Brass Turkey Centerpiece: A DIY Thrift Flip

By Lauren Rose Correa, November 11, 2024

This year I’m challenging myself to put more effort into my seasonal decorating. I go all out for Christmas, but I don’t usually do too much for other holidays. I especially want to put more effort into decorating for fall, as you might be able to tell from the slew of pumpkin DIY posts I’ve published recently. Part of my fall décor this year included this brass turkey centerpiece.

I went to Hobby Lobby to get some inspiration and I came across a brass-look turkey that really caught my eye. It cost about $20, which wasn’t terrible, but I really wanted to thrift a turkey and make it my own.

On a recent out of state thrifting trip, I came across a white turkey vase/planter. I fell in love with the shape of this turkey and the fact that I could customize it with florals. Someone had already painted this turkey once before using a white paint, which was chipping off.

Customizing the Turkey

I started by cleaning the turkey with dish soap and hot water. Then I grabbed a can of gold spray paint that I had in my paint stash. I took the turkey outside and placed it on a drop cloth. Then I sprayed two even coats on the turkey, allowing it to dry completely between coats.

White turkey centerpiece and gold spray paint

Once the turkey was dry, I took it inside and cut a small piece of floral foam to fit inside of the hole in the turkey. I then picked out some flowers from my stash of faux florals and started placing them in the foam.

At first, I tried using hydrangeas, but the puffiness of the flower really hid the shape of the turkey. I recommend sticking to smaller flowers if you are doing a similar project. You don’t want to hide the details of your vase by using enormous flowers!

Brass Turkey Centerpiece: The Finished Product

I was really happy overall with how this brass turkey centerpiece turned out. I hope this inspires you to find something similar at a thrift store and try a project of your own! If something you find is a cool shape but doesn’t suit your taste, a can of spray paint could be the perfect solution.