SPRING: Pine Cone Carrots!

My sweet lifelong friend Kim came to So Cal on my birthday weekend, and even though it was to attend a concert, she made time to meet me for lunch. She gave me a gift that is just SO fun that I had to share it with you: I give you Pine Cone CARROTS! 

Kim and her guy J teamed up to gather pinecones on her Northern California property and transform them into carrots for her spring decor. Kim followed a tutorial but she can't recall where she found it - so I'm going to do my best to give you a quick rundown of the project.

Continue reading for a 'tutorial - lite'!

SPRING: repurpose a lampshade frame as a cloche

My sweet aunt Diane gifted me a terra cotta bunny figure in March for my birthday, along with a lovely lunch at one of our local wineries. After the celebrating was over, I came home and created a sweet little springtime vignette starring that bunny... and I thought I'd share this idea with you, since it is SO simple to replicate!

Continue reading to see how it all came together, plus some additional ideas...

SPRING: 'bunny ears' floral bouquet

 

With April's arrival, Easter draws closer... and while I like to focus on 'seasonal' decor rather than specific holidays, sometimes ideas pop up and I just have to run with them!

Back in 2023, I created a small floral project for Easter using tiny white ball flowers and some daffodil leaves. This year, I was looking at the green hydrangeas that I used in the 'floral bouquet in a purse' project shared a few weeks back, and decided to replicate that older project - in larger scale. 

Continue reading to see how easy it is to create this fun bouquet...

simple paper strip nest

how did we get to the end of MARCH already?!!

this last post for the month - though certainly not my last spring project - 

was a thought that occurred to me as i was working on my

new 'Sweet Sweater Nest' creations late last month (post linked below)...

this nest is made using the same basic method as the sweater nest,

but with a different material: paper strips.

i've chosen to use some of my 'painted paint chip paper' strips to make mine - 
remember back in 2020 when my theme was paint chip crafts ALLL year long??!

to fit your own style, this project could easily be done using vintage sheet music,

elegant gift wrapping paper, or even colorful comic pages.
it's a fun way to up-cycle any paper you have on hand!

continue reading for a great last-minute spring project
PLUS a tip for filling your Easter baskets easily! 

how i see Easter... an essay

for the past eight years or so, i've been sharing an essay on my facebook profile on Good Friday, Saturday, and Easter Sunday.

three years ago, i published it in its entirety on my blog - because it is a message that is so important that i want it to remain after i am gone, i want it to last and make a difference.

this year, instead of publishing my essay in parts, i'm going to share the link to where it lives on my blog. it's been hidden away on a page, with a link in the sidebar, but now i'm being brave and publishing a link to it in a post on this Good Friday because i don't want you to miss it. i do this in hope that my friends and family and blog readers and social connections will take a moment to click the link and to read the words that i know are the best i have ever written, the most important thing i will ever have to say, and to consider just why it is that i put this out there on a public platform, opening myself up to the inevitable reaction that will come.

it's because i care about what really matters in the lives of the people i care about from an eternal perspective... because we're spiritual beings having a human experience right now, but when our human bodies die, our souls live on. our souls all have eternal life. death is not the end of life, only the end of the body. the question is, where will that eternity be spent? with God, or separated from Him? i know i'll be with Him, and with many many loved ones who have accepted His truth.

...and i want you to be there, too i hope you hear my heart in this. i hope you hear the truth. i hope you accept it.

click this link to read my essay:

https://www.homewardfounddecor.com/p/how-i-see-easter.html

with love,
deb

Pyrex pattern Easter eggs

these happy Easter eggs were inspired by vintage Pyrex bowls
AND by two previous projects i've created inspired by them.

'inspiration comes from everywhere' is a phrase many creatives use.
it's certainly true for me, as well as 'inspiration comes from nature'.
another source of inspiration for me is my own previous projects.
i love using similar concepts and elements from my stash
to create new 'home decor that's not from a store' in different seasons!

i hope you enjoy my last Easter decor project this year!
be a good egg and continue reading for a really easy tutorial...

flower bunnies

spring has arrived, April is here, and Easter is on the horizon...
this truly easy floral project will add some fun to your spring decor!

whether you make it with faux or fresh flowers,

it's sure to make everyBUNNY smile ;) 

continue reading to see how you can replicate my look!

Easter egg mushrooms!

my last post for  March Mushroom Madness  
wraps up with this creation... just in time for Easter!

why not decorate for spring with mushrooms, along with the bunnies and eggs?
ah, but these are no ordinary mushrooms - these are made from eggs!
you can use REAL eggshells, as i did, or simple plastic eggs to get this whimsical result.

(i know, eggs are really pricy right now! i always save the shells to use in my garden,
but i'm always happy to turn 'trash' into 'treasure' via crafting!)

 continue reading to see how easy they are to create...

my FAVE spring decor projects

even though we're currently enveloped by abnormally cold weather here
and it feels a bit like winter is never going to end,
it's time to start the spring season decorating!

looking back, i'm honestly surprised by
how many ways i've refreshed my homes at springtime over the years...
 some of those projects have been successful in more than one home

as i re-create them in new versions + colorways.

over the past ten years of blogging here at homeward found decor,

i've shared hundreds of my original diy home decor projects

in 743 published posts since i launched this blog in August 2012.

if you've been reading my blog for the past decade, THANK YOU FRIENDS!

if you're a newer visitor, i hope you enjoy discovering some of my past creations

as i share a look back... 

continue reading for some of my FAVE past spring decor projects!

the old rugged cross

in my last post, i shared my new faux Kintsugi painted eggs,
and in the background of a few shots you saw a small collection of wood crosses.
today, i'm focusing on those and how they are made from 'everyday' materials.

Easter arrives in just a few days, and it is one of the most important days of the year to me.
my faith is built on the miraculous events celebrated on this day centuries ago,
and my hope resides in the promises God made about what it all means for the future.

Easter is also the day that my sweet Dad went home to Heaven seven years ago,
just as the sun was rising and beaming through the windows onto his peaceful face...
a precious reminder about what is really important in this life.

having a cross (or collection of crosses) in my decor is important to me,
and i love being able to make them unique and personal.
i hope these ideas inspire you!

continue reading for details...

faux painted 'kintsugi' easter eggs

last fall, when i created my faux painted 'kintsugi' pumpkins,

i knew they were just a 'practice project'...

because i always envisioned that paint treatment on eggs, for Easter.

honestly, i couldn't be happier with the results!

this is a simple paint treatment with elegant results,

one that can be applied to any type of egg - paper, ceramic, wood, glass, or real eggs.

continue reading for my easy tutorial...

paint palette eggs!

this one came to me one day while i was going through my bins of spring decor.

back in 2020 i made some simple Easter eggs with varied finishes on them,
and as i saw those in the bin, i realized that their shape was very much like
the paint palettes that artists use... and a new creative idea was born!

...continue reading for this easy project

(and to see what those 'paint palettes' are REALLY made of!)

tiny thread nests

springtime always brings me back to making different kinds of bird nests...

they represent spring, and also connect to the practice of 'nesting',
making a home fresh and clean as well as warm and welcoming. 

today i am sharing a new nest i've created this month,

inspired by talented artist and designer Cathe Holden.

i recently saw a photo of one of her sweet little nests made from sewing thread,

and was so charmed by the utter simplicity of it that i just had to replicate the idea -

 using yellow thread, of course!

this was a truly 'fast, cheap, and easy'TM project that i think you'll love,
and it would make a perfect treat at each place setting on your Easter table!

continue reading for the easy details... and more about my muse, Cathe!

easy no-mess Easter basket grass

while i have always loved creating holiday decor,

i do have my limits... Easter grass is one of them.

(my theory is it was created by the same people who invented Legos.

to drive parents - specifically the parent who does the cleaning - batty.)

since i hate the mess  of plastic grass strands wrapped around the vacuum bar!!,

i've found other materials to use in Easter baskets that reduce the mess and fuss.

yes, paper shred works - but it's still a mess.

i've found a way to get the same effect as grass

without the resulting mess and cleanup...

and you might be really surprised at how cheap and easy this solution is!

continue reading for my sly little trick (that has an added benefit!)...

be a good (repurposed) egg

last spring, i created several decor elements inspired by paint chips. 

okay, okay... i basically spent most of 2020 finding creative ways to use paint chips! LOL

this year, i've pulled those out of storage and found fresh new ways to use them...

because the yellow just serendipitously fits my current color obsession perfectly

AND

because it's not necessary to have/buy/make ALL NEW things EVERY year.

(i felt a great disturbance in the force as retailers across the globe shuddered at that...)

it's fun finding new ways to use what you have!

continue reading to see the new ideas that i came up with...

happy Easter

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

a sunny bunny Easter table

 i dunno' what the weather is like where you live, but here, it's positively murky.
gray, rainy, COLD (relatively speaking - it's cold for us!), and dismal.
this whole isolation/quarantine/stay home order would be a LOT easier
if the sun would shine and the weather would warm up 

so we could spend time outside in our yard!

sometimes, we can't wait for the sunshine - or spring - to come to us. 

we have to go to it.
and since we can't go anywhere right now, we have to CREATE a sunny spring.

that's what i did for our Easter table - i created some sunshine!
i grabbed everything yellow i could find and put together a simple, easy, happy tablescape

that's made up of just 'everyday' stuff, coordinated by color.

my homebound friends, you can do this in just minutes with ANY color you have on hand!
don't let being stuck inside the house because of weather or quarantine stop your celebration.

continue reading to see more details that i hope will inspire you to 'get to spring'...

NEW! Sweet Sweater Bunny Tails!

just when you thought i had made everything possible with upcycled sweaters...
introducing the springtime creation that has evaded me for years:
Sweet Sweater Bunny Tails! 

this happy spring project made use of some sweater remnants found in a bin in the garage -
including a pink sweater Santa hat!
using the same method as my famous Sweet Sweater Pumpkins, it all came together fast.
i actually spent more time snapping photos and editing them than making the bunny tails!

continue reading to see just how quickly you can make these for Easter...

easter eggs on parade

it's April first - and rather than share a joke or a prank, 
i hope you'll enjoy this slideshow of Easter egg decorating ideas

pulled from my past homewardFOUND blog posts!

for more inspiration, 

see all past Easter egg posts here

painted easter eggs

while employing this mandatory time at home to accomplish some long-overdue tasks,

i've unearthed some goodies that i completely forgot that i still had!

(tell me i'm not alone. please. i can not be the only decor/craft-supply hoarder out here!)

.

seven ceramic eggs that i bought at a thrift shop years ago turned up in a box,

and as soon as i saw them, i decided to give them a makeover with paint -

and pictured them just as you see them in the image above.

because it's all about making do with what we have at home right now, yes? yes!

continue reading to see the before & after!