Use Baskets to Decorate Your Home Bleached blond, naturally tawny, and dyed or painted lovely warm shades, baskets are one of the easiest and most effective ways of adding the country touch – the texture and weave providing a naturalness to your surroundings. For centuries, basket making has been a traditional craft, using local materials […]
Decorate Your Walls with Stenciling Stenciling is designed for you home decorators who want to Decorate Your Walls with Stenciling and create original schemes without taking the risks that accompany mural painting. With stencils, you can have some idea of how the design will look and can even experiment with different colorways before you
Keep Your Keys All Framed Up With a Wire Keys Frame Keep all your keys together and within easy reach on a wire keys frame smart key holder. This one costs almost nothing to make if you have an old picture frame, a scrap of fabric and some bendable wire. The heart-shapes are made from
How to Make Magic Lanterns Easy magic lanterns Easy magic lanterns – you can take a set of plain glass tumblers and turn them into stunning magic lanterns. They’ll sparkle and shine for evening meals during warm summer nights in a tranquil garden. Even if you prefer to eat indoors, you can light the
How to Make Flower Motif Lavender Bags These delightful little lavender bags, decorated with a range of charming cross stitch flower motifs, are quick and easy to make. Filled with aromatic lavender, they can be tucked between freshly laundered sheets or lingerie, to infuse them with a breath of the country. Tie them with
How to Make a Cut Paper Tablecloth A paper tablecloth with straight edges often looks dull. A cut-out border around the edge will instantly make it look more attractive. If the tablecloth is then laid over a slightly larger one in a contrasting color, the cut-out motifs will be highlighted. Choose as heavy a
How to Make a Pleated Paper Lampshade Paper lampshades are attractive accessories which will fit into most decorative schemes. They are fun to make yourself and require no sewing skills, so you don’t need to be an expert to have a go. What’s more they are very cheap to make yourself and once
How to Make Seaside Candles Light up your home on warm evenings with these original seaside candles using shells and rope. All the designs are quick and easy to make, so they are ideal for a special occasion, especially if you want to create a more rustic look. To make the smaller candles just
How to Make a Nifty Notepad A nifty notepad you say! Well even in this smart techno rich world today keeping track of appointments and memos with pencil and paper should not be a problem in any busy life. There seem to be so many activities that need to be fitted into each day,
How to Make a Cockerel Collage Collect your fabric scraps together, and create a colorful cockerel collage of a farmyard favorite. Our lively rooster, set against a background of bead-strewn millet and blue sky, looks larger than life and ready to crow. His plumage is composed of layers of black velvet and net, with
All About Treasure Trove Display Boxes Treasure Trove Display Boxes Display treasure trove boxes are useful and appealing. If you have a prize collection of trinkets or memorabilia hidden away in the back of a drawer or cupboard, now is just the time to sort it out and set it into a pleasing and
Decorate With Painted Tin Cans Don’t throw those old tin cans away, recycle them and make painted tin cans and use them to decorate with. Handy containers in which you can store items such as kitchen utensils, make-up brushes, or pencils can be decorated to match your kitchen china, soft furnishings or wallpaper. Instead
Hand-crafted Tapestry & Crochet Rugs In front of a Blazing fire or beside a bed, a richly colored, hand-made crochet rugs add an aura of comfort and luxury. It is a welcoming sight in a hallway, where it softens the look of practical flooring or in a small landing or narrow corridor where it
How to Cover Things With Stamps Even though in this modern day with emails, WhatsApp, Twitter etc stamps are a reminder of a slower pace of life. Stamps, new and used can be bought online or from dealers and 2nd hand shops. We show you here how to cover things with stamps. A rich
How to Make a Dough Basket This is how to make a dough basket the easy way. This charming wall basket, overflowing with foliage and flowers is the perfect decoration for a country home. Made from salt dough and baked in the oven the basket makes the ideal framework for a long-lasting winter display,
How to Make Padded Picture Frames Simple padded picture frames are one of the easiest home accessories to make. With a small amount of fabric and scraps of card, you can make up a set in no time at all. They look best made in several sizes, and grouped together in a display on
Traditional Barge Painting OK, so to do some Barge Painting you do not have to own a barge. For over a century, the inland waterways of Britain and Europe have literally sparkled with the brilliant colors and distinctive designs, which are painted on all the narrowboats and long boats moored along the water’s edge.
Hand Painting Things Hand painting things is a wonderful way of adding individual and coordinating touches to your home decorations without spending a great deal of time or money. You don’t have to be very artistic – a playful, naive image casually applied is frequently the most attractive and successful at creating a rustic
How to do Crockery Mosaics NB. A word of caution before you start, broken crockery pieces can be as sharp as glass so take care to wear protective gear when doing this project. Crockery Mosaics is the ancient art of creating patterns and images from thousands of tiny fragments. Traditionally, special, uniform little pieces
How To Do Rubber Stamp Printing To do this Rubber Stamp Printing you use a rubber stamp to print out a leaf design and it is a clean and quick alternative to the more traditional method of printing from real leaves. If you want to draw up your own designs, there are companies who
How to Do Leaf Printing We show you how to do leaf printing so you can avoid spending a fortune on all those expensive hand-printed papers. Why not have a go at making your own? Turn to nature to find an attractive motif and cover sheets of plain brown paper in a riot of
Making a Découpage Box Découpage has transformed this light plywood box into an attractive jewelry box. The pansies have been cut from a sheet of good-quality gift wrap. When choosing a box to decorate with découpage, make sure it has a loose-fitting lid as several layers of varnish brushed over the motifs will
How To Make Sponged Flower Pots Applying the paint with a natural sponge to achieve the sponged patterned background that adds to the overall effect and is ideal for hiding any small blemishes if the pot is slightly imperfect in any way. The Sponged effect can look equally dramatic on its own, highlighting the
How To Make Your Own Painted Tulip Napkins Painting motifs on to fabric, then working simple embroidery stitches over them is a pretty way of making your table napkins totally original. Use this tulip motif or choose a favorite flower and paint it on a plain napkin, adding embroidery stitches to highlight or define
Make Your Own Fabric Shelves Making fabric shelves is easy, here is how to make your own. For storing piles of folded soft towels and sweaters, there is nothing quite so pretty and unconstrained as this floral hanging shelf unit. The unit is made from fabric, which is pleated to form the shape. The
Floors, Furniture and Fabric Stencil Magic Stencil decoration on surfaces other than walls has a long history, and painted furniture, floors and even ceiling beams have brought color to traditional homes for centuries. Stencil Furniture Although you might never decorate a valuable or antique piece of furniture, you can use stenciling on everyday
How To Stencil – Get Started This is how to stencil the easy way. For your first attempt at stenciling, choose a project that is small and unlikely to cause grief if it doesn’t turn out well, but will be attractive enough to show off if it does; a little tray would be an
Festive Fabric Seasonal Trimmings Save Money Making your own festive fabric decorations for Christmas can be tremendous fun, and will save you lots of money on expensive shop-bought baubles. The designs featured here are all made from fabrics in striking red and white, with an occasional splash of green and blue. The beauty of festive
Christmas Cakes Recipe Made Easy This traditional Christmas cakes fruit mix is baked in separate muffin or cupcake molds. These can then be served up during Christmas time, and the wonderful thing is that they are quick and easy to make! This is a simple recipe with a delicious result. They can also be
Easy Christmas Wrap ups Christmas wrap ups. If you have more dash than cash this Christmas try wrapping up your gifts in these stunning covers. They look as if they cost a million dollars but they can be made on a budget using discarded shoe boxes, plain packing paper and scraps from your sewing
Festive Flair Christmas Napkins Individual Style Delight your guests this Christmas with individually styled Christmas napkins, each one decorated with a winter motif. These napkins will enhance a beautifully laid table and, as each one is made using a different technique, you can either pick the one you prefer and make a matching set
How to Make Christmas Tree Decorations Making your own Christmas tree decorations is all part of the planning and preparation for Christmas. When in full swing there’s nothing more satisfying and relaxing than making your own Christmas tree decorations. Pine cones, a small grapevine wreath and florist’s foam are the main items used to
