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Showing posts with label tropical style. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tropical style. Show all posts

9.26.2023

fall glamping with Miss Dot!

pumpkins,beach style,fall,DIY,Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,glamping,vintage style,tropical style,colorful home,diy decorating,decorating Miss Dot,coastal style,yellow and mint green,yellow pumpkins,glamping decor for fall.
i'm at a vintage trailer rally at the beach this week,
so i thought i'd share photos of the 'glamping' decor that i created
for Miss Dot at a past rally (2021)...

you've seen a tropical decor theme (from 2022) in a recent post,
now here's a look at how switching out decor elements and a new color addition
creates a whole new vibe - this one's beachy!
(the rally is held in Newport Beach, CA and always has a 'surf' theme)

planning the decor theme for each glamping excursion
reminds me so much of how i played in my grandpa's Shasta trailer as a kid,
spending hours in their backyard decorating and dreaming...

continue reading to see how my yellow obsession extended to our Shasta trailer...

8.29.2023

NEW: beach towel pumpkins!

fall,summer,tropical style,vintage style,coastal style,pumpkins,beach towel pumpkins,DIY,diy decorating,re-purposed,up-cycling,beach style,colorful home,decorating,crafting,original designs,pumpkin decorating,fabric pumpkins,tutorial.
as August comes to a close in the weirdest way possible
(a hurricane in Southern California? AND an earthquake? okay....)
i am still stretching 'summer' to the very last moment
with this new original pumpkin design...
dare i say 'it's time for beach blanket bingo'??!!

i've noodled the idea of creating pumpkins using colorful beach towels for awhile... 
first i tried to make them the same way i do my famous sweater pumpkins
but towels just don't *squish* like sweaters do - even thin ones.
 i tried a kind of 'gathered' approach - nope. still too bulky.

then one day i was scrolling Instagram,
and right there in front of me was a fantastical, incredible, creative,
 ORIGINAL and colorful new form of art that just blew my mind -
AND solved my pumpkin problem!

continue reading to see what i saw, and how i translated that into pumpkins!

8.22.2023

TROPI-fall woven palm leaf pumpkins

fall,pumpkins,tropical style,boho style,farmhouse style,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,paper crafts,paper,thrifted,simple solutions,palm leaf pumpkins,paper bag pumpkin stems,tropi-fall decor,coastal style,tutorial.
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!

8.15.2023

easy raffia-wrapped TROPI-fall pumpkins

fall,pumpkins,tropical style,beach style,boho style,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,home decor,re-purposed,up-cycling,dollar store crafts,crafting,tutorial,pumpkins decorating,fall pumpkins,diy pumpkins,raffia pumpkins,dollar tree raffia hula skirt. 
yes, i'm creating a few new 'tropical' style pumpkins this month!
these work together with my previous creations -
and since the summer heat is still in full force right now,
it's the ONLY way i can succumb to the siren call of autumn.

the pumpkins up above are SO easy to make,
(i think they'd look just as cute nestled into galvanized buckets
for some fall farmhouse style vibes!)
and just wait until you see what they're made of!

continue reading to find out my secret... 

8.08.2023

TROPI-fall decor in our Shasta trailer!

fall,tropical style,pumpkins,outdoors,decorating,glamping,beach style,tiki style,Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,glamping decor,tropical camping decor,tropical glamping,Shasta trailer decor.
before i start sharing NEW pumpkin & fall decor ideas,
i wanted to time-travel back to last September and show you
my 'TROPI-fall' pumpkins in a different kind of setting!

though i don't share many photos of our home here on the blog,
all of our rooms and decor have a tropical vibe.
since we are unable to travel to Hawai'i now, we 'live Aloha' here at home.

as summer wanes and autumn approaches, 
i bridge the seasons with pumpkins that i create in beachy, tropical styles...
faux painted bamboo and sand, coconut tiki mugs with stems, and more.

so would it surprise you to learn that i ALSO use tropical decor
in our Shasta camping trailer, Miss Dot?!!!


i 'shop the house' for decor elements that fit the season or theme
of the campout we're going to
(we are members of three different trailer groups),
put them into a storage bin, load it up, and then
have as much fun decorating Miss Dot as i do decorating our home...

continue reading to see how Miss Dot looks with TROPI-fall decor!

7.19.2023

tropical tiki transformation

beach style,coastal style,colorful home,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,on the porch,outdoors,summer,tiki style,tropical style,wreaths,painting,re-purposing,up-cycling, painted plastic tiki mask,outdoor tiki decor,outdoor decor.
our backyard in Southern California underwent a transformation back in 2020....
when the pandemic shutdown happened and we had to cancel our trip to Kauai, Hawaii,
we decided to bring Hawaii to us!
i shared some of those backyard diy projects here on the blog back then
(the bamboo tiki bar, the tiki totem pole, and others - all linked below this post).

the project i'm sharing today wasn't a planned one - 
i saw something in a store and thought 'hmnn. that COULD look really good if i....'
and so i bought the item, brought it home, and worked some magic on it with paint.

it couldn't have been easier to transform a really cheap looking tiki mask
into something with much more of our own tropical style.

continue reading to see how it started... and how it's going now!

7.12.2023

tropical front porch decor

summer,tropical style,coastal style,beach style,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,colorful home,wreaths,tiki style,outdoors,outdoor decor,summer front porch decor,tropical decor,tropical wreath,tiki culture,tiki mask,tiki decor.
i always tell people 'i see things differently'... 
that means i use elements & materials in ways they weren't intended to be used.
and i RE-use things i've created before in new ways.

this tropical look on our front porch is a perfect example!

in past posts, i've shared how i raided the garden shed for fall porch decor,
using items meant for the garden to decorate with. 
here i've used paper & bamboo party decorations...
continue reading to see what i used 'differently' to get this summer vibe...

10.25.2022

happy MAHALOween!

i read that term - happy MAHALOween - on a tiki bar's website.
when this fun phrase gave me a way to incorporate my love of
tropicana decor and tiki culture into October celebrations, i was IN!

(truth is, i'm not really into Halloween anymore - fall, yes. pumpkins, YES!
the 'scary horror bloody zombie creepy clowns and witches' kinda' decor? nah.)

since i have NO intention of dressing up in costume, 
 i simply decided to give a pumpkin a costume. with a tiki mask!

continue reading for the details and an easy paint tutorial...

10.18.2022

coco fiber planter liner pumpkins

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i spied this item one day at Lowes - do you know what it is?
in my endless search for things i can turn into tropical decor for our home,
i'm always looking at textures and colors that work - on the cheap - 
and this looked for all the world like a giant coconut to me!

turning it into a pumpkin was easy-peasy - 
so much so that creating the tutorial for this post took me MUCH longer
than actually MAKING the pumpkin!

have you figured out what i used yet??
continue reading to see the answer... plus a few variations!

10.11.2022

coconut tiki mug pumpkins!

fall,pumpkins,re-purposed,up-cycling,tropical style,DIY,diy decorating,tiki style,home decor,coconut pumpkins,coconut tiki mug pumpkins,tropical pumpkins, tiki style pumpkins,use what you have decorating,tutorial.

i was cleaning our indoor tiki bar the other day,
and as i moved some of the tiki mug collection off of a shelf to dust it,
i sat the two ceramic coconut mugs upside down on the bar top.
my hand stopped in mid-air as i looked at what i had done
and an idea came to mind...

 yes, i turn a LOT of different things into pumpkins!
first it was plates. now it's mugs. 
and it's so easy it's not even funny!

continue reading to see the details...

10.04.2022

let's make plate pumpkins!

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this project was hatched when i started to throw something away...
and then thought twice about it!

my 'thing' is to embrace the 'trash to treasure' approach
to life, decorating, crafting, etc -
using up stuff from the recycle bin and the waste basket,
stuff like junk mail and empty containers. and sometimes, even bonafide trash. 

why? because it's cheaper, it's easily accessible, it's good for the planet
AND it makes me stretch my creative muscles to use what i have.

that said, you don't HAVE to use 'trashed' plates for this project.
there are many possibilities and permutations - any kind of plate would work!
(check out the ones i made using ceramic plates the end of this post)

continue reading to see them all...

3.31.2022

daffodil sun catchers

spring,flowers,garden art, garden style,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,seasonal,re-purposing,up-cycling,boho style,tropical style,tutorial,sun catchers,spring florals,spring floral sun catchers.
daffodils are my very favorite flower...

i have loved them since i was a little Debby,
and saw the happy, silly, bobbing heads in Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland' - 
'Daffy O'Dill' made me laugh!
later in life, William Wordsworth's poem about dancing daffodils enchanted me,
and when i first saw hundreds of acres of daffodil fields in Washington's Skagit Valley,
my eyes filled with tears at the beautiful sight.
i used to visit those fields every March when i lived nearby.
now i take any chance i can to find other ways to enjoy daffies in spring - 
even if i have to make it myself!

this simple craft project combines the sparkle of light via crystals with silk flowers,
and is a lovely way to add some spring fresh style to any room.

continue reading for my easy tutorial... 

7.30.2021

painted pineapple planters

beach style,coastal style,tropical style,painting,summer,DIY,diy decorating,colorful home,decorating,dollar store crafts,tiki style,, summer home decor, tropical home decor, beach home decor, summer home decor, summer decorating, planters, succulents, pineapple crafts, 99 cents only stores.
i'm in a tropical state of mind, if you can't tell...
since i can't visit the island this year, i'm creating a tropical vibe here at home!

when i ran across an item at the 99 Cents Only store recently,
i immediately saw how i could easily transform it into a tropical decor accent...

continue reading for the easy how-to!

7.27.2021

yarn + twine pineapples

summer,tropical style,coastal style,beach style,tutorial,Sweet Sweater Pineapples,Sweet Sweater Originals,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,crafting,crafting with kids,sweaters,re-purposing,up-cycling,sweater crafts,summer crafts, summer decor,tropical decor,pineapple decor.
as i was making my new Sweet Sweater Pineapples
(shared in my last post - link below)
i came up with a few more ideas for easy-peasy pineapple crafts...
like, SO easy. kids can do this easy. no adhesive easy.

continue reading for the two-step tutorial -
PLUS another way to make a 'sweater' pineapple!

7.23.2021

new! Sweet Sweater Pineapples!

Sweet Sweater Originals, Sweet Sweater Pineapples,sweaters,thrifted,summer,re-purposing,up-cycling,crafting,tropical style,colorful home,coastal style,beach style,summer home decor,coastal home decor,beach home decor,tiki culture,tiki style home decor,tropical home decor,sweater crafts, sweater pumpkin tutorial,tutorial
sweaters? in SUMMER?
over the past 14 years, i've come up with all kinds of ideas using sweaters as crafting material,
and created nearly a dozen different 'Sweet Sweater' Originals...
a few of those are food:  pumpkins, popcorn, ice cream - and now, pineapples!

the tropical vibes are so strong with this one,
i can almost hear the ukelele music playing...
pour yourself a mai tai or some pineapple juice
and 
continue reading to for my sweet n' easy tutorial!

7.20.2020

faux painted bamboo mirror

art, beach style, boho style, coastal style, DIY, diy decorating, faux finish, furniture, junk makeover, painting, summer, tiki style, tropical style, wall art, tropical decorating, faux bamboo, bamboo furniture, tiki style, faux painting
 when we moved into this house four years ago,
our decorating modus operandi was truly 'use what you have'...
more than 90% of the furniture we used came from my mom's old house
(1% came from mine - my grandpa's dresser and my farmhouse table!)
the mirror we have in our entry hall came from the guest room at the last house,
where it matched a dresser with a 'bleached oak' finish.

honestly, i love the mirror here...
it bounces light from the kitchen into an area that is lacking light.
but mercy, the original frame! i just haven't been sure about what to DO to it.
i contemplated a simple black satin stain or paint finish at one point,
but ruled it out as being too dark for this area of our home.

then two days ago, a brainstorm hit, and in just a few hours 
that mirror was made completely new using a faux paint treatment.

continue reading to see more details - including the 'before and after' shot... 

7.16.2020

scrap wood tikis

art class, beach style, DIY, diy decorating, junk makeover, just for fun, neutrals, on the porch, outdoors, painting, re-purposing, salvaged, summer, tiki style, trash to treasure, wall art, tropical style, woodcrafts
last winter, i created a lot of tropical & tiki decor
as part of our fun 'Happy HULA-days' Christmas theme.

you've seen posts sharing most of it appearing in our current summertime decor,
bringing a tropical vibe to our home and yard for us to enjoy
during this 'staycation' that is lasting a whole lot longer than anyone anticipated.

one of my projects during quarantine has been the front entry of our home...
which isn't a porch but a 'vestibule' - and is really hard to decorate.
i came up with a simple solution using last December's holiday entry decor:

continue reading to see how i re-used my own tikis made from scrap wood!

6.18.2020

NEW sweet sweater summer decor!

art class, beach style, coastal style, crafting, decorating, diy decorating, junk makeover, just for fun, original designs, re-purposing, sweaters, Sweet Sweater Kakamora, thrifted, tiki style, tropical style, Sweet Sweater Sandbabies, summer home decor, summer diy decor
yes, yes, i HAVE lost my everlovin' mind, thankyouverymuch!

last Christmas, in the midst of my flurry of decorating in our Happy HULAdays theme,
i created some last-minute decor using.... you guessed it.... sweaters.
one photo of that project was part of this post back in December,
but really, the idea was so fun that it needs a bit more exposure.

with my mind on tikis and tropical style for summer, 
it's time to put them in the spotlight -
PLUS another beachy sweater creation from a few years back!

...continue reading for a bit of summer-y sweater fun!

6.12.2020

tropical gift bag wall art

art, art class, boho style, color, crafting, DIY, diy decorating, dollar store crafts, gift wrapping, paper crafts, re-purposing, summer, tiki style, tropical style, up-cycling, wall art, tropical leaf wall art
along with the plethora of tikis i've been creating,
i've added some other tropical decor elements to our home for summer...
elements like this leafy wall art, made from a plastic gift / tote bag!

continue reading for the easiest art project ever...

6.05.2016

spirit of aloha

#MAYkeovers, decorating, DIY, entertaining, outdoors, re-purposing, room makeovers, summer, thrifted, tiki style, vintage, weekend makeover, tropical style, diy decorating, coastal style, blog series
yes, you CAN live in a tropical paradise - right where you are!
i've always said that if you truly love a place,
you shouldn't have to wait to visit it just once a year.
simply use the palette and elements from that place to decorate your home - 
so you can enjoy it every day!

oh, how my parents loved their annual vacation on the island of Kauai, Hawai'i.
they loved being surrounded by amazing examples of tropical beauty, 
tiki decor and Polynesian architecture - by the sights, sounds, and smells of the islands. 
from the elegance of five-star resorts to historic buildings to primitive jungles,
Hawai'ian culture embodies adventure, nature, the sea, the sky, and the sand 
like no where else on earth.
(and it was the ONLY place on earth my Mom could get my Dad to stop working!)
#MAYkeovers, decorating, DIY, entertaining, outdoors, re-purposing, room makeovers, summer, thrifted, tiki style, vintage, weekend makeover, tropical style, diy decorating, coastal style
each year after their visit, they would return home relaxed, 
extolling the beautiful spirit of Aloha that surrounded them there.

so a few years ago, i did a makeover to bring that spirit into their home...

while they were visiting the islands, i re-decorated their home 
with all of the (many) Hawai'ian elements that they collected on their annual trips.
Mom had tucked things away in cabinets, pulling them out to use for her famous parties...
i decided to just turn their home into something that resembled one of
the resort properties on Kauai instead,
so that they would be surrounded with reminders of the place they loved every day.
 and they LOVED it!

i did this makeover during their trip in June, 2013. they went again in June of 2014 - 
completely unaware that it would be their last trip there together.
my Dad was diagnosed with cancer on their return that year,
and he was gone eight short months later.
i am so glad i brought the islands to their home when i did, 
because Dad's last days and hours were spent in a room filled with 
the beautiful music of the islands and soft breezes blowing in from the patio.
we were able to give him the feeling of being in Hawai'i...
and now he's in an even more beautiful place.
#MAYkeovers, decorating, DIY, entertaining, outdoors, re-purposing, room makeovers, summer, thrifted, tiki style, vintage, weekend makeover, tropical style, diy decorating, coastal style, blog series
see my tropical thrifty weekend makeover of their home
in this four-part series:


...and make sure you check out ALL of the 'tiki style' posts here on the blog
for many more tropical decor ideas!