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8.29.2013

I'm in the Bloglight!


Welcome to my guests from hometalk and the blogtalk group on facebook -
Thank you, Miriam Illions for featuring me and HOMEWARDfound today!
 hometalk is a FABulous community website where you can share, discuss, learn, and be AWED
by EVERYTHING having to do with creating & keeping houses. It's AMAZING!
I'm Deb and I'd like to welcome you to my blog!
 I'm a retail and home stylist, designer, and published writer.
[more on my 'Start Here' page]

Sweet Miriam Illions had this to say in the Blogtalk post:
"This week, the beautiful & graceful Deb Kennedy of HOMEward Found Decor is in the Bloglight!
Deb's story is inspiring and uplifting. She applies her creativity and fresh perspective 

not only to design & decor, but to all aspects of life. I am honored to feature you in the Bloglight today, Deb!"
[wow! she really makes me sound much better than I am!]

Miriam also asked a few questions to help you get to know me, 
so let's get right to those:

continue reading...


How did you get started blogging?


I've actually been blogging since 2004 on my personal blog Hummadeedledee...
which my sweet friend Amy Powers of Inspire Company helped me get started.
I floundered (repeatedly), and she patiently rescued me (repeatedly)...
she's my 'Patron Saint of the Technologically Disenfranchised'!
I began by blogging about decor there, but now it's more about what I am learning as I live.

This blog, HOMEWARDfound, started in August of 2012 - just a year ago!
My blogging and writing friend Donna Williams of Funky Junk Interiors (we met through FOLK)
was the 'coach' who kinda' kicked my rear into gear...

You see, in fall of 2011, my whole life changed. Everything I knew was suddenly gone.
By the middle of 2012, I was ready to do SOMETHING. I just didn't know WHAT.
Donna and I talked a lot about it, and she basically told me to:
just pick ONE thing I liked to focus on, 
GO FOR IT,
and start a new blog!

OK... so, I like to decorate!
I've always brought seasonal touches into my rooms,
and used 'found' and repurposed items in my decor.
When I combined that with the idea of sharing inspiration & tips on HOW to do it
[learned over my 35+ years as a retail display stylist],
the whole concept of this blog became about 'Seasonal Style at Home'

How did you decide on the name for your blog?

When it came to naming this new baby, well, I knew it had to be meaningful. And unique.
I thought about how I love to use found objects & materials in displays and decor,
how I had basically 'come home' to where I grew up in Southern California...
and then I threw my family name in there because it had to come from my heart...

and a name came to me:
home + Ward + found = HOMEWARDfound!
[yes, much like 'outward bound', it's all about the adventure - of decorating!]
I create my own logo graphics using my own photos, and enjoy changing them up every season.

What was your first post?

My first post was this one, explaining what my blog was going to focus on.

[ 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' is a fun phrase that have used as my trademark since 2002,
when I began writing and presenting seminars at retail gift shows & conferences.
It really IS about the way I decorate, and nuthin' else!]

What was the first project you posted?

The first project on HOMEWARDfound was a painted ceramic pumpkin 'before and after'.

It's still one of my own fave projects, partially because of the story attached to that pumpkin.

What are your favorite posts to read / write?

+
What is your most popular post to date on hometalk?

My favorite posts - and my readers seem to agree - 
are the ones where I use cheap (from thrift shops) or free (from the roadside!) materials 
and share how to use them in fresh new ways without a lot of work.
And also WITH a lot of work - like my FREE and Thrifty Weekend Makeovers!

Those same subjects have made their way into many of my regular contributions
for Broadway+Thresher, Creating Vintage Charm, and FOLK magazines
and press mentions in decor & lifestyle publications
Somerset Life, Where Women Create, and Romantic Homes.
My original Glass Lamp Globe Pumpkins are STILL one of the top posts on my blog, 
and are my most-visited and clipped post on hometalk.
My original creations are all about using things in a new way, too - 
like my original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,
which I originated in 2007 and posted in 2008 on my personal Hummadeedledee blog. 
I've been selling them ever since - and this fall, they appear in
the 'Halloween Tricks & Treats' Magazine from Better Homes and Gardens.
(Thank you, Lulu Tapp of DustyLu Photography)

 PS: Be sure to come back on September 1st, 2013, when I unveil something new:
 My goal is to constantly come up with fresh new ideas
for using what you already have every season of the year

As I continue this journey of discovering a new creative dream and place in the world,
I am so blessed to have this place to share and inspire and teach...
Most of all, I enjoy making new friends along the way!

Thank you again for visiting me, everyone...
Please leave a comment with your OWN bloglink in it, so that we can all visit YOU, too!

ah, bloglandia... it's a wonderful place to be... :0)

10 comments:

  1. Deb, thank you so much for sharing your story! I learned some new things about you today - including how beautiful you are inside and out! xo

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  2. Hi Deb!
    Congratulations on being in the Spotlight and I enjoyed reading about how you came up with the name for your blog. I have seen many of your wonderful projects on Hometalk and it's nice to know more about you through your feature!

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  3. Congratulations, Deb! I have admired you for quite some time and am so happy to have gotten to know you through your blog. You are an inspiration in so many ways. Thanks for sharing your story.

    Hugs,
    Mary Beth

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  4. I am so PROUD of you, girl! You've taken your idea and pushed it into a line of products! It just doesn't get any better than that!

    Thanks for the mention, but you did all the work. WTG!!

    Now... what's this cool new pumpkin all about... must watch over this one. :)

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  5. Congratulations on Bloglight! You're amazing! I'm glad I got to find your blog through this! Keep creating!! ~Tammy

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  6. Well I for one agree those glass globe pumpkins should be the most clipped because they are so awesome. I loved 'em, I copied 'em, and I love the ones I made too.

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  7. This is awesome, Deb! Your projects are amazing and it's so cool to see how blogging has changed your life!

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  8. I enjoyed hearing more about your journey through the Bloglight Deb. You are very inspirational and I look forward to following HomeWard Found Décor.

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  9. Congratulations! I'm sure I've pinned your glass lamp globe pumpkins. What a great idea! And I just read your previous post, and I am in awe of the change in those lamps! Enjoyed reading about your blogging journey. laurie

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  10. Congrats! Love your decor style & love to learn about another So. Cal. blogger!

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