One easy way to add color to your home decor is to use the dip dye technique.

Even if you are a novice to doing-it-yourself, dip-dyeing is super easy to complete. The key is making certain that you have enough and the right kind of space to handle the project. Depending on the size of what you are dyeing you may need a good amount of space and a large enough vessel to hold your paint, i.e. dying salt and pepper shakers takes less space than dyeing a kitchen chair. You may also want to consider doing your dyeing outside or in the garage or basement.

The necessary supplies are pretty straightforward. You will need dye appropriate for the material you are dyeing–for example RIT fabric dyes should cover most of the textile objects. Rubber gloves are recommended and you will need a large enough vessel in which to dip your object. Big plastic tubs work for many items and offer easy cleanup, too.

11 Items to Dip Dye Now!

1. Pillows – Everything from throw pillows to floor pillows cases can be dip-dyed and is an easy way to bring in more color to your decor.

2. Bedding – Give plain white bedding some pizzaz or freshen bedding that needs a new life by dip-dyeing.

3. Pallets – Even pallets can be dyed, either before or after repurposing them into some useful piece of furniture or home decor piece.

4. Wall Canvases – Channel your inner Picasso by dip-dyeing pre-stretched art canvases found at the arts and crafts store. Everyone can do this, no matter a newbie or established artist.

5. Baskets – Baskets are ubiquitous in most homes. Liven them up with some color. Go monochromatic or use different colors for a bold impact.

6. Rugs – Turn plain canvas rugs into a work of art for your floor with a little dye and some drying time.

7. Candles – Looking to spice up your table for your next dinner party without a lot of fuss and money? Dip-dye a collection of candles for a dramatic centerpiece.

8. Tablecloths/Placemats/Napkins – By the same token, kick things up a notch by adding color to plain table linens with a little planning ahead.

9. Chairs – Turn a collection of mismatched wooden chairs into a matching collection. Dip just the ends of the legs, the backs of the chairs, or mix it up for some a fun and colorful effect.

10. Lamps – Turn thrift lamps into colorful and elegant lighting fixtures. Dip-dye the lampshades or the bases for a simple afternoon project.

11. Wall Hangings/Plant Holder – For extra points, macrame a pretty wall hanging or plant holder and dip-dye it. Here is a simple tutorial to get you started.

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Freshen and add value to your home with simple DIY home projects and updates that won’t break the bank.

Let’s say you want to fix up your home to sell it, or you just want to give it a light facelift, but you can’t afford to spend a small fortune. It is possible to apply easy DIY home projects to add value and update your space.

Whether you’re trying to sell, or just impress your guests, making small changes with easy DIY home projects can make a big difference. Real estate agents advise clients to not overlook the details. Curb appeal and first impressions are super important when you are staging your home to sell. But even if you aren’t trying to sell, make your guests think you spent a bunch of money remodeling when you just chose your DIY home projects wisely.

Easy DIY Home Projects With A Big Impact

1. Door Way Spruce up – Paint your front door, including the trim, and replace your house numbers.
2. Mirrored Closet Doors – Make your regular old closet doors look expensive by adding cheap framed mirrors that are painted to match.
3. Drape Tiebacks – DIY simple tiebacks for your drapes using hardware from the home improvement store for an updated look.
4. Faux Garage Door Windows – Make your house look like it’s a million bucks by painting faux windows on your garage door. Here’s a simple how-to.
5. Faux Wainscotting – Create the illusion of wainscotting by attaching simple wooden frames painted to match your walls.
6. Install a new backsplash – You may not be able to afford a whole kitchen remodel, but you most certainly can afford an inexpensive backsplash fix–especially if it involved peel and stick gel stickers
7. Accent Wall – Painted accent walls can both freshen your space and make it look more like it’s from the pages of a fancy home decorating magazine.
8. Updated Heater Vents – You don’t need to replace old looking heater vent covers–just spray them to make them look like new.
9. Light Switch Update – Add picture frames to light switch covers to make them look more like the expensive models.
10. Create Faux baseboards – Create the effect of bolder baseboards by adding an extra piece of trim above the baseboard and painting it the same color as the trim. See the how-to here.
11. Curtains High and Wide – To create the illusion of a larger room with taller ceilings, hang your curtains higher and wider than the window.
12. Cabinet Hardware – When you can’t replace the cabinets, replace the hardware instead.

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Add drama, color, and pattern to your home with these easy DIY staircase ideas.

Many people don’t think about the staircase when decorating their homes, but it’s actually a great place to add color and pattern. Whether you have a high traffic stairs or a lesser used staircase, there are plenty of DIY staircase ideas to give your steps some flair and personality. Instead of boring old steps, your stairs could be a dramatic high point of your decor with these easy staircase ideas.

Clever DIY Staircase Ideas

1. Chalkboard Paint – Chalkboard paint is amazing stuff. Simply paint it on the front of your stair risers and let the kids decorate your stair fronts with colored chalk. Make it clear that this is the one place that it’s okay for the kids to color on the walls, though!
2. Pattern Mixing Wallpaper – Wallpaper is another great DIY stair makeover tool. Don’t just use the same design on each riser though, but mix it up instead. Mix and match stripes and florals or stripes and dots for two powerful combinations.
3. Piano Keys – Turn your staircase risers into a piano by painting them fronts white and adding black accents. Make sure to reference a real piano to get the pattern correct!
4. Painted White – All white painted stairs, while a challenge to keep clean, are a thing of beauty. Maybe don’t do this if you have kids and pets.
5. Stenciled Patterns – Among the DIY staircase ideas, one of the simplest ideas is to use a stencil to create a pattern on the stair fronts. You can find stencils at home improvement and craft stores.
6. Letters and Sayings – Use stick on letters to add inspirational sayings, song lyrics, poetry, or other meaningful words to your stair risers.
7. Colorful Freehand Stripes – Turn all that leftover paint into a colorful boho project by painting horizontal or vertical freehand stripes of varying widths on your stair risers.
8. Rulers and Yardsticks – Repurpose rulers, yardsticks, and other fun stuff by gluing them to stair risers.
9. Steps of Many Colors – Don’t settle for one color, but instead choose a different color for each riser. Many home improvement stores carry small containers of specialty and signature paints.
10. Decorative Tiles – Add tiles to stair risers for pattern and color. Use the same tile pattern for the whole staircase, or use a different pattern for each riser.
11. Mosaics – If you want to make a real project out of decorating the stairs, create an artistic mosaic using glass, tile, stones, ceramic pieces, and other bits and bobs. This way would obviously take quite some time to complete, but it would be totally unique!
12. Wainscoting – Sometimes simple is best and adding wainscoting to stair risers is a great way to add some lovely texture.
13. Black Paint and Gold Stencil – For some drama, consider painting your stair fronts with black paint and stenciling an intricate design or pattern in gold paint.

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As a long time maker and lover of nature, I often find myself making art and nature crafts from treasures I find in the wild. The flotsam and jetsam of my backyard are some of most inspiring mediums to me. Pieces of bark, dried leaves, fresh mosh, stones, acorns, dried herbs, and more all call out to incorporate them into DIY and arts and crafts ideas.

Inspired by my own desire to create and companies, sites and individuals like Spiritual Kindling, Juniper Ridge, Margaret of Resurrection Fern, John Muir and so many others, I put together a list of nature-inspired DIY arts and crafts ideas that you can create to add your own brand of nature, design and spirituality to your space.

15 Ideas for Nature Crafts 

1. Painted Pebbles – Decorate your stone collection with a paint or a sharpie.
2. Kindling Wall Hanging – Turn kindling into a spiritual and decorative wall hanging.
3. Tabletop Biosphere – Make and tame your own mini biosphere for a taste of nature indoors.
4. Branch Candelabra – Decorate your next dinner party with some wild abandon.
5. Rainbow Painted Stick Wind Chimes – Create a visual and auditory homage to nature.
6. Painted Stick Love – Turn sticks into a lovely work of art to show that love is all that matters.
7. Painted Stick Mobile – Let your creativity drive you to create a painted stick mobile.
8. Stick Stars – Turn brush into celestial art to decorate your own starry night.
9. Branch and Textile Mobile – Use a branch, yarn and other textiles that speak to you into a hanging mobile.
10. Evergreen Paintbrushes – What a clever idea–use evergreen cuttings as paintbrushes for your next painting project.
11. Branch Weaving – Branches can be used as a loom to create colorful textiles.
12. Branch Wall Art/Room Divider – A practical and decorative natural touch.
13. Flower Petal Sketches – Use flower petals in your next sketches for the ultimate in creativity.
14. Hanging Dried Flower Art – Create a hanging “garden” with dried flowers.
15. Garden Mandalas – Turn leaves, flowers and other natural bits into decorative mandalas.

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Use nature to decorate your space with these gorgeous DIY projects.

Spring is an amazing time of year to combine two of my favorite things–nature and DIY.  My husband and I like to take walks at the local nature reserve near our home. We also like to garden and spend time out in our yard. I always pick up little items from my time in the yard and at the park–it’s a habit from childhood. I do it almost absentmindedly. When I come inside from being out in nature, I discover I’ve got quite a collection of natural souvenirs. These souvenirs might include a mini-pinecone, a gingko leaf and a bit of fern leaf in my pockets. Since I’m also a pretty crafty person, I often try to come up with clever DIY projects for which I can use these natural treasures to decorate my home.

There is something about nature that inspires my creative side and using natural objects as a medium in my DIY projects seems like a no-brainer for me. From the simple to the more complex, using some of my natural discoveries in DIY projects to decorate my home is a way to create a warm and inviting space and document some of my favorite outdoor adventures. You can get in on the fun too with these DIY projects. Use them as inspiration or follow the tutorials instruction by instruction to bring nature into your home.

From the backyard to your more far flung nature adventures, collect, preserve and incorporate nature into your home decor.

25 Made-from-Nature DIY Projects for Your Home

1. Indoor Succulent Gardens
2. Branch Candle Holders
3. Crochet Covered Stones
4. Painted Stick Wall Art
5. Dried Flower Garland
6. Tabletop Biosphere
7. DIY Log Slice with Vase
8. Tree Stump End Table
9. Leaf Painted Wall Art
10. 6 Ways to Decorate with Rocks
11. Lighted Branches Wall Art
12. Painted Fall Leaves
13. Tree Branch Curtain Rod
14. Pinecone Flowers
15. Branch Weaving
16. Moss Terrarium
17. Bark Owls
18. Natural Branch Coasters
19. DIY Wood Texture Stamps
20. Seashell Beeswax Candles
21. DIY Veggie Stamps
22. DIY Dreamcatcher
23. Twig Coat Rack
24. Living Moss Coffee Table Idea
25. Spring Nature Frame

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Watercolor DIY home decor projects to get on trend with!

One of the more colorful and fun home decor trends for spring 2015 is incorporating the watercolor effect into your home. Think Georgia O’Keeffe or Thomas Moran, but not in a literal way. Instead this trend is all about bringing the texture, color and delicate lightness of being that is watercolor into your living spaces.

This DIY home decor trend is all about joie de vivre and one way to make that happen is to do-it-yourself. Sure, you can just buy watercolor pieces to add to your home, it’s a trend after all so watercolor items are ubiquitous in the home stores, but it is more fun to put your own stamp on things. Plus, it can be way more eco-friendly to repurpose and reuse than to purchase new–especially for a trend of which you may tire.

Watercolor Inspired DIY Home Decor Trend

1. DIY Watercolor Wall Art – Paint your way into this DIY home decor trend with this super easy project for a pretty piece of wall art.
2. Watercolor Desk Calendar – Use this printable calendar template to watercolor your own colorful watercolor calendar.
3. DIY Watercolor Clock – Turn plywood and watercolor paints into a dreamy clock to brighten up your clock watching.
4. Watercolor Pillow Covers – Repurpose old pillowcases into cool watercolor dripped throw pillow covers instead of tossing them or turning them into rags.
5. Watercolor Pixel Painting – This clever project illustrates how to turn a photograph into a watercolor “pixel” painting. This would be very cool to do as a full wall mural!
6. Watercolor Striped Bunting – Decorate your bedroom with this festive DIY watercolor bunting.
7. DIY Watercolor Mugs – Decorate your own watercolor mugs for your next tea party.
8. DIY Watercolor Candle Holders – Create a candlelit table centerpiece from a mess of watercolor votive candle holders.
9. Watercolor Mobile – Create a pretty watercolor hanging mobile from cardstock and watercolor paints. It’s so amazing what you can create with the simplest materials.
10. DIY Watercolor Faux Wallpaper – This tutorial outlines how to create a watercolor effect using regular wall paint.
11. DIY Watercolor Striped Napkins – This simple home decor project shows how to make your own watercolor cloth napkins.

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The post Gorgeous Watercolor DIY Home Decor Ideas appeared first on EcoSalon.

Looking to add some thrift store chic to your home? Consider these clever DIY home decor project ideas to repurpose vintage finds.

You know the saying “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and that couldn’t be more true for those of us who like to scour thrift stores, estate sales, yard sales, vintage stores and the like looking for great items that can be brought back to life or repurposed.

Those in the know understand that repurposing thrift finds has its benefits: it can be a more affordable way to decorate your home; it can be a greener alternative than purchasing new; it allows you to show off your creativity and be hands on; and it’s a great way to add truly unique decor to your home. It’s pretty much one of the hottest trends in home decor right now.  Don’t believe me? All you have to do is open up any home decor mag or read those home decor blogs and you will see that repurposing DIY home decor projects are all the rage.

Maybe these repurposing project ideas will offer some inspiration for you to get your DIY on.

1. Trunk Coffee Table – Create a coffee table from a vintage steamer trunk with just a coat of paint and some legs from a vintage stool or even ones you can buy from IKEA.
2. Suitcase Pet Bed – This project is practical as well as creative. It’s pretty simple too, just use an old suitcase and a pillow to make a more presentable dog or cat bed.
3. Repurposed Bar Cart – This is one DIY home decor project I can really get behind. Simply paint an old changing table to transform it into a fantastic and practical bar or beverage cart. A great place to find changing tables is at family yard sales.
4. Basket Side Table – Baskets are ubiquitous at thrift stores, estate sales, etc. If you come across one that features an intact lid, consider turning it into a side table.
5. Church Pew Headboard – If you are lucky enough to come across church pews in your vintage travels, there are plenty of practical ways to use them in your home. One idea for a DIY home decor project is to repurpose a pew into a useful headboard.

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Let’s get creative, folks! As the summer months are racing to the finish line (slow down already, for the love of ice pops and flip flops, sheesh!), don’t spend them in the garden of boring. To end your craft-tastic summer with a fun bang, we’ve rounded up our list of planter ideas using some of the most funky and unusual items we could find. Martha Stewart would be so proud!

Funky Planter Ideas

1. Old Floppy Disk Planter

Listen, technology isn’t just digital anymore and floppy disks are not obsolete, contrary to what you may have been told. You can prove it to all of  your pals too by making some of these quirky little floppy disk planters. Who’s the smarty-pants now?? This is a fantastic way to reuse an old object that would otherwise be tossed out for the cooler, sleeker, keychain-size USB stick. All you really need to make them is glue and maybe a small square box if you need a guide to build around. So floppies, don’t cry! You still serve an important purpose… On a sunny windowsill next to someone’s brand new MacBook.

2. Mini Cork Magnet Planter

Now we’re not trying to condone excess drinking over the weekend (or are we?). Really though, think about it for a minute. After a grueling work-week, you know you’re going to let loose with your ladies and probably get a little friendly with one or three bottles of wine. Instead of throwing out all your cork tops from weekends current and past, hang on to ‘em and recycle them into little homes for some baby succulents! Glue a magnet onto them and VOILA! Your refrigerator just got a whole lot snazzier. You can now justify drinking like a fish because you’re playing your renewable part in society.

3. French Press Terrarium

Where are all the coffee lovers at?! This one’s for you. Nothing like a good cup of joe to get those inventive juices flowing, are we right? French presses are the bomb-dot-com, so why stifle their amazingness by just utilizing them for coffee! Spread a little whimsy in your kitchen by creating a teeny, tiny, enchanted world for your countertop.

4. Repurposed Dresser Planter

Instead of growing a wardrobe, give back to Mother Nature and let your garden grow. Repurposing an old dresser for gardening is definitely one of the most unusual items used as a planter, but so lovely when done right! Finding a used dresser is pretty easy too. See if your neighbors are chucking any treasures or scour a local antique shop. Sand it, paint it, re-finish it, the design approaches are endless. You’re bound to stumble upon one fit for a fashionable fairy princess.

5. Retro Stereo Planter

Get all “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” with yourself and break out that boombox to bump some flowery beats. Hell, the idea of a boombox used as a planter makes us want to get all “Carlton Banks” with ourselves, how about you? Whoever it was that imagined this grand idea, we seriously commend you. Stereos are certainly unusual items used as planters, but we’re sure glad that some talented genius could potentially be saving hundreds of these archaic gems from littering landfills where they can now instead sing some sweet sustainable tunes.

6. Gumball Machine Terrarium

Terrariums are too cool so we had to throw another one on the list. Let your inner child get its hands dirty by transforming a simple gumball machine into a mini sphere of life. Gumball machines are the absolute perfect size and shape, inexpensive, and relatively easy to find. However, we don’t recommended stealing candy from a baby, catch our drift? That would just be mean. So trade your sweet tooth for a green thumb! You’ll be so glad you did.

So much DIY, so little summer left! So hop to it and start getting crafty! What are your favorite planter ideas?

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The post 6 Planter Ideas Using Funky and Unusual Items appeared first on EcoSalon.

Low sunlight, the absence of most greenery and being stuck indoors breathing recirculated air can leave the best of us feeling a little blah during the cold months of autumn and winter. Little pops of nature around the home or office not only give us a psychological boost, but help purify the air. Indoor house plants also offer an opportunity to spice up a space visually with an interesting color or shape. Get inspired with these 8 modern planters, including recycled and handmade options as well as a couple cool DIY projects.

Urban Zeal Indoor Vertical Planters

Urban Zeal offers a range of vertical garden solutions for indoor house plants, including self-watering options and modular sets that can be expanded into entire walls of greenery. The Living Wall Planter has a self-watering tank and is made from 100% recycled, BPA-free plastic, while the Wally One Vertical Garden is an individually sold wool felt pouch that’s super easy to hang. The Framed GoVert Living Wall Kit is an all-in-one set of ten planter boxes in a wooden frame with a water collector tray at the base to ensure that care is relatively mess-free.

Porcelain and Leather Hanging Trio

Etsy is a great source for beautiful modern planters in virtually any shape, color and size. Brooklyn artisan Farrah Sit of Light and Ladder offers a variety of porcelain planters  including this  hanging trio, tiered planters and wall-mounted planters.

DIY Mason Jar Garden

Reuse some old mason jars and reclaimed wood in this wall-mounted planter project – the only other material, aside from the plants and soil, is a type of pipe clamp sold in the plumbing section of hardware stores. Model Summer Rayne Oakes goes through the whole (fairly simple) process in a video over at Inhabitat.

Diamond Hanging Planters

UK-based RawDezign offers these geometric hanging planters in a range of colors, individually cast by hand in a natural resin. Hang them in groups for an even bigger visual impact.

3D-Printed Aqueduct Planter System

This cool 3D-printed planter system for indoor house plants is especially striking when installed in a window. One set includes 10 individual planters, which are strung together so that water poured into the top one will irrigate them all. Components are available individually, too, so you can customize the look and size.

The Art of Kokedama

Want to get ultra-minimalist, yet still earthy and organic? Try your hand at the Japanese art of kokedama, or moss ball planters made with string. The results are especially impressive with trailing plants that have a bit of pep to them, like ferns, or a mixture of trailing and vertical plants. This process is a bit messy, but surprisingly easy. Get the tutorial at Design Sponge.

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Salvaged wood planks cum awesome home accents.

Your dumpster diving days are not over. A salvaged wood plank, rescued from the detritus of a neighbor’s remodeling project, is exactly what you need to organize your specs.

Flex your handy-woman muscle; this easy project will cost you pennies. If you don’t own a drill, slightly more.

Supplies:

Hammer, plank of wood, nails, leather shoe string, drill with a 1/4″ bit.

Step 1. Wipe down the plank with a cloth and some wood soap and remove any old nails.

Step 2. Drill two holes in the wood approximately 2 inches from the edge using a 1/4″ bit.

Step 3. String the leather through the holes.

Step 4. Pull the leather as tight as possible and tie a knot in the back.

Step 5. Attach to the wall with a hammer and nails (it’s lightweight, so don’t worry about using a stud).

Aren’t you clever?

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