So, you have an old window and you don't know what to do with it, but you want to do something crafty? Well friends, I have a solution for you - the upcycled window frame scarf, bag, and accessory display! Read on if you want to go from having an old window pane to a stylish and visually appealing scarf storage system.

Step 1: Find an Old Window

First, you have to acquire an old window. This part was easy for me, as I discovered this one in the alley behind my apartment. This window has a wood frame and one of the 3 panes of glass was partially broken. One side looked like it was dark stained wood, but the other side was painted white. Why, you ask, would somebody abandon a perfectly good, 2/3 functional window?? I don't know!!

Step 2: Remove the Glass Pane...

I tried to remove the glass by meticulously chipping away at the putty that kept the pane in the frame. However, this took FOREVER and I got really impatient.

Step 3: ... by Breaking It!

I then gently tapped the glass with the handle of a putty knife until it broke out of the frame. Remember y'all, don't do this part without proper safety/eye protective gear, shoes, parental supervision, et cetera. The glass broke into large pieces that, when put in a paper bag and thrown in the dumpster, were relatively easy to dispose of. If you want to preserve the glass for some reason (other project or whatever else), you could use the method where you chip away at the putty with a putty knife or something with a slight wedge or taper to it. Watch out for the edges of the glass though, whatever method you use to remove it, and don't cut yourself!

Step 4: Prepping for Painting

Next, out any hardware that may still be in the frame (latches and anything else in the way). Then, give the whole frame a good sanding. I like to start with a more coarse sandpaper to take off the first layer. If you want the finished project to look more polished, you could follow the initial sanding with a once over with a fine-grit sandpaper.

Step 5: Paint It Black...

After your frame is prepped and primed, paint it! I wanted mine to look aged so I intentionally didn't do a thorough job painting; however, you can certainly put more effort into it than I did if you so choose. You can see in my photos here what one coat of white paint looks like and what two coats looks like.

Step 6: Drill, Saw, Sand, Repeat.

Measure out where you want your hooks to be and pre-drill holes on the inside of the window with an electric drill (again, please exercise caution when using power tools). You will be able to tell which side is supposed to go on the inside because it is the side that has the thicker wood pieces across the middle and the side that has some slight decorative carving.

If you want to use the "spokes" or the thin, middle pieces of wood as functional rack of sorts, you could remove part of the spoke to leave a little space between the wood and the wall. I did this with a crappy hand saw, a putty knife, and some sandpaper by cutting little grooves in the wood and then snapping off the pieces one at a time. Then I sanded this back part to make it smooth so it wouldn't snag the scarves. There are a million better ways to do this, but my budget was extremely limited and I didn't want to invest in a bunch of tools. So, yeah. Optional step here.

If you want, you can paint over this freshly-sanded part but like I said before, I want this to look rustic, so I sanded it smooth but chose to refrain from more paint.

Step 7: Hardware

Last step! Just screw in your hooks (I used swag hooks from home depot and old iron coat hooks from an antique store) and screw picture hanging tabs/hooks on the back of the painted frame so you can hang it. In the second photo below, you can see how all of the hooks are arranged on the frame and what it looks like hanging up and with scarves and purses on it. I placed my wall hooks on the back in such a way that the frame would be hanging from the studs in the wall because I didn't want to put too much pressure on the plaster. I then put the latches back on the window using the same holes that they were in originally, because why not? And there you have it, folks! A rustic yet functional way to display scarves that doesn't involve shoving them in a closet or drawer somewhere. Let me know if you liked this instructable and maybe I'll post some more of my cool DIY around the house projects! Party on DIY people!