The Little Horse That Almost Wasn’t Makeover

Not only do I love thrift store shopping and roadside finds but D and I love garage sales! Our strategy is to show up before they end. Most garage sellers will make great deals to get rid of stuff so they do not have to pack it back up.

We have purchased several furniture pieces in the past for dirt cheap. Some will even give you a bag and tell you to fill it up with smalls for a cheap price.

How The Little Horse Came About

The garage sale is where the story about a little horse that almost wasn’t started.

We had purchased several items from a local garage sale. D loaded them up in the backseat of his truck. One was a large picture frame that I will be redoing in a later post. But since it sat on top of everything it had fallen on the backseat floor and was pushed up under the seat.

I did not even think about it once we were unloading. It was not until two weeks later that D was loading up his fishing gear and he found the horse!

As soon as he brought it to me I got busy. I knew this would be a simple makeover.

The Little Horse Makeover

The horse was an ugly metal color and had faded due to wear and tear. There were also two holes on each side of the house (see above picture). I filled those in with wood filler.

I felt this little horse deserved more than a paint job. He needed a platform, something that would show off his masculinity.

I scrummaged through my scrap wood pile and found this piece of 2×4. Perfect!

Cleaning And Painting The Little Statue Horse

The first order of business was to clean the horse. I took my Windex and gave him a good cleaning.

I decided to use Dixie Belle chalk paint in the color Cotton. It took two coats of paint.

I allowed the paint to dry for an hour or two. I then lightly distressed the horse with a piece of 32-grit sandpaper to show some of the original base color. To seal the paint. I added one coat of Minwax finishing paste.

The Little Horse Platform

For the platform, I sanded the 2×4 with a piece of 220-grit sandpaper. I then applied one coat of Minwax stain in the color Special Walnut.

To attach the horse to his new platform, I added gorilla glue to the bottom of each of the horse’s hoofs that would be touching the platform.

The Little Horse Makeover – After

This piece was super easy to complete. It went perfectly with my Western television console cabinet that we repurposed from an old dresser. This makeover only cost me 99 cents (the cost of the horse) because I had other items on hand.

Turning something old into something unique and usable again is easy. All you need is a little imagination to add your style to any old piece.

Like this old box, I found at my local Goodwill. I now use it to store the spices that we use the most on my counter.

Until next time!

Christina