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" Just because you bought bargain furniture doesn&amp;#039;t mean you have to live with a lackluster look. It&amp;#039;s easy to upgrade plain pieces with rich detail and add-ons. Plus, that DIY touch is a great way to showcase your personal style. Here, we&amp;#039;ll show you how to enhance basic items, from giving a patio table a mosaic top to creating a luxe finish on a simple footstool. Paying less never looked so good!  Cut It Out Making your bargain bedside table look like you paid full price is easy. Give it rich style with a warm paint color, beautiful paper and pretty wallpaper cutouts. This vintage technique is also an elegant way to spruce up smaller items, like jewelry boxes or lamps. 1. Remove drawers and hardware from nightstand and lightly sand all surfaces. 2. Use a flat brush to apply several coats of paint to all surfaces, including fronts of drawers. Let dry after each coat. 3. Measure side panels of nightstand and cut two pieces of decorative paper to size. 4. Use sponge brush to apply a light coat of decoupage medium to the back of one piece of paper, then lightly smooth it onto the side of the table. Start in the center of the paper and smooth outward, removing any air bubbles. Repeat on other side.  5. Replace drawers. Cut desired images from paper. 6.  Brush backs of images with decoupage medium, then position on nightstand front, smoothing from center out as before. Let all decoupage medium dry. 7. Brush one or more coats of decoupage medium over all surfaces and paper edges, letting dry after each coat. 8. Reattach hardware. Photographed for Woman&amp;#039;s Day by Sam Gray   Brass Beauty Upholstery nails\u2013\u2013an interior decorator favorite\u2013\u2013give furniture a custom finish. And it&amp;#039;s super-easy to get the luxe look for a lot less: Just hammer the studs into anything from the cushion edges of dining room chairs to picture frames. Check out this ottoman; the studded details add tons of style to an otherwise plain piece. 1. Measure the circumference of the top of your footstool and use a pencil to mark even increments where the studs will go. (Studs available at DIYUpholsterySupply.com.) 2. Do the same with the bottom of your footstool, keeping the marks even with the ones above. 3. Use a hammer to nail studs into place over the pencil marks. On the top edge of the stool, add a second row of studs underneath the first, and a third row on the top surface of the stool. Photographed for Woman&amp;#039;s Day John Gruen   Made in the Shade An inexpensive lampshade gets a stylish makeover with stencils and a little paint. For an artsy look, choose multiple stencils to create layers of pattern. Look for stencils in small sizes\u2014they&amp;#039;re easier to hold down on the curved surface of a lampshade. JoAnn.com has plenty to choose from. This technique can also add personality to walls, headboards and even floors. 1. Tape stencil to the shade and paint over it with bright paint. 2. Repeat in a loose pattern around the shade.  3. Let dry, and continue with the other stencils, using different shades of paint for each design. Photographed for Woman&amp;#039;s Day John Gruen   Heads Up The easiest way to make a simple mattress and box spring look like a big-ticket item? Add a custom headboard. It&amp;#039;s not nearly as hard\u2013\u2013or as pricey\u2013\u2013as it seems. The best part is, you can create a few different headboards, and swap in new ones to match changing decor, bedding or seasons. 1. Cut a piece of 3/4- to 1-inch wood board to your desired headboard dimensions (typically the width of the bed) and sand it. 2. Arrange 3-inch adhesive circle labels (available at Uline.com) across the front of board in desired pattern (straight rows were used here). Use a pencil and yardstick to ensure rows and columns are straight, then lightly outline each label. 3. Peel backing off label; cut backing into 2-inch circle and place back onto adhesive side of circle so there&amp;#039;s only a border of adhesive exposed (this will allow for easy removal later), then place circle on board. Adhere remaining circles to board where marked. 4. Apply several coats of paint to the headboard, letting dry after all but last coat. Remove circles before the last coat of paint dries. 5. Apply several coats of polyurethane to entire surface, letting dry after each coat. 6. Attach to wall using flush mounts (available at Rockler.com): Drill the bottom parts of flush mounts to the wall as wide as possible within the width of the headboard. Lean headboard against wall to mark the location of the receiving ends of the flush mounts. Drill in pieces. Lift headboard and attach to wall.  Photographed for Woman&amp;#039;s Day by Kate Sears   Pillow Talk Cheap, colorful pillows are easy to find, but they can end up looking a little flat. Punch them up with a modern design. Use the technique on a bunch of pillows in different shades to give your living room a finished, unified look. 1. Remove pillow from sham and replace with a piece of cardboard to create a solid surface and prevent paint from bleeding through. 2. Peel backing off 3-inch circle label; cut backing into 2-inch circle and place back onto adhesive side of circle so there&amp;#039;s only a border of adhesive exposed (this will allow for easy removal later). 3. Adhere circles to front of sham, spacing evenly. 4. Attach a strip of tape through centers of circles, then attach additional strips of tape about 1 inch from circles on each side. 5. Paint over circles and tape with Plaid FolkArt acrylic paint, working from edges toward center of each section. Remove circles and tape; let dry. 6.  Remove cardboard; insert pillow into sham. Photographed for Woman&amp;#039;s Day by Kate Sears   Cover Up A utilitarian storage unit gets a fashionable update with a simple slipcover. Its new look means it can do double duty as a side table, and the now-you-see-it-now-you-don&amp;#039;t drop easily hides clutter. Use this trick to cover up an unsightly coffee table or bedside table, too. 1. Measure length and width of top of shelf and add 1 inch to measurement. Cut a piece of fabric for cover top. 2. Measure around shelf unit; add 1 inch. Measure height of shelf unit; add 2 1/2 inches. Cut fabric to cover sides. 3. With right sides facing, raw edges matching, glue short ends of side piece together with 1/2-inch seam. 4. Turn under and press 1/2 inch on one long edge of side piece of fabric. Glue pressed edge to outer edges of top piece, raw edges matching. 5. Turn under and press 1 inch double hem along lower edge of side piece. Glue in place to hem. 6. Place cover over shelves. Photographed for Woman&amp;#039;s Day by Aimee Herring   Glass Act Outdoor dining doesn&amp;#039;t have to mean settling for cheap plastic patio furniture. Artsy touches, like mosaic tiles, can update the look of any table. The flower pattern on this tabletop is perfect for spring, but any combination of colors will create a fresh look.  1. Put on safety goggles and use tile nippers (available at PlaidCraftExpress.com) to cut yellow and green tiles (available at JoAnn.com) in half diagonally to make flower petals and leaves. Cut remaining tiles into smaller pieces in various sizes. 2. Using a butter knife, spread thin layer of clear mosaic tile adhesive (available at DickBlick.com) on table where flowers will be placed. Spread thin layer of adhesive on petal and stem tiles; press tiles onto table to form flowers. 3. Spread adhesive on remaining areas of table as desired. Spread thin layer of adhesive on remaining tiles; press remaining tiles onto table, filling areas around flowers. Let dry overnight. 4. Wearing rubber gloves, use knife to spread white premixed grout (available at AceHardware.com) over tiles; use fingers as needed to press grout into spaces between tiles. Allow to set according to manufacturer&amp;#039;s directions.  5. Using a damp sponge, wipe off excess grout, rinsing sponge as needed in bucket of water; allow grout to dry for several hours. 6. Using a clean damp sponge, wipe tile surface to remove any remaining grout haze. 7. Following manufacturer&amp;#039;s directions, apply grout sealer (available at HomeDepot.com) over table.  Photographed for Woman&amp;#039;s Day by Eric Roth  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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