One of my wife's resolutions for the year is to redecorate the house as inexpensively as possible. Since having children, many of our household decorations have been put into storage for safe keeping, didn't survive the toddler phase or just aren't our taste anymore. Still, our budget is incredibly tight, so we won't be hiring a decorator or going on shopping sprees in department and home improvement stores. Luckily for me, I married a woman who appreciates the challenge of thrifty shopping and repurposing the old into something spectacularly new, fresh and modern.

In her quest to find ways to freshen up our home without going into debt, she's been collecting ideas from her friends, the Internet and a variety of books on making old things new and exciting again. One of the books she recently picked up was Suzanne J.E. Tourtillott's Craft Challenge: Dozens of Ways to Repurpose a Pillowcase.

I have to admit, I had my doubts about the book before it came, because seriously, how much can one do with a simple pillowcase? But, I'm man enough to admit that I was wrong, and the number of cool uses for old pillowcases blew my mind a little bit.

Tourtillott's book has tons of great ideas from handbags and dresses for little girls to aprons and sturdy towels. And seeing as we've accumulated a ridiculous number of various pillowcases over the 15 years we've been together—including several hand-embroidered ones that were wedding gifts and never used, I'm anxious to see how my wife puts the book to use.

I know that my wife's challenge to herself will bring the home a more cozy, fun feel, and I look forward to seeing how she does it. But, I have a feeling our library is going to grow exponentially over the year and we're going to be looking for a few extra bookcases this year, too.