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Magnetic Personalities
Looking for the cure to cabinet clutter? You can find it in these deliciously simple to make spice storage canisters. Metal storage containers with clear tops go from bland to spiced-up with the addition of magnetic strips and custom labels. The tins can then be stuck to any metallic kitchen surface, making them perfect for the refrigerator and more.
Reflective Moment
These magical yet minimalist mirrored planter boxes demonstrate how a decorative accent can be a true reflection of your personality. Bargain beveled mirrors form the sides, with a flat mirror for the base. A little hot glue transforms the assemblage into a sturdy shelter for homegrown plants.
Picture Perfect
If old magazines or snapshots are cluttering your shelves, give them a second life as custom photo magnets. Simply cut the images down to the size of a quarter, glue them to dollar-store glass dragon tears, and adhere magnets to the back to create these photogenic fridge toppers.
Related: 10 Extras to DIY for Your Kitchen
Learn the Ropes
One man’s trash is a DIYer’s treasure. A case in point: this rope hamper upcycled from little more than a plastic wastebasket. After wrapping the basket in dyed cotton rope and securing the strands with hot glue, fill the whimsical woven bin with garments, towels, or comforters.
Mat Finish
Placemats are more than just glamorous guests at the dinner table. When doubled up and plumped with stuffing, then ironed shut with fusing web, they become pretty no-sew pillows to liven up a sofa, chaise, or hammock.
Novel Idea
If you’re toying around with DIY decorative accents for the kids’ room, look no further than these bookends. Dollar-store toy elephants are glued to an L-shaped base constructed from pieces of 1×4’s and then spray-painted for a playful look at a beastly good bargain.
Related: 10 Novel DIYs for a Better Bookshelf
Mass Produce
When you’re finished wining and dining your guests, repurpose the empty wine bottles into a showstopping tiered serving tray. Dollar-store plates and bowls form the tiers, while cut-up wine bottle tops take the pretty platter—and your appetizing displays—to new heights.
Related: 18 Tiny Kitchens We Love
Beautiful Blends
Kitchen greenery doesn’t get any fresher than this coffee-cup succulent garden. To create one of your own, use a permanent marker and a stencil to add custom letters to the cups. Then, fill these whimsical planters with potting soil and succulents, and put your caffeine-free kitchen companions on parade.
Related: Your Easiest-Ever Garden: 7 Planters That Do All the Work
Flying Colors
Mounted on an entryway wall, this mirror is sure to be the fairest of them all. What’s the secret to this DIY success? Its frame, composed of dyed and dried clothespins affixed to the mirror with heavy-duty adhesive, conveys a modern, multicolored aesthetic that brings a playful vibe to any home.
String Theory
It’s no wonder why yarn is a minimalist DIYer’s dream material. The thrifty thread can effortlessly update style-devoid home accents. Here, ivory string wrapped around a lackluster lampshade instantly transforms it into a luminous pendant light that’s sure to get noticed.
Free and Clear
Looked at from a novel vantage point, a dollar-store picture frame can be converted into an elegant organizer. Simply line the base of an acrylic photo frame with contact paper or fabric. Protected by its easy-to-remove lining, the tray serves as a practical accessory for a nightstand or changing table.
Related: 10 Artful Uses for Old Frames
Golden Touch
Your guests will never suspect this gilded cutlery’s humble origins: a dollar store. To take flatware from forgettable to fabulous, cover the heads of the utensils with painter’s tape. Finish the handles with both gold and clear-coat spray paint to evoke a regal table setting on the cheap.
Related: 5 Things to Do with… Painter’s Tape
Light of the Party
A kitchen staple among home bakers, cupcake liners make as festive an impression on light fixtures as they do on baked goods. Here, cupcake liners and tissue paper are first cut into floral shapes and stacked together. Then each bulb of a set of string lights is pierced through the center of a frilly flower to create a joyful party decoration.
Related: 7 Ways to Transform String Lights from Holiday to Every Day
Writing on the Wall
Mounted to the wall, a simple tray serves up as much style as utility. Topped with chalkboard paper and painted with a list template, this thrift-store tray quickly becomes a chalkboard-inspired tablet for tackling to-dos.
Crafty Cover-Up
See an old lampshade in a whole new light by dressing it up with chic castoffs from your wardrobe. Here, coral pink nylon tights, cut to size with a rotary cutter and stretched over the lampshade, form a naturally radiant protective cover that appears to emit softly colored light.
Make the Rounds
This dotted tablecloth is sure to make a striking statement, particularly in spaces with simple decor. The bold polka dots are created not by a paintbrush, but rather a potato. Cut in half and dipped in paint, the tater is then repeatedly pressed against a dollar-store drop cloth to create a stunning stipple.
Do or Dye
Give yawn-worthy pillowcases, sheets, and towels the TLC they deserve with a thrift-store tie-dye kit. Simply fold and bind lackluster linens with rubber bands before soaking them in an ink bath to create a colorful two-tone motif.
On the Rise
Have your cake and admire it too by hanging these Bundt-pan planters in the kitchen above an island, breakfast bar, or snack station. All you’ll need for this DIY are dollar-store Bundt pans filled with succulents and hung from the ceiling with a length of rope or chain and some screw hooks.
Related: Buy or DIY: 7 Hanging Planters for the Great Indoors
Glazy Days
This artisanal marble pitcher will appear equally at home at a deckside BBQ or in a kitchen outfitted with marble countertops. Dip any plain white ceramic into a bath of water and swirls of nail polish to achieve a gorgeous glazed finish—just in time for festive summer gatherings.
Related: 9 DIY Ideas for a Summery Backyard
Medicine Cabinet Makeover
Is your medicine cabinet a bit of a bummer? Take the time to clean it out, then remove the shelves and set them aside. Peel and stick some budget contact paper on the inside of the cabinet for an easy and affordable pick-me-up!
Related: Boring Bathroom? 7 Fixes for an Old Medicine Cabinet
