Set the Table with Faux Tin Place-mats

I have partnered with Country Sampler Farmhouse Style Magazine to bring you
some creative decorating ideas for your home.
Today we will show you how to enhance your dining table with the
delicate beauty of faux-vintage tin ceiling tiles, turned into placemats, as seen
in Farmhouse style -Autumn 2018.

DIY: Christmas Tree in a Bottle Ornament

Bring a unique Christmas style to your home with this handmade ornament!  Add this bottle
brush tree decoration to your collection of Christmas ornaments and look forward to hanging 
it up on your tree every holiday season. Hang it up in the center of a wreath on your front door. 
You can even simply set it on a table or shelf to add a bit of festive holiday spirit wherever 
you need it. You may even tie several together to create a fun garland for your decor need.

This ornament contains a tiny winter scene that will perfectly complement the rest of the 
festive ornaments on your life-size tree! It's been partially filled with artificial snow, 
making it look like a winter weather scene. 

To make an ornament like this you will need the following:

• artificial snowflakes/flurries
• small glass bottles with cork tops (four inches or smaller)
• small bottle brush Christmas trees, (different sizes optional, but that fit inside bottles)
• hot glue gun and glue sticks
• string for hanging (your choice of string)
• looped hooks to place the string

To begin, you may cut the amount of string that you need and tie it through the looped hooks
as seen below.



Screw the hook into the cork making sure it is tight and snug.  You may twist it into the cork
with your hands.



Next, add a drop of hot glue to the bottom of the bottle brush tree and place it into the glass
bottle.



For the wintry effect, add the snowflakes into the bottle pushing it gently with a thin stick,
coffee straw or kabob stick so it stays in the bottom. Then add the cork to the top gently,
but tight to close it.  Make sure it is not loose, some may feel more comfortable by adding glue
to secure it, but I did not add glue to mine and it is fine.

You may make several of these for your Christmas Tree or home decor. They will be great
for an ornament exchange party, the ideas are endless. Aren't they adorable? I love it!




These are just too cute and so easy to make, you may be able to find the supplies at any craft
store.
Let me know your thoughts and thank you for stopping by for some Christmas inspiration
today.
Happy crafting!

DIY: Linen Spray with Essential Oil

Transform your daily routine with essential oils. You may use oils for an afternoon pick-me-up, some bedtime serenity or even for improving your mood. Research shows that rosemary can improve cognitive function and memory. Peppermint oil may combat fatigue and increase alertness, and you may be able to lift your spirits with citrus oils. For subtle, but long-lasting aromatherapy, diffuse oils in a diffuser or put a drop of essential oil in your hands & rub them together, then take a few breaths by cupping your hands over your mouth and nose.

Today we will learn How to Make Linen Spray by using Lavender Essential oil
for a nice and comforting aroma for your linens.  Another name used is
Pillow Spray, use it for a fresh and clean scent for my pillows and sheets.
If you are already using Essential oils, a great way to recycle your essential oil bottles
is to turn them into spray bottles or rollers.    

You may find Essential Oil Black Atomizer Spray Tops available
online as well as Roller Fitments with Caps.  You may also just buy
the 2 oz Glass Bottles already with the spray tops.

To this recipe, I added 1/2 teaspoon of Epsom salt, but you may use original
witch hazel without alcohol instead.  Below you will find a list of what you will need.

The amount of water you use depends on the size of your bottle.
You may mix the liquid in the bottle itself or use another container
for the mix and then pour it into your bottle. I used a very small glass for the purpose of this tutorial. I also use Young Living Essential
oils for their great quality, but you may use the oil of your choice.
Follow the directions on the images below.

Now isn't that easy?  I keep my linen spray on my nightstand and love it.

I have tried this recipe with rubbing alcohol and I have to be honest, I don't like it  

because the alcohol overpowers the essential oil, so do not use rubbing alcohol. 

My personal favorite is the Epsom Salt, it does not have a scent and it really helps disperse the oil.

There you have it. I hope that you enjoy this little DIY for your home.

Do you have a favorite essential oil scent for making a pillow spray or linen spray?
 Let me know in the comments below.

DIY: Patriotic Wreath

Hey there friends, today I have a special DIY Patriotic Burlap Wreath Project! 

With a little effort and patience and some items from the Dollar Tree, you can put 

together this beautiful Patriotic Wreath to welcome your friends, family, and neighbors. 

Natural and colorful, this wreath will look great on your front door, over the mantel, 

or even as part of an Independence Day centerpiece.

Items That You Will Need:

• 10 or 12-inch Metal Wreath Ring- You may use mesh ribbons for this project.
• glow in the dark stars or sticker stars (Dollar Tree)
• burlap ribbon from Hobby Lobby
• pipe cleaners -Shop Patriotic Party Supplies at DollarTree.com
• or hot glue gun & glue sticks (optional)

I will start with the blue ribbon, my blue ribbon was narrower than my other two ribbons, so it may look different.

Take your metal wreath ring and on the first inner row, loop in the ribbon as seen below.  Do this by one of the metal wire endings, these are the ones that divide each section.

You may secure it with the pipe cleaner by twisting it and then cutting any extra pipe cleaner.  You may also secure it with hot glue. This will form the first loop in the inner row of the wreath. Use your fingers to pull the amount you want; I made my loop about 2 inches out.

Then go to the second row above it and form another loop and then the third row and another loop. So it should look like the second and third image on the left below.

You will then push it gently aside causing it to scrunch like on the third image on the right.

Secure it by twisting the ribbon once or twice.   At this point, you may either cut the ribbon or secure it with a pipe cleaner. Then you will begin again from the first inner row and work your way up to the third row above again.  You will repeat this until you have two sections of the metal wreath covered with the blue ribbon.  You may decide to do half of the metal wreath if you like as I have seen on some wreaths. (I ran out of the blue ribbon, so I did two sections of blue.)

Then when you are done with the blue ribbon, tuck it in on the back and secure with either a pipe cleaner or hot glue.

Now you will begin with the red ribbon and do the same thing.  Start from the inner row by forming a loop and secure it with hot glue or pipe cleaner. Continue to loop on the second and third row then secure it by twisting it with the pipe cleaner.  At this point, you may cut the ribbon to start with the next color. Begin the same way with the natural or white burlap ribbon.  Begin from the inner row and work your way up to the third outer row by forming the loops in each row. Then push the ribbon toward the other ribbons to scrunch it. Secure again with a pipe cleaner and cut, then begin again with the red ribbon.  

You will repeat this looping and scrunching process until you run out of room.

When you have covered the metal wreath, cut your ribbon and tuck it into the 

back side of the metal wreath,  you may secure it with the pipe cleaner or hot glue.

When you are done, your wreath should look something like the one below.

At this point, you are ready to make any adjustments to your ribbons by

fluffing them or sliding them carefully to make sure the metal is hidden by the ribbons.

Now take your glow in the dark stars or sticker stars and spread them out over your blue
ribbon to see how you want to lay them out.  Now that you know where you want them, 

hot glue them onto the wreath or if they are stickers just stick them on.  You have the option of painting your glow in the dark stars white if you like.

When your stars are glued on your wreath, you are done.

Now you have a beautiful wreath to show off for Memorial Day or even Independence Day.

I hope that you have enjoyed this craft project and that you have a

blessed Memorial Day Weekend!

Happy Crafting!

DIY: Fall Book Page Wreath

(Disclaimer)* This post may contain affiliate links & 

I may be compensated if a purchase is made by clicking my links.

Autumn is a wonderful time to observe the outdoors, but in these parts, it still feels like
hot summer days.  I am currently missing the cool, brisk air of autumn, I am missing
the changing of the foliage and the swirling leaves as they are stirred by the wind.
Instead, I am placing simple reminders in my home to remind me of the season ahead
as I await the cool days of fall to arrive.

In the meantime, I have updated a few old handmade pieces with autumn
flare as seen the other day with the fall flower pot makeover.

Today's craft is by far the easiest, that is if you already have a paper wreath.
 I am sharing this old book page wreath that I made several years ago by adding faux
leaves to it.

The leaves may be purchased at any craft store or at the Dollar Tree.
Simply tuck in the leaves around the wreath and you're done.
It is that simple!  Then hang it over a door or mantel to enjoy.
I believe that you can do this with a grapevine wreath as well.
You can practically add fall leaves to anything to give it a warm, fall appearance.
Be creative!

Hope that you enjoy and Happy Crafting!

Fall Flower Pot

(Disclaimer)* This post may contain affiliate links & I may be compensated if a purchase is made by clicking my links.

Happy Fall friends and welcome to Inspirations by D.  

It has been pretty slow on the blog the last few months,

due to current updates that the site is undergoing in order to fix several broken links.

Please bear with us, you may receive old posts due to the updating and we apologize for that.

Not only are we working on fixing the problem on the blog, but we will be posting new 

posts this month, so stay tuned.

Today I am sharing a makeover to my previous Message Flower Pot to give it a Fall look.

It is easy to make and I have checked everywhere to make sure it has not been done before.

You saw it here first!!

What you will need for this little project:

• Craft Paint Brushes or Sponge Brushes
• orange Chalkboard Craft Paint
• flower pot
• pumpkin or fall leaf template
• tape
• Scissors
• flowers
• White Chalk

1. Cut out the interior of the pumpkin/ leaf template and cut the edges to the size of your planter.
2. Tape each corner of the template on the flower pot, make sure to use removable tape.

3. Take your paint brush & Paint, now paint the interior of the pumpkin so it comes out on 

your flower pots. Painting technique as seen on this post.

OPTION: You may also draw the pumpkin on the flower pot as seen above, 

you may use carbon paper to trace the pumpkin over the flower pot, then paint the pumpkin.

4. Let the chalkboard paint dry.

5. When the paint is dry, rub the painted pumpkin with a white chalk, then rub it off, this gives it a faint appearance.

6. Now you are set to write your message.

7. Put fall flowers in your pot and if you like, you may add burlap to give it a Fall feel.

Add pretty flowers!

Thank you for visiting and Happy Crafting!

For more DIY/craft ideas visit the project tab on the top.

DIY: Tufted Headboard

(Disclaimer)* This post may contain affiliate links & I may be compensated if a purchase is
 made by clicking my links. 


I have finally finished one of my DIY projects, and this one had been sitting
around my bedroom for months if not, dare I say, a year.  I am not going to
post detailed instructions because I got my directions from here.
Be sure to visit the site for detailed instructions, her headboard is gorgeous!

I have posted the basics on how I made my own.
I have to say that I did not drill holes on the headboard, nor did I sew my
fabric covered buttons on.  That is too much work, so I stapled each section 
and hot glued the buttons on.
It worked!!

I also did not really measure but eyeballed where I was going to staple each 

section. I know, I know, not smart, but even though it's not perfect, it's done and 

it's mine to enjoy.

I already had a headboard made of wood scrap from our garage, so we 

purchased a flat piece of wood to cover the front of the board.

I purchased two packs of the Dritz Craft Cover Button Kit - Size 30, 

it completely depends on the size of your headboard, you may need three.

I already had my fabric on hand, it was about 3 to 4 yards.  I have a 

queen size bed.

I purchased a Mainstays 1.25" Convoluted Foam Topper Size: Queen which I 

folded in half for the cushion.  You may most certainly get a 

Mainstays 1.25" Convoluted Foam Topper Twin Size Mattress Pad Bed (TWIN) for less.  

Psst!  Walmart carries this foam.

I also used matting that I had on hand.

I used a Mini Hot Glue Gun with Melt Glue Sticks, 

already had one on hand a Staple Gun Kit.

Then I went to work.  I covered about 30 buttons for this headboard. 

The kit explains how to cover them with fabric.

I opened the foam package and folded the foam over the headboard.  I noticed that the edges/ 

sides were left exposed.  So, I cut a piece of the foam to cover each side as seen in the images. 

 I stapled the foam onto the headboard as seen above.  Then I covered that with batting and 

stapled it in place.

I then placed the fabric over the batting.  I just draped it over & made sure it covered 

all the sides well.  

Before I secured the fabric, I measured how far apart I wanted my buttons to be; below 

you will see that I folded seams to have an idea how far apart they should be

and I marked it with a white pencil.

When I was ready to secure the fabric at the top, I stapled it in the back to hold it in place.  

After the fabric was secured at the top, I began to staple the areas that the buttons would 

go on the first row.  In the areas that needed adjustments, I simply removed the staples 

with a staple remover and re-stapled my mark.  I continued stapling the 4 rows and finally 

the edges on the sides and bottom to hold the fabric in place.

When it was all secured and stapled in place, I added the buttons with hot glue, pressed 

it hard and held in place for about 15 seconds.  Then it was done, just like that.  I think 

the hardest part was making sure the rows were straight and the same distance apart. 

There you have it, my tufted headboard. 

Thank you for visiting and Happy Crafting!