By Mi-Ling Stone Poole –

DEAR MI-LING: I have to admit I’m a bit of a junk collector. I collect all types of junk, old chairs, door knobs, pulls and headboards. Do you have any ideas on how I can repurpose a set of old chairs with a broken seat?

Katie

DEAR KATIE: You can repurpose just about anything if you think outside the box. I have a friend who replaced a seat on her old chair with a beautiful potted plant. It looks great in the spring and summer on the patio. You could also paint the chair and the pot in a bold color or add a funky design to blend in with your indoor or outdoor decor.

If you need help finding ideas for your junk, post your photos on www.junkmarketstyle.com. This site is hosted by Sue Whitney, the author of Junk Beautiful. Sue and her community of junkers will be happy to find solutions for your treasures.

I recently interviewed Sue Whitney on my radio show and she talked about her desire to keep junk out of the landfills by repurposing just about anything.

A word of advice: She suggested that you create a piece of junk that can flow from room to room.

Whitney added that although you might not be able to save the entire dresser you can remove the legs and the drawer pulls. Old hardware from dresser drawers can be used to hang curtains.

When creating a style of your own, Whitney encourages everyone to create a look that makes them happy.  During a recent guest appearance on “Today” on NBC she took a set of old dominoes and made place card holders with a little glue. She also turned an old tray from a birdcage into a beautiful centerpiece for a table by filling it with green moss and plants.

What junk have you turned into treasure lately?