7 Cute Decoupage Ideas That Will Brighten Your Home ...

I began the whole decoupage ideas snowball with a side table that was driving me mad. I subscribe to History Today and BBC History magazines, so I had a shed load of amazing pictures to use. From Martin Luther King to Anne Boleyn, pretty much all manner of historical figures now adorn my side table. This is a great medium-sized project to start off with. If you're not feeling comfortable, you may want to try something smaller.

You know how stores like T.J. Maxx have those storage boxes that look adorable? But they still (despite being at T.J. Maxx) cost more than a piece of cardboard is worth? You can sort of recreate them using shoe boxes. Again, history magazines work well here. With the current trend for shabby chic designs showing no signs of dying down, home magazines work well too.

So when you are feeling a bit more adventurous, get stuck into a book case. Because (some) bookcases are so big, you may want to aim for a little symmetry. When I was first looking up how to do this, I saw a demonstration using atlases. If you start using magazines with a bookcase, everything might look a bit haphazard. Atlases are quite cheap, especially when you buy them from kids' book stores or from secondhand bookstores..

They may be small, but candle holders are actually a little difficult to decoupage. Well, if you want a little uniformity they are. I am absolutely okay with mess. However, if you aren't, you may want to invest in some patterned paper. If you don't have any glass candle holders, try old jars.

I have a friend who is obsessed with cute lamps. I have absolutely no idea why. To me, lampshades often look ugly. It is for this reason that I am a massive fan of chrome. However, I can appreciate that decoupaging a lampshade is a great way to bring one to life. I haven't tried this yet, but I imagine it will take enough practice for you to need to start out on one that is old.

Again, light switches are usually massively ugly. They also tend to get dirty, especially if you have kids. Decoupaging a light switch isn't something I am going to try anytime soon, as I am a tenant. However, it is an approach I would definitely take if I owned my own home. I quite like the idea of using fashion magazines for this one.

Or, if you don't have kids, any sort of clothes chest or laundry bin. Toy boxes tend to get worn, fast. That's because they are constantly under the wrath of tiny little hands, which are amazingly destructive! Old kids' magazines work well here. It's a great way to get around paying the ridiculous prices of brands like Disney.

You can pretty much decoupage anything. However, I'm willing to bet you need a lot more practice and patience to do the larger and more fiddly items. My next project will most likely be a jewelry box. If you decoupage, what has been your greatest success to date?