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Showing posts with label dollar store crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dollar store crafts. Show all posts

3.15.2024

easy-peasy twine nest

spring,nests,DIY,diy decorating,tutorial,home decor,seasonal,re-purposed,up-cycling,dollar store crafts,inspired by nature,garden style,twine nest,diy nest,diy spring nest.
i dropped a ball of twine on the floor in my studio, it unraveled...
and this nest was the result!

i love it when something happens that makes me look at a material
in a new way, with a new use in a new seasonal accent.
and this one couldn't have been easier!

wanna' turn a ball of dollar store twine into a nest in less than five minutes?
continue reading! 

2.23.2024

ease into spring with a faux moss wreath

spring,winter,wreaths,decorating,diy decorating,DIY,wall art,seasonal,transitional,winter to spring decor,home decor,tutorial,white,crafting,dollar store crafts,re-purposing,up-cycling,.

spring's arrival is just around the corner!
here's an easy way to ease into it...

i'm pairing my white fabric wreath that i created this winter
with a new element for spring - along with a few other items -
and i love how it bridges this 'winter into spring' time of year. 

even the smallest changes can reflect nature
and refresh your home decor in just minutes.
big changes are good - but they don't ALL have to be big.

continue reading for an easy wreath + decor tutorial!

12.01.2023

terra cotta Christmas: faux painted tree ornaments

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while i'm having fun finding all kinds of ways
to use terra cotta flower pots in my theme this holiday season,
i needed to expand the scope... enter my favorite tool: PAINT!

i rounded up some unused ornaments from my stash
and transformed them using my faux terra cotta paint technique.
it's easy, cheap, and a great way to revive unused items!

continue reading for the details and some of my top tree decorating tips...

11.24.2023

terra cotta Christmas: clay pot wreaths

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we've all seen beautiful wreaths made from terra cotta pots,
filled with herbs or succulents or flowers - in springtime.
i wanted to create a wreath made of pots
that fit this year's terra cotta Christmas theme...
simple, subtle, natural. and 'wintery' in feel.

the result is two wreaths that include terra cotta pots - 
one is a wreath of greens embellished with 'bells' made from pots,
the other a wreath made entirely of pots.
(and when i did a Google search, i didn't see any that looked like mine!)

they represent two different styles that can be made in varied sizes
for a variety of uses in your holiday decor!

continue reading to see tutorials for two variations of holiday wreaths...

11.17.2023

terra cotta Christmas: clay pot trees

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it's tiiiiiime! (channeling Mariah Carey there...)
there's no waiting any longer to start sharing holiday decor content!

my muses love to yank my chain....
i HAD a plan for holiday content this year on the blog. yes i did.
and then... 

surfing through IG one night when i couldn't sleep,
a photo shared by one of my former employers and clients
came across my screen - and wouldn't you know it,
that one photo inspired a whole NEW idea and theme.  
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this is the photo posted by Molbak's Garden Center near Seattle
to promote one of the themes of their holiday products this year.
(i used to be on the visual merchandising design team there,
and love keeping up with what they are doing now - it's amazing!)

those are turned wood trees on the mantel.
but that's not how i interpreted it... 
instead, i saw a forest of terra cotta trees made from pots!

that one photo inspired me to create decor
that was subdued, simple, natural, and elegant -
along the lines of something from Pottery Barn, Terrain, West Elm.
in the process, i've come up with different ways to use terra cotta pots
to embody a new theme for the holidays this year...

(and there's not a BIT of yellow in it! ;)

...continue reading to see three styles of terra cotta trees!

11.04.2023

diy tomato cage 'cornucopia' door + wall decor

Thanksgiving,fall,home decor,DIY,diy decorating,wreaths,tomato cage crafts,Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,dollar store crafts,wall art,rustic style,farmhouse style,tutorial, DIY cornucopia,Thanksgiving cornucopia.

are you one of the few people in the world
who is looking for some Thanksgiving decor?
who hasn't moved on to decorate for Christmas already?! 
i'm one of you - and my next few posts will center on this holiday that i really love!

last November i shared my tutorial for making a cornucopia
using a wire tomato cage and some burlap.
this year, it's been elevated from the tabletop
to hang on the door as a gorgeous 'wreath'
or as welcoming 'wall art' anywhere in your home.

continue reading for all the details (and a link to my previous tutorial)

10.31.2023

painted 'chocolate' pumpkins on a sweet sweater cake

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a fitting conclusion to my recent faux food project posts,
this one really takes the cake....

this project came about because i had some tiny styro pumpkins,
which made me start thinking about making a very REAL cake
like my Mom used to make every fall when i was a kid.
it was always a round two-layer chocolate cake with chocolate icing
and adorned with tiny orange candy pumpkins all along the top edge.
i loved that cake.
we took them to school fall celebrations and church harvest festivals.
we took mini versions - cupcakes - to friend's houses.
we never brought any of it home, either!!! everyone loved it.

instead, i decided to make a fall 'cake' in my own style...
because deb does NOT need more calories!

continue reading for the before and after...

10.24.2023

easy 'dot' candy pumpkins

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it seems this fall has affected me by making me crave candy and sweets!!

this happy project was born when i found THESE at the Dollar Tree:
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'member those?!!!
'dot' candy on paper strips was one of my FAVE sweet treats as a kid
(confession: i would sometimes stop at the local Circle K market while walking to school
and spend my lunch money on candy instead. BAD little debby!!!)

when i saw these GIANT candy versions, i grabbed a package
and got right to work when i arrived home...

...continue reading to see how easy this pumpkin decor is for adults & kids alike!

10.17.2023

faux food 'caramel apple' pumpkins

fall,pumpkins,foofoo Faux Food,painting,tutorial,dollar store crafts,just for fun,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,seasonal,home decor,faux caramel apple pumpkins,fake food.
a recent rainstorm and cool temps (that have long since vanished!)
spurred my 'fall feels' - and my taste buds for all things caramel.
it's my favorite fall flavor, and i love indulging it...
from scarfing down Werther's Original caramel cremes
to sipping a caramel apple martini on a cool but sunny late afternoon.

with those thoughts already swirling in my head, 
seeing a photo of a green apple being dipped into melted caramel
inspired something else... this fun 'faux food' bit of sweet fall home decor!

how it started:
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i knew that a method i had previously used to make faux honey
would work for the glossy dimensional caramel effect,
so i proceeded with this project as i had with that one.
(my faux honey jar is linked below this post)

... continue reading to see how it's going, and how you can make them, too!

10.10.2023

have a ball with these pumpkins!

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do you have a family full of sports fans?
oh, my friends, you're gonna' have a BALL with this idea! 😉

i was killing time before an appointment by walking thru a 'FIVE below' discount store,
and spied a bin filled with small basketballs in bright happy colors...
there was no yellow, but the minty green one caught my eye!

continue reading for tips on this SUPER fast & easy pumpkin decor project!

10.03.2023

faux 'jadeite' pumpkin paint tutorial

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i don't collect jadeite - real OR faux - but i love it!
the pretty seafoam - mint - jade greens of jadeite dishes and cookware
remind me of the color of our Shasta trailer (see my last post!)
and because of that, i've found these greens combine well with ANY color.

in late August i picked up a ceramic pumpkin mug at Dollar Tree,
and decided to try my hand at re-creating the luminous look of jadeite -
with paint.

and it worked! 
continue reading for my color-matching process and paint tutorial...

8.15.2023

easy raffia-wrapped TROPI-fall pumpkins

fall,pumpkins,tropical style,beach style,boho style,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,home decor,re-purposed,up-cycling,dollar store crafts,crafting,tutorial,pumpkins decorating,fall pumpkins,diy pumpkins,raffia pumpkins,dollar tree raffia hula skirt. 
yes, i'm creating a few new 'tropical' style pumpkins this month!
these work together with my previous creations -
and since the summer heat is still in full force right now,
it's the ONLY way i can succumb to the siren call of autumn.

the pumpkins up above are SO easy to make,
(i think they'd look just as cute nestled into galvanized buckets
for some fall farmhouse style vibes!)
and just wait until you see what they're made of!

continue reading to find out my secret... 

5.17.2023

deb flips the bird... ?!

spring,painting,diy decorating,DIY,flowers,wreaths,just for fun,dollar store crafts,colorful home,farmhouse style,wall art,bluebird of happiness,bird decor,painted birds.
that post title doesn't mean what you might think!
some people 'flip' furniture. (actually, i've done that, too).
now i 'flip' home decor elements each season...
sometimes more than once IN a season!

and my favorite tool for changing how things look is paint.

i never let the color of an item found at a thrift store or yard sale
or even in my own storage bins limit me - 
because it's SO EASY to repaint things to make them fit my current decor style.
so when i discovered this little ceramic bird on a bottom shelf at Dollar Tree,
the very last one they had in the store,
i didn't hesitate a moment before dropping her into my shopping basket:

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the pink color isn't BAD, it just doesn't fit my decor.
but with a few ideas and some paint, i gave her FOUR NEW LOOKS
and i created spring wreaths / wall decor for three of those!

continue reading to see how all four turned out...

5.10.2023

giant paper flowers

spring, Mother's Day, flowers, DIY, crafting, decorating, dollar store crafts, tutorial, garden style, diy decorating, paper crafts, paper, vintage paper, paper flowers, diy paper flowers.
sometimes it's just best to go BIG, you know?
i've been a retail visual merchandiser + display designer / stylist for over 45 years,
and have made a LOT of props in my lifetime...
and i learned that whether you're creating a window display
or an event display or a photo backdrop, large scale has the most impact.

making big things can get costly, tho - unless you use inexpensive materials
like paper, tissue, and repurposed/upcycled elements.

the flowers you see up above were created for use in an event entry display,
and are made from new cardstock paper -
but i've made similar ones from vintage book pages, too.
can't you just imagine flowers made out of repurposed MAPS?
old newspapers? magazine pages? gift wrapping paper?
yep, so can i!

i can also see them decorating a lovely Mother's Day brunch setting,
or as decor in a nursery or girls' room.

continue reading for a quick tutorial and loads of inspo...

5.03.2023

grandma's button flowers

spring, mothers day, just for fun, flowers, DIY, crafting, decorating, dollar store crafts, tutorial, garden style, diy decorating, grandmas buttons, button flowers
did your grandma have a button box?
mine did, and i spent many hours playing with the colorful contents as a child.
 when my Grandma Ward passed, i was given her button box.
to this day just looking at it makes me smile...

 i decided to start collecting buttons of my own to add to her tin,
so i grabbed them at garage sales and thrift stores
and sometimes even bought some from craft stores.

when i began using the buttons in home decor projects.
one of the projects i undertook was to make button flowers:
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those were made back in the early 2000's!
it's such an easy project that kids can do it, too.

continue reading for my easy tutorial... 

4.29.2023

faux food flower 'cupcakes'

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continuing with my floral theme for this month,
i whipped up these fanciful floral 'faux food' cupcakes...
which i did not make with butter, eggs, sugar, and flour.

my friend Sasha ('Saucy') decorates very real cakes and cupcakes
with the most fantastical elements - like frosting flowers.
her delightful creations inspired these flower-decorated cupcakes,
and also inspired my faux gingerbread cake last December.

some projects have a lot of prep, a lot of elements, a lot of steps.
this isn't one of those. this is a one-and-done decor project. easy-peasy. 
i can't even call this a 'tutorial' because it's SO easy.

don't believe me? continue reading!

4.26.2023

'flower power' coasters

spring ,just for fun, flowers, DIY, crafting, decorating, dollar store crafts, garden style, diy decorating, entertaining, outdoors, coasters, floral wine glass coasters, spring table decor.
a perfect way to add a spring touch to your entertaining,
these easy to make 'flower power' coasters can be created in any color -
and are really simple to assemble. after you disassemble, that is.

oh, wait, i'm getting ahead of myself...

continue reading for my easy tutorial...

3.29.2023

garden light mushrooms

spring,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,colorful home,garden,garden art,garden style,crafting,dollar store crafts,up-cycling,re-purposing,spring home decor,spring garden decor,tutorial,garden lights,mushrooms,garden light mushrooms.
this month i have shared a bunch of ideas for creating and decorating with mushrooms.
this last one is kinda' sneaked into the blog lineup...
perfect for your yard OR indoors, these mushrooms lamps
are whimsical ways to repurpose household items
while you light up your summer evenings.

continue reading to see what inspired them and my easy tutorial...

3.11.2023

pom pom mushrooms

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pom poms are having a MOMENT, my friends...
showing up in the fashion world, in huge art installations, and home decor.
while most of them are WILD expressions of texture and color,
i wanted to incorporate pom poms in a more limited palette
(yesssss, i DO mean yellow! - because why not?!)

and since my recent mushroom-creating kick has led to

March Mushroom Madness

i found a way to make pom pom 'shroomies!

...continue reading to see how EASY they are!

2.27.2023

thrifted knit beanie mushrooms

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you've heard of March Madness, yes? 
i may be pushing that description by embarking on my own twist:

March Mushroom Madness!

i've had some new 'shroom ideas rolling around in my noggin' for awhile now,
and i decided that since March is my birthday month,
i can do whatever i want. so mushrooms it is!
yep, all month long, you'll see the things that have been growing
in my super-charged imagination. 
(hold on tight, and keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times!)

up first, my easy-peasy tutorial for making these happy mushrooms
using thrifted knit beanies and cheap ceramic vases!

continue reading for all of the details!