Boo to You!

When I was unpacking fall decor for the new house last month, 

I discovered these in a box...

two of my 'Embellished Pumpkins' that I created and sold 

at the Glitterfest show three years ago.

(Why is it that I keep stumbling across stuff like this - 

stuff I don't even remember I HAVE - 

but I CAN'T find the stuff I NEED - like my printer cords??!!!!
Mysteries of moving, I guess!)

I took a fancy flocked shadowbox frame and an old wood clock case, 

and foofed them up with some fanciful materials:
faux leaves made of vintage sheet music and black resin with glitter,

real oak leaves that had been bleached, a bit of old lace,

two black crows - one with a vintage paper crown,

scrapbook paper with a haunted theme,

a watch case filled with a vintage photo (that I 'Bewitched' with a felt pen hat!),

some vintage rhinestone jewelry bits,

and of course no fall project from my studio would be complete without

my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins - 

this time in black and white!

Though fun to create, this isn't really my personal palette or decor style, 

but since they didn't sell at that show, I kept them.

And I'm glad I DID...

because they serve a perfect purpose: wishing you all a

although..... THIS ain't bad, either! ;)

Thank You, Friends...

Hello, my friends... 

I want to thank you for hanging in here with me lately. I know there haven't been any new blog posts, and there have been scant few posts on the fb page, as well.

Life has just been hard lately, with a LOT of stress and frustration. I don't know about you, but for me, I find it hard to be creative when I am stressed out! I TRY, but my mind wanders and my heart just isn't in it... that's where I've been lately. My Mom has had a huge burden on her shoulders and there hasn't been a single thing I've been able to do to help solve the problem, and it's been wearing us both down... we've just been 'surviving', not really living.

Thankfully, that big, ugly situation was resolved last Thursday: Mom & Dad's old house FINALLY closed escrow and sold! She's endured seven long months of situations you would not believe if I told you - including FIVE failed escrows! - and has had to deal with an agent and broker that have been far less than forthcoming and pro-active. It's taken a huge toll on her, but at last it is over.

She is free now to move forward with a new life after Dad's passing, with a clean slate and hope for a joyful future. I see a huge difference in her spirit just over the weekend, which brings peace to MY heart - I was really REALLY worried about her. Our family gathered this weekend to celebrate and 'christen' the new house, and it made her so happy to have everyone here together. Memories were shared and made, of course a few tears were shed, but the time together was good for all of us. Loss is hard, grief is hard, but love heals. We also celebrated the engagement of my nephew to his wonderful girlfriend, and that added to the joy of our day.

With the stress of the old house mess behind us, I hope to find my enthusiasm and energy return so that I can take on projects around the new house again. I am ready to get back to creating and sharing decor ideas that will inspire you as you decorate your own homes! I am ready for JOY - which is our theme for Christmas this year, btw ;) I'm ready to find joy in my creativity, in daily life, in our home, in seeing things in a fresh new way... and I hope you will join me!

<3 Hugs to you, my 'HOMEees', for your continued support and kindness - I appreciate you more than I could ever express <3

With Love and Gratitude, 
Deb

If Walls Could Talk...

There are a LOT of model homes here in Southern California!

Every builder creates a jaw-dropping, show-stopping block 

of every model they offer in every subdivision - to entice buyers.

Mom and I looked at a LOT of model homes when she was deciding to buy hers.

I've been touring model homes all of my life, since my teens, 

because I love seeing how they are decorated. I love the details. 

I love the designer touches that you can't get in a house -  they are 'for inspiration only'. 

And that's EXACTLY what I use them for!

Case in Point:
The WALL TREATMENTS at three new neighborhoods' models nearby,
built by Pardee Homes (who built our new house).
I saw the models earlier this month, and was impressed with

the interesting textures and patterns on the 'builder boring' walls:

Painted Wood

See that first photo up above, with the board & batten wood paneling?
I think that's what we're going to add to a niche in our entry hall.
We can't use shiplap, because the horizontal pattern will make the already long hall look longer...

so I think the vertical B&B pattern will be the best solution.

Stained Wood

I especially like the wood flooring applied to the back of an entryway cubby unit:

Stained Wood ON THE CEILING!

Paint

Photographic Mural

(it's a photo of a rusty train car)

'Wood Look' Ceramic Tiles

Brick

Stuck on what to do with YOUR walls?
Head over to some local model homes and get inspired!

Paper Flower Power!

  Don't know what it is lately, but apparently I have blossoms on the brain!
I recently saw some gorgeous photos of brightly-colored paper flowers on Instagram,
posted by 'BloomBox_oc' - I tried to save an image to share here, but it wouldn't work.

Their photos reminded me of a paper flower that I won at an event, 

so I dug through some of my (still packed) boxes and found it...

it's the middle flower in that image above, made from old book pages and tissue paper

by a very creative vintage show vendor named Becky, from 'Whimsies'.

All that flower power inspired me,

 so I dug out a bunch of my own vintage paper and made myself some:

It was fun!
I haven't spent a lot of time doing creative things for myself lately, 

and this was a nice way to spend the hottest part of the day - 106 degrees. YIPES.

And when I was done, I had a buncha' blooms to put on my studio/office wall:

I haven't made time to do many creative things for myself lately, 

and this one just made me smile.
Just in case that photo above doesn't make the scale clear, here's a reference shot:

Yeah, these babies are HUGE!

This project was was fun, easy, and I already had everything I needed to make them -
which is pretty much how most of my projects come about, anyway:
I get inspired and then dig through what I have to 'make it work'!

Through the process, I snapped some photos and put together a simple tutorial:

Looks like I'll be making more in the near future, too...

my Mom saw these on my wall and asked
"I think these are exactly what I need for the wall over my bed!
Can you make some in aqua and tan and white, to match my linens?"

Why, yes, Mom, I sure can!  see more of these here!

Shared Online:

Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

By The Numbers...

 This post was prompted by a FABulous project
that I saw at my youngest daughter's home...

She wanted to give her curb appeal a jolt of style  -without spending a lot.
(sounds like all of us, right?)

so she bought picture frames at the Dollar Tree, a can of black spray paint from Ace Hardware, 

took her porch lights and house numbers off the wall... 

and painted them all!

The lights & numbers went back up, then the frames were hung -

which pops from her gray siding and draws attention to the numbers:

There's one arrangement by her front door, and one beside her garage door.
She told me it took her no more than two hours, start to finish.

Now THAT's 'Fast, Cheap, and Easy' for you! ;)
__________________________________________

Those of us who decorate 'differently' than the mainstream often get comments

that are confused, bewildered, and less than complimentary. 

You know what I mean, right?
'Why did you build a headboard out of DOORS when you can buy a perfectly good headboard?!!'

and that sort of thing....

Well, I used to hear those comments from my KIDS. Oh, yeah. 

Mom embarrassed them by hanging old windows on the side of the garage,

by refurbishing garage sale finds, by making planters from old restaurant tin cans.
They did NOT appreciate my 'recycle, reuse, reimagine' philosophy.
[where did I go wrong??!!! LOL] 

Over the years, as my daughters and son have grown up and furnished & decorated homes of their own,

guess what they discovered?
oh, just that making use of what they have on hand or can get inexpensively (or FREE)

isn't such a BAD thing after all - and it can look pretty impressive!

(Is this where I get to say 'I told you so!'???!!!)

Singin' the Blues...

Nope, I'm not sad that it's summer!
It's just that as the days heat up, the color blue can REALLY cool off our homes...

a shot of blue hues can bring calming energy and a cool (literally!) vibe to your decor.

Find some true blue hue inspiration for your summer rooms here:

bohemian blue inspiration

beachy summer color palette 

beachy weathered paint tutorial
summertime blues party decor
FREE weekend makeover parts 1 . 2 . 3 . 4

Don't be blue, baby! Just use it to decorate with ;)