Dress it up: Fresh spring projects that won't break the bank

Editor's Note: Susan Hall's name has been corrected below.

On a recent cloudy morning, Rebekah Howell was doing some shopping. On her mind was her son's bedroom and how she might brighten it up. She was making her decorating decisions 25 cents at a time.

Standing aside a laundry-basket-sized bin at the Safe House for Women Thrift Shop in Cape Girardeau, Howell carefully examined each of the several hundred magnets it contained. Yes, magnets, each priced at a quarter.

In the room of Zachary, her 8-year-old son, is a large magnetic board, and she was selecting colorful magnets for display and play -- dinosaurs, horses, tractors, barns and more.

Howell, of Marble Hill, Missouri, says she was "making the rounds" at several Cape Girardeau shops, where she finds inexpensive items that -- with some creativity and TLC -- she fashions into home décor.

Susan Hall is repurposing an old piano for a client at Shoppe La La. (Laura Simon)

"I've found picture frames. I add fabric, and crisscross the board with ribbons and it becomes a bulletin board of sorts," Howell says, adding many of her ideas come from the popular social media site Pinterest, which has 44.5 million users, according to Adweek.

An economical way to dress up outdoor living spaces is with a change of color -- garden flags, wreaths, pots of mixed flowers and the like.

Nancy Geiser, visual designer at Trees and Trends in Cape Girardeau, suggests, "Keep your existing patio furniture. Add new cushions and accent pillows to freshen things up and change to an up-to-date color."

Geiser says patrons often ask her "What can I do with this?" when attracted to an item. And while a ready-made wreath may have "a nice look," customers may enjoy the creative experience of flower arranging or wreath-making -- and may save "as much as one-third" of the cost by doing it themselves, she says.

Geiser, a 15-year veteran of the Cape Girardeau store, personally prefers a vintage look.

Paint splatters mark Susan Hall's work table at Shoppe La La in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

"I like to repurpose and reuse. I don't like to throw things away," said Geiser, who lives in Dutchtown. She describes a chicken feeder she converted into a planter box and the transformation of salvaged wood into a picture frame and a bench.

A 50-plus-year-old dresser has served four generations of Patricia Pizoli's family. Pizoli, a transplant from California who now lives in Gordonville, used the dresser as a little girl and described it as "bright white." Now, as a result of her handiwork, the piece is antique beige.

"It's simple. It's no longer bright white, but we're still using it," Pizoli says.

Nicole Moore, owner of Reclaimed Designs in Altenburg, Missouri, is known for her abilities to transform something old -- and perhaps junkyard bound -- into something new, or perhaps something completely different.

Upon entering the Cape Girardeau County History Center, which opened March 15 in Jackson, visitors will find one of Moore's creations.

"It was a 1930s executive desk that had extreme water damage. I completely repaired the damaged veneer and topped it with a custom-built bookcase. The trim pieces were handmade with reclaimed barn wood," Moore says of the piece, which has a gleaming deep oxblood finish.

Moore, who does commercial and residential interior design and furniture refinishing, has some springtime ideas for those who like to "do it yourself" on a budget.

"Get a nice, new look for flower pots. Use Rustoleum spray paint in bright colors after washing with soap and water. Then spray away," she says.

"For only about $10, you can buy a sample quart of paint. Brush it on an old headboard. It makes a cute flower box," Moore says, adding that deco mesh is easy to work with for those who might want to create a new door wreath.

To free up funds for new home and garden décor, Moore suggests a look around the house.

Legs from a table Susan Hall is repurposing, Thursday, March 26, 2015, at Shoppe La La in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

"Have a yard sale or go to a seller site on Facebook to get rid of last year's styles or other unwanted items," she says. "And keep an eye on those sites for accessories or furniture pieces you can use."

Samples sit in a box at Shoppe La La in Cape Girardeau. (Laura Simon)

Reclaimed Design regularly schedules craft design nights at area eateries; each attendee works on the project of the evening -- a wreath, a tote bag, a wall hanging -- with all supplies provided by Moore.

In Cape Girardeau, it's difficult for the eye to rest upon entering Shoppe La La, now in its third year on the downtown Broadway corridor.

Here you see a legless and gutless baby grand piano morphing into l'objet d'art with paint and glazing technique.

There you see a midcentury dresser that with a coat of silver paint, imposing drawer pulls, a mirrored top and industrial casters is transformed into a mobile serving buffet.

LAURA SIMON ~ lsimon@semissourian.com

Other dressers have been reincarnated as television stands; with some drawers removed, there is space for video componentry.

"What I do is take something and give it new life. Instead of something going to a landfill, we save it, repurpose it and someone else can enjoy it," Susan Hall, owner of Shoppe La La, explains.

She points to a trio of grills that once encased the blades of large industrial fans and explains how they've been repurposed as wall hangings.

"These were made in the U.S., and they still function today, although in a very different way," Hill explains.

Shoppe La La offers four classes a month for those who want to learn how to prep, paint, distress and finish a piece of furniture or decorative piece. The shop sells the waxes, glazes, metallic, crackles and other supplies.