If you are looking for some creative DIY ideas for your home to inject a little personality then I have a few ideas to share! I recently picked up a copy of Creative At Home in Germany and found some sweet projects. If you live in Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Austria, Switzerland and of course Germany then you can find it where most magazines are sold. You’ll need to buy the magazine to get templates and instructions but here is a glimpse of a few that I liked…

I normally do not by Creative At Home since I but so many mags as it is — I like the projects and overall layout/style of Dutch DIY mag 101 Woonideeen (I wish they’d publish that mag in English) but this copy of Creative At Home had a nice cover and so I picked it up and instantly found a few projects that I could connect to. I sometimes find the crafting ideas and styles in magazines looking a bit too crafty if you know what I mean, whereas the ones in mags like 101 Woonideeen usually look more artistic and creative and less “glue guns and bead projects gone wild” if you catch my drift.

I like the idea of handpainting a coat rack like this one above, which show deer. If you cannot paint you can always cut out images from wallpaper or even fabric and use Mod Podge to adhere and also to seal it. Another fun DIY is to take two branches and use them to form a deer head and paint eyes on it – sweet art for a kid’s room! I think my favorite idea from the magazine is to paint a wooden table silver. It works here because they’ve used a table with lots of texture — it could look slightly tacky on a smooth table with no visible grain. I like how they’ve applied it very lightly, you can still see the wood in some parts making it a bit more weathered. It’s great that they skipped painting the legs silver, that would have looked very kitschy.

It’s all about knowing when to say ENOUGH when you are making things at home, isn’t it? Editing is so important but as important is self control and pulling the plug because often you can overdo a project and it comes out looking like an art project from a 5th grader. It’s a fine line, isn’t it? LOL.

Great job, Creative At Home!

(images: creative at home scanned)

21 Responses to “Creative At Home”

1 laura trevey commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 3:27 pm

Love the creative coat rack… You can really take this idea and run with it!!
laura trevey´s last [type] ..Bohemian Flair Coastal Living
2 Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 4:17 pm

Pretty cool vibe from the photos and I do like the table idea… I didn’t realize it was painted silver until I read your text. It almost looks like it is a light, rustic wood, at least from the first collage of pictures, where it is visually more distant. Nifty idea!
Jules @ Lovely Las Vegas´s last [type] ..Lovely Las Vegas- Happy New Week!
3 Julia commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

What a coincidence! Bought this magazine last weekend. And I was pleasantly surprised like you :)
4 Callie from CityCraft commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

Have you seen the Marie Claire Idees magazine? Very similar feel. I picked up a copy when I was in Paris in July. Really wish we had something similar in the states!

Callie from CityCraft
5 Torrie @ a place to share... commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 4:21 pm

I’m right there with you regarding the fine line between over-doing and having self control, so as not to over-do. I actually don’t purchase many “craft” books or magazines because I agree that many are just too “crafty” looking:). I don’t mind a project that looks “hand-made” but I also want it to look like something that you’d actually purchase!
Torrie @ a place to share…´s last [type] ..a place to share recipes
6 Rick@Home Decor Accents commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 6:19 pm

One reason why I always will come back to this blog is, because of the variety of design styles and ideas from different countries, that you post here.
For me (originally from Germany but Texan with all of my heart now) it is very exciting to see you posted something that you liked and you found in Germany and you share it with the rest of the world. Thanks for sharing.
I really like the key and coat rack. It reminds me of decorations I have seen in Bavaria and the Black Forest areas in the southern part of Germany. I think decor like that is typically for those areas. It’s kind of a German “country” style. :)
Thanks for sharing and I hope you had a great time in Germany.
7 Sobinique commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 6:21 pm

This looks like a great magazine!
I love 101 woonideeen as well! It’s one of my favourite Dutch magazines!
Sobinique´s last [type] ..Kees van Dongen
8 Katja commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 6:36 pm

i love “creative at home” – a very cute magazine <3 and you know, there are not too many great craft magazines here in germany.
9 Elkie commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 6:52 pm

I am sucker for magazines as it is, but chic international DIY magazines make my heart swoon. Hope you enjoy your trip!
Elkie´s last [type] ..Win a Sweet Tote Bag full of Beauty Products!
10 Samantha commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 7:32 pm

I just tried my hand at spray paining tin cans white and adding japanese tape, after seeing one posted on here in the colour me pretty post, and I’m really rather impressed with myself. you know.. in a really childish look at what I made kind of way…they are pretty though..
http://thishomesweethome.blogspot.com/2010/08/so-i-ran-out-of-spray-paintand-other.html

That magazine looks lovely
Samantha´s last [type] ..Rice Autumn-Winter 2010
11 Jessa commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 7:51 pm

So simple and stunning! I love how effortless it looks. Gorgeous!!
Jessa´s last [type] ..The Key To My Heart
12 Jacilyn commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 7:58 pm

Oh those are beautiful pages, wish I could get that magazine. Seems like here in the states all my favorites are gone now. Love that silver table!
Jacilyn´s last [type] ..happy
13 a pocket full of posies commented:
August 10th, 2010 at 11:07 pm

So true!… there is always that fine little line! (which on occasion I have been known to cross)
Love the look of this new mag.! such inspiration!
Thanks for sharing!
Blessings!
Jill
14 Melissa de la Fuente commented:
August 11th, 2010 at 12:07 am

I love this….and I totally catch your drift :) I love these projects and the silver table is beautiful. I agree, it is hard to know when to stop sometimes, I hope I am able to stop when I should! :)
xo
Melis
15 Cookie Cutter commented:
August 11th, 2010 at 4:31 am

I really like the deer idea! (Adding on to the many projects I want to try my hand at).
16 flowing moments commented:
August 11th, 2010 at 9:07 am

i wish i could get this magazine in France ! the photographs and feel of it are lovely … and that image with the table/bureau is really my style :) … but I should not be too sad, there is still “Merci” in Paris to be visited !! merci …
17 Lilly commented:
August 11th, 2010 at 11:55 am

The table looks like it has a very sharp edge to me,
I would totally scratch up my arms while working.
And the table legs would drive me insane because I’d just keep
banging my legs while working.

Pretty perhaps, but not practical.
18 Helena [room and serve] commented:
August 11th, 2010 at 4:03 pm

I´m sure you will love Mimou´s new collection please check in my post about it. http://roomservice.blogg.se/2010/august/mimous-katalog-lanserad-for-2011.html
Helena [room and serve]´s last [type] ..Mimous katalog lanserad för 2011
19 Stacey commented:
August 11th, 2010 at 4:04 pm

I wish i could get those magazines here! Great Diy’s too.
Stacey´s last [type] ..A Pop of colour
20 Bobbi commented:
August 11th, 2010 at 4:29 pm

I agree with Stacey! You show so many gorgeous European mags; it would be so wonderful to be able to get them here in the US:)
Bobbi´s last [type] ..Cherry Pitting Meditaion
21 Tracey Chalk commented:
August 11th, 2010 at 4:38 pm

i love finding new mags. If only all mags were everywhere. sigh.
Tracey Chalk´s last [type] ..Vintage Travel Art

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