home decor tutorial Archives - Darling Darleen

DIY Basket Light Pendant

Easy DIY Basket Light Pendant for only $30 and 30 minutes of your time!

We have been adding and changing out light fixtures in our new home. It’s been a slow process as I am trying to change them out as I go about decorating each room. The boys room is just about finished, and I finally changed out their dated flush light fixture with a fun modern basket light pendant. I’ve had my eye on a $400 basket light pendant, and I thought save the money and just DIY it! This project only cost me $30, and I think I like this DIY basket light pendant better than the one I had my eye on.

All the supplies you need for this DIY Basket Light Pendant is a large basket, a light pendant cord, drill, small screwdriver. I bought my large basket at Home Goods for under $20, but you can find similar cheap ones at Hobby Lobby, Amazon and Target. I also looked for a round basket that didn’t have handles and was open weave so the light could be more pronounced when hung.

The light pendant cord was so easy to install, and I love the modern touch of gold and the simple straight line. For only $12, this is the best light pendant for DIYing any light fixture!

On the plate side of the light pendant cord, you will take it apart and separate the black cord from the plate. Using a small screwdriver, loosen the screw from connector to pull the cord out.

Drill a hole in the base of basket. Then feed the light cord through the bottom of the base and reattach it to the plate. If you want the light to hang in the middle of the basket, we put a knot at the top of where the cord and the basket met so the light bulb would hang in the middle of the basket. This helps penetrate more light from the basket. Hard wire the light to the ceiling. This requires a professional to install, unless you are handy or have a handy husband who can do the trick!

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Beginner Guide: How to Hang Wallpaper

A Beginner’s Guide to Hanging Wallpaper with Easy Step-by-Step Tutorial

After years of hiring professional wallpaper installers and watching them hang wallpaper, I decided to give it a try. Do you remember the wallpaper I hung in my renovated powder bathroom? I did a lot of observed during the installation. How come no one told me hanging wallpaper is really quite easy?! I’m not sure why I’ve been so intimidated with the wallpaper installation process. But after tackling my boy’s room and then hanging removable wallpaper in my daughter’s room, I’m up for another wallpaper challenge! So, I decided to do a Beginner’s guide: How to Hang Wallpaper for all the newbies out there and to also say to be bold and give this DIY a try!

First off, the wallpaper I bought was not really expensive so that was one of the reasons I decided to install it myself. I felt like if I messed up, I wasn’t deeply invested in the paper. Regardless of the price, I really do love this pre-pasted wallpaper that I found at Target! Also the other thing about the beginner guide how to hang wallpaper is that you really don’t need a ton of supplies, just some essential ones.

Beginner’s Guide: How to Hang Wallpaper

Supplies:

wallpaper (measure your walls to determine how many rolls of paper you will need)

wallpaper paste (if your wallpaper is not pre-pasted)

wallpaper primer and size

carpenter’s level and tape measure

roller and water bucket

wallpaper smoother or wallpaper brush

large sponge

pencil and scissors

working table and ladder

sharp utility knife and metal edger

Before wallpapering, you need to prep the walls. This part is very important and should not be overlooked. Clean and then lightly sand down the walls so they are smooth and have no abrasions. Repair any holes in the wall. Then prime the wall with wallpaper primer and wallpaper size. Size can help the wallpaper grip the wall better and make is easier to peel off later if you decide to remove it.

After you prep the walls, measure the wall lengthwise to determine the center point of the wall. Then take a carpenter’s level and from straight up and down, draw a “plumb” line where the center point is located in the wall. The center is a good point to start off to hang your first wallpaper. Then continue to make additional vertical lines acorss the wall that are the width of your wallpaper. These will act as markers when you hang your panels.

Then measure the wall from ceiling to floor or moulding to moulding and add four inches of overhang. Use this measurement to cut your wallpaper into strips. Use a ruler or L square tool to mark the line on the wallpaper with a pencil. When you apply the wallpaper to the wall, you should have about 2 inches of overhang on the top and bottom of the panel.

If you are using a prepasted wallpaper, you can just roll up your paper with the back facing out and submerge it in a water-filled trough. Or you can use a paint roller and roll water along the back making sure that every part of the wallpaper has been submerged with water. If your wallpaper doesn’t come pre-pasted, lay it back side up on table and use a roller to apply the paste.

To activate the paste, loosely fold both side of the paper to the center. Don’t crease. This is known as “booking”. Let the paper sit for 2-3 minutes while the paste activates. Booking the paper also makes it easy to apply the wallpaper to the wall since the wallpaper is folded in.

Grab a helper and a ladder and unfold your booked wallpaper. Hold it up from the top of the wall where you marked your plumb line. Line up the edge of the paper to your plumb line and smooth into place. Then using a wallpaper brush and plastic smoother, press out any air bubbles and excess paste. Use a wet sponge as needed. This will take a few minutes to completely smooth your wallpaper panel.

Then using a metal edger, press the paper into the wall’s edge at the top and bottom of the wallpaper panel and cut away any excess paper with a sharp utility knife blade.

Repeat the process as before but make sure you are cutting the paper so that the pattern will match up. You will have leftover paper because of this very reason, so it’s best to buy an extra roll so you don’t run out of paper. Hang the next panel right next to the first meeting the edges without overlapping. You might need to slide the paper around to make sure the patterns match up.

Watch the DIY tutorial video of Beginner’s Guide: How to Hang Wallpaper . Make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe!

Let me know what you think about the video! I’m still a newbie on the videos and I hope to perfect it over time!

5 Easy Spring Updates to Your Home

5 Easy Spring Updates to Your Home that won’t Break the Budget

I don’t know about you but when the warm weather rolls in and the grass gets greener and the spring flowers show up, I start to get the spring cleaning itch. Usually the spring cleaning itch involves not only cleaning and organizing, but also updating the home with a fresh spring feel. I’ve done a few posts on spring updates to your kitchen and bookcase, but I thought this year I’d do 5 easy spring updates to your home. They are simple and budget friendly, but will add color and will cheer up your space!

Fresh Flowers and Foliage

This one is so easy! Go pick up some spring flowers from your local market. They are usually priced really well during this time because all the spring flowers are blooming. Or if it’s a possibility, cut flowers from your yard. I usually like to do one large bouquet of flowers and then smaller flower sprigs in candle holders and place them on end tables and bathroom counters. Don’t forget about all the spring branches that are blooming. Those are a favorite for bring in doors.

Add a pop of color with New Pillows

Pillows are an easy way to a spring update on your sofa and living room space. They add a pop of color or simply add a new home trend to a bland space. I try to get pillows in pairs for balance in home design. If you want to keep your home minimal, then update with lighter or neutral pillows. Pillows can get expensive but there are many great alternatives that are easy on the pocket.

Change Around Your Artwork

Changing around your artwork is an easy spring update to your home. You can change framed artwork and replace with floral postcards or prints or wallpaper prints. I love supporting local artists so I always treat myself to a new original painting every year and the best time to do that is during the spring. Etsy always has great original artwork.

Buy A New Vase Or Home Decor Item

I love to head to Home Goods to find something new to place on an end table or my built-in bookcase. They have a great selection of fun home decor items that are usually under $20. I also love Target OpalHouse and World Market. You can usually find a cute new vase, candle holder or tray for your coffee table.

Change Your Furniture Around

Many people get stuck in their ways, but sometimes a room will open up and feel more inviting when furniture is changed around. I’m not talking about huge changes, just subtle changes like moving a chair in your dining room to the living room. Or moving an end table to another location. You will be amazed how much you love it or hate it! My kids are always voicing what they like and don’t like, but it’s fun to change rooms up a bit.

DIY Mud Cloth Pillow Using Freezer Paper

DIY Mud Cloth Pillow Tutorial Using Freezer Paper

I’ve been wanting to do a DIY mud cloth pillow tutorial for awhile and have seen some really great basic tutorials online. But I wanted to do a DIY with freezer paper creating the look of a mud cloth pillow that had more complicated patterns. I played around with some different techniques last week, and I came up with three different freezer paper techniques that you can easily and quickly do to achieve the look of an African mud cloth pillow. I also included 4 different patterns that you can download and apply to your pillows. Or you can always get mud cloth pattern ideas with a simply search on the internet.

One of the first things you need is a blank pillow cover. I picked up a few canvas pillows at Hobby Lobby, but Ikea has white cotton pillow covers in a variety of sizes and also Amazon. Or if you have the time and want to keep your costs down, you can pick up a painter’s drop cloth and sew pillow covers in whatever size you’d like.

I am going to show you three DIY mud cloth pillow techniques using freezer paper. Below the tutorials I include 4 different patterns you can download

DIY MUD CLOTH PILLOW–FREEZER PAPER AND PAINT

Supplies

Freezer Paper

Fabric paint

Sponge

Cricut Machine OR exacto knife

This technique is your typical freezer paper stencil similar to making a t-shirt. Using fabric paint, this will give you the best results with mud cloth patterns. All I did was upload one of the patterns in my Cricut explore program (which I love and try to use it whenever possible) and then cut the image on the freezer paper (shiny side down). Once cut, iron the freezer paper on your pillow. Using a sponge, paint over and then gently pull off the freezer paper.

If you don’t have a Cricut, then print out one of the patterns below (or find one online). Using the graphite paper technique (tutorial here), transfer the image onto the freezer paper. Then use an exacto knife to cut the image. Make sure you cut the freezer paper the size of the pillow case. Then transfer and cut image. Iron freezer paper, then paint

2. DIY MUD CLOTH PILLOW– Freezer Paper and Sharpie Pen

Supplies

Freezer Paper

Letter-size Paper

Glue

Sharpie

Printer

The second DIY mud cloth technique is fast, and if you love the sharpie look, this is your technique! First thing, take a letter-size printer paper and glue the matted-side of the freezer paper down onto the printer paper. The shiny side of the freezer paper will be face up. Make sure to cut down the freezer paper so it is the size of the letter-size paper. You have now create a reusable transfer paper. Now put the freezer paper in your printer making sure the image will print on the shiny side. After it is printed, position the image on the pillow cover and firmly press the image (shiny side of freezer paper) onto the pillow cover. The ink from the printer will lightly transfer onto the pillow cover. You can wipe the image off the transfer paper and re print. Repeat until the pattern covers your desired area of the pillow. You will see the pattern lightly on the pillow. Take a sharpie and trace the pattern to make it darker.

3. DIY MUD CLOTH PILLOW–FREEZER PAPER AND PRINTER INK

Supplies

Freezer Paper

Letter-size Paper

Glue

Printer with Black Ink

Spray bottle with water

Fabric Paint Sealer Spray

The third and final technique is the fastest and creates an Ikat African pattern style. The ink isn’t perfect but I love how organic and natural it looks. Similar to the previous technique, you will create a transfer paper using the freezer paper and print the image onto the shiny side of the freezer paper. Then lightly spray with water your pillow cover. Don’t soak it, just damp it. Wipe up any puddles. Then flip over the transfer paper with the printed image onto the blank pillow cover. Firmly press. The ink from the printer will show up more than having a dry pillow cover. You can wipe the image off the transfer paper and reprint. Repeat until the pattern covers your desired area of the pillow. Then let it dark 24 hours. After it is fully dry, take a fabric paint sealer spray and spray to seal the ink onto the pillow cover.

Hope you have fun creating your DIY mud cloth pillow! If you’d like to download some patterns to use on your pillow, links are below.

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DIY Basket Light Pendant

Easy DIY Basket Light Pendant for only $30 and 30 minutes of your time!

Beginner Guide: How to Hang Wallpaper

A Beginner’s Guide to Hanging Wallpaper with Easy Step-by-Step Tutorial

5 Easy Spring Updates to Your Home

5 Easy Spring Updates to Your Home that won’t Break the Budget

Fresh Flowers and Foliage

Add a pop of color with New Pillows

Change Around Your Artwork

Buy A New Vase Or Home Decor Item

Change Your Furniture Around

DIY Mud Cloth Pillow Using Freezer Paper

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