DIY Projects You Will Love (Part 3)

Make glowing goblets

Turn old goblets and trophies into sparkling candle holders. First, clean them well with with metal polish and a clean cloth. Fill with Microwaveable Soy Wax for Containers (by Yaley; $6.99 for 1 lb.; from joann.com).

Add a Pre-Waxed Medium Bleached Wick with Wick Clip (by Yaley; $2.99 for six; from joann.com) to make elegant, long-burning votives.


More:  Get our step-by-step instructions

Hand-printed gift wrap

With simple cookie cutters and paint, you can make your own distinctive wrapping paper.

Just dip the cutting edge of a cookie cutter (we used snowflakes and scalloped circles) into white heavy body acrylic paint (sold at art stores in 4-oz. tubs).

Stamp the cookie cutter onto a sheet of colorful paper, starting at a top corner. Create your own patterns by either joining or overlapping the shapes.

If the paint is too thick or lumpy, add a few drops of water and stir gently until thinned and smooth.

Easy fall decorating: DIY art from autumn leaves

Instant leaf prints

Bring nature's magic indoors with this simple project: Just gather a few of your favorite leaves or flowers, flatten them under a book, then copy them with a color photocopier.

Glue prints to canvas-covered boards (about $2 in art supply stores). Glue a small inexpensive wood frame to the back to act as hanger; it also sets off your print from the wall.

More:  How to make a leaf print

Transform a chair

Turn a drab thrift-store chair into a stylish accent for any room in your home. All it takes is some paint, fabric, basic supplies, and a free weekend. Take advantage of your resale shops, you will
find styles you like even in accessories, paint is not expensive!!

To start, choose a chair with no missing screws or loose legs; it should have interesting features or frame detail.

Or turn 2 or more chairs into an eclectic set. Look for designs that have a wooden frame and an upholstered seat and unify them with the same color and fabric.

More:  How to transform a chair

Etch glass

There is something magical about etching glass ― the process turns plain glass pieces into decorative objects in minutes.

The secret is etching cream. You simply apply it to the glass, and the surface turns into a translucent white. The results are beautiful, subtle, and lasting.

More: How to etch glass

Reinvent thrift store candlesticks

Turn mismatched candlesticks into a fresh new set by painting them an unexpected color (in this case, high-gloss indigo).

1. Remove any wax residue with paint thinner and a clean cloth.

2. Mist one coat of spray paint primer for metal onto the candlesticks, holding the can 10 to 12 inches away. Cover evenly with paint.

3. Once dry, spray two light coats of spray paint for metal. Hold the can at a distance to avoid drips. Cover the detail grooves evenly.

We used: Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch sandable spray primer in white and Rust-Oleum Painter’s Touch gloss spray paint in navy blue.

DIY Projects You Will Love (Part 2)

Nature's stained glass

Chinese pistache leaves are translucent enough to glow like stained glass when lit from behind. To celebrate their vivid fall beauty indoors, display them on simple glass hurricane candle holders.

Gather leaf cuttings from your garden (ginkgo and Japanese maple are other good choices).

Press them in a book overnight to keep them from crinkling, then use one or two Glue Dots on the back of each stem, affixing each leaflet to the outside surface of the glass.

Turn CD cases into frames

Castoff CD cases are the perfect size for creating a quilt-like grid collection of landscape photos.

From the book Photocraft: Cool Things to Do with the Pictures You Love: Scan or crop your images to the size of a CD case (5 3/8 in. wide by 4 5/8 in. high) then print on good photopaper and trim. We recommend using standard (not slim) cases. Discard plastic inserts.

Back each photo with cardboard or foam board and snap the cases shut. Attach them to the wall with 3-inch strips of sticky-back hood-and-loop fasteners (such as Velcro).

DIY decorating projects

Make a memory box table

Turn a deep photo frame and similar-sized side table into a venue for celebrating treasured keepsakes.

More: How to make this memory box table

Make your own designer bouquet

Treat yourself to colorful bouquets and arrangements from a mini flower studio you can create at home.

All you need is a sink, a little counter space, and a few essential tools. See what you can do with a single bloom, and how to turn just about any vintage vessel into a vase. (Tip #1: Start with the freshest flowers you can find.)

More: Flower shop secrets

Turn a drawer organizer into a bento-box guest tray  

Tuck a drawer organizer into a storage tote with some thoughtful amenities to make your houseguests feel like royalty. (Be forewarned: They’ll be eager for a return invite.)

How-to: Slip a drawer organizer into a fabric-covered box or other storage tote and stock it with a few travel-size essentials in coordinating materials and hues. Tie a washcloth with colorful string; wrap a bar of soap with wide ribbon; use letter stamps and a label sticker to personalize a scented candle.

DIY workspace

To create your own instant workspace anywhere, put a flat birch hollow-core door atop two adjustable sawhorses.

Cover the door with self-healing vinyl board cover (available from art and drafting supply stores). The closer you can get the board cover to the exact size of your door, the better.

Stencil a basic measuring system onto the board cover, and you'll never need to hunt down a measuring stick.

Time: Four hours plus drying time

Cost: About $175

DIY Projects You Will Love

DIY: Fun weekend crafts and home projects

Shadowbox wall vase

Turn a shadow-box frame into a vessel for your favorite things from the garden or flower shop.

Flowers or cuttings ― such as these leucadendron blooms ― extend through the opening of a picture mat to create an organic work of 3-dimensional art.

Group two or three frames on the wall or use one for a tabletop display. Change the background and cuttings for a new look any time you like.

More:  How to make a shadowbox vase

Tabletop twigscape

Create a mini forest for your table from elegant branches and twigs.

Here, tree-like twigs edge a stream bed of green pebbles running down the center of a sealed 30-inch piece of redwood.

More:  Make tabletop forests

Painted party glassware

Perk up your table by turning ordinary wine goblets into stylish geometric art glass. It just takes a little glass paint and a stencil or template.

Designer Sarah Caska used a fine-tip black permanent marker and enamel paint formulated for glass to create these Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired designs. The cost was about $36 for 8 decorated glasses, including stemware.

More: How to paint glassware

Fake a Roman shade

In rooms where privacy isn't important, you can give windows all the dressing they need with shorter faux Roman shades. This is a budget friendly project from DIY.

They aren't full-length, so these tricksters require far less fabric than the real McCoy and can often be made from inexpensive remnants.

More: How to fake a Roman shade

Make a personalized paperweight

Turn smooth river rocks into a stylish paperweight with white rub-on transfers. Or turn it into refrigerator art by adding a small magnet to the back.

More:  DIY monogrammed paperweight

Artful lampshade

A plain lampshade becomes instant art when you add a paper design to the inside lining. I LOVE
this affect!!!! What a break from the boring plain shade!!

The design remains invisible until you turn on the light. Click here for our template.

More:  Make an artful lampshade

Quick Change Projects

Add an arbor and or brick accent entrance to an outside garden patio!!!

Paint an accent wall design in just hours!!!!


Build your own table base for a unique look!!!!

Add a brick or stone accent wall for a little old world elegance!!!!!

Add a Room without adding on:

Breakfast room to laundry room

The challenge: How do you add space for a washer and dryer without adding on a laundry room?
The solution: Renovate a tiny, unused breakfast nook into a double-duty laundry room and serving area.
By concealing a front-loading washer and dryer in a custom cabinet, homeowners created a multipurpose space. One minute it's a fully functional laundry with plenty of room for folding and hanging clothes. Then, once clothes are put away, it becomes a decorative serving area.
Because the space is in plain view, the owner chose to conceal the washer and dryer within a cabinet. Baskets hide clothing, and a plate rack is adapted for hanging clothes.

Blank wall to bookcase

The challenge: How can you liven up an unused staircase wall while following a development’s design and architecture regulations?
The solution: Add a unique built-in bookcase for style and function in an unexpected place.
Instead of serving only as a path from one floor to the next, the savvy stairwell in this home offers creative storage and display space. To avoid ordinary linear shelves, boxes were built to fill the gap between the steps and the window. “Using random sizes and shapes, you obtain an artistic and visually stimulating stairway.

Closet to compact home office

The challenge: How do you add a home office to accommodate busy family life?
The solution: Take an underutilized hall closet and turn it into a useful and attractive home office.
Here the owners began to think outside the box — and inside the closet. They added shelving and a laminate desk that runs the length of the closet, and installed electrical and phone lines for proper lighting and computer use.
They also livened up the space with vivid colors (aloe green for the walls, blue for accents and accessories), a custom framed bulletin board and a decorative butterfly motif.