I also added a piece of chalk tied to a string so it’s easily accessible for writing grocery lists.

Since we’re on the subject of chalkboards, another fun find was this Chautauqua Desk:

I found this piece at an auction for $3.00. It was in pretty rough shape and missing many parts. I was interested in the chalkboard and managed to salvage it. I put a hanger on the back and this lovely piece now hangs on my porch wall to welcome guests.

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

Vintage stained glass windows come in all shapes, sizes and varying colors. My very first stained glass window was purchased at a flea market for only $15. I pulled another window out of my neighbor’s trash! In a few easy steps you can have a fabulous piece of stained glass hanging in one of your windows.

Once you choose a stained glass window all you have to do is bring it home and give it a good cleaning. I like to use Ecover Multi-purpose cleaner – it’s environmentally friendly and has a light, lemon scent. Murphy’s Oil soap also works well. I chose to leave my stained glass windows untouched – just like I found them. If you prefer a cleaner, more polished look you can sand the wood frame, and use a wood stain or paint.

Project Skill: Beginner

You will need:

• Drill

• 2 sets of screw eyes and c hook screws

• Pencil

To hang the stained glass window:

• Drill two holes in the top of the stained glass window frame approximately 3 inches from either edge.

• Insert the eye screws into top of window frame.

• Have someone hold the window so you can mark the appropriate spots to drill for the c-hooks in your window frame.

• Drill holes and insert c hook screws.

• Mount stained glass window on c hooks.

Another creative and inexpensive way to make your home cozy!

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.

On one of my many trash-to-treasure outings during my town’s annual spring clean up I found several vintage dresser mirrors. These large, framed mirrors that were once attached to dressers make great accent pieces. The frames can be painted to suit any decor. Use them on walls, mantles, or over dressers.

I found several mirrors in very good condition and I grabbed them all. I cleaned them up, removed the hardware used to attach them to the dresser, painted the frames and now use them on my fireplace mantel as a focal point. I chose to paint one mirror frame white, and one black so I can change them out as the mood suits me.

These pieces were free, took only a minimal amount of refurbishing and look great. How can you beat that? You can also find these pieces very inexpensively at flea markets, yard & garage sales and estate sales.

When searching for such pieces make sure they are sturdy, with no chipped frames, warping, or broken mirrors. Also, make sure the backing is sturdy as this is what keeps the mirror in place. If you find a perfect mirror that is missing the backing, by all means grab the piece and have a new back piece cut to fit. Also, if the frame is in disrepair but the mirror is in perfect condition and is a pleasing shape don’t pass the piece up. You can take the mirror to a local hardware store and have holes drilled for mounting it on a wall.

And just a piece of advice when looking for trash-to-treasure items; always take precautionary steps to avoid getting cut by rusty metal or broken glass!

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.