A great cheap way to spice up a room with just the littlest touch of color is to add a couple stripes of paint across the top of your curtains that you already have. It's simple and sure adds to a room.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Supplies needed:
2 curtains (or however many you need), can of spray paint, a bed sheet or news paper, 2 inch wide painter's tape, several sheets of paper, a pencil or pen, and a measuring stick.
Step 1:
Lay down the bed sheet or newspaper to protect the ground.
Step 2:
Lay out curtains to decide how high up you want your stripes, and then draw 4 straight lines. (1st lines 4 inches from top, 2nd lines 6 inches from top, 3rd line 9 inches from top, and 4th line 11 inches from top.)
Step 3:
Place the tape on the curtains carefully lining it up with the edges of both the top and bottom lines.
Step 4:
Then place tape on the 2 middle lines carefully filling in the 3 inches on curtain space that is not being painted.
Step 5:
Grab a few sheets of paper and line them up on the ground to add strips of tape to one edge.
Step 6:
Take the sheets of paper with tape on the edge, and line it up with the bottom of the 4th line shielding the bottom of the curtains from being painted.
Step 7:
After the parts of the curtain not being painted are covered, spray paint the top of the curtains as well as the 2 strips.
Step 8:
After the paint has dried, peel the tape off and you're finished!
Poster board canvases are what I like to say the "cheating" way of painted canvases. I mean it literally is just poster board printed with designs that you don't have to draw yourself. So in the end, the lines and designs look neater because you don't have to free hand them.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Supplies needed:
A 3x5ft printed poster board, 3 blank 9x12in canvases (or however many you choose to do), modpodge, sponge brush, pencil and a measuring stick.
Step 1:
Flip the poster board over and measure out an 8.25x11.25in rectangle. Repeat this for each canvas.
Step 2:
Cut out each rectangle and make sure they fit properly on the canvases.
HINT:
You don't want the poster board right on the rounded edges of the canvas because it'll be hard for the board to say down.
Step 3:
Paint 1 coat of modpodge all over the canvas in vertical strokes, then place the poster board on and press down to hold it in place. Let dry for 20 minutes.
HINT:
It helps to run your fingers across the poster board to get the air bubbles out as well as make it stick better.
Step 4:
Paint another vertical coat of modpodge over the poster board after the first coat has dried. Let the second coat dry for 20 minutes as well.
Step 5:
Paint a third and final coat of modpodge over the canvas, but this time with horizontal strokes.
Step 6:
Let dry for 20 minutes and repeat steps 3-5 for each canvas being made.
Girls love taking pictures and I know I have a bunch printed out, but not a lot of space to put them. I found this easy tutorial on Pinterest on how to make a bulletin board so I would have a place for my pictures. The best part about it is that you can chose whatever print of fabric and whatever color(s) of ribbon to make it match a room.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Supplies needed:
A blank 16x20in canvas (or whatever size you choose), fabric, ribbon, scissors, a pencil, super glue, measuring stick, a stapler, buttons, thread and a needle.
Step 1:
Staple the fabric around to the back of the canvas.
Step 2:
Measure across the canvas diagonally for the placement of the ribbon.
Step 3:
Pulling the ribbon as tight as it will go, carefully super glue it around to the back of the canvas.
Step 4:
Place a button on each of the (13) inside crossings of ribbon.
HINT:
You can use more buttons than 13 if you're wanting to put them on the outside edge crossings as well. It's your choice.
Step 5:
Use a little bit of super glue to secure the buttons to the fabric.
Step 6:
Go back to each button and thread through the holes to secure the ribbon to the canvas.
Print out pictures and you're good to go!
This DIY perfume platter is a great way to add some fun décor into a bedroom or even a bathroom. It also allows you to showcase your perfume as well as make each bottle easier to find. You can even choose any color or design on a platter to make it even more personable. I found this simple project from a YouTube video that I have posted on my blog under my DIY Crafting & Décor Videos to Check Out tab.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Supplies needed:Platter, pencil, candle stick holder and a hot glue gun.
Step 1:
Turn the platter over and mark out the center where you're going to place the candle holder.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Step 2:
After finding the center, place hot glue all around the rim of the candle holder and press it down to the back of the platter.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Step 3:
Hold the candle holder against the platter for about 15 seconds, allowing the glue to dry.
Step 4:
After the glue has dried, flip the platter over and fill it with the perfume you'd like to showcase.
DIY watercolor coffee mugs are great gifts and are super fun to make. The best part about it is that you can choose whatever colors you like and there's never a for sure design outcome. You dip the mug into the water and what you pull out is a surprise. They also only take less than 2 minutes to make!
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| Photo by Bailey |
Supplies needed:
A ceramic mug, nail polish (1-3 colors), warm water, a tooth pick, and a deep plastic tub.
Step 1:
Fill the tub up with warm water.
Step 2:
Pour a few drops of the 1st color into the water, and it will spread out.
Step 3:
Pour a few drops of the 2nd color into the water. Repeat with the 3rd color if you choose to use that many.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Step 4:
Take the tooth pick and swirl it around in the water to create a design with the nail polish.
HINT:You only have about 10 seconds to drop the nail polish into the water, and swirl it around before dipping your mug. If you don't work quickly the nail polish will dry out and create a film on the surface.
Step 5:
Take your mug and dip it straight down into the water for a second and then pull it out.
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| Photo by Bailey |
HINT:
Make sure not to touch the bottom of the tub with your mug or it will mess up the design. Also, be sure not to dip the inside of your mug into the water, or the nail polish will get in it.
Allow 2-3 hours for you finished product to dry. Also, hand wash the mugs only as they will not hold up well in the dishwasher. You can essentially use any ceramic piece for this DIY project, I just chose to use a mug.
Personalized coasters are a great way to add some pictures in with useful decorations, and they make great gifts as well. I made these personalized coasters for my mom's birthday with a picture of each of us kids when we were about 1-2 years old. She absolutely LOVED them! You can use them for drinks including a glass of ice cold water or a hot cup of coffee. They also look cute just sitting on your end tables to show off the pictures.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Supplies needed:
Scissors, four 4x4 in. photos, mod podge, a 1 in. foam brush, felt rounds, clear sealant spray, and four 4x4 in. black or white coasters.
Step 1:
Make 4x4 in prints at your local photo store. I just chose to go to Walgreens and make the prints for about 35 cents each.
Step 2:
Cut 1/8" off either the left or right side of the photo, as well as another 1/8" off either the bottom or the top of the photo.
Step 3:
Round the corners of the photo.
HINT:
Rounding the corners will give the photo a more "finished" looked.
Step 4:
Paint a thin vertical coat of mod podge onto a tile and then center the photo to it. Press the photo down for 10 seconds while also running your finger around the edges to make sure the photo is stuck to the mod podge. Let dry for 20 minutes.
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| Photo by Bailey |
Step 5:
Paint a second vertical coat of mod podge onto the tile, then let dry another 20 minutes. Repeat with a third coat.
Step 6:
Repeat step 5, but with a horizontal coat. This will add a little texture to the project.
HINT:
There should be a total of 3 coats of mod podge over the photo.
Step 7:
Paint a thin coat of mod podge on the edges of the coaster so they have the same shiny look as the top.
Step 8:
Repeat steps 2-7 for each of the other 3 coasters.
Step 9:
When all 4 coasters are dry, spray them with a clear sealant spray, so you can protect the photos from the drinks that will sit on them.
Step 10:
After the sealant spray has dried for about an hour, place 4 felt rounds on the back of each coaster so they don't scratch the surface of where they will be used.
The best places to find crafting items and supplies is obviously crafting stores such as Michaels and Hobby Lobby. Yes, sometimes these stores can be pricey, but they always seem to have 40% off coupons regularly each week. They also have plenty of sales going on all the time where you might not be able to use a coupon, but everything is still a really good deal.
You can find these coupons on their website home page, as well as in the newspaper. SCORE! That's two coupons for you each week. Taking advantage of these opportunities only benefits you by helping make your cheap DIY projects even cheaper. I take advantage of these coupons and sales all the time. That is why I have a lot of supplies. Everything that I have in my boxes are just a few dollars a piece, except the hot glue gun. A new one of those costs around $10, and even that isn't too bad of a price.
Here's a map to Michaels in Topeka.
Here's a map to Hobby Lobby in Topeka.
