Bring some personality into your kitchen with these budget-friendly DIY projects

Want to update your kitchen without spending a fortune? It can be done if you're willing and able to get a little crafty. In the. video clip above, DIY expert Sarah Milligan shared three budget-friendly projects to freshen up your kitchen. Keep reading to see exactly what you need and what you have to do to complete each project. 

Stencilled Tea Towels 

Add a personal touch to your kitchen with stencilled tea towels.  These also make a great gift!

Materials needed: 

• Flour sack dish towels
• Stencil 
• Craft/fabric paint
• Sponge brush
• Tape

Steps:

1. Iron your tea towel to get it nice and flat. Mark the bottom centre with a piece of tape. 
2. Place the stencil in the desired area (can hold down with tape) and dab paint on with a sponge brush. TIP: Less is more so build slowly! 
3. Let the towel dry overnight. 
4. Wash in a regular laundry cycle and it’s ready to use! 

Hanging Herb Planter 

Add some greenery inside your home by hanging your herbs in your kitchen window.  This modern planter looks high-end but is very affordable and easy to make!

Materials needed: 

• Metalcraft/floral rings (Sarah used 1 x 4” and 2 x 8” for the smaller one and 2 x 12” for the larger one)
• Plant pot same size as a small ring (4”) – having a ‘lip’ is ideal
• Floral wire
• Faux suede or macramé cording
• Glue gun
• Spray paint (optional)
• Chain (optional)

Steps:

1. Make sure your plant pots sit sturdily in your small metal ring before starting!
2. Lay your three rings side by side (large, small, large) and tie the connections with floral wire. 
3. Fold your two large rings up and tie that connection. 
4. If you're painting, hang and spray paint in a well-ventilated area and let dry before the next step. 
5. Use faux suede or macramé cording to wrap around connections and hide the floral wire, then secure with a glue gun. 
6. Insert plant pot, along with your desired herb and hang with either more cording or a metal chain. 

Coffee Bar 

Create a coffee bar or station around your coffee maker to turn it from a countertop appliance to décor. This is a perfect project for the winter months! Feel free to get creative with items you already have around the house and customize the size depending on how much space you have.

Materials needed: 

 For the Sign 

• Picture frame (8x10)
• Paper
• Scissors
• Stencilled letters (You can skip the stencil and marker if you prefer to print something out) 
• Permanent marker (thin and regular size)

For the Tray

• Wood tray
• Stain & wallpaper (optional)
• Glass jars
• White chalk marker (optional)
• Mug holder/rod/hooks (optional)

Steps:

For the Sign and Mug Holder 

1. You can choose to print a sign instead, use a small chalkboard or letter board – get creative – the options are endless! If you do want to make the sign then follow the next step.
2. Cut a piece of paper to fit inside the picture frame
3. Stencil your desired word/message (ex. “coffee”) by outlining with a thin permanent marker and fill with a thicker one
4. Place inside the frame. 
5. Free up cupboard space by hanging mugs on display on a rod or hooks. For example, you can use an over-the-door tea towel holder from the dollar store and spray paint it black.

For the tray and glass jars

1. Use a regular tray or amp one up with wood stain and line with wallpaper if desired!
2. Purchase glass jars or re-use old mason jars, sauce jars, etc.  Clean and fill with coffee, tea, hot chocolate, sugar, etc.
3. You can label glass with a white chalk marker, plus it wipes off easily if you make a mistake.