DIY Projects with Kijiji Finds!!

Guest Post by Vicky Sanderson

vswtiter@sympatico.ca

Remember when decorating rules were carved in stone, and included the edict that one must stick to

one style or era in a room? Those days are long gone — good news for those who like to mix it up. Now, it’s all about pulling together old and new, and mashing up styles and periods to create layered, textured, eclectic spaces.

Not only does this new direction foster more individual, personalized décor, it offers another noteworthy benefit. Because you can get the look by revamping  inexpensive, unassuming pieces found on classified sites like Kijiji www.kijiji.ca, it’s also eco-friendly and highly affordable.

Recently, I created several home décor gems out of gently-used items easily found on Kijiji, which has recently added outdoor items, appliances and reno materials as distinct categories, making searching even easier. If you can’t immediately find what you’re looking for, sign up for an alert when an item that matches your search term comes online.

Here are a couple of projects that I hope inspire you to turn a second-hand find into something sensational.

Individual plates make great wall clocks.  All you need is a plate, along with clocks hands (they come in cute shapes, such as knives and forks, hammers and screwdrivers or fishing rods) and a movement, both of which are available for less than $10.

To make, slowly and carefully drill a small hole in the centre of the plate. Place a piece of tape over the drill spot to keep it from cracking and added a few drops of water as you go along to keep the drill bit cool and lubricated (mineral oil works for that, too.). Then attach the movement and hands.

Check out the fabric section, too, and don’t discount linen tablecloths just because it has a tear or stain. Use still-good stuff into pillow shams, napkins, or tea and guest towels.

Plain pillow shams can be dressed up with fabric paint. I tried two methods. One was to simply tape straight lines with Scotch Blue tape www.scotchblue.com along a pillow and paint it out in cheery colours. For another pillow, I made my own stencil by hanging a length of the tape from a doorway and, using hole-punchers with two different sizes of holes, randomly punching a pattern. You can also get special edger punches with various designs. Remember to wipe excess paint from a small brush and brush lightly on the fabric (better here to do a couple of light coats than one thick one.)The same technique works on a glass vase, which could also be easily transformed with some craft glue and a remnant of prettily patterned fabric.

Not all pieces need to be entirely made over. I had no interest in stripping or painting the ornate legs on another older end table, but the top of it was damaged. I cleaned and oiled the legs before sanding the top and smoothing out dents with wood filler. On went a coat of primer (don’t skip this step!) and then a layer of Jute from Pittsburgh Paints and a narrow trim with Farrow and Ball’s Blazer — a warm, orangey-red. (Ahem – the ScotchBlue tape came in handy here as well – because my hand is not that steady.)

I’ve since discovered that mixing original finishes with freshly painted surfaces is a trend that’s turning up in décor mags and on hip design blogs. Turns out that it’s cool to save money and decorate sustainably — music to the ears of those who frown upon throwaway design, and want to create spaces that reflect their own unique taste.

Thanks Vicky for sharing your DIY Projects!!

Until next time,
w&c designer girl!