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Showing posts with label junking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label junking. Show all posts

4.19.2023

junky bloomz!

spring, flowers, garden, garden art, garden style, diy decorating, DIY, decorating, trash to treasure, re-purposed, up-cycling, crafting, junking, junk flowers, junk blooms, plastic plate flowers, tutorial
'reduce reuse recycle' is the leitmotif of my design & decor approach...
i'd much rather use what i already have on hand here at home
than 'buy more, store more, discard more'.
by using what i have, i'm challenging my own creativity
and making my life easier by not having to wrangle more storage bins! 

as i was cleaning out a cabinet in my studio recently,
i stacked miscellaneous items on my worktable and floor.
as i turned to grab something to put it back in the cabinet,
i saw that some of the elements stacked together created a 'flower' of sorts...

and deb was off on a creative adventure!
(yes, i KNOW it's actually procrastination but just go with me here, ok?!!!)

continue reading to see how many different flowers i created with 'junk'!

6.23.2022

county fair centerpiece

summer,entertaining,party,just for fun,trash to treasure,dollar store crafts,junking,thrifted,up-cycling,re-purposed,Fourth of July,DIY,street party fun,block party fun,backyard decor party decor,flowers,floral centerpiece,vintage milk can, tutorial
when planning for our recent campout with our Lemon Drop Divas group,
i knew i would incorporate the 'county fair' theme in our trailer decor
along with lemons and yellow - it's a thing with us ;) 

so i did what i always do - looked around my studio
and house and garage and backyard
to see what i already had that i could incorporate into the decor.
it wasn't hard to find useful items,
especially considering that i have an entire studio filled with yellow stuff i've made!

continue reading to see how it all came together...

6.16.2022

easy-peasy county fair bunting

summer,entertaining,party,just for fun,trash to treasure,dollar store crafts,junking,thrifted,up-cycling,re-purposed,Fourth of July,DIY,street party fun,block party fun,backyard decor,party decor,bunting,banners,diy bunting, diy banners, tutorial
it's not a party without some fun decor,
and this easy-peasy bunting project is perfect for summer fun!

whether you're hosting a backyard bbq, a block party, or a birthday party,
making cute pennant bunting banners doesn't have to be hard.
i hate hard. i love easy.
so i'm always trying to find the easy way to decorate!

i recently made these bunting banners and they came together really quickly -
without sewing!

continue reading, and i'll show you how...

6.09.2022

county fair award ribbons

summer,entertaining,party,just for fun,trash to treasure,dollar store crafts,junking,thrifted,up-cycling,re-purposed,Fourth of July,DIY,street party fun,block party fun,backyard games,county fair award ribbons,award ribbons,county fair summer decor, tutorial
these fancy 'county fair'-style ribbons appeared in my last post,
as accents on the 'Dime Toss' game sign and the end of the game table.

they were pretty easy to create  - and are MUCH larger than anything i could find
in stores or online. plus, they had to be yellow!
so in typical Deb fashion, i made my own
using the fabric, ribbons, and other detritus stashed in my creative studio.

do you have plans for games at a Fourth of July or summer birthday party?
these could be the perfect decor accents -
or use them as actual prize ribbons!

continue reading to see my easy tutorial...

6.03.2022

county fair dime toss game!

summer,entertaining,party,just for fun,trash to treasure,dollar store crafts,junking,thrifted,up-cycling,re-purposed,Fourth of July,DIY,street party fun,block party fun,backyard games,coin toss game,dime toss for dishes game
it's SUMMER and time to party!
and quite by accident, i just created a HIT of a party game...
when our fabulous girl camping group the Lemon Drop Divas plan an event,
we go ALL OUT. WAY over the limit. everything is themed, with coordinated decor.

a campout in May was themed 'Lemon Drop Divas County Fair'
and it was packed with references to old time fairs. 
including a midway. yep!
we were all given the opportunity to create a 'carnival games' booth
as part of our own fair midway, to enjoy with our friends.

i was stumped... until i was sorting through a bunch of stuff we had here at home
and realized 'we have a LOT of wine glasses that we don't use!'
and when that thought combined with the carnival game concept,
i had a light bulb moment.

continue reading to see how easy it is to set something like this up!

3.22.2021

the daffodil queen

DIY,jewelry,junking,junk makeover,original designs,Mother's Day,re-purposing,seashells,trash to treasure,up-cycling,vintage,spring,flowers,daffodils,daffodil crown,crowns,tiaras,Junk Queen crowns,spring decor,spring gifts,birthday crown, spring crown.
it's my birthday week ;) 

and if there's ever a day that a girl deserves to wear a crown,
it's on her birthday / week / month. no matter her age!


a tiny wire crown (that i made over a decade ago)
has been embellished with tiny faux daffodils... my favorite flower...
and though i am not nor have ever been a bona fide 'daffodil queen',
i think maybe for today, i shall proclaim myself one!

continue reading for the simple transformation...

10.29.2020

screen dome pumpkins & leaves

fall home decor, fall decor, fall decorating, pumpkins, decorating with pumpkins,  junk pumpkins, junking, trash to treasure, Dollar Tree crafts, Dollar Tree hacks,  mesh pumpkins, diy, diy decor, diy home decor, painted pumpkins, faux pumpkins,  pumpkin crafts, crafts, crafting, mesh food covers, repurposed, upcycled
rummaging through a cabinet one day, i rediscovered four screen food covers.
they came from Dollar Tree and to be honest, i don't think we've ever used them.
so.... me being me.... it was time to turn these unused items into something else.

continue reading to see how easily i transformed them into pumpkins!
(i feel a bit like the Fairy Godmother in reverse.....)

9.28.2020

funky junky pumpkin!

pumpkins, pumpkin decor, decorating with pumpkins, fall decor, fall home decor, fall pumpkins, junk, junking, junk makeover, home decorating, autumn decor, trash to treasure, dumpster dive find, diy pumpkins, diy, diy decorating, diy home decor
this project has an interesting beginning:
i was taking our garbage cans out to the curb for pickup one morning.
and there at the curb was my neighbors' trash can...
with a fabulous, huge, ORANGE metal floor fan sticking out of it.

as i discovered upon further investigation, it was just a fan housing. no inner parts.
meaning the hard work had been done already - 
so how could i NOT snatch this thing up and repurpose it?!!!
especially when my whoooooole quarantine mission has been
to NOT spend money on craft or decor supplies. to just use what i have.
this thing shows up right in front of me, on my street. what am i supposed to do?!!!

i thought you'd agree.
so yes, in just a few seconds i did grab that fan housing right outta' his garbage can!
and i knew exactly what it was going to become...
last year, i made some junky fall pumpkins from similar salvaged metal parts.
and this version is even better!

continue reading to see several versions of 
the giant junk pumpkin that i made from it...

5.14.2020

salvaged junk potting bench

creative spaces, DIY, diy decorating, farmhouse style, fast cheap and easy, garden, furniture, industrial, junk makeover, junking, outdoors, re-purposing, rustic style, salvaged, spring, up-cycling, vintage, potting bench, galvanized metal, in the yard
spring and summer bring out my green thumb,
and having a potting bench to plant, replant, and putter around on is a necessity.

me being me, though, i'm not about to spend money on one!
i'd rather create something that is 'one of a kind' that no one else has,
re-using the junk and salvaged stuff that's already around the house...
so when i spied an unused plywood table extension in the garage, 
my mind saw it as a component of a potting bench for our backyard.
so last year, i got to work on it - and because i wasn't blogging then, i never shared it here.
with gardens on everyone's mind right now, i thought it was time to remedy that!

continue reading to see what ELSE i dragged out there to build this useful diy piece...

4.14.2020

seed packet-inspired decor

art, boho, crafting, decorating, DIY, diy decorating, farmhouse, flowers, found objects, garden art, junk makeover, junking, original designs, paper crafts, Posie Pails, re-purposing, rustic, salvaged, spring, trash to treasure, up-cycling, seed packets, garden seeds
spring is here, and things are starting to bloom!
looking for a fresh addition to our spring decor after removing the Easter eggs,
i found inspiration in one of my own past projects...

about seven years ago, i shared a project here on the blog that i called 'Posie Pails'.
basically, i combined a colorful floral seed packet, some twine, and a recycled tin can
and the result was garden-theme decor accents on the cheap:

art, boho, crafting, decorating, DIY, diy decorating, farmhouse, flowers, found objects, garden art, junk makeover, junking, original designs, paper crafts, Posie Pails, re-purposing, rustic, salvaged, spring, trash to treasure, up-cycling, seed packets, garden seeds
well, i just figured out how to make an even cheaper 'quarantine crafts' version of them:

because it isn't essential to leave the house for craft supplies,

 i found a way to use floral images clipped from magazines to create my OWN 'seed packets'!
.
continue reading to see how i turned actual trash into a springtime treasure....

4.12.2020

happy Easter

art, decorating, DIY, diy decorating, Easter, farmhouse style, garden art, junking, junk makeover, paper, paper crafts, re-purposing, rustic style, salvaged, rustic, spring, wall art, vintage paper, woodcrafts, wood cross decor, old wood, old books
wishing a happy Easter and a blessed Resurrection Day to all of you, my friends... 
and if you don't mind, i'm going to 'wax poetic' for a moment 
to share something important with you...

i've realized that one of the reasons i am so drawn to using 
old, scarred, damaged, discarded elements 
to create beautiful decor for my homes and to share with you here on the blog 
is that i myself have felt much the same at times... old, scarred, damaged, discarded. 
i long to not let the experiences and misfortunes that have made me feel 'less than' 
stop me from seeing beauty in life... and beauty and usefulness in the detritus.

when i salvage a bit of wood or an old rusted dented piece of metal, 
or pick up an errant bit of fabric or paper, and turn them into lovely home decor, 
i am finding a way to redeem those forgotten and discarded items. 

it soothes my soul to not let them stay there on the ground in a broken, dirty state, 
but to lift them up and clean them off 
and give them the chance to reveal the beauty that remains - deep within. 
it's not perfection, but it is beauty nonetheless.

do you see where i'm going with this, my friends?

this is what i know that God has done with me, and with many others i know: 
He has not left us to rot away in our broken, damaged state. 
He has not discarded us, but has lifted us up, 
given us the opportunity to be cleaned up and made useful and shiny once again. 
to reveal the beauty that He created within us to be seen once more. 

i have certainly seen that principle at work in my own life... 
that beauty can come from ashes, growth from destruction, and life from death. 
most especially, i see the way that my faith has given me a new start many times over, 
and a glorious hope for the future.

because of that faith in Him and hope for my eternal future, 
this day means a great deal to me
and i hope to live every day with the promise of Easter, of resurrection, 
in my heart and on my mind, guiding me through life.


i hope that you, too, will find your hope in Him. 

by the way, there's a really great story behind this wood cross planter that i made into wall art... 
check it out here

3.06.2020

greenhouse from salvaged windows

decorating, DIY, diy decorating, farmhouse style, garden, industrial, junk makeover, junking, original designs, outdoors, re-purposing, rustic style, salvaged, spring, up-cycling,
 going through an old journal, i stumbled across these photos... from 1995.
(that's so long ago that i used an old-school film-loaded camera and had them printed!)
they show a very sweet birthday surprise that my late husband created for me:
a small backyard greenhouse, made from vintage windows.

he covertly collected vintage windows and a door (free off of Craigslist!)
then built the frame and inserted the windows to make this charming little place for me...
it was one of the nicest birthday gifts he ever gave me.
(i just wish i had been a better photographer back then!)

continue reading for more photos, and details about how he built it...

2.24.2020

salvaged galvanized bucket fountain

salvaged, junk, junking, diy, garden, backyard decor, home decor, farmhouse style, rustic style, galvanized buckets, fountains, repurposed, diy, spring decorating, industrial style
when we moved into our newly constructed house almost four years ago, 
the entire backyard was nuthin' but dirt.
together, Mom and i came up with ideas for our own personal oasis,
i created a plan and sketches, and after a harrowing journey with the WRONG contractor,
we got the RIGHT guy - and our vision finally began to unfold.

when it came to the center of the yard design, we knew we wanted a fountain -
but we couldn't find anything commercially that we liked.
so i started looking at what we had and what i could do with it...
and what we HAD were some galvanized buckets and watering cans!

continue reading to see how i created an easy fountain with them...

1.06.2020

making a happy home

wood, rustic, farmhouse, home decor, diy, diy home decor, repurposed, thrifted, upcycled, winter decor, red accent color, whitewashed, barnwood, plaid
a brand new year is a fresh new start, in so many ways...
every year, i choose a single word to be my intention and focus (rather than resolution).
i like this approach, as it is more about 'be' than 'do'.
THIS year, my word is 'happy' - for many reasons.

Mom and i also select a word that is our shared 'Word of the Year',
something that reflects a purpose or mission or quality that we intend to pursue together.
and this year, that word is 'HOME'.

homewardFOUND decor blog, diy home decor, homeward FOUND, Debi Ward Kennedy
we chose it for a few different reasons...
but the really amazing thing is that as soon as we decided on it,
all KINDS of things started showing up to 'confirm' that it was the right choice:
things like songs, and sentiments in cards from friends, a book that a friend of mine was selling, 
and us noticing little objects we had around here already
that would bring the word 'home' resonance in our home and our daily life.
and when i combined my word with our word, it really came to life...

continue reading to see how our winter decor evokes a 'happy home'!

1.02.2020

create a cozy home with repurposed sweaters & blankets

sweaters, thrifted, upcycled, repurposed, trash to treasure, diy decorating, home decor, fleece blankets, cozy decor
on a cold winter-y January day, 
we can always count on a soft sweater and a fuzzy blanket to warm us up.
why not incorporate that into our HOMES?!
in my decor for the winter season, i did exactly that -
and let me tell you, it panned out much better than i ever could have planned!

continue reading to see how a fabulous thrifted find brought it all together...

12.29.2019

rustic junky new year wreath

rusty, metal, junk, junking, diy decor, home decor, thrifted, repurposed, upcycled, salvaged, junk wreath, 2020, new year decor
i love creating a fresh look on our front porch for each season. 
okay, it's not a porch. more like a 'vestibule' - long, narrow, and dark. 
(totally impossible to photograph well, especially with dark terra cotta colored stucco walls. but i try!)

that's why it's important to me to come up with a display here that will welcome guests.
i always bring in light colors, textures, and seasonal elements.
i have a plan for this area and am searching for a large lighter element to add this spring...

for winter this year, i chose rusty metal as the starting point.
some whitewashed wood elements, rope & twine, and rustic wood crates
(ALL things that i have used here before!) combined in a 'winter' scene.

continue reading to see more of our front porch decor...

12.25.2019

totally tiki-tastic holiday!

tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday, nativity
our Happy HULAdays theme begins at the front door, 
with a totally terrific tiki welcome...
i made these guys by simply painting faces on planks of pine wood from our garage.
if you look closely, you can see that i used the grain of the wood as part of each face design.

the 'Happy HULA days' sign is a piece of plywood washed with brown paint, then hand-lettered.
the HULA letters were painted onto a few of my giant letter tiles, and glued onto the plywood.
tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday, nativity
you might recognize a few of those tiki faces... 
on the left: Olaf from Frozen (complete with twig arms and hair), a stylized Small World clock face, and a completely doe-like face that just came outta' my paintbrush that way!
on the right: a sun-like face inspired by Small World, a tiki face discovered online, 
Santiki - also discovered online - and finally, Baymax from Big Hero 6. that's for my Dad <3

the 'enter with the spirit of Aloha' sign is one my Mom bought in Hawaii and has had for years
(it was in the tropical backyard weekend makeover i did for my Mom)

... and the fun is just beginning!
continue reading to see MORE of the tikis that i gathered and created for our decor this year!

12.24.2019

nativitiki - times two!

tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday, nativity
my thinking is: if you're going to do a Christmas theme, do it all the way.
the TIKI tree in my last post was just the beginning of our 'happy HULA days' theme...
i also created TWO incredibly cute nativity scenes with a tiki vibe.
(oh, and that name? well, as i was painting them, 
i thought to myself 'a tiki nativity. wait! nativi-tiki!' ... and it stuck!) 

i laugh out loud every time i look at this nativiTIKI in our living room! it's so happy!
grab a handful of macadamia nuts and continue reading to see all the tropical details...

12.23.2019

happy hula days!

tiki bar, tikis, tiki culture, tiki hut, tropical decor, happy HULAdays, home decor, diy decor, holiday home decor, holiday
 nope, this is NOT your ordinary Christmas tree...
THIS, my friends, is what our tree looks like THIS year: it's a TIKI TREE!

our 'Happy HULAdays' celebration theme has been a very BIG secret,
because my daughter and her hubby were coming to visit this past weekend.
and this whoooooole thing was a surprise for them!
now that they've seen it all, i can finally share what creative mayhem i've been up to!
(and OH my goodness, what FUN things i've made... there are SEVERAL posts coming this week)

so grab a nice mai tai or other rum drink, and click through to see the TIKI tree details...

12.20.2019

diy wire lampshade frame Christmas tree

junk, junking, junk tree, thrifted, upcycled, repurposed, wire lampshades, makeover, diy, Christmas tree
i created this tree last year, from lampshades and wire lampshade frames & a wire waste basket.
that was after i had stepped away from blogging, so i never shared it here... 
with a 'tree' theme running through all of my December posts, 
i thought it was fitting to include it now!

'continue reading' for the details...