Turn Vintage Thrift Store Plates Into Beautiful Bespoke Decor With A Simple DIY

Going to thrift stores lets you check out lovely designs from bygone eras, including valuable patterns of vintage china you'll want to look out for. While some might be worth a lot of money, others made from before the 1970s may contain dangerous levels of lead, making them unsafe to eat on; lead paint was banned in the U.S. in 1978. In that case, there are handy ways to repurpose old dishes around the home and garden without serving a meal on them. Take those thrifted plates and use them to create lovely wall decor paired with a wreath.

For this DIY, you'll grab those dishes, glue them together into your preferred shape or pattern, attach some artificial leaves, and add any ribbons, bows, paint or decoupage you desire to customize the vintage wall hanging. Once you put it all together, you'll have an original piece for your home that no one else has.

First, pick out some vintage plates at the thrift store; they can have similar colors or patterns, or grab different ones that you enjoy. You are also not limited to just using plates — there are lots of kitchen essentials you can always find at your local thrift, so you can also likely pick up a pan or some silverware to add to the piece. Once those are purchased, arrange them at home in the way you want and adhere them together with your preferred glue; epoxy works well for gluing ceramics and other materials together. Leave the dishes and other items as-is or customize them with paint or decoupage.

Next, grab some artificial leaves and arrange them in a circle to add some greenery to your wall hanging. Adorn the leaves with a ribbon, an already-tied bow, or ornaments. Once you're done, all you need to do is hang up your new wall decoration and enjoy.