5 Fun & Easy DIY Ideas for Beginners

Winter in Christchurch can seem so prolonged, especially during those long stretches when you’ve no opportunity to hit the slopes, or even get outdoors for that matter, and you find yourself taking to patterns of hibernation. It’s time to seize the daylight hours, get creative, and add some fun new furnishings to your home and garden.

If you’re a newcomer to the world of DIY and crafts, and you don’t want to bite off more than you can chew, this is an article just for you. We’ve listed five easy, low-cost and achievable DIY ideas. And don’t worry, DIY failure is all a part of the learning curve, just make sure nobody’s filming when you do!

DIY landscaping fail

Address Number Wall Planter

Address number wall planter

If you’ve got unused space near your front door, why not take the opportunity to create a feature with a decorative address number wall planter.

You will need some thin and thick macrocarpa or pine (come and see us, we can advise and cut custom dimensions), some metal address numbers, and plants. If you’re renting, there are non-marking, non-permanent hanging options available such as 3M fastening tape.

Visit the source page to find out how to put it together.

Wooden Sofa Sleeve Cup Holder

This project could cause no small controversy in your household. In one camp there will be those who will make accusations of laziness – ‘how hard is it to lean down and pick up your drink from the coffee table?’

Then there will be others who will simply see a creation of utter genius, an answer to a life-long problem they didn’t even know they had, until they saw the solution in all its glory!

For this project you will need clamps (at least 8 inches long), a hole saw, a power drill (if you’re using pocket screws), tape measure, wooden boards, glue, sandpaper and wood stain.

Visit the source page to find out how to put together.

Wooden sofa sleeve cup holder

Wooden Bird House

Wooden bird house

This is a project that, under adult supervision, can be completed by children, maybe as a Father’s or Mother’s Day handmade gift that will be as loved by the recipient as the birds! All you need for this project is some treated pine (long enough to be cut into 6 pieces), a dowel rod, a 4 diameter perforated PVC pipe cut to 5 inches long, eye hooks, some fir plywood, and some nails.

Birds like to have tidy homes, and the perforated PVC will provide air flow and can also be easily removed for cleaning. The final and last touch to this wee birdhouse is to add some bird food. Read the guide on feeding New Zealand birds.

Visit the source page to find out how to put it together.

Colourful Patio Pavers

To add a bit of colour to the garden and to brighten up a plain concrete patio stone, first brush away any debris, and place a stencil (https://www.mollies.nz/stencils.html) over the stone, aligning the center marks. Use masking tape to block off two flowers on both the right and bottom edges of the stencil to make the pattern symmetrical.

While holding the stencil in place, dip a ½-inch-wide stencil brush into some chalk paint and once you’re done, remove the stencil and wait to dry. At Musgroves, we stock a variety of pavers. Check them out here or visit our yard to view the full range.

Visit the source page to find out how to put it together.

Wooden sofa sleeve cup holder

Chalkboard Window

Wooden bird house

Chalkboard windows are a great way to introduce some extra charm into your home and it’s a quick process to convert a recycled window into a chalkboard:
1. Clean the window well and make sure you wipe away any debris from the frame.
2. Tape off the frame using newspaper for the bulk of the frame, and painter’s tape to seal off the wood frame and then apply chalkboard paint over the glass using a brush if not the spray type.
3. Let the paint cure for the amount of time noted on the can (usually 24-48 hours), then rub the entire surface with a piece of wet chalk to help set the paint up for easier chalk use and then hang it up!

Visit the source page to find out how to put it together.


If you have a project in mind then give us a call or come visit our yard, our friendly staff will be able to provide good advice and knowledge about the materials you’ll need.

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