Fun with Refashioned Furniture

Have Fun with Old but Refashioned Furniture

In the quest of creating a warm and cozy home, we're always looking for new ways to freshen up our décor. One of best ways to do that is to take old items inside the house and refashion them into something completely new.

Before throwing old household items away, find new use for them with these awesome repurposing ideas!

Drawers as Open Shelves

Contemporary Home Office by San Francisco Media & Bloggers Monica Ewing

Before you get rid of that old desk or dresser, why not take out its drawers first and turn them into shelves. Turning your drawers into open shelves gives you more storage space, while giving those old storage solutions a new purpose.

Grab several drawers and hang them up the wall in any fashion you want, then use them as open shelves for your books, picture frames, and other knickknacks. You can even just stack them on top of one another if you don't have the time to mount them up the wall. And if you want to make your drawer shelves more appealing, you can revitalize them with a fresh coat of paint or varnish to make them look good as new.

Door Turned Headboard

Bedroom by Other Metro Media & Bloggers Dreamy Whites

If you've done some major redecorating in your home, you might have taken your door off its hinges. Don't let it gather dust in your garage or basement; instead, repurpose it into your new headboard.

Simply prop up the door on your wall and push your bed against it. You can let it stand as is or repaint it to match the design theme of your bedroom. If you want to go the extra step, you can attach small wall sconces on your new headboard for some lighting for your daily nighttime reads.

Photo Frame Message Board

If you recently switched out your picture frames, don't throw the old ones out just yet. You can use your old photo frames as cute message boards in the kitchen or living room.

Take out the back of the frame (if it still has one), then attach or tie a net with the same size as the photo frame to serve as the "board." You can also paint the frame and the net to add a bit of flair to them. Afterwards, use colored clothespins to serve as note clips. There you have it -- an easy-to-do message board! You can also clip and display family photos here for a more personal touch.

Another cute option for old frames is to turn them into chalk boards. This project is a piece of cake as well. You'll only need some chalk board paint to coat the board of your frame, and you're done!

Mirrored Serving Trays

There's always that one old mirror that doesn't fit your décor but you don't want to throw out just yet. Upcycle this odd mirror into a tray to serve drinks with whenever you have guests over.

Any vanity-sized mirror will do as a serving tray. You can even attach handles (old door handles are perfect for this) to your tray to carry plates and glasses with ease. When not in use, you can just hang up your mirror tray in the kitchen or dining room as a display -- a definite perk!

Vamped-up Jewelry Holders

When you have an excess of tiered trays sitting around in your kitchen or china hutch, grab one and take it to the bedroom! The lovely designs on the plates instantly turn a vintage tiered tray into a classy jewelry holder where you can store and display your bracelets and rings. You can also use this tiered jewelry tray as a cell phone and MP3 player holder.

To keep your necklaces tangle-free, you can take an old towel bar from your bathroom and attach shower curtain hooks to it. Hang your necklaces on the hooks to keep them more organized and to let you easily choose which one you're going to wear for the night.

With a little creativity and a bit of enthusiasm, you can turn normal household items into extraordinary décor pieces. Do you have other repurposing ideas for household pieces?

Jennifer Lutz is a home décor enthusiast who writes at http://blog.christmastreemarket.com. She recently published an article on adding a Vintage Touch to your décor, which can be found at http://blog.christmastreemarket.com/2013/08/vintage-home-decor/.

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Repurpose Vintage Decor with Jennifer Lutz

How to Repurpose Treasured Vintage Décor

As a practical home designer, one of the biggest challenges is finding new uses for old home items. Whether the piece you want to repurpose is a family heirloom, a long-forgotten object from the attic or garage, or even a vintage find you came across at a flea market, the wonderful thing about repurposing is that you can preserve the piece's sentimental value while finding the perfect place for it in your home.

In a recent trip to my mom's new house, I discovered some vintage items lying around that could use some sprucing up. They have all definitely seen their fair share of wear and tear over the years, but with some retouching, I'm positive they will be good as new. Here are some of my ideas on how to find new uses for them:

From Vintage Fireplace Grate to Country-inspired Wall Art

If you're short on wall décor, a vintage fireplace grate can be your next wall accent piece. Simply mount the grate on your wall to add a rustic highlight to your home. You can hang the grate on your living room wall to create an interesting focal point, or above your headboard in the bedroom for a more dramatic look.

Contemporary Bedroom by Atlanta Interior Designers & Decorators Cristi Holcombe

Rustic Wooden Chest Turned Stylish and Functional Coffee Table

For some reason, I always find myself with limited storage space in my home. This is why items, such as this classic wooden chest, can be considered a godsend due to its potential as a functional and stylish accent piece. With its wide, flat surface, you can turn this wooden chest into an ideal coffee table for your living room or outdoor spaces, while its interior can still be used for storing your kids' toys or books and magazines. You can varnish it, repaint and distress it, or leave it as is for a shabby chic look.

Traditional Patio

You can also place it at the foot of your bed with a cushion on top, and use it as extra seating in the bedroom plus storage for your blankets and other bed linens.

Traditional Bedroom by Oak Park Photographers charlie mayer photography

Antique Storage Trunk to Console Table

For avid collectors of vintage décor, a storage trunk is a definite favorite. With its rusty metal frame and aged wooden exterior, it exudes an antiquated charm like no other.

A great way to use this classic piece in your home is to turn it into a functional console table to display cherished keepsakes or family photos. Just like wooden chests, you can also still use it for storage.

Farmhouse Living Room by Raleigh Photographers Adrianna Beech

From Vintage Chair to Coat Rack

Chairs are often one of the trickiest pieces of furniture to find new uses for because their frames are specifically made for, well, sitting on. But you don't really need to repurpose the entire thing. You can just focus on using one part of the chair.

I found this project on Facelift Furniture, where they transformed a chair back into a coat rack. Just remove the seat of the chair, and then attach hooks to the base of the back of the chair or to any part of its wooden frame to make it into a coat rack. With this newly repurposed item, you have not only a rack for displaying coats or pots and pans, but also an interesting piece of wall décor.

Old Windows Frame New Art

Create a portal to another world by transforming this detached window into a rustic wall accent. I love this particular item because it preserves a piece of family history and adds visual interest, character, and a bit of texture to the wall.

The large glass panes allow you to display treasured family pictures or pieces of art while the faded wooden frame adds to its vintage aesthetics.

Contemporary Living Room by San Francisco Media and Bloggers Monica Ewing

Vintage pieces are always a delight to find. What they lack in novelty, they make up for in elegance. And while thinking up of new uses for them may pose a challenge at first, the chance at preserving a piece of family history makes it all worth it.

Jennifer Lutz blogs about Home Décor and related subjects for www.christmastreemarket.com. She produces the Home Décor 101 series on their blog. The latest article in the series can be found at http://blog.christmastreemarket.com/2013/09/furniture-arrangement/.

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Tablets for Tots with Norman Fong

Tablets for Tots: How to Choose

Only a few years ago, buying a portable computer for a young child would seem preposterous, but with the rise of tablet computing and the intuitive touch-screen interface, your son or daughter can be computer savvy before they even learn to read.

You may remember the pre-mouse days of MS-DOS when knowing how to use a computer was more complicated than programming the clock on your VCR, but today's children are growing up in a world where computing is as much a part of life as using the telephone, and just as easy. And with the entry level of tablet computing becoming very affordable in the past couple years, there's no reason not to get your child started with his or her own tablet.

Apple may have unleashed the tablet on the world when it introduced the iPad in 2010, but since then, the options have increased exponentially, and narrowing your search down can be daunting. There are far too many tablets to list here, much less review, so here are a few questions to ask yourself and things to keep in mind when shopping for a tablet for your child:

• How long do you expect your child to use the tablet? When buying any kind of computer equipment, you run the risk of buying into technology that will be replaced by something better within the next year or so. When you add to that the fact that you're buying something that can easily be dropped, thrown, or simply lost, you also need to think about how well you think your child will treat it.
• How long will it be age-appropriate? Some children's tablets are specifically designed for certain age groups, so a tablet that's designed for a five-year-old who's just learning to read may be less interesting to him a year later.
• Is it worth it to buy a more expensive tablet? High-end tablets may not be designed to be kid-safe, but with the right case, can be made to be pretty accident resistant. It's possible that for a bit more money, you could buy a tablet that the kids can use during the day and the parents can use after the little ones are in bed.
• Do you need a camera? Most – but not all – tablets have cameras now, but not all cameras are equal. If you want your child to be able to take high-quality photographs or videos, pay close attention to the reviews and make that one of your points of comparison.
• Will you need to buy a case? Most kid-specific tablets have built-in shock resistance and sometimes even waterproofing, but if you're looking into a more versatile tablet for the long-term, you may need to invest in some protection. A quality shock-resistant tough skin or case can add to the price, so be sure to include that in your calculations.
• Read the expert and customer reviews. The best bet for real world experience with the products you're shopping for (unless you actually know someone who's used it) is to find a retail site that allows customers to review their purchases. Ideally there should be at least a dozen or so reviews to ensure a good sampling, and pay special attention to the bad reviews – but always take the good and the bad with a grain of salt, especially if they're excessively critical or glowing.

Again, there are too many tablets to list in this space, but here are a few you might consider:

For the kids and the adults:

Start by reading reviews and researching the types of apps that you want to use and which platform is best for them.

• Apple iPad and iPad Mini – Many people still think the original is the best, and with the most apps and accessories available, it's hard to argue.
• Android tablets – Android is a platform developed by Google and used by some of the top manufacturers. Some of the top picks include the Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy, and Sony Xperia.
• Kindle and Nook – The e-readers from Amazon and Barnes & Noble have evolved into full-featured tablets, and may suit your needs well, especially if you have a child who loves to read.

Just for kids:

• LeapPad Ultra – LeapPad's latest tablet features front and rear-facing cameras, 8GB of internal storage and an integrated MP3 player. It also includes a child-safe browser.
• VTech InnoTab 3s – VTech's newest offering has a pivoting camera that can face front or rear, a kid-safe browser, the ability to communicate with other InnoTab tablets, as well as to send messages to you on your Android phone or iPhone.
• Fuhu NABI tablet – Fuhu's tablet bills this product as the first full-featured Android tablet for kids. The software allows varying levels of kid-safe protection, limiting younger children to safe apps and browsing while allowing it to be unlocked for a full internet experience for older children and parents.
• Ematic FunTab – The FunTab also runs on Android and features software that allows you to remotely read to your child via a webcam and the internet – a nice feature for parents who work on the road.

In the end, every child and every family is different and there is no single product that's perfect for all of them. The best you can do is to determine how your child will use the tablet and try to find one that will not only be engaging to them today, but also useful down the road.

Norman Fong is CEO and Co-Founder of BuyVia, an online and iOS App smart shopping service that finds high quality products at the best price available. Deals on popular products like tablet computers, including the iPad and Android tablets, can be sent automatically to users.

Thank you to Norman Fong for guest posting here today!

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