5 DIY Projects To Do When You Are Bored At Home

“The magic thing about home is that it feels good to leave, and it feels even better to come back.”         Unknown

While the world is slowly getting back to normal and people are going back to the office, some people are still experiencing lockdown.  If you are working from home or staying home due to lockdown and are bored of your everyday tasks, here are a few things you can do to alleviate the mundane:  

Paint Furniture

If you have outdated furniture that needs a little TLC, painting it could be a solution.  It is an easy and affordable way to have aesthetic furnishings without spending a lot of money on a new piece.  When painting furniture make sure to use the appropriate paint i.e. Milk paint, latex paint, and chalk paint in either semi-gloss or satin finish.

DIY Artwork

Adding artwork to your home's interior can be very expensive and time-consuming. One way to remedy that is to DIY your own artwork.  With just a little creativity and a few minutes of your time, you can create your own unique object of art that will take your walls from boring to beautiful.  A few examples of DIY art:  wall tapestry, pop art, spray bottle art, oversized family portraits, painted ombre canvas, and foliage wall art.  

Clean Your Patio or Deck

Summer is the season for entertaining on your patio or deck and now is the best time to start getting it in order.  First, you have to declutter your patio and then proceed to clean it. If you are on a budget you can eliminate using a power washer and opt for a homemade cleaning solution using baking soda, water, and liquid dish detergent.  Maintain your patio daily by sweeping it and hosing it down with a garden hose to remove debris.   

Refresh Your Bedroom

You can instantly refresh your bedroom in three easy steps:  

1. Add texture and pattern to your bed linens (throws, comforters, duvet covers)
2. Switch out your nightstand lamps or ceiling light fixture
3. Update your headboard

Cover Your Books With Fabric/Paper

If you enjoy crafting then covering your books with fabric/paper is the project for you.  This is an affordable way to elevate your built-in bookcase or bookshelf and make your room look more expensive.  Check out this tutorial from Magnolia.com the blog.  

                                                               Source:  BHG 

                                                       Painted Dresser in Pale Pink

                                                          

                                                                           

                                                                Source:  Magnolia Home

                                                                Fabric Covered Books

                                                                      

                                                                 Source:  BHG

                                                            Fresh Foliage Art Print

                                                 

             Which DIY project are you more likely to do?  Leave a comment below, thanks!

DIY - How to Update Old Furniture With Paint and Fabric

If you have a functional but outdated piece of furniture such as a night table or desk that you don't want to throw out consider revamping it with paint and fabric.

Sometimes we tend to overlook certain vintage furnishings because they are no longer aesthetically pleasing and store them in the garage or guest room. That outdated piece of furniture can be brought back to life with the right paint color and decorative fabric.

Below is a step-by-step guide to transform an outdated console table, desk or cabinet:

Supplies:

sandpaper, primer, paint, fabric, scissors, paintbrush, white glue, white paper, cardboard, razor knife, acrylic medium.

Step 1:

Sand the desired furniture, apply primer and sand again. Then apply paint color and let it dry. Sand and paint one more time. Cut the fabric (with scissors) along the outline of the design and brush a coat of white glue onto the reverse side of cut fabric.

Step 2:

Place the cut fabric onto the white paper (glue side down) and smooth it out. To ensure that the glue dries completely place books on top to flatten the fabric.

Step 3:

Use the razor knife to cut the design from the fabric but make sure your utility table is well protected from the razor knife by placing a piece of cardboard on top of it.

Step 4:

Brush white glue onto the reverse side of the cut out fabric and position it on the furniture. When the design is completely dry seal it with a coat of acrylic medium.

Tip:

The above materials can be purchased from an arts and crafts store. Use alkyd primer and paint for best results.

Give that old piece of furniture  life again  by updating  it with  paint  and  fabric  just  like the ones above.

DIY: How to paint kitchen cabinets with a paint sprayer

If you  have builder grade kitchen cabinets  or just  plain  old white  cabinets that  need a makeover or freshening up, below  is  an easy  technique  that  can  be  done  in a weekend.

Tools  You  Will  Need:

Electric Sander
Paint  Sprayer
Spray can handle
Drop cloth
Dust Mask
Damp cloth
Drill
Drill bit
Tape Measure
Screwdriver
Wrench

Materials:

Ready made cabinets and knobs
Semi-gloss latex paint
Tinted  primer   (one quart)

Instructions:

1. Sand Existing  Finish:    Put on dust mask, place  drop cloth  on floor and  use electric  sander to  remove   existing finish  from  cabinet.  Wipe cabinet with damp cloth.
2. Pre-drill Holes for  Hardware:  Using  tape   measure  decide  where to  place  hardware and  mark with pencil then drill selected front door holes with drill. 
3. Spray  Primer:  Add an even coat of primer  to  the  front  door of   cabinet  by using paint sprayer and  a quart of tinted primer.  
4. Spray  on  Color:  Load paint  sprayer with  semi-gloss paint and  cover  exterior  and  interior  cabinet, making  sure  that  coverage  is even by moving paint sprayer from  left to right slowly  and  carefully.  Wait  about  three  hours for first coat  to dry then apply  second  coat  of  paint. 
5. Attach Hardware:  After paint is dry, using screwdriver and  wrench add new hardware into pre-drilled holes.  

Tip:  Use a tinted primer for  a more  professional smooth  finish.  

                                                 Photos - Painted Kitchen  Cabinets

                                                                                    HGTV

   
                                                                          HGTV

HGTV

Resource:  http://www.diynetwork.com/

DIY Tuesday - How to easily remove outdated wallpaper on a budget

If you just moved into a fixer upper and want to tackle removing the existing wallpaper but were reluctant to, below is an easy step-by-step guide to removing outdated wallpaper:

Materials You Will Need:

Dish Detergent

Fabric softener

Tools Required:

Drop cloth

Step ladder

Wallpaper scraping tool

Putty knife

Sponge

Spray bottle

1. Place drop cloths at the bottom of the walls that are going to be stripped and remove all switch plates and outlet covers from wall.
2. Turn off power to the room.
3. Cut small holes into the wallpaper so that the solution can permeate through to the adhesive base.
4. Mix together the fabric softener and hot water in a large spray bottle. Use small batches of solution at a ratio of one to one, keeping the water as hot as possible.
5. Spray a section of wallpaper with the solution and let it saturate the paper before stripping it.
6. Start pulling the wallpaper up from the bottom and use the putty knife to remove the rest of the paper, repeating this process until all of the wallpaper is removed.
7. To remove wallpaper adhesive, mix a tablespoon of dish detergent and hot water and wipe down the wall with a sponge until all residue is removed.
8. Rinse wall with fresh water and dry with a towel.

For more DIY projects visit: http://www.diynetwork.


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                                  Photo courtesy of Target.com

DIY Tuesday: How to easily paint over the wood paneling in your home

One of my first DIY project was painting over the wood paneling in our living room. My first instinct was to remove the paneling and install drywall, but I knew this was going to be a huge and costly project. After doing some research, I discovered that I could easily paint over the wood paneling by following a few simple steps, thereby saving myself valuable time and money.

Here are the materials you will need:

Mild detergent
Sandpaper
Primer (preferably Kilz)
Paint brush and roller
Painter's tape
Interior latex paint
Spackle
Drop cloth

The first step is to place a drop cloth on the floor and remove any dirt from the paneling with a mild detergent and water as a clean surface will give you a better result. After the paneling has been washed and dried, fill any holes or scratches with spackle and sand the entire paneling smooth. Remove any trace of dust with a damp cloth. Mask off the ceiling, baseboards and trim with the painter's tape. Now you are ready to prime. (This step is very important, as paneling is a very slick surface and the primer will help the paint to adhere to it.) Use the brush and cut-in the edges and corners of the paneling with primer as it is easier to use the brush in these areas. Apply a coat of primer to the paneling using the roller. After the primer has dried typically this takes about 24hrs, paint the paneling with an interior latex paint of your choice.

Simply painting over the paneling has transformed my living room into a bright, cheery and welcoming place.

Here are a few rooms with painted wood paneling that will inspire you:

                                                                All photos courtesy of Pinterest


What was the first DIY project that you tackled?

Enhance your kitchen window this spring with a pretty herb garden

During the spring and summer months my weekends are designed for easy, do it yourself projects that I can accomplish in a day or two such as a kitchen herb garden, very easy and the cost is minimal.  I love cooking with herbs but find that over time buying them from the grocery store can be costly, so I got into my gardening gear this weekend and finally planted my own herb garden!

If you have been longing to start a kitchen herb garden of  your own check out these beauties below.

Colorful stenciled containers  

Recycled paper pots

Chalk board painted pots with twine 

                                    Save your soup cans and tie a pretty ribbon around
                                                                 your Masterpiece

                                                                                                  All photos  courtesy of Bing images.


Your garden awaits...have a happy weekend!

DIY Tuesday: How to paint over wood paneling

http://www.examiner.com/article/diy-how-to-paint-over-wood-paneling

 

 

 

  

 

All photos courtesy of Bing images

DIY Tuesday - How to Paint Outdated Bathroom Tiles

http://www.examiner.com/article/diy-how-to-paint-outdated-bathroom-tiles

                                                                     
                                                     Transformed bathroom tiles in an array of colors

                                                              Photo courtesy of Bing images