Sustainable Design, Sustainable Living, Sustainable Everything
Nothing like the changing of leaves and the dropping of temperatures that makes you want to cozy up inside and create some DIY fall decor. Am I right? Normally I’m not on the ball enough to participate in home decor
If you love your home, but you also love the planet, you’re in luck! I’ve gathered ten Of Houses and Trees posts offering more than sixty sustainable products, tips on home decor and home design ideas. Wondering how to decorate
Do you love unique home decor that is earth conscious and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? Then this DIY wall mounted coat rack is for you! Want to create a similar piece that still has its own personality?
Every year I like to do a tree-inspired holiday decor DIY. Last year it was my mason jar snow globes and this year it’s a Christmas tree sign made out of words. And the words I chose? Why, lyrics from “Oh, Christmas Tree,” of course.
I used the same method to paint this Christmas tree sign as I did for my love arrow sign, which I originally learned how to do here. I thought a video of how to create a handpainted sign – holiday-related or not – would be helpful so I made one… just for YOU! (To be honest, it’s also for myself when I forget how to do this and have to watch my own video to remember. Kind of like how I have to follow my own recipes when I forget how to make something.)
So here’s my video of how to paint a Christmas tree sign. You can also follow the written instructions down below if that’s more your learning-style. Happy handpainting!
I may cause those of you who love Halloween to scratch your wig-covered heads – because you’re already wearing your costume, obviously – when I tell you that I’m not a fan. Then you ask through your plastic glow-in-the-dark vampire teeth, “What’s not to love?”
Don’t you like costumes? I’m a dancer – of course I like costumes! What about candy? I’ve been known to down an entire bag of sour Skittles in one sitting. A big bag too. And scary stories? I’m not a fan of the super gory stuff, but a tastefully told ghost story? Yeah, you got my attention.
So, why don’t I like Halloween? Well… because it’s wasteful!
Rooms for kids are the perfect place to go all out with eco-friendly decor. Why? Because so many parents already want their child’s room to be non-toxic and tend to gravitate toward natural materials anyway. (With the exception of all that unnecessary plastic. There are other options – I promise!) Kids’ rooms are also the perfect place to throw in some secondhand furniture and decor – because it means saving money! And, more importantly, it means there’s no need to buy brand new – and no need for all the packaging that comes with new items. Plus, by involving your kids in the decorating process, you can explain to them why you’re choosing green items and start them on the road to living an eco-conscious life. Because teaching the next generation to consider how they impact the environment in everything they do is the key to a sustainable future!
Leg warmers – they’re not just for dancers. True, I do wear them when I dance, because I’ve recently discovered the way to bypass my achey post-baby knees is to keep them super toasty.
But I also wear leg warmers when I’m not dancing because, dudes, winter be cold. And even though winter isn’t here yet, I’ve already been sporting my leg warmer collection not just to keep my legs warm as the fall chill settles in, but also – they’re kinda cute, no?
Although I do own a few pairs of store-bought legwarmers, I also have several pairs of DIY leg warmers I made out of old socks. There are two different ways to do this. The first is the super easy no-sew way. The second you can either sew by hand or with a sewing machine if you own or have access to one.
Check out my how-to video, where I demonstrate both ways to make DIY leg warmers out of old socks, or scroll down below for step by step instructions!
Banana peels, black tea, molasses and eggshell make up a super easy organic garden fertilizer. Just add to an empty jug, mix with rainwater and go! Want to learn how to make fertilizer at home? Read on! I’ve been trying
All you need is love – or so the song goes. But in the case of this handpainted sign all I needed was 23 hours of slow labour and nothing to do with my time other than distract myself with online yoga and crafts.
I had started this DIY a couple of weeks before I had my second daughter (who is three weeks old today). I first had to paint the 1×4 with several coats of white paint before I could stencil on the letters. Once that task was completed all that was left was the actual painting of the letters, which I did by hand with an artist’s brush whilst listening to my iTunes playlist “Relax” and trying to dance off contractions. There’s nothing like the imminent arrival of an infant to get the creative – and motivational – juices flowing.
Even though I finished this room going on three years ago, I’ve never posted photos of it in its entirety. But this particular space in my house has certainly been on my mind again as of late since bambino numero dos is only days away. I spent a lot of time in this room with my first baby – I slept the first six months of her life on a cot next to the crib. I’ve always said that’s exactly why I designed it with myself in mind. Because I’m selfish like that. Which is totally fine with me.
As you can see, I definitely didn’t go the pink versus blue route, which is pretty common nowadays I’d say. I think most people tend to lean towards a more neutral baby bedroom, aka “nursery.” (I have such a hard time using that word – I don’t know why, but for some reason it rubs me the wrong way… like “panties” and “mancave”… le barf.)
