Design

9 Ways to Decorate With Your Crafts and Put Your Hobbies on Display

Don’t keep your beautiful work hidden away! Use your hobbies and crafts to enhance your home’s decor.
Deirdre Mundorf Avatar
iStock-1354236427 decorating with crafts young woman painting and doing fabric art on denim.

Photo: istockphoto.com

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Having a hobby can offer a nice escape from all the stressors associated with work and the daily grind. In fact, as Head to Health shares, individuals who have a hobby are more likely to feel relaxed and less likely to feel down and depressed than those who do not have a hobby. Whether you spend a lot of time each week on your hobby or can squeeze in only a few minutes here and there, you should be proud of what you’re able to create and accomplish. Read on to learn how to integrate your creations and crafting supplies into your home’s decor.

RELATED: 14 Craft Room Ideas to Inspire Scrapbookers, Knitters, and Other Creative Types

1. Storing Thread, Yarn, and Beads in Clear Bins

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Photo: istockphoto.com

Rather than keeping all your thread, yarn, and beads in a drawer or closet, let their bright colors elevate your home’s decor. Use a yarn winder to turn yarn balls into yarn cakes, like this Stanwood Needlecraft yarn winder at Amazon, the top pick in our list of best yarn winders. Then place the yarn cakes in clear bins, sorted by color, to create a rainbow display. Do the same with your thread, beads, and other colorful crafting supplies. Displaying these materials will make a room feel brighter and more colorful, plus they’ll be easy to find when you need them for a DIY project.

RELATED: 12 Things That Belong In a Beginner Sewing Kit

2. Framing Paintings and Photographs

iStock-1311835719 decorate with crafts woman hanging blue and yellow abstract painting on wall
Photo: istockphoto.com

It doesn’t matter if you’ve just started experimenting with painting or photography or if you’re well on your way to becoming the next Vincent Van Gogh. The paintings you create or the photographs you take are your own personal masterpieces and should be treated as such.

Purchase some frames and hang your work around your home. Consider making a few of your favorites the focal point in the living room, office, or bedroom or grouping some of your photos together to create a gallery wall with matching frames, like this Gallery Perfect 7-piece black frame kit at Amazon.

RELATED: The Best Picture Frames for a Gallery Wall

3. Displaying Handmade Rugs and Embroidery Projects

iStock-1395018063 decorate with crafts Female embroidering handmade picture rainbow on canvas. Young woman pushing the punchneedle straight down into the foundation fabric in workshop.
Photo: istockphoto.com

If you enjoy making punch rugs or working on embroidery crafting kits, don’t put your masterpieces in the closet or on a shelf to collect dust. There are several ways to display these pieces throughout your home. Lay punch rugs out on the floor to get some real use out of them, and add a non-slip backing, like this Gorilla Grip felt and rubber rug pad at Amazon. Or, if you want to keep them clean, try hanging them on the wall.

Choosing to leave embroidery work in the hoop and hanging it on the wall is one display option. You also can try framing your work to hang it on the wall, or you could even use the embroidered fabric to make a throw pillow.

4. Showcasing Vintage Sewing Machines and Looms

iStock-481377096 decorate with crafts vintage sewing machine on desk in living room
Photo: istockphoto.com

Vintage sewing machines and looms don’t belong in storage. They can be integrated into nearly any room in a home to show off their unique designs. Old sewing machines often were built into a table, so they are ideal to use as a decorative (and perhaps functional) piece in your living room, a small serving table when entertaining, or even as a desk.

RELATED: How to Use a Sewing Machine Like a Pro

5. Using Handmade Resin Paperweights

Etsy decorate with crafts resin paperweight with flower
Photo: Etsy via inflorehome

Do you enjoy making one-of-a-kind creations with resin, like this In Flore Bleu paperweight by InFloreHome at Etsy? Put them to work by using these paperweights to hold important papers on your desk, keep bills organized, or to top displayed magazines on the coffee table. If you don’t have any practical uses, don’t worry. Simply place your paperweights on a bookshelf or end table to use them as decorations.

RELATED: The Best Epoxy Resins

6. Hanging Door Wreaths

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Photo: istockphoto.com

Wreaths can add a welcoming touch to a front porch, but that isn’t the only way to display your handmade projects. Leave your seasonal and holiday wreaths on display year-round by hanging them inside the house. The crafters at DecoExchange say they’ll look beautiful when hung in front of a mirror, over the mantle, or even in the windows of the home. You can even take a favorite wreath to serve as a centerpiece on the table or to frame a clock on the wall.

RELATED: 10 Alternative Wreaths to Make You Forget About Evergreens

7. Placing Woodturned Pens on Display Stands

Etsy decorating with crafts stand for pen
Photo: Etsy via ManCave Penpire

With woodturning, even beginners can craft beautiful bowls, candlesticks, pens, and more. Turn your woodturned pens into pieces of art by placing them on display stands, like this Samurai style 3-pen stand by ManCavePenpire at Etsy, on your desk, shelves, or end tables. Woodturned bowls can hold everyday items to pull double duty as a decorative and working piece. Woodturned creations can serve as a great conversation starter when you have guests over and will allow you to share more about one of your favorite hobbies.

RELATED: 20 Woodturning Projects for Beginners

8. Using a Scrapbook as a Coffee Table Book

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Photo: istockphoto.com

Creating artfully laid out scrapbook pages takes a lot of time and effort. Using your scrapbooks as coffee table books makes it easier to share them with others. Invite guests to flip through the pages to learn more about your travels and adventures or to view photos of some of the most important people and events in your life.

RELATED: The Best Photo Albums

9. Display Handmade Quilts and Blankets

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Photo: istockphoto.com

If you enjoy DIY sewing projects, including making quilts or blankets, why not proudly display your talent throughout your home? Show off handmade blankets and quilts, while also benefiting from the warmth they’ll provide, by using them as a bedspread or draping them over the back of the couch to use while relaxing.

Other ways to integrate these items into your decor? Hang several quilts over the rungs of a leaning blanket ladder, drape folded blankets over taller furniture items, or fold quilts and blankets to stack on a shelf or end table.