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Showing posts with label tomato cage crafts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tomato cage crafts. Show all posts

11.29.2024

holiday 2024: funky fabric Christmas tree!

Christmas,Christmas tree,ornaments,decorating,thrifted,colorful home,holiday,Christmas Decor,diy decorating,up-cycling,trash to treasure,re-purposing,painting,DIY,tutorial,tomato cage crafts,decorating.
while most of my holiday decorating this year
involves re-using a lot of elements i already have
along with a few new things i am making,
there ARE new store-bought things in the mix...

and one of them inspired a whimsical tree:
Christmas,Christmas tree,ornaments,decorating,thrifted,colorful home,holiday,Christmas Decor,diy decorating,up-cycling,trash to treasure,re-purposing,painting,DIY,tutorial,tomato cage crafts,decorating.
i picked up a few small flocked trees at Target for $3 each.
as they sat in my studio waiting for me to use them, 
i looked at that bright chartreuse green tree - and had a brainstorm.

i have a fuzzy chartreuse green microfiber blanket.
i have a few wire tomato cages. i put those two together.
and the result is a very... SEUSSICAL... tree.
which perfectly fits my 2024 theme,
O Christmas Tree 

continue reading and see what craziness i pulled off!

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)

11.08.2022

diy tomato cage cornucopia

fall,Thanksgiving,pumpkins,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,seasonal,re-purposed,crafting,tomato cage crafts,up-cycling,wreaths,centerpieces,home decor,Thanksgiving decor,Thanksgiving cornucopia,cornucopia,farmhouse style,November decor,tutorial
one of the enduring traditions of Thanksgiving is the familiar image of a cornucopia.
also known as the 'horn of plenty', this cone-shaped basket (originally an animal's horn)
laden with an abundance of harvested food in fall
reminds us of the many ways we are provided for on this earth.

i had an element on hand that i knew would be perfect
for transforming into a cornucopia for our Thanksgiving decor,
and boy does it make an impact!

continue reading for my not-so-easy diy tutorial and detailed photos...

5.19.2022

wire lampshade mobile

art,re-purposing,up-cycling,trash to treasure,salvaged,tomato cage crafts,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,colorful home,color,spring,seasonal,kinetic sculpture,mobile,ceiling mobile,wire lampshades,wire domes,wire mobile.
you've all read my statements that 'i see things differently'
and 'i never really use things the way they were intended to be used!', right?
i'm very into 'use what you have' decorating & crafting using 'everyday' elements.

one day in 2020 when i was bored outta' my skull here at home,
i looked at a stack of wire lampshades and wire domes in the corner of my studio,
 and just played around to see what i could DO with them.
they ended up as a giant kinetic sculpture / mobile hanging from my studio ceiling.
and i shared that version here on the blog.

since then, i've changed it up a bit, and added a new element that makes me smile.
wanna' see?

...continue reading for wire lampshade mobile part 2!

10.04.2020

fall harvest scarecrow

fall, fall decorating, fall home decor, scarecrows, pumpkins, pumpkin decor, Halloween decor, decorating with pumpkins, farmhouse decor, rustic decor, garden scarecrow, diy, diy home decor, diy projects, thrifted, faux pumpkins, Funkins, repurposing, upcycling, wire tomato cage crafts, in the garden. on the front porch, front porch fall decor, rusty metal, pumpkin head scarecrow.
an unexpected find of a two dollar faux 'Funkin' pumpkin at a local thrift shop
was the impetus for this quick, easy fall decor project... perfect indoors or out!

(and no, i wasn't shopping. or, rather, i didn't PLAN to be shopping! i went to the thrift store to drop off three bags of used books.
but the door was open... and i was weak... and so.... i came home with a pumpkin. and three MORE bags of books. but i digress...)

that lightweight foam pumpkin became the head of this cute fall scarecrow.
made with items already on hand - including grass trimmings from our yard -
he came together really fast.

continue reading to see what's holding him up!

7.14.2020

diy galvanized birdbath

DIY, diy decorating, farmhouse, farmhouse style, garden, garden art, industrial, junk makeover, outdoors, re-purposing, rustic style, salvaged, summer, tomato cage crafts, up-cycling, trash to treasure, galvanized metal, birdbath
while songbirds love to come and splash in our backyard salvaged galvanized bucket fountain,
i noticed that the tiny wrens and hummingbirds who visit us don't go near it.
perhaps the bubbling water frightens them, or the buckets are too deep for their use...
it seemed to me that a birdbath was called for.

i went looking around the yard and garage to see what we had that i could use to build one,
and found two items that combined perfectly for this project.

continue reading to see how to make a simple and easy birdbath for your garden!

7.06.2020

repurposed wire lampshade mobile

art, boho style, boho, color, crafting, creative spaces, DIY, diy decorating, found objects, just for fun, junk makeover, re-purposing, tomato cage crafts, trash to treasure, up-cycling, birdcage crafts, lampshades, wire crafts, colorful ribbon crafts
wire has made an appearance in my projects on this blog many times,
from the various ways i have used wire tomato cages and wire lampshade frames,
to the simple crowns, cages, and domes i have fashioned from this inexpensive material.

earlier this summer, i grabbed some wire items that i've created in the past,
and combined them with wire lampshade frames and a few new finds
to create a whimsical wire mobile in my studio.

i love how it adds movement and color to the room
and because it's overhead, it takes up no space at all!

continue reading for the incredibly simple way it is suspended...

3.31.2020

upcycled wine bottle plant markers

DIY, garden, outdoors, re-purposing, seasonal, spring, summer, tomato cage crafts, up-cycling, trash to treasure, garden art, victory garden, spring garden, plant markers, wine bottle crafts
i finished planting our backyard 'Victory Garden' on Sunday afternoon.
then realized i wanted some plant markers...
after half an hour of poking around in the garage workbench and shelves,
to find something interesting to make about a dozen markers out of,
i came up empty handed.

the muses, they are kind, though!
as i walked back into the house, my Mom was standing at our wine bar popping a cork
and held up the bottle as she asked 'is it time for wine?'...
and little bells started ringing in my head.

why not use wine bottles to make plant markers? WINE not, indeed!!!

continue reading to see how ridiculously easy this is - and how fun they look!

5.28.2018

create a garden scarecrow using what?!

tutorial, garden, outdoors, backyard, upcycled, thrifted, tomato cage, garden art, junking, junk makeover, summer projects, wire mannequin
we finally had nice sunny weather this past weekend,
and i enjoyed working out in the backyard garden on a project that i've had in mind for months.
i am excited to finally share this easy tutorial with you! 

continue reading to see what i was working on... and how you can make one of your own!

1.22.2018

Mannequin Shenanigans!

 i'd like to tell you all a little story...

i posted a gorgeous photo on my Instagram two weeks ago,
one that i saw online and saved and EGREGIOUSLY did not save the source from
(if you know it, tell me and i'll add it here and on IG).
that photo was a gorgeous shot of vintage mannequins:
i know. i drooled, too.

i covet these, i'll admit it. i've spent my life in the visual merchandising field
and i have whispered sweet nothings to forms like this for decades.
(no, they have never come to life like Emmy in the film 'Mannequin' ;) ) 

i've just never been able to afford one. so instead, i made my own 'version' of one:
you can make one, too, with my tutorial: diy mannequin made from a tee shirt 

however, that didn't really 'do it' for me, but i had other things to take care of.

fast-forward to two weeks ago, and the posting of the image, and then...
two days later, i was on facebook and happened to see something in the sidebar:

a marketplace ad listing for a mannequin. in my neighborhood. for thirty dollars!!!

i gulped, clicked the image, and contacted the seller.
"yes it's still available" - even though the ad is four days old.
when can i come pick it up? how about first thing in the morning?! (it was 11 PM)
and that's exactly what happened... i drove five minutes from my house
and picked it up the next morning.
and she is gorgeous! 
she's not vintage, but i added something to her to make her look a little bit vintage... 

continue reading to see what i did!

11.25.2017

oh, Christmas tree!

 my friends, I just don't 'do' Black Friday.
that one horrifying trip to the mall for a Cabbage Patch Doll back in the early 80's was enough.
I was an 19 year old new mommy and was seriously traumatized by it all.
.
ever since, I've spent the day after Thanksgiving 
happily hiding from the world and decorating my house for Christmas...
and then that turned into decorating other people's homes and businesses.
in the course of decorating all those trees
(about 25 trees each year, give or take - that's a lotta' tree decorating!)
I've learned some helpful tips and come up with some ideas:

i also turned a really cheap material into fun 'tomato cage' Christmas trees!

this year, I've been making some trees
 'found' materials have been a big part of that process...
 last year, I created and shared a 'vintage lace Christmas tree' on a tomato cage
this year, I shrunk the idea down to size!

recently I found some funky old bristle brushes in a thrift shop, 
and of course I don't SEE them as that - I saw TREES!
they turned out exactly as I envisioned them, and I really like 'em!
I mean, REALLY like them. I am torn about selling them.... 

I've shared a lot of Christmas tree decor themes over the years,
and I hope they continue to inspire you!

The tree is up and fluffed and lit in our living room, but I have NO IDEA
what the theme will be this year... we'll see what I come up with
as soon as I get alllllll those decor boxes out of the garage and into the house!
(The only tip I have for that is 'get help!')

to all who are visiting from the Funky Junk Interiors DIY Salvage Junk link party, welcome!

12.13.2016

Vintage Lace Christmas Tree

 Sometimes, projects just come up out of nowhere... that was the story with THIS one.
Not in the plan. Not on the schedule.
But the Muse called, as I was rifling through a bin of linens
and tossing them on the chair next to me.
When I reached over to pick them up and put them back in the bin,
lo and behold: the pile of linens looked like a Christmas tree!

I stared at it, thinking about how I could present it here on the blog.
I can get away with some pretty crazy ideas, 
but presenting a pile of linens - basically, a pile of laundry - as home decor
might cause you to run screaming from my pages!

After a few minutes, it dawned on me that I have the PERFECT armature for a tree.
I use them all the time, and there was one in the garage not being used:
A wire tomato cage!
In about ten minutes, I had the thing done...

continue reading for my 'Fast, Cheap, & Easy'TM tutorial!

11.27.2015

Holiday & Christmas Decor Inspiration

Over the past 40 years,
I have had the great blessing of creating beautiful Christmas decor
for many residences and businesses...
for Four Seasons Hotel & Microsoft executive homes,
for many small businesses like Molbak's Home+Garden store 
for big huge famous businesses like Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia wineries,
and the Disneyland Resort. 

Now I share my tips, tricks, and ideas here on homewardFOUND decor!
You'll find loads of Holiday inspiration here...

continue reading...

12.17.2014

Black & White & Winter All Over!

It's finally beginning to look a bit like Christmas around HOMEWARDfound central!
I've been so busy working that I didn't even remove the fall pumpkins from my office until SUNDAY.
Yes, you read that right.
I debated even decorating at ALL, but the urge got the best of me and I went for it - 
although in a different way than I usually do.

This year, I decided to focus on decorating for the winter season
rather than just for Christmas...

I don't have tons of bins of Holiday decor anymore, just a few with special items,
so I selected some things from there
and then added in everyday 'stuff' that helped me create a color scheme.
I went for a crisp black, white, and silver look:
.
The shelves on the wall in the office are rather triangular,
so when filled they remind me of a tree shape.

Along with my growing black & white coffee mug collection,
I used sparkly paper bags from the dollar store, two of my Original Sweet Sweater Snowmen,
a glass nativity scene, white tissue snowflakes, sparkly glittery metal branches, a lace mask,
and the rare white candy canes that I have been hauling around since 2009
(and OH are they STALE!)

Here are a few of the other elements I used:
 I do still collect white Santa china & ironstone mugs...
I wash all of the red paint off of them, though, so they fit my pale neutral color scheme!
This year, I found these tiny little tophat ornaments at Dollar Tree,
and they sit perfectly on top of the smallest size mugs!
 You've seen this truck before... it has a place of honor every season, 
because it reminds me of my Grandpa Ward's truck.
And the castle ornament.... well, I don't really need to explain that one, do I? ;)

Across the room, a breakfront/dresser is a large display space,
and I have been putting the tree here each year...
This year, I decided to create a DIFFERENT kind of tree...
 and used my wire tomato cage dome instead!
I could have used a plain ol' wire tomato cage tree,
but I was lazy and in a hurry and so I used what was already in the room.

 I placed the dome on a platter on top of a china pedestal bowl to raise it up,
and my special vintage ornaments in silver hang delicately from the wire crosspieces.
A birdsnest that I made cradles a broken ornament at the base of the dome,
and a mini-sized tophat that I bought at Disneyland serves as a jaunty dome topper.

 White china & ironstone holds more ornaments across the vignette,
and some black accents really POP against the white... especially that Chanel box :)
 Last Christmas, when I was having a blast with my kids and grandkids in Seattle,
I bought the white ceramic Space Needle salt & pepper shakers.
(They were the least cheesy souvenirs I could find down at Pier 39!)

Then this year, I found the white ceramic Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.
(I love the way the snowflakes show up behind it in the flocked black shadow box frame here...
they remind me of the Disneyland fireworks!)

As I worked, I realized that I have a growing collection here - figures of the places I love best!
Now my plan is to find a ceramic figure of the Alamo in San Antonio
(even if it's not white, I can paint it white)
and then some other places that are really special to me.
I can use them in my decor all year long, instead of just at Christmas!

 Just a few more detail shots of little decor touches...
I don't have the light strands for the clear bubble lights anymore,
so I just piled them into an enamel pail. They still make me smile!

Another handmade nest found a home in an ironstone chamber pot,
hung by its handle on an old wood gate section.

...and my vintage wire shopping cart corrals all of my gift wrap supplies!

SO, even though I waited a REALLY long time to get my decorating mojo on,
it was worth the wait.
Mostly because I don't have to take it all down in two weeks!!!

LINKED UP:
Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

11.08.2014

Garden Planter = Wire Dome

bring the beauty of nature indoors with
a dome made from a wire garden planter!

It's perfect for every season...
* over a nest with leaves tucked into it, resting on a wood round for autumn.
* over a branch of evergreen with some vintage ornaments or pine cones for winter.
* over a nest with wood or stone eggs and tiny daffodils for spring.
* over a white ironstone plate filled with shells from the seashore in summer.

 You aren't going to believe how easy this ONE STEP PROJECT is!
 Start with a simple wire garden planter from the home center:
Disconnect the hanging wires. Turn the planter upside down,
 ... and voila, you have a wire dome!

You can also cut a short length of the hanging wire
and then attach it as a loop at the top of the planter as a handle, as I've done here.

The planters will come as new, shiny metal from the home center -
but if you look for them at garage sales and thrift shops, 
you just might find some nicely rusted ones like these!

You can also make a wire dome from a tomato cage too!

Way back in 2008, I sold these in my booth at Faded Elegance Antiques in Everett, Washington -
and I kept having to make them because they sold so fast!

Fun Fact:
This photo is of my very first 'vintage' booth,
a little space that was a mere 2 feet deep and 8 feet wide in the back of the store.
It was the first stop of many wonderful years as a vendor in the vintage world.
This is where 'Retreat' started, 
and you can see how my former business reflected my love of nature 
and of using everyday items as decorative elements -
just as I do here at homewardFOUND decor.

shared online:

cupcakes & crinoline | Project Inspire{d}


funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #420

10.15.2014

Vanilla... Nice, Nice, Baby

I guess it's not hard to see where my inspiration came from for this decor scheme....
smile.

My autumn color palette always - ALWAYS - includes tones of vanilla.
From pale cream to warm ivory, I love this color.
Mixed with soft brown-sugar tans and golden caramel hues,
 it's warm and inviting and comforting....
and craving-inducing
(especially when I am burning a vanilla scented candle, which is every day!)

My last post showed you the wall o' shelves in my office/studio,
decorated for Autumn in my fave hues.
Today, let's look across the room at the breakfront/sideboard/dresser area:
(Let me give you your bearings, because this image can be confusing...
There is a wall behind the dresser-top display, 
with two mirrors and my inspiration board hanging on the wall.
That's why you see the wall o' shelves on the left and another dresser on the right - reflections)
My inspiration board is long and narrow, to fit in the space between the mirrors.
Every season, I swap out the photos and quotes pinned to it.

Oh, and the 'bulletin board' itself?
Cardboard boxes, laid flat, sized to fit the space, covered in gift wrap, and nailed to the wall.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEasy.
 On the dresser/sideboard top, I mix and match and add stuff every season
to create an inspiring and pleasing vignette.

This season, I used wood and galvanized metal for depth,
with my ubiquitous white dinnerware to lighten it all up.
(dishes are not just for serving food, you know!
Add in creamy tones in bleached leaves and my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,
and then the final details:
 A perfect cashmere pumpkin sits under a handmade wire dome / 'cagelet',
displayed on a cool white ceramic pedestal bowl with a plate on top.
 I made this wire folly YEARS ago (inspired by Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy!)
and I love changing it up every season.

I know, I know...
every time I share photos of this, I get messages and comments about making a tutorial...
truthfully, I haven't had the patience to break it down into the 20 steps it will take.
Not sure anyone would hang around to even READ a 20-step tutorial!!!!
 I tuck little sentimental details into my display here because I can see them when I am writing...
those two ceramic tiles were made my by creative daughter Brianna in her high school art class.
One is sunshine, one is rain... they sum up life for me,
and remind me every day of a sweet little redheaded girl who has always loved art.
I'm talking about Anni - but that applies to ME, too! ;)

One last area in my office is the dresser to the right of my long desk...
the dresser belonged to my Grandpa Ward, and I treasure it.
On top of the dresser, a classic alabaster lamp (found for TEN BUCKS at Goodwill!)
casts a warm light onto another gathering of creamy vanilla decor...
wood yardsticks, old papers and neutral gift wrap are stored in a miniature milk can,
and more Sweet Sweater Pumpkins are displayed,
one topped by two crowns under a wire dome - made from a tomato cage!
( and THIS one I DID create a tutorial for right here )
 I still have a bunch of bleached leaves and sweater pumpkins that I didn't use in the vignettes,
so I filled up two canvas totes and plopped them into my vintage wire shopping cart by the door.
 I think they just look like two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream!
.
My no-sew Sweet Sweater Pumpkin Tutorial is available FREE here.
Find my Bleached Leaf Tutorial here.