rustic junky new year wreath

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...

tiki style tablescape

our Hawaiian holiday style continues onto the dining table...

using what we had on hand already, along with a few simple and inexpensive additions,
i was able to create a table that reflected the island style of our 'Happy HULAdays' Christmas decor theme!

as always, i try to keep the decor simple and easily removed, so we can play games or craft here.
'continue reading' to see the details...

totally tiki-tastic holiday!

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.

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!

nativitiki - times two!

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...

happy hula days!

 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...

diy wire lampshade frame 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...

rustic holiday tablescape

designed to coordinate with the contemporary rustic style of our 'tree' theme,
as seen in the faux wood junk trees in the background,
this tablescape is a study in simplicity...

wood tones & textures, clear glass, and mixed hues stand out amongst minimal foliage/greenery.

the bonus? this style is REALLY easy and fast to create!

'continue reading' to see the details up close...

ornaments... not just for trees

so usually, the BIG DEAL in a post on holiday decor is the Christmas tree.
sorry to disappoint, friends, but THIS is the tree that we ended up with.
my severe back pain limited my mobility and strength to the point where i knew
that i couldn't wrestle our normal 9' tree into the house and set it up. no way.

instead, i grabbed my little 4' white pre-lit tree that usually goes in my office/studio,
and a bar-height round table served to elevate it up to a decent height in the living room.
a vintage chenille bedspread served as a combination tablecloth/tree skirt,
and a slight few ornaments filled in the branches. and that was fine.
(it can't always be a big reveal, especially when one's health is at stake!)

but what was i supposed to do with ALL of the other ornaments
that normally fill our regular 9' tree?!

'continue reading' to see how i used some of them...

more sweet sweater trees!

today i was moving some things around my studio/office, and discovered some 'forgotten' trees!
i made them awhile back.... and loved them, 

but they don't go with the current brightly colorful scheme in this room.

so, i came up with a quick idea to CAMOUFLAGE them - with sweaters! 

continue reading to see the before & after...

copper 'junk' trees

paper trees aren't enough for the 'tree' Christmas decor theme i dreamed up, oh noooo...
i had to go rummaging through the kitchen cabinets (and, i admit, a few thrift stores)
to find MORE STUFF to make trees out of!
and THIS is where my crazy imagination took me:

stacking copper kitchen molds (usually used for gelatin, ice cream, cakes, even meatloaf)
into tree shapes.
although there was one that didn't need to be stacked... it already looks like a tree.
so i topped it with a snowflake cookie cutter.

i call 'em 'copper junk trees', even though this isn't really JUNKY junk.  

from the bottom of this stack, we have:
a copper cookie tin (from Costco, two years ago)
a large copper fluted ring mold
the LID from the copper cookie tin, flipped upside down
two medium-sized copper fluted molds
a copper funnel

i admit to gluing the funnel on with a dot of hot glue
because it just would NOT stay on there!!

on glass cake stands on the kitchen island,
they add the perfect bit of whimsy to the room.
(that wood fencing is just there for the photos)

OH! here's a thought... if your style is totally kitsch,
you could make these with shaped Tupperware pieces, too!
or use tiny little tart pans & containers to create small versions of these,
and hang the lil' trees ON your real Christmas trees.

yup. deb's really gone over the edge with this one, friends...
but hey, it's fun. and i think decorating should be fun.

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #505 

featured!

oh my goodness, thank you Miss Donna - TWO features!

diy salvaged junk projects #506

scrap paper tree wall art

i never throw away paper scraps. ever.
(because the moment i DO, i find a use for them! LOL)
when i had some thin strips of wood-patterned paper left over
from my faux wood tree project in my last post, they went into a drawer in my studio.
and just about about a day and a half later, i had a project to use them in:
a piece of contemporary rustic wall art for our gallery wall!

'continue reading' for the really easy details...

faux wood 'junk' trees

 this is not a collection of trees made from wood. nope.
it's a collection of trees made from wood-printed PAPER! 

'continue reading' to see more details of this easy and kid-friendly craft
that can be made with new or reclaimed materials -
a simple, inexpensive way to get a 'junk project' look for your holiday & winter decor!

sweet sweater... trees!

yep, i found something ELSE to use sweaters for!
( no, this isn't my original idea - i've seen some really darling colorful ones on the 'net! )
but this is ME, queen of sweaterdom, so i had to try to make my own versions of them...
and i like the simple, warm look!

'continue reading' for this super-simple holiday & winter decor project
made with thrifted / upcycled sweaters...

deb's top tree lighting tip

When it comes to lighting the Christmas tree at home, I'm a purist...

I like white lights: Mini, C7, C9, bubble, whatever kind I use, they are white.
Maybe you like multicolor - or ONE color!

Whatever your preference is, 

I have a tip for you when it comes to lighting the tree
(and how many of you are tackling THAT job this weekend?!)

that is guaranteed to up the sparkle factor!

continue reading to see what my ONE STEP TRICK is!

frosted fall leaves tutorial

"autumn is a second spring, when every leaf is a flower..." ~ Albert Camus

that's one of my favorite quotes about autumn.
i saw something the other day that caused that poetic line to spring to my mind:

isn't it pretty? i love the 'fall-into-winter' feel of the leaves shown here.
this image on writer Ann Voskamp's website inspired me to create
my own 'frosted fall leaves' for a simple Thanksgiving tablescape...
it's a really easy project, and it turned out perfectly.

continue reading for the easy tutorial if you need a last-minute Thanksgiving idea
that won't take much time at all...

friendsgiving fun

i just found these photos from a fall event that i attended several years ago, 

where i spotted some pretty & easy ideas for a simple and rustic dessert table - 

perfect for a gathering of friends on Thanksgiving!

the setup was simple: wood crates provide levels,
and food is presented in bushel baskets and arranged on wood slabs.
a few large branches with fall leaves add scale in the background (without requiring any work at all),
and a handful of small pumpkins scattered along the table add color.

<<< click 'continue reading' to see more tasty details!

thanksgiving tablescape round-up

well, here we are again, my friends... running at full speed toward the holiday season!

things can be pretty crazy this time of year, so to help prepare you for Thanksgiving, 

here's a round-up of my past posts sharing some tips, tricks, and ideas

for creating lovely table settings without a lot of prep & work...  

 click on each title to read the entire post, 

where you'll find all the details and resources to help you out!

.

#1: Vintage White & Tan Table

#2: Vintage Black White & Tan Table

#3: Spicy Table

#4: Spicy Table part deux

#5: Green Table

#6: Urban Style Table

#7: Urban Bar Buffet Table

#8: Vintage Pink Table

#9: Vintage White Table

#10: Vintage Silver Table

#11: Vintage Brown Table

#12: Fabulous Fall Tables

#13: Autumn Picnic Table

#14: Thanksgiving Tea Table

#15: Modern Table

#16: Kids' Table 

#17: Thanksgiving Buffet Table

#18: A Tasty Table

#19: Last Minute Table

#20: Simple Table

i don't know about you, but sometimes 

it seems that Thanksgiving gets lost in the rush of the holidays, 

receiving little attention and not much preparation

(yes, i DO 'fess up to totally forgetting the table decor one year!)

for me, setting a welcoming table to enhance the delicious food

is a simple way that we can encourage our guests to 

slow down and focus on the people who are most important to us...

may your Thanksgiving be a day of gratitude, generosity, and connection this year, 

surrounded by family, friends, or family AND friends...

and thank you so much for dropping in here for a visit!

  

junkie punkies!

some junk from my garage - hanging planter baskets and an old industrial fan - 

became 'Junkie Punkies' pumpkins for our front yard wheelbarrow display,

 with a quick spray of paint and a bit of imagination...

<<< click 'continue reading' for more details!

faux painted styro pumpkins - with curtain rod finial stems!

this week i was painting a few styro pumpkins, and a weird thing happened.

i tried to 'fix' it - and a cool thing happened. 

it's not at all what i planned, but i'm just gonna' share the results anyway!

so if you're looking for more ideas for fall decor,

grab some Dollar Tree styrofoam pumpkins - and let's get painting!

<<< click 'continue reading' for loads of tips... 

paper pumpkin art

on October 1, i FINALLY succumbed to fall and brought out my pumpkin decor!

yet there was one spot on my gallery wall that was too plain - lemme' 'splain:

a year ago, i covered an old painting with some vintage canvas,

 and have been pinning and tying things on it each season 

to coordinate with my changing decor.
(spring version in a past post here)

i stared at that empty thing for two days and had NO idea what to put on it...

until i saw a pile of scrap craft & wrapping paper in my studio.

orange paper. with polka dots and graphic lines. in varied shades. 

and then i knew what to do!

<<< click 'continue reading' to see the details...

NEW! Sweet Sweater Succulents!

well... i said i'd be back if the muse strikes again... and those gals are partyin' around here!!!

after my last (surprise!) post, i tucked those ping pong paddle cacti into a bucket in my office - 

because i am vowing NOT to decorate with pumpkins for fall until it FEELS like fall here.

(it's in the triple digits where i live. decidedly still summer weather.) 

and apparently, those lil' cacti have seeped into my brain - because I HAD ANOTHER IDEA. 

same story as before: 

flash of creative energy. trip to the thrift store. making a mess in my studio. and it worked!

the best thing about this one? it makes use of something i've done before:
i took my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin tutorial... and made a CACTUS!

of course, i just HAD to share it with you!

<<< click 'continue reading' for my new 'Sweet Sweater Succulents' tutorial! 

well, hello, pumpkins!

(i know, it's been a year since i closed this blog! i wasn't going to post anymore!
but a recent project is SO easy and SO worth sharing with you that... well, here i am again!)

a while back, i had an idea for a new decor project.

it was inspired by some scrap wood cacti shared by 'A Crafty Mix'
on Funky Junk Interiors Junk Projects Party #474 ,

only my idea was to use *a particular wood item* as the basis of my repurposed cacti.
then i forgot all about it. (hey, it's summer....)

this past week, for some strange reason, that forgotten idea morphed into a new one.

and it was pumpkins, natch. i mean - this is me, the former pumpkin queen. 

what ELSE am i gonna' be thinking about as fall approaches, right?

i've designed my original sweet sweater pumpkins, glass lamp globe pumpkins,
tin can pumpkin pails and faux concrete painted pumpkins

...and shared them all with you here on the blog. 

so with my 'pumpkin brain' engaged, i made a stop at the local Savers thrift store,

and they had exactly what i needed. i saw it, i liked it, i wanted it, i got it. (yeah).

and then... i painted it!

<<< click 'continue reading' to see what i did - and what i used!

diy home decor for every season

my original diy seasonal decorating content is always available here on hwF... 

simply click on these images to access archived posts for that topic:

thank you so much for visiting homewardFOUND!

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* see post below this one