Chair Planter

Before:

After:

Got a spare chair that you aren’t sure what to do with?  Turn it into a planter!  My mother-in-law had a chair with a broken rattan seat in her basement that she happily gave to me for this project.  And if you don’t already have an extra chair, pick one up at the thrift store or garage sale for a few bucks.

First, I painted my chair in a black satin with a Wagner paint sprayer.  Paint sprayers are well worth the investment if you don’t already have one.  This chair was painted in less than a few minutes, which would have otherwise taken me much longer and had been much more frustrating.  Next, I traced my flower pot on the seat of the chair.  Actually, my pot is a sand bucket I got at my $1 store, but it works just as well!  After, I used a simple box cutter to cut my hole in the rattan seat.  Now, if your chair has a regular, solid seat, this step will be a bit more demanding as you’d have to use a jigsaw to make your cut.  Finally, I dropped in my planter already containing some cheerful flowers.

My chair planter is positioned right next to my front door, but it would look great anywhere – on a deck, by the garage, in a garden, etc.  To be honest, this project was so easy, I think I may make another one!

Shoe Crate

Do you always have shoes piled up at your front door?  Well, for me, the shoe menagerie is at our back door, but you get my drift.  It’s only my husband and me, but somehow we can never keep track of our shoes.  Unfortunately, we don’t have room by our back door for a traditional shoe rack, so I needed to be a little creative to come up with something that would fit the space and our needs.    

I purchased two unfinished crates from my local craft store using 40% off coupons, of course!  Then, I painted them black in a satin finish.  That’s it!  I didn’t attach them together, I simply stack them one on top of the other.  Trust me, they don’t budge.  My favorite kid of DIY project - simple, inexpensive, and does the trick.   Think of all the other things you can use painted stacked crates for.  How about an end table that can store books and magazines?  What else do you suggest?  

Recyclable Holiday Décor

I love decorating for each holiday, but I hate having to store all the decorations. I have a small home, and storage is at a premium. Also, buying decorations for every holiday can get really expensive! I think it is such a waste, especially when it’s only out on display for a few weeks a year. So, I’ve come up with a few holiday decorations that I can recycle all throughout the year regardless of the holiday or season! This saves me cash, plus there’s no putting up and taking down; you’re always ready to go regardless of the occasion!  

1)Cake Plate for Any Occasion: A pretty cake plate makes a great centerpiece. Many cake plates, like mine, have cutouts that ribbon can be woven through. For each holiday, I have festive ribbon purchased from my local $1 store. And while picking out my ribbon at the $1 store, I can easily find holiday items to display on top. So, for only a few bucks, minus the cost of the cake plate itself, I always have a beautiful, festive centerpiece. And best yet, I only have one small storage box in my basement holding all the interchangeable pieces. Cheap + less clutter = happiness! 

 

2) Two Step Holiday Wreath: The front door is the first impression to your home. I always like it to be welcoming, and a cheerful holiday wreath does the trick. But wreathes can be very expensive, plus I hate storing them - they take up a lot of priceless real estate! So, I have one, yes, one, single wreath I use for each and every holiday. It’s not flashy, but it’s simple, cute, and does the trick! I purchased one standard wreath from my local $1 store. I really love my $1 store, if you couldn’t tell. Also, at the $1 store, I buy one or two pieces of holiday garland (depending the length) and a single decoration like the Easter Bunny garden stake shown (I sawed off half the stake). I simply wrap the garland around the wreath (spray paint if desired) tying it at each end. I only went halfway around with this Easter wreath to make it look like a basket. Then, I simply stick my decoration through the garland. That’s it! For less than $5, you have a cute holiday wreath. And better yet, nothing is permanently adhered to the wreath, so you can easily change it again and again. Memorial Day will be here before we know it, and I plan on tucking a flag in the garland. Please share your ideas of how you plan on using this wreath.  

3) Festive Simplicity with Glass Jars: This last one may not blow your socks off, but it does the job! I have three square glass jars placed in a window sill between my kitchen and dining room always displaying festive goodies inside. For example, Easter I use plastic eggs, Christmas glass ornaments, and Valentine’s Day conversation hearts. And guess where all these items can be bought??? And when there isn’t an upcoming holiday, I fill the jars with wine corks or potpourri. Do you have any other suggestions of what can be used on a regular basis?
 

Folding Screen Headboard

A headboard is really the focal point of the bedroom.  But when I first got married, I didn’t buy the matching headboard/footboard with our new bedroom set.  It was pricey and too bulky for our modest master.  So, we went without one for awhile.  Our bedroom looked so bare!  But I couldn’t find the right thing in our budget; also, it’s hard for me to make up my mind!  But, I finally found the perfect thing with a $30 folding screen purchased at a garage sale!  

Originally, the screen looked pretty beat.  I think it was powder blue, granted it was so faded it was hard to tell, and it had four panels.  The first thing my husband and I did was remove one panel as it was too big for our queen sized bed (but we kept it in case we ever upgrade to a king).  Also, we painted it black in a satin finish using a paint sprayer.  I highly suggest using a paint sprayer (I use a Wagner) for this project as it would be difficult to get in between the slats otherwise.  I finished it off with a personalized “Always Kiss Me Good Night” plaque (purchased through PersonalCreations.com for $30, plus shipping) hung through the slats using satin ribbon.  For extra security, my husband and I did decide to add two screws to each side.

I get tons of compliments on my headboard, and this project was very inexpensive and done from start to finish in no time!  So, if you have a bedroom in your home that needs some extra zip, give this project a shot!  Think about painting the folding screen an accent color that really pops.  Also, shutters would work just as well!  What creative head board have you come up with or want to recreate???