Handmade

Try this before thrifting your oldest pair of jeans.

You’ll get nostalgic every time you look at it.

This is so much cuter than a basic frame.

Your creative side will love this.

And it’s removable.

“It was such a simple yet impactful change.”

The possibilities are endless.

Because we know you want plants EVERYWHERE. (We do, too.)

My love affair with mudcloth is well documented. If you are unfamiliar with the stuff, mudcloth is a somewhat heavy fabric, sewn in strips, and dyed naturally with mud. It usually has a graphic pattern of geometric lines and dots, in high contrast black and white. Given the process of making it, it’s no surprise that the real deal is also somewhat expensive.

“Decorative art isn’t necessarily created just by bona fide artists. Everyday folks can get in on the action too, and make custom work for their walls. We asked our house tour residents to tell us about their DIY art projects, and the results are endlessly impressive. 1. Above, a Southwestern rug-inspired painted canvas from Kathryn & Perry’s “Have Less Do More” Apartment: My proudest DIY has got to be our little dining nook/statement art wall!

At Apartment Therapy, we believe the more personal you make your space, the happier you will be in it (and that goes for the time you spend caring for the roads leading up to your space, too!). In today’s video, Grandpa Carl shows us his hand-built custom snowblower cab, which he invented and built for less than it would cost to buy one commercially.

The key to making a table lamp is finding the correct socket set-up and mount. Some readymade kits already exist but, otherwise, you have to figure out what works best for your chosen vessel-turned-lamp base. I myself had a random wooden vase/candleholder that perfectly accommodated a basic globe shade from the hardware store. It was screaming to become a lamp, and I was more than happy to oblige.

Brooklyn to West‘s Ariele has done it again. In my opinion, she’s the junkyard, dumpster diving, demo-ed house DIY Queen. This gal finds discarded household materials throughout Brooklyn and transforms them into artistic, thoughtful, and beautiful everyday objects. Most recently, she’s taken floorboards and changed them into cheese boards. Genius? YES!Ariele never ceases to amaze me.

I’m on a DIY framing kick right now, and dealing with all the artwork I’ve accumulated in the past year. I’ve also discovered rare earth magnets, which are proving very handy for various projects (like this wall organizer). Put the two together and you get a cheap and custom way to temporarily hang artwork that’s easy to swap out when you’re ready to display something else.

I get obsessed with things I see on Pinterest, and this padded headboard (okay, the whole place) is one of my recent fixations. I like the modern, streamlined look of it— but that it’s also more relaxed than a lot of the tufted, nailhead DIY headboards I see all the time.

These simple and sweet Easter baskets, made from sugar and string, are a great DIY project for the upcoming holiday. Reader Krys shows you how her grandmother used to make them when she was growing up. Read on to learn to make them yourself: 3 cups sugar Acrylic spray Lace or ribbon (optional) 1 spool crochet thread (350 yards) 3-9 inch balloon Approx.

I’m a big fan of DIY lighting projects— once you get the basics down, an entire world of lamps, sconces and pendants open up to you. Here’s everything you need to make this industrial-style swing arm wall sconce. A pair would look really nice on either side of your bed, wouldn’t it? For this project, I purchased all supplies from Grand Brass.

If photo shoots make you cringe, then Lisa’s Lego-themed family portrait might be more up your alley. It’s cute, but not TOO cute. See how she did it…. Lego Minifigures IKEA Ribba Frame Heavy Cardboard Command Strips Scissors Glue Stick Hot Glue Gun 1. To make the mini figurine family, choose the right hair, heads, bodies and legs (and dogs!) from your Lego stash.

I’m a bit preoccupied with black and white. While always a classic pairing, inspirational black and white images have been popping up everywhere recently — like this recent roundup of entryways. Lucky for me, my 1910 apartment has a fantastic vintage black and white bathroom. It also has a bit of an odd 18″ angled wall that was screaming for a DIY solution! I chose to create a wall pocket organizer using vinyl chalk cloth, in part because you can write on it (how fun!

When Paul’s not busy restoring vintage items, he’s down in his basement workshop crafting leather goods for his etsy shop. Most projects are made to fill orders but, every once in awhile, he makes personal projects as well, including this super simple valet. Here’s how to do it yourself: Skill Level: Easy Time Required: 1 hour Project Cost: $20-50 (depending on size and tools used) When choosing your piece of leather, pick something thick and firm enough to hold its shape.

As DIY projects go, this is one of my favorites. A photo of one popped up here on Apartment Therapy last year, and it’s been in my crosshairs ever since. I love this shelving system because it’s simple, yet pretty, and can be configured in multiple ways. It’s also very easy to make, with a little precision and patience.

When Sausha first encountered this hutch she thought it was too far gone to be worth refinishing. It had been repainted more than ten times and was in need of a major sanding effort, among other things. But instead of trashing it, she took it as a challenge and made plans to repurpose and refinish the piece…Sausha chose to work with just the lower portion of the hutch and began by sanding it down to remove the build-up of paint.

One way to remove the evidence of my, er, I mean ANYONE’S serious Diet Coke addiction is the recycling bin. That way may be eco-savvy, but the neighbors can count, so it’s not terribly stealthy.Perhaps illustrator and character creator Eric Barclay’s way is better. And way more colorful than just green.“Ranjit and Indira,”Eric then applied gesso so that the surface had a bit of texture to it (acting somewhat like a high-adhesion primer).

Take a little four-dollar thrift store chair. Add some cut-up bits of colorful paper and that magical elixir known as Modge Podge. Spend a few hours making it all come together and you get……a one-of-a-kind seriously fun seat! Erin at In Between Laundry made this basic thrift store find something special by getting busy with the colorful paper and the Modge Podge. We especially like how the botanical/butterfly motif echoes the natural texture of the woven seat.

Of the many Before and Afters we have featured, this one may take the prize for the biggest blindside, meaning when you click through, you will in no way have figured out what was coming and the ‘After’ photo just may knock you flat. While you can sometimes predict how a thrift store dresser or end table will be saved and transformed, just try it with this box spring. You’ll be wrong. Trust us. Just go look.We told you!

Michele’s son had outgrown his room’s decor, and everyone was sick of the orange, purple and red color scheme. It took a couple of weeks to re-do it completely, using a lot of what they already owned, plus adding a few new things to the mix. The goal was to keep it affordable and simple.This room might win the award for the most handmade things in one space.

This relatively plain bathroom got a major face lift with something that looks as good as wallpaper, but is actually impeccably painted, DIYed stencil handiwork. While that has a huge impact on the space, there are a few other east improvements that A Pumpkin and a Princess implemented that helped transform the room — can you spot them?Crystal from A Pumpkin and a Priness set out to makeover her guest bathroom, all on her own.

Kaylei McGaw, Associate Editor at Lonny, inherited this ripped vinyl saucer chair from her Great Grandmother. Not wanting to get rid of it, she decided to hand it over to the talented folks at Chairloom. She picked fabric, they reupholstered it, and now the chair’s got another fifty years of life. See the transformation next…. Not only did baby get a new pair of shoes, she got a whole new wardrobe!

Has it snowed yet where you live? No? Then here’s a quick and easy project to create your own Winter Wonderland, using glass etching cream and some tape. Faux snow globes are great for mantel decorations or the table. You get all the snowfall, without the boots or mittens! Here’s how to make one yourself… Materials Glass dome or cloche Etching cream Paintbrush Painters tape Hole punches (at least two sizes is ideal) Instructions: 1.

Years ago my grandma gave me a huge stack of napkins and, even though I knew that those plain white ones weren’t really my thing, I politely took them. Fast forward to a recent afternoon of marker tie dye fun! I’m a little embarrassed to show you how easy it is and I can truly say I really had fun creating these little masterpieces. • Rubbing alcohol (min.

A long weekend to Amanda and her husband usually involves some sort of DIY project. Recently, they had an empty wall in their living room that was in desperate need of some attention, and more storage. Their project is pretty remarkable… In need of a solution that took up minimal space, but added more functionality to our living room, Amanda and her husband figured out how to build a wall mounted shelf and combined desk. Shelves can be moved around as needed.

I think AgaP. would admit that this wasn’t her “best” project in terms of ease and fun. But the finished result is pretty spectacular and inspiration to those of us with entryways whose doors have seen better days. Take a look and see how it turned out: AgaP. had a “bad craft day” and encountered every DIY problem in the book. But, armed with her list of dos and don’ts, you’ll learn from her mistakes, and it’ll be all smooth sailing from there.

Fall is officially here, and everything is coming up gold. From garlands and wreaths to pumpkins and pears, read on for simple ways to DIY this metallic into your home for the season. TOP ROW: 1. Falling leaves garland from 6th Street Design School. 2. Gilded acorns available to buy from Light of Day Creations on Etsy, but an easy thing to DIY! 3. Gold-painted branches from Popsugar. 4. DIY no-sew burlap table runner from Inspired by Charm. 5. Gold-dipped log candleholder DIY on the Etsy blog.

Like the ongoing pumpkin spice latte craze, the ugly sweater trend isn’t going anywhere. Chances are, you will get invited to an ironic Christmas sweater party, and you will be socially shamed if you don’t wear something appropriately ugly. If the thought of spending money on an item you’ll only wear once makes your wallet cry, here are 13 DIY ways to ugly-up an inexpensive thrift store sweater. Leave it to Studio DIY to craft the cutest ugly sweater ever.

Meet Liz Corkery, a Sacramento-based artist who founded and runs Print Club Ltd., an online source for fine art silkscreen prints. Through Print Club, Liz works with other artists to create and sell limited edition works on paper, but she also has a deep love for cooking and entertaining so has combined those interests in this beautiful set of hand-printed napkins.

I have a confession: Sometimes using power tools scares me. I know – that’s embarrassing for a DIY-er to admit. But I also know, deep down, I can’t be the only one who feels this way. So, what if I told you that you could make this bench with minimal tools and minimal upholstery skills? Seriously, there is no sewing involved.

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.

Spice up your entryway, bedroom, or hallway with a bold statement piece that’s sure to mesmerize and beautify. The blush pink fringe is the perfect pop of color, and the sleek shape has “chic” written all over it. See how to make your own, from cutting your own custom mirror to dip-dyeing the perfect fringe, with this helpful tutorial.

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.

When I was little, I always imagined building forts out of sticks or rafts with ropes to float down the river like the Boxcar Children or Huck Finn – completely not realizing that probably wouldn’t happen in suburban Florida. But I was always drawn to how people could create things with minimal supplies and loads of inventiveness.

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).

Because face it: when they're happy, you're happy.