Have a little extra time on your hands? We recommend getting a little crafty. With a small slew of materials, a bit of creativity, and a few hours, you can transform anything from basic into beautiful. It would be difficult to deny that Martha Stewart (and her people) is the epitome of clever crafting. But while we’d love to say that Martha’s idea for a homemade oilcloth lunch bag is a reusable answer to throwing out paper bags, deep down, we know we’d probably just buy one instead.

However some things are just so easy to truly Do It Yourself, that you can’t resist, well, doing them. Here are our favourites.

Flower Vases

Not sure what to do with your empty wine, olive oil, and other glass bottles? Turn them into elegant vases by using glass enamel. Even if you don’t have any on hand, chances are your neighbours and friends will, or take a trip down to the local recycling plant.

Simply wash the bottle with soapy water and let dry. Prime, then use enamel paint to coat the inside of the bottle. Let dry, and it’s ready to be used. (Read the full How-To here)

Wallpaper Cards

Leftover wallpaper is inevitable from home decorating, and chances are that if you loved it enough to put on your walls, you are pretty keen on the pattern it has. An easy solution? Make cards by attaching it to some colourful cardstock. (Read the full How-To here)

Wallpaper Coasters

Along with the cards, wallpaper makes a coaster – and even better, they’ll match your walls! Although you’ll have to get a local glazier cut and sand glass coaster-sized squares, it will be worth it to showcase in your living space. (Read the full How-To here)

Tee Shirt Bag

By reinforcing your favourite, work out t-shirt with a few sewed-in stitches, you can have it preserved in a convenient reusable bag. (Read the full How-To here)

Pocket Purse

Kids can get involved, too, with this easy-to-do craft. Once they outgrow a pair of pants, help them make a pocket purse! Along with a pretty ribbon, it’s the perfect solution for storing their pint-sized goods. Simply sew two pockets together and attach the ribbon. (Read the full How-To here)

Cereal Box Organizer

Use those empty cereal boxes to make a convenient file system for your home office. Just cut the box to your desired size and wrap with decorative paper (or, better yet, more of that wallpaper!).  Kids and teens can easily do it themselves, and is a great way to stay organized with homework and school projects. (Read the full How-To here)

Beach Towel Bag

If you’re a little more sewing savvy, you’ll definitely want to tackle this one. Take a beach towel and with a few stitches here and there, you’ll have yourself a handy beach tote. Because of it’s material, it’ll dry quickly in the warm air. Personalize it even more with some ribbon for bringing it from home to the beach. Also makes a great gift! (Read the full How-To here)

For these ideas and more, visit Martha Stewart’s website.

Image courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

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