DIY stands for doing it yourself; several videos on the internet and several blogs teach DIY skills. They teach essential skills like repairing simple machines and making useful products from recycled material. Learning to do things yourself has several advantages. It saves a lot of money in repair and maintenance work. The money thus saved can be utilized to fulfill other aspirations.
People feel independent when they know how to reuse or repair their own stuff. They do not need to wait for a mechanic or a cleaner for their regular activities. Moreover, whenever people make beautiful DIY products like a scarf used as a skirt or making a wall hanging out of recycled material, they have a sense of achievement.
Some Innovative And Useful DIY Ideas
DIY Ideas With Reused Clothing
Reusing clothes and shoes has several advantages like saving money, generating less waste, and making beautiful bags and accessories. For instance, if anyone has a monochrome shoe or shirt, it can be repainted or made shimmery with the addition of glue and glitter. A shirt with long sleeves can be cut out and stitched carefully to create a sleeveless or crop top.
T-shirts can make excellent wall decorations. For instance, if a T-shirt has a nice print with a lovely quote or a memorable message, the printed part can be affixed to a frame, placed on a shelf, or hung on the wall.
Old dresses that have lace material on their borders make pretty chokers or armlets. The lace piece needs careful cutting, and then the ends need some velcro tape or hook system for attaching the two ends. Making lace chokers or armlets needs very little sewing expertise if a velcro tape holds the two ends together. Cotton and lycra sleeveless tops make excellent tote bags. The sleeves make the tote bag handles, and stitching together the lower part of the top makes a tote bag out of old tops.
Decorative items like flowers or wall hangings in bright colors use old silk and velvet garments. Old garments are suitable for making baby clothes and bedding because they are soft and comfortable for the baby. There are many companies like Zagumi that supply second-hand clothes at wholesale prices.
DIY Ideas With Glass Bottles
Empty glass water or wine bottles are difficult to dispose of as they have a high chance of breaking and cracking if not handled carefully. Hence it is a good idea to reuse glass bottles instead of just throwing them away. Glass bottles make excellent flower vases. The bottle can be painted with glass colors and can be used as a vase for one or two flowers. However, if someone wants a broader mouth, then the bottle is to be cut at the upper portion with a glass cutter to get a broad mouth. The cut portion can be rough and needs polishing before it is used as a decorative item.
Old glass bottles can make beautiful lamps. A painted glass bottle with LED strip lights inside the bottle makes lovely decorative items for the drawing room. Glass bottles and jars can make candle holders of all sizes. Melted wax needs to be carefully poured into the bottle without cracking it, and a wick is inserted in the wax while it is still in a semi-molten state.
DIY Items To Make With Broken Tiles Or Leftover Tiles
Coasters, decorating tables, sheft tops, etc., all use broken pieces of tiles. A broken tile can be used as a coaster by just polishing the rough broken edges with sandpaper. Four or six leftover tiles of the same design are joined end-to-end to make lovely tables or shelf tops.
Broken tile pieces make cool fridge magnets. The tile is attached to a magnet using a strong adhesive, and they are ready for use as fridge magnets. Apart from these, tiles can also line mirrors, and tiny broken pieces of tile make colorful garden paths. The tile pieces are carefully laid on cement bedding to make a garden path.
DIY Items With Old Paper
Photo by Gabrielle Cepella
People who have thick colorful paper at home can make origami artwork and make tiny birds, animals, and insects with them. Old newspaper mixed with water and adhesive to make a pulp makes paper mache pulp. When molded in different shapes, the pulp can produce decorative items, vessels, etc.
Source:Unsplash
Conclusion
A home primarily decorated with DIY products is sustainable and budget-friendly. People love the idea of reusing cloth, paper, glass, and plastics to unleash their creativity and make something useful simultaneously. Moreover, learning to assemble these items is very easy. People do not have to spend money or take a class; they can watch videos online while sitting in their homes to learn new DIY ideas.
Feature photo by Zeynep Sümer
