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Showing posts with label Sweet Sweater Snowmen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sweet Sweater Snowmen. Show all posts

12.30.2022

my FAVE winter decor projects

all of the Christmas decor is packed up, and i've been thinking about winter decorating
and all of the many ways i've 'warmed up' my homes every winter over the years...
 some of those projects have been successful several times 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 733 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 new here, i hope you enjoy discovering some of my past creations
as i share a look back... 

continue reading for some of my FAVE winter decor projects!

2.15.2021

snowbuddies!

colorful home,Pantone color of the year,crafting,DIY,diy decorating,junk makeover,re-purposing,up-cycling,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Snowmen,winter,trash to treasure,Pantone 2021,Illuminating Yellow,Ultimate Gray,yellow and gray decor,snowmen,sweater snowmen,winter home decor,decorating for winter,snowman decor,diy home decor
do ya' wanna' build a snowman?!
(given the current weather conditions across the continent, maybe not!)

nothing around here is safe from my current obsession with Illuminating Yellow...
not even projects & products that i made yeeeeeears ago.

i grabbed a few of my Original Sweet Sweater Snowmen TM  
and used some craft supplies to create a brand new winter wardrobe for them.
now they can be in display in my office for the rest of this wintery month!
(even though it's cold here, it never snows. so this is all the 'winter' i get)

i love how adding a few new details can update decor - on a budget, naturally. 

continue reading to see the before & after...

2.12.2020

a quick Valentine's Day table to love

hearts, valentines, home decor, tablescape, red, sweet sweater snowmen, gift wrap wall art, diy, party, winter
the truth is, incorporating seasonal decor in my home
all started for the simple reason of making my four children smile.
i loved doing things each month that would delight them, and make them feel special...

every month of the year, there is a holiday - some are major, some are minor.
and if there wasn't one on the calendar, i'd make one up: "It's SUNSHINE day!"
on the 'big day' (whatever that was - including birthdays), 
the kitchen table would be decked out colorfully in the theme for the day.

a fun breakfast table and a special treat like cookies, stickers, or a tiny stuffie from the dollar store
started their day off in a happy mood and let them know that they were special to ME... 
worth the effort to make things fun just for them.
(what can i say? decorating is my love language!)

now, i'm not ashamed to say that we had very little money while raising our four kids.
so i didn't run to the store and grab a bunch of new decor each month...
i simply looked around the house and pulled together things we had that were the right color
(toys, books, crafts made by the kids, decor accessories, flowers, etc)
and made little decor elements out of scraps (sweaters!) and trash (paper!) to coordinate.
i literally 'shopped the house' to create a fun atmosphere for my kids.

today, i'm sharing how i did exactly that with what i have on hand right now!

 continue reading to see how to simply pull together a few items from your home
and instantly create a sweet table to enjoy on Valentine's Day...

12.03.2017

homewardFOUND holiday shop

 I've been extremely blessed to have found a HAUL of vintage and handmade holiday goods
that I am thrilled to offer you in my homewardFOUND shop this month...
as a matter of fact, I ended up with SO MUCH STUFF that it wouldn't fit in Room #1!

 so shop owner Stephani came up with Plan B, and I worked some magic! 

(click on 'read more' to see what I did....)

11.28.2017

Happy HAULidays!

 Jingle & Jangle are getting excited!
These darling vintage elves will be in my shop soon - along with a lot more!

I've been pricing and making and prepping my huge HAULiday stash
to go into my homewardFOUND shop in Room #1 at Needful Things Addiction.
(there is SO MUCH MORE than I can even photograph right now)
and then.... Plan B happened.
The store owner asked for my help with a project - and OH am I glad I said yes!!!

Today I spent a few hours down at the store, prowling through some storage rooms
that are FILLED with amazing furniture and accessories, 
selecting some for fixtures and then getting to work turning an empty room
into a setting for a holiday happening!

That room is Room #3, and it's right next to my regular spot, Room #1...
I'll be filling it with my haul of handmade originals and vintage finds in bright happy colors
for 
the BIG EVENT this coming Saturday:
 .
Some new holiday things in soft neutrals will be headed into my 'regular' shop in Room #1, too!

I'll share some 'sneak peeks' here and on my social media pages
as soon as it's all set up and ready... and I hope you can make it out on Saturday -
I'll be at the store in the afternoon and evening to help out, 
and I'd love to meet you!
.

11.06.2017

a happy holiday is on the way!

I know we're right in the midst of Thanksgiving prep, my friends,
but I just found something that I couldn't help but share!

I've been hunting and gathering and making all kinds of happy holiday goodies
that will be making their way into my little shop in Room #1
inside the Needful Things Addiction Marketshoppe in old town Lake Elsinore, Ca.
just a few of the sweet vintage treasures that I've found...
there's ever so much more, but some things need to stay secret ;) 

and as soon as I opened up a big box in the garage and saw what was in it,
I just knew that some of you would be really happy...
because my original Sweet Sweater Snowmen will be headed to the shop!
yep, I found all of these guys. and some BIG guys.
and some Sweet Sweater SnowBABIES, too!

these are perfect for your holiday decor & gift giving, 
because they work as decor well into February!

my holiday wares will be headed into the shop for Thanksgiving weekend
and an upcoming Dec 2 event in our store... stay tuned for details SOON!

12.10.2016

creating a warm welcome

sometimes you just can't find what you want out there in a store...
not even in a vintage / antique / thrift store (my fave places to shop)
it looks perfect in your head - but it doesn't exist yet.
oh how i LOVE that! 
i find i'm most creative when i have to get resourceful and make what i want.

case in point: an 'old'-looking sign that said JOY.
when i couldn't FIND one, i MADE one...
by simply painting block letters on a piece of plywood that was in the garage,
using regular house paint (flat white, with a slight tint of yellow to age it)
then adding a brown 'shadow' with a wash of thinned brown paint.

the FINAL touch to give it a 'vintage feel' was to paint in some circles of glue,
and then sprinkle those with some old glitter. 
(this photo shows the glitter circles in the letters a bit more clearly)

to coordinate this entryway display with our holiday theme, 
i gathered up a lot of textural sweater-y / knitted things like a blanket, a scarf, snowflakes,
and a few of my past winter seasonal products/creations:
a Sweet Sweater Snowman TM, Burlap & Sweet Sweater Santa Hats TM,
and a sweater-or-scarf wrapped wreath.
(click for links to posts - sweater hats posts were removed when they sold out)

with all of these items stacked on a vintage sewing machine case 
and hung from our old porch post coat rack,
our entry hall now welcomes us and guests in from the wintry weather.
(LOL... NOT! it's never that cold here
... and that's pretty JOYful!

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects # 501

11.27.2015

Holiday & Christmas Decor Inspiration

Over the past 40 years,
I have had the great blessing of creating beautiful Christmas decor
for many residences and businesses...
for Four Seasons Hotel & Microsoft executive homes,
for many small businesses like Molbak's Home+Garden store 
for big huge famous businesses like Chateau Ste. Michelle and Columbia wineries,
and the Disneyland Resort. 

Now I share my tips, tricks, and ideas here on homewardFOUND decor!
You'll find loads of Holiday inspiration here...

continue reading...

12.17.2014

Black & White & Winter All Over!

It's finally beginning to look a bit like Christmas around HOMEWARDfound central!
I've been so busy working that I didn't even remove the fall pumpkins from my office until SUNDAY.
Yes, you read that right.
I debated even decorating at ALL, but the urge got the best of me and I went for it - 
although in a different way than I usually do.

This year, I decided to focus on decorating for the winter season
rather than just for Christmas...

I don't have tons of bins of Holiday decor anymore, just a few with special items,
so I selected some things from there
and then added in everyday 'stuff' that helped me create a color scheme.
I went for a crisp black, white, and silver look:
.
The shelves on the wall in the office are rather triangular,
so when filled they remind me of a tree shape.

Along with my growing black & white coffee mug collection,
I used sparkly paper bags from the dollar store, two of my Original Sweet Sweater Snowmen,
a glass nativity scene, white tissue snowflakes, sparkly glittery metal branches, a lace mask,
and the rare white candy canes that I have been hauling around since 2009
(and OH are they STALE!)

Here are a few of the other elements I used:
 I do still collect white Santa china & ironstone mugs...
I wash all of the red paint off of them, though, so they fit my pale neutral color scheme!
This year, I found these tiny little tophat ornaments at Dollar Tree,
and they sit perfectly on top of the smallest size mugs!
 You've seen this truck before... it has a place of honor every season, 
because it reminds me of my Grandpa Ward's truck.
And the castle ornament.... well, I don't really need to explain that one, do I? ;)

Across the room, a breakfront/dresser is a large display space,
and I have been putting the tree here each year...
This year, I decided to create a DIFFERENT kind of tree...
 and used my wire tomato cage dome instead!
I could have used a plain ol' wire tomato cage tree,
but I was lazy and in a hurry and so I used what was already in the room.

 I placed the dome on a platter on top of a china pedestal bowl to raise it up,
and my special vintage ornaments in silver hang delicately from the wire crosspieces.
A birdsnest that I made cradles a broken ornament at the base of the dome,
and a mini-sized tophat that I bought at Disneyland serves as a jaunty dome topper.

 White china & ironstone holds more ornaments across the vignette,
and some black accents really POP against the white... especially that Chanel box :)
 Last Christmas, when I was having a blast with my kids and grandkids in Seattle,
I bought the white ceramic Space Needle salt & pepper shakers.
(They were the least cheesy souvenirs I could find down at Pier 39!)

Then this year, I found the white ceramic Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.
(I love the way the snowflakes show up behind it in the flocked black shadow box frame here...
they remind me of the Disneyland fireworks!)

As I worked, I realized that I have a growing collection here - figures of the places I love best!
Now my plan is to find a ceramic figure of the Alamo in San Antonio
(even if it's not white, I can paint it white)
and then some other places that are really special to me.
I can use them in my decor all year long, instead of just at Christmas!

 Just a few more detail shots of little decor touches...
I don't have the light strands for the clear bubble lights anymore,
so I just piled them into an enamel pail. They still make me smile!

Another handmade nest found a home in an ironstone chamber pot,
hung by its handle on an old wood gate section.

...and my vintage wire shopping cart corrals all of my gift wrap supplies!

SO, even though I waited a REALLY long time to get my decorating mojo on,
it was worth the wait.
Mostly because I don't have to take it all down in two weeks!!!

LINKED UP:
Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

2.04.2014

I'm Stuck On You, Valentine!

I have a PRIZED collection of Mary Engelbreit Home Companion Magazines
[EVERY issue!] and turn to them often for seasonal inspiration.
Mary is such a champion for independent artists, small businesses, and creative spirits,
filling the pages of her lovely publication with color, fun, and 'Breit Ideas'...
Like so many others, I miss this magazine - but I do understand why she discontinued it.

Recently, I was thumbing through past winter issues of MEHC,
and saw a really cute and simple craft idea on the pages.
Since it's something I have already done myself, I thought I'd share it with you.


Before I drafted this post, I messaged Miss Mary on facebook,
and asked her permission to show a few pages of her marvelous magazine in my blog post -
and she replied 'That would be great, Deb! Thanks for asking first!'
SO.... with permission from 'The Queen of Everything', I shall proceed!

Here are the pages I saw in the February/March 2005 issue of MEHC Magazine
... when I saw them, I immediately thought of THIS little creation of mine:
I made this tiny 'foofoo faux food'TM ice cream sundae pincushion a long time ago.
I MAY have even been inspired back then by this very article in Mary's magazine!
.
Inspired all over again, I made use of some stuff that I had on hand:
red sweater scraps, leftover trimming, polyfil stuffing, and some miscellaneous containers,
and created a few MORE pincushions:

An errant cupcake wrapper and an ironstone creamer are perfect pincushion bases,
and my Original Sweet Sweater Snowmen are pulling double-duty as happy pincushions!
[PS: I still have a FEW of them left - for sale now in the HWf SHOP ]
I unearthed several of those 'tomato' ('strawberry'????) pincushions, too,
and popped them into other containers just for fun.

How 'Fast, Cheap & EASY'TM is this?!!!

As the article in Mary's magazine suggests,
this would be a simple craft project and great gift idea for Valentine's Day!

My quick collection of pincushions now populates the wall shelves in my office...
Joined by a pair of sweater-covered pillows and a cableknit throw on the sofa,
it's a happy corner with easily changed Seasonal Style!

[oh, and that 'D' on the shelf? It's a lil' something I just whipped up, using
a pressboard letter, some old giftwrap, and two round pieces from a place card kit.]
Does it look like something specific? Like maybe MOUSE EARS? IT IS!
I'm celebrating... because my lifelong dream came true last Friday afternoon...

I now work for the Walt Disney Company!!! 
____________________________________________

I'd like to offer my deepest thanks and gratitude to Mary Engelbreit,
for her permission to show the pages from her treasured MEHC Magazine!
This woman has a heart of gold, and I admire her so...
Connect with Miss Mary on her 
website, blog, and facebook page!

OhMiGosh...have MERCY!

Miss Mary shared my blog post on her own facebook page today!


shared online:
 
Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}


1.14.2014

Creative Winter White Decor

My recent 'Winter Whites Inspiration' post is BLOWING up my stats!
Since you liked that so much, I thought I'd share a little MORE on that subject...
featuring some of the current white decor in my office.
[some of it can't be revealed yet, as it is scheduled to appear in print soon!]

Before we focus on the decor, here's a little 'New Year' development:
I don't make resolutions. I choose a 'Word of the Year' instead...
it works much better for me to have a word as a 'touchstone' of sorts,
to help me stay on track with the goals and pursuits that are most important to me.
[While resolutions just seem to feel like never-achieved, guilt-inducing lists]

My Word of the Year for 2014 is CREATE.

Not just due to the long-overdue revelation that 'I can Create the Life I want to live',
but also the pursuit of FUN. 
As in, Creating just for FUN instead of always as content for publication or this blog.

My post about the mannequin form made from a tee shirt was part of that approach:
I just made it for ME and had fun in the process.
Then when it works, I can go ahead and share it here on the blog!

When I removed all of the holiday decor from my office last week,
I replaced it with vintage-inspired winter white decor, using things I had around the house:

 I enjoy creating seasonal tableaux on these small display shelves.
Let's take a look at the elements I used -
and I know it won't surprise you when you realize that you've seen MANY of these items before!

 On the top shelf shown up above, there are three photo frames...
You've seen the one on the far left in my post about framing a sweater remnant.
The large and small baroque frames holding my word 'Create' used to say 'Dream' -
 as they did in this post.
This is a great way to focus on my Word of the Year.

The two white ceramic Space Needle figurines are salt & pepper shakers - 
I bought them in a schlock-y souvenir shop on the Seattle Waterfront at Christmas,
because I wanted an ornament to commemorate this Christmas with my family.
Problem was, every ornament in the shop was just plain TACKY. Not my style at ALL.
These shakers fit right in with my white and neutral decor scheme for everyday enjoyment,
and will easily be made into tree ornaments next Christmas!

The white ironstone creamer and mug are among the last few remnants of a HUGE collection.
[ I shudder at the thought of how many pieces shattered when the new kitchen shelves fell off the wall.
Priceless, special sentimental pieces - gathered and given to me by friends.
I posted about that project on HOMEtalk.
Or how many pieces I gave away when I moved from Seattle to California.... ]
I snuggled a rhinestone crown around the mug, just to add some icy sparkle.
The NeSt is one I made myself from daylily foliage, shared in this post,
and the branches are the antique glass-glittered ones that mysteriously appeared on my front steps!
I've used them in this years' Christmas tree and tee shirt mannequin.

On the lower shelf, I assembled some small items...

The snowflake-pattern plate showed up in this post last Winter.
The little white truck is very close to the same truck style that my Grandpa Ward used to drive...
and even without tires, it takes me on many sentimental journeys.
That little truck has been around for a LOTTA' years...
The glittered 'D' and crown way up on top came from a Michael's Crafts bargain bin last year,
and the Monopoly playing pieces are just something I love to collect when I find them.
[ I love galvanized metal and these just fit right in with that! ]

On either side of the truck are two of my funny little JUNK Snowmen.
Sweet Sweater Snowmen are the new creation that I sold this past Holiday season.
Thankfully, I was smart enough to grab two of these for myself before they were all gone!
I have happy memories attached to the little tin cans they are made in,
as well as the Cliquot Club soda caps that adorn them.

So, anyway, you can see that very nearly everything I used in this vignette
is something I already had and love.
Actually the hardest part for me is editing, because I always unearth more stuff than I need!
But the point is that it doesn't cost me anything but time, 
and it's time spent creating and having fun.
Sounds like a great way to start the New Year to me!

So, what's YOUR word or resolution?
What decor projects are you planning for this new year?


 As you read this post today, 
I am busy taking a HUGE STEP forward in pursuit of a life-long dream...
please send good thoughts and prayers my way, won't you?
I'll share more as soon as I can!


UPDATE: I interviewed for a job that I have wanted for over 30 years.

and I GOT IT!

.... at Disneyland!