Getting crafty for your home is not only a great money saver but a lot of fun to do, and some say, even therapeutic! If you want to make your own stylish home accessories, here’s a look at a selection of easy do-it-yourself ideas:
Peg & Chicken Wire Photo Display
Create an easy photo display for any blank wall by framing a piece of chicken wire with wooden moulding. You can paint the surround any colour to suit your interior and peg photos to the display with clothespins. A great way to keep precious family snaps, notes, postcards or to-do lists and a nice alternative to your typical cork noticeboard.
DIY Stencil Patterned Rug
A statement rug is a nice way to tie the room together, but patterned rugs can be extremely pricey (even from shops like Ikea). Create your own rug to perfectly suit your interior by purchasing a plain colour and inexpensive rug and using a stencil to add your own design. You can go for as intricate or as simple a design as you like – from stripes to animal prints or paisley swirls. The larger the stencil pattern, the easier the paint job will be and if you can tape a stencil over the entire rug (as opposed to moving it bit by bit) this will help keep your design straight.
Lace candle holders
Take a simple glass votive or old jam jar and turn it into a chic lace candle holder. All you need is an old lace doily; spray it with fabric stiffener and before wrapping around the glass and gluing in place with hot glue. For a colourful take, dye your lace in an appealing colour before use.
Vintage Teacup Candles
If you want an elegant addition to your bedroom or living room, take a dainty vintage teacup and turn it into a beautiful candle holder. Vintage crockery is very fashionable at the moment, so look out for unloved collections at your local car boot sale and grab yourself a bargain. Once you’ve found the teacup of your liking, you’ll need candle wax flakes, wooden skewer sticks, a wick and a suitable bowl for heating on the oven.
Stick a couple of skewer sticks resting lengthways over the top of the teacup and place the wick securely between the two to hold it up centrally within the cup. You then heat the wax flakes and colour with a drop of wax colouring or food dye to produce a complimenting shade to go with the cup design, and poor into the cup where it’s left to cool and form a candle! Once the wax has dried simply snip the wick down to size and you’re done.
Paint Sample Heart Garland
This paper decoration has been seen doing the rounds on sites like Pinterest as it’s so easy to do but makes a nice alternative to bunting; great for adding a playful touch of colour to any special occasion or to a girly bedroom. All you need to do is take a selection of free paper paint colour charts and cut hearts from each colour square. Then take a needle thread and sew the hearts together to form a long paper garland.