Skills & How Tos

This DIY project is totally impressive if you’re a fan of the Kubus candleholder that inspired it. It’s also pretty impressive even if you’ve never seen a Kubus. For under a day and under $20 you can have a totally gift-able, beautiful candle holder. Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 24 Hours Project Cost: Under $15 From Sara: The first time I saw this candleholder I felt instantly in love with it.

We’re card carrying members of the string light appreciation society and Therese’s fun and inventive DIY is a great way to add another whimsical light source to your home. Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 1 hour Project Cost: Around $10 LED Lighting Chain Metal Wire Hanger Pliers To get the frame for my cloud I bent a metal wire hanger in the cloud shape I wanted. You’ll need some strength and patience to finish this step.

I found a gorgeous mustardy yellow vintage suitcase, which I upcycled into a fabulous side table. Not only that, I added extra character to the case with some vintage luggage labels. You can download these vintage luggage labels on my blog for free. This vintage suitcase looks great either as a bedside table or a coffee table. It’s also really useful for storage of stuff like magazines.

This lovely little tray can do double duty of both helping you organize your space while jazzing it up. It’s also totally customizable, so follow Cassie’s instructions to make it your own! Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 2 hours active time, 24 hours to cure Project Cost: $50 From Cassie: I am in the middle of redecorating my bedroom, and one of the major upgrades I will be adding is a vanity area.

It’s been two years since readers gave Laura advice about increasing the curb appeal of her rental property and she’s back with an update. Her plan was to make the lawn healthier and add some shrubs. She was also considering painting the shutters or siding and asked readers to help decide what color might go nicely with the yellow. So, let’s find out how this house looks now and which advice Laura ran with!

I have to admit, I’ve never once looked at my trashcan as a design opportunity. Now, thanks to Claire, I’m so ready to bring some pattern to my kitchen. Take it away Claire! From Claire: Over the last few years wallpaper has come back in fashion and there are tons of fantastic designs out there. Wallpaper is not just for walls, you can decorate loads of things with it. As many great design houses produce their own wallpapers it can be cheap way of getting that designer look.

An easy way to dress up any kitchen is to switch out the dated drawer and cabinet pulls. With so many options out there it can be hard to narrow down the search (and it can be easy to spend much more than initially planned). But have you ever thought of making them yourself? Sarah did just that! After painting her rental’s super basic kitchen cabinets a dark moody color (Behr’s Submarine Grey) she installed her DIY leather pulls and took her bland stock kitchen to a whole new level.

The Ikea Nolmyra has so much potential. Great lines, perfect scale, cool bent plywood legs. But with that stock gray mesh cover, it’s a like a sexy foot stuck in a dirty running shoe. You can easily upgrade it, though. Just toss a $12 Gurli throw into your Ikea cart, and we’ll show you how to give this cool little lounge chair a whole new look. Gurli throw (or 1.

Brandon and Morgan, a couple who live in a sweet house in Asheville, North Carolina, decided to make their own curtain rods after discovering how limited the options were at their local hardware stores. They wanted an attractive, simple (and of course, cheap) curtain rod for each of the windows in their home so when Morgan came across copper plumber’s piping, she knew she had found a solution. The project can be done in an under an hour and for under $80 (that’s for 4-5 curtain rods!

Serena & Lily IKEA FJELLSE Bed (I only had space for a single, but go for the queen!) Molding of your choosing (I used two of these from Home Depot) Set of IKEA VÄSENTLIG Curtain Finials White Spray Paint Set of Table Legs (I used these from Lowe’s) 2 Tee Nuts (make sure the thread size matches your table legs) 24″ Open Cane Webbing Wood Glue Saw Hammer Clamps Staplegun 1. Spray paint all the pieces before you get started. 2.

Central air conditioning can be a lifesaver for keeping our homes cool in the summer months, but the look of the air conditioning units themselves leave much to be desired when it comes to backyard ambience. With our home being a duplex, my husband, Ken, and I had double-trouble air conditioner units located next to our backyard patio, and we needed to find a solution for hiding them in plain sight without interfering with their efficiency.

Everyone loves the look of a vintage refrigerator — especially a colorful model. If you’re really lucky, you bring home a brand new Smeg, or Big Chill for your kitchen. But if you’re a purist, or on a slimmer budget, you make your dream of a colorful vintage refrigerator come true for much, much less by rolling up your sleeves and doin’ it yourself.

With so many amazing outdoor activities during the warm seasons, this all-purpose fabric towel is a handy (and handsome) accessory to keep stashed away in your car or scooter bucket. Impromptu cliff diving excursion? No prob, you’ve got a great towel/cover up. Picnic in the park over your lunch break? Bust out the blanket!

IKEA’s MELODI pendant lamp is a really great blank slate — there are a million ways to tweak and hack one to make it yours. Weave the plastic shade with natural round reed get a contrasting mix of materials that’s both organic and modern. IKEA MELODI Pendant Lamp Natural Round Reed Scotch Tape Spray Paint (optional) Tools Drill & Bits X-Acto Knife Measuring Tape Pen 1. Wrap the tape measure around the diameter of the lamp and put an odd number of pen marks on the shade.

Bottles covered in macramé, or knotted rope, are an old school craft — the result reads either nautical or Bohemian. The netting’s an easy way to add texture and decorative pattern to a surface, and it works particularly well with glass bottles and tall vases. Learn how to do it here, and then start knotting! IKEA 365+ Glass Carafe Twine Scissors 1. Tie a circle of twine around the top of the glass bottle.

This week Camille is sharing her real life rental challenge and how she transformed her dingy carpeted entryway stairs (with her landlord’s permission!) into something more welcoming, yet still temporary. If you want to see the first post, check out the before photos here. Removing wallpaper can be a terrible task and it’s the last thing anyone wants to deal when they move. This tutorial uses a temporary adhesive that works well for wallpaper in smaller pieces.

making a comeback 9″ x 11″ frame that has an interior depth of at least ¾” and spring-loaded backing clips on the back of the frame. I used this picture frame. 36″ x 12″ piece of black felt 1″ White plastic letters Pencil Scissors Ruler or T-Square Hot glue gun Mitre or circular saw Qty 18 – 3/16″ thick square balsa wood dowels, 24″ long 1.

If you love a good backsplash and want to bring some DIY flair to your kitchen but are a little tile averse, Claire has a fun solution for you! Skill Level: Moderate Time Required: 2-3 Hours Project Cost: $150-$200 Harlequin Wallpaper – Palmetto Demoiselle about 1/3 roll Wallpaper adhesive 5.5mm thick hardwood ply cut to size of backsplash (can be done in store) 4mm toughened low iron glass which we got cut to size at the store.

We all know that the kitchen tool drawer can get messy fast. Housing everything from uni-tasking gadgets to everyday workhorses like cooking spoons, it’s easy for them to become a tangled jumble. And since we all have different items and drawers, there’s no one organizational solution that will work for everyone. Or is there? The answer is to build your own drawer inserts. You can customize them to fit both your exact drawer dimensions and your specific needs.

This gorgeous wreath perfectly straddles summer and fall, and is super easy to make. Set aside one hour and you can have earthy and welcoming door decor! Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 1 hour Project Cost: $25-30 (if you already have a glue gun) From Caitlin: An inspiring DIY wreath project you can enjoy anytime of year from the photographer and stylist, Caitlin Atkinson, and author of Plant Craft: 30 Projects that Add Natural Style to your Home.

Looking to add a festive vibe to your home, without all the glitter and lights? Orange pomander balls are quite possibly the quickest and best all-natural, great smelling, non-gaudy decoration you can make this holiday season. And according to our ancestors of yore, they ward off bad spirits and bring strength and fortune —a holiday bonus. Make them around Thanksgiving and, if dried correctly, they’ll last through the entire holiday season, and maybe even longer.

If your home is feeling a bit stale, here’s a way to freshen it up and move forward with positive intentions. Burning herbs and flowers is a customizable twist on the incense you might remember from college. Choose your favorite blend of organic materials—based on their individual scents and properties—and create your own unique aromatherapy.

I feel fairly confidant in my ability to spot an IKEA hack, but this project had me doing a double take. Christina’s project is not a casual, pick up and craft DIY, but it’s so perfectly executed that we had to share!

When I moved into my apartment last summer the closet doors in my second bedroom/office were already banged up and constantly falling off. It was a small room with bi-fold doors on the closet, so I was daydreaming about the space-saving benefits of sliding doors. Finally, after months of constantly putting the doors back into place after they fell off, I decided to fix the problem for good and install some brand-new sliding doors.

Framing a garment can seem like an intimidating process, but it’s actually quite easy to do yourself. The framing pros have a lot of specialized tools and tricks (like using a tagging gun instead of hand stitching, for instance), but for us weekend warriors, it’s all about using simple tools and getting the job done so we can enjoy our completed gallery wall that much sooner. So grab your grandpa’s letter sweater or your granny’s floral girdle and get to framing!

If you’re the kind of person who loves the look of embroidery, but “can’t even“ with the time it takes to tediously work every single stitch into a project, punch needle might just be for you. Lazy crafter? Punch needle. Can’t ever seem to color inside the lines? Punch needle. Enjoys crafting while sipping a bottle of wine? Pick up a punch needle. Punch needle has been around for a very, very long time.

Ryan and Michelle are all about DIY projects in and around their Annapolis, Maryland home. Whether it’s propagating bamboo for privacy fencing, re-tiling bathrooms, or building custom furniture pieces, they love projects that allow them to save money while making their house more of a home. Ryan’s latest project – a DIY floor mirror – is no exception. Learn how to make your own by following his helpful tutorial.

Textured spray paints have come and gone over the years and for the most part, I’ve been happy to see them go. But I think I finally found one product that I’d like to have stick around for a while — Rust-Oleum’s Stone Creations Spray. I used it to transform this cheap metal IKEA table into a granite and brass look-a-like. Here’s what I started with, the GLADOM tray table in green which costs $29.99.

Lumbar pillows get a lot of love on Apartment Therapy, and for good reason. They’re the easiest way to pull together your bedroom. One long statement piece in front of your standard shams and bam! Instant style. But if you can’t find exactly what you want or just wish that one Anthropologie pillow was several shades turned down (and many dollars less), we have the DIY to make your own.

What do you get when you mix Edgar Allen Poe and a bit of glam? A bewitching style that’s all about rich blacks, candles, and skulls. And if you’re into skulls, you’ll be into this quick and easy DIY. Using silicon skull molds and plaster, you can add the perfect garland accent to your Halloween spread, or leave it up and keep your glam goth game strong all year long. Plaster of Paris Silicon skull ice mold Eye hooks String Bucket Paint stirrer or similar 1.

Keep the cold out (and the heat in) with these simple tricks!

The more you give, the cheaper it gets.

Soap is one of those DIYs I thought would be more complicated than it turned out to be. All the soaps on Pinterest are so beautiful — there was no way they could be easy as well! But with my rapidly growing essential oil collection, and need for some quick holiday gifts, I thought this would be a good way to use them. Before even preparing the soap base, mix your essential oils to preference in a non-reactive container (like glass).

Painter’s tape is a modern miracle isn’t it? I mean, sure, the Great Pyramids are cooler, but when it comes right down to it, there isn’t much the blue tape can’t do. We’ve used it to spruce up furniture, for child safety, and to pull off quick and easy design projects. But there’s another genius use for the stuff, and we wish we’d known about it sooner. There are a few things in life that make me cringe.

My husband and I have a bit of a country mouse, city mouse relationship–he grew up in rural Virginia surrounded by cattle and I grew up in Los Angeles surrounded by professors. Normally we’re two peas in a pod, but occasionally we’re reminded of our different upbringings in unexpected ways—like when we were picking paint colors to paint our first apartment together.

One of the easiest ways to effectively upgrade any living space is by adding some artwork—and contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend a fortune on it.

Have blooms in your house every day of the year—and stay on budget.

If your closet closely resembles an upended store at the mall, one simple change creates a sleek space.

Feeling stifled by your small space? Just because you’re tied to a small footprint doesn’t mean your home has to feel limiting. Just ask tiny home dwellers. All you need to do is shift your thinking. To help you maximize the space you do have, we asked designers to share their best tips—no renovations required.“When floor space is at a premium, take to the walls,” says Decorist designerErika Dale.

“Woodworking” might sound intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! Wood is relatively cheap, making it a fantastic DIY material for experimenting. Once you master the basics, the possibilities are near-endless. These beginner-friendly woodworking projects prove you don’t have to be a master craftsman to try your hand at handmade decor. No power tools are required for this simple blanket ladder—just a saw, rope, and some dowels.

Tassels are a great way to add color and texture to absolutely anything. Beautiful additions to gift wrap, home decor, and fashion —they are a project you should absolutely add to your DIY repertoire. Tassels can be made out of an array of materials, from silk and wool yarns to basic cotton embroidery threads. While there are a number of ways you can construct a tassel, we chose a basic method you can use on any material. Yarn or Thread Scissors 1.

The kitchen magician or grill master in your life will love this handmade, personalized BBQ mop from you! Pair this easy-to-make kitchen tool with a jar of homemade sauce 100% cotton twine 3/4″ x 12″ wood dowel (I found mine in a 3 pack at a hobby store, but you can always cut a longer dowel down to size.) 2 zip ties (use clear if you can find them!) Scissors 1. Wrap the cotton twine around a book or piece of cardboard that is 4″-6″ in length approximately 40-60 times. 2.

These rice and lavender hand warmers are a cozy winter treat. They may seem to lack a certain high powered, high priced, in-demand shiny Christmas present quality, but believe me, they are magical. Because nothing is more comforting when you just can’t get warm. Make them for your office mates, your aunt, your dog walker — everyone will love them. Guaranteed.

This simple little strap is just as useful as it is cute -and it takes just minutes to make. No sewing machine? No problemo! We constructed this beauty out of webbing found at the craft store and specialty fabric tape. So as long as you’ve got an iron and an embroidery needle, you can easily tackle this cheerful little stocking stuffer. Or combine it with a yoga mat for a more substantial gift.

Mural, mural, on the wall Who is the fairest of them all?Answering that question right now is a tough challenge. Fantastic, design-forward murals are all over the interwebs—and the right one can seriously elevate your space. Plus, retailers are working directly with independent artists to create affordable, large-scale murals. That’s a nice bonus for us wall-art size queens who lack the means to buy originals.Even better: Modern murals are easy to apply and even easier to take down.

I remember my first time—seeing a pot filler, that is. A couple years back, I walked into the freshly remodeled kitchen of a friend, who also happens to be an incredible interior designer. It had all the drool-worthy bells and whistles: the butcher block-topped island, a gorgeous marble backsplash, ceiling-height custom cabinets, and a breakfast nook with statement lighting. And a pot filler.What is that for? I asked.

File under Who Knew?!: That plunger you probably have sitting by your toilet isn’t the only kind of plunger out there. It’s probably not even meant for what you think it’s meant for. The plunger and brush combo kit hanging out in everyone’s bathroom is a move-in staple bought on auto-pilot. Plungers are one of the most common tools for dealing with life’s little emergencies, but they are not a one-size-fits-all-toilets tool.

Oops. That’s the last word you want to hear coming out of your mouth when you’re painting. But things happen. Painting may seem straightforward, but a surprising number of things can go wrong. Blame it on bad luck, poor planning, or Mercury in retrograde—whatever. Sometimes things just get royally screwed up and you need to fix them, now. Almost anything paint-related is fixable, if you know what to do and act in the appropriate timeframe.

The power of paint can’t be denied – we all know how it can transform a room, but the effect is also powerful when it comes to projects that involve the application of paint to furniture and cabinetry. Here are ten examples from the archives (including one where the “furniture” didn’t even exist prior to the paintjob!); check out the befores in this gallery and then click through on each for the always-fun-to-see afters.

Perhaps Valentine’s Day isn’t your thing. Totally cool. Maybe Valentine’s Day chocolate (and only the chocolate) is your thing. I so hear you. But if you’re thinking of decorating your space for a romantic night in or looking for a fun activity for a Galentine’s Day party, Helena’s easy and adorable garland is a fast and fun way to get in the Valentine’s Day spirit.

Maybe it’s the capital letters, but LEGO and IKEA seem like a match made in DIY heaven. Thanks to Stéphanie you can hack your way to an adorable and inexpensive LEGO holder.

A good majority of us have been there- that moment when you realize your phone is headed straight for a big puddle/tub/bowl of liquid. The moment that practically guarantees you have to buy a very expensive replacement. But if you’re quick enough, you may be able to throw one last Hail Mary and revive your digital device from the brink of death with this pantry staple. 2-4 cups instant rice Large zip top bag 1. As soon as possible (seconds count, act fast!

Some single-use gadgets and home tools just take up space versus regularly make our lives easier. It’s hard to purchase an entire device that just de-pills sweaters, for example, when you know it will wind up languishing in your cabinet or drawer. Which is why it’s great to discover multiple handy uses for ordinary objects and materials you already have lying around the house. Today’s unsung household hero: sandpaper.

I can’t remember how I first heard about Morgan Spenla and the company she’d started just a few years ago, The Crafter’s Box, but something made me stop, check out the site and call her up to find out what she was doing. What she was doing was building a company in her hometown of San Diego around a personal passion and a professional belief that crafting is a true antidote for our web addled world.

Walk into any recently renovated home today and chances are you’ll see a lot of greige—a neutral color that’s the perfect combination of gray and beige. There’s no denying it’s the paint color du jour. It’s funny how, oftentimes, you can instantly pinpoint how modern (or not) a room is just by looking at the color of the walls. Some day our children might look back and wonder why we all plastered our walls in such a boring color!

Before Ashley put her guest house up on Airbnb, she wanted to give the bathroom a fun update. It was simple and sparse in comparison to the rest of the home, so, even though she was working on a tight budget, she was determined to use her DIY tricks and unique style to make it an exciting space for guests. Ashley carved as much time out of her schedule as she could—during nap times, evenings, and weekends—to work on the bathroom.

My fiance and I have spent our last two weekends priming ceilings. It’s hard work, but rewarding. Every night after a few hours’ work, we fastidiously clean out the rollers and brushes, using more water than we’d like—and they’re never up to par the next day. This was our practice until a friend stopped by today and let us in on a painter’s secret.To make the rollers and brushes last much, much longer (and save gallons of water in the meantime!

I come across so many beautiful baskets in stores that I forget these items are often handmade. With a little bit of practice and patience, it’s not so hard… as long as you start small. After all, they don’t joke about bird courses as ‘basket weaving’ courses for nothing! I recommend preparing your materials (find local materials, then dry and soak them), then weaving them into small shapes or flat mats.

After careful deliberation, my girlfriend recently decided to say farewell to hour long bus commutes to pursue some promising freelance opportunities and work from home. The bad news? We only have one home office space between us in our modest sized one bedroom apartment (and in reality it’s only the smallest of converted closet spaces).When space is at a premium, dining tables can easily become serviceable desks. The challenge is keeping it organized for dual duty.

Q: The ceiling in my stairwell to the basement rises the full height of the house. From the bottom landing to the ceiling is probably more than 20 feet, and the corners up there are getting heavy with cobwebs. How on earth can I clean up there? My largest extending tool only goes to six feet. I’m 5’3″!

Make your whole project that much easier.

The fireplace is almost always the centerpiece of the room —all furniture and decor tend to revolve around it. If you don’t happen to be head over heels for yours, chances are you won’t ever really love that room. The most effective and satisfying way to remedy the problem? Update the interior with paint. Cleaning supplies (vinegar + water, nylon scrub brush) Dropcloth Painters tape Paintbrush Small paint roller for textured surfaces Primer Flat or Satin topcoat Clean.

Are your outlets holding plugs nice and snug? If not, it might be time for you to change them out. Yes, fatigued outlets are a nuisance but they can also be potential fire hazards. And what about the appearance of your outlets? Are they old and outdated and could stand a new look? Don’t be intimidated! It’s not as hard as it looks (or expensive!) to replace an electrical outlet. ScrewdriverNeedle nose pliersNew electrical outlet (Also called a receptacle.

This adorable little brass tubing planter has been making its way around Pinterest lately —and for good reason. It’s just as fun as it is affordable and stands about 18″ tall so it’s a perfect addition to any small space! If you’ve yet to work with brass tubing, this is a fantastic intro project to get your feet wet.

Maybe the front door is drafty or the floor isn’t insulated. Maybe there’s a big window that’s always cold to the touch. Maybe you enter through a dark and damp basement. For whatever reason, your entryway is always freezing cold this time of year. As a renter, there are a few things you can do to warm up this high-traffic space in your home.

For years, I’ve wanted to get my hands on a vintage vanity and re-work it into a really functional workspace. So when my mom texted me a photo of this little beauty from a yard sale, I knew the time had come! One of the reasons it has taken me so long to pull the trigger on this project was because all the vanities I was coming across were in really beautiful condition.

It’s almost November, and the cold — really cold — weather will be here before you can snap your fingers. Get a jump on winter by taking care of a few things in and around the house now, while it’s still bearable temperature-wise, and you aren’t knee deep in snow and ice. Here are seven things to make for an easier transition into the cold… 1.

Repairing small cracks and holes in your walls is an essential home improvement skill. It’s quick and easy to do on your own, once you know how. We’ve gathered together a few good tips and photos to show you how its done; check it out, gather your supplies and give it a try…you can do it! Light weight spackle or non-shrink joint compoundPutty knifeFine grit sanding block 1. Sand around the crack or use a putty knife to remove any loose paint or drywall. 2.

Spray paint is an easy and affordable way to spruce up something you already have or transform a cheap craigslist find. You can spray paint pretty much anything; but a seemingly simple spray paint project can quickly go south if done poorly. Drips, crackling and uneven coverage are all common problems that can be avoided if you take your time and know what you’re doing. Here are some general tips for making your next spray paint project a success.

If you only own one household tool, it’s probably a cordless drill. They’re pretty essential for even the most basic home improvement projects. But it’s not just a matter of grabbing one and getting to work. Drills may seem straightforward, but there are actually a lot of ways to mess up. Here are some common mistakes to watch out for.

But we're so glad it happened.

This bathroom definitely had a look going on: lots of wood, plenty of lace, and baroque lights hung from chain swags. But after one week of hard work, the room is now a pink powerhouse packed full of handmade touches. Racheal Jackson—@banyanbridges on Instagram—did every single bit of this outstanding renovation, laying tile, installing a new sink and faucet, painting, creating a concrete countertop, and refacing the vanity doors and drawers.