Spruce up your home with one of these done-in-an-hour DIY projects. Some projects require dry time, but all require less than an hour of hands-on work. What’s not to love about that?
Book Picture Frame
Don’t let an old book with damaged pages go to waste. If it has a beautiful cover, you can turn it into a pretty frame. Using a crafts knife, carefully cut a rectangle out from the front cover. To create the mat, cut a few of the inside pages into a rectangle a bit smaller than the cover rectangle. Glue the pages to the cover and tape a photo in place.
On a Platter
Rescue cast-off crystal platters and turn them into one-of-a-kind artwork. Paint the smooth sides of the platters with two to three coats of acrylic paint; let dry between coats. Mix and match colors, sizes, and patterns and hang the platters together in a grouping.
Fabric-Covered Canvases
Stretch your decorating dollar with affordable DIY canvases. Buy ready-made canvases or canvas stretchers and cover with a favorite fabric. Try using a large-scale pattern and use different parts of the pattern on different canvases.
Cork It
Fashion an office memo board from inexpensive cork trivets. To begin, paint the cork rounds with two coats of acrylic paint in your chosen color palette. Leave several unpainted for a more natural look. Once dry, turn the cork pieces over and arrange in the design you prefer; secure together with masking tape. Use wall hook-and-loop tape to hang.
Customized Vases
Transform plain-Jane milky-white vases with freehand painting. Mix glass paint with a few drops of paint thinner. If desired, adjust the amount of paint thinner to achieve varying viscosities and results, such as drips and runs. Paint freehand designs on each vase using an acrylic brush.
