DIY Fall Decor: Upcycling Thrift Store Finds

Fall is my favorite season, and I love decorating my home to reflect the warmth and coziness of the season. However, buying new fall decor every year can be expensive. That’s why I DIY fall decor by upcycling thrift store finds Not only is it more budget-friendly, but it’s also a fun and creative way to add a personal touch to my home.

Another way to use thrift store finds is to create fall-themed centerpieces using upcycled items. I love finding old vases or jars and filling them with seasonal items like dried flowers, pine cones, or even small gourds. Overall, DIY fall decor using thrift store items is a great way to save money while still creating a warm and inviting home for the season.

DIY Fall Decor From The Thrift Store

I always look forward to decorating my home to match each season. So as Summer has started to wind down I’ve been hitting my local thrift store on the hunt for things that I can use to decorate for Fall.

Recently, I’ve had 2 really good hauls and found so many hidden gems on the shelves of my Savers thrift store!

When I walk through the doors I have two types of merchandise that I am looking for: 1.) perfect things that I will use the way they are and 2. ) pieces that I want to use for a makeover project.

What I love about upcycling thrift store finds is that you can create unique Fall looks that can’t be found in stores. Plus, you can find some pretty cool stuff!!

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Benefits of Using Thrift Store Items

Here are my top 3 reasons that I love to go thrift store shopping for my home decor.

Eco-Friendly

I love using thrift store items for my fall decor because it’s a sustainable way to decorate my home. By repurposing items that would otherwise end up in a landfill, I’m reducing my environmental impact. Plus, I can feel good knowing that I’m not contributing to the demand for new, mass-produced items that require a lot of resources to create.

Budget-Friendly

Another great benefit of using thrift store items for fall decor is that it’s budget-friendly. I can find so many unique and interesting pieces for a fraction of the cost of new items. This means I can decorate my home for the season without breaking the bank. Plus, I can often find items that are in great condition and just need a little love and attention to become beautiful fall decor.

Unique Decor

One of the best things about using thrift store items for fall decor is that it allows me to create a unique and personalized look for my home. I can find items that are one-of-a-kind and add character and charm to my space. Plus, I can get creative with how I use these items The possibilities are endless, and it’s like a game to see what I can find at the thrift store.

Overall, using thrift store items for fall decor is a fun and rewarding way to decorate my home. It’s eco-friendly, and budget-friendly, and allows me to create a unique and personalized look.

Finding the Right Thrift Store Items

How to Choose Items

When looking for thrift store items for DIY fall decor, I always keep an open mind. I try to look beyond the current state of the item and envision how it could be transformed with a little bit of creativity. Some of my favorite items to look for include:

• Wooden picture frames/artwork
• Ceramic vases or bowls
• Wicker baskets
• Metal candle holders
• Old books

It’s important to remember that not every item will be a perfect fit for your project. Don’t be afraid to leave an item behind if it doesn’t fit your vision or if it’s in poor condition.

Give It A Onceover

While it’s important to keep an open mind when choosing thrift store items, it’s also important to inspect items for quality. Look for any major cracks, chips, or other damage that may affect the item’s ability to be transformed into decor. But, hey, sometimes those chips and cracks are the things that make me fall in love with something!!

When inspecting items, I always make sure to check:

• The overall condition of the item
• The sturdiness of any handles or other attachments
• The cleanliness of the item (some items may need a good cleaning before use)

By taking a quick minute to give your thrift find a lookover you can save yourself the disappointment of finding something wrong when you get home because some thrift stores won’t take returns.

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Fall Thrift Store Finds

Now let me show you some of the fantastic thrift store pieces I came home with and how I have upcycled them. It’s still early in the season and I am just starting to make the shift from Summer to Fall decor. So I’m not quite ready for pumpkinpalooza but do want to make it feel more cozy in my home.

I had 2 very successful thrift store trips in the past few weeks and left both times with a carriage filled with goodies!! The previous trips this Summer I left disappointed so this made up for those lousy ones!

My thrift finds included 4 pieces of wall art, vases, a faux flower arrangement that had a cement urn, & lots of other things that I will be using to decorate on another day.

Turning Those Thrift Finds into DIY Fall Decor

When I am decorating I try to come up with a color scheme and style beforehand. For this early Fall display, I was inspired by one of the vases that I found at the thrift store.

Vase

So starting from this brownish-red ombre ceramic vase I am going to build a Fall display using thrift store finds from my recent hauls and a few pieces that I scored in previous years.

My goal for this area is to create a rustic Fall display and show you ideas for how you can mix and match thrift finds to come up with a unique look for your home.

Keeping with a rustic, natural look I filled that vase with thin dried wheat that was brown. It was a Hobby Lobby find (they have great dried botanicals this Fall!).

Wall Art

When I was thrifting I was lucky to find a set of really well-made art prints! They were $7.99 each in glass and real wood frames, plus they were matted. Very expensive looking plus they had a cool vintage vibe to them.

For the Fall season, I took down my set of Hearth & Hand botanicals prints and

When you are decorating your own home don’t be afraid to mix and match different textures and patterns to create your own unique look. With a little creativity, you can transform your thrift store finds into beautiful fall decor too!

-Jennifer

Flower Arrangement Upcycle

When I saw this arrangement on the shelf I immediately noticed the vessel it was made in! It was made of cement and had that perfect aged patina look to it. Of course, it didn’t have a price tag so I asked the nice gentleman working at Savers if he could price it. I said to myself if it was under $10 it was going into my carriage. He came back with $5.97…sold!

I definitely needed to take out the artificial flowers so I could upcycle the container they were in. This thing was well made! It must have been made at a florist or upscale decor shop originally because of how it was put together.

There were a few of the flowers and botanicals that I kept to use in today’s Fall display. Like the fall berries, pear, and preserved leaves.

Wasn’t it a great find? It looks like something you would see on the Terrain website

I filled it with greenery. Even though I am decorating for Fall I like to incorporate plants into each of my designs.

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Old Books

One easy decorating tip is to fill in spaces with old books. Thrift stores and vintage markets are great places to find old books to use in your DIY decorating.

I have a variety of book colors that I work in different vignettes from season to season. The vintage books here were actually free last year when I was at Todd Farm flea market, a vendor threw them in with a vintage garden hod since he was packing up for the day. The colors already seem Fallish.

To dress the books up I simply tied a velvet ribbon around the 3 books and stuck in a quail feather.

Thrifting Tip: When you are at the thrift stores take a peek behind the dust jacket of the book and see if it has a pretty colored cover underneath.

Cloche

This thrift find was from last year. I grabbed it for $4.99. At first, I thought the cactus on the bottom was ceramic but it actually was a sticker and peeled right off.

For this Fall look, I added a small dried gourd, mini pinecones, and a sprig of berries from that thrifted flower arrangement.

Dried Gourd Arrangement

Here is a simple and affordable way to create a magazine-style Fall arrangement. It has a rustic and vintage feel to it and only took about 2 minutes to put together.

For the base, I am using a vintage wicker picnic basket. Keep your eye out for these when you are thrifting because they are so versatile and make great risers.

On top of the picnic basket, I added a metal tray to mix up the materials. For the display, I added 2 dried bottleneck gourds that I grew in my garden last year and dried out over the winter. Then to fill in the rest of the tray I popped in a big pinecone, and some of the artificial botanicals from that thrifted flower arrangement.

Hand Drawn Thrifted Art

One last item that I used to fill in some of the open space on this console cabinet was a $2.99 thrift find. It’s a hand-drawn picture of a corn stalk, perfect for Fall!

Upcycled Thrifted Look for Fall

Here is the entire upcycled Fall thrift store look! It is perfect for transitioning into Fall. My guesstimate is that everything seen here cost me around $50 (that’s including the lamp that was a $5 clearance find that I painted). The felt acorn garland that is draping across the artwork is an easy DIY Fall project

All of the thrifted finds work together to create a cohesive look and an overall vintage feel. The brown tones of the artwork and the natural elements like the gourds make the space feel curated.

Simple touches like using dried botanicals instead of artificial flowers can make your Fall decor feels more elegant and on-trend. The dried wheat actually costs less than buying a couple of artificial stems too!

Final Thoughts

And that’s it! I hope you’ve enjoyed these DIY fall decor ideas using thrift store items as much as I have. Remember, decorating your home for the fall season doesn’t have to be expensive. By shopping at thrift stores and using items you already have, you can create a beautiful and unique decor that will make your home feel cozy and inviting.

One of the best things about DIY projects is that they allow you to express your creativity and personality. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different colors, textures, and styles to create a look that’s uniquely yours. And if you’re feeling stuck or uninspired, take a scroll through Pinterest!

Finally, I want to remind you that DIY projects should be fun and stress-free. If you find yourself getting frustrated or overwhelmed, take a step back and remember why you started this project in the first place. (I had to take an iced coffee & Facetime break halfway through decorating because I couldn’t make up my mind on something!!) Whether you’re doing it to save money, express your creativity, or just have fun, the end result should be something you’re proud of and happy with.

So go ahead and give these DIY fall decor ideas a try. Who knows, you might just discover a new hobby or passion along the way!

xo, Jennifer

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More Vintage & Thrifted Ideas

Check out what my friends Stacy, Kim, & Lora are up to this month.

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Fall Favorites

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My Latest Fall Ideas

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