15 Ways to Decorate with TWIGS. Simple. Gorgeous. Just like Pocahontas.

There is something to be said about decorating with sticks.

It makes you feel a bit like Pocahontas.  A wild child.  Living in the woods.  It also causes you to think outside the decorator box.  Keeping it simple.  Yet beautiful.  Inexpensive, but not cheap.  Well thought out.  Yet organic looking.

Pocahontas |ˌpōkəˈhäntəs| definition :

An American Indian woodsy gal with long flowing locks of hair, a plethora of gorgeousness, living an eco-friendly life.   And a Virgin.

Just like me.  A virgin.  Did I just gross you out?  I think I just grossed myself out.

On to twigs.  I need to get that virgin part outta my head right now.

What would Pocahontas do with twigs?

1.  She would surely make furniture :

Twig chair made from cedar

Twig furniture created from Cedar Twigs & Branches

I technically tried to make this furniture.  Once.   This is why I drink.  I try and attempt twig chair projects.  Did you know that twigs can sprout wings and fly ?  They can in my world.  Pffft.  But look how they land so nicely on all four legs.

 A well trained chair :

Twig Chair DIY As a designer, I like the visual of the twig furniture in certain settings.  Like a treehouse.   Sitting in one is a whole different story.  If you take the sitting risk….get ready for the most uncomfortable chair on the face of the earth.  Just sayin’.  Pack some junk in your trunk.

 You need a lot of padding for a twig chair.  Like a truck load.

If you look closely, you will see that my barn cat FELIX attacked my twig chair.

 Bad ass.

That should have been a sign.  My clue to stay away from building twig furniture.  Why do I ignore the obvious?  I was hit with the stupid stick.  Excuse the pun.

The good news : A twig furniture class can be therapeutic.  Great fun to do with a gal pal. Take wine with you.   It will help you forget that your butt is numb.

2.  Pocahontas might even build a fence :

twig fence

How brilliant is that? It would be a great trellis for vine too.

A little warning:  Keep all kids at a good distance from this fence, if they are looking for a marshmallow stick.  Luckily, the branches aren’t whittled to a point. It would be a READY MADE marshmallow roaster.  It is super unique and made with FREE building supplies therefore it gets a high score in my books.

3.  How about a Bird Feeder?

It looks easier than making a twig chair.

twig bird feeder

4.  Jewelry holder :

It speaks for itself.  This little DIY is a snap to do.  You could also create it with old metal buckets, sap buckets, your fine china vases…whatever.  Pour concrete into a vase, stick in a funky branch (support it)  let it dry …and VOILA.  No more monkeys in a barrel for your necklaces.  Instead, you will have new problems.  Like …where are all the clean wine glasses?  P.s. Look in your garden.

Twig used to hold necklaces

Necklace PEACE. Twig to the rescue.

5.  Twig style of lighting:

A driftwood version:

driftwood light handmade in Bali

Driftwood light ~ Hand made in Bali

Now I suppose this next idea is not technically a twig.  There is a default excuse.  There is one in the background.  Why have typical lighting ? This one was $19 from HomeSense.  It is bamboo.  Or something twig-like.  We wallpapered the ceiling, and painted it white.  Wallpaper is from Home Depot.  Paint is Benjamin Moore – Chantilly Lace OC-65 in a semi-gloss.  Linen curtain is from West Elm.

twig lighting with twig curtain rod

6. Dear Swiss Family Robinson,

I am your long lost child.   The one you didn’t know you had.

Love,

Lynne (your virgin child ) xx

What a family. They solved issues with tree bark, twigs, and rope bridges.  They had sweet nooks to hide out in. They drank tequila juice from coconut shells.   I just made that up.

 I am sure they would have thought of this :

Hide an unsightly post with bamboo

Hide an unsightly post with Bamboo ! Saahweeet idea !

Not rocket science.  Not high tech.  Not main stream.  Yet…. Simply beautiful.

7.  Imagine this idea for an outdoor space, garden area, lanai  :

Twig window shutters

Does that make you want to live in a grass hut ? With twig window coverings.  Dream life. Never mind the monster lizards.  Ignore those.  When you are surrounded by palm fronds, twigs, sunshine and the smell of sweet salty ocean air…who the heck notices those big hairy lizards??!!

Uhmm.  Me.

Ok.  They don’t have hair.  The rest is true.

8.  This signage is a DIY twig no-brainer: 

 Wood background, painted white, slap on some twigs.  Ba-da-boom-ba-da-bing…

signage made with twig frame

9.  How about a fence with a funky sheer curtain AND twigs ?!  But of course.

Talk about peaceful. Simple.  Understated.  Different.  Cost effective.  Great privacy idea.  Ok, I can’t think of any more adjectives.  Very cool concept.  No one will see that you are highballing cocktails every night.

Twig fence with soft curtain

It may be beautiful to even paint these twigs in creamy white.

10.  Lighting.  With a stick.  A very long stick.  Ok, Bamboo.

 Every time I reflect on this next photo, I think about the hard time that some people give me {no names to protect the not-so-innocent}…when I say that we need more unique lighting in our lives.  It is not that complicated.  There is some seriously ugly crap out there in the retail lighting world.  Except the light in this next photo.  Check it out.  A light made with a piece of bamboo.  FREAKING BRILLIANCE.

Some of the best ideas are the simplest ideas

Don’t you wish you were sitting in that sand?  Even if the sand was stuck in your bathing suit bottom?  You wouldn’t care.  The margarita’s coconut juice would take your mind off of your filled drawers. Back to twigs.  Damn it.

11.  Little Miss Pocahontas smarty pants would undoubtably make a curtain rod.

Definitely. A curtain rod.

twig curtain rod

Twig Curtain Rod- LOVE

Have you priced a curtain rod lately?  I promise you, some of the ugliest curtain rods on earth are in a store near you.  You may need to take out a second mortgage to pay for them too.  It is redonk. Forget-ta-bout-it.  Make one.  Twig to the rescue.

Curtain Rod made from twigs

It is no secret that I have an undying love of twig curtain rods.  Pocahontas and I could absolutely be buds.  Except I would be jealous of her hair.  And the fact that the ‘Last of the Mohicans‘ was chasing after her in a loin cloth.  Or something hawt and sweaty.

Curtains would be a must for Pocahontas.  She must fend off the mighty hunky warriors in leather thongs sporting a bow & arrow.  There will be NO PEAKING in her windows.  How do you think she remained a virgin ? Window coverings.

 

A window without a curtain is like putting on a leather thong without the feather.  It just completes the look.

twig curtain rod with linen curtains

White painted twig with West Elm Sheer Linen Curtain

12.  Rooftop twig madness :

How coolio is that?  You can make a crap picture look all funky-like with a free photo app called Adobe Photoshop Express.  It is amazing what you can do to photos in the middle of night, when you can’t sleep.  Everything looks good in the dark, by the way.

twig roof top

Twig roof top with Ribbons, Petals and Buddha LOVE

13.  Driftwood.

The sight of driftwood renders me almost speechless.  So soft and smooth to the touch.  Organic.  Full of character.  If I lived near a beach…I would wear saddle bags with my bathing suit while gathering driftwood & shells for ….f.o.r.e.v.e.r.  Pocahontas would understand.

driftwood mirror

Driftwood LOVE

14.  Twigs in vase ~ hellooo…..

FREE and so easy to do.  Leave them natural or spray paint them WHITE.
Paint twigs with spray paint, or leave natural. Stunning.  Simple. 15.  Twig Loungers :

Need twigs but don’t have a tree?  Your neighbor should be afraid. Very, very afraid.  Lop off the branches when he isn’t looking.  He will never notice that you have a new lounger on your back deck made of his tree branches.

{This photo was easy to do with Adobe Photoshop Express App too}…right on your tele…

Day beds made with twig canopies

Twig Canopy Day beds with Sheer Curtains

Whateva…if your neighbor has a few less branches on his tree.  You’ve seen one branch, you’ve seen them all.  They all look the same.

He will never be able to IDENTIFY his so-called branches.

Aren’t you glad I’m not your neighbor?

Your trees would be NAKED.

 I would stand there looking all innocent-like.

* I would totally be the one who stole your tree branches *

My bad.  Your problem.

Lynne

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51 Responses

  1. Betty says:

    Hi Lynne, I live in Orange County.

  2. Betty says:

    Where can I find these twigs? Please help.

  3. Joanne says:

    Hi, I’ve made a few twig chairs, coat hooks, etc., but now I’m getting lazy. Here’s my latest using an Ikea chandelier as the base: http://pinterest.com/pin/209628557626597521/
    Love your blog!

    • Lynne Knowlton says:

      Joanne
      You ROCK OUT LOUD. I had that same chandelier and I didn’t think of that !!!!! Where is my third leg when I need to kick myself?! LOL. I LOVE LOVE LOVE your idea. Great job ! Great job !
      P.s. After a long time, if you get tired of it, I wonder what it would look like if you spray painted the whole thing WHITE including the twigs? Ok, I clearly have a white paint obsession. Smack me. Smack me NOW.
      Big hugs!
      GREAT WORK !!
      LOVE LOVE LOVE
      xx

      • Joanne says:

        Thanks, Lynne!! That’s like Martha herself giving me a pat on the back, but even better because you’re Canadian, right? My cottage is near Westport, Ont, and
        even though I love white, I’ll stick with the red for now. I can’t wait to add some fir boughs for Christmas. Take care!

        • Lynne Knowlton says:

          Ohhhh yah, I’m a Canuck ! Fir boughs for Christmas will be brilliant. A little bit of dogwood branches with splashes of red. Cranberries floating in water with floating candles. I can almost smell rum and egg nog from here. :)

  4. Marcia says:

    Love your site, Had a ball looking it over and think there may even be some things I can do myself(I am 65) My husband is not ,nor has he ever been a handy Andy.So when I surf the web and fall in love w/something ,I REALLY have to think about whether or not I can accomplish it. I think my absolute favorite is the twig curtain rods, LOVE EM!! I am pretty sure they will be showing up in my bathroom in the near future.and the plus side is, I have woods behind my house!!Lucky me! Keep up the good work.You inspire me beyond words.Thanks, Marcia

    • Lynne Knowlton says:

      Hi Marcia !
      The twig curtain rods are so awesome ! You will be thrilled with yourself, even without handy Andy. LOL. I sometimes buy throw blankets and even tea towels (!!!) and use the circular looped curtain holders to attach the tea towels/curtains/throw blankets to the twig rod.
      If you need to see a photo to know what I mean, I can post one for you on my facebook page. Just click the facebook icon on the top right side of my blog and it will take you there :)
      cheers !!
      Lynne

  5. Rook says:

    I love twigs and sticks too….. however, anything I attempt to do that requires the alter-ization (my word :D ) of a lamp or lampshade, my husband colloquially calls them Franken-lamps……. or Lampensteins….. depending on his mood. LOL!! Anyway, lovely blog, lots of laughs and chuckles while reading. Are you sure you aren’t my long lost sister? I am not a Robinson though…..?

    • Lynne Knowlton says:

      You could be my long lost sista !! Love it ….franken-lamps, lampensteins….tooooo funny !!! Try this one on your husband. Move furniture. When he comes home late at night, and goes to sit on the sofa…it isn’t there. hahahaaa! I move furniture all the time. Michael never knows where he is half the time. I feel like I just moved into a new house -it looks so different. Wooohhoo !

  6. Kathy says:

    I love the “Homage to Twigs” posting. I grew up in Alaska and have always loved rocks, shells, stones, twigs, driftwood, feathers, etc! I have collections of all which connect me to my home (now that i’m living away). Keep up the great posts!

    • Lynne Knowlton says:

      Hi Kathy
      Isn’t it ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE how much fun it can be to play with twigs, rocks, driftwood, shells and stones? Does life get any better than that?!! Thanks for sending the love about my blog posts, MUCH APPRECIATED.
      Big love, Lynne xx

  7. Pingback: Cover Boring Columns with Beautiful Bamboo | Bamboo Fencer Blog

    • Lynne Knowlton says:

      Thank you Bamboo fencer for the awesome feature that you did of the bamboo covered poles from my blog!! Greatly appreciated !! Lynne

  8. Marsha says:

    Great ideas with twigs. Love the chair and would like to try and make it. Do you have the pattern? I know it would not be very comfortable but I love the look of it.
    Thanks for all of your ideas.
    Marsha

    • Lynne Knowlton says:

      Hi Marsha,
      I wish I had the pattern for it, but I don’t. Darn. Poop. I am no help :) They are GORGEOUS to look at, aren’t they? I bet you could make one, just by looking at the overall design of one. Do you have cedar near you? Cedar or Willow are great to work with to make twig chairs.

      cheers!
      Lynne

    • Lynne Knowlton says:

      HI Marsha!
      Did you find a twig pattern?
      Lynne :)

  9. Fun post. Shared with Blue Velvet Chair facebook peeps today.
    My advent calendar this past year was made with a branch frame that fit the entire wall – I like to call it ‘forest glam’. If you want to have a peek:
    http://www.bluevelvetchair.blogspot.se/2011/11/make-it-merry-14-days-and-14-diy-ideas.html

  10. Alex says:

    Great. Now I want to go collect firewood and pick up some spray paint. Don’t get me started on window treatments. I am a curtain hanging fail. That curtain rod idea is fantastic!

    • Lynne Knowlton says:

      Wow Alex, You did a round the world trip today. You saw my old blog (that was a miracle) and my new one. You have already accomplished great things today. LOL…with worldly visits like that. I didn’t even think that was possible!
      No worries my friend, I have had many a twig land on my head and twirl out the window like a baton. We are like sista’s! Then, I go and sit down and have a big cold summer beverage.
      Lynne xx


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