Creative inspiration can often soar in difficult economic times and it’s sometimes really rewarding to upgrade before buying new; here are some great DIY Home Décor ideas and projects for recycling items you already have in your homes.

Whether you are trying to find a budget friendly gift for friends and family, or explore some new DIY home decor ideas to give your interiors a lift this festive season, here are 7 ideas and a video to boost your inspiration.

Upcycle what you already have instead of buying new.

1. Upcycle your old lampshades.

   There are various methods of making an old lampshade look new. Either use an existing shade or pop down to your local 2nd hand furniture store, or even, (if you must), buy a new cheap shade to decorate into something more fancy that oozes quality, sophistication and style. Next go to your local haberdashery and choose different colors of felt that match your scheme. They usually sell felt in small 20 cm x 20 cm squares costing no more than R8 – R12 a piece, and the flowers very easy to make. Jump to video below for a quick tutorial on making felt flowers. Alternatively, use this amazing (more retro) idea shown below and recycle old slides by making a lamp shade that will not only light up your fondest reminders every evening when you go to sleep, but will store your memories forever!

2. Upcycle existing cushions.

   This DIY home decor idea for upcycling your existing scatter cushions is such a winner. Once again you can buy cheap scatter cushions and decorate them or alternatively zoosh up existing cushions or even get our sewing machine out and make your own from scratch. Make flowers out of felt as shown in the video below or decorate your cushions with buttons wrapped in felt, rope of even use twisted pieces of old fabric rolled into spirals – the options are endless and down to your own creativity.

3. Make your own Christmas wreath.

   It’s nearly Christmas so why not make your own wreath instead of buying new? Get creative and make paper flowers from old books (you can use a similar method as shown fo making flowers in the video below or use scraps of material as shown here using hessian ribbons wrapped around a solid circular structure or mesh.

4. Dye an old tablecloth!

   Of all the DIY home decor ideas we found, this one rocks, especially if you have an old linen cloth that is stained with red wine marks but is just too good to throw away. Take it to your local dye house and choose a darker color than the stains but that still matches your scheme. Alternatively, bring into the home, some natural foliage by picking leaves or ferns from your garden, laying them onto your fabric (must be a darker fabric) and spray with a mild bleach mixture. Leave to dry, lift off the leaves, and you will be amazed at the results.

5. Make a rope rug!

   First draw up your template and mark your center point. Then simply wind your chosen rope into various sized circles following your template and glue together the edges with liquid nails and heavy duty glue.

6. Make your own bathroom accessories!

   Use this simple idea using rope, glue (a glue gun is best), and upcycle an old cooking pot to make this simple rustic rope basket for your guest towels or bathroom products.

7. Make your own candle holders

   Decorate your walls with DIY candle holders for Christmas. Wash out a few narrow tuna tin cans. Then cut strips of fabric to the same width as the can edge and using crafting glue, simply glue the fabric to the can edge. Then puncture a hole into the edge, pull through your string or decorative ribbon, tie a bow and hang from a coat hanger or purpose-made beam mounted to the wall. Make sure the lights are not going to be disturbed by the wind. For extra caution, use LED candles instead of real ones.

We hope that you not only save this December by managing to tackle some of these projects but that you also have fun with them and enjoy a fresh new inexpensive look to your interiors