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3 creative DIY hacks to improve your home

Jon Techilovsky

3 creative DIY hacks to improve your home

The August Bank Holiday weekend has arrived, and there’s no better time to give your home a little extra love and attention. Instead of going to Next or John Lewis to spend a fortune of new decor, why not DIY it yourself? DIY can be daunting for some, but grab your paintbrush and a bottle of wine (it’s 5 o'clock somewhere) because we’ve chosen 3 easy peasy DIY projects for you to follow. You’ll be taking pictures of your masterpieces for Instagram and hashtagging #diyqueen in no time.

DIY 1. Paint some old books

See, didn’t I tell you this would be easy?

Supplies:

  • Books
  • Paint brush or sponge
  • Chalk paint in your colour of choice
  • Twine?
  • Glass of wine

Lay out some old newspapers so you don’t cover your place with paint, place your book in the middle and start painting the front cover. Drink your glass of wine whilst waiting for the paint to dry, and remember to sip it slowly because you don’t want to get impatient, down the glass then touch the paint too early and smudge your beautiful work. Once the front cover is dry, flip it over and paint the rest of the book. Once your books are all dry, you can twine them up and find a new home for them!

book
book2

DIY 2. Up-cycle old drawers into shelves

Don’t throw away your old drawers, put them on your wall instead. This one may take a little longer than the first so you’ll need to refill your glass of wine half way through your creation (very important step).

Supplies:

  • Sample wallpaper of your choice
  • Wallpaper paste
  • Scissors
  • Paint
  • Paint brush
  • Nail
  • Hammer

Get your drawer and lay it on the newspapers like the first DIY, then paint the sides, bottom and top of the drawer. Sip your wine and let it dry. Next, measure the wallpaper to fit inside the base of the drawer. Then take your scissors and cut to the shape of the base. Don’t worry if your cutting is a little wonky, nobody’s going to be critiquing your work, and if they do, you don’t need that negativity in your life. Next step is to spread the paste on the back of the wallpaper and carefully place it inside of the drawer. Pour yourself another glass, sit back and let everything dry then hang it up. Easy Peasy.

book
book2

DIY 3: Remove carpet indentations with ice cubes

Supplies:

an Ice cube (not the rapper)

Hate the indentation marks on your carpet after doing a bit of rearranging? Well you no longer have to stare at them for weeks waiting for them to disappear because you can just use ice cubes. Place the ice cubes onto the marks and leave them overnight to melt. The water plumps the fibres back up.

Be sure to send us any photos or tweet us if you've tried any of our DIY hacks via our Instagram or Twitter, and have a great Bank Holiday Weekend! - DCTUK Team x

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