I found this turn-of-the-century, primitive cabinet at a flea market for $20.00. It had been used in a barn and was covered in oil and a funky sheet metal top. I sanded it, stained the top, painted and waxed it. It now holds paper towels, TP and cleaning supplies in a bathroom. Before & After photographs/more at http://smallhouseunderabigsky.wordpress.com

Absolutely! I never use old bedding or appliances, but love to re-purpose furniture and mix it with other/new. I did buy two gorgeous leather chairs and ottomans at an estate sale and saved literally 4-5K, they were never even used because they were too large for the home.

Dressers....easy to put new railings inside, new knobs, paint; painted one small one green, added blue porcelain knobs put it on side of cupboard that adjoins dining area to hold dishtowels, pot holders, candles, small candleholders, napkins, etc.. Bookcases...use a short one in a closet for shoes, have several in garage to hold odds and ends...one is dedicated to gardening items like pots, fertilizers, bins with gardening gloves, bulbs, etc.; one is dedicated to paint...spray paint, cans of Rustoleum in different colors, bins with painting supplies, etc.

In England we have a lot of Free sites Freegle and Freecycle etc . You probably have similar sites and if you are lucky and get chosen there is some really good things that can be upcycled with a little bit of work. But I love it.

It's very easy and inexpensive to rewire old lamps and/or create your own out of most anything by purchasing a rewire kit.

Have you read the book "The Old Red Rocking Chair" by Phyllis Root? It is the perfect book about recycling furniture from the trash. So uplifting! :)

i live in Spain and in our part of Andalucia, you can put large items in the trash dumpsters or by them on a Sunday night......I wake early and always make a tour of the village trash! Have so far found old brass studded double front doors, antique headboards, rustic rush chairs in perfect condition and a host of other stuff over ten years.......one mans' trash is another mans' treasure and all that......if you live in Spain, definitely find out which night is large item night and go for it! Hat

I take a lot of pride in fixing things vs just buying all the time. I recently saved this bird feeder, the glass to hold the food broke. I bought an outdoor oil light and am loving the look and function.

Again, I am referring to Rural Andalucia and things may not be the same in the States etc, but this is my latest idea: I want to build a spiral/amonite maze type thing into my boring lawn, flush with the grass. Instead of going to the garden centre and paying a fortune for large flat rocks, try going for long walks along country tracks, poke under the hedgerows and see if there are any nice, flat, largish rocks left over from mending the tracks....the digger guys tend to dump them there. Then go back after dusk in the car (I am not recommending stealing and I don't think it is....but you never know...!) and cram as many as you can into the back! Voila! Don't ever pay for rocks...there are always some lying around somewhere! Happy Trashing! Hat

I'm always popping into Goodwill and Salvation Army looking for things with good bones and unusual objects. When I spot something I either buy it at once or push it to the back of the shelf so I can beeline to it on the 50% off days. I then clean them up and use a variety of faux finishes or texture it and use it in my home, give them to friends and family, or sell in garage sale or eBay.

@gypsarella love your creative ability to do this - takes a good eye! Would love to see some of your before/afters for inspiration.

i've turned a lot of "trash" into treasure but, most often, it's with chairs. below are some examples and here's how I did it:
http://sharonnamisha.blogspot.com/2014/09/british-colonial-chair-rescue.html
and
http://sharonnamisha.blogspot.com/2012/03/diy-tutorial-on-revamping-louis-xvi.html

Old post by almost a year !!!