Give your home real vintage feel
Many of us have corners and attics crammed with old stuff; things we no longer need or use.
But before you go saying 'What a load of rubbish', take a look at what Juliette Goggin and Stacy Sirk have to say in their new book, Junk Genius.
Here are four Junk Genius ideas to get you started:
All of us have little things tucked away in drawers that bring back special memories when we come across them. This project brings them all together.
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Tie jump rings at roughly 2in (5cm) intervals along a length of silk string. As you find your small treasures, attach each one to a ring.
If an item has no natural hanger, fix a jump ring to it with glue. Tie in larger jump rings at each end of the string and hang them from small screw hooks in the walls.
Old glass jars and odd tumblers make wonderful winter lanterns when wrapped up in the sleeves of woollen sweaters that you no longer wear but can't bear to throw away.
Any small candleholders that fit inside the jar will work, but you can also improvise, using a cut piece of copper piping, for example. If you want to fix the candleholders permanently in the jars, use Superglue or epoxy glue. Otherwise, BluTack will do the trick.
Cut the sleeves off a sweater just below the shoulder, then hold them up to the jars, with the cuff at the top.
Cut across the sleeves at the bottom so they are about 1 inch (2.5cm) longer than the jars. Slide them over the top until the cuff is just below the rim, then tuck under any excess sleeve at the bottom.
For the most light to shine through the sleeves, use white candles, but as they won't be visible, it doesn't matter what kind of shape they are in.
I am not sure why we love old birdcages so much but we do, and our favourite way of using one is to wire it up and make a light. Some cages easily convert to pendant lights, but this small version with feet is perfect as a table lamp.
Placing ornaments inside, such as vintage ceramic birds is a lovely touch. Or you could go mad and decorate it with little figurines.
Ask an electrician to wire up the cage using a light fitting, electrical cord (flex), and cord grip, for the underside of the cage. Light fittings are available in ceramic, plastic, or metal. Choose one that will allow you to use a fairly small bulb, preferably one with a filament, which will look more attractive.
A hanging birdcage looks gorgeous at night filled with candles. For the garden, you could plant a birdcage with a vine.
Old decorative tins with hinged lids make versatile little wall cupboards, particularly for the kitchen, hallway and bathroom. You can also mount a group of them together for a really effective and good-looking storage system.
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