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Showing posts sorted by date for query tomato cages. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query tomato cages. Sort by relevance Show all posts

12.06.2021

a forest of Sweet Sweater Trees

holiday,Christmas,Christmas tree,Christmas Decor Themes,Christmas Decor,winter,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Originals,Sweet Sweater Trees,DIY,diy decorating,thrifted,re-purposed,Sweet Sweater Season,home decor made from sweaters,sweater crafts,cozy winter decor.
grab a cuppa' something, friends, because this post is LONG!
i'm sharing three different types of sweater trees with you today...
each one easy as pie to make from simple everyday materials.
(hmmmmnnn... pie's not a bad idea, come to think of it...)

you'll see previous versions of the items i used
along with their fresh new look for this year's cozy theme.

got your tea? coffee? cocoa? wine? LOL...
continue reading to see all the details of this project!

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...

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!

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...

10.04.2014

Haunted Mannequin

Once again, the master visual stylists at Roger's Gardens in Corona del Mar, CA
have outdone themselves with this years' Halloween decor...
the theme is 'Haunted Elegance', and this Haunted Mannequin is a perfect example.
She's elegant and scary and vintage-looking
AND 
she has secrets!

I thought there were some ideas here that could easily be used to create your own mannequin
for Halloween decor in your home...

The mannequin herself is a simple black cloth figure on a black wood stand - 
you can find those new or simply paint an existing mannequin form black.

Her first secret is her clothes. They aren't clothes at all.
They are TABLECLOTHS!
Yep.
See that cabinet behind her? It's holding damask and netting linens for sale.
The visual crew used it as fabric to create her wardrobe.
(It's kind of a 'Project Haunted Runway' thing going on there)

And there's another secret to be shared:
Her skirt has an underlayer to give it shape.
It's not a petticoat or a hoop. It's more a SKELETON of a hoop - 
created with
(drum roll, please)
WIRE TOMATO CAGES!

( I LOVE using tomato cages as a decor element! See more here!) 

Cut open on one side and then bent and connected together, 
the wire tomato cages are partially wrapped with cloth tape (like medical tape) to hold them together - 
and it looks very musty and old.
Then the layers of fabric are added, tied on, pinned,
bustled and flounced to give her Edwardian-era gothic fashion style...
open in front to allow a peek at the underskirt framework.
A sash of black satin holds the 'skirt' on and is finished with a sparkling pin.

On her back, a swath of the netting tablecloth is gathered up to form a cowl collar on top,
and then fall like a cape behind her.
Her bodice is expertly adorned with bones.
Not an actual 'skeleton' showing her ribs, this effect is more artful and suggestive.
More bones on her shoulders give the effect of epaulets.

Bones can be found at the Dollar Tree or party supply store...
and no, they won't look like these!
However, after a wash of thinned light gray paint
and then some 'antiquing' with a dark gray paint wiped on,
you'll get an old, decrepit look to them.

...and then there's her jewelry!

This stunning necklace was created by combining multiple sparkling rhinestone 
pins, brooches, earrings, belt buckles, and necklace pendants.
The assemblage is pinned right onto the mannequin form, 
but you could hang a real assembled necklace on one, too.

I just love how the designers there come up with fun new ways to use materials
that we see EVERYWHERE for Halloween...
I mean, other stores put tablecloths on tables, for goodness sake.
But at Roger's Gardens, they elevate the everyday to ecstasy!

shared online:


Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}

11.12.2013

Use Tomato Cages as Trees!

I know, I know, it's not even Thanksgiving yet...
but everyone is looking for Holiday Decorating ideas,
so I need to start popping them in here from time to time!

Years ago, in the course of my retail visual merchandising career,
 I created a Christmas Ornament Display Tree using a wire tomato cage.
It was a last-minute solution on a budget - and it worked.

Many years after that, I was asked by a well-known winery to create something
simple . easy. contemporary . and CHEAP
for their Holiday retail displays in their wine shop.
And I created the wire trees all over again:
In these photos, you can see that there are several ways to make these trees. 
Variety is good - especially when all of the trees can be seen at once, as in this winery.

The first thing you'll notice
is that the tomato cages are used 'upside down' from how they normally appear
when they are holding your tomato plants upright in the garden!
The pointed tops of these trees are the long legs / upright rods of the contraption,
held together with a zip-tie.
The GOLD TREES are very simple to make:
gold metallic tinsel garland is wrapped around all of the wire surfaces (rods & rings) of each cage.
I used very tiny clear zip-ties to secure the tinsel in several places as I wrapped.

The WHITE TREES are made in two ways:
One is simply wrapped, just like the gold trees.

The other was made by wrapping the white iridescent tinsel  
all the way around the outside of the cage, encasing all of the rods.

Before I started wrapping, I cut the top two rings off - leaving only the lowest ring at the base.
Then I zip-tied the top of the upright rods together,
to create the cone shape.

These are very angular and modern in shape, because of the three upright rods/legs.
Combining two modified cages after removing the rings,
and stacking them so that the rods are placed between each other
will result in a more rounded cone shape to wrap it with tinsel.

The RED & WHITE STRIPED TREES
are made exactly like the white cone tree above.

The FAUX PINE TREE
is made using a garland of greenery, instead of the tinsel like the others:

Start with a thick faux pine garland.
Wrap the lowest ring with the garland, attaching it with wire or zip-ties as you go.
Cut the garland once it has wrapped the base ring.
Move on to the next highest ring on the frame, and repeat.
Move to the top ring on the frame, and repeat.

Use a zip-tie to pull the ends of the upright wire rods together at the very tip of the wire cage.
Take a small section of the garland and wrap it around the zip-tie,
and twist the ends of the greenery together to secure it to the top of the tree.

OPTION:
You can use three faux pine wreaths - one large and two medium sized -
in place of the garland. Then just use an 8" piece of garland for the top of the tree.
Saves a LOT of time!

When done, you can hang lightweight ornaments from the greenery.

If you plan to have lights on your trees, put the light strands on FIRST - before the garlands.
They will hide the wires! 
These work perfectly to display outdoors, as well as indoors.


There are generally two sizes of wire tomato cages available at garden centers,
so you can get some variety in your displays.

shared online:


OPC/TBH . The Humble Brag


5.06.2013

Tutorial: Wire Tomato Cage Dome

 I find almost ALL of my inspiration for seasonal decorating in nature...
the materials abundant, the textures intriguing, and the color combinations are dazzling 
[and Mother Nature is NEVER wrong - no matter what color ends up next to another!]

Inevitably, I find myself drawn to arboretums, greenhouses, conservatories,
beaches, parks, garden centers, and nurseries when I have free time.
My trusty camera captures color, mood, and ideas at every turn
that serve as inspiration for projects that I undertake.

Like this one...

I was inspired by the idea of ivy-covered birdcages and domes.
 I saw these two above at Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach, CA 
and the Conservatory of Flowers in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, CA.

Below, smaller domed cages hanging at Roger's Gardens
really did the trick of getting my brain into gear.
Combining this inspiration with my penchant for using things in unconventional ways,
I put two and two together... and the result was this sweet ivy-covered wire dome:
Wanna' make one?
It's easy - with just THREE CHEAP 'ingredients', two tools, and half an hour!

continue reading for the tutorial...