Reuse is the oft-forgotten part of the reduce, reuse, recycle mantra (though the DIYers are usually reminding us!) Country Home Magazine has taken up the idea in a big way in several great features in September’s issue.

Along with celebrity green-auteur Danny Seo’s “Fresh Thinking” column where he transforms flea-market finds into centerpiece-pretty candles (see results below), there are articles on converting an armoire into a storage area, old screens into a laundry hamper, making shutters into a cabinet, a stepladder into an organizer, and how to make your own memory box from found materials.

Articles like these are a good reminder that eco-friendly living has it’s antecedents in the way people actually used to live, and still do, in rural areas where repurposing household items (and fixing them!) just makes sense, not to mention saves money.

Go from these common attic finds, to….

…these pretties! Perfect for Autumnal tablesettings!