Fun at the Re-Store

 Never, Never, Never Underestimate what awesome things await the brave at the Re-Store. While intimidating at first, once you dive headfirst into the dusty rooms, you will be amazed what kinds of things await the trash to treasure lover in all of us. Here are a couple of examples of items that are currently in my home thanks to the re-store, some paint and a little ingenuity.

I collect antique levels since I find their patina heartwarming (nothing is more gratifying than hard work, even someone else's). My largest set has been hung in a corner with L brackets. They now serve as shelves for my antique aluminum platters and other assorted knickknacks. Levels have a natural lip and groove on them which lends them to this purpose quite nicely.

This is a set of wooden full-sized lockers that were torn out of our local Middle School. They were filthy and had the ugliest paint on them imaginable. But for $30, I bundled them home, where they got a good scrub, new paint (robins egg blue on the inside and turquoise and black crackle paint on the outside) and some new handles. Now I have to sleep in front of them every night to keep my friends from stealing them ninja-style when I am not looking.


This charming addition to my daughter's room was an old beat up library cart/chair thing. I loved the wheels and the little wooden seat, so I brought it home for $5. After giving the seat and good sand and stain, I only had to spray-paint the frame a nice spicy pumpkin orange and taa-daa, an unexpected pop of color that you cannot find anywhere else.