19 Inexpensive Ways To Upgrade Things You Already Own
1. Upgrade a plain sweater or sturdy T-shirt with sew-on jewels that you can actually just glue.
You’ll need:
Sew-on acrylic jewels
Jewel glue
Optional needle and thread
Get the tutorial here.
2. Upgrade your plain white curtains with a simple paint job.
You’ll need:
Black fabric paint
Paintbrushes
Trash bag to line the floor
Get the tutorial here.
3. Add pom-pom trim to your favorite blanket.
You’ll need:
Pom-pom trim
Fabric glue
Scissors
Get the tutorial here.
4. Upgrade any color fabric chair with painted accents.
You’ll need:
Fabric paint
Foam pouncers
Foam brush
Optional gold spray paint for the legs
Get the tutorial here.
5. Upgrade solid magazine holders with a Sharpie and craft paint.
You’ll need:
A Sharpie and a pencil
Craft paint
A paintbrush
A ruler
Get the full tutorial here.
6. Upgrade any tabletop with marble contact paper.
You’ll need:
Marble contact paper
Scissors or an Xacto knife
Measuring tape
Get the tutorial for the table on the left here.
7. Upgrade plain glasses with gold adhesive vinyl.
You’ll need:
Gold adhesive vinyl
Get the tutorial here.
8. Upgrade plain shoes with flat-back pyramid studs.
You’ll need:
Strong craft glue
Gold flat-back studs
Find the tutorial here.
9. Upgrade your plain dresser drawers with leather pulls.
You’ll need:
Bronze nails
Leather scraps
Get the tutorial here.
10. Upgrade literally any piece of Ikea furniture (or even your walls) with O’verlays.
You just glue them on and voilà!
Get them here.
11. Upgrade your couch with tufting.
You’ll need:
A 10- to 12-inch tufting needle
Tufting twine
Fabric buttons (these ones match Ikea furniture)
Get the tutorial here.
12. Upgrade your heels with lace.
You’ll need:
Lace appliqués
E-6000 craft glue
13. Upgrade boring walls with removable wallpaper that is renter-friendly and reusable
Wallflora Shop on Etsy has some incredible printed removable wallpaper. Get the gray print here and the greenery print here.
15. Upgrade plain chairs using fabric paint and paracord.
You don’t have to paint your chairs, but if you do, you’ll need:
1/8-inch Paracord
Fabric medium
White paint
Paintbrush
Sandpaper
Needle and thread (will depend on the color paracord you use)
Click here to get the tutorial.
16. Upgrade your kitchen utensils by painting or dip-dying them.
You’ll need:
Sandpaper
Craft paint
Painter’s tape
Shellac
Get the tutorial here. It’s a bit vague, but you basically just tape around the handle, sand it down a little, paint it, shellac it, and let it dry.
19. Upgrade any plain glass vase with enamel paint.
You’ll need:
PermEnamel paint
Foam brushes
Get the tutorial here. It calls for surface conditioner, which is really optional.