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Showing posts with label thrifted. Show all posts
Showing posts with label thrifted. Show all posts

1.26.2024

plant a faux 'moss' heart

winter,wreaths,wall art,garden art,garden style,tutorial,Valentine's Day,spring,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,inspired by nature,re-purposed,up-cycling,thrifted,moss,moss wreath,moss wall art,yarn crafts,crafting with yarn,painting.
this wood heart-shaped planting box is the perfect way
for me to incorporate nature-inspired elements in my winter decor. 

even though i'm not focused on creating for a specific 'holiday' now,
you've seen this element on the blog previously
as three different versions of wreaths perfect for February.
(previous posts linked below)

moss is a hot home decor trend this winter
and is showing up in many spring decor collections online...
from sculptures and floral designs to very large framed art pieces made of moss.
while i initially thought of using real moss for this project,
i found that one of my favorite 'faux' materials worked much easier
and with a lot less mess!

continue reading to see more details and my big 'secret' for moss...

12.15.2023

terra cotta Christmas: a simply natural table

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i'm gonna' be honest, i got stuck on this one.
just how do you incorporate terra cotta pots into a tablescape?

keep it simple.

as always, i used what i had on hand,
combined some varied colors and textures and elements,
and didn't try to do anything that YOU can't do in your home, too.

continue reading for a few easy ideas...

12.08.2023

terra cotta Christmas: 2 nativity scenes

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when i was thinking about ideas for a terra cotta pot nativity,
i looked online - and every rendition i saw was 'cute'. and painted.
not what i wanted, which is good -
it means what i've created is different than what other people have done!
(always my goal)

i wanted the same kind of simple, modern/contemporary style i've done before
that would coordinate with the other terra cotta decor elements i've made this year.

then i grabbed a traditional nativity scene
and shzooshed it up a bit with paint ;) 

continue reading to see how easy it is to transform something
into something ELSE ...

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!

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...

10.10.2023

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!

9.12.2023

repurposed crochet hat pumpkin

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i'm a hat girl. always have been. i love wearing them
and have a pretty big collection of hats for every season.
i have thick straight hair and on the many days when it won't cooperate,
i just pop a ballcap or sunhat or cloche on my head and fuhgeddaboutit.

the only hats i don't like on my head are beanies. my forehead's too big.
but when i found THIS beanie, i fell in love with it and had to buy it...
because the moment i saw it, i KNEW it had to become a pumpkin!
here i am using things in ways they weren't intended to be used again LOL

continue reading for my tutorial (which is much like my sweet sweater pumpkin tute)...

8.22.2023

TROPI-fall woven palm leaf pumpkins

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this project is a bit different than my usual...
i'm not making something from scratch or giving a total makeover. 
this time, i'm simply adding one new detail to an existing item
and making it MUCH better than i found it!

i was at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore looking for something else
when i came across a pile of fake fruit on a shelf...

...continue reading to see what these looked like when i found them
and what i did to them!

6.21.2023

display seashells in a gumball machine!

summer,beach style,coastal style,seashells,painting,DIY,diy decorating,colorful home,decorating,re-purposing,up-cycling,thrifted,beach souvenirs,seashell collections,seashell displays, gumball machine.
if you're a beach lover like me,
collecting & displaying seashells is a top summertime activity!

i've share many ideas before (linked below this post)
and now i have a different way to show off your shells
by using an unconventional container...

...continue reading for this easy paint & display project!

5.26.2023

fave past summer decor projects

summer,outdoors,beach style,decorating,diy decorating,DIY,seasonal,seashells,Sweet Sweater Sandbabies,thrifted,re-purposed,up-cycling,summer decorating, summer home decor,taj ma tent,boho style.
summertime is finally here, 
so let's start the new season with some easy decorating ideas!

i've enjoyed refreshing my homes every season over the years...
 some of those projects have been successful in more than one home
as i re-create them in new versions + colorways...
from bright primary hues when my kids were young,
to a restorative neutral palette with beachy style in an 'empty nest',
to my current enjoyment of bright happy yellow & white
(and the tropical / tiki decor in greens & oranges that you don't see on the blog),
my decor choices always reflect how i want to feel at home.

over the past ten years of blogging here at homeward found decor,
i've shared hundreds of my original diy home decor projects
in 765 published posts since i launched this blog in August 2012.

if you've been reading my blog for the past decade, THANK YOU FRIENDS!
if you're a newer visitor, i hope you enjoy discovering some of my past creations
as i share a look back... 

continue reading for some of my FAVE past summer decor projects!

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!

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 ;) 

12.06.2022

diy gingerbread men + village wreath

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true to form, i've re-used one project in the creation of another!
you'll recognize these ceramic village houses and trees from my last post,
where i shared my 'gingerbread' makeover - with paint!
i love seeing how many ways i can use something,
and how i can expand a seasonal theme to encompass many different projects.

continue reading to learn some secrets about this one!

11.29.2022

it takes a (gingerbread) village

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how many of you have dreamed of making REAL gingerbread houses...
and then tried it? UGH! it's an exercise in futility, in my opinion!
(i'm a pretty good baker...
it's just getting them to stay together and upright that stumps me!)

i've found a totally 'deb' solution to that dilemma: 
just PAINT some ceramic houses to LOOK like gingerbread!

i took some little ceramic houses that i've had for a few years now
and gave them a simple makeover with brown and white paint
and now i have a darling 'gingerbread' village on my mantel
that matches the big 'gingerbread' dollhouse shared in my last post.

continue reading for details (and a peek BACK at how i used them before!)

11.22.2022

a 'gingerbread holiday' dollhouse

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because i squeezed in my last Thanksgiving post on Friday of last week,
it's finally time to share holiday decor!

 this first project was inspired by some halloween decor that i saw online
and you probably saw it, too...
dollhouses painted as decrepit old haunted houses.

i saw so many amazingly creative 'takes' on that idea on social media,
and decided then to create a gingerbread dollhouse for Christmas.
and that idea launched an entire theme:

welcome to my 'Gingerbread Holiday'!

once again, i'm making use of elements i have on hand already
along with a few CHEAP additions from thrift & discount stores
to create a whole new holiday decor theme to enjoy.

continue reading to see the before shot and all the details...

8.15.2022

Deb's top three pumpkin tutorials

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it's still summertime,
but i know many of you are looking for diy ideas for your fall decor, so....
here are my three top pumpkin tutorials:

Sweet Sweater Pumpkins
Faux Concrete Painted Pumpkins
Glass Globe Pumpkins

continue reading for links to these budget-friendly tutorials - and more!

6.23.2022

county fair centerpiece

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when planning for our recent campout with our Lemon Drop Divas group,
i knew i would incorporate the 'county fair' theme in our trailer decor
along with lemons and yellow - it's a thing with us ;) 

so i did what i always do - looked around my studio
and house and garage and backyard
to see what i already had that i could incorporate into the decor.
it wasn't hard to find useful items,
especially considering that i have an entire studio filled with yellow stuff i've made!

continue reading to see how it all came together...

6.16.2022

easy-peasy county fair bunting

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it's not a party without some fun decor,
and this easy-peasy bunting project is perfect for summer fun!

whether you're hosting a backyard bbq, a block party, or a birthday party,
making cute pennant bunting banners doesn't have to be hard.
i hate hard. i love easy.
so i'm always trying to find the easy way to decorate!

i recently made these bunting banners and they came together really quickly -
without sewing!

continue reading, and i'll show you how...