I received an email from Candice in North Carolina who had recently pruned some trees in her backyard and was wanting DIY ideas for the branches she’d trimmed off.  I love incorporating natural elements into home decor.  Who doesn’t love free material found right outside their door?  I think any of these branch projects would be fun to try in the home.

Jewelry Tree

Screw the end of a smaller branch into a square, stained piece of wood and adorn it with necklaces, earrings and bracelets.  It makes for a pretty display and a quick jewelry go-to in the morning.

Paper Cherry Blossoms

Fold tissue paper into petite blossoms and tape onto bare branches.  Place floral branches in a vase and display on an entryway table, dining table or buffet.  {Here’s a great tutorial.}  I did something similar here.

Wall Art

Paint branches to color of choice and then hot glue ends onto the backs of 2 painted & parallel 1″x2″ boards.  Arrange branches loosely for a sculptural effect and hang on the wall.

Whimsical Chandelier

Spray paint an existing chandelier white along with a mass of thin, flexible branches.  Cover the chandelier in branches using clear or white zip ties and string to secure them.  {Steer clear of light bulbs.}  Follow the lines of the original chandelier to keep the form looking chandy-ish.

Stick Starburst

Cut straight branches into smaller sections and hot glue around a mirror.  Find a good tutorial here.

Rustic Frame

Attach branches to an existing mirror or picture frame with hot glue.

Bold Accent

Spray paint a single, large branch with an interesting form a bright, bold color like red.  Simply prop or lean it in a vignette for a quick and temporary splash of color.

Affordable Pendant

Hang industrial lights from a single branch for a simple dining pendant light.  Read more about this project here.

Of course, you could always plop branches into a vase and be done with it but I thought these DIY ideas were worth mentioning.  I hope that they inspire Candice to ‘branch out’ and find a creative way to use the branches from her yard.  Do you have any branch decor ideas to share too?

images:  1) Rian Rae 2) Kristin Sutcliffe for Bloesem Kids 3) Wood Railing 4) Collier West 5) Citified Country Girl 6) CBK via Amazon 7) Evan Thomas for Apartment Therapy 8 ) Anna-Malin Lindgren for decor8

We painted our builder oak cabinets white nearly a year ago, but I still get so many questions about them.  Aside from how we did it, I usually get asked about the results.  Specifically if the wood grain is noticeable.  The short answer is ‘yes‘.  The texture of the original wood grain does show.  The long answer, though, is ‘yes but only under artificial light when looking just the right way.‘  I took some pictures to demonstrate.

When looking straight on in natural light, the cabinets look like this…

Pretty much like they were white all along, right?  When looking straight on under some artificial lighting, they still look smooth and white with a touch of warmth from the recessed lighting.  See…

Here’s a close-up in natural light, looking up at an upper cabinet…

Still nothing very noticeable.  The only time the grain is noticeable is when you look up at the cabinets under artificial lighting…

Basically, the only time we see the wood grain is when we stand at the oven preparing dinner, get bored, lean forward and inspect the upper cabinets.  {Which we did a lot at first after we painted them because we were newly enamored.}  But, honestly, we don’t do that anymore.  We don’t pay much attention to the grain.  When we were still researching the process of painting the cabinets, we read about using some sort of roll-on filler {Brushing Putty maybe?} to fill in the grain.  However, we weren’t turned off enough by the idea of the grain showing through to include that step.  It looked pretty labor intensive for something that wasn’t going to bother us that much. I can say for a fact that I wouldn’t change anything about ‘em.  So, if you’re considering painting your wood cabinets, I hope this helps clear up all the hype about going against the grain.  Literally.

FYI – It’s probably worthy to mention that we used Sherwin Williams oil-based primer tinted to Greek Villa along with Sherwin Williams latex enamel paint tinted to Greek Villa in a semi-gloss finish.  We applied both with small foam rollers, using a 2″ trim brush only in tight spots, to keep brush strokes at bay.  For more info, check out this post and its comments section.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

You know I’m a pillow fanatic, right?  To me, pillows are like jewelry or shoes.  Pair ‘em with an everyday ensemble {jeans and a t-shirt} for an instant uplift.  Same with pillows.  Toss ‘em around a neutral, casual room for added color, interest or texture.  They’re way underrated.

And you may also know that I like to hunt down my one-of-a-kind pillow covers over on Etsy.  In fact, the gray and white link patterned pillow shown above was a recent Etsy purchase, and today I’d like to share the shop from which it came because I’m so pleased with it.  Kyoozi offers handmade decorative pillow covers starting at $29.  Motifs include geometric, mod, ikat, nautical and floral.  The graphic prints below pack quite a punch.

While these geometric prints have a masculine feel to them.

Notice anything familiar?  {That last geometric one is the same exact cover shown in my bedroom above}. The ikat patterns available are both intricate and colorful…

…or simple and neutral.

That taupe and yellow one would fare well in my bedroom.  Hmmm.

And I think any of those floral ones could follow a girl from her nursery to her college dorm.  {They would look grand with gray walls, no?!}  Like what you see?  These are just a few of the items for sale in Kyoozi’s shop.  See more here.

Sometimes spending money on a minor detail {such as a pillow cover} can quickly turn homeowners away because they aren’t necessary for living.  However, I encourage you to mix-and-match your decor…price wise, that is.  Combined with an IKEA loveseat {or another affordable piece of furniture}, higher quality pillow covers can really make a statement and bring a room up a notch or two.  Give it a try!

FYI – I was not compensated in any way for this post.  I just love sharing great Etsy finds!

images:  collages made by Dana Miller for House*Tweaking using Kyoozi original images

I thought I’d share a little handmade gift that my boys received for Christmas a few weeks ago. Handy Hubby’s artsy sister crafted it for them.  {Thanks Aunt Amy!}  She’s also the master mind behind our framed “Miller” wall art in the mini mudroom.  Here’s the auto mobile {Get it?  auto…mobile?  I thought I was so clever with that one.} she made for Layne and Everett.

An embroidery hoop wrapped in ribbon holds everything together nicely.

Two pieces of wire attached perpendicular to each other on the hoop give support for the ribbon hanger.

Various vehicle silhouettes cut from card stock hang from the hoop via filament.  {Fishing line would suffice also.}

There are even little road signs made from map scrapbooking paper.

The cut-outs are attached to the filament with Sticky Dots {or Glue Dots}.  The small circles that were punched out for the headlights disguise the Sticky Dots.

Isn’t that just adorable?  Layne and Everett love it…even though I haven’t had a chance to hang it in their room properly.  It’ll look great with the navy and olive color scheme they already have going on in there.

The possibilities for inexpensive mobiles like this are endless.  Couldn’t you see one dangling above a crib in a nursery?  Or above a reading chair in a corner?  You could feature anything from animals to flowers to snowflakes to shapes…really…anything.  Does this give you any ideas or inspiration?  I just love handmade gifts.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I try not to live in the past, but I do like to reflect at the end of every year to get a feel for what worked and what didn’t.  You know, figure out what I did well and need to keep doing {for instance, working out regularly}…AND also what I let get away from me and need to improve upon {for instance, living in the moment and not in fear}.  If you’da told me last year that I would write 200 posts, try some HTML coding and land a house tour on Apartment Therapy in 2010, I wouldn’t have believed you.  To say I’m over the moon about House*Tweaking is an understatement.  I’m so happy I’ve found a way to free many of the creative {or crazy} ideas that have been whirling around in my brain for years.  In fact, that’s the reason this whole blog got started…I needed an outlet for the paint colors, furniture, DIY projects, pillows and kitchens floating around in my head.  Just ask Handy Hubby.  Then to learn that other people are actually interested in those ideas has been even more fulfilling.  This may be sappy or lame to admit, but knowing I have some readers who want to see how project ‘X’ {X = anything I want to change in our house} turns out really gives me the motivation to actually get it done.  In return, I hope I’ve inspired you to paint something white or gray, scour your local thrift store for budget-friendly home accessories, save wisely for those new countertops you’re ogling, give IKEA a chance, find an organized place for all the stuff in your house, or just try something different.  For kicks and giggles, let’s have a look at the top 10 H*T posts of 2010.  If you’re new to H*T, they’ll give you a taste of what this is all about.  If you’ve been following for a while {thank you!}, maybe they’ll be some of your favorites.

10 – You Asked For It: Paint Colors where I revealed most of the paint colors used in my home.

9 – How NOT To Hang Wallpaper where I demonstrated that one non-thoroughly informed person + wallpaper + bookcase = an ‘eh’ wallpapered bookcase.

8 – DIY Painted Circles Border where I showed how to use empty toilet paper tubes as paint brushes.

7 – We Painted The Kitchen Cabinets White! where I went against everything my Dad and Grandpa ever taught me and painted over perfectly good {albeit orange} wood.

6 – Master Bedroom Sneak Peek where I teased you with a snippet of my bedroom makeover progress then let it simmer for over a month.  {I’m working on it, I promise.}

5 – My Kids’ Bedroom where I toured my sons’ newly made over shared bedroom.

4 – My Mini Mudroom where I let you in on the hardest working room in our house.  Surprise!…it used to be a closet.

3 – You Make Me Happy When Skies Are Gray where I painted a drop cloth on purpose and hung it in our foyer.  For real.

2 – Tips For Decorating An Open Floor Plan where I devoted an entire week to making wide open spaces feel cohesive, comfy and stylish.

1??!! – My Kitchen where I proved that builder grade kitchens can be upgraded on a budget.  {Imagine confetti falling and horns blowing.  Now kiss someone.}

Rest assured there’s more to come in 2011.  Happy New Year!

A side note: If one of your favorite 2010 H*T posts wasn’t on the list, feel free to share it in the comments section.

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

I found these 2 wooden plaques at Goodwill for $3 each.

Hideous, right?  I was wanting to paint silhouettes of my boys for my Mom as a Christmas gift.  My Mom’s style is a bit more traditional than mine, so the intricate wooden frames would fit right into her decor.  I figured the flower art could easily be painted over, so I grabbed them up.  I primed…

…and painted them.  {I painted them the same Benjamin Moore Harbour Town as I used in my nieces’ handmade gifts.}  I took several profile pictures of Layne and Everett and picked the best one of each.

I traced the outline of each boy’s silhouette onto plain notebook paper – straight from my computer screen.

I cut each silhouette.

Then I used a projector to project the silhouettes onto the wooden plaques.  I drew them on with a pencil then traced over with a black Sharpie to get a clean outer edge.  {Notice I flattened out my boys’ hair for a smoother silhouette.}

Then I painted inside the Sharpie lines with black gloss paint that I already had on hand.  Here’s the final product {still a little wet}…

The goal is to make my Mom cry.  Think I’ll succeed?

images:  all by Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

This is what our kitchen looked like last December…

1 – We emptied out the builder oak cabinets in preparation for sanding, priming and painting.  We removed the cabinet doors and drawers also.

2 – We piled the contents of our cabinets onto and under our dining table and covered it all with a plastic drop cloth.  This made it difficult for us to find what utensils we needed and easier for the kids to find what utensils they wanted to play with.

3 – After a light sanding to scuff up the surface, we taped off the cabinet frames and set to work priming while the kiddos snoozed away.

4 – Several coats of primer and paint later, we placed everything back in the cabinets.  It was another month before the cabinet doors and drawers were finished.

Looking back, I don’t remember the mess or the work much.  What I do remember are those orange-y oak cabinets that I was determined to paint white the day I saw them.  It took us 2 years to get around to doing it.  It’s definitely one of those things we look at and think, “Why didn’t we do this sooner?!”  Eventually, we added new hardware, DIY’d a glass-front cabinet, switched out the laminate countertops for granite, updated our sink and faucet, tiled the backsplash and customized the existing island.  For the full tour as-is, click here.  We’ve yet to find a suitable window treatment, hang industrial pendant lights above the island and install new flooring.

I wanted to share this with you to show you things don’t happen overnight here.  My kitchen has not always looked the way it does now.  Kids, real jobs, time and money constraints, and just plain energy levels usually dictate our project timelines.  And that’s fine.  We don’t have any big deadlines to meet.  So, if you’re thinking of taking on a similar DIY home improvement project, don’t be discouraged.  You may have to live with chaos, clutter and dust for a while but that’s what makes the end result that much sweeter.

Happy home improving!

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Why, hello there lil’ 99¢ Goodwill mini tree.

I’d like you to meet my bff, white spray paint.

Now, hold still.  This will only take a second.

Ah, much better.

‘Tis the fate of so many Goodwill purchases here at my house.  Happy weekend!

I can’t take any credit for today’s Christmas decor project.  I totally stole the idea from Belinda over at The Happy Home.  What was the idea?  Well, basically I saved up a bunch of toilet paper tubes {and a few paper towel ones too} and created a wintry hanging centerpiece.

Pretty clever idea, huh?  You can get the full tutorial here.  Here’s a picture story of me making mine. {I used leftover paint from our powder room to make the gray ones and on-hand gloss white paint for the white ones.  Instead of a peg or toothpick, I just put 2 fingers into the tube to rotate it.}

Originally, I hung the glittery chandy above our kitchen island with masking tape.

But our ceilings are textured matte plaster and the bigger tubes {the paper towel tubes} fell down after a few days.  The smaller ones were fine but I decided to move them all together.  I tied them to our dining chandy.

I think next year I’ll stick to just the toilet paper tubes {the smaller ones} and hang a whole bunch above the island for bigger impact.  But, for now, I’m mesmerized by these shiny beauties.  They reflect the light and glisten so beautifully.  Oh, and did I mention I made them for FREE? That’s right, I didn’t spend a dime.

I hope you’re getting a few ideas for inexpensive Christmas decor here on H*T this week.  If anything, you should know by now to check out The Happy Home and to hang a bunch of stuff around your house with fishing line.  {Handy Hubby got clotheslined the other night by our floating Christmas tree words when he went to unplug the lights.  Hehe.} I still have a few more Christmas-y posts to share with you {like where the heck are the stockings?!} so check back soon!

FYI – See what else I’ve done with salvaged toilet paper tubes here.

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Our sunroom offers wide open views of our backyard and adjacent farm land {not ours}.  We enjoy being in there and taking in nature’s beauty.  It’s peaceful.  I wanted to add a little holiday sumpin’-sumpin’ to our sunroom without taking away from the scenery or spending much.  So when snow began to fall here a little over a week ago, I took inspiration from Mother Nature and put together a snowmobile.  Let me explain.

I snipped tissue paper into snowflakes of varying sizes.  I bent a white wire clothes hanger into a circle.  {Well, let’s pretend it’s a circle.} Then I  suspended the snowflakes from the wire hanger at different heights using clear tape and fishing line.  Finally, I tied the entire mobile to our sunroom’s ceiling fan.

I named it ‘the snowmobile.’  Handy Hubby just shook his head.  He thinks the terminology I come up with is corny.  I couldn’t agree more.

I painted paper maché letters a very light – almost undetectable – pinky lavender and propped them up in the windowsill to spell “JOY.”  Handy Hubby strung the woven ball lights across the windows. {The letters and lights we already had on hand from past Christmases.} I did splurge on 3 faux allium stems.  I had a coupon and they cost me less than $6 for all.  I can see them being displayed in the summer months, too.

Wasn’t it nice of Mother Nature to provide some white ground cover for the shots?

Yes, my boys have already experimented with the snowmobile.  If you were 5 years old wouldn’t you be curious to know what would happen with the fan on?  Well, I’ll tell you what happens.  The snowflakes just get all tangled up and your mother has to detangle them.  No harm done.

I’ve seen gorgeous DIY snowflake projects all over the place.  The best part is they can stay up well beyond Christmas.  What about you?  Have you busted out your always useful elementary school snowflake cutting skills lately?

images:  all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking