giant paper flowers

sometimes it's just best to go BIG, you know?

i've been a retail visual merchandiser + display designer / stylist for over 45 years,

and have made a LOT of props in my lifetime...

and i learned that whether you're creating a window display

or an event display or a photo backdrop, large scale has the most impact.

making big things can get costly, tho - unless you use inexpensive materials

like paper, tissue, and repurposed/upcycled elements.

the flowers you see up above were created for use in an event entry display,

and are made from new cardstock paper -

but i've made similar ones from vintage book pages, too.

can't you just imagine flowers made out of repurposed MAPS?

old newspapers? magazine pages? gift wrapping paper?

yep, so can i!

i can also see them decorating a lovely Mother's Day brunch setting,
or as decor in a nursery or girls' room.

continue reading for a quick tutorial and loads of inspo...

grandma's button flowers

did your grandma have a button box?
mine did, and i spent many hours playing with the colorful contents as a child.
 when my Grandma Ward passed, i was given her button box.
to this day just looking at it makes me smile...

 i decided to start collecting buttons of my own to add to her tin,
so i grabbed them at garage sales and thrift stores
and sometimes even bought some from craft stores.

when i began using the buttons in home decor projects.
one of the projects i undertook was to make button flowers:

those were made back in the early 2000's!
it's such an easy project that kids can do it, too.

continue reading for my easy tutorial... 

faux food flower 'cupcakes'

continuing with my floral theme for this month,

i whipped up these fanciful floral 'faux food' cupcakes...

which i did not make with butter, eggs, sugar, and flour.

my friend Sasha ('Saucy') decorates very real cakes and cupcakes

with the most fantastical elements - like frosting flowers.

her delightful creations inspired these flower-decorated cupcakes,

and also inspired my faux gingerbread cake last December.

check out her amazing edible art on Instagram

some projects have a lot of prep, a lot of elements, a lot of steps.

this isn't one of those. this is a one-and-done decor project. easy-peasy. 

i can't even call this a 'tutorial' because it's SO easy.

don't believe me? continue reading!

'flower power' coasters

a perfect way to add a spring touch to your entertaining,

these easy to make 'flower power' coasters can be created in any color -

and are really simple to assemble. after you disassemble, that is.

oh, wait, i'm getting ahead of myself...

continue reading for my easy tutorial...

junky bloomz!

'reduce reuse recycle' is the leitmotif of my design & decor approach...

i'd much rather use what i already have on hand here at home

than 'buy more, store more, discard more'.

by using what i have, i'm challenging my own creativity

and making my life easier by not having to wrangle more storage bins! 

as i was cleaning out a cabinet in my studio recently,

i stacked miscellaneous items on my worktable and floor.

as i turned to grab something to put it back in the cabinet,

i saw that some of the elements stacked together created a 'flower' of sorts...

and deb was off on a creative adventure!

(yes, i KNOW it's actually procrastination but just go with me here, ok?!!!)

continue reading to see how many different flowers i created with 'junk'!

NEW! Sweet Sweater Potz!

spring has sprung! 

one of my favorite passages in the Bible speaks of spring the way i think of it:

"For now the winter is past; the rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing birds has come,

and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.

The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance."

Song of Solomon 2:11-13

watching nature come back to life after a long cold winter revives me.

especially in a weird weather year like this one

(endless rain. snowing at DISNEYLAND! tornado near Los Angeles!),

i am always happy when spring finally arrives...

and if it doesn't arrive soon enough for me, i just create my own kind of spring vibe!

my newest Sweet Sweater Original TM creation is a nod to springtime

that i'll be enjoying for the next few months...

continue reading to see how simply you can create my Sweet Sweater Potz!