Reduce, Reuse, Redecorate: Upcycle an Old Window into a Dry Erase Board • Crafting a Green World

Reduce, reuse, redecorate– turn a seemingly pointless old window into a purposeful dry erase board!

I love upcycling windows into art and decor! Not only can you find windows for cheap (or for free), but they have tons of character. Here’s how I turned an old window into an awesome dry erase board!

What You Will Need:

1. An old window. You can find one at garage sales, thrift stores, local antique stores, and on second hand websites like Craigslist. (Tip: Depending on the age of your window, you will want to test it for lead paint with lead paint swabs, just in case. Safety first!)

2. Recycled paper. I used sheet music, but you could use recycled scrapbook paper, book pages, or an eco-friendly fabric. You could also paint the glass.

3. Scissors

4. Eco-glue or tape

5. A dry erase marker

How To Do It:

1. Clean your window. You can try using this natural glass cleaner, if you want!

2. If you would like to paint your window, now is the time to do it! I loved the shabby-chic look of my window, so I left it as-is.

3. Arrange your recycled paper on your glass. Then, cut it to the size of each window pane. You could also tear your recycled paper into pieces and arrange them randomly. I chose to go with the more “uniform” look, but it’s whatever floats your boat!

4. Tape or glue the recycled paper to the glass. I used tape because I want the ability to change the window in the future. I simply put the paper on the glass and taped around the edges. If you want to go with the glue option, you’ll basically decoupage the book pages to the glass. (Tip: Make sure you glue or tape the paper to the side of the window that will be up against the wall. You will write on the opposite side of the glass.)

Flip the window over, and you’re ready to write on it! You can write to-do lists, grocery lists, quotes, goals for the New Year, etc. I wrote some lyrics to a song on mine. I also thought about hot gluing colorful clothespins to the front to hold memos and such! I took these pictures next to my Christmas tree, and I loved the lights sparkling against the window: