Favorite DIY Projects with Big Impact {Friday Favorites}…

 

Happy Friday friends and welcome to another Friday Favorites!!

My list of DIY home projects that I want to tackle is getting longer and longer! Some of these updates are quick and easy and others will take a lot time.  Finding the time is the biggest challenge for many of us and prioritizing these projects in our home can be so overwhelming! Where to start?

Quick updates are great because the more you do these little things, the quicker the updates add up and they also motivate us to do more! I wanted to highlight five of my favorite general DIY projects/updates that have the biggest impact around the home.  Hopefully, this will help a little bit if you’re trying to prioritize your projects {like me}, as we head into 2013!

So let’s jump right in!

1) Recovering Seat and Bench Cushions:

 

 

 

 

Recovering a seat or bench cushion can be done pretty quick and it really packs a big punch depending on the fabric that you choose.

For information on how to recover seat cushions, you can check out Rhoda’s fantastic tutorial at Southern Hospitality.  For tips on recovering bench cushions and how to fold in those pesky corners, be sure and visit Jennifer from the Little Green Notebook tutorial.  Styled Thing has a quick and easy tutorial for how to tackle counter/bar stools.

2) Lampshade Quick Makeovers:

 

spray the inside of shades with gold spray paint 

 

silver leaf the inside of shades

 

add geometric trim to shades

 

Cover shades with bold color and patterned fabric

I know I talk about it all of the time but DIY lampshade revamps are quick and easy but can update a space in a big way! I love the idea of spray painting the inside of a lampshade to add a pop of drama. The Little Black Door has a great tutorial that you can find here for how to transform a shade with gold spray paint. If you prefer a silver leaf look instead, Design Sponge has some great how to tips here.

It doesn’t get much easier than Megan’s easy project from one of my favorite blogs, Honey We’re Home for how to add Greek or geometric trim to a lampshade. I just love that look and you can check out Megan’s tutorial found here. Last but not least, you can check out my tutorial here that I did a couple year’s ago on how to recover a drum shade with fabric. Adding a fun and updated to drum shade is another quick way to impact a room!

3) DIY Wall Art

Paint a canvas black and then add some color or white. 

{By the way, the image above is from the super talented designer, Joy Tribout who I am obsessed with right now and if you are looking for styling inspiration and amazing color combinations, you have got to check out Joy’s work and portfolio here.}

Paint a canvas with black chalk board paint and write a quote or draw in wet chalk.

 

Paint a canvas in a modern pattern

 

Of course, creating my own wall art is probably one of my favorite ways to add big impact to a bare wall.   The possibilities are endless and on Wednesday, I shared a tutorial for how to create easy multi-colored chevron wall art.  I also shared a printable stencil to make the project even easier.

 

If you want to create your own wall art, you can always get started by playing with a design or quote on a canvas in pencil and then going from there.  If you are looking for more inspiring DIY Wall Art ideas, I have collected quite a few on my Pinterest Board Wall Decor.  You will come away with tons of DIY wall art ideas.

4)  Photo Gallery Walls

 

 

 

I have talked in the past about gallery walls and how they are an easy way to add big impact in a room but I also wanted to mention that framed family photos or black and white photos are another quick way to really turn a boring wall into something amazing.     Spray painting old frames in one monochromatic color or adding a pop of color in having the mats all one color are something to keep in mind if your looking for an easy DIY project that has a lot of impact in a room.  For tons of ideas on layout, mat and frame colors, you can check out my Pinterest Board Gallery Walls for inspiration!
5) Furniture Revamps 

If you’ve been following me for awhile, you know that I talk a lot about what paint can do when it comes to furniture. Depending on the amount of time {and patience} you have to spend on a DIY a furniture revamp you can do something fairly quick with spray paint, or you can take a little more time with chalk paint or traditional paint.

One of my new favorite blogs, Ciruelo Interiors is such a great place to go if you want to see how chalk paint can seriously transform an old beat up piece of furniture in high impact way. If you have been on the fence about chalk paint, you will be convinced to give it a try after you check out Adriana’s post here at Ciruelo Interiors.  Adriana used Annie Sloan’s Amsterdam Green Chalk Paint and you will be sold in an instant.

 

 

For more ideas for transforming furniture with paint tutorials, be sure and check out The Yellow Cape Cod as well!

 

If you want a quick and easy DIY project for updating dated mirrors, you can check out my post here for some tips and tricks.

 

 

I have several quick and easy furniture revamp treatments coming up in the next few weeks that I can’t wait to share with you and I will link it here after I post.  You can find some amazing furniture revamps on my Pinterest Board DIY Paint Treatments here, if you need more inspiration, specific project tutorials and ideas!

Some of you may remember that last year I did a post that I called “Bang for Buck {and Effort} DIY Projects. I asked some of my favorite DIY Bloggers what their favorite bang or buck projects were and I was so inspired by their responses! It turned out to be such a great resource if your looking for more DIY big impact projects and you didn’t get a chance to see that post.  You can get to it by clicking the image below!

 

 

I’m not sure I will ever make it through my list of projects but it sure helps me get motivated when I can see instant transformations!  It’s just the motivation I need for tacking the big stuff!

I hope you guys have a fantastic weekend!!

Cheers!

Cyndy