rePURPOSE: What to Trash, What to Treasure

Because of its location this gate was really difficult to photograph. But this will give you the idea. This gorgeous peacock is a a beautiful work of art...  ...and a good break-in deterrent. Those blades are still sharp!

An over-the-door canvas shoe rack never looked so good. This Chicago apartment's brick wall got quite a brightening up with the addition of this clever planter. The impact will be even bigger when the new plants grown over the sides. Easy and inexpensi...

With the purchase of a couple of small bins this.... . ..became this.  The TV remote no longer gets buried under the coasters and cocktail napkins or tangled in the iPod cable. Total time: under 10 minutes

I stopped by a friend's house a few weeks ago and was met by this: All these boxes, bags and baskets were destined for their yard sale. After one Saturday morning the room was emptier... ...and their wallets were fuller. It's great yard sa...

This faded photo is the only one of a lamp beloved by the family matriarch. When she died no one wanted it. It was outdated and did not fit with the decor of any of the survivors' homes. But it was such a treasure to her, no one could bare t...

Today's paper had a front page story about something I see all the time - people hanging on to more and more things as they age. Their houses get more and more crowded and they loose the serenity of their shelter. If you are trying to help a...

When the kids lived at home, this L-shaped desk area served its purpose. It was the perfect place for them to do homework and play computer games. But with them gone it became the catch-all corner. In this photo it is serving as a sorting area for an u...

My friend Terry is a busy woman, running from here to there, carrying things. She needs an extra set of hands. So she had a great idea. She took this scarf that she always wears... ... folded it in half, stitched a few inches up the sides and creat...

The bedroom closet in this new house was smallish and had terrible access. The sliding door blocked half of the very small space and it was frustrating trying to see what was in there. The owners had four curtain panels on the French doors. ...

The art teacher that showed her students this new use for the boxes that housed their used up water colors is educating kids about more than art. Hopefully they will learn to look at alternatives to tossing.