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  5. Contact-Paper Projects Like You've Never Seen Before

Contact-Paper Projects Like You've Never Seen Before

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By Caitlin Sole April 05, 2016
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Contact paper has long been confined to the insides of kitchen cabinets -- its only purpose to line shelves and drawers. But there are more creative uses for the inexpensive and removable material that comes in an assortment of colors and patterns. From phone cases to floors to feature walls, we found 14 DIY projects that incorporate contact paper.
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Stylish Storage Boxes

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Personalized Storage Solutions

Can beautiful storage boxes inspire a more organized home? These contact paper-covered boxes from Amy at Homey Oh My are an easy way to test that theory. The DIY blogger outlines the steps she took to cover old gift boxes with chic marble contact paper, although you could use any size box with any patterned paper.

  • Learn more at Homey Oh My.

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DIY Patterned Phone Case

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Grab your tiny scissors and tweezers because this crafts project calls for precise cutting and placement of contact-paper shapes. If you choose metallic contact paper, follow the advice of Molly from Almost Makes Perfect and double-check that the grain is facing the same direction so your design is super shiny. Luckily, contact paper is inexpensive and removeable, so don't worry about making a mistake -- or five!

  • Learn more at Almost Makes Perfect.

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Faux Picture Ledge

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Wary about running a picture ledge the length of your wall? Instead, install a simple geometric design using white contact paper to mimic the visual impact of a long shelf. To make the job easier, Amy of Delineate Your Dwelling created a cross template and used a level to keep the horizontal pattern straight.

  • Learn more at Delineate Your Dwelling.
  • DIY with Instagram Photos

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Copper is the New Gold

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Copper is having a major metallic moment, and contact paper an easy way to add its warm shine to your decor. This modern geometric vase is the handiwork of Sara from Tell Love and Party. She cut triangles from copper contact paper and strategically stuck them to an inexpensive vase. Because they're removable, Sara can swap the shapes when another finish is en vogue.

  • Learn more at Tell Love and Party.

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Give Your Fridge a Facelift

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Chalkboard walls are a novelty for kids (and adults!) who love to draw. If your kitchen lacks empty wall space, follow Agnes' lead at Hello, Wonderful and cover your fridge with chalkboard contact paper. The easy DIY project is a win-win: Your largest appliance gets a facelift and your budding artists get a new place to doodle. We suggest using dust-free chalk so you're not constantly pulling out the vacuum.

  • Learn more at Hello, Wonderful.

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Personalize a Pillow

Use contact paper and puffy paint to put your personalized stamp on a plain pillow.

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Customize Your Key Ring

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Contact paper and fabric scraps are all you need to turn a utilitarian key ring into a fashion accessory. Best of all, the materials are so inexpensive -- and Fran's tutorial at Fall For DIY is so easy -- that you can make multiple key fobs to coordinate with the seasons, your outfits, or even your mood.

  • Learn more at Fall For DIY.

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Dressed Up Dresser

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A move overseas left this IKEA dresser looking worse for wear, so Cindy, the crafty blogger at Carole + Ellie, got to work dressing it up with contact paper. With its metallic finish, copper contact paper creates the illusion of depth against a black wood dresser, while a modern triangle design transforms the simple storage item to a shimmering statement piece.

 

  • Learn more at Carole + Ellie.
  • DIY Dresser Makeovers

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Faux Marble Planter

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Marble planters, while gorgeous, can be expensive and heavy. However, marble contact paper wrapped around a plastic pot is cheap, lightweight, and, as Laurel of A Bubbly Life demonstrates, just as attractive. In her easy tutorial, the DIY blogger offers a trick for getting contact-paper measurements right the first time.

  • Learn more at A Bubbly Life.
  • Fun Faux Marble Projects

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Modern Rustic Lampshade

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A die-cut machine is the easiest tool to make intricate shapes from contact paper. That's how Katie of Modern Mountain Life created copper leaf stickers that transformed her navy spray-painted lampshade into the perfect rustic accent. Plus, the metallic contact paper foliage can be easily removed if the lamp moves to another room.

  • Learn more at Modern Mountain Life.

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Temporary Flooring Fix

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Christina of The Plumed Nest really wanted a black bathroom floor and came up with a rental-friendly solution: vinyl overlay. Before investing in flooring, the creative blogger covered the original floor with black contact paper to make sure she loved the look. To her surprise, the temporary fix looked so good that she decided she could live with contact-paper flooring, at least for awhile!

  • Learn more at The Plumed Nest.

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Update Old Picture Frames

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Looking for a quick refresh? Give new life to old picture frames by updating them with contact paper in your favorite color or pattern. As Chelsea of Lovely Indeed explains in her easy-to-follow tutorial, spray paint is just messy, and contact paper or vinyl does a better job at covering dings and scratches in the wood.

  • Learn more at Lovely Indeed.

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Small Stripes, Big Difference

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Emily Henderson has your solution for easy, inexpensive, and nonpermanent furniture customization: contact paper. The stylist added personality to plain-white storage cabinets in blogger Joy Cho's office using a combination of gold contact paper and various types of colorful tape. We love how something as small and simple as a striped toe kick stands out even in a pattern-packed space.

  • Photo by Zeke Ruelas.
  • Learn more at Emily Henderson.

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Diagonal-Striped Door

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When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. And when life hands you gold contact paper, you decorate your door, which is exactly what Joy Cho of Oh Joy did with the leftover contact paper from Emily Henderson's toe kick project. The diagonal stripes are a perfectly playful accent to the colorful office and an easy-to-replicate DIY project on any interior door.

  • Learn more at Oh Joy!
  • Photo by Casey Brodley.

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    1 of 14 Stylish Storage Boxes
    2 of 14 DIY Patterned Phone Case
    3 of 14 Faux Picture Ledge
    4 of 14 Copper is the New Gold
    5 of 14 Give Your Fridge a Facelift
    6 of 14 Personalize a Pillow
    7 of 14 Customize Your Key Ring
    8 of 14 Dressed Up Dresser
    9 of 14 Faux Marble Planter
    10 of 14 Modern Rustic Lampshade
    11 of 14 Temporary Flooring Fix
    12 of 14 Update Old Picture Frames
    13 of 14 Small Stripes, Big Difference
    14 of 14 Diagonal-Striped Door

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    Contact-Paper Projects Like You've Never Seen Before
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