Thrift Store Advent Calendar Makeover

Tomorrow is December 1st, so the countdown to Christmas Day begins!  I’ve always wanted an Advent calendar, and this year I decided I would definitely get one.  

Well, a few months ago when I was at The Salvation Army Thrift Store, I spotted this beauty.  It needed some loving for sure!  There were lots of dings on it and some of the door knobs were missing, but it was still an interesting piece.  I wouldn’t say I fell in love with at first.  It was priced $10, and I like to be sure I’m fully committed before purchasing thrift store items, so I left it there.  But two weeks later when it was still sitting there and the entire store was 50% off, I knew it had found a new home.  At $5 how could I go wrong?

After doing some research, I realized this Advent Calendar was a Pottery Barn knockoff.  I decided to give this baby a makeover even they would be proud of!  I started out by sanding it and giving it a fresh coat of green chalk paint.  I love the Home Decor Chalk Paint by Folkart. It is awesome!  I painted the doors various colors because I wanted my calendar to be cheerful.  I had no luck finding matching wooden knobs at any of my local craft stores, so after discussing my dilemma with a friend we decided that jingle bells would make awesome door knobs.  I just love them!  I also spray painted the bottom of the Advent Calendar silver to match the bells.

I purchased some number decals for the doors and added them before distressing the piece.  I started distressing by using sandpaper to scruff it up a bit, then used Rust-oleum Ultimate Wood Stain in Cabernet to add color.  I chose this color since it has a red tint.  It added a reddish/pinkish hue to the piece.

Then I rubbed a piece of chalk over the calendar to add a snowy effect.  That was my favorite part!  It made me finally fall in love with this Advent Calendar, and I knew the project was complete.

Don’t the jingle bells make such cute knobs?  All I had to do was hot glue them into place.

I’m glad I chose to paint the doors different colors.  It makes this calendar playful.  Counting down the days until Christmas should be fun, don’t you agree?

No tree is complete without a bright, golden star.  I added glitter to my star to really make it pop!

I wasn’t sure what the bottom of this Advent Calendar was for, but after doing some research I discovered it’s for holding Christmas cards.  How neat is that??

Want to know how much this beauty cost me?  Since I already had the paint on hand, I was able to complete this project for only $15, including the cost of the calendar.  Isn’t that awesome?  I am so glad I snatched up this Advent Calendar and gave it a makeover so I can use it this holiday season.  Do you like the transformation as much as I do?  I hope so!

Now, let the countdown begin!!

Shared with:  Treasure Box Tuesday, Lou Lou Girls Fabulous Party, Frugal Craft Home Blog Hop, Time to Sparkle, Twirl & Take a Bow, Off The Hook Monday Link Party, Inspire Me Monday, Made by You Monday, Do Tell Tuesday, Totally Terrific Tuesday, Two Uses Tuesday, The Makers, Teach Me Tuesday, Create Link Inspire, Sweet Haute Share Linky Party, Moonlight & Mason Jars, Pin Worthy Wednesday, Look What I Made, The Creative Exchange, The Weekend Social, The Handmade Hangout, Junkin Joe, Bloggers Brags