inflatable ring 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...

deb flips the bird... ?!

that post title doesn't mean what you might think!

some people 'flip' furniture. (actually, i've done that, too).

now i 'flip' home decor elements each season...

sometimes more than once IN a season!

and my favorite tool for changing how things look is paint.

i never let the color of an item found at a thrift store or yard sale

or even in my own storage bins limit me - 

because it's SO EASY to repaint things to make them fit my current decor style.

so when i discovered this little ceramic bird on a bottom shelf at Dollar Tree,
the very last one they had in the store,

i didn't hesitate a moment before dropping her into my shopping basket:

the pink color isn't BAD, it just doesn't fit my decor.

but with a few ideas and some paint, i gave her FOUR NEW LOOKS

and i created spring wreaths / wall decor for three of those!

continue reading to see how all four turned out...

garden light mushrooms

this month i have shared a bunch of ideas for creating and decorating with mushrooms.
this last one is kinda' sneaked into the blog lineup...
perfect for your yard OR indoors, these mushrooms lamps
are whimsical ways to repurpose household items
while you light up your summer evenings.

continue reading to see what inspired them and my easy tutorial...

she made mushrooms from WHAT??!!!

it's my birthday month - and when you combine that with my crazy theme of 

March Mushroom Madness  

you come up with this festive creation!
since my bday is this week, i decided this is the right time to share them!

have you figured out what i used to make them yet?

continue reading to see the details...

pom pom mushrooms

pom poms are having a MOMENT, my friends...

showing up in the fashion world, in huge art installations, and home decor.

while most of them are WILD expressions of texture and color,

i wanted to incorporate pom poms in a more limited palette

(yesssss, i DO mean yellow! - because why not?!)

and since my recent mushroom-creating kick has led to

March Mushroom Madness

i found a way to make pom pom 'shroomies!

...continue reading to see how EASY they are!

pyrex glass bowl mushrooms

more mushrooms have been 'springing' to life in my studio,
so let's continue with my

March Mushroom Madness!

last fall, my sweet friend Kim (she of the Farmhouse MAYkeover)
sent me a surprise package containing two darling vintage-inspired versions
of Pyrex' 'Butterfly Gold' pattern.

I LOVE THEM! i love them so much they became 'Pyrex Pumpkins' last fall.
and this spring, they've been transformed into Pyrex Mushrooms!

there's not a lot of technical 'tutorial' involved, but
continue reading to see some of my tips for making your own versions...

thrifted knit beanie mushrooms

you've heard of March Madness, yes? 

i may be pushing that description by embarking on my own twist:

March Mushroom Madness!

i've had some new 'shroom ideas rolling around in my noggin' for awhile now,

and i decided that since March is my birthday month,

i can do whatever i want. so mushrooms it is!

yep, all month long, you'll see the things that have been growing

in my super-charged imagination. 

(hold on tight, and keep your hands and arms inside the vehicle at all times!)

up first, my easy-peasy tutorial for making these happy mushrooms

using thrifted knit beanies and cheap ceramic vases!

continue reading for all of the details!

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!

pumpkins + mushrooms = 'shroomkins!

last spring, when i created my new Original Sweet Sweater 'Shrooms,

i ALSO had the idea for this project. i just ran outta' time to make them!
 and forgive me, but i gotta' be honest
and say that they are one of my FAVORITE creations ever!

since mushrooms are still having a moment,

and pumpkins are my JAM, i combined the two

to create these whimsical fall decor pieces

that i'm calling " 'shroomkins"

continue reading to learn how to make these -

from cheap styrofoam pumpkins and a pool noodle!

NEW! Pyrex pumpkins

what happens when a girl's been surfing Insta too much because she's hiding from the heat,

and is following five or six collectors of Pyrex?

said girl decides to let their collections and her own pieces inspire some

Pyrex pattern painted pumpkins

(try to say that three times fast!!!)

last year, my sweet lifelong friend Miss Kim

(yes, she of the Farmhouse Makeover!) sent me a thoughtful gift

of some happy 'Vintage Charm' Pyrex-inspired bowls in sunny yellow:

they sit in my studio holding miscellaneous tidbits,

and one day i looked at them and had the brainstorm to replicate them on pumpkins.

i started painting dish patterns on pumpkins a few years ago,

when the blue and white Chinoiserie trend hit...

that's not my vibe, so i made decor that IS my vibe!
this is just one more way i'm incorporating what i already have into new decor ideas.

wanna' see how easy this project was? continue reading!

hello, september!

september has arrived,

with nary a fall temperature in sight here in So Cal...

it's 106 here today, and was 113 in Palm Springs yesterday. :P

but i'm attempting to accept the inevitable arrival of 'pumpkin season'!

while i'm finishing up some NEW and original pumpkin decor ideas

and prepping those blog posts to begin (next week!), 

i thought i'd post here to link up ALLLLLLL of my past pumpkins.

and that's a lot of squash, my friends.

i've used a variety of materials (recycled, repurposed, thrifted, and found)

over the past few decades to decorate my own home

and have shared many of those ideas with you here on the blog for the past TEN YEARS!

click HERE to see all of my pumpkin posts!

... and watch for NEW posts starting next week!

pumpkins,diy decorating,DIY,home decor,colorful home,fall,fall home decor,diy fall decor,

diy pumpkins, tutorials,painting,original sweet sweater pumpkins,faux concrete pumpkins,faux terra cotta pumpkins,faux kintsugi pumpkins,wire basket pumpkins,salvaged junk pumpkins,fall tutorials,pumpkin tutorials,diy tutorials.macrame pumpkins, lace pumpkins, boho pumpkins

wire lampshade mobile

you've all read my statements that 'i see things differently'
and 'i never really use things the way they were intended to be used!', right?
i'm very into 'use what you have' decorating & crafting using 'everyday' elements.

one day in 2020 when i was bored outta' my skull here at home,
i looked at a stack of wire lampshades and wire domes in the corner of my studio,
 and just played around to see what i could DO with them.
they ended up as a giant kinetic sculpture / mobile hanging from my studio ceiling.
and i shared that version here on the blog.

since then, i've changed it up a bit, and added a new element that makes me smile.
wanna' see?

...continue reading for wire lampshade mobile part 2!

what's your inspiration board style?

 

in the past few weeks,
i've shared some flowers that i've created with paper.
well, there's something else i've done with paper for many MANY years -
i make pinboards / bulletin boards / inspiration boards
and fill them with all kinds of paper detritus that i've collected
over several decades.

they serve as not only inspiration and a way to corral my 'vision',

but also as a decor element in my studio.

i recently re-read an old Houzz.com article about inspiration boards - 

and how the way you create yours reveals
if you are a left-brain creative or a right-brain creative!

Artists and Creatives know that we are right-brain people, for the most part.

but apparently, our left-brain compulsion for order can often over-ride

 the instincts that we associate with creativity (um... that it's messy!).

that was new info for me.
the houzz article has a LOT of visual inspo, too!

more on that in a bit...

first, see what reading that article inspired me to RE-do in my studio,

and learn how I make inspiration / bulletin boards using simple materials. 

continue reading for more...

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!

show 'em some love!

just poppin' in with a recent discovery in my files...
this project didn't make the blog last winter
and since I'm not currently making new things,
 I thought I'd share it for your Valentine's Day inspiration!

we've all become familiar with offering a little 'thank you' to the many service people
who deliver food and goods to our homes - especially during a pandemic.
our isolation is made more comfortable by them bringing us what we order online.

last year, I created one with a Valentine theme
from an old wall mailbox, all 'shooszhed' up with hearts
to express my gratitude to our USPS, UPS, FedEx, and Instacart delivery people...

continue reading to see how!

the yellow bonanza of 2021

i've been enjoying my time offline, tending to some household projects and tasks,

but thought i'd pop in to wrap up the past year in a big (yellow!) bow...

i've had so much fun creating a multitude of seasonal home decor projects

inspired by the Pantone 2021 Color of the Year, 'Illuminating' Yellow

continue reading for a quick peek at what i shared every month of the year!

sweet sparkling new year!

we arrive at the end of the year, and the start of a new one...

we've made it, and that's cause to celebrate!

whether you gather with family, friends, neighbors, or a special person tomorrow night,
or spend a blissfully cozy evening alone in a bubble bath or watching The Ball drop,

i have a few last-minute ideas to share for making your New Year's Eve sparkle!

speaking of lifting spirits, continue reading for more...

sweater-wrapped gifts

when i choose a theme, my mind runs rampant with ideas

to incorporate that theme in every possible part of my decor.

case in point: the presents shown above.

it's not enough for me to deck the halls and mantels and doors and tree

in my preferred colors and materials...

i have to make the gift wrap match, too! LOL

this year i found three different ways to incorporate sweaters into my gift wrapping,

to coordinate with my Sweet Sweater Season theme...

continue reading for more inspo & info!

a sneaky stocking makeover

when i can find a short-cut, i take it. no shame in that.
so when i saw some knit stockings at Target for a mere $3 each, i grabbed one!

by adding a one-step simple embellishment (NO SEW!),

i was able to change the look of the stocking so it fit my decor theme this year.

so if you see something out there that just isn't quite what you need,
get it anyway - and then MAKE it what you need!

continue reading for my EASY makeover!