Quick and Easy Spring Decorating Ideas for Your Garage Sale Junk

Spring is in the air and chances are you've spent the last few weeks cleaning, de-cluttering and getting ready for an upcoming yard sale. Before you place a five-cent sticker on your garage sale garbage, take a moment to think about some fresh uses for your old stuff.

Let me help you start your brainstorming session by offering some new uses for old things most of us have tucked away somewhere in our home (or stored in our garage).

Cork boards - The last time I cleaned my office I found two large cork boards I wasn't using any longer. When my husband cleaned out our shed, he found a half-dozen circular cork boards that are usually used to set plants on. (Since my plants usually die...I had plenty of them left over).

I spray painted the cork board circles bright green and hung them randomly in my daughter's room to look like polka-dots. If you are feeling extra creative, you can create caterpillars out of the circles or use six of them to create a large flower. You can even paint them to look like baseballs, basketballs or soccer balls for a sports-themed room.

I created a colorful spring photo collage using one of the rectangular boards. I simple covered it with a bright floral fabric and criss-crossed matching ribbon across the front of the board. Wherever two ribbons met on the front of the board I secured them using large, inexpensive upholstery tacks.

I created a simple message center using the last corkboard. I had some left-over chalkboard paint and quickly covered the board with three coats. I attached a notebook, pen and sticky note pad on the one side and left the other side blank so I could write a quick "I love you" note, or add verses and inspirational quotes with the chalk. I placed this chalkboard in our laundry room as a fun addition to one of our gathering places.

Clay Pots and Planters - It is easy to give a planter or pot a quick update using a can of spray paint or outdoor paint markers you can find at most craft stores. As I mentioned earlier, I don't have a green thumb so I tend to have a lot of pots lying around in the garage, craft room and shed.