Make Home Decor with Easy Techniques-Crafts for the Home

Make Home Decor with Easy Techniques, I loved to sew and make money while I was in college doing sewing projects, especially something for some quick cash. I have since discovered that sewing my is a rewarding pass time and requires a little thought and very little sewing skills. In fact many of the project that I sew could be make without a sewing machine. Just use you imagination.

Ways to Not Sew

1. Use stitch witchery (Bond fabrics with an iron)

2. Fabric Glue

3. Bonding tape

OR

You can hand stitch these simple projects.

This is a photo of a tablecloth made from a remnant piece of fabric, the cushion on the chair from bandanas, and the peonies I made with tissue paper. My decorating is mostly hand made by me. Crafting and sewing is something I have done since I was a child, I used to decorate my bedroom as a teen. I was constantly changing and redecorating my bedroom until I had a home of my own. Now I redecorate every chance I get.

Use you imagination and creativity to make home fashions that will complement your design. Look through cataloges and magazines for ideas. I enjoy looking at items and figuring out how to create them on a budget. Most of the designs published in sales brochures are far from most of our decorating budgets even when they are on "sale".

The easiest way to make a decorator pillow is to cut 2 squares or rectangles a little larger that the pillow you want to make. Sew or fuse the edges leave an opening for stuffing, hand stitch closed. Use poly stuffing to stuff the pillow to the desired fluffiness. You can also use and old pillow and make a cover by using it as a pattern. Leave the old fabric in place and simply cut and sew or fuse a new cover. Leave one end open for easy placement of the old pillow into the new cover.

Tip: use pins or clothes pins to hold your pillow closed while sewing or fusing together.

This seller has high quality fabric. Be sure to look in the remnant section. I purchased all my drapery fabrics here!

Two tissue flowers tied with string make a cute pom pom to hang from the ceiling in a child's bedroom or play room. I make a whimsical decoration from

---- 2 full sheet of tissue paper for each flower side, cut in half, lay it on top of each other and then fold accordion style. Back a forth like paper fan. I tied in the middle with a long piece of yarn and gently peeled the tissue up toward the tied center on each side of the string. Make 2 tie them together with the string and hang with a push-pin or straight pin.

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The photos on the wall are pictures I took with my digital camera and sent to have printed via the internet. I purchased frames and mats and hung them on the wall. I have also used scrapbook paper as a mat, by carefully taping a picture or photo on top of it after centering it to my liking. I like to have a little more paper showing at the bottom of the picture or photo.

We live on the Gulf Coast and my decorating theme is of course Coastal. Most everything is blue or teal, except the back porch which is orange and green, left overs from our tiny post-Katrina home.

In this photo you can see several of my projects. In the background, I used masking tape and taped out a chalkboard onto the door leading from my dining room to the garage. We use it to make reminders and notes to each other.

Chalkboard

After taping out the shape, note that I used 2 tape borders, it left me with a white decorative boarder. I used black and gold paint markers to make an X and dot design to the white part of the border. It looks nice and when company comes for dinner we usually put a welcome for out-of-town guests or the dinner menu.

Cardboard Taxidermy

The cardboard taxidermy is a pattern I downloaded from pinterest. I copied it with my printer, cut it out (scissors and exacto knife), traced it on to a cardboard display board, Cut the board out, used tacky glue to attach craft paper to it, then cut the paper to the cardboard, then pieced it together from the slits in the pattern. Simple and cute, I'm not sure where I will hang it yet.

Painted Vase

I took a vase I purchased at the Goodwill and used craft paint to brush paint on to the inside of the vase. When it dried I used white spray paint over the top. Be sure to take it outside for spray painting. Let it dry. It looks like an expensive vase. I discovered later that you can pour paint into the bottom and roll the vase to make a wavy design, let it dry, then use a second color for a 2 tone design.

Ceiling Panel

On the ceiling under my lift fixture I used tacky glue and small nails to tack a Styrofoam ceiling panel under my dining room chandelier. See my other post for the ones I glued to the wall for wainscoting.

These drapes were in my old house, they now hang on my back porch. After Katrina destroyed our home in 2005, I needed something cheery and bright to cheer us up. I purchased 8 yards of Ralph Lauren Drapery Fabric on E-bay for $36, it was a remnant piece. I measured the length of the window, and added a few inches for hems, I purchased a couple of Walmart flat sheets for the lining which I cut to fit the drape. I pinned the sheet to the fabric and hemmed all for sides. I did it on the sewing machine, but it could be hand hemmed or you could skip the lining and just iron-on fusible tape for the hem.

After the drapes were hemmed, I purchase a rod with rings with clips. I folded the drapes to measure the placement of the rings. Fold it in half, then in half again until have enough for your clips. You will probably need to adjust the clips but this will give you an approximate place to start.

Hang the drapes, about 1 inch from the floor for standard placement. It takes a few days for the drapes to settle, you may need to make adjustment in your clips. Then put the drape to one side and use your finger to pull a pleat out for a tidy even look.

I have since made drapes for most of my house, my sister-in-laws house and my friends house. They all look elegant and really make the room.

In this photo you see a vase that I painted from the inside with craft paint and then spray painted it white on the inside as well. The pig is a bank that I had before Katrina, it was one of the few possessions that I found after the storm. He had some stains and chips so I used craft paint to paint him and then sprayed him with clear spray paint. The candle holder is something I found at the Goodwill. It was tarnished and worn brass. I cleaned it up, lightly sanded it with fine grit sandpaper, then sprayed it with a pewter colored canned spray paint.

Lastly, this room is kind of tropical in design, so I purchased some fabric and made a funky tropical dresser scarf. It cost about $2 the fabric was on clearance.

These are the drapes I made for the living room. I made them unlined they were simple to make. I just put a hem on all four edges of the fabric. A simple trick is that drapery fabric is the width you need for most windows, so one width will work. It take about 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 yards for each panel, So, 5 yards will make drapes for a normal sized window or for a large window, if you plan on keeping them open. If you have a door wall of large picture window, I takes 7 1/2 yards, Cut 3 window lengths and cut one in half, and sew one half to each of the other panels for a full panel, then hem or fuse the edges.

This is my favorite spray paint. It comes in a new can with a spray button built in to prevent finger fatigue. It also keeps your fingers clean. It has great colors and comes in decorator color too.