Creative Home Improvements

Get Creative

There are so many fun projects to explore and create as you invest in your home. Instead of running to the store to buy an accessory or home decorating item, think about how you might recycle, reuse or create a work of art instead.

• Make new pillows for the sofa by recycling and reusing fabrics.
• Sew a quilt from clothing that you no longer want to wear but that would be beautiful as a patchwork quilt.
• Paint a whole wall in chalkboard paint and enjoy writing, doodling, drawing, leaving messages, sharing famous quotes, creating or simply jotting down the grocery list.
• Need some lighting? Instead of purchasing a new lamp, why not decorate a lamp shade to match the room? Hot gluing colorful ribbons, buttons or fabric to a shade can look beautiful and artful. Using ceramic tile adhesive on a lamp base and gluing in shards of pottery or stones can create a beautiful mosaic feel to any lamp.
• Need a new rug in the foyer? Try painting a large piece of canvas and make a durable canvas rug. Using acrylic paint, paint the canvas with a design, paint splatter, words or any art that you love. Once dry, varnish with water base polyurethane four or five times, and you'll have a canvas rug that will be a work of art.
• Make a wreath out of vines you find on a walk in the woods. Gather vines and roll them up in a circle, then tie them together with string. You can decorate the wreath with anything or nothing.