Repurposed Old Windows

I came across some neat old four pane windows for sale and snatched them up. There are so many fun ideas I have in store for them! I wanted to share some photos and the process in which I used for the Window Memo Board I just completed. I am pretty tickled with how it turned out!

Most of the paint was coming off of the window, so I scraped off the remaining loose paint and roughly added a black base coat.

I then decided I wanted to work with two other colors on top of the black to give it a good antiqued/distressed look. An easy way I have found to do this is by either using a pure soap bar, here I used Dove, or a taper candle. You rub the soap or candle across areas of the paint you want the black to show through. Once you add the next layer of paint and let it dry you can easily sand off the areas you rubbed with the soap or wax, because it will resist the paint!

I wanted to make this window very practical as well as decorative, so I added a magnetic chalkboard in the bottom right hand corner with key magnets. I used chalkboard paint on a piece of metal and glued it onto the window. I also added an upside down drawer pull underneath the window to hold chalk.

In the photo below you can see that I added bent keys at the top of the left window to hold a dry erase marker for leaving notes on the window. On the top right and bottom left of the window I added cork board, which I painted black and used a stencil to paint the wording and keys. I also made key thumbtacks to use on these cork boards. Like I mentioned earlier, I am really loving the way it turned out and hope that you were inspired as well. :)

Here is another old window memo board that I also just completed. I used cork board covered in fabric for two of the windows, took out the upper right window and added chicken wire, and kept the glass in the lower left window and added the word "Memo" with vinyl. For embellishments I added a neat old door knob with plate and an old hinge on the bottom to hold the dry erase marker. I made thumbtacks out of keys for the cork boards and finished it off with burlap flowers.

Here is a photo of an old window that was replaced in our basement. I have been wanting to do something with it, so I could use it in our front dining room. It is a work in progress, but I thought I would show you what I have done to it so far. Since our walls are very colorful I wanted to go with a slightly distressed white frame. I then designed the tree and the word "Life" on my computer and cut it out of vinyl on my Cricut. I turned the far right window pane into a cork board, so I can display sayings or pictures. I also added some old looking hardware at the bottom and haven't decided what I am going to do with the top yet. I plan on hanging a wire or string across the bottom to be able to clip more notes and photos. :)

Yep,another one. This one is painted in a distressed black. Chicken wire was added in the right window pane, paper flowers are glued to the left window, and keys added to the bottom to hold the dry erase marker. The saying "Enjoy the simple things" is painted across the top.