It's the most wonderful time of the year.. No, not Christmas.. it's Garage Sale Season! (So basically like Christmas for some of us ;)
What some might find to be a useless old pair of crutches, others see as a repurposed book shelf! Take your garage sale finds & get creative folks!
Here's 5 inventive ways to use your awesome garage sale finds!
1. Shutter Magazine Holder
Simplified Steps:
- Cut out every other slate using a Dremmel (or pop them out with a hammer)
- Sand, prime, & spray paint
If you're going for a more vintage look, distress your shutter.
There's tons of DIY projects you can do with old shutters, so if you see these while garage sale-ing, make sure to grab them!
Head to My Repurposed Life for more detailed instructions.
2. Mosaic China Plate Table Top
Photo Source: Country Living
Simplified Steps:
- break plates apart with a tile nipper (can also be done with a hammer)
- prepare your table (wood: apply waterproof sealer, plastic: scuff with sandpaper)
- spread tile adhesive onto tabletop
- place tile pieces on table in design pattern, let adhesive set
- apply a thick coat of grout using a spackle knife
- use damp sponge to remove excess grout
You can also do this to a chair or to garden stones!
Photo Source: fleamarketmakeovers
Mackenzie Wright provides more detailed instructions at SF Gate.
3. Story Canvas
Photo Source: Fabulously Flawed
Simplified Steps:
- tear out the pages of a book
- arrange the pages, make sure the pages hang over the canvas to cover the sides (you may need to cut some pages to fill in small gaps)
- glue down pages to canvas with modge podge & a paint or sponge brush
- smooth out pages with hand & wait for glue to set
- use brush to apply a thin layer of modge podge to the entire surface
To avoid bubbling:
- let dry for a minute, then place canvas face down on a sheet of wax paper
- place a book inside the frame of the canvas (frame not included), & then 2 more books over the whole canvas (frame included)
- let it set for 20 minutes, peel off wax paper
- if you still have bubbles, let it sit on a flat surface over night
This one is fun because you can use any book you want.. a children's book, a piano songbook, your favorite novel, newspaper pages, calendar pages, old CD covers, ect.!
4. Rake Wine Glass Holder
Photo Source: the kitchn
Simplified Steps:
- break off handle of rake
- use twine or ribbon to wrap around top or tie a bow
- use 2 nails to hang on wall
This one is super easy & cute! If you want a more clean look, paint your rake to match the room you put it in.
5. Crib Desk
Photo Source: Tori Spelling Editorial
Simplified Steps:
- remove drop side of older crib (if crib is newer, just remove front side of crib)
- adjust crib to highest newborn height
- cut 2 mdf boards to the mattress size (use strong boards)
- paint with blackboard paint
- attach hooks as preferred (suction, hanging, ect.)
What an awesome way to recycle an old crib. Children's chalkboard desks can run over $100, so this is also a much more affordable alternative for your kid's creativity corner!
DIYs
I wanted to see what other people were doing for DIY projects, so I went to Facebook & asked some of my friends to let me feature their projects in my blog!
This one was done by my friend Lisa. What an awesome transformation!
Before
After
My sister, Brandi, sent me a picture of her new entry-way coat hanger she made from a wood pallet!
Here's a couple of Brandi's other projects:
Frappuccino bottle made into a vase using twine.
Transformed jars with burlap, lace, & twine.
Check out how my friend Kristi recycled these tires to create an awesome play space! A car table, that doubles as toy storage, and a cute little chair.
Finally, my new project.. an antique school desk! We have been too busy to get started on this project yet, but here is the hidden treasure that we picked up at a garage sale a few weeks ago! We plan on creating an art station for our daughter, while keeping as much of this antique desk's vintage flare as possible!
Comment below about your home improvement projects/designs. I'd love to show off your hard work by featuring it in a future post!
Live with what you love.
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