DIY Crafts for your home
If there is anything we are always on board with, it is a newly spruced up home. Same old décor, no matter how fun, gets mundane and boring, until we seek that little change to liven things up again. However, things like these are never cheap nor easy. Refurbishing entire interiors can be a far-fetched thought for most, but little changes here and there are doable, and those lazy weekends are the perfect time to get your DIY kits back out to shower some new creativities onto your home.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
Pinterest is like your one stop hub for all DIYs, and not just for the home either. All you have to do is look up the kind of up DIY you want to do, and you will be met with hundreds, if not more. Take you pick and start DIY-ing.
FREE PRINTABLES ARE YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND
One thing you will find on Pinterest are free printables. These are labels and tags of absolutely anything and everything that you can use to get your life together. Quotes to hang on walls, condiment labels to get your kitchen cabinet in order, and even calendars, they have it all. Different styles and calligraphies are available too, so are customisable ones to make things even better.
RE-PURPOSED UTILITY CART
If you look close enough, you might just have a utility cart lying around somewhere that has not been in use for ages. Take it out, give it a good clean, spray it any colour you want, or keep it as it is, depending on what look you are going for. One nice touch is spraying the edges in gold, keeping the rest as it is. Now you can use this as your stationary or bathroom trolley, or even a plant pot holder. Use your imagination.
TIERED TRAYS MADE EASY
Tiered trays look super classy when nicely decorated on tea tables, but if you want one specially catered to your taste, make it yourself. All you need is some super strong glue, candle holders and plates of different sizes. Place the largest plate at the bottom, glue on the candle holder in the centre, followed by gluing the smaller plates on top. Give it a few minutes for each layer of glue to dry. Similarly, layer on more if you want a higher tier, or keep it as it is. You can experiment with numerous styles and finishes, from clear glass to wooden to pastel, wherever your creativity decides to take you.
OLD PHOTO FRAMES
Put a nice white or printed paper under the glass of your old photo frames and re-use them as trays to grab onto your knick-knacks. You can get rid of the glass altogether and replace it with a mirror, which would then go great on a dresser.
TEXTILE PLANTERS
Potted plants have come a long way, and it keeps getting better. If you are bored with your planters, but do not want a solid permanent change, get some heavy duty fabric, sew them to create bags that will fit the planters, and bag them up! Match the fabrics to your atmosphere to make the space look tied together, and change them up when you decide to change other textiles around. It is flexible, and you do not have to make a strong commitment to one style.
FAUX TABLE TOPS
Stone table tops have a luxurious touch to them which can elevate an entire room. Swapping all your table tops with marble or granite can take a while, not to mention jack up the cost. Marble and granite covers, however, can do the trick without the cost. You will find these in carpeting or floor covering stores, where lots of different surfaces can be found in the form of papers such as marble, granite or wood. Of course, they will not feel like real marble to the touch, but you can add a layer of glass to make it look and feel somewhat like the real thing.
FOLDER MAKEOVER
Most magazine holders we get here come in a standard green or blue paper cover. You can spruce these up, and then, use them for purposes other than holding magazines. You can either choose to paint them all whimsical, or spray paint them a nice coat of silver, gold, copper or metallic tones, after which, it can double as a dresser ornament as well.
REPLACING THE HARDWARE
This might seem like a small change, but it can have big impacts when done right. Hardware can mean anything from the doorknobs on your door to your cabinet handles to curtain rods. These metal fixtures add that little spark to your home. So once the spark fades, you can do more than just change the colour, but experiment with designs too. Visit your hardware store, and get these little hooks and hinges replaced, it will create a noticeable difference.
SPRUCING THE LIGHT FIXTURES
Be it a lamp or a chandelier, your light fixtures could always use some life. And nothing adds a little life more than greenery. Real plants or creepers will not be a very practical solution for hanging lights like chandeliers, but plastic ones will do the job perfectly. Get a combination of greens and maybe some browns too for a little warmth, and wrap the plants around the chandelier and allow it to naturally rest. This looks nothing short of magical with the lights on, and adding a few flowers will amplify it further.
A WELCOMING WREATH
If you already own something that is sturdy and round is shape, great for you! If not, you can always make your own. The base of the circle can be made of wires, but for a rustic natural look, one can also tie together branches into a round shape, and further gluing them together for strength. Dry flowers, plastic leaves, pinecones, you name it. Anything you want to showcase on your front door, simply tie them on, and do not forget that bow, which adds the finishing touch.
CHIC CARDBOARD BOX
Our default action when it comes to cardboard boxes is to throw them out for they are a complete nuisance and an eyesore. However, if you can wrap it up in a rope top to bottom, no one will ever know of the ugly box underneath. Grab your glue gun and a heap of rope. Start from the bottom and work your way up, gluing the rope horizontally until you have the whole thing covered, and voila, you have a basket. Line the inside with an old pillow cover for a more refined look. You can use this to store towels, as a laundry basket, or anything else that requires storage.
Do not keep everything for one weekend, and instead, organise your things as you go. And eventually, on the weekend when you have all your tools, it makes the entire DIY project a more streamlined affair. Just remember, your outcome does not have to mimic what you see online, but it will be your own unique version of it. Here's to creative weekends!
By Anisha Hassan
Photo: Collected