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8 budget-friendly ways to personalise your rental home

<p>If you're one of the many who are living in a rented home or apartment, it can feel like an impossible task to personalise your home without upsetting your landlord or your wallet.</p> <p>Don't let rental restrictions stop you from creating a home that feels like yours. Here are eight affordable ideas to help you create your dream home.</p> <p><strong>1. Faux finishes </strong></p> <p>Auckland-based renter, Andrea Warmington, didn't let living in a rental stop her from creating a stylish home. </p> <p>"Sheet vinyl is an affordable way to change your floors; I bought "Cajou Oak" vinyl from Bunnings for my kitchen and bathroom," Warmington said. "It's not even stuck down - once cut to fit, it sits on top of your existing floors without slipping."</p> <p>Want to cover a plain benchtop? Invest in removable contact paper or add a rustic touch to your home by covering an ugly bench with large chopping boards. Not only is this incredibly practical when it comes time to cook, but it can also easily be moved from house to house. </p> <p><strong>2. Lean instead of hang </strong></p> <p>Leaning art against a wall can look chic and easy to move to a new location if you ever feel like redecorating.</p> <p>For art-lovers who are renting but still want to show off their collection, simply leaning art against a wall is a chic and easy way to display their favourite pieces without having to put any nails in the wall.</p> <p>"It doesn't matter if you can't hang it up; I bought some long, low bookshelves for my living room that serve double-duty as a shelf for displaying framed prints and posters."</p> <p>Bonus: this rental-hack makes it easier to move your art to a new location (without having to worry about precisely lining up the piece on the wall) if you ever feel like redecorating. </p> <p><strong>3. Invest in nice things </strong></p> <p>You don't need to wait until you move into your dream home to invest in beautiful furniture.</p> <p>Warmington decided to invest in her dream couch to make her plain Mt Eden rental feel like a home soon after she moved in. However, she said great furniture doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.</p> <p>"I bought the wooden buffet in my living room for $80 on Trade Me, then painted it using an Indian inlay stencil set."</p> <p><strong>4. Inject colour </strong></p> <p>Add colour to your home without painting the walls by either investing in brightly coloured decor or sprucing up some of your pre-exisitng pieces with some DIY. </p> <p>"I spruced up some bamboo baskets with orange paint and painted the frame of an old mirror bright pink," Warmington said. "You could also paint your furniture; the teal, orange and gold cabinet in my living room was once a utilitarian grey."</p> <p><strong>5. Go Green</strong></p> <p>Indoor plants can bring life to even the dreariest of rentals. They purify the air, add texture and are a great way to add greenery to your home if you don't have access to a garden. </p> <p><strong>6. Soften things up </strong></p> <p>You don't need to put up with the awful, old curtains that have probably been hanging in your rental house for the past 10 years. </p> <p>"I swapped the plain curtains in my living room and bedroom for some delicately-patterned linen curtains," Warmington said.</p> <p>What should you do with the original curtains? Take a leaf out of Warmington's book and save yourself from having to replace them by "carefully storing the original curtains so they can be put back when I move out". </p> <p><strong>7. Rug up </strong></p> <p>A simple way to add warmth to your home, as well as showcasing your personality and design tastes, is by investing in rugs.</p> <p>With a wide variety of rugs on the market that cater to all tastes and budgets, this addition to the home can be as practical as it is stylish. </p> <p><strong>8. Decals instead of wallpaper </strong></p> <p>Want to bring some excitement to your walls without worrying about casing any damage? Decals are a great solution that is both stylish and easily removable. </p> <p>Feeling crafty? Julie Stuart, the founder of Clever Poppy, created a chic and affordable DIY feature wall in her daughter's nursery by using washi tape. </p> <p><em>Written by Natalia Didovich. Republished with permission of <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>. </em></p>

Home & Garden

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Can you see what’s wrong with this Kmart pencil case?

<p>Generations of school kids have loved cutting out the letters of their names and slotting them into their personalised pencil cases. But one Aussie kid is going to find that very difficult.</p> <p>Nicole Jones took to Facebook to share a photo of the pencil case she purchased from Kmart, and while it looks fine at first glance, once you take a closer look you’ll spot something very wrong.</p> <p><img width="600" height="469" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7267322/http_2f2fprodstatic9netau2f_2fmedia2f20182f012f192f142f452f180119pencilcase1.jpg" alt="Http _%2F%2Fprod .static 9.net .au %2F_%2Fmedia %2F2018%2F01%2F19%2F14%2F45%2F180119pencilcase1" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/></p> <p>Can’t spot the mistake? Here’s a hint – Nicole’s son Felix won’t have much luck getting his name in there!</p> <p>Why? There’s no “F”!</p> <p>Luckily, the thrifty mum had a plan B – and it wasn’t simply changing the “E” to an “F”.</p> <p><img width="600" height="652" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7267323/http_2f2fprodstatic9netau2f_2fmedia2f20182f012f202f172f192fimage001.jpg" alt="Http _%2F%2Fprod .static 9.net .au %2F_%2Fmedia %2F2018%2F01%2F20%2F17%2F19%2Fimage 001"/></p> <p>“My son is on the spectrum so if it’s different from the other letters he won’t use it,” Nicole told <a href="https://honey.nine.com.au/2018/01/19/14/35/pencil-case-missing-letter" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">9Honey</span></strong></a>.</p>

Art

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Turn cookie cutters into personalised Christmas decorations

<p>Christmas is coming. While it's still early days, getting a head start on your preparation means you can enjoy a relatively stress-free lead up to December 25. Here's a great idea for decorations that also make excellent gifts.</p> <p>Make these with the grandchildren, give them out as gifts or simply grab a glass of wine and enjoy getting crafty and making something truly money-can’t-buy. We show you how to give your favourite family photographs pride of place on this year’s tree.</p> <p>You could also use patterned paper stock or use up bits of old Christmas wrapping paper instead of using photos.</p> <p><strong>What you’ll need</strong></p> <ul> <li>Aluminum cookie cutters</li> <li>Color-photocopy pictures</li> <li>Card stock</li> <li>Heavy book</li> <li>Scissors</li> <li>White craft glue</li> <li>Needle</li> <li>Ribbon</li> <li>Silver beads</li> </ul> <p><strong>Instructions </strong></p> <p>1. Assemble your photos and cookie cutters and see which cutters fit which pictures best.</p> <p>2. Glue the photo (or Christmas wrapping paper) to a piece of card using a thin film of white craft glue.</p> <p>3. Carefully brush the sharp edge of the cookie cutter with glue and place over the photo. Put your heavy book on top and wait at least two hours for the glue to dry.</p> <p>4. Cut the excess photo from around the edge of the cookie cutter.</p> <p>5. Thread a length of ribbon through your needle and poke between the top of the photo and the cookie cutter, then tie the ribbon around the cutter leaving enough to hang on the tree.</p> <p>6. Thread a silver bead over the ribbon and push it down so it’s on top of the cookie cutter to give it a sleek finish!</p> <p>Photo credit (small image): Honeybear Lane</p>

Home & Garden