Upcycling ideas in under a day

It’s time for some summer making inspiration and we’ve got plenty of simple projects to try

Oh hello summer! You’ve got us feeling fired up for some fresh new home revamps, so we’ve teamed up with talented designer and all-round creative lady, Suzie Sheppard. As you’ll see over the next six pages, she’s brimming with crafty ideas to make your home as bright and cheerful as the July sun. Don’t want to be stuck indoors too long? We don’t blame you, which is why all our makes take a day or less. For a quick colour fix, we’ve got a dining chair ombré overhaul. Picked up some pretty ceramic tiles from holiday? Use them to upcycle a rickety apple crate into a handy storage table. If you’ve had a winter wardrobe clear out, lop off sweater sleeves and make a set of cute cactus pincushions. Enjoy!

Paper practice

When cutting paper or card, it’s a good idea to use a craft knife with a new blade, a metal ruler and a selfhealing cutting mat, to avoid slicing through the table beneath.

Origami paper flowers

Create a cheerful display of everlasting blooms using old newspapers, maps or damaged books from charity shops.

Takes 1 hour You will need

✱ Newspaper, 12cm squares

✱ Glue

✱ Bamboo skewers, £1, Asda

Total £1

1 To make the first petal, take a 12cm newspaper square and fold the bottom corner to the top to make a triangle. Then fold both bottom corners of the triangle to the top point to form a square.

2 Fold the top two layers of the square backwards. It’s important that the folded-back edges line up with the edges of the square beneath.

3 Open the newly formed triangles and fold the top triangles over so they are level with the edge of the paper – these flaps should be separated from the other layers. Fold the triangles along the crease.

4 Add a small amount of glue to one side and attach to the other triangle, forming a petal. Repeat to make four more petals, then glue each one together to form a flower. Glue to a bamboo skewer and leave to dry before displaying.