Showing posts with label decorating. Show all posts
Showing posts with label decorating. Show all posts

DIY Curtain Rods and Finials

The folks at Apartment Therapy and Better Homes and Garden remind us that there are lots of unique materials to use for hanging window treatments.

Better Homes and Garden via Apartment Therapy
Can you guess what these curtain rods are made from? Click on the links for great tutorials for inexpensive DIY tutorials for these curtain rods.
In My Own Style - See answer #1
My Life as G - See answer #2
Apartment Therapy - See answer #3
Christy's Thrifty Decorating - See answer #4
House of Hepworths - See answer #5
The Creative Mama - See answer #6
Answers:
1. PVC pipe
2. Bamboo
3. Unpainted steel conduit
4. Cardboard dowel
5. Painted steel conduit
6. Painted or stained wooded dowels

Okay, now for the finials! 


Rubber furniture feet from Squidoo
Tennis balls from In My Own Style
Old door knobs and cabinet pulls from In My Own Style
Drawer pulls from Home Works

Electrical tape and slip on finials from House of Hepworths

Corks and screw-in finials from In My Own Style

Drawer knobs from Design Sponge
Wood beads from Polish the Stars
Twisted hammered copper wire from Twists on Wire etsy shop
Antique glass salt and pepper shakers from the Art of the Home
Glass marbles?!  Photo from media absurdity
Once you realize you can glue stuff to the cap for a finial I guess the options are endless!



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Woodsy Room Decor

When the seed catalogues are arriving in the midst of the snow falling it's no wonder I'm itching for some nature inside.

Here are some things that are inspiring me today:

JenlovesKev etsy shop and blog
Cutting Edge Stencils etsy shop
Driftwood mirror via Abode Love
Camp-inspired bedroom at Offbeat mama
Ikea hackers lighting
Ikea Hackers lighting
20 x 200 Art



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DIY Drum Shade and Modified pendant light -- Cheap Glam!

Dittle Dattle has a great tutorial for an inexpensive pendant light with drum shade.

Dittle Dattle Cool Teen room

  It uses a portfolio pendant kit from Lowes.

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Inexpensive pendant lamps with drum shades

This portfolio pendant kit from Lowes (out of stock until I checked again recently) has really been making the rounds on blogland.

It appears to be an inexpensive way to get the modern look of lighting with a drum shade with a bit of tinkering.

Check out these blogs for instructions, ideas, and inspiration:

Dittle Dattle


Decorating Cents
Teal and Lime (with tutorial for the lampshade too!)

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Silly me.  I thought Sharpie markers were for writing.  I guess not!

Here's what folks have been doing with Sharpies:

(1) Tie-Dye

Science guru Steve Spangler shows you how to make mess-free tie-dye shirts.

Science with Sharpies
(2) Decorate Ornaments

Sure, you can decorate ornaments by drawing and writing on them with Sharpies like the folks at the Sharpie blog suggest....

Sharpie-drawn ornaments
But why not have more fun and sorta tie dye your ornaments like instructables author ChrisN suggests?

Tie Dye Ornaments

(3) Customize Shoes

Sharpie folks have taken their markers to college campuses along with Toms shoes and let students show their creativity by drawing on the blank canvas shoes.

Shoe by Sharpie and you


(4) Personalize electronics

Instructable folks are using sharpies to customize things like controllers and cell phones.

Customized controller
Personalized cell phone

(5) Remodel fixtures

Instructables author Thrift Store Remix used sharpies to colorize this glass light shade.

Lite Bright dome
(6) Upcycle Plant Tags

Mineralled at Instructables shows how to use Sharpies and recycled plastic utensils to make plant tags. 

Cheap plant tags
(7) Dream and Create

This artwork, entitled Dream, was created by Esfiedy using sharpies, reminding us to use our imagation to dream.  See more good stuff at the Sharpie blog.

Dream
Grab your Sharpie and get started!  Here are just some of the products available....

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Decorating with Nature: 3 Design Projects

These projects are more sophisticated adult versions of nature crafts that can be used for decorating the inside and out.

(1) Graffiti Moss

Inhabitat provides all the instructions and tutorials needed to make letters, shapes, or whatever graffiti inspiration is on tap with moss! (See cool instruction graphics and different recipe here.)




DIY Moss Graffiti

(2) Tree themed shelf

One of Inhabitat's many green gift guides for 2011 showcased this awesome shelf made with real trees.  Available from Hold Close The Moon on etsy.

Wall Hook / Shelf by Hold Close the Moon

(3) Tree branch wall hooks

Those wild and crazy inventor-hackers at Sugru have figured out how to use their moldable sugru silicone putty to make permanent wall hooks using tree branches.

I think it's really cool-looking and functional. But I just wonder what happens when you want to take the hooks down since the sugru appears to be really really permanent.

If I were to do this I would put the tree branches on a back board type of thing so it can be hung on the wall and removed later if needed.

Wall Hooks by Sugru
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Lush living: 3 Ways to Decorate with Living Greenery

Pouring over some delicious magazines (thank you library!!!) I found inviting indoor projects to try.  These are nature crafts sophisticated enough for adults but things the kids can do to.

Hopefully they can help to help fill the winter void when I'm missing my time in the flower beds and gardens.

Terrarium

From The Vintage Modern blog
The Vintage Modern provides a handy tutorial on making your own terrarium. Featured in the September 2011 issue of Real Simple, the terrarium is described as adding many components to the home:

-- Like a fish bowl it adds life
-- Reflects light, brightening dark walls
-- Feels calm and homey
-- Adds sophistication when used in modern shapes



Living Cactus Wreath

Featured in the October 2010 issue of Better Homes and Gardens this succulent wreath can provide an easy care decorative element for indoors and out. 

Check out the complete instructions at their site.








Living Moss Balls

From Carissa's Creativity Space
Carissa offers a great tutorial on inexpensively making a real life living moss ball for display. 

It will need to be kept moist and out of the sun, but otherwise is a simple way to incorporate greenery a display for any season.



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Kids crafts for winter holidays: Stars, Cookies, Peg Dolls

A virtual trip to the Natural Kids Store has inspired me to start thinking about winter crafts with the kids. All the handcrafted felt and wool, hardcarved wood, handpainted treasures are so beautiful.  The colors are so inspirational and remind me of my current favorite "grass roots" color pallete designed to invoke all things handmade.

STARS

Craft Ideas has many different FREE easy patterns for colorful folded stars here and here.  Even more sophisticated versions can be purchased from Harvest Moon by Hand's etsy shop and they are gorgeous!!!!



Zencrafting has taken a twist on folded stars by providing FREE patterns of how to make savory origami stars from fabric origami stars as well as the more traditional paper origami stars.  Check out her Etsy shop for more offerings. She also has a beautiful free calendar you can download and enjoy immediately.



COOKIES!

These scrumptious felt cookies are available from Harvest Moon by Hand's etsy shop. Perhaps they'll also inspire additional creative crafting with the kids.

I love felt food!!!



FREE PATTERNS and TUTORIALS

Small sampling of felt food from Bug Bites Play Food


PEG DOLLS

I'm continuing my delight with peg dolls and hope to make some this year with my daughter and niece. 

Having recently been to a teen dance troup performance I was enthralled with this "tiny dancer" from the amazing artist at Pretty Ditty.

Isn't this just serene? It's even more cool to realize it is made just special for her daughter.


KITS and SUPPLIES FOR PURCHASE

Adorable FREE pattern for peg cottage from Grace Violet

FREE PATTERNS and TUTORIALS
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