Thrifty Decorating and Going a Little Crazy

I don’t know about you, but this time of year I start running around like a crazy person.  My to-do lists are long, seasonal decorating bins are stacked in a corner and my house seems to have a split personality with pumpkins and gourds taking center stage but Christmas decor is slowly creeping in as I try to meet deadlines for upcoming holiday posts (more on that later). 

I’m scrambling to get ready for hosting Thanksgiving while I simultaneously try to plan my Christmas decor.  This year, my Christmas decorating budget is almost non-existent so I’m challenging myself not to buy anything new — or at least limit myself to just a few small, very inexpensive things.  Thrifty decorating is my motto this season!

The perfect place to shop when on a tight budget?  The thrift store.  That’s where I found this gem other day:

It caught my eye because it looked just like a vintage crock, except for the ugly, scratched up image and date on the back that was disguising its inner beauty.  

I looked at it closely and wondered if it might be possible to erase the image since it was already in poor shape.  However, the date on the back of the crock looked pristine so I wasn’t sure how easily I could get that part off.  My goal was to make it look vintage.  Priced at just under $3 I decided it was worth a try, so I bought it.

To remove the old image I simply took a sanding block with a coarse grit and sanded it off.  I was surprised at how easily it came off.  In fact, it was as easy as erasing pencil on paper!  It only took a minute or so and there was no trace of the original design when I was done.  Then I gave it a bath and it was finished!

Voila!  A vintage-looking crock that was super affordable. Thrifty decorating at its best!

I think it’s a perfect addition to my farmhouse-y and rustic Christmas decor.  But I’m especially thrilled that I can use it year-round.

Moral of the story:  Sometimes it’s worth taking a chance on something to give it new life and stay on-budget.  

How can you tell if an image can be removed from a glazed piece of pottery?  

• Look for clues like a scratched off image.  
• Look closely to see if the image is on top of the glaze vs. under it.  (Think of your children’s glazed pottery from art class — you can tell if they painted details on before it was fired. Those types of images cannot be removed because of the firing/glazing process.  But if the image is simply an overlay — written on top of the glaze, it can most likely be removed.)

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I mentioned at the start of this post that life is a little crazy.  After Thanksgiving, things will be getting a lot busier on the blog and I’m excited to be a part of several holiday tours with several incredible bloggers.  If you love seeing beautiful homes, great holiday craft/project and recipe ideas, then you will love what’s coming up!

Home for the Holidays    November 30 – December 4:

 

Welcome Home Christmas Tour    December 1 – 3

 

Home for Christmas    December 6, 5 p.m. PST

 

Christmas in Texas    December 7 – 11

(Christmas in Texas is blog hop hosted by a group of over 20 Texas bloggers, but the decor and ideas are great for everyone, everywhere!)

 

bHome Christmas    December 7 – 11

bHome Christmas will be hosted by several bloggers featured on the bHome App — a home and garden community for home decor lovers!  If you’re not on the App already, now is a great time to download it to get loads and loads of holiday inspiration!  It’s FREE and it’s available on both iPhone and Android.

 

This is a busy time of  year but I am excited for what’s ahead!  

 

This post contains an affiliate link, however, all opinions are my own.