Skip to content

Top Navigation

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Holidays
  • Gardening
  • Recipes and Cooking
  • Decorating
  • Home Improvement Ideas
  • Cleaning and Organizing
  • Shop
  • Rooms
  • News
  • Beauty & Style
  • Health & Family
  • Pets
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Subscribe
Pin

Explore Better Homes & Gardens

Better Homes & Gardens
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 7 of the Most Common Perennial Garden Mistakes to Avoid

      Are your plants not looking as lush and colorful as you hoped? Make sure you haven't made any of these missteps. Read More Next
    • 6 Small Steps You Can Take Today to Get Organized for Good

      A professional organizer offers advice on how to tidy up your home without feeling overwhelmed. Read More Next
    • 5 Anti-Inflammatory Ingredients to Add to Your Smoothie for a Healthy Boost

      Anti-inflammatory smoothies do exist! Instead of blending in boatloads of sugar and artificial ingredients, try these smoothies for inflammation that are stoked with ingredients that may help lower your risk for chronic diseases including cancer, heart disease, depression, and more. Read More Next
  • Holidays

    Holidays

    See All Holidays

    This Is Why We Send Paper Valentines on February 14

    The tradition began more than 1,500 years ago.
    • Thanksgiving
    • Christmas
    • Hanukkah
    • New Year's
    • Halloween
    • Valentine's Day
    • Easter
    • Mother's Day
    • Father's Day
  • Gardening

    Gardening

    See All Gardening

    4 DIY Seed-Starting Pots You Can Make With Items You Already Have

    Upcycle old newspapers, junk mail, and other waste paper to make these easy, eco-friendly containers you can use to sprout new plants for your garden.
    • Flowers
    • Houseplants
    • Plant Encyclopedia
    • Garden Pests
    • Trees, Shrubs & Vines
    • Caring for Your Yard
    • Edible Gardening
    • Garden Design
    • Gardening By Region
    • Landscaping
  • Recipes and Cooking

    Recipes and Cooking

    See All Recipes and Cooking

    21 Essential Baking Tools Every Home Cook Needs (Plus 16 That Are Nice to Have)

    If you’re a beginner baker who’s just starting out (or a master chef looking to declutter), start with this list of baking tool must-haves. We’ll help you set up a baking kit for beginners with 21 essential tools. For those who already own these tools, this list may finally provide the motivation you need to toss that never-been-used soufflé dish. Building your essential baking toolbox starts here!
    • How to Cook
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Desserts & Baking
    • Fish Recipes
    • Beef Recipes
    • Healthy Recipes
    • Breakfast and Brunch Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Dinner Recipes & Meal Ideas
    • Ethnic Food
  • Decorating

    Decorating

    See All Decorating

    Pantone Predicts the Bold, Happy Colors You'll See Everywhere in Spring 2021

    If these trendy hues are any indication, brighter days are coming. Here's how to use these stunning shades around your home.
    • Choosing Color
    • Expert Decorating Advice
    • Fireplace Design Ideas
    • Do It Yourself Magazine
    • Window Treatments
    • Styles & Decor
    • Interior Painting
    • Home Makeovers
    • Small-Space Decorating
    • Traditional Home
  • Home Improvement Ideas

    Home Improvement Ideas

    See All Home Improvement Ideas

    What Style Is Your House? The 10 Most Popular House Styles Explained

    With so many types of house styles, narrowing the list down to your favorite can be overwhelming. We'll show you the top 10 most popular house styles, including Cape Cod, country French, Colonial, Victorian, Tudor, Craftsman, cottage, Mediterranean, ranch, and contemporary. Here's how to tell the differences between each architectural style.
    • Home Exteriors
    • DIY Home Electrical Tips & Guides
    • Outdoor Structures
    • Home Remodeling
    • Plumbing Installations & Repairs
    • Remodeling Advice & Planning
    • Flooring
    • Lighting
    • Decks
    • Porches
  • Cleaning and Organizing

    Cleaning and Organizing

    See All Cleaning and Organizing

    A Whole-House Cleaning Schedule You'll Actually Stick To

    Cleaning your home doesn't have to be a daunting, time-consuming chore. The key to managing household duties quickly and efficiently is to design an easy-to-follow routine that includes all the most important tasks. Follow these step-by-step instructions for creating a customized whole-home cleaning schedule.
    • House Cleaning
    • Laundry & Linens
    • Cleaning Tips
    • Closet Organization
    • Organization Tips
    • Kitchen Storage Organization
  • Shop
  • Rooms

    Rooms

    See All Rooms

    Living Room Furniture Arrangement Ideas

    Get tips for arranging living room furniture in a way that creates a comfortable and welcoming environment and makes the most of your space.
    • Bedroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Bathroom Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Kitchen Decorating and Design Ideas
    • Living Room Decorating and Design
    • Dining Room
    • Home Office
    • Kid's Rooms
    • Baby Nursery
  • News
  • Beauty & Style

    Beauty & Style

    See All Beauty & Style

    Here's Exactly How to Find Your Perfect Nude Nail Color

    Truth be told, there's no such thing as a universal nude.
    • Anti-Aging
    • Hair
    • Skin Care
    • Makeup
    • Style
    • Nails
  • Health & Family

    Health & Family

    See All Health & Family

    7 Small But Impactful Ways to Fit Self-Care Into Your Day Right Now

    Staying atop of your wellbeing is a must, especially during uncertain, stressful times. These tips will help you make time for self-care for a mental health boost every day.
    • Family Activities
    • Reunions
    • Conditions
    • Parenting Skills
  • Pets

    Pets

    See All Pets

    50 Perfect Calico Cat Names for Your Beautiful Kitty

    Use your pet's unique coat as inspiration on what to call them.
    • Dogs and Puppies
    • Cats
    • Caring for Your Pet
  • Local Services

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
My Account

Account

  • Join Now
  • My Profile
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Help
  • Logout

More

  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • BH&G Insider
  • BH&G Magazine Archive
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. BHG.com
  2. Decorating
  3. DIY Decor Ideas
  4. DIY Home Accents
  5. Budget-Friendly DIY Projects

Budget-Friendly DIY Projects

June 08, 2015
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin FB
Invest your time and energy -- not money -- to create a beautiful home. These project ideas and info will get you started.
Start Slideshow

1 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Budget Art

Turn ordinary items into gilded art. Arrange gold seal stickers intended for envelopes and official documents in rows on solid-colored paper to create easy modern art. Or group house numbers -- both old and new -- inside a picture frame.

  • More Budget Artwork: Free Printables!

1 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

DIY Roller Shade

While roller shades are cheap, they tend to be not so pretty. But spending a few more bucks on fabric and using this DIY technique can make them stand-out, stylish window treatments.

2 of 32

3 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Clipboard Organizer

Bring on order with these clipboard organizers. Use painter's tape to mask any areas you don't want covered in paint. The tape can also serve as a guide to paint straight lines. Brush the clipboard with chalkboard paint and let dry. Rub chalk on chalkboard-painted surface to prime it. Wipe off chalk with damp cloth; wipe dry. Peel off the tape and repeat steps to add another color in unpainted spaces. Embellish with stencils, stickers, or other fun accents.

3 of 32

Advertisement

4 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Burlap Runner

Dress up your table with dip-dyed burlap. Buy enough light-colored burlap yardage from the fabrics store so it hangs 1-2 feet off the ends of your table. Cut it lengthwise so it's several inches narrower than the width of your table. We used RIT fabric dye in fuschia to dye one-third of the runner at each end. To create a slight ombre effect, we repeated the dye bath on one-sixth of the runner on each end to darken the color. Finish the runner by fringing the edges, if desired.

  • More on fabric dyeing.

4 of 32

5 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Personalize a Pillow

Add your monogram to a basic pillow in 30 minutes and with just a few supplies.

5 of 32

6 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Paint Swirled Vase

Update an ordinary vase with paint. Pour a small amount of enamel ceramic/glass paint into the bottom of a glass vase. Hold the vase in your hands and tip it in different directions so the paint rolls around inside, creating a wave of color. Leave some of the vase clear for interest.

6 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ruffled Pillows

Use old t-shirts to update a plain pillow. You can also use jersey fabric. Either material is perfect for this project because they don't unravel, so you won't have to finish the edges. Cut fabric 1 to 1-1/2 inches wide. Use your fingers to scrunch the fabric into ruffles as you stitch down the middle with a sewing machine.

  • See more DIY pillow projects.

7 of 32

8 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Jewelry Art

Display flea market baubles as affordable art. Watch and learn how.

8 of 32

9 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cork Coasters

Prevent water rings and add a style all at the same time with DIY cork coasters. Cut 4x4-inch squares from thin cork. Cut a simple herringbone pattern from stencil acetate. Press the stencil onto a cork square and apply acrylic paint.

9 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Cork Trivet

Put old wine corks to use and create a colorful trivet.

10 of 32

11 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Lace Mobile

Create a whimsical mobile with lace and embroidery hoops. Stretch lace fabric in wood embroidery hoops. Trim excess lace. For a clean-lined look, drill two holes on either side of the embroidery hoop fastener and screw the two pieces of the hoop together, then pry off the original hardware. Hang from white cording and position at alternating levels.

11 of 32

12 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

String Art

All you need to create this funky string art is string, nails, and a board. Map out your design and hammer the nails into the board (don't pound the nails in completely). Wrap string around the nailheads for the design. If you're spelling a word, print out the letters and cut them out. Arrange the letters on the board and hammer a nail into each corner of the letters. Wrap string around the outlines of the letters first, then fill in the letters with woven designs.

12 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Glitter and Gold

Illuminate your home with gold mercury glass-look candle holders. Spray a light mist of water into a glass holder. Working inside the glass only, spray a light layer of metallic gold paint over the water beads, leaving the glass slightly translucent. Let dry, then add a layer of gold glitter spray. When the candle burns, the glitter twinkles inside and the outside looks like matte gold mercury glass.

13 of 32

14 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Order in the House

Make labels from hardware store wood shims and institute order. Cut a few shims to the desired size by either scoring with a crafts knife and snapping, or trimming with a rotary cutter. Sand each corner to round, and drill a hole in the middle of the thick end, about 1/2 inch from the edge. Use a small foam brush to paint the front and back of each tag with chalkboard paint. Let dry and write or stencil on labels with white charcoal pencil or chalk. Tie onto a bin or basket with a length of baker's twine.

14 of 32

15 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Stairway Art

Give a ho-hum staircase a lift by dressing up the risers with decals. Try a design or pattern that extends the width of the risers, or go whimsical with number decals.

  • See more staircase ideas!

15 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

And Cute to Boot

Put your best foot forward with a unique flower vase. Arrange your flowers in a regular vase (make sure it will fit inside the boot first). Then simply tuck the vase inside the boot -- the more colorful, the better!

16 of 32

17 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Gilded Jars

Rescue glass jars bound for the recycling bin for this upcycled project. Clean out the jars, poke a hole in the top of the lid, and screw a cabinet knob through the hole. We paired gold knobs with gold lids, but you can also paint the lids to match your hardware.

17 of 32

18 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Birch Perch

Create shelves with panache using birch logs as supports. Trim sturdy branches to equal lengths, keeping the cuts straight. Paint two 24-inch-long 1x6 boards in the desired color. Attach one board to the bottom of the branches using wood screws, and attach the second board to the top of the branches, again, with wood screws. Hang the shelves using picture-hanging hooks driven into wall studs.

18 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Shiny Starburst

Stir up a DIY mirror using a common project must-have: stir sticks. Use a handsaw to cut stir sticks to desired lengths, then spray-paint them (we used metallic gold paint). Cut a circle from newspaper to match the size of your mirror. Use the newspaper pattern as a guide for edge alignment of the sticks. Adhere the longest sticks at "north-south-east-west" compass points using strong crafts glue. Fill in the remaining spokes, leaving room for the wall hanger.

19 of 32

20 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Welcome Mat

Make a colorful statement at your front door with a DIY doormat. Cut 1x2 medium-density fiberboard (MDF) into fifteen 24-inch-long pieces. Spray-paint the pieces with exterior spray paint, let dry. Cut coordinating fabric strips to size, and affix to the slats with spray adhesive. Once dry, apply three coats of clear exterior varnish. To assemble, drill holes through each plank 1 inch from each end and at the center. Thread a small nut onto one end of each of the three threaded rods; insert the rods through the holes in one MDF plank. Slide a larger nut onto each rod. Continue alternating planks and nuts. Secure the slats with a nut threaded onto the end of each rod.

20 of 32

21 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Custom Window Shades

Give a plain roller shade ($15) color and punch with a painted pattern. Using a ruler and T-square. Mask off straight stripes with blue painter's tape. Apply latex paints in your desired colors using a foam roller. Let paint set, peel off the tape, and let the paint dry completely.

DIY Tip: Keep paint from bleeding into your stripes by sealing the tape tightly to the roller shade: Run over it with a straight edge, and roll the paint roller away from the tape, not toward it.

21 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

22 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Light Effects

Give a mod twist to a wrought-iron chandelier with a string of wooden balls. Select several different-size balls from the woodworking aisle at the crafts store. Screw small metal eye hooks into opposite ends of each ball. Link the eye hooks to chain the balls together, then drape from the chandelier.

DIY Tip: Use a pair of needle-nose pliers to grasp and twist the tiny eye hooks.

22 of 32

23 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Artful Chairs

Put your touch on off-the-shelf furniture by transferring any favorite image -- a photograph, a bit of a painting, or even a fabric pattern -- to the plain surface. Scan the image into the computer and print it on transfer paper, which you can buy online and from office supply and crafts stores (about $20 for a package of ten 8x10-inch sheets). Follow the package instructions to transfer the image. These bentwood chairs have the perfect smooth surface for such a project.

DIY Tip: Be sure to purchase the right kind of transfer paper for your particular ink-jet or laser printer.

23 of 32

24 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Super Bowl

For virtually no cost at all, you can mold an attractive centerpiece. Employ the simple technique of paper-mache, which involves dipping strips of paper into a solution of equal parts white glue and water. Turn over a mixing bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Tear strips of paper: book pages, magazines, sheet music, wrapping paper, or wallpaper will work. Here, the artistic look comes from copies of blueprints placed facedown with a layer of patterned scrapbook paper laid right side up. Apply at least three layers of paper to develop a sturdy vessel; let dry. Remove plastic wrap and bowl, and, if necessary, smooth any rough edges with fine-grit sandpaper.

24 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

25 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Table Trimming

Embellish an accent table with decorative trim made from old-fashioned wooden clothespins. Arrange them around the table edge, using a dab of wood glue and a pneumatic pin nailer to attach them (these cost about $100 to buy and $20 to rent for a half day). When dry, spray the table with primer and paint.

DIY Tip: For a level line of clothespins, slide a scrap of 1/2-inch-thick board around the tabletop, lining up the clothespins with the top of the board as you work.

25 of 32

26 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Tea Cozy

Dress your windows quickly and smartly with tea towels turned into cafe curtains. Simply clip drapery rings to the top edges of the towels, and thread the rings onto a curtain rod. You'll want the curtains to hang down to the windowsill, so mount the rod accordingly. If you have a double-hung window, position the rod so the top edge of the curtain lines up with the sash.

DIY Tip: If necessary, trim the towels to length and hem using a sewing machine -- or iron on fusible webbing for a no-sew option.

26 of 32

27 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Frosty Glasses

Boost the sophistication of a set of clear glass vases by adding subtle stripes. To get the etched look without messing with caustic etching cream, mask off stripes of different widths using painter's tape, then spray with paint that mimics the look of frosted glass.

DIY Tip: The more coats of frosted-glass paint you apply, the more opaque and noticeable the stripes. We applied two coats to our vases.

27 of 32

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

28 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Mood Light

Create a chic, midcentury pendant fixture using just string and a balloon. Purchase a 35-inch balloon from a party goods store, and blow it up to about 30 inches. Brush it with a thick coat of fabric stiffener, which you can find at fabrics and crafts stores. Wrap the balloon with white crochet string, brushing on more stiffener as you work to ensure a thick coating. Let dry for 24 hours, then pop the balloon.

DIY Steps: Illuminate the shade using an inexpensive light kit for hanging lanterns. First, tie a knot in the cord about 7 inches from the bulb. Thread the plug end through a slit in the center of a plastic butter-tub lid. Using kitchen shears, cut a hole in the top of the globe slightly smaller in diameter than the butter-tub lid. Insert the bulb and lid in the globe. Hang the cord from a hook in the ceiling. Use a low-watt lightbulb.

28 of 32

29 of 32

Save Pin FB
Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

On the Block