A CRAFTY mum reinvented her drab Ikea drawers and gave them a herringbone-style makeover using 800 individual lolly sticks.
Lauren Olphert spent just £30 upcycling the chest of drawers last week to give them a modern twist.
The mum-of-one from Aintrim, Northern Ireland, bought the drawers several years ago and decided to get creative instead of buying a completely new set.
Lauren, 30, bought hundreds of lollipop sticks online and individually stuck each one down in opposite diagonal rows in the style of herringbone.
She then used wood filler to fill in the gaps before sanding the area down and sealing up the design with varnish.
The creative mum then added sleek black T-bar handles to replace the old circular ones.
Lauren shared her DIY hack on Facebook on Thursday, writing: “Upcycled IKEA drawers with over 800 lollipop sticks, some glue, wood filler, varnish and new handles.
“I love how it turned out.
“Looks great in my son’s room.”
She added: “I kept the sticks for the herringbone style as they were and only cut the border sticks for a neater finish.
“Then I wood filled it all, filling the gaps around the edges with the wood filler. It was all sanded down and then varnish was added to finish it off.
“The wood filler stage is probably the worst part but really looks well once you’re done.”
Unsurprisingly social media users were quick to praise Lauren’s DIY skills with her post receiving over 1,700 likes and hundreds of comments from impressed group members.
One said: “Very impressive, a true labour of love and a show of patience.”
Another wrote: “Patience of a saint.”
A third added: “Wow, that’s awesome.”
While a fourth commented: “Wow, this looks fab. I love it, well done.”
And another person added: “What a great idea and looks amazing.”
Speaking today, Lauren said: “I used cutting pliers to cut the lolly sticks to size, it was a bit difficult as I could only work when my son was asleep or after work.
“I combined the two ideas I had seen to create the finished piece.
“I wanted to create a wood style design to tie in with other items in the room such as pine shelves and a mirror and bring the jungle/woodland theme together.
“I used around 800 lollipop sticks, natural wood filler, sand paper, clear varnish and black handles costing £30.
“I’m obsessed with home design and upcycling.
“I enjoy uploading arts and crafts and DIY projects or furniture I’ve upcycled to inspire others to have a go.”
