Faux Wallpaper with Vintage Maps

Have you ever wanted the design impact of a graphic statement wall, but felt unsure of the commitment required-both to install and live with? Well, over at The Happy Housie, Krista found a couple of ways to get around those commitment issues. She covered a wall with pages from old atlases.

This was a fast, easy project, according to Krista. She simple selected maps from her atlases that had similar colors, cut the pages out, and used brass push pins to fix them in place on the wall. Krista says, “I love how it adds so much extra interest and character to the wall in their closet… for very little time and cost.” Awesome!

Visit The Happy Housie to get more information about this upcycled faux wallpaper.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor, Wall Decor | Tags: atlas, closet, decor, faux, focal wall, maps, reused, upcycled, vintage, wall covering, wall treatment, wallpaper

Sites we love

May 31, 2014May 31, 2014

Ultra Feminine Chair Redo

Don’t you love it when the decorating fairies smile upon you? That’s what Emily from Our House, Now a Home thought happened when she spotted this chair on the side of the road. She was actually driving out to shop for a desk chair in just these proportions!

Since this chair would be used in her daughter’s room, Emily needed to put a little effort into making it look more feminine than masculine. She painted the chair pink to match the desk that she already had. Then, Emily used a leftover curtain panel to reupholster the padded seat. “It turned out fun, pink, and just what my daughter wanted,” she tells us happily.

To get more details on this pretty chair makeover, go to Our House, Now a Home.

By Kimm | Filed under Chairs, Furniture | Tags: chair, desk, fabric, makeover, painted, pink curtain, recovered, redo, reupholstered, seat

May 30, 2014May 30, 2014

Upcycle to Recycle: Pallet Wood Bin

Here’s another great pallet project from Lauren at The Thinking Closet. “Our recycle bins were overflowing, so my husband Mark built us a mammoth recycle bin out of…you guessed it: recycled pallet wood!”

Needing plenty of room for all the recycling they’ve been doing, Lauren and her husband decided that they need something like a hamper to store their recyclables in between garbage collection days. They used wood salvaged from pallets to construct this tall, covered box that would support a giant garbage sack on the inside. Great idea!

For detailed instructions on making a similar recycling bin, click over to The Thinking Closet.

By Kimm | Filed under Cabinets, Furniture | Tags: hamper, pallet, recyclables, recycled, recycling bin, repurposed, reused, upcycled, wood

May 30, 2014May 30, 2014

Cute Magnet Boards from Salvage

Amy Jo from The Little Moments tells me that the owner of a salvage shop gave her these old metal ceiling tiles for free. “I don’t know ANYBODY who wants to put in a metal ceiling these days!” she laughs.

Since she didn’t want them for her ceiling, either, Amy Jo decided to repurpose the metal tiles into something that she did want: magnet boards! To do this, she cleaned and spray painted the tiles. She brushed on wax to tone down the paint color a bit, then stenciled on a favorite saying. With the addition of some lovely handmade magnets, Amy Jo has some magnet boards ready to show off messages and memorabilia!

If you’d like to learn more about this project, visit The Little Moments.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor, Wall Decor | Tags: board, ceiling, magnetic, memo, message, metal, repurposed, reused, salvaged, spray paint, stencil, tile

May 29, 2014May 28, 2014

Sweet Cream and Blue Dresser Makeover

“One of my readers was wanting to get rid of this giant dresser and wanted to know if I would like to have it for free,” says Shanna from Restoration Redoux. “Of course I jumped on that!”

Once the dresser was hers, Shanna spent several hours cleaning it. (Just imagine trying to get into all the nooks and crannies of that carving!) Once it was clean, she spayed the entire piece with Plaster Paint in Sweet Cream. She hand painted the touches of blue on the drawer fronts, and spray painted the original hardware to freshen it up a bit. The final touches were distressing and waxing the entire piece. What a transformation!

For information about the paints and techniques used in this dresser makeover, visit Restoration Redoux.

By Kimm | Filed under Dressers, Furniture | Tags: 1970's, blue, carved, dresser, hardware, makeover, paint sprayer, Plaster Paint Sweet Cream, redo, spray paint

May 28, 2014May 28, 2014

Garden Box from Old and New Wood

Some time ago, I scavenged some old fence posts from my neighbors’ trash. Well, I’m pleased to announce that I finally used the last of those fence posts! I shared my final fence post project-a garden planter box-at Infarrantly Creative.

I had a low-maintenance garden strip next to our front walkway that I decided needed a bit more flair. I constructed a rectangular box to fit this area, using the leftover fence posts and some new lumber. I purposely stained the new lumber so that it would be a different color than the weathered wood from the fencing. I like the two-tone look this gives my new planter box.

To get all the details on the construction of this box, click over to Infarrantly Creative.

By Kimm | Filed under Decor, Recycled | Tags: box, fence posts, fencing, flower garden, garden, lumber, oudoor, planter, reclaimed, reused, salvaged, scavenged, stained, upcycled, weathered, wood

May 28, 2014May 28, 2014

From Pallets to Paneled Fireplace

Dawn from I Think We Could Be Friends found a free and fabulous way to add personality to her builder basic home. It’s a paneled fireplace using the wood salvaged from pallets.

Loving the texture and warmth that wood adds, Dawn decided that a weathered wood wall would be the perfect decorating solution for the two-story wall around her fireplace. Reclaimed barn wood was the look she was going for, but didn’t want to spend the dollars to get. Instead, she and her husband took apart about 30 free pallets to harvest the wood needed for this paneled wall. “ I knew the key to success with this project would be having a wide variety of colors and sizes to choose from since we wanted a “Re-claimed Wood” look, NOT a free palette wood look,” Dawn explains. I think it looks terrific!

Click over to I Think We Could Be Friends to learn more about this wall treatment made from free pallets.

By Kimm | Filed under Recycled, Wall Decor | Tags: fireplace, pallet, recycled, repurposed, reused, salvaged, upcycled, wall treatment, wood

May 27, 2014May 27, 2014

From Resting to Adventure: A Pillow to Backpack Transformation

Nicole from The Felted Fox had an exotic tribal print pillow that came all the way from India. She confesses, ” I loved the fabric, but I didn’t like the shape or size of the pillow.” After stuffing it away in storage for a few years, she pulled it out and decided to transform the pillow into something she’d love and use.

After gathering a few additional supplies, Nicole unstuffed her pillow and started refashioning the graphic fabric into a backpack. She used black leather to form a sturdy, long-wearing base for her pack. Straps and buckles completed the project. Doesn’t it look amazing?

Make sure to stop by The Felted Fox to view the full tutorial for this backpack project.

By Kimm | Filed under Accessories, Clothing | Tags: backpack, black, DIY, Indian, redo, refashion, remake, reuse, sewing, tribal print, white