10 of the Best DIY Projects for under $50

10 Best DIY projects for under $50 There is nothing better than great DIY projects for the house. Here are a few of the best DIY projects for under $50.

1. DIY Macramé Curtain.  This easy curtain can be made with under $50 material and only a few hours’ time. This is perfect for sprucing up a closet that may be lacking a door, or a groovy entry way into a room.  Check out A Beautiful Mess for full instructions and tips on this Bohemian DIY Home décor.

http://www.abeautifulmess.com/2014/02/make-your-own-macrame-curtain.html

2. Chevron Lamp Makeover. Got an ugly lamp shade? There is nothing a little tape and paint can’t fix. Take any old lamp shade and add paint for a new updated look. Try using tape as a guide for chevron stripes or design. Coco 29 did a great yellow chevron rendition.

http://www.coco29.com/diy-home-decor-ideas-on-a-budget/

3. DIY Magnetic Knife Board. This space saver is great for those small kitchens that do not have ample counter space. By creating your very own magnetic knife board you get those knifes off the counter, and out of the reach of little hands. DIY Magnetic Knife Boards can be mounted anywhere, high or low, and can be tailored to any décor style.

http://hobbylesson.com/diy-magnetic-board-for-knife-with-tutorial/

4. DIY Closet Kit. I don’t know many people whom were born with the ability to keep their closet organized, but this DIY Closet Kit is perfect at helping those, and especially if you have kids. Find socks and underwear in little time, and possible even get rid of your old dresser that is taking up space. I personally love this idea and want one in the kids’ bedroom. Premade closet kits can cost you anywhere from $200+ dollars, make this one for $50.

http://www.hometalk.com/585492/diy-closet-kit-for-under-50

5. Concrete DIY Fire Pit. Perfect for those nights where a bon fire just is the right thing to do. The DIY Concrete Fire Pit can be made in only a few hours, and is ready to use when you are. Its sleek look will have every one asking where they can purchase one for themselves.

http://www.manmadediy.com/users/chris/posts/2618-how-to-make-a-diy-modern-concrete-fire-pit-from-scratch

6. Farmhouse Coffee Table DIY. Caution this table requires some pretty awesome power tools! It’s cool what a few scrap pieces of wood and some wheels can do for your living room. You can even skip the wheels if you have young kids that would turn this table into a sled, with or without the wheels it would make a great DIY Coffee Table.

http://www.shanty-2-chic.com/2013/03/coffee-table-diy.html

7. Staircase DIY Update. Get rid of the old carpeted staircase and in with the new sleek look. Demo, stain and paint, and you have a whole new house. Ok, you don’t have a whole new house, but you created a grand staircase with little effort.

http://inmyownstyle.com/2011/01/my-foyer-staircase-reveal.html

8. DIY Industrial Tables. Sometimes time is money. In this case this day project may not be for you, but it looks so cool. You can make end tables, or even a coffee table to match. This is for those whom love exposed brick and HVAC ducts, the Industrial lovers table this is.

http://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/other-areas/industrial-side-tables/project?cm_mmc=sm_pi-_-lci-_-project-_-industrialsidetables

9. DIY Wine Rack. This is super chic and adds a spark to any décor. The best part of this is DIY Wine Rack project is the fact that it looks expensive. Don’t purchase one from the store, build your own and have something to be proud of in your kitchen.

http://www.lowes.com/creative-ideas/kitchen-and-dining/fine-lines-wine-rack/project?cm_mmc=sm_pi-_-lci-_-project-_-finelineswinerack

10. Kids Room DIY Crate Seats. You can find these plastic baskets in most stores, and kids usually use them to stand on anyways. Why not turn them into cute seats for the kids room, heck possibly even the living room. Crates, foam, fabric and wood – there you have DIY Crate Seats.

http://tupelohoneycaro.blogspot.com/2011/08/crate-seats-my-way.html

We love to see your completed DIY remodel projects. Comment with your best DIY to date and pictures.

Plan a kid’s bedroom overhaul they will love!

Plan a great kid’s bedroom overhaul Planning a room overhaul for your kids is one task that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Color, design, uses and so much more thought go into this room. Master bedroom design can be easy, as an adult’s likes don’t change as often as children and most of us are done growing. Therefore a child’s room needs more planning before any final decisions are made.

Before you begin you should make a list off all the possible design elements that should be incorporated.

1. Is this room going to be shared? What are the ages of the children?

2. Will this room be used as a guest room later on? Do you plan to transition a younger child to this room in the years to come?

3. Color pallets? Can you change the style easy with the color you are going for?

4. Size of bed/beds? Do you plan on building custom bunkbeds?

5. Additional design: desk, book shelves, video game area, etc?

6. Child’s likes and dislikes? Special requests or Ideas for design and décor?

Once you have this list figured out you can start thinking about your design and décor plan for this bedroom overhaul.

Study Areas:

Study areas are most successful if they focus the mind by filtering out distractions.  A desk is great up against a wall (or room divider) so that there's somewhere for shelves and maybe a white board.  You can DIY a room divider with bookshelves for a fast way to create a transition from one space into another. If you can create a study alcove so that the desk has a kind of sheltered feeling with its own light source that would be a great place to study.

When you're playing with bedroom layouts don't forget to include a chair with the desk - make sure there's space for it and that it doesn't get in the way of any door swings.

Rearrange the rooms:

Kids' bedroom design space requirements can often rival those of an adult couple, particularly if the kids are sharing.  You can’t create one room for multiple children when you have only so little square feet to work with.

Sometimes it’s worth considering giving your kids the master bedroom. If there’s another bedroom that can accommodate a double bed and there’s a bathroom nearby why not use that? Especially if you could add an extra door to make those rooms more private.  Maybe there’s another small bedroom that you could use for a dressing room.  Combining other small bedrooms and the family bathroom might turn out to be a great master suite!

Playing areas:

Now depending on the age of the child playing can mean very different things.  It might mean Hot wheels or dolls houses.  Getting older it might mean Lego or Miss World. Then at the tween and tween stage there might be hobbies to accommodate.  Whatever the age there's often other children involved be it play dates or more like a social club!

We will leave you with a few extra tips:

1. Plan for a few years ahead.

2. Plan for each of the kids bedroom activities.

3. Use these kids’ bedroom design ideas to create as much space as possible.

Reasons Why a Small Kitchen is Now an Advantage.

The truth about a small kitchen is that it will not be the jack of all trades. You will have to give up the idea of doing homework here, paying bills here, and recipe searching in your small kitchen. The design goal for your small kitchen must be to achieve an effective small kitchen, not multipurpose space. There is nothing wrong with a kitchen that is just that, a kitchen. The design factor is a lot tougher already when you have to fit a functioning kitchen into a small space, but small changes can make it even better than a large kitchen.  When designing a small kitchen think of: size, color, light and function.

So focus first on function, making sure you have the appliances and work areas you need. You may be able to save a bit of space by using scaled-down or innovative appliances, including refrigerator and freezer drawers and pint-sized microwaves, stoves (some with just two burners) and single sinks. The function is there, without all the square footage! If workspace is at a premium, consider a small-scale island or a counter-topped cart that can be rolled away into a closet when not in use. Now just because you need to really hone in on function of your small kitchen does not mean you have to lose any space to style. The color of walls, appliances, and counter tops, bar stools, and backsplash can change the mood of your pint sized kitchen. Going with more pale colors can help with light, but don’t be afraid to go bold and add color and mix your patterns. Using the same color and style of fixtures and cabinet knobs can unify a design when you are using different textures and patterns in your small kitchen.

Tiny kitchens can feel claustrophobic if there are upper cabinets towering over you in such a small space. Most of the time cooks can’t even reach those upper cabinets anyways, and in a small kitchen there isn’t much room for a stool or ladder. Skip the excessive cabinets and opt for a more spacious approach with open shelves. You can also use magnetic knife strips, pot racks and give your kitchen a designer way to show off your favorite dish sets and even artwork. And like any other room, your small kitchen needs great lighting that you can use for cooking and for atmosphere. Fluorescent lighting, which casts a bluish light impacting the colorization of objects in the room, including the food, is frequently found in kitchens. To counteract it, consider hanging pendant lights that bathe your eating area in a more appetizing color.

Designer Tip: Try using glass doors from the kitchen into the next room or to the outside, this will increase light in the kitchen and also give the illusion of more space.

Don’t let small spaces give you design block. No matter a small galley kitchen or small apartment kitchen – you can make your design amazing if you trim the fat and keep your design neat.