Vintage dishware doesn’t have to gather dust in the china cabinet.

Outdated table settings, such as a stack of your grandmother’s old plates or a bundle of used mugs you scooped up at Salvation Army, can find fresh life with a little TLC. All it takes is a marker or a drill and a basic plan.

“I always find it a bit sad when things so loved by previous generations are thrown on the scrap heap,” says lifestyle blogger Anna Nicholson, based in Yorkshire, England.

“I’m always looking for ways things can be reused, upcycled and overhauled to fit in with our 21st century style.”

Here are some ways to spruce up old china and dollar-store dishes:

MARKERS, PAINT

The popular craft-swapping website Pinterest is full of plate-decorating projects that tap into the “magic” of magic markers.

Nicholson, whose blog is “angel in the north” (www.angelinthenorth.com ), uses Sharpies to personalize vintage floral plates. In one set, she adorned each plate with a letter in the word “EAT,” to display in the kitchen. In another, she used four plates to spell out the word “HOME.”

She prints her own letter cutouts, using the font Bodoni MT, onto thick paper or cardstock. She traces around the letters onto the old plates with a pen, then goes over the outline with a Sharpie and fills it in.

“This is an easy project, but you do need a steady hand,” she says.

Others take the Sharpie idea to another level and — if the dishes are ovenproof — bake the marker on to make it permanent. Many crafting blogs call for drawing with a Sharpie and baking the ovenproof dish at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Christine Dinsmore, based in Portland, Ore., has used the Sharpie method for free-handing original drawings. On her blog, The Plumed Nest (www.theplumednest.com ), she shows how she drew original monster pictures onto plates for her children.

“I would often see cute little dishes for children but they were usually made out of plastic,” Dinsmore says. She has tried to rid her kitchen of plastic “and didn’t want to purchase any more.”

That’s when she got inspired to draw her own kid-friendly characters.

Dinsmore advises using non-toxic Sharpie paint pens, found at most craft stores and online. Also, she recommends cleaning plates gently, never with an abrasive sponge or dishwasher.

Other bloggers suggest ceramic or glass paint if the dish will have frequent contact with food.

Danielle Warner of the blog “The Yarn to Tell” (http://theyarntotell.wordpress.com ) recommends Delta PermEnamel paint for a more painted — rather than drawn — look. It’s also available at craft stores or online.

CHOP IT UP

Sometimes, old china is no longer in one piece. But that shouldn’t stop you from turning it into something special.

Do-it-yourselfer Ashley Hackshaw, editor of the blog “Lil Blue Boo” (www.lilblueboo.com ), was inspired to find a use for chunks of a broken Tiffany vase that she had received as a wedding gift.

“I couldn’t bear to throw away the beautiful pieces, so I decided to start making them into useful items,” says Hackshaw, of Palm Desert, Calif.

Her answer: key chains.

Once you find a piece you like, the main job is to drill a hole and smooth the edges. You can use a household drill, using a carbide drill bit to make the hole, and sandpaper and steel wool for the edges.