Wallpapered/Stenciled Furniture

Okay, we know what you are thinking. 

"Wallpaper….really Divine Consign? That is soooo 1972."

Not so quick, missy! We’re not telling you to wallpaper your entire house  (that could be a little disastrous…)We're just encouraging you to (tastefully) play with pattern!

If you take a leeeeetle bit of your favorite fancy patterned wall paper…

…and add an item in your home that just needs a little "sprucing"…

You end up with  a super adorable and fun (and DIY..aka cheap!) updated piece of furniture, like this!

From Blissful Musings

See! We would never misguide you!

Check out some more great crafty ways to use wallpaper on items in your home:

From House to Home

 From Better Homes & Gardens

        

And…if you are REALLY too chicken to use wallpaper…here’s how a stencil and some paint can give you the same effect…without the commitment!

From Better Homes & Gardens

 From Royal Design Studio

 From Savvy Young Something

Alright now get to work you crafty-young-thing, you! We’d love to see your finished creations.

DIY Mudroom

Happy June! 

Okay, so we’re already a week into this first month of summer, but to be honest, I think it was hotter in April...

Anyway, the temperature is only going to rise from now until August, and if you have kids, that means playing in the sprinkler, visits by the ice cream truck, and hours running around  outside...a.k.a. wet clothes, muddy feet, sticky hands, and skinned knees…oh joy! And in your newly-spring-cleaned house? Oh no…we just won’t let it stand.

It's all fun and games...until that Popsicle melts all over mom's new carpet.

That’s why we thought we’d help you contain the clutter (and, well, straight-up mess) that summer brings by sharing some lovely inspiration for an easy-peasy DIY mudroom in your own home, using items you’ve had stuffed in storage for years (or, you know, that you picked up at Divine Consign)!

Check out some of these great mudrooms...all done by handy little people like you and me! (okay, maybe just you...we'll stick strictly to the designing part) 

    

...Inspired yet?

 

How about now?!

We bet you have all kinds of stuff you could use for this project.

(Book shelves…hooks…curtain rods…benches…chairs…side tables…a small desk…The possibilities are endless!)

Okay, ready…………?

....

...................

....GO! Then snap a pic and let us know how it turned out! 

Mudrooms featured in this post (in the order pictures appear above):

1. http://myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/category/rooms/mudroom/

2. http://ana-white.com/2011/08/cutest-mudroom

3. http://stagetecture.com/2010/08/mudrooms-a-place-for-storage-sitting-and-slickers/

4. http://www.thehouseofsmiths.com/2012/02/project-entryway-closet-makeover-reveal.html

5. http://emilyaclark.blogspot.com/2010/02/not-so-messy-mudrooms.html

6. http://www.granitetransformations.com/blog/tag/diy/

Chair back into picture frame (or mirror, or cork board, or dry erase board, or…)

We've been inspired!

As a furniture and home accessories consignment store, we want our customers to feel inspired every time they come in, without having to spend an arm and a leg on redecorating.

Today, we’ve come across a repurposing idea (thanks to allthingsthrifty.com) SO great, thrifty, and inexpensive, we just couldn't keep it to ourselves!

You will need:

- An old chair

- A saw

- A razor blade

- A can of spray paint

- Some elbow grease

- A husband (optional)

Step One: Go up to your attic and dust off that 3-legged chair you just haven’t been able to part with for one reason or another (Don’t have one of those lying around? We’ve got lots of super inexpensive chairs here at Divine!)

Step Two: Get to work sawing off the top of the chair, scraping, sanding, or sawing off whatever is inside (i.e. basket weave, etc.) sanding the edges, and spray painting it to your color of choice.

Step Three: Ta da! Look at what you’ve created! We’re so proud of you….now use that creative mind of yours to decide what to put inside of it!

Pictures...or a mirror...or a chalk/cork/dry erase board...or...

Let us know how yours turned out!

DIY Bench

Have an extra dresser sitting in storage that you just can’t seem to part with?

Did you find a super-great deal at your local consignment shop, but you just don’t have the use (or room) for another dresser?

Well we found a great idea….SO great, in fact, we just couldn’t keep it to ourselves!

Our repurposing idea of the day-- Turning your dresser into a bench (with storage!)

Once your done, this piece could go anywhere! Your entryway, backyard, living room, bedroom, kitchen...the possibilities are endless!

Yippeee! Now get to work! And when you’re done, we’d love to see your masterpiece!

Repurposing your Entertainment Center

What a great day to be outside!

We hope you are enjoying this gorgeous day while it lasts…Chicago weather can be so unpredictable! One day, your kids are out playing in the yard until the sun goes down, and the next they are stuck inside, cranky because the rain won’t stop.

Well, the brilliant minds at Divine Consign have come up with a cure for those rainy days….

REPURPOSING!

Not only is it a fun, INDOOR friendly activity, but you kids can help out too! And, if they’re really lucky, you’ll end up with something fun for them….like this super cute play kitchen made from a repurposed entertainment center!

You’ll turn something like this... 

Into something like this! 

  

How genius is that!?

Don’t have any old furniture laying around because you already brought it all over to Divine Consign? =)

We’ve got tons of cool stuff lying around both of our stores….come on in and check us out!

Repurposing China Cabinets

We'll admit it, china cabinets are not our favorite thing to consign. Unless it is a hip, Asian-inspired cabinet or a super unique piece, they're just hard to sell. Lifestyles these days call for less formal dining experiences and many families do not have complete china sets to display. What can a poor little consignment shop do?

INSPIRE - that's right, we inspire our customers to think out of the box. Repurposing is our middle name, you know, and we have some great ideas on how to repurpose china cabinets!

So don't feel too bad for us, we always find a way to make our consignors, our customers, and our furniture happy!

Repurposing Baby Changing Table

"What in the world am I going to do with my old changing table?"

Don't worry! Divine Consign is coming to the rescue with a GREAT repurposing idea for your outgrown changing table!  Ready for this?

  

A GIFT WRAPPING STATION!

You can thank us later. Here's how it goes:

* TOP SHELF - rolls of wrapping paper

* MIDDLE SHELF - baskets and bins full of scissors, tape, bows, ribbons, etc.

* BOTTOM SHELF - gift boxes and bags

Also, if you were one of those naive first-time parents who thought THIS would be a great idea (you know you never remained this neat) ...

... it is now TOTALLY useful as a gift wrapping station addition. Think gift tags, pens, tissue paper, little gift wrapping baubles, etc.

Voila! Just in time for the holidays too. Okay, we're ready for our "Thank You" now!

Easy Furniture Repurposing Ideas

Repurposing Entertainment Armoires

Here at Divine Consign we are all about renewing the life of furniture! Not only is purchasing consignment furniture eco-friendly, there are endless opportunitites to repurpose the furniture itself!

Let's talk about those wonderful entertainment armoires that were so popular awhile back. They served a great purpose - housing large televisions and all the components while providing storage for tapes, DVDs, remotes, etc.

Now in the age of flat-screen TVs, fewer components and less storage due to digital recordings, it seems those armoires have met their demise.

Wait! There is a way to salvage these beautiful pieces of furniture while maintaining a practical purpose. Entertainment armoires can be perfectly used as clothing armoires! There are already drawers and shelves for shoes, undergarments, etc. In the large open TV space, shelves can be added for storing sweaters, or simply install a rod for hanging clothes!

Come see the gorgeous armoires at Divine Consign and consider how they can be repurposed for your needs!