DIY Project: Succulent Terrarium

With natural materials and minimalist designs remaining in vogue, the succulent terrarium will be one of the most sought-after pieces of decoration in 2019. How cool would it be to design and build your own? As it turns out, this is not too difficult. With just a few materials, a half hour, and some patience, you can make your very own succulent terrarium. Here’s what you need.

 

Materials:

  • Glass vase, any shape. You can find these at your local craft store
  • 6 cups of cactus and succulent soil mix
  • Decorative stones and rocks
  • Mineral rocks
  • Activated charcoal
  • Succulents of your choice. Don’t choose anything over 8 or 9 cm

 

Instructions:

  1. Fill the bottom of your vase with a layer of sand, until it is about one-fifth full. Add a layer of turquoise stones to fill the vase by another one-fifth.
  2. Place a thin layer of activated charcoal over the stones, then cover with 4 cups of cactus and succulent soil mix.
  3. Arrange the turquoise mineral rocks close together in the center of the vase, leaving around two inches of a gap between them. Use the remaining soil to build a small hill around this gap. This will provide the base for the succulents to cascade downward.
  4. Unpot all your succulents and remove extra soil from their roots. Arrange the plants within the case by carefully planting each, starting from the center.
  5. Add more stones to decorate.
  6. Place your terrarium in bight, indirect light, and water your plants once every week.

 

DIY Project: Brass Clothes Rack

For most of us, bedroom design is a way to increase space. Bedrooms must be both beautiful and functional, but that can be difficult if you don’t have the money to purchase that sleek and slender dresser. A hanging clothes rack is an excellent way to save space and money. We are seeing a trend of using clothing as decoration for bedrooms, and this is an excellent way to capitalize on that idea. The materials you will need are cheap and simple.

 

Materials:

  • Two hooks
  • Metal cable
  • Copper tube

 

Instructions:

All of your materials can be purchased at a hardware store. Allow a sales associate to cut the tube to your desired length. If you plan to store several pieces of clothing, I would opt for around two or three feet of tubing. If you want to store something smaller, such as jewelry or other accessories, just one foot of tubing will do the trick.

This is one of the easiest projects we’ve ever detailed. Simply put the cable through the copper tube. Affix your metal hooks to a surface in your room; we prefer the ceiling, but you can easily attach this simple clothes rack to a wall. Hang the cable on the wires. Start hanging garments on the rack until filled to your liking.

This project is perfect for bedrooms, but it is also great for entryways, kitchens, and living rooms. Use the hanger to store anything from umbrellas and grocery bags to cooking pots and pans. However, when deciding how you will use the hanger, be sure to get hooks to hold the appropriate weight; kitchen materials are heavier than clothing, so you may want to invest in some heavy-duty hooks.

DIY Project: String Pendant Lamp

This slow, meditative project is an excellent way to brighten up your room. Hanging lights are in vouge this year, but having them professionally installed can cost a lot of money. This project requires just a few materials, some patience, and around $15. Here’s what you’ll need:

 

Materials:

  • Ball or balloon (exercise balls work well)
  • Plastic trash bags
  • Disposable globes
  • Vaseline
  • Wallpaper paste
  • Yarn (around 360 yards for a 31″ ball)

 

Instructions:

Blow up your balloon or exercise ball and secure/tie tightly. Mark a 6″-7″ circle off-center—this will be for your hand when you need to change the bulb. Cover your workspace with plastic trash bags (this will get messy) and put on your disposable gloves. Rub a liberal amount of Vaseline all over the ball; this will prevent the yarn from sticking to the surface once the glue is applied.

Scoop your wallpaper paste into a large bowl. Begin to unravel the ball of yarn, dipping it into the paste to saturate it completely. Working with small amounts prevents the yarn from tangling, but it is more efficient to submerge the entire ball.

Begin wrapping the glue-saturated yarn around the ball, randomly covering as much of the open space as possible. Take care to not cover the drawn circle. Depending on the size of your ball, this will take a significant amount of time. Call a friend, listen to music, or put on a podcast! Once the ball is wrapped, allow it to dry for at least 24 hours.

Once your lamp is dry, deflate the ball or balloon carefully. Once deflated, pull it through the circle opening with your hand.

 

DIY Project: Leather Organizer

Every bedroom (and home, for that matter) could do with a bit more organization. From incoming mail and change to makeup products and pens, devising an organizational system is a great way to clear space, allow the room to look larger, and freshen up the space with pops of personality and color. This leather organizer is a great place to keep anything from postcards to bedside reading. To complete this project, you will need:

 

Materials:

  • Wood plank (However large you want the organizer to be)
  • Leather (Etsy is a wonderful place to source leather scraps)
  • Brass nails (or escutcheon pins)
  • Utility knife
  • Ruler
  • Cutting surface
  • Pliers
  • Hammer

 

Instructions:

Depending on the size of your plank and leather, you may need to cut your leather to size. Use your utility knife, ruler, and cutting surface to cut your leather into the correct shape. Allow for at least one inch of border between your leather and the edge of the wood; if your plank is 8″ wide, cut your leather to 7″.

Begin to attach the storage pockets. Lay the first piece of leather face down around one inch from the top edge of the plank. Hammer a brass nail into place at the top center of the leather. If you want to avoid smashing your fingers, hold the nail in place with your set of pliers. Then, fold the leather in half so that the bottom edge lines up with the top edge you just secured with the nail. Secure each of the top corners with nails

Repeat this process with as many pieces of leather as you want. Be sure to allow for space between the pockets. Voila! That’s it!

DIY Project: Personalized Gemstone Mirror Frame

This adorable DIY endeavor is a great project to do with friends. Mirrors make excellent statement pieces within your bedroom, but decorated and designed mirrors can be expensive. This simple DIY hack will help you build the wall mirror of your dreams without harming your wallet. You’ll add both color and shine to your living space. All necessary materials are listed below.

 

Materials:

  • 11-inch round wood clock face
  • 10-inch round mirror
  • Crystals (purchased from local craft store)
  • Super glue
  • Silver spray paint
  • 2 small eye hooks
  • Wire

 

Instructions:

To get started, spray paint both sides of the clock face. The back of the clock face will be the front of the mirror. When spray painting, be sure to do so in an open, well-ventilated area, and don’t be afraid to get your workstation a little messy. Allow the paint to dry for several hours. When it’s ready, glue the mirror to the clock face and press the surfaces together. Allow to set for thirty minutes.

You should now have a mirror with a small, silver border. Once you’ve allowed the glue to set, you can begin gluing the crystals to the frame. Using a generous amount of glue, attach crystal pieces around the border of the mirror, allowing some to overlap the mirror edge in order to conceal it. Once you have made your way around the frame, set aside and allow the glue to cure overnight.

The following day, attach eye hooks to the back edge of the wood. You can do this with superglue or by pre-drilling holes in the clock face. Thread a wire through the eye hooks and twist to tighten; allow the wire to be taut and invisible from the front. If you used superglue to attach the eye hooks, allow to dry for several hours.

There you have it! An adorable, cheap, and totally personalized mirror perfect for brightening up your bedroom space.