It’s here, the last day of 2014 has arrived and it’s time to take stock of the year. The truth is that I am quite satisfied with the DIY projects I have done since I have learned a lot with them, I have experimented with materials that I had never used and I have also perfected my “technique” with others that I was already familiar with.
In this 2014 I have tried to improve the blog both in the aesthetic part and in the content. Aesthetically, it has changed its appearance several times until it found the definitive one (at least until I have an attack of acute reformitis again). As for the content… you are the ones who should judge it, although for my part I try to make the posts interesting, to provide ideas and to encourage you to create your own DIY projects.
Of the more than 100 posts that I have published this year, I leave you with the ones that, in my opinion, have been the most interesting DIY projects of each month.
JANUARY: Decorating children’s rooms
In January I showed you crafts to decorate the baby’s room that I had made for the sons and daughters of some friends. It was the first time for me that I did a craft with felt or foam and the truth is that I have taken a liking to it, especially felt since this Christmas I have made several brooches to give away.
FEBRUARY: From wooden box to bookcase/planter
At Christmas 2013 I got several wooden boxes coming from Christmas batches (in this year’s too), so in February it was time to start up the neurons to recycle them and get some use out of them.
After thinking about it a few times, it occurred to me that with one of the boxes I could make a bookcase/shelf/planter for the kitchen, in which to place the recipe books and some plants.
This DIY project helped me to experiment with wood stains, trying different mixtures to get the desired tone.
MARCH: Renovating the kitchen
One of my goals for 2014 was to give our kitchen a facelift but without spending too much, which is not the wallet for many parties.
The main protagonist of this update was the vinyl: I covered the fridge with stainless steel effect vinyl, I decorated the laundry room window and door with translucent vinyl, I changed the color of the table and the cabinet with self-adhesive vinyl, and I renewed the floor with vinyl tiles. After all this in some forum they call me “the one with the vinyls” :p
It was not the first time that I covered furniture with vinyl but with the practice that I have been taking I have managed to make it bubble-free and finish off the corners better.
APRIL: Breakfast tray for Mother’s Day
In April I had to think of a gift for Mother’s Day so it occurred to me to give mine a breakfast tray. For this I used the wooden box of some wine bottles, I painted it with homemade chalk paint and I decorated it with some butterflies. I also made a bouquet of roses with gova eva and decorated a candle with decoupage.
This was the first time I tried to make homemade chalk paint and since then I have not bought any more paint to paint furniture.
MAY: Jewelry box with a box of wine
As I still had wooden boxes to recycle, it occurred to me to make a jewelery box with one of them. For this I painted it on the outside with homemade chalk paint and inside I used the decoupage technique. Then I added some hooks and I had a finished jewelry box.
I really like to improvise, I usually start with a general idea (in this case make a jewelry box) but I decorate and add elements as I go along. The final result that I obtained with this DIY project was one of the ones that I liked the most aesthetically.
JUNE: A bulletin board for the desk
With the lid of one of the wooden boxes that I had recycled, it occurred to me to make a plank for my desk that I wanted to give it an aged look. Currently in this plank, In addition to inspiring notes and phrases (which I like so much), I hang little things that I make like brooches or cards and that encourage me to keep thinking about new DIY projects.
Thanks to this plank I experimented with stripping wood, combining stain and diluted paint to give it that aged look.
JULY: A necklace with shells from the beach
I barely go to the beach despite having it about 10 km away, I get very bored throwing myself on the towel like a lizard but what I do like is walking along the shore, so on one of those walks I picked up the shells with which I made this necklace.
AUGUST: Tuning a melamine cabinet
What can be done with a piece of furniture that no longer fits well with the new decoration? Well tune it in order to integrate it. In this case, what I did was paint the bookcase with homemade chalk paint and put wallpaper on the back (the same one from the room where it was going to be).
With this DIY project I learned that sometimes you don’t need a lot of money, a lot of time, or a lot of materials to completely transform a piece of furniture.
SEPTEMBER: Before and after a wardrobe
I have to admit that the idea of covering the doors of this wardrobe with self-adhesive vinyl arose out of sheer laziness. I didn’t feel like painting them at all, I would have had to give them several coats of paint to get the desired white. Also it would have taken a long time to paint them so I thought a quick and cheap way to tune them up would be cover them with self-adhesive vinyl.
To finish them off I decorated them with some birds also made with self-adhesive vinyl. I was very satisfied with the change, the room has gained light and seems bigger just by changing the color of the closet doors.
OCTOBER: Updating the bedroom
As with the kitchen, I also wanted to update our bedroom decor and give it a new look. Of course it had to be with a low cost budget and making the most of the furniture I already had.
With this DIY project I learned to put wallpaper on the wall and I was so happy with the final result that I already know what the next wall that I am going to do is going to be. paper (although this will already be a DIY project from 2015).
NOVEMBER: An industrial touch
Can melamine furniture be painted? That’s what a friend asked me and I answered that of course I did, that I had done it several times and that she was going to do it one more time.
With homemade chalk paint I tried to give an industrial and metallic look to a “series” chest of drawers. I also took advantage of a broken belt to make the handles. The final result is quite impressive, now she is a chest of drawers that leaves no one indifferent.
DECEMBER: As a gift… a DIY brooch
Of all the DIY gifts I made in December, it was difficult for me to choose just one. In the end I have chosen the felt brooches because I have discovered that I love making them, it is an activity that relaxes me a lot and also triggers my creativity, I do not make two alike.
Which of all these DIY projects of 2014 did you like it more? I hope that all of them have served as inspiration for future projects in 2015, for my part I will try to continue sharing all the projects and ideas that go through my head.
My best wishes for this year that begins HAPPY 2015!!!!
