. -->

view ALL winter content click here

Showing posts with label tutorial. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tutorial. 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 ...

1.24.2025

WINTER: make a faux vintage felt pennant

 winter,crafting,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,Disneyland,painting,tutorial,wall art,wreaths,just for fun,

This is another 'just for fun' project to add to your winter decor - and also one of those projects that changed course a few times!

My original inspiration for this were two photos on Instagram, shared by Jens Fresh Vintage. Jen shared shots of her antique booth winter setup, showing winter paint-by-numbers and thermoses and ski's - and vintage souvenir pennants from ski resorts:


Recalling the fun days that I had spent skiing the slopes at Northstar and Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe, I decided to make myself a felt pennant that looked old.

As you can see in the photo up above, I did not make pennants that say 'Lake Tahoe' or anything like that... I went bigger! 

Continue reading to see a step-by-step tutorial to make your own pennants - AND what I ultimately ended up doing with them in my studio!

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!

1.10.2025

WINTER: a stylish & EASY taper candle tip

winter,winter to spring decor,white,entertaining,home decor,TOP TIPS,diy decorating,DIY,vintage paper,paper,books,candle bobeches,candle tricks.

I've decided to focus on very simple projects this month, sharing a few tips that will quickly and easily impact your decor as you warm up your winter homes.

This particular tip isn't mine - it originated with a very special shopkeeper, entertaining guru, visual stylist, decorator, and author who has been inspiring me for decades now: Ted Kennedy Watson (no, we're not related!).

Ted owns two stores in Seattle - Watson Kennedy Fine Living on Pine Avenue (across from Pike Place Market), and Watson Kennedy Fine Home on First Avenue. Both stores boast a wealth of beautiful items to enjoy in your decor and entertaining, and the displays Ted creates in the shops and the window displays are absolutely some of the best I've ever seen. I could (and did) spend hours taking in every detail in both shops during the 18 years I lived in Washington.

This particular stylist's 'trick' is SO easy - and by adding just one little detail, it makes a huge difference!

continue reading to see HOW easy...

1.03.2025

WINTER . make a simple rosemary wreath

winter,winter to spring decor,DIY,diy decorating,garden style,decorating,diydecorating,home decor,natural elements,inspired by nature,simple solutions,new year,

the Christmas decor is all packed away! whew.
now i'm enjoying a slow, calm 'ease into the new year' approach: simple changes, adjustments, and routines that give my creative mind space to wander (and wonder!) without stressing out as i keep up with my responsibilities. 


the simple rosemary wreath project that i am sharing today is something that can made in just minutes and with very little effort. (i don't know about you, but i LOVE easy DIY projects!) let me show you how easy and simply charming this project is - and how you can make it even if you don't have an herb garden.

continue reading for tutorial...

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...

12.06.2024

holiday 2024: mini Christmas tree farm!

Christmas,decorating,thrifted,colorful home,holiday,Christmas Decor,diy decorating,up-cycling,trash to treasure,re-purposing,painting,DIY,tutorial,Christmas tree,paper crafts,paper,makeover,holiday mantel decor,mantel decor.
a contributing factor to this year's theme,
O CHRISTMAS TREE 
was finding three gorgeous flocked trees at Target.
then i found two white ceramic trees for a buck each at a thrift shop.

all i had to do was add in a few trees i already had -
and give a few of them a makeover -
as well as make a few new trees,
and my mantel turned into a mini Christmas tree farm! 

continue reading for a few really fast tree tutorials...

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!

11.22.2024

holiday 2024: diy upcycled painted ornaments

holiday,Christmas,Christmas Decor,painting,tutorial,colorful home,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,wreaths,trash to treasure,re-purposing,up-cycling,thrifted,Disneyland,painted ornaments,.
wreath number two for this year is a fun one...
i rounded up some old ornaments that i don't ever use, 
and gave them a whole new look with paint.

the pattern that i painted on these ornaments
was inspired by the posterboard i've been using as a 'drop cloth':holiday,Christmas,Christmas Decor,painting,tutorial,colorful home,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,wreaths,trash to treasure,re-purposing,up-cycling,thrifted,Disneyland,painted ornaments,.
it's just splotches and swaths of paint left from many painting sessions -
which looks a lot like a current 'graffiti' paint trend
that is an easy pattern to replicate.

since my theme this holiday season is
O Christmas Tree
using ornaments in varied ways works perfectly!

follow along and let me show you how easy this is...

11.08.2024

DIY flocked acorns

fall,autumn,Thanksgiving,wreaths,painting,DIY,diy decorating,faux finish,inspired by nature,Sweet Sweater Nests,Sweet Sweater Originals,garden style,woodsy style,tutorial,dollar store crafts,flocked acorns.
i have a photo of a bunch of green acorns as my screensaver,
and the luscious tones moved me to try and replicate them - in paint.
then i saw a video showing how to make a faux 'flocked' paint finish,
and i just HAD to try it!

continue reading to see how easy this one is...

11.01.2024

modern wood bowl mushrooms

autumn,fall,Thanksgiving,pumpkins,farmhouse style,rustic style,woodsy style,mid century modern style,DIY,diy decorating,seasonal,up-cycling,re-purposing,modern wood mushrooms,shrooms,mushrooms,tutorial,thrifted
yep, i'm stubbornly holding on to the fall season over here!
our triple-digit summer temps didn't drop until Halloween week,
so i am in no rush to hurry autumn along.
(i can actually sit outside now!)

after sourcing a few wood bowls at a local thrift shop,
i wanted to make fall decor from them, and
these incredibly easy mushrooms only took ten minutes to create.
and i love the woodsy vibe they have!

continue reading for a truly simple tutorial...

10.31.2024

happy halloGREEN!

pumpkins,Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,foofoo Faux Food,painting,tutorial,DIY,diy decorating,fall,autumn,seasonal,Halloween,colorful home,home decor,ping pong paddle pumpkins,caramel apple pumpkins,fake pumpkin cake,shroomkins,
( you had to have known that was coming! )
it's Halloween day, and no one is reading blog posts...
but i thought i'd put this up, anyway, 
to give my green pumpkins one last bit of the spotlight.

it's been fun creating new versions of past projects
along with completely new original pumpkins this fall...

continue reading for a quick recap and links to all project tutorials

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!

10.17.2024

pumpkins made from garden clippings!?!

tutorial,pumpkins,inspired by nature,fall,autumn,DIY,diy decorating,garden style,farmhouse style,dollar store crafts,natural elements,sage leaf pumpkins,from the garden.

you've heard 'Necessity is the mother of invention' before...
it couldn't be more true of this week's pumpkin creation!

we've had a HOT summer and early fall here...
once the temps dipped *just* below triple digits,
i finally braved the heat outside and took care of some garden tasks,
including trimming the vining branches of our jasmine plants
that were reaching menacingly toward our windows!

that led to a whole new way to embrace my 'trash to treasure' ethos:
i turned my garden clippings into pumpkins!

continue reading for the details...

10.10.2024

Faux 'Caramel Apple' Pumpkins, Take 2!

pumpkins,foofoo Faux Food,autumn,fall,DIY,diy decorating,seasonal,dollar store crafts,painting,take 2,faux caramel apple pumpkins,tutorial
this isn't actually a 're-do' of a past project - 
it's that i had so much fun coming up with this idea
to turn a green faux pumpkin into a green caramel apple
that i think this sweet faux food creation deserves
another fifteen minutes of time in the spotlight!

i've just changed the color accents and am sharing it again!

continue reading for my original tutorial...

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!

Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,Sweet Sweater Succulents,Sweet Sweater Originals,pumpkins,take 2,fall,autumn,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,tutorial,sweaters,up-cycling,re-purposed,thrifted,original designs,.
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...
Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,Sweet Sweater Succulents,Sweet Sweater Originals,pumpkins,take 2,fall,autumn,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,tutorial,sweaters,up-cycling,re-purposed,thrifted,original designs,.
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...