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8.31.2020

a succulent tablescape

decorating with succulents, succulents, cacti, boho decor, boho style, home decor, diy, diy home decor, fall home decor, fall decorating, tablescapes, fall tablescape, entertaining, party decor, faux succulents,  tutorial, crafting, salvaged upcycled, repurposed, trash to treasure, fall, transitional
this final post for august wraps up my recent succulent / cacti obsession,
which i think is a great way to bridge the hot 'summer into fall' seasonal change.

today, i'll share how i took some of the elements that i created for the
no-cost, use-what-you-have guest room makeover
and found a whole new way to use them... on the dining table.

this clean, crisp, contemporary nature-based composition
fits so many decor styles: boho, rustic, industrial, modern,
and will work indoors and outdoors to make entertaining really easy!

 you'll also find a quick tutorial for making one last version 
of faux succulents to decorate with.
continue reading...

8.27.2020

ping pong paddle painted cacti

art, boho style, DIY, diy decorating, garden, garden art, junk makeover, outdoors, re-purposing, summer, thrifted, trash to treasure, up-cycling, painting, painted, wood crafts, cactus, cacti, faux painting
i sometimes see something online that inspires me, 
and i take the idea a bit further...
add or subtract or just let it jump-start my imagination,
and end up creating my own new version of something.

i thought i'd share this view of a past project with you today...
it was inspired by someone else's project, i took it further with my own idea,
and i shared the BACK side of it last fall.
(to be honest, i like this side the best!)

continue reading to see all of the prickly details of my faux cacti!

8.24.2020

tutorial: make faux succulents from ribbons

boho style, crafting, ribbon crafts, decorating, diy, diy decorating, home decor, decorating with succulents, faux succulents, summer decor, fall decor, trash to treasure, repurposing, paper crafts, tutorial, upcycling, reusing, faux plants
as i've been scouring my house for crafting / decorating supplies during quarantine,
i've unearthed a LOT of stuff that i had forgotten about!
case in point: a tin container of multicolored ribbons shoved in a box.
i pulled them out, separated them by color, and looked at the pile of green ribbons
with an eye toward using them somehow in the new guest room decor.

nothing immediately came to me UNTIL i walked outside that evening to water our plants.
i looked over at a galvanized bucket filled with succulents and BING! 
bells started ringing in my head.

a nice 'play' session ensued, where i messed around with paper, scissors, and glue
to combine with those ribbons and turn them into a decor element.
once that was done, i attached them to something already in the room -
and i really like the way this one turned out!

continue reading for the before, during, after, 
AND a tutorial to walk you through making your own faux succulents from ribbons!

8.20.2020

painted ceramic vases = faux cacti!

boho style, room makeover, painting, painted decor, home decor. diy decor, fall decor, summer decor, succulents, cacti, decorating with succulents, Dollar Tree crafts, faux succulents, faux cacti, boho home decor, easy home decor transformations
ideas for decorating with succulents and cacti have taken over my brain!
i've been sharing all of the details of projects completed as part of a recent
no-cost makeover of our guest room, giving it boho style,
and i hope you've been finding some inspiration for projects of your own!

the bowl of faux succulents/cacti shown above reveals another one, and it's SO easy. 
continue reading to see the before & after transformation...

8.17.2020

scrap paper cacti wall art

handmade, paper crafts, gift wrap crafts, dollar store crafts, repurposed, upcycled, paper arts, wall art, boho style, faux succulents, faux cacti, decorating with succulents, boho room makeover, fall home decor, diy home decor, diy, diy decorating
this project was a really fun one... 
it's one of those 'paper, scissors, paste' crafts that always make me feel like i'm back in school.

simple materials and process combine to create a nifty piece of wall art
that ended up NOT on a wall at all... 

continue reading for the details and a quick 'how-to'!

8.13.2020

garden junk in the bathroom?!

boho style, color palettes, diy decorating, DIY, decorating basics, dollar store crafts, farmhouse style, junk makeover, makeover, painting, re-purposing, room makeovers, rustic style, summer, fall, trash to treasure, up-cycling, succulents, cacti, rusty metal, salvaged metal, vintage metal hose bracket, repurposed towel hangers
you can't give a guest room a new look without foofing up the guest bath, too...
i completed that task using things i had on hand in a new way, and it didn't cost a cent!

one of the projects i completed for this quick makeover 
was a variation of something i've done before with a certain piece of junk.
the other was painting some fun and funky faux cacti - using a pretty unusual material. 

continue reading to see more!

8.10.2020

sweater + pool noodle faux cacti tutorial

boho, boho style, crafting, sweater crafts, sweet sweater succulents, pool noodles, cacti, succulents, diy, decorating, home decor, sweaters, repurposing, upcycling, tutorial
the inspiration for these fun and funky faux cacti
began last fall with the design and creation of my Original Sweet Sweater Succulents.

when i recently decided to create new decor 
with a boho modern vibe, 
succulents were definitely a big part of the design... faux succulents, that is.
so i came up with yet another way to use my bottomless supply of sweater remnants:

pair a sweater sleeve with a simple pool noodle, and you've got taller cacti!
boho, boho style, crafting, sweater crafts, sweet sweater succulents, pool noodles, cacti, succulents, diy, decorating, home decor, sweaters, repurposing, upcycling, tutorial
i used the new version in this basket under the side table in the recent guest room makeover,
paired with some of the previous versions (made like my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins!).

this is a really 'fast, cheap & easy' craft project to complete using scraps -
continue reading for a simple tutorial to help you make your own...

8.06.2020

faux succulent wreath & wall decor

art, boho style, DIY, diy decorating, fall, farmhouse style, faux plants, industrial, junk makeover, junking, re-purposing, rustic style, salvaged, summer, sweaters, Sweet Sweater Succulents, up-cycling, trash to treasure, wall art, weekend makeover, faux succulents, sweater crafts, sweet sweater succulents
 when it came to wall art in our newly 'refreshed' guest room, 
i re-thought the currently hot trend of 'basket groupings' on walls
and went with a grouping of repurposed rusty metal items instead.
resembling woven baskets, they give the room a 'boho' feel - in a unique way.

my take on 'modern boho style' is less earth-child hippie and a bit more mid-century in feel.
and there's a reason for that:

during my sophomore summer, one of my jobs was selling imported baskets at the swap meet -
it was a hot, sweaty, physical job that a friend and i did every weekend all summer long.
we had to drive a junky old 'three on the tree' van to the drive in, unload it,
set up displays of the baskets, and then sit there all day convincing people to buy them.
then we had to load up anything that didn't sell. it was exhausting.
the only redeeming quality of it was the paycheck and spending time with my friend.

so now i have an aversion to baskets being used as they were back then! (the late 70's)
i like this solution... and just wait until you get a closer look at those succulents!

continue reading to see all of the details and 'how-to's'...