20+ DIY Ideas for Home Decor

There's No Place Like Home Art

Reward a great quote (we cribbed from The Wizard of Oz) with the gallery treatment, courtesy of this project adapted from Meg Mateo Ilasco's Crafting a Meaningful Home.

Step 1: Lay a piece of poster board on a flat surface. Use letter stencils to spell out the phrase of your choice on the board, experimenting until you find a placement you like. (Use a ruler and pencil to mark horizontal lines for guidance.)

Step 2: Spell out the phrase backward, then flip the stencils over (you'll be turning the board over when you're done, and the words will then read correctly). Trace the letters onto the board with a pencil.

Step 3: Carefully cut out the letters with an X-Acto knife, then use hem tape to affix a patterned piece of fabric to the poster board. Flip the poster board over to reveal the finished artwork, then frame.

Mason Jar Soap Dispenser

Repurpose the classic Mason jar as a soap or lotion dispenser in your bathroom.

Step 1: First, measure and mark the center of the jar's lid.

Step 2: Using a 1/2" high-speed steel drill bit drill a hole to fit the width of a soap dispenser pump. We used pumps from old lotion bottles.

Step 3: Fill the jar with liquid soap, screw the lid back on, and insert the pump. You may need to trim the bottom of the pump to fit your jar.

Butterfly Cloches

Capture a Victorian cabinet-of-curiosities vibe—minus all the hunting and gathering—with faux butterflies. To create the vignette shown here, Use a serrated knife, cut a one-inch thick circle piece of Styrofoam into a five-inch circle. Next, cut a nine-inch circle from black velvet. Pull the fabric over the Styrofoam until taut and affix underneath with straight pins. Using our photo as a guide, cut pieces of 22-guage wire to various heights that fit within the dome. Place a dot of superglue on one wire end before sliding it into a butterfly's body; hold in place until dry. Repeat for each butterfly. Finally, insert the wires into the Styrofoam base, then top with the glass.

Embroidered Wall Art

What truly elevates this idea from contributing editor Cathe Holden is the 3-D stitching that makes these graphics pop. (Just check out the close-up at right.) Create a masterpiece from your own sack, or nab a vintage one from eBay for about $10.

Step 1: Use a seam ripper to open the bag along the seams, so you're left with a flat piece of fabric. Hand-wash, and press with an iron.

Step 2: Embroider the words and images as desired, matching your embroidery floss to the bag's colors.

Step 3: Center your bag on a blank canvas board—choose a board that allows for at least two inches of the bag's fabric to wrap around all sides ( 9"W x 12"H; ).Apply Shurtape double-sided carpet tape to the board's side and back edges (1⅜"W x 42'L).

Step 4: Tightly wrap the bag around the board, pressing it firmly against the tape; then trim away any excess fabric along the back. Add picture-hanging hardware to the back of the board (if desired) and display.

Vintage-Globe Light

We're positively glowing over this new use for an old globe, devised by contributing editor Andrea Greco. To create your own pendant, you'll need a 12-inch-diameter cardboard globe, plus a pendant light cord kit. First, remove your globe from its base, if necessary. With a utility knife, carefully make a 3½-inch-diameter opening at the bottom of your globe, using its latitude lines as a guide (convenient, right?). Then, holding the light cord's socket at the top of the globe, trace around it with a pencil, and cut out the resulting circle. Using a drill fitted with a ⅛ -inch bit, pierce small holes around the outline of each continent, leaving a quarter inch between holes. Insert the socket at the top, following the kit's instructions; then screw in a 15-watt CFL bulb from the bottom, and hang.

Papier-Mache Bowls

Upcycle shredded paper into a set of gilded decorative bowls. First, choose a bowl (or multiple different-size bowls) to use as a mold. For each container you plan to create, follow these steps:

Step 1: Tightly cover the outside of your bowl with plastic wrap, securing it on the inside with painter's tape, and turn upside down. In another bowl, mix equal parts Elmer's white school glue and water. Dip shredded paper into the mixture, evenly coating each piece; then lay the strips atop the plastic-wrapped bowl so they overlap, until the bowl's exterior is completely covered. Let dry for three hours.

Step 2: Flip the bowl right side up and trim away any excess paper along the rim with scissors. Then, loosen and separate your paper bowl from the plastic-wrapped bowl.

Step 3: Paint the interior of your paper bowl with white acrylic paint and let it dry for one hour; then paint the exterior and let it dry for an hour.

Step 4: Cover the outside of your paper bowl with wax paper, securing it to the bowl's outer rim with painter's tape. Next, apply gold leaf to the bowl's interior using our Artisans Collection Holiday Gilding Kit. 

Step 5: Apply neutral-toned Liberon Wax to the interior of the bowl with a soft cloth. Allow the wax to set for an hour, then gently buff to a shine with a clean soft cloth. Finally, remove the tape and wax paper, and display a few treasures in your lustrous vessel.

Patterned-Paper Clock

Patterned paper is all you need to overhaul a wall clock (for similar, DecoMates ; 11 3/4" diam.). We also put wallpaper samples to work (gray birds ; 21" square; Blue floral, 11"W x 27"L).

Use a screwdriver to pop off the clock's backing and battery, then lift out the face. Gently remove the hands, nut, and washer with pliers. Set aside all parts, noting their order for reassembly. Trace the shape of the clock face onto your wallpaper or printed art, then cut out the circle. Center the paper atop the face, patterned side facing out, and secure with double-sided tape. Use a T-pin to poke a hole through the paper for the clock hands; reassemble all parts and hang.

Photo-Slide Night-Light

Just apply a thin layer of E6000 adhesive to the center of the slide's back bottom edge, then adhere it to the flat side of a mounting bracket for a standard night-light (adhesive 3.7 oz. Night-light base,  mounting bracket). Let dry overnight before clipping the mounting bracket onto the night-light base.

Embroidery-Hoop Photo Frames

Step 1: For each of your prints, select an embroidery hoop that's slightly larger than the photo: a seven-inch-diameter hoop for a 3x5; a nine-inch-diameter hoop for a 4x6 (for similar hoops 7" diam).

Step 2: Cut a square of pale-hued fabric that's two inches larger than your hoop's diameter; cut a same-size square of fabric stabilizer (12" x 10-yard roll). Stack the fabric atop the stabilizer, then center and mount both in the hoop.

Step 3: Center your photo atop the mounted fabric and secure in place with small pieces of Scotch tape along all four sides. Working 1/8 inch out from the photo, use a ruler and a water-soluble marker to draw a 1/2-inch-by-1/2-inch "L" shape around each corner.

Step 4: Using black satin thread, and working from the ends of each "L" to its corner, stitch from side to side, within the lines, to create a triangle. Take care not to sew through your photo.

Step 5: Remove the tape. If any pen marks are visible, wipe them away with a damp cotton swab. Trim any excess fabric at the back of the hoop. Repeat to make a wall's worth of memories.

String-Art Trophies

Begin by painting a blank basswood plaque with two coats of semigloss, allowing one hour of drying time between coats. Let dry overnight.

Step 1: Download rabbit, horse, or steer template, resizing as necessary to fit your plaque (from left: 12"W x 16"H, $12.99; 9"W x 12"H, 13¾"W x 18"H). Print and cut out.

Step 2: Center the shape on your plaque and tape it down. Following the marks indicated on the template, hammer 3/4-inch brass nails 1/4 inch deep into the plaque (you'll need between 50 and 80 nails for each animal); then tear away the paper.

Step 3: Double-knot the loose end of a spool of 0.035-inch waxed cord ( 210 feet) to the bottommost nail. Working clockwise, stretch the cord to the next nail, loop around once, and pull taut; repeat for all nails to form the animal's outline. After you return to the initial nail, continue stretching and looping, working across and diagonally at random points, to fill the outlined shape. Once you are satisfied with your critter, tie a double knot to the nearest nail and cut the cord.

How to Make a Paintbrush Vase

Blogger Camilla Fabbri gives used paintbrushes a new lease on life with this fanciful centerpiece. "I love the way the colorful bristles look," says Fabbri, an Evanston, Illinois, artist, "and the whole thing takes just minutes." Simply space two rows of plain rubber bands around a tall, cylindrical vase, then tuck brushes (Fabbri used about 40) inside the bands until the tools completely surround the vessel.

Paint-Stick Lampshade

Transform a basic shade with paint sticks.

Those hardware-store stirrers can do more than just blend semigloss. Instead, use them to ring any cylindrical shade that's up to 14 inches tall.

Step 1: Measure the circumference of your shade to determine how many paint sticks you'll need. Each one is approximately 1"W, so for our 40"-circumference lampshade, we used 40 sticks.

Step 2: String up a length of twine with a drop cloth underneath. Dunk the unnotched end of one stick into a can of semigloss paint. Secure the unpainted end to the twine with a clothespin. Repeat with remaining sticks, varying the heights of the paint lines. Let dry for four hours.

Step 3: Place your lampshade upside down on a flat surface. Apply a line of hot glue along the length of one stick's back side, and adhere it to the lampshade, placing the notched handle end flush against the top edge (the ends of the sticks may extend past your shade's bottom edge). Repeat with remaining sticks, placing them side by side until the lampshade is covered. Finally, flip it over and position your shade on a pendant- or table-lamp base to really brighten a room.

YOU HAVE: 
Plain cylindrical lampshade
Twine
Drop cloth
Clothespins
Hot glue

YOU'LL NEED: 
40 stir sticks, 14"
Semigloss paint, 16 oz. 

Cross-Stitch Wall Art

Swap a needle and thread for a brush and paint to re-create this oversize riff on an embroidered rose, by Dutch artist Eline Pellinkhof. Don't worry: You won't have to freehand it.

Step 1: Using a pencil, mark the spot on your wall where you'd like to center the design. Draw two 54-inch lines—one vertical and one horizontal—that intersect with the mark at their midpoints. (These are the blue lines noted on our guide.)

Step 2: We recommend numbering and lettering the stencil's edges with a Sharpie, as indicated here. To replicate section I on the guide, align the stencil so that its right side is flush against the uppermost portion of your vertical line. Attach the stencil to your wall with painter's tape and use a pencil to lightly trace crosses in each box where paint is called for; then pencil in the corresponding initials for each box's paint color in the center of the cross.

Step 3: Move the stencil to the other sections indicated by our guide and continue lightly marking crosses and initials.

Step 4: Working one color at a time, and using a ¼-inch flat brush, paint all crosses in the corresponding shade indicated by our key. Let paint dry for 24 hours, then carefully erase any visible pencil lines.

Flameless Candle Decals

All you need to turn battery-operated pillars into the very epitome of a bright idea: our free filament-bulb illustrations and waterslide decal paper ( 8½"W x 11"L sheets). Download the images of your choice and resize them, as necessary, to fit your candles. Print each image onto a sheet of decal paper and cut out. Following the package instructions for the paper, transfer the image to your candle; let set for 30 minutes. Apply a coat of protective sealant (Krylon Crystal Clear Acrylic Spray), and allow five minutes of drying time before flicking the candle on.

Lampshade-Frame Cocktail Tables

This project, featured in Juliette Goggin and Stacy Sirk's book Junk Genius, offers a smart way to upcycle cast-off lampshades—usually no more than $10 to $20 apiece at flea markets.

Step 1: Using scissors or an X-Acto knife, remove and discard all the fabric from your lampshade.

Step 2: Working in a well-ventilated area, apply two coats of white spray paint to the frame, allowing 30 minutes of drying time after each coat (Rust-Oleum All-Surface aerosol paint 12 oz.).

Step 3: Have a professional cut safety glass sized to either the same diameter as your frame's bottom or up to four inches wider; this typically costs from $50 to $70 for an 18- to 24-inch diameter piece. Apply a layer of strong-bonding clear epoxy along the top edge of the lampshade frame. Carefully center the glass atop the frame. Let dry for 24 hours before resting anything atop your repurposed masterpiece.

Mini Domes

Upend ordinary glassware as display domes.

To create these super-adorable mini cloches, raid your kitchen. We used (from left) a tumbler, a stemless wineglass, and a canning jar. Glue an iron lamp finial—like a tree—to the bottom of each container with a thin coat of E6000 Multipurpose Adhesive. Let harden for an hour before enclosing tiny treasures underneath.

ork & Spoon Door Pulls

Fashion these sturdy handles from two same-size serving pieces.

Step 1: Flip one facedown, then following the package directions, apply bonding glue to the flat end of a one-inch aluminum screw post. Quickly press the post to the base of the flatware's handle (approximately a half inch from the end), and hold until a bond forms. Let dry for 20 minutes.

Step 2: At the serving end of the utensil, find the flattest point to glue on a second post (approximately two inches in from the end). Let dry, then repeat for second utensil.

Step 3: Remove your existing cabinet hardware and drill new holes, if necessary, to correspond with the posts. Finish by screwing flatware into place from the inside of the doors.

Recycled-Sweater Sham

To make this sham, you'll need an 18-inch square pillow insert and a large sweater, cut into two 19-inch squares. Sew the right sides of the wool together along the edges, leaving the bottom open. Turn right side out and insert the pillow form, then stitch the bottom closed. For the flower, cover a two-inch circle of card stock with a piece of a thin sweater; hot-glue to the circle's back. Next, fold a 3- by 20-inch strip of another sweater in half lengthwise. Glue the edges together, then sew a running stitch down the strip lengthwise along the glued seam. Once you've stitched the entire length, pull the thread to gather the fabric and knot. Hot-glue the gathered edge in a circle to the back of the card stock, then hot-glue a pin-back in the center and affix to the pillow.

Ruler Table Runner

Follow the steps below to do a number on a drab drop cloth.

Step 1: Cut a strip from the drop cloth that measures 14¼"W × 8'1¼"L; press it to iron out any wrinkles. To hem all four edges: Turn each under ⅝"; press, then stitch in place using a ½-inch seam allowance. The fabric strip should now measure 13"W × 96"L.

Step 2: Working on one of the strip's long sides and starting at a short end, use a ruler and a pencil to measure and mark one inch at a time; continue until you reach the other end. Repeat on the opposite side of the strip. Next, using your ruler and our photo as a guide, draw a line at each mark, varying the line lengths. At each 16th mark, draw a line that crosses the entire strip. Trace over the lines using a black fabric marker, which dries almost instantly.

Step 3: Just left of each line that crosses the strip, and working in numerical order, center a six-inch-high number stencil. Affix with stencil adhesive.

Step 4: Using a foam stencil brush, fill in the stencil with fabric paint. Let dry about four hours. Remove stencils; if needed, touch up the numbers with a paintbrush. To clean the runner, wash by hand and hang dry.

Paper Quilt

"Stitch" up a colorful paper quilt—no sewing necessary! this playful take on a folk-art staple offers a smart way to repurpose scraps of paper. Select four different patterned papers; cut 20 two-inch squares from three of them and 21 two-inch squares from the fourth (the extra square will serve as the center of your quilt). Adhere the squares to an 18-inch-square illustration board using a glue stick. Then, pop the quilt in a frame to show off your handiwork.

Paint-by-Number Side Table

Measure the surface you want to cover, and mark those dimensions atop the desired section of your painting. Score the marked lines with a craft knife, then cut along the scored marks with sharp scissors. Secure the image to your object's surface with a strong adhesive, like Magna-Tac 809, and let dry for an hour. Protect the image with two coats of Plaid Clear Acrylic Matte Sealer, allowing 15 minutes of drying time after each coat. Table: For most tabletops, you'll need to use a larger than average painting.

Wall Decals

For a delicate stenciled effect on a wall, stylist Paul Lowe took a digital snapshot of a Royal Copenhagen Blue Fluted Mega plate. After enlarging the pattern by several hundred percent, he printed the designs on standard printer paper and cut them out. To determine the best arrangement, he first taped the patterns to the wall with tiny pieces of tape. Then he applied wallpaper paste to the backs of the designs and attached them to the wall.

Cable Spool Table

Step 1: To build this brilliant "bookmobile" - crafted by Halligan Norris Smith and featured in Grace Bonney's Design*Sponge at Home - search a commercial salvage yard or sites like eBay for a wooden cable spool (usually under $50). You'll also need about 12 three-quarter-inch-thick wooden dowels that measure at least as tall as the spool when it's lying flat on either wheel.

Step 2: Lay the spool on one of its wheels, then use a ruler to measure the distance from the top of the top wheel to the top of the bottom wheel. Use a handsaw to cut the dowels to this size, then sand the spool and dowels.

Step 3: Measure the distance from one wheel's outer edge to the spool's core. Divide that number in half.

Step 4: Beginning at the outer edge of the top of the top wheel, measure in the distance computed in Step Three. Mark with a pencil. Repeat around the spool's circumference, spacing marks an equal distance apart.

Step 5: At each mark, drill all the way through the top wheel, using a three-quarter-inch spade bit. Then, with a hammer, drive a dowel into each hole, until the dowel's bottom is secured against the bottom wheel. Paint spool and dowels, if desired; let dry.

Step 6: Evenly space three casters in a triangle pattern atop the top wheel, placing each caster about an inch in from the edge, and drill into place. Flip the spool over and you're ready to roll.

Cane Chair

Give the ubiquitous thrift store find a makeover with a colorful, stitched design.

Step 1: Use a pattern to trace a design onto the chair in pencil.

Step 2: Use a back stitch to thread chunky yarn (available at craft stores) through each opening.

TIP: To maneuver yarn more easily, wrap the ends with tape.

These are some ideas for DIY crafts.