Inspirational Home Decor

Combine your faith with a little fun and a flair for crafting and what do you get?  Simple yet beautiful inspirational accents for your home.

Inspirational home accents refresh your soul!  These simple projects will infuse your dwelling with words of encouragement, and wrap your family and guests in a layer of comfort.  Add uplifting décor to any room with little time, expense or effort.  Embellish simple containers with positive expressions in minutes.  Let your creativity flow as you customize these ideas by choosing colors to coordinate with your existing palette.  Create your very own stylish and meaningful abode.  These ideas are taken from Inspirational Home: simple ideas for uplifting décor and craft, by Jeanne Winters.  For more inspirational projects or to order the book, visit www.creativefaithplace.com.
storage boxes

A beautiful bedroom accent, these boxes are decorative and useful.

Instructions

1. Paint the boxes white so the brown cardboard color doesn’t show through the tissue paper.  Let dry.
2. Spray the large box top with glue.  Lay it upside down on the wrong side of the polka-dotted paper. Wrap the paper up and over its sides.
3. Print “May the Lord’s Face Shine Upon You” onto solid pink paper.  Glue around the box base.
4. Secure a decorative ribbon around the box’s middle.
5. Paint the small box top brown.  Let dry.
6. Cut the striped paper into 1-inch strips.  Spray the small box base with glue.  Lay it upside down and begin adhering the strips.  Apply one at a time going down one side, across the bottom, and up the other side until the entire box base is covered.
7. Secure a wide pink ribbon across the center of the small box top.
8. Print “May the Lord Be Gracious to You” in pink on a dark brown background.  Cut out with decorative scissors.  Glue first onto white, and then pink paper for a layered look.  Adhere to the box top center.

Materials
- 2 round cardboard boxes, large and small
- white and brown spray paint
- polka-dotted and striped tissue or decorative papers
- pink and white paper
- decorative scissors and regular scissors
- spray glue
- ribbon
- lampshade whimsy

Craft a whimsical lampshade for a child’s bedroom.

Instructions

1. Print several copies of “Sweet Girls Are Heaven Sent” in a fanciful font onto transfer paper.
2. Cut out each piece of text and follow the manufacturer’s instructions to create transfers with a clear background.
3. Smooth onto the lampshade in a random pattern.
4. Paint stylistic flowers also in a random pattern.
5. Glue a contrasting bead to form the flower centers.
6. Attach shaggy fiber to the lampshade rims.

Clear stickers, stenciling or decoupage are all good alternatives to the transfer paper.

Materials
- lampshade
- acrylic paint
- paint brush
- beads
- tweezers
- craft glue
- fiber accents
- transfer paper
- computer

Shadow Boxes
Shadow boxes are a classic way to create unique wall accents.  Fill with a large single eye-catching silk flower to draw attention to a Bible verse or prayer.  Here are two variations — a pair in brown tones for a living room and one in pink for a child’s room.

Instructions

1. Measure and cut a subtle patterned paper for the background of either design. (For the brown boxes, also cut a piece of cardboard to give the pins support.) Glue to the inside back of each box.
2. Remove the stem and base from large silk flowers. Glue onto the background paper.
3. For the set of two brown shadow boxes, print a verse onto two small rectangles of light brown paper. Pin each one into place below the flower.
4. For the pink design, print the phrase onto clear vellum. Trim and glue into place. Dress up the shadow box with a string of pearl beads.

Large, flat flowers suit this design well.  Select those first, then choose papers that complement them.

Materials
- shadow box(es)
- decorative paper
- 2nd decorative paper  or vellum
- ruler
- scissors
- glue stick or spray
- large silk flowers
- pearl hat pins or bead strand
- craft glue
- computer