Hi everyone,
As most of you know I'm quite the artsy/thrifty type so when Tesco Compare got in touch and asked if I'd like to be involved in their blogger home improvement challenge I couldn't resist! Tesco Compare home insurance challenged me to DIY and improve an area of the home for just £50. Difficult for some but with a little imagination and many hours of Pinterest trawling I came up with some great ideas for cheap and cheerful DIYS for around the home...
Firstly it has taken me a while to compile this post as I've been doing one DIY per day off so it has taken a few weeks! These ideas are all super simple and really cost-effective. If you're thinking of jazzing up an area of your house I think DIY is great! It's much more personal and at the end you have a unique piece made with TLC.
Honestly I didn't have a particular area of the home in mind when I chose my products to DIY mainly because I'm moving house at the weekend (eeeee!) so I wanted to create items that could come along with me.
Here are the items I chose...
DIY Clipboard
What you need:
After finding this image on Pinterest I decided that clipboards are a cute way to display to do lists, photos, cards etc. The hardboard ones are very boring in my opinion so I couldn't wait to decorate this one. I couldn't decide whether to decoupage using magazine cuttings or cover with one large sheet of paper. I decided to go with the latter as it was quicker & less messy (plus I'm lazy) This paper is gorgeous. It's handmade and give a painted effect. All I did was apply a generous layer of modge podge to the board and stick the paper on, spreading the glue to the edges to avoid bubbles. I then folded the paper around the back of the board to keep it neat. I went over the whole thing with another layer of mod podge to seal it. I left it to dry for a good few hours. The Mod Podge leaves a matte effect so doesn't affect the finish of the paper :)
DIY Photoframes
What you need:
*Old Greeting Cards
*Scissors
I think this has to be the easiest DIY. It takes literally minutes and is such a quirky alternative to traditional pictures. I always hoard my birthday/Christmas cards especially ones with cute designs. Simply trim the image to fit the frame, or just place in the middle if it has a border. Hey Presto! Easy-peasy artwork. I think I might change mine now and again to keep it interesting.
DIY Tie-dye cushions
What you need:
*Rubber Bands
*Dylon Hand Dye
*Salt
*Empty water bottles
*Plastic sandwich bags
I had never attempted Tie-Dye before these cushions but I'd watched a few videos on YouTube beforehand for some helpful tips. First things first you'll need to follow the mixing instructions on the hand dye. I mixed mine in large 500ml sports cap water bottles to make the dye application easier. Make sure the items you want to tie-dye are clean and slightly damp. Using rubber bands twist and tie your item into the desired shape. Add the dyes in whatever colour order you like but remember the colours still follow the colour chart i.e red & yellow=orange. If you put red & green together it will go brown. No-one wants brown tie-die haha. After you have soaked the garment in dye, pop it in a sandwich/plastic bag and leave it for as long as you can wait. I read somewhere to wait between 2-24 hours but I got over-excited and unraveled them after 2 hours! Then take your beautiful tie-dye pieces to a sink and rinse with cold water til it runs clear. Then do a tie-dye wash in the washing machine (don't be a goon and add it to your regular washing) just to remove any excess dye and make it clean and fresh! I'm SO pleased with the results, I think I'm gonna be tie-dying all the things. I'll be one of those hippies wearing head-to-toe tie-dye before long...
DIY Lamp
What you need:
*A lamp/lampshade
*Embellishment ribbon
*Fabric glue
This is another simple DIY that makes a huge difference. All you have to do is neatly glue the ribbon/embellishment around the edge of the lampshade. I actually used super-glue as I didn't have any fabric glue but it was definitely a lot stickier trickier. I bought my pom-pom ribbon here but I'd recommend visiting your local haberdashery to check out the array of trimmings. I think it would look amazing with neon fringing or rainbow pom-poms :)
DIY Plates
What you need:
*Waterslide Decal Paper
*Water
*Scissors
After having a play with waterslide decal paper in university I thought it would be a perfect DIY to add character to some plain plates. I collected some copyright-free images from The Graphics Fairy and organised them onto 1 sheet of paper on Photoshop. I found the paper in Grathams, my local specialist art shop where it was £1.65 per sheet. I'd advise printing off the images on plain paper first and checking the scale etc before taking the plunge onto the actual paper. I then left the images to dry for half an hour. I left quite a generous border around my images which in hindsight would've worked better if you trim as close to the image as possible. Then I submerged the image in water for a minute until the gum layer easily separated from the backing paper. Next position the image where you like, it can be moved easily if you change your mind. Then using kitchen roll gently smooth out the image to remove any bubbles & excess water. I then added a layer of varnish to seal the image which I don't think was actually necessary. I may have applied too much but it made the image bubble and streak on the plate. They still look great but I'd skip the varnish or perhaps use a spay sealant to avoid brushmarks. The possibilities are endless! You could print off photos, type your favourite quote or create your own designs. The waterslide paper works on ceramics, glass, wood & even candles. If you don't have a specialist art shop nearby you can find it on eBay. The brand I used is called Lazertran but you can find other alternatives that will probably work in the same way.
I can't wait to find homes for these pieces in my new flat. I've not had a proper craft session for ages so it was a lovely change to have these little projects. I'm definitely going to start customising my own homeware from now on. I think everyone will be getting decal plates for Christmas! Thanks Tesco Compare for helping me unleash my creative side.
Have you tried any of these crafts before? Which ones do you like the look of?
Thanks for reading :)
Rachelle xxx
Written in collaboration with Tesco Compare
For home ownership, DIY is the way to be!
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