decorating makeover tips

i think you might be convinced that doing your own makeovers is hard. 
and expensive. and that perhaps it's just tooooooo much for you to try. 

i really want to dispel those doubts, and show you how to get started -

because it's all about USING WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE!

and you've made my room makeover posts some of the most popular here on homewardFOUND -
so let's revisit them and get some fresh inspiration!

continue reading for my 'how to' tips for your OWN free makeover...

a Tale of Two Tables...

 what do you do with a broken table?  i hang the tabletops on walls!

i came across a pair of oval end tables at a garage sale - and both had broken legs.

thing was, i loved the scalloped shape of them and the ogee edges, so i bought them -

and then took 'em home and removed all of the legs and the aprons.

now simply a flat surface, they were perfect for transforming into wall art...

one of them, shown above, got a few coats of eggshell white paint, a quick sanding, 

and a large picture hanger attached to the back to hang vertically - 

ready for whatever came next.

continue reading to find out what came next!

Mirror, Mirror... Not at All!

a number of years ago, i found this mirror frame in a thrift store...

it had been separated from the dresser it belonged to, and the mirror glass was missing,

so it was basically just an empty frame. a beautiful empty frame!
i couldn't pass up the $2 price tag, so i took it home...

and with a few easy steps and one super-cheap secret, it became what you see here:
a lovely framed bulletin board!

i made and sold that bulletin board as shown above, without a dresser.

to give you an idea of what it would look like if you did this to a mirror frame WITH a dresser:

DISCLAIMER: these are not my dressers. these are not my photos, either - they were on a defunct sales site.
i've edited them to add a burlap-covered bulletin board to the mirror frames to illustrate my idea.

ok, wanna' know my secret?

i use large acoustic ceiling tiles and cardboard boxes!

* they are inexpensive, and they work behind any fabric OR can be painted.

* they are lightweight and easy to work with - just cut with an electric knife!
* they come in large rectangular sizes, so they'll fit just about any frame -
a dresser mirror, like this, or a door with a window opening, or a window frame.

click to see how i made a huge bulletin board out of a vintage door with a window

and get some tips for making your own version of this project!

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #422

yesterday on tuesday |  project inspire{d} #268

Tripping Was NOT in My Plan...

you know those bloggers that create a plan for their blog posts?

like, a three month list of what gets published when - and including what content ?

that must be nice.

i plan my seasonal content ahead, i do - but more often than not 

i find myself putting an unscheduled project together on the fly at the last minute, for one reason or another, 

and it turns out SO GOOD that i just have to share it. today's post is a great example.

oh, yeah, that 'last minute' part? you could add 'by accident' to that, too.

because i nearly had an accident in my studio - and that's how this particular project came about...

continue reading to find out how my klutziness worked in my favor!

Covered in Canvas

 while homewardFOUND is generally all about seasonal decor ideas,
sometimes I like to pop in ideas for furniture, too...
all totally do-able projects for you to try out!

this dresser was found on the curb. free.
With lines like the ones on those drawers, I couldn't pass her up!

the case was solid, but the veneer on top and on the drawers was just wrecked.
no amount of putty and paint was going to make her presentable...

she went beyond needing mere 'makeup' into the realm of 'plastic surgery'!

while I was sanding her down, I had a brainstorm...

the dropcloth that she was sitting on in the prep room had some great texture.

i looked at the drawers, and then at the dropcloth, and that light bulb went on:
 cover the entire dresser with a new canvas dropcloth!

dropcloths are a great way to get a LOT of fabric for a ridiculously low price

and they come in many sizes and weights. 

i used the heaviest weight for this project, which covered up all of the 'blemishes' in her complexion.

continue reading to see what i did!

Today's Fall Finds....

this morning... LATE this morning...
I headed out to the 'community garage sales' in my neighborhood.
since it was late, I didn't know if I'd find anything I could use.

oh, but I DID!!!
 I spied several wonderful things...

okay, wait, I need to backtrack for a minute and make a confession. 

I'm the kind of garage / yard sale shopper that you probably hate.
I'm a DRIVE-BY SHOPPER.
yup.
I  roll past your driveway and scope out the offerings on your tarps and tables
without stopping my car. or getting OUT of my car. 
If there's enough there to intrigue me, I'll park and actually walk over to take a closer look.

I did it alllll morning long. 
my Mom sat in the car and helped me watch for signs ,
and then quickly evaluate each one as we drove past.

I can actually hear your eyes rolling as you read that... but it's ok. I get it!

So anyway, I found some lovely things that perfectly fit my palette and style,
things that will be headed to my homewardFOUND shop in Room 1
at Needful Things Addiction in Lake Elsinore, California
in just a few weeks!

oh.... and the BEST thing I found?

these vintage player piano rolls!

if you've known me for any length of time at all, 

you know that I let out a happy scream when I came across these!
I've used them for YEARS in my vintage art & decor creations,
and have been looking for them here in SoCal for a long time.
who knew they were right here in my own neighborhood?!!!

 and you can bet I have big plans for them ;)

stay tuned for my opening date announcement!

Farm Table Makeover

I've had the same dining room table for 30 years.

Yep, you read that right!

30 years ago, in the fall of 1986 after my youngest daughter was born,

my husband undertook the largest furniture project he had done at that point

and built me a pine 'Shaker style' 7 foot by 4 foot dining table... and two long benches.

It was my Christmas present that year, and I loved it. 

I have loved it ever since, and I always will....

continue reading to see the 'before and after' transformation!

Orange You Glad?!

My friends, I just can't EVEN begin to tell you
what a pain some parts of this move have been......

and I won't try. You don't need to hear me whine. (WINE, yes. Whine, no.)

Suffice it to say that I am bogarting wifi from a friend right now just to write this post.
Rather than be rude and take up her time, I'm just popping in here to say
"Hi, everyone! I'm still around! 

     Hang in there with me and the hWf blog will be back as soon as possible!" ;)

Until then, I thought I'd share some of the photos from my design files 

that are serving as inspiration for our Project HOMEward decor scheme.

 Yep, that's ORANGE!
Paired with neutrals and some industrial farmhouse style, 

things are shaping up slowly but surely...

As soon as I have internet service I will gladly share more photos!
(Don't ask about the way Verizon handed things over to Frontier on April 1

and left customers in the lurch...)

Until then, make sure you follow me on Instagram and Facebook!

Movin' On!

Have you ever moved to a new (to you) house?
Have you scratched your head and wondered 'How am I gonna' make THIS work there?'?

Have you had nightmares about what you need to buy for the new place?
I have a plan to help you with that!

I hinted in my first post last month that there were some big things ahead this year...

things that spurred me to come out of my 'Blogging Break'. (missed that post? it's here ) 

Mom and I have been working on something since October

that will take a huge leap forward at the end of March.
So huge that EVERYTHING will change for us...
we're moving on into our future!


What's that? You wanna' know what this huge thing is?
Oh, okay, sure.... it's.....

After relocating from Orange County to the Temecula area at the end of March, 

we'll be taking on the utterly exciting task of decorating a brand.new.house!

We've got Pinterest boards and file folders and brains overflowing with ideas.
We've got color palettes and landscaping ideas and wall treatments inhabiting our dreams.

Our plans mix Mom's style with MY style, to create 'our' style...

which is a little bit farmhouse, and a little bit beach house,

a little bit contemporary, and a little bit industrial, a little bit rustic, and a little bit feminine!
 

Here's where homewardFOUNDdecor comes in:

I'm going to be sharing our process of
* making design choices for the house
and what inspires us as we mix our two styles

* deciding what furniture to KEEP and what to let go

* how to re-think, re-design, and re-use items in new spaces
* giving an empty, new builder home a vintage vibe with easy projects

 My goal is to inspire you and give you ideas for your OWN home - 
whether you move to a new location or you just rearrange what you have where you are!

Yes, we'll be buying a few new things...
but our plan is to re-use, re-purpose, and re-design as much as we can.
It's about inspiration, and ideas, and hands-on fun.
You've seen my Mom's house in the Thrifty Tropical Weekend Makeover series,

and now you'll be able to see how we totally change the look for the new house!

We're calling it 'Project HOMEward'...
and hope you'll join us here each week... we've got a lot to share with you!

(Yes, I'll still be sharing my seasonal decor ideas and projects, too!) 
Coming up next: the options/finishes we chose
and the first thing we bought for the house!

le Style du Jour....

On Saturday afternoon, I spent a lovely and relaxing few hours with friends

as we attended an event at a beautiful local vintage/antique shoppe...
Vignettes is located in Ocean Beach, Ca (near Point Loma in San Diego)

It is one of the prettiest antique shoppes around, 

and the events there are frequent, inspiring, and always CROWDED!

This event was the store's 19th anniversary celebration, 

and the decidedly French theme 'La Vie en Rose' was everywhere.

To my mind,  nothing was more stunning than the 'front room', 

which was all decked out as a boulangerie/patisserie.

 This color scheme is so perfect...

the deep charcoal chalkboards (made on bread boards, did you notice that?)
and blue-green pumpkins create contrast with the warm brown wicker, wood, and bread tones.

 Up close, the details are even more inspiring...
vintage labels made into patches on a burlap-covered bench, vintage signs, 

onions and pumpkins - and more gloriously rich wicker.

Even the simple addition of the word 'VIN' in black paint on a plain old wicker basket

adds incredible interest here.

...and can we talk about that SIGN???!

It's an old walnut and maple footboard,

with the simple addition of some painted lettering and varnish.
Tres Chic! (and tres eeeezeeeee, oui? )

I was looking everywhere, inspired, shooting tons of photos, 

and I kept thinking:
Why couldn't this stunning display inspire 
the color palette, theme, and accessories for a ROOM?
Why couldn't a kitchen look like this?

Why not? Inspiration is everywhere. 

And Francophiles would certainly feel right at home here!

This chair was NOT in this room. In fact, it was in another store altogether.
But if I were decorating, I'd PUT in in this room!

Then on Sunday, while I was decorating my office, I uncovered an old photo

torn long ago from a magazine (possibly 'La Vie Claire'.... but I'm not certain....)

To me, this is EXACTLY what the outside of that sweet boulangerie would look like:

See more from Vignettes on their facebook, website, and blog.

Autumn's Golden Light

 

I was searching for a certain image the other day,
and in the process I came across some old photos that just say 'AUTUMN' to me.

The golden glowing light captured in them is my FAVORITE thing about fall...

the way the light turns more amber and deep, especially in late afternoon.
It's my favorite time of day!

Since my last two posts have been about fall decorating 

as inspired by displays at vintage shows,

I thought I'd wrap that up with a post showing images of one of MY old booths at a show.
Enjoy!

 From the glowing woods to glistening golds,
luxe velvet and satin fabric details to simple paper and leather,
I think this embodies that certain color of autumn light that I so love.
There's not a typical tree leaf in sight here, but the decor speaks to the pleasures of fall.

Yes, decor can be inspired by something as simple as the color of light 
that pours through your windows during a certain season or time of day!
Let the color of a summer blue sky or a winter snow be the touchpoint for your decor,
and you'll have created an ambience that speaks to your soul.

PS: It's not about spending money.
All of the items shown in the above photos were made or 'fixed up' 

using reclaimed and repurposed materials that were found or thrifted.

Though the look is 'luxe', the cost was miniscule.

 

Someone else took photos of my booth at that show, too...

and they ended up in Where Women Create magazine a few years later.

Where Women Create's Summer 2012 issue 

featured a story on Judy Watkins and her Remnants of the Past Antique Show,  

with beautiful photos of the show by Jenny Malott.
I am so very grateful to Jenny, Judy, and Jo Packham of WWC 

that they chose several images of my booth displays to include in the story:

Right Page: my Retreat booth & products

(looks familiar, huh?
yes, Jenny took EXACTLY the same shot that I did!)

Right Page, lower left corner: detail of Retreat booth display

Right Page: Baby Grand Piano Bar,
created with my late husband Bob Kennedy for our business, 'Retreat', in 2009
This piece truly was one of his greatest designs...

details of the piano bar:

 * exterior and interior covered with vintage player piano & sheet music
* interior re-purposed as a wine storage unit, liquor bottle & glass storage, 

and keyboard replaced with a pull-out mirrored tray for serving.

shared online:
.

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

 .
There's a lot more to that story....