It’s a common belief that you need to spend money to improve your life, relationships, or even home, but this isn’t always the case. Here are some DIY (do-it-yourself) ways to improve your home on a budget. Who knows, maybe you’ll also pick up a new hobby, small business idea, or some new tips for sustainable living.
Embroidered couches make things more beautiful
Has the cat scratched up your seating and now everything looks like it’s falling apart, causing you to feel embarrassed whenever you have guests over? Try embroidering your couch or pillows to repair the damaged parts, flourishing it with color and your unique style, and to liven up your living space. Needlework is a fun and relaxing pastime that can make any fabric more beautiful.
Betty’s at 266 Scott St., Fort Frances, carries a variety of sewing and craft materials.
Display your favorite memories with fairy lights
If repainting your home is out of the budget or you can’t seem to choose a color, try livening up your home by creating a photo wall by hanging photos on string or fairy lights. Your home office or bedroom will now be personalized and a source of inspiration. Sometimes, cherishing a fond memory has the power to bring life back to your home, and one way to do that is by displaying your favorite photos.
Walmart Supercentre at 1250 Kings Hwy, Fort Frances, prints photos of all sizes and colors and sells strings and fairy lights.
Customize your light fixtures
With spring in season, you might be looking for ways to transition the colours in your home to something a little more fun. Upgrade your lamp fixtures by customizing the lampshade with a piece of fabric of your choice. This could be a silk scarf, a shirt you don’t wear anymore, or a piece of leftover fabric from a sewing project. Depending on your lampshade, you can tie it around or use spray adhesive to attach the fabric and liven up your home.
Make your own modern wall fixtures
All you need are craft store wooden boxes, craft paint, a paint brush, wood glue, hammer, and four small nails. You can assemble the wooden boxes side by side, diagonally, or to whatever design best fits your space. To secure where your boxes intersect, place two small nails into the side of each box. Get creative with how you paint the boxes and feel free to add your own hand-painted designs! Lastly, you can hang the boxes on your wall using small nail heads or by getting small brackets from the craft store. Fill your boxes with plants, accessories, or souvenirs for a personalized touch.
A million uses for old jars
If you’ve been holding onto jars collected from the grocery store, then you may not have realized the treasure you have. Once you remove the label from your jars, giving it a good soak in olive oil to remove the glue, jars can be reused in so many ways to organize and decorate your home. You can organize your pantry’s seasoning and dried ingredients, turn them into cute drinking glasses for the summer, place a fresh bouquet of flowers in the jar, make your repurposed jar into a candle, make your own terrarium (a fun activity with the kids), collect vacation souvenirs in them, or fill them with office supplies to keep things decluttered.
