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DIY furniture makeovers

My Ercol sofa makeover – finding fabrics and choosing colours

What do you do if you have a sofa but don’t like the colour of the fabric any more? Why, re-cover it, of course! Okay, okay, that’s a rather flippant way of looking at upholstery, but why not give it a go yourself? Especially if the alternative is just to get rid of the sofa and buy a brand new one. By attempting to revamp my sofa, I’ll not only save money, it’ll be keeping a bulky item out of landfill too. Let’s get aboard the upcycling train and try to make the most of what we’ve got, right?

Bathroom

How NOT to remodel your bathroom – my costly mistakes

Renovating my bathroom was a steep learning curve & I made a few mistakes along the way! Today I’m sharing my experience & hopefully you can avoid my newbie errors, as well as saving money on your own bathroom makeover…

DIY

Why my boiler breakdown made me appreciate my home more

January is probably the worst time of year to be without heating, right? It’s frosty outside today, I shivvered my way around the shops yesterday and the wind is whipping around the house. However, now that I’m indoors with the heating on, I’m nice and cosy despite the cold temperatures outside. But that was a completely different story last week when our boiler broke down…

DIY

3 Things you can do right now to prevent dampness and mould in your home

Does your home smell a little foisty? Do you have condensation on your windows? Is there a little patch of mould in the corner of your room? At this time of year it’s easy for sealed, heated homes to become breeding grounds for mould but don’t worry, it’s a problem that you can solve yourself – here’s how…

Bathroom

How to survive a DIY disaster – & now my kitchen ceiling is a sieve!

Well, my year has got off to a cracking start..! If you detected a hint of sarcasm in that first sentence, you’d be right. A mysterious water problem quickly turned into a day of emergency repairs, with floorboards taken up, holes drilled and plumbing problems. Here’s what happened…

Festive

Why a DIY or vintage advent calendar is the best way to count down to Christmas…

If you’re as excited about Christmas as I am this year, you’ll be feeling ‘fizzy’ today – which is exactly how I felt when I turned on my laptop and realised that it’s the 1st December! My days just run together at times and I often lose track of the date, so it was a surprise and a joy to discover that today’s the day that I’m officially ‘allowed’ to get excited about Christmas!

Hen parties

11 Low-cost (+ cheeky!) games to get your hen party started

A hen party weekend isn’t complete without some hilarious games for the girls. Some of the bride’s pals will already be friendly other with from school or uni, while others may be connected to the bride through family, work or activities and may not know anyone else. So party games are essential in breaking the ice and getting everyone involved in the group. Today’s post includes a round-up of the most popular games for a hen weekend with large groups of girls. Let’s begin..!

Sewing projects

5 Thrifty ways to reuse and recycle your old clothes at home

If you’ve recently moved house or have moved in with your partner you may now have way too many clothes for your existing wardrobe space. Rather than buying more storage, why not take this as an opportunity to declutter? But before you throw those old shirts and skirts out, there’s plenty of projects that they can be used for. Old clothing is the perfect material for DIYing a lot of other items, and anything that saves you money and keeps material out of landfill is a bonus!

DIY

How to upcycle a pallet & charity shop trunk into a storage coffee table

Another day, another DIY! This time, it’s a classy coffee table that doubles up as handy storage. And would it even be a Cassie Fairy DIY if it didn’t include pallets?? The rustic-yet-cool chevron effect top is all refinished pallet wood – making this a money-saving project too. Read on to find out how to DIY a coffee table for yourself this autumn…

Anniversary parties

3 Money-saving decor DIYs you can do RIGHT NOW to prepare for your 2020 wedding

If you’re getting married next year – congratulations! I’m sure you already have the ceremony arranged and the venue booked, and maybe you’ve even picked out a wedding dress. But have you started on your decorations yet? If not, here are three decor pieces that you certainly don’t need to buy because, you can make them yourself…

DIY

Step-by-step video to revamp a PVC door with a pop of summery colour

Old and stained double-glazed doors can make your entire home look tired, and no amount of cleaning can get them back to their box-fresh whiteness. PVC doors can be costly to replace so why not spruce them up with a coat of paint? Not possible? Here’s how I revamped my ugly kitchen door with a vibrant pop of colour to keep summery vibes in my home for longer..!

DIY

Step-by-step guide to turn an old hostess trolley into a colourful bar cart

I don’t know why hostess trolleys ever went out of fashion. They’re so handy for gathering everything you need together, and wheeling it right where you need it to be. So, when I spotted this old wooden trolley in a skip, I was keen to rescue it. Here’s how to upcycle a retro trolley into a vintage style bar cart for bank holiday parties…

DIY

My thrifty 50s kitchen renovation: What’s next on the to-do list…

To be honest with you, the kitchen was one of the most disgusting rooms in our fixer-upper home. So it was kind-of the room we tackled first. It got a coat of fresh white paint (to cover up the oil-and-nicotine stained walls eww) on the day we got the keys. We’ve since painted the existing cabinets. which has freshened up the units. But there’s still plenty more to do…

Cassiefairy's News

Be kind and go caravaning at the beach: My news this summer

It’s been a really exciting couple of months at Cassiefairy HQ and I’ve been lucky enough to be featured in a few new publications woo! It’s been a while since I updated you with my latest news (in fact, I haven’t shared anything since May!) so I thought I’d gather together some of the projects I’ve been working on recently for you to check out today…

Bathroom

Bathroom design trends 2019 – Is it worth the investment?

Although the kitchen is seen as the heart of the home, the bathroom is one of the most used rooms and in my opinion one of the most important. Even though your bathroom is a functional room, it doesn’t mean it can’t be stylish. In this post, I’m looking at the best bathroom design trends of 2019 to see if the changes you could make to your home would be worth it from an investment point of view…

DIY

How to upcycle a cable reel into a coffee table for your garden

I’ve been DIYing in the garden again and this time I’ve made an outdoor coffee table using an old wooden cable reel that I found in a skip. Plus, I’ve created a cosy corner for drinks and chatting outside on my deck (featuring my ‘new’ coffee table, so here’s how I did it…

DIY

Easy DIY tasks you can do in a weekend to boost the value of your property

When it comes to home improvements, you’ll probably want to prioritise projects that will add more value to your home—especially if you are planning to sell your property and move on in the future. Today I’m sharing some ideas for getting your home ship-shape so that you can enjoy living in it AND boost it’s resale value…

Bedroom

How to redecorate and refresh your bedroom when you’re on a budget

Why is it that the vast majority of the time we neglect our bedrooms the most out of all of the rooms in the house? Sure, we are probably the only ones to actually see our bedrooms, and we’re mostly asleep when we’re in there – but that doesn’t mean they can’t become a tranquil space for some much-needed ‘me time’ – here’s how…

DIY

Cheap & easy home improvements you might not have considered before…

Making improvements to your home is never going to be cheap, and amid all the home renovation programmes and YouTube DIYs you can often feel pressured to keep up with the Joneses when it comes to sprucing up your home. However, home improvement doesn’t have to be as expensive as it’s made out to be, and today’s blog post offers a few different methods of creating some easy improvements on the cheap, without going overboard with the power tools…

DIY furniture makeovers

How to incorporate mid-century design into your contemporary home

You only have to open up the Pinterest home page to discover a multitude of ways to incorporate mid-century design into your home. It’s no longer about choosing a ’50s, ’60s or ’70s “theme” that you have to commit to, it’s about choosing sleek designs that fit into your 21st century home perfectly. Here’s how…

Garden

5 Garden DIY hacks to get your outdoor space ready for summer

Is your garden looking a little tired or uninviting? With summer almost upon us (at last) now is the time to ready your outdoor space for the months of summer fun ahead! If you look at the state of your garden and your heart starts to sink, then don’t worry; there are plenty of ways you get your outdoor space ready for all the activities, drinks with friends, family BBQs and outdoor fun that’s to come. Here I’ve gathered 5 super simple hacks that will help get you started. Enjoy!

Books

Craft project: How to crochet a Devil’s Tongue cactus that you can’t kill!

If you’re a keen crocheter (is that the right word?) or even if you’re just starting out, this fun crocheted cactus project is for you. It’s a cute project that’ll impress friends when they spot your crocheted cactus on display on your mantelpiece. How cool would it be to be able to say ‘I made that myself’? And even cooler is that this is one houseplant that you can’t kill haha!

Bedroom

How to make a platform bed from pallets

If you need a bed but are on a budget, why not make one yourself? Today’s blog post shows you how to build a platform bed on wheels using pallets, with step-by-step photos of the whole process. If, like me, you’re a fan of upcycling and like to build things with pallet wood, the newly published book Pallet Style by Nikkita Palmer and Billy Barker is the one for you. And the great news is that I’ve got a copy of the book to give away to one lucky winner so read on to enter..!

DIY

4 Essential home improvement tools you need (but can buy cheaply!)

If you’ve got a fixer upper home like me, you’ll inevitably have to invest in some tools to complete your DIY tasks. But it doesn’t have to be expensive to stock up on the tools you need. Plus, if you get the equipment to do most home improvement tasks yourself, it means that you won’t be spending too much on labour costs of getting a pro in.

DIY furniture makeovers

How to upcycle an old side table into a chess-board coffee table

Today, I’m putting an old side table to good use by upcycling it with paint, sticky vinyl and acrylic to create a multi-purpose piece of furniture that serves as both a handy coffee table AND a games table! Want to make one for yourself? Here’s the project…

DIY

Upcycling charity shop homewares into cute storage for my home office

If you want to kit out your home (or home office, like me!) with some gorgeous coordinating homewares but haven’t got the budget to splash out on new items, why not head to your local charity shop to see what you can find? Here’s how I upcycled my Barnardos haul into useful storage for my home offce…

Bathroom

4 Things you can do to refresh your bathroom without breaking the bank

Every now and again, most homeowners seek a change; something that will give a fresh new look to their home or a project that will reflect their changing needs or personal preferences. If the time has come to give your bathroom a nice uplift and create a more luxury look, the ideas below will help you get started…

DIY

2019: The Year of the Garden (at least, it will be for us at Cassiefairy HQ!)

We’re only three weeks into the new year and already there have been massive changes afoot at Cassiefairy HQ. We’ve been DIYing in earnest and I’m exhausted just thinking about it! You see, we’ve decided that 2019 will the be the ‘year of the garden’ and we’re tackling a landscaping project for the first time. Here’s what we’ve got planned and how we’re getting on…

Sewing projects

8 Creative ways to refashion a plain T-shirt for next-to-nothing

If you want to update your wardrobe for 2019 but don’t have the budget to go out shopping, why not reuse what you already have in your wardrobe? When you refashion a plain t-shirt, you’re creating a unique fashion piece that no-one else owns and you can usually do it for less than £5 because there are so many low-cost DIY hacks out there. Here are 8 creative and thrifty refashioning ideas to get you started…

Festive

How to decorate your home for Christmas like Buddy the Elf

Ever wanted your home to look like Buddy the Elf has decorated it for Santa’s arrival? Here’s 14 low-cost and easy DIY projects to help you spread Christmas cheer throughout your rooms (using things you already have) in time for the big day…

Festive

How to make a funny stalk of sprouts Christmas decoration

Christmas trees? Nah! Santa? Who? We all know that the real star of Christmas is the sprout. Whether you love them or loathe them, they’re the most hotly anticipated visitors on the 25th December and I think they deserve to be celebrated. So I’ve DIYed my own stalk of sprouts, with fluffy green pom-poms and a big stick. Here’s how to make this most-festive-of-all-decorations for yourself…

Festive

Unique Christmas card ideas to help you spread festive joy this December

Christmas is about so much more than materialism but it’s also nice to buy or create something that lets people know you are thinking about them at this time of year and that you enjoy having them in your friendship circle. Sometimes all it takes is a Christmas card so here are some ideas to give you a new take on this traditional festive greeting…

Festive

DIY Inspiration for decorating your dining table this Christmas

Have you given any thought to your table setting? Whether you’re someone that likes to keep the table set all year around or a procrastinator that only thinks about the number of place settings required on the day, I’ve got some festive inspiration to give your table settings the wow-factor this season…

Money Saving Tips

5 Simple and super low-cost ways maintain your vehicle this winter

Cars are incredibly expensive investments. While many of us scrape enough money together just to purchase the things, subsequent costs follow; insurance tariffs, repair costs and maintenance fees. Here are 5 handy ways you can cheaply maintain your car.

DIY

Lighting up my home for winter using smart technology & smart bulbs

If you want to learn more about creating your very own smart home (without rewiring your whole house!) today’s blog post is for you! I’m sharing my honest experience of smart lighting for the first time, plus I’ve got a Phillips Hue Starter Kit to give away to one lucky reader in my competition so read on to find out how to enter…

Festive

How to use heat-transfer vinyl to DIY your own Christmas jumper

I’ve made my own Christmas jumpers this year! What do you think? After a quick rummage in my local charity shop I found three different types of jumpers just calling out to be upcycled, so I thought I’d share this heat-transfer vinyl project with you so that you too can make your own festive jumper this Christmas…

Festive

Low-cost art & craft ideas to create personalised Christmas decor

December is here and if you haven’t already jumped at the chance to put up your tree and make your home look as festive as possible, you might be looking for some more affordable and creative ways to decorate your space for the Christmas period. There are so many amazing ways to put your own creative spin on Christmas decorations and decor, but to give you a few ideas, here are a select few festive arts and crafts you should try this season… 

DIY furniture makeovers

How to DIY a retro cocktail cabinet for your festive parties

If you’re planning to entertain over Christmas and New Year, it’s a great idea to have a cocktail cabinet ass a place to serve delicious drinks to your guests. Here’s how to make your own DIY retro bar from an old display cabinet…

Home buying

Moving to a new house? 5 Things to inspect before you move in

Buying a new home is a really exciting time even if it often feels like it takes forever between finding the house and completing on the purchase. But just because the mortgage company has completed a survey, it doesn’t mean that the house is ready for you. There are several other things you should have inspected before you move in…

DIY

Step-by-step DIY: How to upcycle a rusty old metal filing cabinet

If you long to create the home office of your dreams but have been shocked by the price of office storage furniture, today’s DIY project could be the solution. Here’s how to upcycle a rusty old filing cabinet so that you can add castors for a flexible office configuration, or turn it into a desk with built-in drawers…

Autumn

Autumn decor projects to light up your interior this November

Autumn is here, so that means it’s time to get out the kids’ winter clothing, mow the grass one final time, and fill your home with festive decor. But if you’re not quite ready to go full-on Christmas just yet, here are some easy and low-cost ways to decorate your home for autumn using things you already have…

Bedroom

9 Low-cost ways to create a cosy bedroom & a happy home 

Home décor is an essential part of happy living. But it doesn’t need to cost a fortune to look good and can actually make you feel happy to come back home in the evening. Here a few of things you can easily use to decorate your bedroom with the least effort and money…

Special Occasions

3 Things you really shouldn’t scrimp on for your thrifty Autumn wedding

Even though it may seem like your autumn wedding means endless spending, really there are only THREE wedding components that are worth investing money in. If you prioritise these three areas when setting your budget, everything else will naturally fall into place – without the need to spend a fortune on every little detail..!

Books

DIY Project: How to make a chunky woven storage box

How to weave your own chunky woven storage box from cardboard and wool. Plus a review of Weaving Within Reach craft book – The projects in the book range from homewares to fashion accessories, kitchenware, gifts and soft furnishings. As you can probably tell from the wide range of projects, there’s something to suit every ability and it even shows you how to make your own makeshift loom to get you started.

Garden

Add a water feature to your garden without costly running expenses

Garden water features are known for their visual appeal and can be a relaxing addition to the landscaping around your home. But it’s not all about luxury and aesthetics; when it comes to being innovative and money-saving, water features can help you save and conserve water too, with the help of rainwater tanks…

DIY

Will your next home be a shipping container?

In a move to combat the issue of affordable homes in cities, it has been suggested that recycled shipping containers could be the perfect material to construct safe, liveable and comfortable tiny homes. But, just how true is this claim, and how likely is it that your next home could be a shipping container? Here’s just how usable shipping containers are and how they are currently being used…

Bathroom

4 Things to consider when picking a new carpet

Many people hold back from replacing their carpet because they are overwhelmed by the decisions involved; plush piles or loop piles? Which fibre should you invest in? How do you know if the colour will suit the room? While it’s true that there are different factors to consider, choosing the right carpet for your home can be surprisingly easy. Just keep these four basic points in mind:

Bathroom

How to DIY a nautical bathroom cabinet using pallet wood

If you need a cabinet in your bathroom for all your beauty bits ‘n’ bobs here’s an easy DIY cupboard you can make in a day using pallet wood. It’s a great way to recycle an old pallet and mirror, and you can make it any size to suit the space you have in your bathroom… 

Bedroom

Quick makeover tips for a magazine-worthy bedroom

Have you ever flicked through a home décor magazine and wished that your bedroom was just as beautiful as the ones on those pages? We all know that the costs of decorating such bedrooms can be super high so you may feel discouraged about even thinking of giving your own room a makeover. Well, no more! With a few easy and quick hacks, you can get the bedroom of your dreams without having to spend a fortune…

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