Fixing things up or giving them a fresh look doesn't have to cost a fortune. Sometimes it seems like a project can snowball, but these simple diy activities won't break the bank and, in fact, will barely have you breaking a sweat. Everything on the list is sure to cost you less than $20 and very little of your time.
TOP ROW
• 1 How To Print DIY Patterned Fabric
• 2 DIY Faux-Paneled Rooms
• 3 DIY Small Space Pallet Garden
• 4 How To Make a Block Print Rug Using a Welcome Mat
• 5 Blueprint File Cabinet Makeover
MIDDLE ROW
• 6 How to DIY Blake's Belted Chair
• 7 DIY River Rock Boot Trays
• 8 Before & After: The Pretty Painted Sofa Makeover
• 9 Before & After: Spray Painted Chevron Carpet
• 10 The Crazy Colorful $16 Stairway Makeover
BOTTOM ROW
• 11 Crazy Cool Chevron for Your Ceiling
• 12 Small Project: Sprucing Up Inside the Cabinets
• 13 DIY Project: Shave Your Own Rug Design
• 14 Make Faux-Bronze Animal Bookends On The Cheap
• 15 Back To School DIY: Melted Crayons on Canvas
Images: See linked posts for full image credits
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Four-P...
Why I Became a 1-Gallon Homebrewer
Perfect Summer Cocktail Recipe: Honey Bourbon Lemonade
I thrift a lot, and I have never seen leather belts (chair, pic 6) for under two dollars each -- so unless you have a stockpile, this one probably tops the $20 parameter.
And "very little time" must be subjective -- stenciling is arduous to me, it would take ages to do nicely.
But the projects are nice!
Sherry - If you're looking for leather belts they'll pop up on ebay or garage sales during the summer for cheap!
...not counting labor!
I love this idea! Smart!
Patrick, I thought that "DIY" included the labor :)
love each and every one of these ideas! Where to start????
Sherry- I've always seen belts for $1 at the Salvation Army.
Sherry took the words right out of my mouth. I'm an avid thrifter and there are a few spots I love, but I always branch out and check out everything that's available, including Salvation Army & Goodwill. I've actually done this project, I paid $5 at a yard sale for a chair that needed recaning, then bought about 20 belts because I had a problem finding good quality, leather belts that were of long length and thick width. Most belts that weren't leather, either fabric or plastic-ish, ran about $2, but leather belts ran around $5-10. I suppose you could ask friends or yard sale to try to keep under the $20 mark, but as someone who did this project from thrifting alone, it's well over the $20 mark, but still an awesome statement piece.