Putting your own stamp on a home sounds simple in theory, but there are so many elements to making a house feel like a home that it’s usually a very gradual process. Whilst this can be frustrating, it’s important to remember to enjoy decorating your space. To inject a little bit of fun into the task, we’ve put together a few home craft projects that can really help to personalise your space, whilst helping you to achieve the stylish home you’ve always wanted.
Wall Stencils
Art doesn’t have to be hung on the walls; your walls can become pieces of art themselves. You could paint your favourite mantra or quote on the walls in calligraphy using stencils – it might sounds daunting, but swotting up on a few online video tutorials should give you a better idea of how to get started (this one is a good place to start). Alternatively, you could hand draw a design using pencil onto the walls. For a children’s playroom, helping them finger paint the bottom half of plain white walls will ensure your room is completely personalised; just call it abstract art.
DIY Canvases
One of the cheapest ways to put a personalised stamp on your home is with DIY canvas art. Get creative as a family by picking up a few canvases and acrylic paint sets from a craft store before an afternoon of painting. Put a dust sheet down outside and lay your canvases on it, before loading paintbrushes up with plenty of paint and flicking them at the blank canvas to create a splatter effect. You can even use leftover paint from decorating for this to really tie the artwork into your colour scheme.
Alternatively, you could have your favourite family photo blown up onto a large canvas; they make a lovely focal feature in hallways or on landings. If you’re too impatient to wait for one being made, there are certain services like CanvasRepublic that will deliver them to you within 72 hours. Or, you could even have a go at creating a collage of your favourite photos by gluing them onto a plain canvas; check out this one for some inspiration.
‘Places We’ve Been’ Photo Frames
All those old ticket stubs you’ve been saving for years need a home, so why not buy some large photo frames and make a collage of them all? Divide them up by location and add some photos from your various trips into the mix, along with any leaflets or other keepsakes you have floating around. Cut the lettering for the place names out from an old map book and voila, you’ve got yourself a unique, sentimental piece of artwork.