Elegant French Country Thrift Flips: DIY High-End Decor

Today’s projects are two of my very favorites, and they’re not just thrift flips — they’re truly French Country thrift flips or elegant trash to treasure. Both pieces had been sitting in my stash for ages with no real plan attached to them, just good bones and a little patience on my part. By the time they were finished, they looked like antiques I’d carried home from a French market, and I still can’t quite believe where they started.

If you love French Country decor that feels collected and old rather than bought and new, pull up a chair. I’ll walk you through both transformations from start to finish, the products I reached for, and the little tricks that made all the difference. If you would rather watch the video, you can do that too right here.

The Thrifted Round Frame

I thrifted this round frame quite a while ago and had no idea what I’d do with it. It held a cross stitch that had water damage, but round frames are so hard to come by that I knew I had to have it. Round, actually oval, was the whole reason it came home with me.

Rather than paint it straightaway, I started with one thin coat of Pentart primer. Priming first means that whatever goes on next is going to stick — it’s a small step that saves a lot of heartache later.

*You can find the craft supplies used in this video and blog post on our website. Varnish, primer, Heavy body Gel and crackle mediums all found here: https://gardenhousestudiostore.com/collections/pentart-european-artist-supplies

For the decorative castings around the frame edges, I used the IOD Wreaths and Swags Spring Release mould, working only with the little swag portion and skipping the stem, since I didn’t need it. I dust the mould with a bit of cornstarch first so the clay releases cleanly. My clay of choice here is Jovi air dry clay. It’s a touch off-white rather than a bright white, and it’s a little stickier than some clays, so I wear gloves to make the whole thing easier but I have great luck with it not cracking.

Grab your IOD Moulds Here- https://serendipity.house/collections/iron-orchid-designs-iod-moulds

IOD Moulds are perfect for French Country Thrift Flips

The trick to a beautiful casting is making sure you can see the micro rim all the way around the edge. That tells you the clay has pushed into every tiny leaf and bud. I went around the entire frame with that one small swag, casting it again and again until I had about ten castings in all. I adhere them with Pentart heavy body gel, which is thick enough that the castings stay exactly where you place them. This frame had several grooves, so I chose the widest one and laid the castings end to end. They matched up so well that you’d never see where one stops and the next begins.

I could have left the castings in their pretty ivory clay color, but I was making an antique French Country frame. So I painted everything with Pentart metallic paint in antique copper — which actually dries to a gorgeous antique gold, exactly like the old oil-painting frames you see in museums. I used a tiny, very soft brush to work into all the details without leaving any blobs. The color was so perfect against my other antique frames that I skipped the extra antiquing I’d planned.

For the center of the frame, I reused the original plywood backing. I sanded down the rough staple edges, then painted it with FolkArt Home Decor Chalk in Sheepskin — a warm, creamy white that works with absolutely everything French Country. Two coats gave me lovely coverage and helped hide the old staple holes. Once it dried, I sealed it with Wise Owl varnish so I’d have a good surface for a transfer.

The transfer is the IOD Saint Quen, a soft rose bouquet in the most delicate colors. I lifted the butterflies off to reposition them later. Saint Quen didn’t have any typography, so I cut a little lettering from the IOD Rose Botanical transfer and tucked it in where I knew the frame wouldn’t cover it. A bit of typography always makes a big difference. Then I set the butterflies back so they looked like they were fluttering around, and sealed everything again with matte Wise Owl varnish.

To really make it look old, I added crackle using Pentart Transparent Crackle, a two-step water-based product. Step one goes on fairly thick — just lay it down evenly and resist the urge to overwork it. It looks milky at first but dries clear and shiny. Once it was completely dry (I waited nearly overnight), I added the thick second component, stippling a little at the end for extra texture. After it dried into beautiful crackle, I worked Pentart antiquing paste in Umber into the cracks to bring them out. Perfect French Country Thrift Flips, the finished frame looks like it has lived a hundred years. I am so happy with the results!

If you’ve followed my blog for awhile yo know about my other IOD projects, like the first mirror I ever did with Moulds: https://www.gardenhousestudio.com/iod-mould-classic-elements-mirror-refinishing/

The French Country Thrift Flip Metal Urn

I’d had this urn for a long time too, never quite sure what to do with it. It’s heavy metal, wonderfully sturdy, with a nice design around the base — nothing wrong with it at all except the finish. Someone had stenciled it once, and the old brown paint was chipping in places. It was the most perfect French Country thrift find if you just ignored all the bad attempts to diy the surface!

I sanded off as much of the chipping paint as I could (it was stubborn — I was using around 120 to 150 grit), then cleaned the whole thing with denatured alcohol. I like denatured alcohol for a final cleaning because it dissipates quickly and lifts away any oils left on the surface. One coat of Pentart primer evened out the color and gave my castings something to grab.

I used the same Wreaths and Swags mould, but this time I cast the wreath rather than the swag. The wreath has even more delicate edges because of its ribbon, so it takes a little patience with clay — I added the narrow ribbon by hand afterward rather than trying to cast it all in one piece. As I worked, I rested each finished casting against the urn so it would start to take on that curved shape before I glued it down.

Heavy body gel held everything beautifully against the metal. A tip: I keep both the transparent and the opal heavy body gel on hand, and since I don’t want to see any glue squeeze-out, I carefully wipe away every bit along those delicate edges.

My Good Fried Michelle has all the IOD Moulds Here- https://serendipity.house/collections/iron-orchid-designs-iod-moulds

I’d planned to use a casting from the new IOD Les Lapines mould — it has little bunnies, an Easter egg, and a lovely floral — somewhere lower on the urn. But it turned out to be the exact size to fit at the top, between the two wreaths. The urn has four sides: two with wreaths, and two with that floral tucked up top. Now it’s beautiful from every angle.

Then it was the same loving finish as the frame: FolkArt Home Decor Chalk in Sheepskin for that old, creamy French country white, a sealing coat of Wise Owl varnish, and antiquing with Pentart paste in Umber. Here’s the part that matters most — *always seal your chalk paint before you antique. Sealing first lets you move the antiquing wax around and stay in control. Without it, the wax instantly stains into the chalk paint and you can’t budge it. I rub a little wax in, then wipe most of it away, concentrating it at the base and down in the details where dust and age would naturally settle.

These are the exact steps I follow for most of my French Country thrift flips, when I want a finish that looks authentic and is easily achieved every time. A small amount at a time, built up slowly, is what gives you that rich, vintage depth.

It’s hard to believe this is the same urn that started out covered in brown, peeling paint.

*As a small business we often use links to share products we use but don’t sell. We earn a small commission on any items you purchase but it doesn’t cost you any more. We will always identify these items and be assured these are items we use in our work too!

What I learned the Hard Way

• Prime first, every time. One thin coat of primer means your finish actually stays put.
• Watch for the micro rim. When you can see that little rim of clay all around your mould, you know the details came through.
• Seal before you antique. This is the single biggest thing that gives you control over the final look.
• Take your time on the delicate pieces. When you really want something to be beautiful, it’s worth slowing down.

As Amazon affiliates we have a curated store where we showcase the small crafting items that we always reach for during our projects. Small Crafting Essentials always good to stock up!

That’s the whole heart of what I do here — make beautiful things and love the process. Both of these pieces came from nothing more than good bones and a little time, and now they belong in my home as if they’d always been there.

If you’d like to see every step in motion, the full video is right here on the blog, and I’d love for you to watch. And if you make something from your own stash, I would so love to hear about it.

With gratitude,
Peggy