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Showing posts with label re-purposed. Show all posts
Showing posts with label re-purposed. Show all posts

2.05.2025

WINTER: Scrap Paper Hearts Wreath

winter,Valentine's Day,paper crafts,vintage paper,diy decorating,DIY,home decor,colorful home,trash to treasure,up-cycling,re-purposed,wreaths,wall art,tutorial,hometalk,crafting,scrap paper hearts wreath
In a bit of a coincidence, I was notified on Wednesday that one of my past project posts for Valentine's Day decor would be featured on Thursday in the HomeTalk daily email and on social media... and that project just happens to be the original version of the one in this post, which I scheduled for Friday! I bumped it to publish a *bit* earlier, so I could link this new version to the original post that the HomeTalk link will lead to.

I offer a warm welcome to all of you who are visiting from HomeTalk!

As my beloved regular readers know, I love 'making something out of nothing'. In other words, turning the contents of my trash + recycle bins into seasonal home decor accents. Making my own decor this way costs me nothing, is a fun exercise in creativity, and gives me no guilt at all when I disassemble and re-use elements from one project to another!

Let me show you how I turned scraps into Valentine's Day home decor ...

1.17.2025

WINTER: diy gumball machine lamp!

winter,lighting,re-purposed,up-cycling,just for fun,glass globes,thrifted,tutorial, gumball machine.
Sometimes, you have to do a project or make a thing just for fun.

Like when you've been deep cleaning your studio/office and feel buried in the mess. (Especially when you are 'stress cleaning', am I right??) Or when an item crosses your view and a thought comes to mind "What IF...." This happens to me a lot, actually. My ADHD + rampant imagination combine and my mind is overtaken by those ideas. I can't even sleep until I try them out!

This week I unearthed a gumball machine from behind a chair in a corner. I thought it was in bins in our Shasta trailer - but no, it was tucked away just waiting to surprise me! And when I picked it up and sat it on the credenza, it ended up next to some glass lamp globes that were headed to one of the cabinet spaces of the credenza. 

My brain started adding things together, and this project happened. 

I just never know what's going to happen from day to day around here, I swear... 

Continue reading to see how easy it is to turn a gumball machine into a lamp!

12.31.2024

2024 WRAPPED!

homeward found decor,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,home decor,seasonal,re-purposed,up-cycling,trash to treasure,published,tutorial,creativity,Sweet Sweater Originals, 2024 WRAPPED,debs favorite projects.
as the holiday season comes to a close
and we are poised on the brink of a new year,
i'm taking stock of 2024 with a quick look back
at stats for the blog and my social media accounts.

as part of that, i want to share my favorite projects from the past year...
let's call it 'homeward found WRAPPED' (like Spotify ;) 

continue reading to see my favorites from 2024...

12.27.2024

our 'CHOSEN' Christmas tree

Christmas,Christmas Decor,Christmas tree,Christmas Decor Themes,holiday,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,paper crafts,painting,re-purposed,up-cycling,trash to treasure,What Matters,the CHOSEN Christmas decor,the CHOSEN,.
Christmas Day is over...
and i hope you're kicking back in your pj's,
enjoying this delightful limbo
 between Christmas and New Year's Day.
(after all, who really knows what day it is?)

 as i indulge in as much laziness as i can muster,
i thought i'd share this year's Christmas tree decor - 
some elements i've had for years, others i made just for this theme.
it's.... different. not what most people would do.
(anyone out there surprised by this?!!)
the theme and elements fit into our tropically decorated home
and also speaks to our 'reason for the season'...

continue reading for more details...

10.24.2024

NEW! Faux Pumpkin Cake

pumpkins,beach towel pumpkins,fall,autumn,seasonal,DIY,diy decorating,tutorial,foofoo Faux Food,painting,re-purposed,up-cycling,thrifted,home decor,faux pumpkin cake,beach towel cake.
yes, Deb loves sweets - edible or not!
and since Halloween is all about the treats,
i just make my own calorie-free versions -
like faux caramel apple pumpkins and this faux pumpkin cake.

in trying to finish up my yearly 'pumpkin palooza' projects,
i had an idea for a pumpkin slathered with frosting to look like a cake,
but wasn't sure if i could make it look the way i wanted it to...

after searching online for images of 'pumpkin shaped cakes'
(click here to see what came up). 
i was scrolling Instagram and saw THIS:

but WAIT - that's not a cake. it's EMBROIDERED fabric!
artist Heather Rios is INSANELY talented at making fake look real.
she shares her astounding works of art on Insta at @heather_rios_arte

Heather's idea of showing the inside of the 'cake' 
impacted and changed my original plan -
and made me reach for a particular material in my stash
to approximate the texture she gets in her artwork.

continue reading to see how it all came together!

10.03.2024

NEW! Sweet Sweater Apples!

tutorial,fall,autumn,DIY,diy decorating,pumpkins,Sweet Sweater Originals,Sweet Sweater Apples,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Season,Sweet Sweater Succulents,re-purposed,thrifted,up-cycling, fall apple decor.
one thing always leads to another 'round here....

after i turned some old green sweet sweater succulents
into green sweet sweater pumpkins (see my last post)
i had some different sweater succulents left over.

i've not only turned them into something different,
but have come up with yet another sweater creation"
Sweet Sweater Apples!

continue reading for details and a quick tutorial...

9.26.2024

Make My Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins + Succulents!

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every autumn, i get a huge uptick in blog traffic
searching for my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin tutorial.

they're a fun bit of seasonal decor that i am proud of creating back in 2007,
they've been published in major shelter magazines a few times,
and i love that people want to make their own versions of my babies!

every year i make new versions of them, and create a new post
just to make it easier for the tutorial to be found.
and yes, this year, i have green pumpkins!
but i didn't make them this year... i RE-made them.
because they weren't originally pumpkins...

back in 2019, i created my Original Sweet Sweater Succulents,
using my 2007 Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin method...
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this year, i've made two simple changes to them
to turn them into pumpkins!

continue reading to see how easy this was...
and for links to both tutorials. 

9.19.2024

Ping Pong Paddle Pumpkins, Take 2!

pumpkins,painting,autumn,fall,DIY,diy decorating,tutorial,take 2,re-purposed,up-cycling,thrifted,ping pong paddle pumpkins.

yes, I'm still over here re-imagining alla' my pumpkins!
this time, i dug into some boxes and found a past project
that's been on my mind...


i originally made the ping pong paddle pumpkins in 2019
(i'm linking the original post & tutorial below)
and it just felt like time to find them 
and give them a fresh new look - in green!

continue reading to see how they looked before,
and how easily i changed them...
(because i bet you have something you could do this to!)

9.12.2024

'Shroomkins, Take 2!

seasonal,home decor,DIY,diy decorating,tutorial,inspired by nature,re-purposed,up-cycling,project makeovers,'shroomkins,green mushrooms.
how many times have you stared into a seasonal decor storage bin
and thought "This stuff just isn't ME anymore"?? it happens to all of us!
preferences and style change over time,
but that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune on new decor.

this year, i'm giving some of my existing fall decor elements
a new look that fits my current style - without spending any money.
i'm calling this approach 'Take 2'!

i first made these fun " 'shroomkins" back in 2022
by cutting styro pumpkins in half and adding stems made from pool noodles.
and of course, i painted them yellow back then:

seasonal,home decor,DIY,diy decorating,tutorial,inspired by nature,re-purposed,up-cycling,project makeovers,'shroomkins,green mushrooms.
then i used my photo editing program to show them in other hues:



now, two years later and in my 'green era' (Deb's Version ;) ) 
i wanted to give them a new look. enter 'Take 2'!

continue reading for details of the new version...

9.05.2024

Easy Yarn & Twine Pumpkins

autumn,pumpkins,seasonal,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,neutrals,re-purposed,up-cycling,crafting,dollar store crafts,twine and yarn pumpkins,homeward found decor,tutorial
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...

5.31.2024

easy upcycle: spice bottle bud vase

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one last post before i take a break for the month of june...
 this 'discovery' came one DAY after my last blog post,
which was all about using bottles as flower vases. 
(i'm consistently a day late to the party)

this project will be a perfect way to enjoy our roses all summer long!

continue reading for an easy-peasy upcycle diy...

5.24.2024

easy summer decor: all bottled up!

summer,DIY,diy decorating,trash to treasure,re-purposed,up-cycling,fast cheap and easy,beach style,coastal style,home decor,red white and blue,Fourth of July,vintage,vintage finds,vintage style,vintage soda bottle vases.
Memorial Day Weekend is here (in the States, anyway)
and that means it's time for the big 'summer kickoff'...

the project i'm sharing today is a re-do and throw-back
to some of my patriotic red, white and blue summer decor from the past
(i've linked that below this post)
but the new version fits my current 'green era' obsession.
 it's another 'throw it together in a minute' decor trick
that can be replicated in SO many ways on a table, mantel, bookshelf, and more. 

'summerizing' your living spaces is an easy way to embrace the season...
quick additions of simple elements will change the feel of your home!

continue reading to see a few of the ways i've used glass bottles...

5.17.2024

vintage bowl mushrooms!

spring,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,colorful home,re-purposed,thrifted,vintage,vintage style,farmhouse style,vintage bowl mushrooms,diy vintage bowl mushrooms,tutorial.

this project may not 'bowl you over' (geeze, i'm old)
but i hope it will inspire you to use things differently in your home decor.
in this case, i've gathered up some kitchen items
to create spring decor elements that work in many other places.

continue reading for the easy tutorial...

5.10.2024

paint a faux 'rusted' metal mailbox

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after sharing an epic paint fail (and a fix!) in my last post,
i thought i should share another paint project - one that went WELL!

decorating,vintage style,farmhouse style,thrifted,colorful home,diy decorating,up-cycling,spring,re-purposing,DIY,painting,vintage,tutorial,re-purposed,faux rusty metal paint finish,paint tricks,faux finish,faux rust paint effects.
inspired by this photo of a rusty green vintage metal mailbox on Instagram
(courtesy of  @thecollecteddesign on Instagram),
i grabbed a small vintage metal mailbox that i had found at a yard sale
and transformed it into a more beautiful mailbox - using paint.

yeah, i'm THAT kind of crazy, attempting this after a big mess!
but thing is - it worked. and it didn't just WORK, it worked out AMAZINGLY!

so, i'll share the steps i used to 'age' an already vintage mailbox -
including one of my 'top secret' (until now) faux finish tricks.

continue reading for all the details...

4.26.2024

terra cotta pot mushrooms

spring,garden art,garden style,re-purposed,up-cycling,DIY,diy decorating,outdoors,boho style,farmhouse style,garden,dollar store crafts,neutrals,tutorial,terra cotta pot crafts,terra cotta pot mushrooms,terra cotta pots.

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!

4.19.2024

vintage floral jewelry 'posie pots'

spring,DIY,diy decorating,crafting,re-purposed,up-cycling,inspired by nature,garden style,vintage style,vintage,terra cotta pots,decorating,thrifted,vintage finds,posie pots,spring flowers,spring home decor,spring decor,vintage floral enamel jewelry,tutorial
the old saying is 'April showers bring May flowers'...
but i'm ready for flowers NOW!

i call these 'posie pots', and the idea for them bloomed
when one of my memories met with a few images on Instagram - 
i'm sharing those sources in the post below, and a tutorial
so you can make your own spring decor or maybe a Mother's Day gift
 from vintage enamel floral pins!

continue reading for all of the details...

3.22.2024

create a living nest

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i thought this project up months ago and am so happy to finally share it!
this 'living nest' idea was spurred by a photo i saw online:
my thought was, why not take the 'living wreath' topiary
and turn it on its side?! would it resemble a nest?

so then i had to experiment a bit to see if that idea would work out in reality. 
continue reading to see how it did!

3.15.2024

easy-peasy twine nest

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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! 

3.01.2024

NEW! 'Sweet Sweater Nest' for Spring

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springtime is time for a NEW 'Sweet Sweater' Original creation!

 i've created various versions of nests over the years
from all different kinds of material (posts linked below) - 
this year, i hatched an idea for one made from sweater scraps!
(does that surprise anyone at all? i bet not!)

i love the more natural, rustic look that resulted from my new method,
and have created a tutorial to help you get the same results...

...continue reading for my 'Sweet Sweater Nest' tutorial

2.16.2024

moss-filled bookend | wall art

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how many times can Deb re-use something?!
it's okay if you ask that... i ask myself that question a lot!

i love re-using elements in my decor, making them look
as different as i can from season to season.
or, in this case, from color obsession to color obsession...

while i do still love yellow, i wanted a change of course this year
and am embracing all of the shades of green i can find in my projects.
while i was taking one project apart, another presented itself 
and it's so easy i just had to share it with you.

continue reading for an easy way to personalize your decor!