DIY

DIY is an abbreviation for Do It Yourself. We are increasingly importing expressions from English and DIY is one of them. Of course, it is just as good to use the Swedish term – Gör Det Själv. What is meant in any case is that instead of buying new, you reuse your old stuff, with some addition of materials, to remake or beautify. The point is primarily that you will earn a few pennies by doing it yourself while recycling and thereby getting an environmental benefit. Then there is also the satisfaction of having achieved something on your own.

I am a notorious “do-it-yourselfer” in the sense that I like to transform things. With my hand on my heart, I will also admit that I sometimes also want to change newly purchased things to get it the way I want it. One weakness I have is that it does not necessarily mean that I do it myself but rather like to let someone else who is often better suited do it. My ex-husband grumbled a lot about this. But he was usually very happy with the end result…

I’m starting with making my own projects out of small items. For the crafty person, maybe reusing light bulbs could be something. And of course, the little hanging vases are cute.

Ordinary glass bottles and jars are usually taken to recycling. But sometimes you have a bottle or jar with an unusual shape that it’s a shame to get rid of. For example, Heintz chili sauce has a nice shape and often also liquor bottles. Why not turn them into a beautiful still life? Here’s how to get bottles and jars with a ceramic feel.

It certainly looks sophisticated with framed ceiling rosettes. Looks like it could be in either hand-carved wood or stone.

Ceiling rosettes made of polystyrene and plastic can be really decorative. Paint them in a suitable color and voila, you have your own piece of art.

You can also use ceiling rosettes to make a door more elegant. Here’s how:

More wall decorations to put together.

Here, small pieces of wallpaper have been framed with gold frames. Stylish.

What a cool idea! What is called “bandanas” or snusnäsduk in Swedish (prefer the English name in this case!) has been color coordinated with the wall and looks so nice. Cheap snusnäsduk/bandanas can be found here: Bandanas

How hard can it be to make your own abstract artwork? Paint on canvas like a real artist and stretch it on a frame or paint directly on MDF board.

Dip and dye has been around for a while now and it’s an easy thing to do yourself. You simply dip a piece of fabric into a dye bath with fabric dye. Easy as pie.

Even boring textile lampshades can be given an exciting look with dip dyeing.

Another way to spruce up lampshades you’ve grown tired of is to paint them with fabric paint. It makes a big difference and even better if the inside is painted too. Preferably in gold. It gives a really warm glow with gold on the inside. Paint and glitter can be bought at hobby shops.

Here is the last do it yourself tip and the most fun in my opinion.

What is this? Well, a broken umbrella wrapped with a really big string of lights. A great idea for a different chandelier!