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The Prettiest Thrift Flip Idea for the Front Porch

Do you love shopping for bargains and repurposing your finds? Wait until you see this beautiful vintage thrift flip idea for the front porch!

A few months ago, Chris and I were thrifting in Vermont and found THE CUTEST vintage wicker baby carriage.

I didn’t buy it because it was pretty big and we didn’t have the right spot for it in our home. And when I mentioned to Chris what I wanted to do with it and where I wanted to put it, for the price?

He was not a fan.

And you know what? It was a little pricey. So I agreed and we left without purchasing that vintage baby stroller.

And it’s haunted me ever since.

Fast forward a few months. We moved into a new home with lots of expansive gardens and the most amazing front porch!

We’ve been trying to furnish several spaces and have been thrifting at the Habitat for Humanity Restore in Manville, New Jersey almost every Saturday since Christmas.

They have the best stuff there!!! And we’ve slowly been furnishing our home one unique piece at a time.

Anyway, would you know I found another vintage stroller there on our first trip?

Yup!

It’s not a full-size stroller like the one in Vermont, so I think this one was for little baby dolls. But it’s vintage, it’s cool, and wait until you see what I’m doing with it!!!

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Cute Thrift Flip Idea for the Front Porch

Whenever I’m out thrifting, I look for things to use in my gardens and there are a whole list of items you shouldn’t leave a thrift shop without.

But I digress.

To give you an idea of what I found in Vermont, here is the vintage baby carriage that we did not buy.

When I saw this in the antique store, I immediately said to Chris, this would make a great planter for the garden. We have three girls, it reminded me a little of them, and I thought it would be adorable nestled in with my cottage garden flowers.

He was aghast that I would even suggest turning this fine and expensive antique into a planter.

A planter that would be outside all season long with the New Jersey weather elements. For the price, not buying it made sense.

But seriously, wouldn’t it look cool all potted up in the right spot?

Vintage baby carriage at the antique store after we were thrifting at the vintage market -thrifting at the vintage market

Anyway, It was super expensive so we didn’t get it, but I love the idea of finding one at a better price to make a planter out of it.

So this is the one that we found locally at the thrift store. It’s not nearly the same size, but it was $30 so Chris was OK with me turning this one into a planter. LOL!

As much as I loved it when we bought it, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to put it.

It has these metal wheels and I didn’t want to risk damaging the wood floors in some of our rooms.

So we left it on the front porch.

thrift store vintage carriage found at habitat for humanity restore

And to be honest, it’s grown on me there.

The color of the wicker coordinates well with the exterior of our home. And it adds some interest and character to the front porch.

So that’s where it’s staying.

And now that it’s spring? We need to pot it up with some flowers.

Oftentimes I enjoy making elaborate planters using the thriller, filler, and spiller method of container garden design, but for this project? I’m sticking with one type of plant.

And here’s how I did it.

Wait until you see how pretty it looks all planted up!

Close up of thrift store vintage baby carriage in front of cottage garden flowers by stone wall
close up of price tag of thrift store vintage baby carriage

Supplies Needed to Thrift Flip This Vintage Baby Carriage

Not much is needed to flip this thrift store find, but we need some items to turn it into a planter.

If you can’t find something unique like a vintage baby stroller, there are lots of items that can be found at the thrift store that can be repurposed as a planter.

So if you don’t have something similar look for items like soup tureens, vintage crocks, copper boiler pots, hat boxes, teapots, etc. Anything that looks like it can hold plants will work!

Inside of vintage baby carriage close up

Here are the supplies needed for this super quick and easy thrift flip!

  • Thrift Shop Find
  • Plants of Your Choice
  • Pot Saucers

While I was at the nursery, I found this gorgeous scaevola. The fullness of the plant and hue of the blooms just spoke to me.

And it was the PERFECT size for my thrift shop find.

My plants are in decent nursery pots too, so I won’t need to repot them. Therefore, this quick makeover could not be any simpler.

adding a plastic plant saucer to the bottom of a vintage baby carriage to pot up a plant for the front porch

How to Thrift Flip a Vintage Baby Stroller to a Planter

Depending on the design and condition of the baby carriage (or whatever you find), it may need some stability.

The one I bought, has a wood board as the base. So my vintage baby carriage is ready to pot up as it is.

If yours isn’t, consider adding a piece of wood or something to keep the plants stable.

And if you care about the inside, you may want to add some sort of plastic for protection like a plant saucer.

To turn this into a quick porch planter, here’s what I did.

First, I needed to determine how many plants or pots are needed, the approximate size, and then I went shopping for plants, containers, and saucers.

How you pot them up depends on what you find at the nursery.

Like I mentioned earlier, I found these beautiful hanging baskets of scaevola that would fit really well in my find, so that’s all I needed to do here.

But if you find plants that are much smaller, buy the amount you think you’ll need to stuff your thrift store find. And when I say stuff it, think about how much you’ll need so you don’t see any gaps.

If separate pots are purchased for repotting, make sure there are drainage holes at the bottom. If drainage holes are needed, drill a few so water can drain out.

Adding scaevola to this vintage baby stroller - thrift flip idea for the front porch

Since I don’t need to repot mine, I simply dropped a plastic plant saucer in the carriage. Then added the plant.

Next, I cut off the plant hangers, because we don’t need those sticking out of the baby carriage.

I added some slow release fertilizer so they are well fed through the season and gave them a good watering.

And that’s it!!!! Wasn’t that super simple?

cutting off plant hangers on scaevola in vintage baby stroller so I can use this thrift flip on the front porch

But what if you are repotting a plant?

  • Fill pots about halfway with potting soil.
  • Remove plants from the nursery pot and fan out the roots to encourage them to grow outward into the potting mix.
  • Plant in containers that are slightly larger than the nursery pot, then backfill with potting soil until it is even with the soil surface of the plants.
  • Place container in saucers inside the baby carriage.
  • Feed with a slow-release fertilizer like THIS and water well.
close up of vintage baby carriage thrift flip on front porch with scaevola and coleus in terra cotta pot on area rug on front porch

And Here It Is!

Didn’t it turn out so pretty?

I love that color purple with the vintage wicker of the baby carriage. It adds a lot of texture, dimension and character to the planting.

When fall arrives, I’ll swap out the scaevola for mums, asters, or something more autumnal. But I don’t know, if this scaevola still looks good, I may keep it and add some pumpkins or something around the baby carriage.

And for winter, wouldn’t it look so cute all filled up with fresh cut winter greens from the garden? I can’t wait.

Close up of thrift flip idea planted with scaevola on front porch with different varietes of coleus in terra cotta pots, a white porch swing and outdoor area rug

Wait Until You See What My Friend Found Thrifting This Month Too!

My good friend Jennifer from Cottage on Bunker Hill shared her ideas for how to add cottage style to a garden using thrift store finds.

Wait until you see how pretty they look in her gardens!

Jennifer also makes the most amazing DIYs. I love her latest creation using oven cleaner to strip furniture.

The piece looks incredible!!!

close up of potted plants and flowers to add cottage style to container garden

The Prettiest Thrift Flip Idea for the Front Porch

Do you love shopping for bargains and repurposing your finds? Wait until you see this beautiful vintage thrift flip idea for the front porch!
Prep Time10 minutes
Active Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Yield: 1 Planter
Calories:
Cost: $50

Equipment

Materials

  • 3 Plants of Your Choice
  • 1 Scoop Slow Release Fertilizer
  • 3 Plant Saucers
  • 3 Containers (Optional)
  • 1 Hand Trowel (Optional)
  • 1 Garden Gloves (Optional)
  • 1 Bag Potting Mix (Optional)

Instructions

  • Determine how many pots are needed, their approximate size, and then went shopping for plants, containers, and sauces.
  • If you find a plant in a good size planter, skip to saucer step.
  • If separate pots are purchased for repotting, make sure there are drainage holes at the bottom. If drainage holes are needed, drill a few so water can drain out.
  • Fill pots about halfway with potting soil.
  • Remove plants from nursery pot and fan out the roots to encourage them to grow outward into the potting mix.
  • Plant in containers that are slightly larger than the nursery pot, then backfill with potting soil until it is even with the soil surface of the plants.
  • Place container in saucers inside the baby carriage.
  • Feed with a slow-release fertilizer and water well.

Notes

Depending on the look you want and the plants you find, make sure you fill the entire thrift store find with a plant so it looks full and you don’t see any gaps.
You should repot plants that are in generic plastic nursery pots in a slightly larger container so the roots have room to grow and the plant stays healthy.
 

Want to Thrift With Me?

Come bargain shopping with me as we thrift at some vintage markets, antique stores and thrift shops in both New Jersey and Vermont (my favorite!)

Wait until you see some of these finds!

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Close up of front porch on an 1850 farmhouse with porch rockers, white walkway, and gardens with purple flowers and container gardens and hostas
Close up of 1850 farmhouse with front porch and front porch rocking chairs with beautiful walkway and gardens with purple flowers
close up of 1850 farmhouse with front porch and beautiful gardens

Thank you so much for following along.

Enjoy a beautiful day! xo

Stacy Ling

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16 Comments

  1. Now that’s a good use of 30 bucks!! It really looks so pretty and fits with the entire aesthetic of your front porch! Now, don’t tell Chris he was right about the expensive one…

    1. It was a good call not to buy the first one – it was really big – this one is the perfect size for a front porch planter!

  2. I love your baby carriage on the porch with flowers…what a deal for $30! I love using vintage items in the yard, garden and porch. I come from a farm family and have found old farm/garden implements, wagon wheels, cream cans, and galvanized wash tubs that I want to incorporate. Also have my grandma’s huge black cast iron kettle! Here in Oklahoma we get lots of wind, so the heavier the better. You’ve inspired me, thanks for sharing!

    1. Oh those are great ideas! I love repurposing stuff for the garden. I would love to find a galvanized wash tub for here – maybe when I’m up in VT this summer.

  3. I saw these cutest one of these and was tempted to purchase. Yours looks so charming on your porch.

    1. It’s SO cute! I just saw one of those rocking bassinets the other day and almost bought it! xo

  4. Stacy,

    What a fun idea! I’ve never seen a carriage used as a planter before! Brilliant!

    Happy day!
    KariAnne

  5. How absolutely adorable! I think I like the one you found even better than the one that “rolled” away! Love the bird pillow and your other potted plants too. Of course the entire porch and landscape is breathtaking!

    So fun hopping with you on the porch round-up this week!

    1. Thanks Amber! I think so too – it’s more manageable than the larger one so it’s more versatile! I think the larger one would have gone outside in the garden. But for the price, my husband was like NOOOOOOO. LOL