Who doesn’t love a good trash to treasure makeover? From curbside to fun home decor, here are some of the best vintage repurposed and upcycled projects from my thrifty, salvaged junk adventures!

Yes, I’m a vintage junk hunter, I admit it. Although I love shopping at thrift, antique and vintage shops, my true love is curbside junking. Because I never know what I’ll find… and I find a lot! Each Spring a couple neighborhoods around my city have curbside garbage cleanup days, where residents can put whatever they don’t want on the curb. I hook up my trailer and go treasure hunting, sometimes all day, for many Fridays in a row! Once I’ve got it all home, the hard work begins; turning all that trash into treasure! Today you get to see the befores and afters! Hope you enjoy Trash to Treasure: Repurposed & Upcycled Vintage Junk Makeovers.

I’m joining my Thrifting with the Gals friends today; a group of Instagram friends who share their thrifting adventures every Wednesday afternoon in their stories. I joined them a couple weeks ago, too; it was so much fun! You can catch it all in my IG highlights HERE, under “Junk Hunt”. 

Today we’re all sharing what we found and how we’re using it in our homes & gardens. If you’re visiting from Bricks n’ Blooms, I’m sure you enjoyed Stacy’s thrifty store finds in Vermont!  I’ll have all the links to everyone’s blog posts down below. Hope you can pay them a visit! 

Trash to Treasure: Repurposed Vintage Junk Makeovers

For your convenience, this post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission. There is no additional cost to you. My full privacy policy is here. 

Trash to treasure makeovers don’t happen quite as quickly in real life as they do on reality T.V. I did put a couple items to use right away that I picked up this Spring, but usually these curbside makeovers need about a year to resurrect (or longer). Today’s befores and afters are the results of the last couple of years of junk hunting, and I’ve got plenty more waiting for me! 

Let’s take a look at my junk haul pics and see where some of my finds ended up!

Vintage Junk Salvaged Finds

This picture was from one day of curbside junking last year {“Curbside Junking Vintage Finds, Best Ever“}. Here’s where some of it ended up, once it got it’s refresh/repurpose makeover.

The primitive wood box (in the middle, above) ended up being one of my favorite finds. I degreased it, sanded a few rough spots and sealed it with poly. It really brought out the beautiful character of the old wood. I’ve been enjoying it in my living room tabletop displays, right next to the mantel.

{“Frosty Winter Mantel Decor with Blues and Greens”}

{“Upcycled Vintage Garden Fencing Cloche How To”}

The old sailboat and gray box were cleaned up and used in my “Vintage Summer Decor with Cabin Style”. All of the old skis have been found in curbside piles, too!

The big black trunk was gutted of it’s musty fabric, scrubbed and poly’ed and is now our T.V. stand, along with a blue suitcase I found, too. (Didn’t take a pic, because T.V.’s just aren’t that pretty;) The brown and black suitcases were scrubbed and refreshed {“Vintage Suitcases: How to Clean and Refresh (and keep their classic appeal)”} and added to my (rather large) collection. I like to stack them near our fireplace and switch them up by the season.

{“Vintage Inspired Christmas Home Tour with Traditional Style“}

Repurposed and Upcycled Salvaged Finds

The little tool carrier, that I’m sure was a childhood shop class project, got re-imagined with a cuter spindle handle and some green milk paint. I love turning these simple, old tool caddys into something special. Another one I found looks adorable with some vintage yardsticks and a better handle.

Revived Furniture Makeovers

Furniture that starts with a $0 price to begin can only go up in appeal! The little pink table with the vintage flooring on top got a total overhaul; more than I had initially thought I would do. Sometimes furniture makeovers go that way, but I do love the artistic process. Would you ever have guessed this cute table was inside?

{“Decorating the Summer Porch with Refreshed Vintage Finds”}

One of my favorite repurposed furniture makeovers is upcycling old vanities into side tables. You can see our tutorial in “How to Repurpose a Vintage Vanity into Beautiful Side Tables“. This is the vanity pictured in the photo at the top. What a transformation, right?

Building Vintage Junk Salvaged Finds Into the House

When we moved into our Fake Farmhouse 18 years ago, it looked like a scene from the movie, “The Help”. Gold appliances and linoleum, orange-stained small woodwork and rust-colored carpet. We’ve slowly redone the whole house, with help from curbside vintage junk finds. 

Last year’s chandelier was rewired and cleaned and is looking lovely in our dining room. A Swedish-made dresser I found a couple years ago was built into our upstairs hallway, underneath a glass front piece my Grandma found years ago. My trash to treasure genes definitely come from her!

Clean, Revive and Decorate

Of course it’s the best when these curbside finds can easily be cleaned up, simply refreshed and quickly used to decorate our home. A roadside typewriter was found in it’s box and quickly moved to my bedroom office. The old ladder just needed a little sanding and some poly. And a pretty old clock was ready to decorate with! 

{“Pretty Vintage Inspired Home Office in the Bedroom”}

I was so excited when I found these vintage skis this year! They’re a perfect pairing for my “DIY Lake Themed Patriotic Wreath“.

We hung the inside of a piano over our piano. It’s a great architectural accent I can add seasonal decor to.

{“Spring Home Tour with a Garden Theme”}

DIY Upcycled and Repurposed Home Decor Projects

As you can see, the years of curbside junking have blessed me with lots of “potential”. When I have a lot of a certain item, it pushes me to find a way I can use them and enjoy. One of my reader favorites was when I repurposed my large stash of spindles, chair and table legs (which are so handy to have around) into pretty, colorful candlesticks. They’re so fun to decorate with all through the house and all through the year! 

“DIY Repurposed Candlesticks with Sheet Metal Shades”

I guess you could say I’m the ultimate in thrifty…I’m downright cheap, since I love getting vintage junk for free! It’s an artistic and creative challenge to bring these old things back to life. Refreshing, repurposing, and decorating is what I do! And I’m always happy to find some friends who love it, too! 

Become an Insider!

Thanks for visiting today! If you enjoyed the creative inspiration, be sure to Become an Insider, so I can send the ideas right to you! Sign up HERE.

For more Thrifting with the Gals fun, visit my friends down below. See how Lynn from At Home in the Wildwood transformed an old cabinet next!

Thanks for reading Trash to Treasure: Repurposed & Upcycled Vintage Junk Makeovers. Find my favorite Vintage Reviver’s products HERE.

Follow Me: LTK | Amazon | Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook

Pin, Share, and Enjoy the Rest of the Inspiration!

Thrifting with the Gals

Dabbling and Decorating, “Thrift Vintage Stores Near Me, Thrifting with the Gals” @dabbling_and_decorating

Bricks n’ Blooms, “Thrifty Store Finds in Vermont” @bricksnblooms

Me;)

At Home in the Wildwood, “Thrifted Find: DIY Rustoleum Cabinet Transformation”@athomeinthewildwood

The Ponds Farmhouse, “7 Outdoor Kitchen Vintage Decor Ideas”@rachel_thepondsfarmhouse

Vintage Home Design, “7 of my Favorite Thrifted Finds” @vintagehomedesigns

White Arrows Home, “Mixing Vintage and New in the Sunroom” @whitearrowshome

Sharing at these lovely parties:

Farmhouse Friday

Friday with Friends