Friday, June 14, 2013

Crafty Friday - Lightswitch Covers

Welcome to Crafty Friday!

I am always looking for little ways to personalize the rooms in my house and wanted to change out my switch plate covers.  Well, after shopping the home improvement stores and realizing how expensive they are, I turned to pinterest.   I came across the idea to cover them with scrapbook paper - brilliant!!  But even better you can also do the same thing with fabric.  It is cheap, easy, and changeable.  

You can change them from drab.......



to fab ...............................





All you need is a scrap of fabric or scrapbook paper to match your décor, a pair of scissors, a screwdriver, and double stick tape.  

First, take the switch plate cover off the wall and lay face down on a piece of scrapbook paper or fabric and trace around the plate.  Then trim the paper or fabric down adding an extra 1/2 inch all around.  After it is trimmed to size, lay the switch plate cover down again and pull the paper/fabric over the edges and secure with double stick tape.  A lot of the pinterest tutorials used spray adhesive or mod podge to secure the paper/fabric to the plates.  I like to change things out a lot and wanted to be able to remove them without having to replace the covers from possible damage, so I used double stick tape.  Continue taping down around all edges.  It won't look pretty but no one will see it -  it is the back.   Be careful when using scrapbook paper to not pull too hard because you could rip it on the corners (I did the first time)




Next, I cut an X in the middle of  the fabric/paper for each opening on the plate. 



Then, I taped back the fabric/paper to the switch plate.



Again, it doesn't look pretty but no one will see it.   Then I took the screwdriver and located where the holes are and carefully poked the screwdriver through the fabric/paper to make holes for the screws to go back through.  All that is left to do is reattach to the wall and you are done.  

My little guy was so excited to have a Batman switch plate cover - and it was so easy!  I also recovered the switch plate cover in my little girl's room. 



I have done this in almost all my rooms and when they get dirty or I get bored they remove easily and can be changed.   Happy Covering!