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One of our favorite things to do on the weekends is work on ‘projects’. From picking up old furniture at flea markets and abandoned houses to making trips to the hardware store, to staying up half the night to finish painting, I love everything about DIY projects.
When we first got married, we didn’t have hardly ANY furniture or home decor. Our small apartment was empty except for a bed.
We picked up some things at a thrift store and even took a small loan to buy living room and bedroom furniture. However, that left us with very little money for decor.
Over the years, we have made our house a home with DIY projects. So, I put together this collection of things we refurbished to decorate our long string of rental and military base houses.
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Our Favorite DIY Projects
Antique Medicine Cabinet
This antique medicine cabinet was at my great uncle’s house years after he passed away in a closet attached to the front porch. It was grimy and rats had been living in it, but after a lot of work and some paint, we used it in our living room as a display cabinet and storage for DVDs.
We’ve painted this cabinet twice over the past 10 years. The first time, it was red with a navy and white chevron inside (very 2010). The second time, we painted it blue, with a gray and white geometric design on the interior.
I love that this cabinet is a unique combination of decor and storage. Most of the rental houses that we have lived in lack storage and there aren’t built-ins to hold books, decorations, or plants and this is a creative solution to that problem.
Wooden Rocking Chairs
We brought this rocking chair home the same day that we brought home the medicine cabinet. It had been out on the front porch of my uncle’s house for years and the wear was obvious. We fixed it up and painted it a cheery shade of red. Now, it sits on our front porch.
Years later, we were gifted another rocking chair and family heirloom from my parents. This rocking chair belonged to my great-great-grandpa and was over 100 years old. We reupholstered it and now it sits in the corner of our living room. (You can find that tutorial here.)
These antique rocking chairs are the perfect size for empty corners and small spaces. Plus, they can be painted or reupholstered to fit any style.
Unique Coffee Table
This coffee table has been through several iterations in our house after I bought it at a thrift store for $20.
Structurally, the table was in great shape and made of solid wood. At first, we left it alone, but after a few years of toddlers and Army movers, it became very scratched and dinged up.
My first idea was to paint it red with a navy and white chevron pattern on the top (to match the medicine cabinet). But that didn’t last long before we decided to cover it with pennies. (You can see the full tutorial here!)
It’s a unique addition to our home and gets the attention of guests, making it one of our favorite DIY projects.
Key Holder
Since I had leftover fabric from the first medicine cabinet re-do and we kept misplacing our keys, we decided to make a key holder.
Using an unfinished wooden picture frame from Hobby Lobby and a pack of little hooks, this project took less than 15 minutes to put together. It was our easiest DIY project yet!
We’ve never had a rental with a dedicated entryway and this gave us a place to put our keys that didn’t involve a table.
Old Window
A few years ago, my Papa made some renovations to his childhood home (for the first time ever!). The contractors removed the old single-pane windows and chunked them into the dumpster. Thankfully, my dad dug them back out.
After a little bit of paint and a poster print from Walgreens, we turned the old window into a beautiful picture frame. (We used poster prints to make Smallwoods style knock-offs for our walls too.)
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Craft Armoire
This wooden armoire was originally an entertainment center. It had a huge square hole cut in the back to accommodate the old boxy TVs.
For years, this armoire housed our TV and DVD player, but when my husband bought a giant TV during a Black Friday sale, this cabinet would no longer work.
So, I turned it into storage for photos, craft supplies, and wrapping paper. Any way that I can use furniture to increase storage in our rental houses is a plus!
Mason Jar Chandelier
My mom and dad go to auctions and estate sales, where they sometimes buy ‘lots’ of items. When you buy a ‘lot’ you usually end up with things that you don’t necessarily want or need, which is how I ended up with this tacky bejeweled candle chandelier.
This DIY project was quick and easy. Within an hour, we removed the fake crystals and beads to attach mason jars to the arms of the chandelier. This is another DIY project that was very reminiscent of its time (2014) when mason jars were used for everything!
However, it was cute hanging over our patio. Rental homes always have the most basic and bland outdoor spaces and this was a cheap way to make it a little more interesting.
Cork Board Collage
When the girls started preschool, they began bringing home all kinds of cute artwork. I couldn’t bear the thought of throwing it all in the trash, so I had to come up with a way to display it.
I picked up several old picture frames at yard sales and thrift stores, painted them bright colors, and added cork board. Then I arranged the frames into a collage on their playroom wall. They loved hanging their artwork up for everyone to see and I did too!
State Silhouette Wall Art
The Army and all of the places it has sent us is a huge part of our lives and our family identity. So, I decided to make some home decor that reflected that. I also had tons of empty wall space and a tight budget.
After a trip to Wal-Mart, I had everything I needed to complete a wall collage of the states we have lived in. (You can see the full tutorial for this wall art here.)
This is another DIY project that takes me back to the 2010s. Remember when burlap was all the rage?
Farmhouse Buffet
Our most recent project was a true flea market flip. While marking items off of our Fort Liberty Bucket List, we came home with a dusty old dresser.
We were able to turn it into a farmhouse-style buffet that functions as a charging station and storage cabinet. (You can see the full tutorial for this transformation here.)
These DIY projects, while amateur, have made our once-empty house a home. We began doing these DIY projects out of necessity since we couldn’t afford to buy furniture or decor, but it quickly became a hobby that we both enjoyed.
Our future goal is to one day buy a forever home and make it our biggest project yet. Until then, we’ll spend our days creating smaller pieces to fill that future home with.
I hope our DIY projects have inspired you to make some of your own!
