From My DIY Inspiration Files
March 11, 2010
The Special Interest Publications by Better Homes & Gardens are one of my all time favorite go to resources for DIY ideas. Today, I thought I’d pass along some of the ideas from my inspiration files that I think are completely fabulous.
Enjoy !
How cool is this idea to wallpaper the drawers of a dresser with a little decoupage ?
Sew a half dozen sheer napkins together for a cafe curtain, and add charm with mismatched flatware as curtain hooks !
Add a pop of color to your pantry by sewing kitchen towels into basket liners.
Jazz up your summer table by hot gluing decorative items like sea glass (or vintage buttons, glass gems, etc.) to plain napkin rings.
Transform the drab into the fab by backing an ordinary bookshelf with wallpaper and replacing the wood shelves with glass. Très chic !
Refashion a shutter and some brackets into a one-of-a-kind shelf and coat rack for your entry.
Add vintage charm with skeleton keys mounted to an embroidery hoop backed with scrap paper or wallpaper remnants. Very creative !
Float stock cabinets off the wall, remove two doors, then add a pop of color to the remaining door fronts. I love the crafty clock made out of foam core, paper secured with spray adhesive, chipboard numbers and an clock making kit. So fun !
Got a great vintage piece of cloth but you’ll never wear the outdated piece ? Refashion it into shams and an accent pillow. Brilliant !
Create a sheer canopy with panels and a ceiling medallion centered above a bed.
Use garden hanging baskets mounted low in a kid’s room to corral toys and books. Be sure to secure to your wall studs !
Build a unique pencil holder out of rosettes from the lumber department ! Or how about this – fill a pair of them with sand, top it with another rosette, and you’d have a perfect set of original bookends.
Add interest to a plain vase by using painter’s tape to create your design, then sponging on some colored glass paint.
Convert an old fashioned end table into a modern file cart and tool storing station. This is genius !
Add a touch of garden themed whimsy to your kitchen by bringing in a trellis and displaying your kitchen utensils.
Another plain shelf is given new life with fresh paint, contrasting scalloped molding, and decorative paper secured to the back. You can spot the ‘Before’ in the bottom corner.
All images courtesy of Better Homes & Gardens Special Interest Publications.
Aren’t these the most fabulous ideas ? Which one is your favorite ?
Tags: bhg, inspiration file
love the garden holders on the wall of the kids room. that is a great idea.
Very Nice.Off to the stores I go.
Awesome photos!!
Happy Friday.
We can’t afford magazine subs right now so I wanted to thank you for a peek at the goodies in this one. As I was scrolling down, I let out a resounding “HA! I’VE ALREADY DONE THAT!” The hubster was thrilled that it was something we already had instead of something new I wanted to try…heehee! After 2 years of holding up morning glories, I yanked our old falling apart trellis insided, gave her a good clean up, glued all of the wobbly parts and painted her up pretty. She’s been the focal point of my kitchen ever since! She’s sooooo puuuuurty with fake ivy vines twising around and teeny tiny sauce pans culled from Grandma’s basement hanging all over. I plopped some S hooks here and there and hang herbs to dry on her as well! I had doubts about this project when I first started it 4 years ago but how cool is it that we’ve got the seal of approval now!?! Thanks again!
I LOVE the rolling cart! Can you please share the name and date of the magazine that photo came out of?
Thanks!
Good morning, ms CG!
These are totally awesome and lovely ideas, but I always feel like they don’t apply to my (ugh rental suite) home. Mostly I get perplexed by what to do in the kitchen (especially with storage), the bathroom (it’s very white, while only the towels and floor mat provide colour; its a very small space w/ no window as well), and sometimes the bedroom, but as long as the clutter is gone and the bed is made, I don’t mind so much. It’s always dark in there anyway.
Any ideas? We have stuff on the walls, but it always feels so drab and boring! After two years of the same thing, I am ready for a change!
Oooh love the glass shelf idea, very pretty! I’m hankering to start decoupaging onto furniture, it just looks gorgeous
i love each of these ideas! i’m laughing at myself, though, because my absolute favorite was the mismatched flatware reuse idea
Hi!
I love all the great ideas you posted…….BHG is my favorite place to find inspiration. You should come visit my blog and see my before and after of my cottage kitchen! It was a monumental undertaking, but SO worth it now! You won’t believe it’s the same cabinets….I don’t and I’m the one that did the work! LOL
Have a great day!
(really love the cafe curtain with utensils idea, thanks for posting!)
OMG, awesome ideas. I might have to try a few, esp the wallpaper ones!
My favorite is the dress turned pillow, and there is a good reason it’s my favorite right now! I am currently wearing an adorable vinatage skirt I found at the thrift store, but it’s a tad tight on my waist, and annoying me. I have been thinking all day how well the design would go in my bedroom as a pillow. Seeing this dress turned pillow made me smile
. I can’t wait to make my new pillow, but am sad to say goodbye to the skirt!
in love with ur blog. obviously
but HAD to stop and say the garden basket idea for storage in the kids’ rooms is GENIUS. love it.
This is so rewarding to look at. Your file of DIY ideas has now become my file of DIY ideas. I especially like the shutter turned the coat rack. I think, I’m subscribing to BHG now.
If you like the look of wallpapered furniture, you’ll LOVE this post! My roommates are going to kill me…
http://grubbygirls.wordpress.com/2010/04/20/i-know-its-called-wall-paper-but-ima-put-it-on-my-fan/