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Showing posts with label foofoo Faux Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label foofoo Faux Food. Show all posts

10.31.2023

painted 'chocolate' pumpkins on a sweet sweater cake

fall,pumpkins,foofoo Faux Food,sweaters,home decor,DIY,diy decorating,seasonal,decorating,painting,tutorial,Thanksgiving,Halloween,re-purposed,thrifted,dollar store crafts,faux cake with faux chocolate pumpkins,Dollar Tree pumpkins.
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...

10.17.2023

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:
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.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.
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!

6.14.2023

NEW! sweet sweater 'sandy' cake

summer,foofoo Faux Food,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Cake,diy decorating,DIY,home decor,re-purposed,up-cycling,trash to treasure,beach style,coastal style,neutrals,sweet sweater originals,seashells,summer home decor, fake sandcastle cake,seashell displays,tutorial.
a question i am often asked is 'where do you get your ideas from?'
i'm honestly inspired by everything! 
from the color combinations i see in nature to memories of my childhood
to objects i see that make me ask "can i make that out of a sweater?!"
i am never without ideas to investigate (which is why deb doesn't sleep....)

one of my long-time online friends from the 'way back' blogging days (early 90's)
is the most incredible cake decorator and baker i have ever seen.
Sasha (@saucybakes on IG) has a wild imagination and wicked talent,
and her creations never fail to make me
 A. hungry and B. intrigued about replicating them in my own style.

back in 2022 i was inspired by Sasha to create a cake
using sweaters, as my own 'birthday cake',
which then led to creating a faux holiday cake and a faux frosty wintery cake.

a recent post on her IG account showed a 'Little Mermaid' themed cake
with shells and sprinkle 'sand'...
so i started thinking about making a summery 'sand cake'
with a sweater and seashells and a few other elements. 

continue reading to see how i interpreted a beachy theme faux cake!

4.29.2023

faux food flower 'cupcakes'

spring, flowers, garden style, foofoo Faux Food, DIY, diy decorating, decorating, just for fun, dollar store crafts, crafting, styling a spring tiered tray, tiered tray decor, faux cupcakes, faux cupcake decor .
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!

2.13.2023

NEW sweet sweater SNOcakes!

winter,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Originals,Sweet Sweater SNOcakes,foofoo Faux Food,DIY,diy decorating,crafting,just for fun,white,sweater crafts,sweater weather,winter crafts, winter decor,winter decorating,diy winter decorating,faux cakes,faux food.
after i posted my gingerbread sweater cake at the end of December,
i began seeing all kinds of 'sweater cakes' online...

winter,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Originals,Sweet Sweater SNOcakes,foofoo Faux Food,DIY,diy decorating,crafting,just for fun,white,sweater crafts,sweater weather,winter crafts, winter decor,winter decorating,diy winter decorating,faux cakes,faux food.
this gorgeous image from Lion Brand Yarn came up in my IG feed 
and MANY others are popping up on Pinterest -
utterly gorgeous real cakes that are frosted to look like cable knit sweaters.

i was particularly drawn to the white winter-y ones and knew i could replicate the look.
since i had everything i needed to create a faux cake,
i got busy creating my own 'Sweet Sweater' version.
and since it's still decidedly winter, i thought i'd share it here on the blog...
it's too late for more Valentine's Day decor, anyway!

continue reading to see the details - plus a few surprises!

12.26.2022

NEW! sweet sweater 'gingerbread' cakes!

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deb used to bake. uh huh. but now if deb bakes, deb eats.
getting older with a slowing metabolism sucks!
so now my approach to 'holiday treats' takes a different form...

i just make sweet things out of other things... like SWEATERS!

for the finishing touch on my Gingerbread Holiday theme this year,
i've created two all-new Sweet SweaterTM originals to inspire you:


an oh-so-trendy 'tall cake' and a lil' mini 'cake buddy'
all trimmed out with gingerbread houses, men, candy canes, snowflakes,
and some 'frosting' that couldn't be easier!

continue reading to see how these sweet treats came together - 
without a calorie in sight ;) 

3.01.2022

my sweet sweater birthday cake!

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hello, friends!
i've been enjoying my sabbatical over the past month and a half,
and have made a MAJOR dent in my very long and very overlooked 'To Do' list!
(such as: get my truck running again  get some appliance repairs done   
get some yard work done  buy a new mattress to help my back pain )

since it's March 1st, the beginning of my birthday month,
it seems a perfect time to return to the blog and share a recent project with you!

* this post was created in mid-February and scheduled for March 1.
given the world events that transpired in the last week of February,
 i actually thought very seriously about not publishing it, 
 seeming too frivolous a subject to focus on in light of reality.

 i have decided to publish it, in the hope that anyone who sees it
will be reminded that there are still things to celebrate in this world
even in the midst of darkness and conflict. *

as much as i love to bake (and eat) sweet things,
i decided that my birthday cake this year needed to be a bit different...
you know it wouldn't be a birthday cake for ME unless it was made of sweaters, right?!
(my waistline and thighs appreciate the total lack of calories in this one ;) ) 

continue reading to find out the unusual way this fun decor came to be...

12.27.2021

NEW! Sweet Sweater Sips!

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oh, did you think i was DONE??? LOL. never!
i'll never run out of ideas for turning sweaters into decor...
and this one, well, it's just the perfect whimsical accent for winter!

this one actually isn't made from sweaters... it's something else.
but you certainly COULD use sweaters to create something similar.
(and don't miss the 'links to previous related content' below this post for even MORE ideas!)

so, grab a cuppa' something sippable, and
continue reading to see my newest original Sweet Sweater creations!

7.06.2021

Sweet Sweater Scoops!

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the heat of summer is upon us...
and lucky for us, this 'tasty treat' won't melt as the temperature rises!

as soon as i saw a very simple item at a thrift shop,
i knew i would make it into some of my original Sweet Sweater Scoops TM
(part of my 'foofoo faux food' obsession)
reminiscent of icy lemon sherbet, just looking at these cools me down...

continue reading to see how to make them -
and you won't BELIEVE what they started out as!

7.03.2020

festive 'foo foo faux food' for the fourth!

beach style, coastal style, color, color palettes, crafting, decorating, DIY, diy decorating, dollar store crafts, foofoo Faux Food, Fourth of July, junk makeover, re-purposing, red white and blue, summer, Sweet Sweater Scoops, thrifted, trash to treasure, vintage paper, sweater crafts, paper crafts
a miracle happened yesterday... a thrift store near us was OPEN!
so, masked up with sanitizing wipes in hand, Mom and i tiptoed through the door
and were welcomed by a cheerful young lady who was wiping down the register counter.
only one other person was in the store, so we felt quite safe.

and on the way to the back of the shop, 
where there are many many bookshelves filled with many many books 
- for just ten cents each, which is why we LOVE this thrift shop! - 
i spied a brand new roll of vintage crepe paper (probably from the 70's)
and my weakness for vintage paper ephemera began nagging at me. 
(spurred on by the fact that i haven't been out thrifting since February!)
yes, i bought it. i spent a whole TWENTY FIVE CENTS on it!

nope, i had NO IDEA what i was going to use it for. i just couldn't resist.

but then i came home, sat it on the sideboard in my studio,
 next to a few small bottles holding old paper flags.
and an idea for a 'fast, cheap, & easy' accent for the Fourth of July was born!

click through to see the details...

6.25.2020

NEW! Sweet Sweater Pops!

DIY, Fourth of July, original designs, re-purposing, red white and blue, summer, sweaters, Sweet Sweater Pops, Sweet Sweater Sandbabies, Sweet Sweater Scoops, Sweet Sweater Snowmen, foofoo Faux Food
so a funny thing happened while i was creating my last blog post...
i was typing in additional ideas for accessories that one might use
on one's own versions of my Sweet Sweater Sandbabies.
things like ball caps popped into my mind. and THAT led me down a rabbit hole...
it went something like this:

"yeah! ball caps! ball caps?! baseball! hot dogs! beer! popcorn! 
POPCORN??!! waaaaaiiiiiiiit a minute... i have...."
at which point i ran out of my studio to the garage, to the party supply bins,
where i found the paper and plastic popcorn containers i knew were in there.

i returned to my studio and dragged out the box with sweater remnants,
and there was a bag filled with wonky fuzzy yarn that is the color of UNbuttered popcorn.
my crazy brain puts two and two together and the result is those guys up above:
Sweet Sweater Pops!
Red, White, and Blue PATRIOTIC Pops.

and then the ideas REALLY started poppin'... continue reading to see!

2.12.2020

a quick Valentine's Day table to love

hearts, valentines, home decor, tablescape, red, sweet sweater snowmen, gift wrap wall art, diy, party, winter
the truth is, incorporating seasonal decor in my home
all started for the simple reason of making my four children smile.
i loved doing things each month that would delight them, and make them feel special...

every month of the year, there is a holiday - some are major, some are minor.
and if there wasn't one on the calendar, i'd make one up: "It's SUNSHINE day!"
on the 'big day' (whatever that was - including birthdays), 
the kitchen table would be decked out colorfully in the theme for the day.

a fun breakfast table and a special treat like cookies, stickers, or a tiny stuffie from the dollar store
started their day off in a happy mood and let them know that they were special to ME... 
worth the effort to make things fun just for them.
(what can i say? decorating is my love language!)

now, i'm not ashamed to say that we had very little money while raising our four kids.
so i didn't run to the store and grab a bunch of new decor each month...
i simply looked around the house and pulled together things we had that were the right color
(toys, books, crafts made by the kids, decor accessories, flowers, etc)
and made little decor elements out of scraps (sweaters!) and trash (paper!) to coordinate.
i literally 'shopped the house' to create a fun atmosphere for my kids.

today, i'm sharing how i did exactly that with what i have on hand right now!

 continue reading to see how to simply pull together a few items from your home
and instantly create a sweet table to enjoy on Valentine's Day...

1.09.2016

Valentine's Day Sweet Tooth!

Valentines Day window display

Deb's got a sweet tooth in more ways than one, let me tell ya...
today I was searching for something on my retail visual design blog
and found a 'blast from the past' old post sharing my Valentine's Day decor.
... and since we're already gearing up for Happy Hearts Day decor,

I thought you might just want to see it!

That was my little craftsman Cottage's kitchen window shown above, 
loaded with candy dishes heaping full of yummy tidbits 
(that I'll never really eat, truth be told....my weakness is chocolate
and a few trompe loeil treats.
One of them was inspired by THIS photo
from a past issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion Magazine ...
stacked ribbon cake decor
I gathered up some round cardboard containers, metal tins, fabric, ribbons, and froufrou,
and got to work making my own versions of this 'stacked wedding cake' idea.
(I know, I know, this is not WORK. Let's call it a 'Creative Exercise' then, OK?)

I came up with two of them:

original valentines day decorvalentines day decorating
It's simply a cake pedestal with boxes, tins, and even a ceramic coffee cup
stacked up in layers and embellished with ribbons, flowers, 
and even my own REAL wedding cake topper!

 I shared a similar 'stacked wedding cake'-style idea here on HWf a few years ago:
repurposing white dishes

Here are just a few more ideas for making your Valentine's Day sweet as can be....
heart-shaped candy boxes valentines day decorvalentines day decor
More clear vases, domes, and candy dishes were loaded with 
pink and red candies from the Dollar Tree, an old heart pin made from buttons,
a 'cupcake' pincushion in a mug, and red marble hearts in a heart-shaped box...
it all added whimsy and charm to that little window in front of the sink
but took no time at all to create!

The truth was that although my Cottage kitchen was a retro dream,

the view out that window was utterly hideous
it looked directly at the garage of the house next door. UGH.
(you can see it right there in the background of the top photo!)
So I always created cute little vignettes in the window to look at instead!

.
Want even more Valentine's Day inspiration?
 

See my '30 Days to Valentine's Day Countdown' posts from 2013!
View my Pinterest board: February Hearts


pssssssst..... I'm on Instagram, too!

2.04.2014

I'm Stuck On You, Valentine!

I have a PRIZED collection of Mary Engelbreit Home Companion Magazines
[EVERY issue!] and turn to them often for seasonal inspiration.
Mary is such a champion for independent artists, small businesses, and creative spirits,
filling the pages of her lovely publication with color, fun, and 'Breit Ideas'...
Like so many others, I miss this magazine - but I do understand why she discontinued it.

Recently, I was thumbing through past winter issues of MEHC,
and saw a really cute and simple craft idea on the pages.
Since it's something I have already done myself, I thought I'd share it with you.


Before I drafted this post, I messaged Miss Mary on facebook,
and asked her permission to show a few pages of her marvelous magazine in my blog post -
and she replied 'That would be great, Deb! Thanks for asking first!'
SO.... with permission from 'The Queen of Everything', I shall proceed!

Here are the pages I saw in the February/March 2005 issue of MEHC Magazine
... when I saw them, I immediately thought of THIS little creation of mine:
I made this tiny 'foofoo faux food'TM ice cream sundae pincushion a long time ago.
I MAY have even been inspired back then by this very article in Mary's magazine!
.
Inspired all over again, I made use of some stuff that I had on hand:
red sweater scraps, leftover trimming, polyfil stuffing, and some miscellaneous containers,
and created a few MORE pincushions:

An errant cupcake wrapper and an ironstone creamer are perfect pincushion bases,
and my Original Sweet Sweater Snowmen are pulling double-duty as happy pincushions!
[PS: I still have a FEW of them left - for sale now in the HWf SHOP ]
I unearthed several of those 'tomato' ('strawberry'????) pincushions, too,
and popped them into other containers just for fun.

How 'Fast, Cheap & EASY'TM is this?!!!

As the article in Mary's magazine suggests,
this would be a simple craft project and great gift idea for Valentine's Day!

My quick collection of pincushions now populates the wall shelves in my office...
Joined by a pair of sweater-covered pillows and a cableknit throw on the sofa,
it's a happy corner with easily changed Seasonal Style!

[oh, and that 'D' on the shelf? It's a lil' something I just whipped up, using
a pressboard letter, some old giftwrap, and two round pieces from a place card kit.]
Does it look like something specific? Like maybe MOUSE EARS? IT IS!
I'm celebrating... because my lifelong dream came true last Friday afternoon...

I now work for the Walt Disney Company!!! 
____________________________________________

I'd like to offer my deepest thanks and gratitude to Mary Engelbreit,
for her permission to show the pages from her treasured MEHC Magazine!
This woman has a heart of gold, and I admire her so...
Connect with Miss Mary on her 
website, blog, and facebook page!

OhMiGosh...have MERCY!

Miss Mary shared my blog post on her own facebook page today!


shared online:
 
Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}


4.12.2013

More Faux Food Fun!

 the sweet little cottage that i once lived in had a 'greenhouse' window over the kitchen sink.
it was deep and not easily accessible, and the exposure was all wrong for plants.
so i turned it into a decorating opportunity!

each month, i'd create some kind of scene up there in the window
[so that i wouldn't have to look across the yard at the ugly side of my neighbors' house... which you can still see in the photo below]


one particular scene was designed using my own 'FooFooFauxFood' creations.
i decided on an 'Ice Cream Social' theme...

all kinds of dishes and bowls and plates and cups were the starting point,
then i 'foofed them up' with fuzzy yarn and pom poms and beads to look like ice cream ;) 

NOTE: nothing is permanent here.  no glue was used. it's just assembled.

my sweet little shelf-sitter Miss Ami (named for a friend) is perched on a 'cupcake'  - 
which is a mound of fuzzy yarn 'whipped cream' on top of a tiny upside-down ceramic baking dish.

the 'pie' that  Miss Ami is using as a footrest
is the ceramic lid of a scented candle pot sitting in a glass bowl, 
with fuzzy 'caterpillar' yarn wound around the top knob and the edges to look like 'whipped cream'.

the 'espresso' and 'ice cream sundae' next to her are simply cups filled with tissue paper,
then topped with more yarn 'whipped cream'. 
a pompom and some bead 'sprinkles' are finishing touches.

the 'cupcake' is made from sweater pieces, wound into a shape and tied with a bow.
it sits in a cupcake paper inside a footed glass sugar bowl.
i was inspired to create that cupcake years ago by Miss Betz White,
the felted cupcake queen!
the 'milkshake' in the background
is a tall footed glass filled with nubby yarn in shades of green and a chenille stem 'straw'.
yarn swirled on top as whipped cream and a pompom are the finishing touches.

the 'ice cream cake/bombe' on the far right
is the ceramic scented candle pot (mentioned above) flipped upside down on a saucer.
more yarn serves as 'whipped cream' on top and around the edges.

the smaller 'bombe' above it is a scallop-edged bowl sitting on a scallop-edged plate.
more of those are on the other side of the window, nestled in glass bowls as shown below.

i also used some clear glass soda pop bottles to hold green & white flowers in the scene,
and filled a glass pedestal candy dish with green pompom 'mints' in the background.
 _______________________________________________
this certainly isn't rocket science, just a fun way to create decor using everyday items!
we all love looking at things in a new way and discovering new ways to use them...
why not turn your kids loose with some dishes or tupperware and craft supplies, 
and see what they come up with!

 find more of my fun 'FooFooFauxFood' ideas 
in these past HOMEWARDfound posts:

tiered cakes made from stacked dishes


tiered cakes made from stacked tins

3.22.2013

sometimes, i really take the cake....

today is my birthday!
what better day to share a birthday cake idea?!

the photos here show an original product that i developed back in 2007, called
foo-foo Faux Food TM

i sold this line in my booth at vintage shows and vintage stores,
and now i'm sharing the idea with you here at HOMEWARDfound
because it's a fun craft to make, 
an easy way to decorate 
and can be customized for a birthday or holiday...
my secret
these are made using recycled metal cans and tins 
and recycled chenille bedspreads.
yup... clean fruit cans, tuna cans, cookie tins, and cracker tins in various sizes. 

here's the how-to:

* wrap the tins in the fuzzy, textured chenille fabric in any color, and glue on
 cookie & cracker tins are used with lids covered separately (so they are still usable for storage)
tuna cans and small fruit cans are used upside down

* glue on fuzzy yarn trims (like this white 'caterpillar' yarn) to the edges and tops 
 (swirl it on cupcakes, for example)
* you can use the fringed edges of the bedspread on the sides of the cake
so that it looks like piped frosting

* add a few details on the tops and sides,
using pom poms, beads, rickrack, and other trims

* stack the assorted sizes of tins to create fanciful faux cakes!

* using red pom poms or round beads gives the look of cherry toppers

i bet you'll find a bunch of ways to use them!
please note that if you make these for sale, you can not use my product name
'foofoo Faux Food'. it is copyrighted & trademarked.

___________________________________________________

since it's the first day of a new year for me,
i'd just like to offer a little 'shout out' to some very lovely friends
who have made the past year something wonderful.

in the face of huge changes in my life, they have been a
remarkable support and encouragement to me professionally,
always challenging me to
 keep moving forward...
and i could not have done that without them.

Michael at Inspired by Charm
Janet at ReStitched USA
Sharon at Launch Your Creativity

__________________________________________