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Showing posts with label beach style. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach style. Show all posts

9.26.2023

fall glamping with Miss Dot!

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i'm at a vintage trailer rally at the beach this week,
so i thought i'd share photos of the 'glamping' decor that i created
for Miss Dot at a past rally (2021)...

you've seen a tropical decor theme (from 2022) in a recent post,
now here's a look at how switching out decor elements and a new color addition
creates a whole new vibe - this one's beachy!
(the rally is held in Newport Beach, CA and always has a 'surf' theme)

planning the decor theme for each glamping excursion
reminds me so much of how i played in my grandpa's Shasta trailer as a kid,
spending hours in their backyard decorating and dreaming...

continue reading to see how my yellow obsession extended to our Shasta trailer...

8.29.2023

NEW: beach towel pumpkins!

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as August comes to a close in the weirdest way possible
(a hurricane in Southern California? AND an earthquake? okay....)
i am still stretching 'summer' to the very last moment
with this new original pumpkin design...
dare i say 'it's time for beach blanket bingo'??!!

i've noodled the idea of creating pumpkins using colorful beach towels for awhile... 
first i tried to make them the same way i do my famous sweater pumpkins
but towels just don't *squish* like sweaters do - even thin ones.
 i tried a kind of 'gathered' approach - nope. still too bulky.

then one day i was scrolling Instagram,
and right there in front of me was a fantastical, incredible, creative,
 ORIGINAL and colorful new form of art that just blew my mind -
AND solved my pumpkin problem!

continue reading to see what i saw, and how i translated that into pumpkins!

8.15.2023

easy raffia-wrapped TROPI-fall pumpkins

fall,pumpkins,tropical style,beach style,boho style,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,home decor,re-purposed,up-cycling,dollar store crafts,crafting,tutorial,pumpkins decorating,fall pumpkins,diy pumpkins,raffia pumpkins,dollar tree raffia hula skirt. 
yes, i'm creating a few new 'tropical' style pumpkins this month!
these work together with my previous creations -
and since the summer heat is still in full force right now,
it's the ONLY way i can succumb to the siren call of autumn.

the pumpkins up above are SO easy to make,
(i think they'd look just as cute nestled into galvanized buckets
for some fall farmhouse style vibes!)
and just wait until you see what they're made of!

continue reading to find out my secret... 

8.08.2023

TROPI-fall decor in our Shasta trailer!

fall,tropical style,pumpkins,outdoors,decorating,glamping,beach style,tiki style,Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,glamping decor,tropical camping decor,tropical glamping,Shasta trailer decor.
before i start sharing NEW pumpkin & fall decor ideas,
i wanted to time-travel back to last September and show you
my 'TROPI-fall' pumpkins in a different kind of setting!

though i don't share many photos of our home here on the blog,
all of our rooms and decor have a tropical vibe.
since we are unable to travel to Hawai'i now, we 'live Aloha' here at home.

as summer wanes and autumn approaches, 
i bridge the seasons with pumpkins that i create in beachy, tropical styles...
faux painted bamboo and sand, coconut tiki mugs with stems, and more.

so would it surprise you to learn that i ALSO use tropical decor
in our Shasta camping trailer, Miss Dot?!!!


i 'shop the house' for decor elements that fit the season or theme
of the campout we're going to
(we are members of three different trailer groups),
put them into a storage bin, load it up, and then
have as much fun decorating Miss Dot as i do decorating our home...

continue reading to see how Miss Dot looks with TROPI-fall decor!

7.26.2023

'Christmas in July': SanTIKI mug

summer,tiki style,beach style,coastal style,painting,DIY,diy decorating,holiday,Christmas Decor,Christmas,trash to treasure,tutorial,up-cycling,re-purposed,vintage,santa mugs,vintage santa mugs,tiki mugs,
the summer heat must be getting to me,
because i'm jumping on the 'Christmas in July' theme. 
👀 WHAT???!!!! 

truth is i've been dealing with some.... stuff... and my creativity is ebbing.
i've run out of time and frankly the energy to complete the diy projects i started.

but as i was perusing photos of past projects,
i found one that i created + photographed back in late fall 2019, but never shared it.
since it just happens to fit the 'Christmas in July' theme that we're seeing everywhere,
i've decided that NOW is the time!

(granted, it's got a summer vibe,
 but it's made out of something decidedly Christmassy... so it works!)
 
...continue reading to see how Santa became a tiki!

7.19.2023

tropical tiki transformation

beach style,coastal style,colorful home,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,on the porch,outdoors,summer,tiki style,tropical style,wreaths,painting,re-purposing,up-cycling, painted plastic tiki mask,outdoor tiki decor,outdoor decor.
our backyard in Southern California underwent a transformation back in 2020....
when the pandemic shutdown happened and we had to cancel our trip to Kauai, Hawaii,
we decided to bring Hawaii to us!
i shared some of those backyard diy projects here on the blog back then
(the bamboo tiki bar, the tiki totem pole, and others - all linked below this post).

the project i'm sharing today wasn't a planned one - 
i saw something in a store and thought 'hmnn. that COULD look really good if i....'
and so i bought the item, brought it home, and worked some magic on it with paint.

it couldn't have been easier to transform a really cheap looking tiki mask
into something with much more of our own tropical style.

continue reading to see how it started... and how it's going now!

7.12.2023

tropical front porch decor

summer,tropical style,coastal style,beach style,DIY,diy decorating,home decor,colorful home,wreaths,tiki style,outdoors,outdoor decor,summer front porch decor,tropical decor,tropical wreath,tiki culture,tiki mask,tiki decor.
i always tell people 'i see things differently'... 
that means i use elements & materials in ways they weren't intended to be used.
and i RE-use things i've created before in new ways.

this tropical look on our front porch is a perfect example!

in past posts, i've shared how i raided the garden shed for fall porch decor,
using items meant for the garden to decorate with. 
here i've used paper & bamboo party decorations...
continue reading to see what i used 'differently' to get this summer vibe...

7.05.2023

easy tropical-style light cover

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the summer heat arrived here on June 30th,
so i've been busy completing some fun new EASY projects around our home
(which has a tropical, tiki vibe going on all year long!)
since these projects work perfectly well as 'summer' season decor content,
 i thought i'd share them here on the blog this month!
so... let's get tropical!

first up, a ridiculously EASY way to make a builder-grade light fixture
look a lot more fun for summer... in just two steps!

continue reading to see what i did!

6.21.2023

display seashells in a gumball machine!

summer,beach style,coastal style,seashells,painting,DIY,diy decorating,colorful home,decorating,re-purposing,up-cycling,thrifted,beach souvenirs,seashell collections,seashell displays, gumball machine.
if you're a beach lover like me,
collecting & displaying seashells is a top summertime activity!

i've share many ideas before (linked below this post)
and now i have a different way to show off your shells
by using an unconventional container...

...continue reading for this easy paint & display project!

6.14.2023

NEW! sweet sweater 'sandy' cake

summer,foofoo Faux Food,sweaters,Sweet Sweater Cake,diy decorating,DIY,home decor,re-purposed,up-cycling,trash to treasure,beach style,coastal style,neutrals,sweet sweater originals,seashells,summer home decor, fake sandcastle cake,seashell displays,tutorial.
a question i am often asked is 'where do you get your ideas from?'
i'm honestly inspired by everything! 
from the color combinations i see in nature to memories of my childhood
to objects i see that make me ask "can i make that out of a sweater?!"
i am never without ideas to investigate (which is why deb doesn't sleep....)

one of my long-time online friends from the 'way back' blogging days (early 90's)
is the most incredible cake decorator and baker i have ever seen.
Sasha (@saucybakes on IG) has a wild imagination and wicked talent,
and her creations never fail to make me
 A. hungry and B. intrigued about replicating them in my own style.

back in 2022 i was inspired by Sasha to create a cake
using sweaters, as my own 'birthday cake',
which then led to creating a faux holiday cake and a faux frosty wintery cake.

a recent post on her IG account showed a 'Little Mermaid' themed cake
with shells and sprinkle 'sand'...
so i started thinking about making a summery 'sand cake'
with a sweater and seashells and a few other elements. 

continue reading to see how i interpreted a beachy theme faux cake!

6.07.2023

sandy castles

summer,seashells,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,seasonal,beach style,coastal style,painting,just for fun,neutrals,tutorial,painted sand castles,summer mantel decor,seashell displays.
long gone are the days when i hauled four kids and a carload of toys to the beach...
the chaos was worth it to spend long summer days
on the shores of Lake Tahoe or Puget Sound,
walking the waterline searching for beautiful seashells
and building sand castles (IF there was sand and not broken seashell grapple!).
those memories live on, especially in summertime,
and i've come up with an easy way to add a fun beachy touch to summer decor.

you can create these 'sandy castles' , too -
and it might just be as relaxing as making the real thing!

continue reading to see my sneaky trick...

5.31.2023

inflatable ring summer wreath

summer, wreaths, beach style, coastal style, colorful home, DIY, diy decorating, home decor, Sweet Sweater Sandbabies, re-purposing, up-cycling, tutorial, pool inner tube wreath, inflatable ring wreath, summer home decor, diy summer decor, summer door decor, summer wreath
it's finally time for some summer fun,
and i have a fun way to set the mood right at your front door - 
display a welcoming wreath made from an inflatable pool ring!

i've added one of my own Original Sweet Sweater Sandbabies TM and a sign,
but this idea lends itself to so many interpretations
i know you can round up some beach toys, pool toys, flip flops, 
and other accessories to make a one-of-a-kind wreath for your home!

continue reading for my easy tutorial...

5.26.2023

fave past summer decor projects

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summertime is finally here, 
so let's start the new season with some easy decorating ideas!

i've enjoyed refreshing my homes every season over the years...
 some of those projects have been successful in more than one home
as i re-create them in new versions + colorways...
from bright primary hues when my kids were young,
to a restorative neutral palette with beachy style in an 'empty nest',
to my current enjoyment of bright happy yellow & white
(and the tropical / tiki decor in greens & oranges that you don't see on the blog),
my decor choices always reflect how i want to feel at home.

over the past ten years of blogging here at homeward found decor,
i've shared hundreds of my original diy home decor projects
in 765 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 summer decor projects!

10.25.2022

happy MAHALOween!

i read that term - happy MAHALOween - on a tiki bar's website.
when this fun phrase gave me a way to incorporate my love of
tropicana decor and tiki culture into October celebrations, i was IN!

(truth is, i'm not really into Halloween anymore - fall, yes. pumpkins, YES!
the 'scary horror bloody zombie creepy clowns and witches' kinda' decor? nah.)

since i have NO intention of dressing up in costume, 
 i simply decided to give a pumpkin a costume. with a tiki mask!

continue reading for the details and an easy paint tutorial...

10.18.2022

coco fiber planter liner pumpkins

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i spied this item one day at Lowes - do you know what it is?
in my endless search for things i can turn into tropical decor for our home,
i'm always looking at textures and colors that work - on the cheap - 
and this looked for all the world like a giant coconut to me!

turning it into a pumpkin was easy-peasy - 
so much so that creating the tutorial for this post took me MUCH longer
than actually MAKING the pumpkin!

have you figured out what i used yet??
continue reading to see the answer... plus a few variations!

10.04.2022

let's make plate pumpkins!

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this project was hatched when i started to throw something away...
and then thought twice about it!

my 'thing' is to embrace the 'trash to treasure' approach
to life, decorating, crafting, etc -
using up stuff from the recycle bin and the waste basket,
stuff like junk mail and empty containers. and sometimes, even bonafide trash. 

why? because it's cheaper, it's easily accessible, it's good for the planet
AND it makes me stretch my creative muscles to use what i have.

that said, you don't HAVE to use 'trashed' plates for this project.
there are many possibilities and permutations - any kind of plate would work!
(check out the ones i made using ceramic plates the end of this post)

continue reading to see them all...

9.27.2022

NEW! faux painted bamboo pumpkins

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my penchant for tropical decor and tiki culture inspired this new pumpkin project...

our So Cal home is filled with tikis and bamboo and leafy palm fabrics,
because during the pandemic lockdown we had to cancel our trip to Hawaii
and decided to just make HOME feel as much like Hawaii as we could.
and we love it!
so, i like to create seasonal decor for us that coordinates with that theme.
pumpkins that look like they are made from bamboo are a perfect fit!

continue reading for my paint tutorial...

9.06.2022

NEW! faux 'sand' painted pumpkins

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let's just jump right in to pumpkin season, shall we?
during my summer break, i let my creativity + imagination run wild,
which resulted in a bunch of fun new pumpkin decor projects for 2022.

first up, a new idea that is the perfect transition from summer to fall:
faux 'sand' painted pumpkins

if you're a beach lover like me, or a tropical / tiki culture lover like me,
or perhaps a 'coastal grandmother' like me??! ha!
this idea may be the perfect way to bring some beach vibes home...

continue reading for my easy paint tutorial!

10.08.2021

white wire basket pumpkins

coastal style, beach style, decorating, diy decorating, re-purposing, white, DIY, vintage style, boho style, neutrals, metallics, vintage, thrifted, fall, pumpkins, fall decorating, pumpkin decor, decorating with pumpkins, diy pumpkins, wire pumpkins, fall home decor, farmhouse decor, boho chic home decor, boho chic fall decor, Dollar Tree crafts, Dollar Tree DIY.
i use a lot of containers in my studio (and home) to try to be organized.
wire baskets like these from the Dollar Tree help corral my copious stash
of craft & art supplies, and various small bits & pieces that i use and re-use in projects.

i was today years old when i looked at them and saw pumpkins instead!!!
similar to the gold wire basket pumpkins that i shared last month,
they are SO easy to make.

continue reading for the easy how-to...

9.17.2021

gold wire basket pumpkins

coastal style, beach style, decorating, diy decorating, re-purposing, white, DIY, vintage style, boho style, neutrals, metallics, vintage, thrifted, fall, pumpkins, fall decorating, pumpkin decor, decorating with pumpkins, diy pumpkins, wire pumpkins, fall home decor, farmhouse decor, boho chic home decor, boho chic fall decor, Dollar Tree crafts, Dollar Tree DIY.
 i just love finding something that can be turned into something else.
case in point: these gold metal wire baskets from Dollar Tree.
not only are they great for storage & organizing, they are also a 'raw element' for crafts.

i used four of them to create three different kinds of pumpkins,
and it was truly one of my trademark 'fast, cheap, & easy' efforts!
of course, you could do this with old galvanized wire baskets, as well.

continue reading for my easy new tutorial...