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Thrifty Nightstand Turned Flower Planter

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Welcome to now one of my most favorite makeovers to date…”Thrifty Nightstand Turned Flower Planter”.  This is a good one folks, and I am very excited about it, but first I want to tell you something.  One of my sweet followers (I consider you all friends) left me a comment on my recent post about “Dollar Store Solar Lights” and it really made me feel good to read what she had to say.  Feel free to click over to the highlighted title above and read her comment (it’s #20), but what it boils down to is that she is pleased with my ability to decorate without spending a lot of money.   Sometimes I worry that folks may get bored with my dollar store ideas, or thrifty makeovers, so I was thrilled to know I come across as being down to Earth and not all about buying expensive decor at stores.  I LOVE BARGAINS and I will always root for thrifty affordable ideas rather than expensive trendy ones.  Okay…enough chit chat.  Let’s get on to the nightstand.

So, how do you like it?

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

You may even like it better once you see what it looked like when I got it home from the thrift store…

It really wasn’t that bad, until I opened it  😯 .  What the?  Did someone have a baby or something?

Now I know I could have actually sanded this beauty and stained it, but I wasn’t in the mood for sanding.  I hate sanding.  I also knew I wanted to repurpose it for our front porch, so keeping it wood just didn’t sound like it would POP to me.

In addition, I didn’t think of white first.

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

I thought possibly deep navy blue, but then when I put the blue up against the brick, it didn’t do it for me.  Then I thought pink.  No, that would be crazy.  I needed it to be white folks.

Look how cute my green ceramic frog looks on top.  It’s almost like he was made to sit there.  He was looking a little rusty, so I sprayed his lower half with a dark green spray paint and then added those little white specs you see on his belly.  I was pretty impressed with myself because he looks like he came that way.  If you look real close you can still see a little rust on his toes.  I think I’ll call him “Rusty Toes”.

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

So, you’re wondering why I’m giving the frog all of the attention when the flowers are the real show stopper.  It looks like I stuffed those flowers in there, right?

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

Well, I guess you could say I did stuff those flowers in there and this is how…

After I removed the handles and sanded the entire piece just a little, I spray painted it with white spray paint (see source list below).  I did approximately 4 coats (it took 2 cans of white).  I also sprayed the handles gold (see source list below).

Then I walked around the house searching for something that I could put in there to hold the flowers that wouldn’t rust or fall apart when I watered them.  I didn’t want to use pots because they dry out too quick. Luckily I had 2 aluminum pans that fit in there almost perfectly.  I had to kind of play with them a little as you can tell to get them to fit snug.

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

Then I added my favorite soil (see source list below) and the flowers (impatiens and I don’t know what the white ones are).  I only did the bottom drawer although originally had planned to do both.  I realized one drawer was plenty.

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

When I stuck the drawer in I couldn’t get over how cute it was.  My husband helped me get it over to our COVERED front porch.  Unfortunately, I don’t think this would work on an uncovered porch or patio.  The paint can only protect so much.

I should also mention that I liked this nightstand so much I almost used it for an end table in my living room.  Then I just told myself, “No, Julie, stick with the plan.”

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

I am so happy I listened to Julie.

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

UPDATE: Here’s what t looked like a few weeks later!

This thrifty nightstand flower planter is so adorable! All she did was spray paint it and fill it with flowers.

Some of the links in this post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.  Read full disclosure policy here.

WHITE SPRAY PAINT

GOLD SPRAY PAINT

ALUMINUM PANS

POTTING SOIL MIX

SIMILAR FROG

Repurposed Candelabra

Repurposed Kettle

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50 Responses

  1. Mary Beth says:

    Julie, I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! What a great idea.

  2. Dad says:

    I mean that is CLEVER, love, Mom and Dad in New York

  3. Debbie says:

    Love the frog part of the project! He’s so whimsical, and you did a beautiful job touching him up. The small table looks great, too.

  4. Debbie says:

    You are just so talented. Who would have thought about putting a night stand on the porch?

  5. Cindy Brown says:

    This is so stinking cute!! Great idea!!

  6. Nancie says:

    You are so clever! I love this idea! I smiled when I saw Mr. rusty toes! The night stand looks awesome!

  7. ColleenB. says:

    OMG. LUV It.
    That night stand makeover is the cutest and looks great and proud sitting there on your front porch up against the brink and your dark colored siding and not only that, it matches your front door; white with gold handles.
    Your frog (ole’ Mr. Rusty Toes’) is adorable sitting there on top; watching over who ever comes to your front door and like what you had to him by spray painting a bit of extra color. What would be fun for Mt.Rusty Toes is to get him a Security Door Greeter Frog Snitch Electronic Croaker Motion Detector.
    Great job
    Have a Great week end.

    • Julie says:

      Colleen you always make me laugh and you have the best ideas. You need to be my creative director! Can you imagine? We would need a crew of 20 to keep up with our ideas ?

  8. Lorri Rauscher says:

    Im with yr dad…very clever .? Julie..do you think the wood might warp with being in the elements? I would love to do something like this but hate for it to get ruined.

    • Julie says:

      You could put an outdoor polyurethane on it and even put it inside the drawers. I may do that in the Fall when I put pumpkins in the drawers ? Also, make sure it’s covered and maybe tucked in away from rain. I may bring it in in the winter. It is a thrifted item so I’m not too worried. Hope you try it!!

  9. Linda of No.Cal. says:

    Luv your repurposed thrift store find. The white stand is so Bright and Cheery with the plants. As for ole’ Rusty Toes he made me SMILE !!
    The repurposed Candelabra is something I may try… it looks so pretty and spring like with the beautiful flowers. GREAT ideas.

  10. Karen Reeves says:

    Great job, & btw the white flowers are bacopa.

    • Julie says:

      Hi Karen! Thank goodness you told me. It was driving me crazy not knowing and I threw out the little tags. Thank you!!

  11. Nancy says:

    You’re so clever! I’ve wanted a table for my porch but loving what you did with this nightstand and drawers. I’m on the hunt now for a cheap nightstand. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Inga says:

    Fabulous job. Looks so fresh and welcoming. I love it.

  13. Sarah says:

    This is a very cute idea! I love how awesome the nightstand turned out with just the paint. I’m wondering how often you need to water since its on a covered porch? And then to not overwater since it has no draining?

  14. Rhonda says:

    The white is perfect with that green frog. Great job. Love that you repurpose.?

  15. Ann says:

    Happy Saturday Julie, I absolutely love it! I especially love the idea of how you planted and got the flowers in the drawer, the perfect height right! I would love to share a picture with you of a DIY project I just did, not sure how I could upload a picture. Thought of you immediately when I did it. Have a great day and enjoy the Fathers Day weekend.:-)

  16. Kathy Grey says:

    I love everything about it — the table, the flowers, the frog! I bet your neighbors are so jealous! I also love how your Dad compliments you on your projects. Sweet.

  17. Myrene England says:

    Love the White Porch End Table!
    I’m anticipating you having your own television Redhead Decor Show or Magazine!!! Hmmmm…why not!
    I usually can’t wait to open my email & see what new surprise you have to share!
    I live on a budget & it’s just fun to see your creations & economical creativity!
    You are very talented & blessed.
    Thank you for sharing.

  18. carol says:

    Oh Wow; what a find! Tis a fantastic makeover; love your
    idea, it looks so nice with the flowers and ‘Rusty Toes’ perched on top. You really do a good job with your projects; everything looks so professional. So glad I’ve gotten to ‘know’ you here.

    • Julie says:

      Me too, Carol! I look forward to your positive feedback ? Next Friday I have something that may be my all time favorite. Can’t wait!! Think: RAINBOW. Have a great wknd!!

  19. Pam says:

    Love, love, love this diy project! I wish I had your vision! I see neat items at yard sales, thrift stores & flea markets that I know could be a diy project. I just can’t see it at the time. But…. because of talented people like you, I get great ideas! So…Thank you Julie!

    • Julie says:

      Good morning, Pam! I actually saw a dresser full of flowers a few years ago and that is where the idea stems from. We all find inspiration all over. Thank you for your kind words!! So happy you enjoyed it.

  20. Karen Heath says:

    It really is quite cute! You’re right to use it on a covered porch. I did an dresser planter my first year of blogging and left it out in the elements. The plants did great, but the dresser had to be discarded after one year.

  21. Ivory says:

    I am so behind in reading my emails. I truly love what you did here. Fabulous job, and the frog is cute to.

  22. shelley linthorne says:

    Love the end table, night stand, flower box planter. So clever, as soon as I saw it though, I thought nice night stand lol

    • Julie says:

      I know! Part of me wants to get it back inside, lol. Hey you never know. I still could 😉 Thanks for stopping by, Shelley!

  23. Diane Carlson says:

    What a great idea! I love it!!! I am just wondering, did you put drainage holes in the pans?

    Thanks! From Michigan

  24. […] Summer, I had an extra plug from my impatiens that I planted in my “Thrift Store Night Stand Flower Planter“.  Now they stare at me daily every time I do the dishes, so my mind started to wander into […]

  25. […] Thrifty Nightstand Turned Flower Planter […]

  26. […] If you missed my thrifty white night-stand makeover you can see that tutorial here. […]

  27. Sarah says:

    Do you think this would work inside as well? My little stoop is much too small to put anything on it like this, plus I live in a cold climate. I inherited my mom’s plant collection (it currently fills the entire kitchen island, and half of the kitchen counters!!). I’ve been looking for a solution to combine some of the same plants (ie the half dozen Christmas cacti!) into ONE thing to water. But plant pots get so stinking heavy!

  28. Jody says:

    I love this and will have just the covered porch for it. Julie, even people with money to buy like to craft. Us poor people do appreciate the less expensive crafts.

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