One of the fastest, easiest and most rewarding 'furniture renewal' projects is the simple side chair. You get a stunning makeover with very little effort. We've split the steps into two days: today for refinishing and tomorrow for the new cushion. My husband, Bob and I did this project together, and he gets all the credit for these great step-by-step instructions. "Thanks, Bob!" Depending on drying time in between your coats of paint, this is a great weekend project. When we started, we were a bit uncertain how it would all turn out since we didn't have much experience with glaze and sponge painting. However, we discovered sponging paint is very forgiving and quite fun. The different color blends, layers, and textures you can create are limitless; it's a true blank canvas for whatever you envision.

Spring is the best time to empty our closets of clothing we'll never (or shouldn't) wear again. Some of it can be donated or even sold, but what about the pieces that are flawed or frayed? Don't be too quick to toss these items into the trash. Instead salvage usable fabric, buttons, and zippers. Even thrift stores cut the buttons off of unusable clothing and sell them. Read on for some reuse ideas and how we took four men's shirts with various resale deal-breaker flaws and made an simply sweet baby quilt.

Shopping for back-to-school is almost a rite of passage. You must have at least one new sweater to wear. Because even if the thermometer still reads in the 80s, the beads of sweat are worth the fashion statement. But this year, many of us are on a pretty tight budget. So before buying a complete wardrobe, maybe you should check and see if there are some items you could re-make and re-use. Brush up on your fix-it skills with our basic sewing tutorials, and put a new spin on some rough-around-the-edges favorites.

This very unique Re-make & Re-use project comes to us from Julia Chapman, a new member of our Sew4Home seamstress team. She developed the idea for a benefit in which all the items for sale had to be an ‘upcycle' product of one kind or another. We love cloth napkins here at S4H, but had never seen any made from old shirts, let alone with their own handy carrying case. There are racks and racks of men's short sleeve shirts at thrift and second hand stores... and probably in your own closets. Colors and patterns that might be too wild to wear would be perfect as napkins.

We created this adorable luggage tag out of all recycled materials. A few items we'd been hoarding ... just waiting for the perfect project that would give them a second chance at usefulness. You could follow our re-make and re-use lead, utilize scraps of fabric you have from other projects, or find something new at the fabric store. Then, next time all those black suitcases are spinning around and around and around on the luggage carousel, you'll be able to spot yours in an instant. 'That's mine! The one with the cool tag!'

I have to give credit for these cute wraps to my mother. She was the original recycler. She saved every little scrap of fabric, every button, every too-short piece of ribbon, old wooden spools, and she even cut out and saved her favorite parts of old greeting cards. You never know when they might come in handy. So, thanks for instilling the habit, Mom. Here's what I did with MY stash of bits and pieces.

Did you know used wrapping paper and bows are the biggest culprits in a 25% jump in curbside trash volume between Thanksgiving Day and New Year's Day?! There are so many ways to create green gift wrap -- and make what's on the outside as memorable as the gift on the inside.

Every once in awhile, I'll open my closet and see something that causes me to shake my head and wonder, "What on earth was I thinking, and why do I still have this?!" What seemed like a great idea at the time, would now be fashion suicide should I actually slip it on and leave the house. Sometimes the item goes straight into the Goodwill bag, but there are also times when my Vintage Rescue lightbulb goes on. I see beyond the jacket's silly majorette neckline and wild, stacked cuffs and envision what could be a cool home decor project. My denim jacket lives again as a whimsical throw pillow.

The button jar. Most every house has one. It may not be a jar; it could a box or a lid or a cup or even a sock. A lot of us spent hours at Grandma's house playing with these beautiful chips of color. Although they do look pretty in pile, they really deserve to see the light of day. Give them new life as awesome accents and embellishments on your home decor projects.

I'll wager a guess you haven't used a handkerchief lately to blow your nose or mop your brow or even to tuck in your breast pocket or sleeve as a decorative splash of color. Less likely still that you've dropped a hankie to start a duel or bestowed one on your knight in shining armor. The humble hankie fell out of fashion long ago, but it was king (or queen) of the hill for decades, and everyone who was anyone had a collection. These beautiful squares are a wonderful "found fabric" source and another entry in our Vintage Rescue series.

We're excited to debut our new Sew4Home series: Vintage Rescue, a category of inspiring ways to recycle, re-use or redesign something old to create a great new look and perhaps salvage something meaningful. For our first article, I thought I'd start with a personal story. It involves my always-a-challenge-to-buy-for sister's impending birthday, cleaning the attic to move, and a much-loved and almost-lost rosebud chenille bedspread.

Be green. Save space. Save money. Why buy when you can reuse?