These days I am operating my project list based partly on what I happen to have lying around. Which is a lot. I mean, garage full a lot. I have actually been doing pretty well in pairing down the volume. At least I think so….the hubby who is determined to eventually be able to park at least one of the cars in the garage may not think so.

One of the piles of “stuff” I have in the garage is a pile of old windows. I actually LOVE my pile of old windows and get a little sad when one of them gets turned into a project and leaves. Weird I know. But I love my old windows! I’ve been turning them into memo boards, adding vinyl sayings to them, and now it was time to turn one into a piece of furniture. Enter my DIY Simple Window Coffee Table…..

It all started with this chippy 6 pane window. It was a perfect window for this project because the wood was still in good sturdy condition and it had all pieces of glass intact.

Have you ever purchased wood legs from the hardware store? They are expensive right? I mean, the legs I needed for this project would of been almost $10 each. So that’s $40 right there in table legs. So then I got to thinking, “Is there a cheaper alternative?”. I wandered over to the spindle aisle and found some for under $2 each. Much better. I needed to cut a little off the tops and bottoms, but for the price it was worth it! I stained the spindles with a dark wood stain and then painted them with some off white paint I had on hand.

After the legs were stained and painted, I ruffed them up a bit with some sandpaper. Then they were attached using two L brackets on each leg. Pretty simple right?

I pretty much left the window alone; let rough edges be rough and let chippy paint be chippy. Cuz that’s how I roll.

Didn’t the spindles turn out awesome? Not bad for $2 huh? Totally the look I wanted too!

Pretty simple right? But oh so cute! Sad part is it looks so super cute in my living room….but alas it must go to my booth and find a new home! Hopefully someone will love it as much as I do!

So what do you think of my of  DIY Simple Window Coffee Table???

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Wondering what else I’ve been up to lately? Come check out my latest DIY project here:

The holiday season is upon us and I have signed up for my first vendor show in the area. I am both excited and nervous. I love doing shows so much, however this is a whole new area I’m being introduced to. So I’m wondering how my items will be received and if my prices are right for the area.

I am excited though no matter what. I decided that I wanted to create something that I could use to display when I do shows, something I could display my name and contact information.

I made the decision that I wanted to make a chalkboard easel, but my first thought was to build something from scratch. I figured that it wouldn’t be all that hard really. But then my inner junk girl had an idea and I went out to my window stash to see if I had two windows that were the same size and had glass intact. As luck would have it, I did. What are the chances?

The first thing I did was paint one side of the glass on both windows. I ended up doing 3 coats of paint on each window.

When the paint was dry I had my hubby help me add two hinges. We attached the hinges to the tops of both the windows so that they could fold flat against each other or fold out.

I got 4 eye hooks and screwed them in to the sides of the windows. I happened to have some metal chain leftover from my Crib Spring Drying Rack project and I strung them up in between the two eye hooks on either side of the windows. This will keep the windows from opening up too wide.

I just absolutely love how it turned out. I am so glad that I was able to create my chalkboard easel using salvaged items. It made creating it a lot quicker and I liked the way it looked a lot more.

I can’t wait to be able to use my new DIY Window Chalkboard Easel for my upcoming show!

Thanks for stopping by today!!!

Please welcome Diane from An Extraordinary Day!!!

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One of my favorite things to decorate in my home is a vintage window.

It hangs like a piece of art on my wall.

The beauty of a vintage window is that it’s a wonderful blank canvas for giving your room some seasonal decor.

• Its shabbiness provides a textural contrast in more traditional or contemporary decor.
• It’s fun to be creative with ideas in just a small space.
• It can change with the season or your whim.
• It’s great for whimsical paper-crafting projects that just don’t ‘work’ elsewhere.

Last November my friend gifted me with a lovely window. It’s perfectly imperfect. And hung sideways it was just the right proportion for that big blank wall over my sofa. Win! Win!

Since then, my window has gone through several iterations from Christmas to Valentine’s Day to Spring to the Fourth of July and now she’s giving a nod to the nautical. The perfect look for summertime!

This nod to nautical look is simple and uncluttered and fresh for hot summer living.

It reminds me of summers growing up on Lake Michigan. Gosh I miss that big lake!

An arrangement of three elements is most always pleasing to the eye:

• The window:
  a gift that keeps giving
• A lifesaving ring:
  recycled from a Fourth of July wreath with the addition of some blue fabric and rope
• And an old paddle:
  originally a blonde natural wood tone, painted and distressed for a more striking nautical look

It’s great if our home decor can have some special meaning.

This nautical window certainly does as the paddle has a wonderful story from my childhood….

You see when I was about nine years old, I was a bit independent and ignored my parents’ direction. That resulted in a fall with a severely fractured arm. That same summer my parents were putting in a pool. And with that heavy full-arm cast there was no way I was going to be able to enjoy swimming in the new pool. But, my kind and loving dad came up with a creative solution. He bought a plastic boat and a paddle for me to paddle around the pool. He certainly didn’t need to do that, but what a great example of grace and compassion that has stuck with me my whole life. Plus, he ended up with a much more obedient child thereafter.

The paddle you see here was the first paddle he purchased. It was too long for me to use with my plaster cast, so he bought another short one. The boat was given away the following summer…but not the paddles. I don’t know why, but the paddles always hung in the garage. A number of years ago I noticed them and decided that I needed to hang the paddles in my garage as a sweet remembrance of my father’s very loving gesture.

Project Details

I wasn’t sure at first how I was going to hang the paddle across the window. Thankfully, I discovered I had a package of industrial-strength Velcro. It’s perfect as it can hold the weight of the paddle and be positioned close to the window frame. Plus, the Velcro isn’t visible when you look at the window vignette. Happy Day!

Originally I had planned to make a nautical pennant banner for this window.

But, after I added the life ring and the paddle it seemed finished. I really liked the simplicity. Less is more in the summertime. However, I thought I’d get my husband’s opinion on the window. He made the most amazing suggestion. He reminded me that I had a box of photos from a trip to Maine that were eager to get out of their drug store envelopes….and that I could hang them on the window too.

What a clever and creative man I married!! That was a fabulous suggestion. Actually….perfect!! Now I can enjoy a few of my photos and the window has gone from a nod to nautical to truly coastal!!

Armed with a roll of double stick tape, I attached a small strip to the center of each photo and simply stuck them to the front of the window glass…centering them as best I could…using the ol’ eyeball leveling method. I couldn’t be happier with the result.

What a great way to relive one of the best vacations ever….a drive down Highway 1…stopping at every lighthouse, walking the craggy coast and sandy shorelines, and breathing in the most wonderful fresh air. This just might be my favorite iteration for this vintage window yet.

Right now I follow a zero spending budget for craft projects and home decor. It’s rare for me to spend money as I usually shop my stash for supplies or pick up treasures along the road. I’ve been living this way for a few years and I’m here to tell you, a little goes a long way. And the challenge has forced some latent creativity. Yay!! This project was a bit different. I actually spent some money…about $3.50 on supplies….the first dollars and cents in many, many months. But, what’s a gal to do when her craft paints are drying up and she can’t find the right piece of rope?

By now, you’ve noticed…I’m not Courtney! [wink]

I’m Diane! I write, DIY, decorate, celebrate nature’s beauty, and attempt to inspire you to live a full and beautiful, joy-filled life over at An Extraordinary Day! My motto is “Why be ordinary when you can be extraordinary.” I’d love for you to come over for a visit. My latest project has been a laundry room makeover….on a dime. Pop on over and pick up a few easy ideas for your laundry room, too.

 Courtney, I cannot imagine your excitement in purchasing your home, having your husband return, and all the craziness of moving across the country.  My thoughts and prayers are with you as you make this exciting transition.  May God’s blessing and peace be yours in abundance in your new home.  And may you create many extraordinary memories along the journey.

Thanks Courtney for inviting me to share one of my favorite things here at A Diamond in the Stuff.

This vintage window has surely been a diamond in my stuff….giving me lots of opportunities for creating something new and fresh with one gifted window.

Wishing you all An Extraordinary Day!