Four Easy (and Cheap!) DIY projects

As you all know, the interior design world is humming with DIY projects - who knew there were so many uses for a glue gun??  While I am constantly inspired and impressed by these hard-working and creative DIYers, I have to admit most of these projects I will never, ever undertake.  I am simply not handy (or patient) enough! 

However, there are a few DIY ideas I've seen recently that have grabbed my attention.  And they are easy and quick enough that I think, "hey, maybe I could do that too..."



1)  Picture Frame Redo
This first project is one of my all-time faves.  I have so many plain black frames from Crate & Barrel and Target floating around my apartment and I just feel like they are sort of *blah*.  I recently read this quick "picture frame redo" post from Oak Ridge Revivals and I thought "Eureka!"

 Before:

After:

She simply measured two inches from each corner and applied gold paint.

Instant chic!  Check out the whole process at Oak Ridge Revival's blog here.


2)  Sunburst Mirror
Okay, this is a little more involved, but I love the homemade, artisanal feel of this Sunburst DIY mirror from House of Fifty.  I really want a gold sunburst mirror in my future foyer, but I also think the look has been really overplayed.  This sunburst feels refreshing and different to me:

She found a bunch of sticks from Ikea and glue-gunned them onto a mirror. How hard can that be?? And I think the result is really stunning.



You can read all about the Sunburst mirror process here.


3)  Nightstand Redo
One of my new favorite blogs Stay at Home-ista is by a Bay Area mom who is chock-full of creative ideas.  She recently spray-painted her son's bedside table, literally transforming the look of the room.  I love the color and what it does to the space.  Reading this post I thought, "yes, I can do this!"

Isn't is great?  You can read all about the "Nightstand Switcheroo" here. 

Speaking of spray painting, interior designer Nate Berkus is always proselytizing about the virtues of spray painting just about everything.   Take a look at these awesome, inspirational examples:


Before:

 


After:



Before:

After:

 { Via The Nate Show }

Okay these black side tables were probably not *easy* to redo, but they are so fabulous I just had to include them. 



4) DIY Twine Balls
One thing I just can't stand is spending money on accessories that I *know* are not worth the price tag.  Have you noticed that things like grapevine balls (that you can place casually in a bowl on a coffee table, for instance), cost a pretty penny?  

{ Via egrapevineballs.com }

Hence my love for this simple and very cheap project. Twine Balls! 

{ Via The Nate Show }

This was featured on the Nate Berkus show and tried out by Melanie, the "DIY Bride" blogger.  All you need is twine, glue and balloons!

 

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Final result.  I love how the DIY Bride uses her twine ball as a stand-alone sculptural element:

 { Via Wedding Favours }

Well, now you know what I'll be doing this weekend!  I think my pregnancy has gotten the best of me - all I want to do is NEST and MAKE THINGS!  

 Till next time ~