WINTER: create faux 'wrapped' bulbs

A classic trend in winter decor is a nature-focused Nordic vibe, using natural elements that celebrate winter while hinting at spring. I've always love white flowers in winter, as they reflect the idea of snow-blanketed gardens.

This year, I've created some faux versions of wrapped bulbs and nestled them in snowy white ceramic containers. This simple project has brought a winter-y feel into my studio, and will transition perfectly into spring in the coming month.

Continue reading for an easy two-part tutorial...

WINTER: PomPom Vases

Here at the edge of the 'winter-spring' seasonal transition, I try to keep the coziness of winter's soft textures going by mixing them with elements that  start to reflect springtime.

When I picked up a remnant of some minty-green pompom trim at a fabric store's going out of biz sale, I immediately knew that I was going to do this with it...

Paired up with some smaller white pompom trim that I had from Dollar Tree, plus a thrifted curtain panel with minty green pompoms running down two sides, that new trim pulled it all together. It took just minutes for these three vases to get a new look!

Continue reading for my easy tutorial...

WINTER: yarn ball SnowBuddies!

I just have to ask: Do You Wanna' Build a Snowman?!

Since we have a bit of winter weather left (thank you Punxatawney Phil), I thought I'd share this fun new idea with you...

I dropped some yarn balls the other day, as I was taking them out of a box, and one bounced onto the top of a nearby mug (empty!). Imagine my surprise as I realized that it looked for all the world like one of my Sweet Sweater Snowmen. Only EASIER to make! 

Continue reading for my easy tutorial for making Yarn Ball SnowBuddies...

WINTER: office organization on the cheap

  

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors blog hosts a weekly linkup, encouraging her followers/readers to share their recent projects. This past Friday, she suggested that we also share our favorite tips for getting organized at the start of a new year... which sent me to my hwf blog archives to find a post I knew would be what she was hoping for.

It took me awhile to find it in my archives, but I did, and linked it up to her party. The response to it in just two days is astounding! Now I feel motivated by Donna to share this helpful info that you can use by re-posting my original post from 2013 again - so I'm sharing it today as a 'Bonus Post' in addition to my regular content.

This info is the 'BTS' - Behind the Scenes -  of how I created my absolute dream office / design studio... spending very little money, using reclaimed + thrifted items + what I already had. I've actually done this in every creative space I have designed for myself, since the very first one in 2004. (I shared that studio in another post, which is linked at the end of this post)

In January of 2011, I moved into my dream house on an island in the PNW, and enjoyed the opportunity to design a whole new studio/office for myself.  I undertook this project exactly as I would one for a client: start with what you have and look at it in a fresh way.

continue reading to see how I get organized - on the cheap!

holiday 2024: a modern nativity

i have vivid childhood memories of helping my Mom decorate for the holidays,

including hanging ropes of tinsel garland in the front windows

then adding single glass ornaments that caused the garland

to dip into points like a jester's festooned collar.

simple, easy, inexpensive elements transformed our little home

into a winter wonderland.

and at the center of it all was the creche, or nativity scene...

yes, this one. like so many other families,

THIS was the nativity scene i grew up with.

it always sat on top of the 'hi fi' stereo console,

with an arrangement of greens and candles

with a few tree ornaments added to make it 'sparkle'.

after i married and had my own home, 

my Mom gave me the nativity set.

my four children grew up with it in our home,

and then our first grandson played with it in our home:

he's two here, and i will never forget hearing his sweet little voice

whispering 'sheepses' and 'baby cheesus' as he played with it.

(he just turned eighteen and he graduates next May...

how quickly the time has flown)

each year, i create a 'new' nativity scene for my decor theme.

i've linked a few of those below this post, 

including the way i used my OLD nativity figures in 2020.

this year, i recreated the simple modern figures

that i first used in 2022...

and to make them fit my theme this year,

i just added in some green props.

continue reading for two different looks...

DIY flocked acorns

i have a photo of a bunch of green acorns as my screensaver,

and the luscious tones moved me to try and replicate them - in paint.

then i saw a video showing how to make a faux 'flocked' paint finish,

and i just HAD to try it!

continue reading to see how easy this one is...

pumpkins made from garden clippings!?!

you've heard 'Necessity is the mother of invention' before...

it couldn't be more true of this week's pumpkin creation!

we've had a HOT summer and early fall here...

once the temps dipped *just* below triple digits,

i finally braved the heat outside and took care of some garden tasks,

including trimming the vining branches of our jasmine plants

that were reaching menacingly toward our windows!

that led to a whole new way to embrace my 'trash to treasure' ethos:

i turned my garden clippings into pumpkins!

continue reading for the details...

Faux 'Caramel Apple' Pumpkins, Take 2!

this isn't actually a 're-do' of a past project - 

it's that i had so much fun coming up with this idea

to turn a green faux pumpkin into a green caramel apple

that i think this sweet faux food creation deserves

another fifteen minutes of time in the spotlight!

i've just changed the color accents and am sharing it again!

continue reading for my original tutorial...

Easy Yarn & Twine Pumpkins

fall has not yet 'fallen' here in Southern California,
 but it's definitely pumpkin season for me!

first up, i'm sharing this incredibly easy way
to turn everyday items into pumpkins for your autumn decor...
these were made using yarn / twine skeins and thread spools.

i've embellished them a bit using elements
that go along with the 'sewing/knitting supply' theme
because i just can't leave well enough alone - 
yet there is NO sewing or knitting needed for this project!

continue reading to see how to make these in just minutes...

terra cotta pot mushrooms

my favorite seasonal decor is the kind that happens

when i'm just playing around with things in my studio - and an idea hits me.

i love using things in ways OTHER than how they were intended to be used,

both indoors and out.

these terra cotta pot mushrooms are one of the easiest things i've made,

and they are a perfect spring accent for your home AND garden spaces.

continue reading for an insanely easy tutorial to make your own versions!

easy-peasy twine 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! 

ease into spring with a faux moss wreath

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!

terra cotta Christmas: faux painted tree ornaments

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...

terra cotta Christmas: clay pot wreaths

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...

terra cotta Christmas: clay pot trees

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.  

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!

diy tomato cage 'cornucopia' door + wall decor

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)

painted 'chocolate' pumpkins on a sweet sweater cake

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...

easy 'dot' candy pumpkins

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:

'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!

faux food 'caramel apple' pumpkins

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:

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!

have a ball with these pumpkins!

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!