meant to look old and worn. No perfection needed here!

And here’s what I have now! Farmhouse style decor for just a few bucks and a little bit of time.

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Nothing too drastic. Just some small touches to add some style to this corner. I love many different styles, but I’m especially fond of farmhouse style. Don’t overlook those outdated things – paint is a powerful tool in DIY! And it doesn’t have to be pricey. I used a $1 sample paint I found in the “oops” section at the paint department. They will often have colors that didn’t turn out quite right and you can get them for a major discount! Keep trying if it doesn’t turn out exactly the way you like at first. I used three different paints for the candlesticks until I got them right. Nothing has to be perfect. That’s part of the beauty of farmhouse style decor – it’s not fussy or perfect in any way!

Thanks to Jeanette at Country Design Style for organizing this whole idea for such a good cause! If you’re thinking of adding a pet to your family, please, please consider adoption. There are some amazing animals out there just waiting to be loved! Or donate to a shelter, shop their yard sales, or get your kiddos involved in volunteering. I’m so thankful we found our sweet Charlie all those years ago. There is nothing like the unconditional love from a dog!

Be sure to check out the other bloggers that participated in this good cause!