Good Morning Everyone! I hope you had a good weekend.

Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to Lucy, a talented and fellow Canadian blogger from Patina Paradise. Lucy is going to share her sweet Thrift Store Wooden Planter Makeover with you today along with a tutorial on how to do an image transfer using Mod Podge. Without further ado, give a warm welcome to Lucy...

Thrift Store Wooden Planter Makeover

Hi, I'm Lucy and I blog over at Patina Paradise. I love to repurpose thrift store finds and to make things more beautiful on a budget. I like to think outside the box and to make one of a kind items. My latest passion is making over furniture. When I found out that Marie was needing some guest posts during her recoup time from surgery, I was happy to help out. So today I am sharing with you a project I did last year around this time…

Here are the things you will need:

• a piece painted white
• inkjet printer copy
• an image of your choice
• Mod Podge
• sponge brush for applying the Mod Podge
• soft sponge
• varnish or shellac for protection

I had wanted to try my hand at image transfers for a long time, so when I found this piece at a flea market, I knew that it was a great candidate for a makeover. It was probably homemade but at $5 I couldn't leave it.


After searching for some copyright-free images to work with, I chose this image from The Graphics Fairy. This site is full of free images that you can use for your image transfer projects.


Because I like to be just a little different I used mainly the bee from the image. I used my Silhouette Cameo Designer program to design it. (Remember to "reverse" or "mirror" the image if there is writing in the design)


Once I had painted my piece white, a few days later I printed out my design on my inkjet printer on white copy paper. The whiter the paper the better.


I applied Mod Podge to the printed side of the paper and immediately applied it to the white planter.

In my experience, it is best to cut off the excess paper around the image/writing before doing the above step.


Next, use a roller, or a credit card and carefully go over it several times to make sure the product has spread evenly and it has well adhered. Wipe off any excess Mod Podge that comes out from under the edges of the paper. Then you need to wait at least 12 hours… I left mine to dry overnight. (I have found that the longer you leave it to dry, the darker the image will be). Wet a sponge with water and squeeze out the excess. Rub it gently onto the paper trying to be careful not to wipe away the image that was left. Continue until all of the paper has come off. The best way to know is to feel with your fingertips, and you can even use them to remove the last bits of paper.


Once dry, you will need to seal it with varnish or some other protective coating. (I wouldn't recommend wax if your piece will be outside facing the sun.) And then stand back and enjoy your piece.


Once completed, I decided I needed to find the perfect place to photograph it. My friend's 100-year-old farmhouse was the perfect place for a photoshoot.


My friend's cat really liked the smell of the eucalyptus preserved leaves that I filled the planter with.


And here you can see the difference some paint and some graphics have made to beautify an otherwise dark and plain piece. I hope I have inspired you to give this technique a try.

Happy Fall Y'all!

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Thank you so much, Lucy for so generously helping me out during my surgery recovery and sharing your talents with my readers today!

I hope Lucy's project has inspired you to look twice at these wooden planters during your next thrift store visit. I think Lucy took this one from drab to fab!

I urge you to pop over to Patina Paradise to give Lucy a warm welcome and see all the other fabulous furniture makeovers and home decor crafts she shares with her readers.