If you don't have time to make your own holiday handmade items, Etsy can be a good resource – or a place to get some ideas and inspiration to make your own items. All the items shown here are from Etsy, so whether it's stockings, wreaths, tea towels or tree skirts – there are many cute holiday themed homemade items on their website!
DIY: UPDATE A COFFEE TABLE
This little DIY was something I thought would be an easy change. I had this old coffee table and the brushed silver legs were feeling dated and tired. To give the coffee table a new look, I've painted the legs with a metallic paint with a bronze iridescent finish. Here is the BEFORE:
And here is the AFTER. The process of painting the legs might have taken 10 minutes and was very easy to apply. I'm on an antique bronze/brass kick, so I've been painting a few different objects which I will continue to share. I love the results!
DIY: CREATE A STYLISH PILLOW
A very simple, inexpensive DIY idea is to use a stencil and fabric screen printing ink to add some pattern to a solid piece of fabric. I happened to have some white cotton pillow covers, so I decided to add some colour and pattern. It's as easy as holding the stencil on the fabric and tapping on the ink. The great part is you could use this idea for just about anything: a table cloth, place mats, napkins, pillows, etc. There are lots of different stencils and ink colours, so the options are pretty endless. Here are the pictures of my progress right up to the pillow in my living room.
DIY: AFFORDABLE & STYLISH ARTWORK
I like to keep some inexpensive frames around that I can fill with any image to create some easy and affordable artwork. The art on the wall above are pieces I put together, matching frames with images. You can use antique prints, new prints or photography – whatever you have that works. Here is another piece in a white frame:
I've used an Ikea ribba frame and an old, vintage advertisement as the image. The frame comes in several different sizes and colours, so you can pick what works best for you.
Here's how this one looks finished (a bit hard to see the white frame):
This image is an old French, Hermes advertisement, you can sometimes find these on ebay or by hunting around at antique shops. I've found some great old images to put in new frames. I also often have a new matte cut to go around the image to fit perfectly. It gives it a custom framed look.
DIY: MAKE ANY TABLE WITH THESE FLOYD LEGS
I think these Floyd legs are a very smart idea – they attach to any flat surface to create a table. The legs come in two heights (one is for coffee tables and the other is for a desk) and several different colours. The clamps are removable so you can easily move the table, or change the table size or change the type of material in the table. I think it's a stylish look and such a practical idea – a simple DIY that gives you tons of options! The legs can be ordered at thefloydleg.com and they will ship to Canada for an extra cost.
Here are some ideas of what you can make with them, they also now sell brackets to create shelving. One thing they mention is that these are best for mid-weight materials and also aren't meant to be huge dining tables (they can't handle that kind of weight). I hope to be trying out the coffee table legs, using an old thick plank of wood I have. The big decision is what colour leg to go with!
