Hello and welcome to my blog! I am so glad you are here. My blog post this week focuses on the sweet vintage things I have thrifted for my little girl’s bedroom. Vintage decor is a beautiful addition to any little girl’s room. If you have an appreciation for previously loved items (that have a story to tell), then this is the post for you.
In my home, I love to create considered spaces from secondhand items. This aim to create considered or storied spaces often leads me to my local thrift store. Local thrift stores are a treasure trove of vintage finds and unique items. Therefore, I visited many thrift stores to gather my vintage girl decor, and I would love to share those special items with you.
Join me, as I walk you through some of our favorite, pretty things. (And, to see more ways I use secondhand items in my home, check out my Ultimate Guide to English Cottage Thrifting post here.)
Let’s get started, shall we?
~Beautiful Vintage Girl Decor, Little Joys, and Lots More~
The Influence of Color in a Home Space
God’s world is full of beautiful colors!
Often, colors impact us- whether we are aware of their influence or not. Colors add variety and visual appeal to our environment, and they even influence the way that we feel. In an interior space or a home, the ambiance is often created through the use of color. Bold or subtle-the influence is there.
When I was a high school home economics teacher, I really enjoyed teaching a unit on interior design. I always found it fascinating to see all the different styles and creations the students were able to envisage.
Perhaps, that is why I enjoy going into people’s homes and seeing how they express their own individual style through the use of colors, furniture, and unique pieces.
Naturally, we all have different ideas on what makes our homes feel inviting and peaceful. We don’t have to be interior designers to create a home space that feels right for our own individual tastes. What one person adores, another may hate, and vice versa. In fact, it is this variety of preference that adds a layer of personality and character to a home space.
~How I Use the Color Pink to Add Feminine Flare~
My favorite color is, and always has been, pink! Now, I know for many, this is their worst nightmare.
But I can unapologetically say that I adore pink! In fact, I never grew out of the “pink stage.” Even as a sixteen-year-old girl, when my friends were preferring shades of yellow, blue, and purple- I decided to paint my room a cheerful shade of pink- as it made me feel so happy! To this day, the color pink ignites in me a bit of joyful nostalgia.
These days, I do prefer more of a muted, dusky shade of pink; but nonetheless, pink has been a good friend of mine.
Now, a mother to four precious children, and specifically a mother of two little girls… I am “tickled pink” to be able to share my love of such a lovely color with them.
What fun it is to decorate their room in a dainty, feminine way.
How I Shop for Vintage Girl Decor in the Thrift Store
It is safe to say that being a girl’s mom has only made my love for pink grow. Of course, it is not just pink that makes my heart happy, I am also drawn to vintage items. (Which coincidentally often celebrate the beauty of pink.)
When I am thrifting, I am not always looking for vintage, decorative items. I am looking for many things, and I love the thrill of not knowing what items may catch my eye. I call this, “the thrill of the find!”
So, without further ado, let me introduce the old to new “cast” of thrifted characters to you.
We have a vintage doll cradle, a vintage doll chair, a straw doll hat, a vintage teddy bear mirror, a vintage play oven, and last (but not least)- some pretty brass accent pieces.
~DIY Thrifted Vintage Decor for Girl's Room~
A Thrifted Cradle- How the Cradle "Found" Me
Picture this: It was a typical morning out thrifting with the children- when I noticed a very dirty, wooden, doll cradle on the floor. At first, I walked right past, but upon closer inspection- I could tell that the crib was well-made and very sturdy. It was not perfect, but it certainly had a rustic charm.
I knew I could make this into a special piece. So, I purchased it and loaded it in the back of the car- excited about what it would become! When we arrived home, I immediately gave the wooden cradle a good bath (just warm soapy water and a soft cloth).
I was pleasantly surprised- when I noticed that the dirt from years of storage- was slowly washing away. The paint was still in remarkably good condition. Naturally, I was pleased with the creamy vintage color of the original finish, and the fact that the paint “told” a story of a little girl that may have owned it years ago.
How sweet to breathe new life into it. And how nostalgic to think of a little girl, maybe 30 years before, lovingly rocking her baby dolls to sleep in this very same cradle!
~How to Transform a Vintage Thrifted Cradle~
Now that I felt a connection to the piece, I wanted to do it justice. I sewed a new bed for the bottom, a pillow for the top of the bed, and a heart pillow for the middle.
Of course, I could not pass up on a chance to make mini bunting flags to decorate each side. (Bunting is very popular in England and this is where I first learned how much I loved bunting for any occasion). (To see more post on my fabric buntings, see my post here and here.)
I then painted the heart on the front and back of the cradle with chalk paint and added a few little bows. Before I knew it, a new cradle had emerged, ready to be loved and cherished by a new set of little girls.
How special to have saved it!
~More Thrifted Vintage Finds: A Thrifted Doll Chair and a Fashionable Hat~
A few months later, I came across a thrifted doll chair, and I immediately knew I could make this a sweet accompaniment to the cradle. It was a dark brown color, and also sturdy and well made.
I took it home and gave it a good bath in the sunshine. Then, I sanded off some of the brown paint. After a primer coat, I added pink chalk paint (fittingly called Ballet Slipper). I added a few coats, finely sanded between the coats of paint, and then painted the little heart by hand.
The chair was looking good, but it needed something more. So, I sewed a little pillow for the bottom of the chair (in the same fabric as the cradle). Of course, I had to add some of the sweetest mini bunting to the top- as a nod to England.
A Thrifted Doll Hat:
I also found a little straw hat at the thrift store at a separate time. As it was just a few cents, I knew I needed to buy it in order to add the accessory to the considered, doll collection.
This transformation was simple. I used hot glue to add thrifted ribbon to each side of the hat. (This way the hat could be secured under a doll’s/bear’s neck.) Additionally, I used a thrifted vintage lace to attach to the top of the hat… along with some flowers for the side.
A very simple upgrade to a very inexpensive doll’s hat. From straw hat- to fashionable hat- in a matter of minutes.
~How to Give Old Items a New Lease on Life~
Not everything I use to decorate is a thrifted find. Sometimes it was inherited, or it was mine when I was a little girl. This nostalgic significance makes pieces very special.
When I was a little girl, my mom made my sisters and I, a play oven.
My husband, Craig, breathed life back into this sweet piece by painting it, and by doing some woodworking that needed to be done after years of use.
Once it was sympathetically revamped, I wanted to give this area a little makeover. I sewed a little tea towel (using my grandmother’s old sewing machine), and I made a pattern using my daughter’s hand, for the oven glove. Then, I added little hooks to the bottom of the oven shelf top so that I could add mini teacups.
Not long after, my daughter was thrift shopping with me, and she excitedly spotted a full tea set (still in the original packaging). We bought the white and blue floral tea set, in order to give it a new home…and we had just the place.
The top of the oven piece is decorated with a thrifted basket, and a thrifted milk glass vase. It is then layered with a thrifted framed picture of a little girl- as well as a family print that was given to me.
Now the oven is ready for another life of play.
~How I Used a Vintage Nursery Mirror (From a Thrift Store) to Decorate a Girl's Dresser~
I also wanted to share a wooden, thrifted mirror that I purchased at a separate time.
This treasure required some digging. The mirror was quite dirty, but I knew with a little bit of TLC, it would shine up nicely. It is a heavy well-made mirror- so I am glad I bought it. In my opinion, it gives the girl’s room a sweet, vintage nursery vibe.
~How to Add a Vintage Vibe to a Thrifted Piece of Framed Art~
The last decorative items that I will share in this post, are these thrifted framed art pieces. Each piece has been collected over the last couple of years. However, I wanted the separate pieces to look like they went together as one. In reality, they were each bought at different times.
In order to accomplish this look, I added the pink ribbon to connect each separate piece of art together. I then added the vintage brass hook (this was an Etsy find).
In the end, I was pleased with how easy this lovely little project was.
~Bringing My Thrifted Vintage Girl Decor Finds into the Garden for a Special Tea~
*To see my post on these Shortbread cookies with strawberry mallow filling recipe, see my post here.
~Until Next Time~
Well, that’s it for this time. I hope you enjoy these thrifted, pink, decorative inspirations. If you find yourself needeing to decorate a little girl’s bedroom, don’t forget to first check your local thrift store for vintage finds.
Remember, do not walk away from a good find just because it needs a good bath.
May we never underestimate… the power of a good bath!
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*And if you enjoyed reading about this vintage inspired girl’s bedroom perhaps you may enjoy checking out a thrifted boy’s bedroom post here.
I hope to see you all very soon!
~Elizabeth~