You and your boyfriend just moved in together.
It is such an exciting time in life! You both ditched your drab share houses to move into a new place for fresh start you can create together. Unfortunately, there is one glitch; you are both bringing old furniture to your fresh clean place.
You splurged on a bit higher rent for this new chapter of domestic bliss, which means a shopping spree at IKEA is out of the question. Well guess what? It is your lucky day, because upcycling is totally in right now. There are SO many ways you can turn your old furniture into new gems, so read on for 6 tips on how to give your tired belongings a facelift:
Old jars, new tricks
When packing up your stuff, be sure not to toss out that drawer of glass jars you have been keeping since 2009. Old jars have endless opportunity for upcycling. My personal favorite is turning a larger jar into a vintage flower holder for indoor or outdoor use. All you need is a jar, some twine, a hot glue gun.
Due to the fine detail needed for this project, it is important you find the right glue gun for the job. Clean the surface of the jar and dry completely. Make a fine line of glue around the middle of the jar, and wrap the twine around. Continue applying glue to the jar and winding the twine all the way up until you have your desired amount of twine. Voila! A vintage vase for next to nothing!
Step up to a new ladder
Think that old wooden ladder in your garage is too dangerous to use anymore?
Well, you may be right. But don’t go throwing it away. The wooden ladder trend is alive and well, and there are great ways to give life to the old boy.
Larger ladders can be used upright to hang towels in a bathroom, while smaller ones can be hung on a wall to hold picture frames. Wondering how this all comes together? Fear not, there are loads of images that will give you some inspiration when looking to upcycle your wooden ladder.
Ugly dining chair facelift
Did you inherit the dining room set from your grandmother for your first house after University? You are not alone my friend. So many of us are happy to just have a table to eat at, and haven’t taken time to look down at the hideous, stained chair covers.
These things cannot be the dining experience in your new home.
So, head on down to the fabric store and pick a fabric that screams “Sunday Roast!”. Reupholstering chairs is as easy as one-two-three and even the non crafty minded around the world are doing it. Be sure to pick out a good upholstery that will stand many dinner parties!
New life for an old door
Old wooden doors can often sit forgotten in the corner of a garage for decades. Holding the stories of so many entrances and exits of all tenants of the yesteryear, these old gems rarely get the love they deserve. With the upcycling of old doors in full swing, old doors are getting a new chance at life, but not in the old fashioned door-jam kind of way. One of my favorite upcycling projects was turning three wooden door frames into a headboard.
I had purchased my first brand new mattress, but couldn’t afford the bed stand to go with it. Lucky for me, three beautiful doors were begging for some love and I nailed them to the wall, pushed the bed up against them, and all of a sudden my bedroom was transformed to a dreamy shabby-chic wonderland.
Wooden crates – life after the apple
Wine stores, farmers markets, or even your grandma’s garage are likely to be hiding places for wooden boxes that used to carry wine, apples, or other fresh goods. As the plastic bag took over, these boxes lost their luster and were left to age beautifully in some dark corner. Go, go and find them! These boxes have so many indoor and outdoor uses!
I recently painted the inside of a box bright blue and used it to hold spices in my kitchen.
Then I left one dingy and dirty and placed it in my garden with a few small succulent pots arranged inside. These boxes can be turned upright for bedside tables, can be stacked for bookshelves….I could go on and on and on. I promise you one thing, once you get your hand on one you will never stop searching for more.
What do throw pillows and old t-shirts have in common?
I am glad you asked.
One time I was spring cleaning my clothes and was having the hardest time getting rid of some of my favorite old tees, even though I never wore them any more. As I held one up, I realized it was the same shape as the throw pillows on my couch.
I ran to the living room, old tee flowing in the wind behind me, and put the shirt on the pillow. Then I trimmed the top and bottom, sewed the edges, and my throw pillows had a new super soft, wonderfully familiar and memory filled face. I change the covers all the time with each big closet clean!
So there ya have it my friend. Moving into a new place with old furniture doesn’t have to be a drag. In fact, it can be an empty canvas for all those crafty skills that are dying to jump out of your brain!
Photo: DIYwedding.com