repurposing – New England's Narrow Road

I’ve had this unpainted bookcase for years. The carved hearts in the sides give it a unique look. Recently it was used in my kitchen as a place to put the phone and store cookbooks.

unpainted furniture — Bookcase Before Paint

When I had my bathroom walls re-done I couldn’t afford to buy a new vanity. The bathroom is so small, that a large vanity wouldn’t work, but I wanted storage space.

I decided that the heart bookshelf was the right size for the job, but it would have to be painted white to look nice in the bathroom. Since my daughter and I had been painting walls this spring, I had some leftover paint and I put a couple coats on the bookcase.

bookshelf bookcase painted white — Bookcase Painted White

I began painting outside on my deck, but the bugs kept getting into the paint so I moved indoors to finish the job. Luckily I have a big, open kitchen where I could let the shelves dry between coats of paint.

Now this pretty little white shelf is part of my new bathroom, and it’s the perfect place to store towels and act as a little counter next to the sink.

flower vine — Recycled window dividers used as a trellis.

When I bought my house the sliding door and another glass door had white dividers, or grilles, in them. I don’t like that look. I like my windows to be clear and open – free of dividers to block my view outside. I was happy to find that the dividers could be unsnapped and removed, so I took them all off and stored them in the garage. I thought they would make good trellises for the vegetables.

Well, they do, if you don’t try to put anything too heavy on them. They are a bit flimsy and won’t hold up without breaking but the one I used for my morning glory vine is doing a nice job. The vine isn’t very large yet, but they don’t get big and heavy. I have it next to the deck so the vines can grow up and wrap around the deck railings.

It’s just one way you can use junk in the garden. I hate to spend money on expensive trellises, and truthfully, I couldn’t find any I liked. All my new windows are grille free too – you can find my grilles in the garden.