Here’s a rental-friendly decorating idea that’s so dreamy, it would be stylish in any home, condo, or apartment. It’s a great look for a desk, craft center, vanity, teen bedroom… you name it. It would be a fun way to highlight an inspiration wall of paper or fabric scraps, momentos, and magazine clippings.

As good-looking as tile, but a teeny eeny fraction of the price, check out this beautifully executed backsplash redo! Anna at Door Sixteen covered over her so-so tiles with painted plywood. She has a great step-by-step, including her fast, easy installation trick – no nails, screws, or glue required.

I’m an “up north” girl, so I enjoy the charm of using natural materials in design.  It’s no wonder, then, that I was immediately drawn to this rustic-yet-modern lounge chair by Intructables user HomeMade Modern.  I love how it marries sleek, modern lines with the raw logs, creating an unexpected and fun piece that would work just as well in a Manhattan loft as it would on the patio of a backwoods cabin.  Plop a log slice side table next to it and you’re on your way to a whole set of log furniture!

I love gardening, hence I have a weakness for anything cute and colorful and decorative that has anything to do with growing plants.  So when I spotted some fabulous flower pots in a magazine, my heart went pitter-pat.  But when I saw the retail price of them, my heart nearly stopped!  Luckily, I remembered that Dollar Tree had pots in similar shapes and colors.  So I whipped up a DIY stencil gave some cheap pots a designer-inspired makeover!

I’ve been known to take way too long making party bunting. This is such a fast, clever way to string festive flags, and a great use of all the designer duct tape available these days.

Large scale art packs such wow factor, you almost can’t go wrong. This one, from a roll of ticket stubs, would be an edgy installation for a modern living room. You can get tickets in almost every color of the rainbow, so buy a roll in whatever color will give your room the most pop.

Add an interesting design element to your patio, plant an herb garden, and wow your friends, all with one project. This vertical garden is as fun and unexpected as it is practical. It’s even renter and apartment friendly.

Props to Maggie at Stranger Than Vintage for realizing neon pink and metallic gold are meant to be. The possibilities are endless with a few cans of trusty spray paint (don’t forget the primer) and a roll of painter’s tape. I particularly love the tray as a jewelry catch-all, or as a coffee table tray for a little plant and a book.

Miss Congeniality. I believe that’s what it was called — the only trophy I ever won. It was awarded to the softball team that came in last. But it’s not hard to get your hands on a trophy these days. Just hit the thrift store. As a color-coordinated collection, they’re a pretty fun decoration for a kid’s room. Head over to Jennifer Rizzo to find out a couple other prize ideas for how to use trophies.

From the moment I laid eyes on a gorgeous roll of lime green burlap ribbon, I knew I had to find something special to do with it. I hemmed and hawed over its potential uses until finally one day, inspiration struck. A bowl! A bowl made of burlap! So I grabbed my Mod Podge, rolled up my sleeves, and got down to business. I am so happy with the results – it turned out even cuter than I imagined!

You will need:

• Burlap ribbon
• Ric rac trim
• Bowl to use as form
• Plastic wrap
• Mod Podge
• Xacto knife
• Polyurethane

Cover a large bowl with plastic wrap to use as a form for your burlap bowl. I used a glass serving bowl.

Cut strips of burlap to the length needed to go over the bowl. The length and number of strips you need will depend on the size of the bowl; I use 8 strips that were each about 16 inches long.

One at a time, brush the strips with a generous amount of Mod Podge and lay them over the bowl. I found that the burlap soaks up a huge amount of Mod Podge, so I added more to each strip once it was in place. To make sure the thicker parts dried well, I put half of my strips on, let it dry for a while, then added the rest. When all the strips are on the bowl, let it sit overnight to dry.

Flip the bowl right-side-up and use more Mod Podge to attach ric rac trim around the top edge of the bowl. I worked in sections and used clothespins to hold it in place until the Mod Podge started drying enough to hold on its own. Let dry completely. At this point, you’re ready to take the bowl off the form! (You might have to coax it a bit to get it to release.)

Use an Xacto knife to trim off any excess burlap above the ric rac, creating a wavy edge. Coat the finished bowl with polyurethane to prevent the Mod Podge from becoming tacky on humid days.

You can see that there is a little bit of brown paper gift basket filler peeking our between the oranges in my photo – that’s because I wrapped it up and gave it to my mom for Mother’s Day! Wouldn’t this fruit basket also make a wonderful housewarming gift?