So you’ve bought or rented your first home and you have a list of home renovation projects that need to get done. They seemed to be easy enough when you made the list, but now it’s time to get started and that list is looking more and more daunting.
Where do you start?
How do you know when you’re finished with a project?
And how many times will you have to go back to the hardware store?
Maybe you’ve tried a home renovation project before and it didn’t go as planned. Or maybe you’re stuck in the planning stages and can’t quite get started. Home renovation isn’t easy, but it doesn’t have to be hard.
Like with anything in life, it takes time and practice.
But don’t worry, these five tips below can help make your home renovation projects go smoothly!
1. Start with a plan
Some of my most frustrating home renovation projects have been started by going to the store and buying something that I thought would be a fun project. Like those peg wall boards I bought at Ikea one time and thought I’d organize my entire garage.
Take some time to think about how you’ll execute the project you thought of this morning. Research how other people have done it, write down the supplies you’ll need, and make a realistic timeline of when you want to get it done. Realistic is the most important word for a timeline; think about what you have going on and how much time you’ll actually be able to commit to a project.
My fiancé loves to give me a hard time about my poor time management skills. I tell him that I’m just overeager and want to get a lot done. When I’m excited about something I want it done now, but that can’t always happen with life getting in the way.
It’s best to take a look at your schedule and plan out home renovation projects by how long they’ll take and how much time you have to dedicate to them. This will cut down on frustration when a project takes longer than you thought it would.
2. Don’t reinvent the wheel
I’ll admit that I hate that corporate phrase, but it really is true. I mentioned it in the previous tip, but look at how others have completed the same project you want to do.
Watch videos if you’re a visual learner or read about them if that’s your thing. Just make sure that someway, you’re learning from other people to help your home renovation project go smoother.
Many people will happily share the mistakes they made and how to avoid them. This helps to avoid problems before they even start in your home renovation project! You can also get inspiration for your own projects if you don’t have it completely mapped out yet.
3. Start small and work your way up
As I said earlier, it takes time to improve at something. Don’t make an entire kitchen makeover your first home renovation project if you have no experience.
Start small with something like a paint refresh in a bedroom, or a living decor makeover, and work your way up. Maybe you change out a light fixture next, then add new flooring to a room.
These easier projects also give you instant gratification – seeing a room with an entirely new color makes it feel like a new space. And makes you feel good about the work that you did! Larger projects take more time and the results are more difficult to see.
Get your feet wet with smaller projects and slowly start to build your home renovation skills.
4. Don’t do it alone
Chances are, you have some friends who have some home renovation experience. Or at the very least, some friends who are willing to help you out with projects.
Two minds really are better than one, as are an extra set of hands. Home renovation projects are a lot easier when there are other people to help, even if you think it’s not necessary. It’s nice to have someone to bounce ideas off of, or offer an idea when you feel stuck.
It’s also fun to have more people around when you’re doing hard work! Offer your friends a free meal in exchange for help and I bet you’ll have willing volunteers.
5. Get quality tools
Having the right tools for home renovation projects is essential. You wouldn’t start running as a new hobby with sandals, so treat your projects with the same care.
Quality tools don’t have to break the bank – try to get a few tools that will help you with multiple projects (this is also where planning comes in handy!). There are also many sales throughout the year, so do some pricing research before buying.
I like to purchase electric tools, so I try and buy the same brand so I can use the one battery for different tools. This helps cut down on battery costs and helps projects run smoothly, so I always have a charged tool.
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You’ll be a home renovation project pro in no time with these tips! It doesn’t have to be hard, and hopefully, these tips make your projects feel less daunting. Let me know what projects you’re getting up to in the comments, or tag me on Instagram or Twitter!
Tie dye has been really popular lately, and recently I saw a tie dye duvet cover for sale but thought I could make one without spending a pretty penny. I’ve never tried shibori tie dye before but the duvet cover turned out really well! If you’d like to watch the video of the whole process below:
Overall the project was pretty cheap – you just need a plain white duvet cover, fabric dye, and a dye “setter.” Technically, you don’t need to set the dye, but I knew I’d be washing it regularly and want the dye to stay vibrant for as long as possible.
Shibori is different from other regular tie dye because the folds create the pattern – I did a triangle pattern for the pillowcases and a square pattern for the duvet cover. There are so many different ways you can fold the fabric, and you can also try to make your own!
How to fold the duvet cover
I started out by laying the duvet cover on the ground to do the folds (and my dog Luna decided to help). I suggest getting another person to help you so the folds are even, but it can be done alone if you take it slow! Just try to keep them consistent as you fold.
The folds will be accordion style – over and under. Keep doing this until you have one long strip of fabric.
Once the duvet cover is folded into a long strip, start folding it over and under again. This time you’ll be making little squares.
After you have a giant square, tie some twine around it to hold it in place, or use large rubber bands if you have them.
You can fold the pillowcases the same way, or do triangles instead of squares. I decided to do triangles so the pillowcases are a little different than the tie dye duvet cover. The differing patterns look really cool once it’s finished!
Mixing the dye
Follow the instructions for the fabric dye you bought. Mine said to add in salt and dish soap to the water, so I put those in the water before adding the dye.
I mixed everything together in my sink because I don’t have a large enough bucket to fit all the water in, but if you do, feel free to forgo the sink! This did not end up staining my stainless steel sink.
Mix everything together really well, and if you want to check the color you can use a paper towel to do a quick test of how it’ll look!
How to dye the fabric
Once the water is mixed, slowly add in the duvet cover and pillowcases. You might have to hold them under the water until the fabric is saturated and doesn’t float to the top. Go slowly!
Also try and give each piece enough space so that they aren’t touching one another. I let the fabric sit in the dye for about an hour and stirred them around halfway through.
Once the fabric has sat in the sink for around an hour, or the recommended time for your dye, give it a good rinse in cold water. From there, you can either wash the fabric or use a dye fixative to ensure the dye doesn’t fade.
I didn’t have to add anything into the water for the fixative – just the solution itself. Again, go slowly and make sure the fabric is completely submerged. Stir everything around again about halfway so all pieces get covered.
After I was done with the fixative, I let the duvet cover and pillowcases sit out overnight. Pro tip, if you have any puppy pee pads, these are great to sit the fabric on because they soak up all the excess water. I also use these when I water my plants!
My fabric dye said to let everything sit out until the fabric is dry, but honestly, I think it would’ve started growing mold before all the folds would be able to dry. I let it sit for a day and then decided to wash it since it hadn’t dried that significantly.
Wash everything on the coldest setting possible, and if you’re worried about the dye bleeding out of the fabric, throw a towel in the washer too. I did this just in case, and it caught the excess dye that came off.
Tumble dry on low and put it on your bed!
I love how the pattern came out, and it’s the perfect shade for what I was wanting! Let me know if you end up making a shibori tie dye duvet cover, and make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Beautiful flower walls seem to be all over Pinterest. Since I had an empty wall in my apartment, I decided it would be the perfect way to decorate! A lot of the walls look really intricate (and expensive!), so I wanted to do a more simple and cheaper version.
This project didn’t require a lot of supplies, and you probably have a lot hanging around your house anyway! I also made a video of the whole process so you can follow along that way, if that’s easier for you.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Wooden dowel
- Small rope
- Sand paper
- Hook
- Invisible fishing wire (or beading wire!)
- Hot glue gun
- Fake flowers
Start with sanding the end of the wooden dowel
You definitely don’t have to sand the ends of the dowel if they aren’t dyed, but I liked how it smoothed out the ends and made it look more polished. I got my wooden dowel from Home Depot and the dowel itself didn’t need to be sanded, just the ends.
Tie a large piece of rope to each end of the dowl
We’ll be hanging the flower wall (tapestry?) with this rope so make sure it’s nice and tight. You could enforce the knots with a little bit of hot glue if needed, but mine felt pretty sturdy and have held up for a year now.
Tie five pieces of invisible string to the dowel
Try to space the invisible string out as evenly as possible – this is how we’ll be securing the flowers so you want to make sure they look even. Tying the string was a little tricky since mine was stretchy, so you might have to double or triple knot it.
Space out your flowers and tie them to the string
Tying the flowers on was a little difficult with the string since it’s slightly stretchy, so I made sure to do a couple of knots to make sure it was secure. I also found that it was easier to leave longer “tails” so I could trim them after I was done with the knots.
Hot glue the knots
I wasn’t confident with the knots, so I also hot glued them to make sure they didn’t unravel. You can skip the knot part if you wanted, but the knots made the flowers more moveable.
Add in leaves and other details
I didn’t want to only do flowers for the flower wall, so I also added in leaves and faux ferns. This added a lot of interest to the flower wall and also made it look more realistic. I didn’t want it to just be orange and yellow flowers hanging off of the walls, so I’m really glad I added the leaves in!
Let me know on Instagram if you end up making this flower wall! It’s an easy way to brighten up your home, and it’s also simple and cheap to make. I hope you like how it turned out!
Since graduating college and starting my full time gig almost two years ago, I’ve struggled with finding time to be creative. While I don’t have assignments to do in my spare time, work is exhausting in other ways, and it’s difficult to motivate myself to work on projects.
After a couple of months of this, though, I definitely started to feel the lack of creativity in my life wear on me. I decided to purposefully and mindfully make time for creative tasks. Just by changing up a few things in my routine enabled me to fit in time for creativity, and helped provide an outlet from the stress that comes from a typical 9-5.
Make it easy to get to your DIY supplies
Most of my DIY supplies were put away in boxes under my bed or closet to save space in my apartment. My boyfriend and I re-organized our space about six months ago and I made sure I could easily get to my supplies, which helped tremendously.
I can now see my most used supplies just by walking in my room, and it motivates me to create more. We also got a lot of cool shelving to help organize my supplies, which double as decor. My boyfriend is a huge fan of functionality so it was a good compromise!
Use things like Pinterest or Instagram to stay inspired
I constantly look at Pinterest for new ideas, and it’s great at giving me ideas for projects. Not only can you get inspiration, but you can also learn new techniques. You can have just one board dedicated to projects, or different ones depending on the mediums you like to use.
Instagram is also great for quick inspiration, but it’s not as easy to save ideas for projects. I also look at Etsy or other online stores for inspiration! There’s really no limits with finding inspiration for projects on the internet.
Take classes to learn new creative techniques
I touched on this a little bit earlier, but it can be great to learn with hands-on experience. This is a great way to learn more about different mediums and get inspired by other people! I got my boyfriend a glass blowing class for Christmas (that I joined in on), and it was so cool learning how to work with a completely new material. Especially since it’s not something you work with everyday!
Just search for art classes in your area, and you’ll find tons to choose from. Groupon is also a great website to look at because you can find great deals on there!
There are also a ton of online classes to take, and YouTube is a great resource to learn virtually any creative technique. You don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home to learn new ways to be creative!
Write down new project ideas immediately
I have a bullet journal that I use to keep track of my schedule and also my ideas. Anytime I have a remotely good idea, I write it down so I can come back to it later. Once you start writing ideas down, it’s a lot easier to get the ball rolling. Ideas often come in pairs, trios, or groups, so get them all down on paper!
You can also just keep a running note on your phone if you don’t have a planner, or don’t have it with you. I do this all the time if I’m out without my bullet journal, and just add to it when I get home. If you’re anything like me, it’s really easy to forget ideas, so make sure you have them down somewhere!
Plan time to be creative
I know this doesn’t sound very glamorous, but sometimes you just have to plan the time for projects. Dedicate a certain time of the day, week, or month to being creative! Don’t move that time for anything else, and use it to focus on making something that you love. Once you start to consistently schedule in time to be creative, it quickly becomes a habit.
Planning time for creativity also helps you plan for what you want to do, so you aren’t stuck without the supplies you actually need for a project. I’ve been in that situation and it’s extremely frustrating!
Most importantly…
….stay creative! It sounds like simple advice, but try and be creative as much as possible. Once you start making things, it’s easier to keep the ideas flowing and your motivation up. It’s natural to get into a creative rut, but don’t stay there.
What are your favorite ways to be creative?
I got into embroidery about two years ago when I made a couple of shirts for Alex and I before a trip to Disney. It’s actually pretty easy to get started with embroidery! The thread is also really cheap and craft stores have so many to choose from.
During a sale at Michael’s, I got about ten of these square canvases. Since I have so many, one day I tried embroidering a canvas and it was similar to using fabric! I love combining the two now because it adds a 3D element to flat paintings. It’s a little more difficult to embroider canvases, so here are some tips!
Watch where you put the embroidery holes
Since canvases are stiff and tearable, it’s important to watch the hole spacing. If you put them too close, it’s possible to make one giant hole or tear the canvas altogether. You can put the holes close together, but when making things like flowers, be extra careful.
Similarly, don’t put multiple threads through one hole. You can do this with fabric, but it puts too much stress on canvas and can cause tears. There’s no flexibility with canvases so you have to get creative sometimes.
Don’t pull too hard
Be mindful of how hard you’re pulling the thread through the canvas. Again, it can easily tear if you handle it too roughly since the canvas isn’t flexible. I’ve definitely pulled too hard before and caused a slight tear or the hole ended up larger than I intended.
Although canvases are sturdy, they’re more delicate than fabric and have to be handled more carefully. Make sure that there are no tangles in the fabric since that can cause you to pull too hard trying to get the thread through. I tend to make my thread too long so tangles inevitably happen and I’ve wasted so much time getting them out!
Sketch your embroidery design first
The great thing about canvases is you can sketch out your design so easily, and erase it if you don’t like it. You can definitely do this with fabric, too, but it’s a lot easier on canvas. Take advantage of this! Even if there’s already paint on the canvas, it’s super easy to lightly sketch over the top.
I’ve tried freehand embroidery on canvases before and it doesn’t turn out as well if I’m following sketches. I like to figure out the spacing, like with the bike video above, and it tends to look messy. The only things I freehand are small details, like flowers and polka dots.
Try not to back out of the embroidery holes
With fabric, you can easily back the needle out and make a different hole. You can’t do this with canvases since it’s rigid and the canvas won’t “go back” into its original form. Once that hole is made, you have to stick to it unfortunately.
If you absolutely must move the hole, you can try to “pat” the canvas back into place, and even put some paint over it to try and hide the mistake. You can also place the hole where the embroidery thread will cover up the mistaken hole. There are ways to cover up mistaken holes, but it’s harder than regular fabric embroidery.
Good luck!
Canvas embroidery is so much fun and you can produce beautiful results. Over time, your lines will get cleaner and your embroidery will be spaced out well. Search Pinterest to find design ideas, and embroider away!