Beauty in Simplicity

a quick announcement before the main part of my post today:
the homewardFOUND shop makeover is FINALLY happening!
i am so excited to finally get in there to make the changes i've envisioned...

 now... on with todays' post:

this time of year, it seems we all do a bit of cleaning and clearing, 
ready to embrace the simplicity of a blank calendar and clean rooms.

i'd like to share some inspiring 'simple' decor with you, along with a story...
(you're starting to notice that this is a regular thing now, right? ;) ) 

once upon a time, 

there were two incredibly talented men named Joe and Jermonne

who created a look that was all their own...

Barn House style.

when they came on the scene, back in the early 2000's, 
there was no shiplap craze, no galvanized metal repros in every store.
there was no JoJo on HGTV,  no Restoration Hardware as we know it today...
because their designs influenced the market and all who followed.

they hosted a beautiful vintage show on their farm in the Pacific Northwest,

a gathering of great ideas, original style, and a group of fun & talented people
that drove design trends and appeared in magazines everywhere.
i have been inspired by their spirit and their aesthetic for years now, 
and i'm sure you will be as well.

continue reading to see more of their inspiring creativity...

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!

Ready to ReDecorate!

it's a new year, and new things are soon to be 'in store'!

this new year has me filled with new energy... how about you?!
i've had a bit of recalculation in my head about what i want / need hwF to be,

and much of that is coming from the responses that the shop and merchandise in it

have been getting from you - my readers and customers (my HOMEees!)

* i watch what you click 'like' or ♥ and comment on, both here and on social media.

* i take into account what posts are getting views, and from where.

*i notice what you've been pinning and re-pinning from the blog and my boards.

* i keep an eye on what is selling in the shop - and what isn't -

and i have been asking myself one very simple question:

 "if this thing doesn't sell, would i put it in MY home?"

sometimes, the answer is a resounding 'nope'. and i'm not okay with that.

i loved my initial concept for the homewardFOUND blog AND shop - 

but it doesn't fit anymore. it's not where i am going personally, or as a designer.

so, i'm gonna' change it all up!

<< click 'continue reading' to see what's coming!

Take the Party With You Tonight!

it's New Years' Eve!

time to pop the corks, pour the bubbly, and start celebrating!

 i've just got to share this nifty way to transport sparkling wine and glasses to an event -
whether you are heading to the roof to watch fireworks or the ball drop at midnight,
or to the neighbor's place for some revelry,
it's a perfect way to take the party with you!

Click 'Continue Reading' for the tutorial...

Get Warmer for Winter!

With the approach of the New Year, we all seem to crave a change....
whether it's a personal makeover, a new resolution, 

or a way to make our rooms feel 'not empty' after the Holiday decor & trees are gone.

You'll find inspiration here on homewardFOUND decor!

 I offer posts with ideas for warming up your home in winter, 

for decorating with a fresh whitewashed palette or subdued neutrals,

and for organizing your office / craft room with style...

you can even get a jump on your February / Valentine's Day decor!

... click on the 'WINTER' tab in my sidebar to find more content

(You'll find ideas for every season of the year by clicking on the links in my sidebar.)

Thank you for coming by to visit...

and may this new year bring you blessings and joy!

homewardFOUND decor is on Insta!

I'd like to invite you to follow my NEW homewardFOUND decor account on IG! 

I'll be sharing all of the hwF shop news over there - 

new handmade and vintage products that are headed to Room #1, 

changing displays, upcoming events, *special offers* 😉 and more! 

Don't miss a thing at https://www.instagram.com/homewardfounddecor/

(you can still follow me as @debiwardkennedy, too -

I'll continue to share all kinds of inspiring things there)

ombre' gradient Christmas tree

this year's Christmas tree in our house is OMBRE'!

the ornaments are all of the SAME ones we used last year: 

i used all of the colored balls & figural ornaments and fabric poinsettias.

i didn't use the ribbon or the clear glass or paper ornaments that we used last year.

it's a completely different look for the tree - and we didn't spend a cent on it!

the ornaments used are white, ivory, gold, pale copper/rose gold, copper,

orange, tan, brown, and bronze.

i like the way the color gradient is dark at the bottom - like the floor -

and light at the top - like the ceiling.

it seems to make the tree feel even more grand and statuesque.

so.... now let me tell you the story of this theme!

that's LAST year's Christmas tree...

i had fun creating paper ornaments and pulling together a new look 

for the first year in the new house - 

which was a more neutral palette than my Mom has ever had on a tree before. 

we pulled gold from her holiday decor stash, 

and white, ivory, and browns from my holiday decor stash, 

then we bought some new ornaments to add to the mix - copper and orange.
(orange is our accent color here at home)
it all came together beautifully in a lush, full decor style - see more of it here.

well.... me being ME, i just can't do the same thing twice. ever.

.so as i was thinking about this years' tree, i remembered a tree that my friend Michael created

and shared on his blog Inspired by Charm last year: 

now, i love that idea! it's fun, it's happy, 

and from a design standpoint, it's a standOUT idea.

but it isn't ME. ...however.....

i realized that if i took all of the ornaments we already HAVE (sounds familiar, right?!)

and used them in gradient bands on the tree, 

i could replicate the idea without using the same colors. 

make the idea my own, so to speak.

which is what i hope the ideas i share here will do - 

inspire you to tweak them so they work for your style, your life, your home.

so, i showed that photo of Michael's tree to Mom, told her about my idea,

and asked if she was game to TRY it - with the promise that if it looked horrible,

she could tell me that, and I'd UNdecorate the tree and re-decorate it another way.
she agreed.

so I did it. and it worked!  (and Mom LOVES it!)

(i am also happy that i don't have to dismantle it and redecorate)

a side-by-side comparison:

Michael's tree is cone-shaped, while ours is a skinny tree - so ours looks kinda' funky.

i wish i had larger ornaments on the bottom part, but all in all i am happy with it!

i wanted to share this project with you so that perhaps you will 

look at the holiday decor elements and tree ornaments you already have 

and be inspired to think about them in a new way...

maybe doing an ombre' tree is not your thing, and that's fine.

perhaps using only one color, or a new combination of colors, 

would be a fun way to make things feel 'new' at your house 

without spending anything!

Welcome, October...

October breaks open, like a golden sunrise... 

Fall has always been my favorite season. 

Maybe I should blame my rusty red hair and my golden hazel eyes, 

but I just love the way autumn light warms up the landscape 

and nature's color palette changes with the season... 

this time of year, the earth sings a song of fresh new beginnings to me. 

Fall is the time my creativity runs rampant, and my eye finds artistic inspiration everywhere! 

 How fitting that this year, Fall brings me to a place where I am starting something again. 

It wasn't planned, and it's unfolding rapidly, and I am really REALLY excited about it!

Stay tuned for more news - coming very SOON! ;)

Tidings of Comfort and JOY

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, 
so this is the last post in my holiday 2016 series...

Finding this vintage book at the thrift store last summer
inspired our theme for our Christmas decorating:

  I've enjoyed sharing how we have embraced it in our home this year.

( Click to see all Holiday 2016 Posts )

JOY has been my Word of the Year for 2016,

and in so many ways I have found it again, lived it, and shared it...

for that gift, I am profoundly Thankful.

I owe a debt of gratitude to so many people in my life,

including each of you who visit my blog and social media pages...
your visits, comments, likes, shares, re-posts, pins

and enthusiastic support and encouragement mean so much to me.
Thank you all, from my heart, for finding value in what I share with you.

It's not rocket science, and it's not as BIG and as WOW as many other bloggers post,

but you've let me know that it's helpful, useful, and inspiring to you - 

and that just makes my heart sing!

I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 

- no matter what holiday you celebrate this time of year! - 

and a New Year filled with hope, faith, love, laughter, and yes.... JOY

With Gratitude, 

Deb

A Christmas Tablescape

Okay, I'll be honest... we really don't use this dining table much.
Even after I gave it a snazzy makeover! 
It serves as a big crafting surface a lot of the time, 
but is currently set & ready for Christmas Day dinner with some very special guests.

Everything here is coordinated with our daily decor palette
and the deeper tones that we brought in for the holidays...
And it has a few ideas that are simple to replicate:

Continue Reading for more...

Folded Book Christmas Angels & Trees

My Mom and I have been crafting and making things all of my life...
long ago, she and I created angels, choir boys, Santas, and snowmen
out of Readers Digest books with folded pages.
Back then, we painted ours gold and white and red, 
and the heads were round styrofoam balls.

Well, this year, Mom got the idea to make some of those again!

Continue Reading for more about our creations... 

Elegant Holiday Inspiration

I have the extreme good fortune to have some really remarkably talented friends
who inspire me on a regular basis...

one of them, Miss Sylvia, is a stylist and decorator extraordinaire.
She owns Madam Palooza Emporium, 

a vintage prop rental house and styling company in Southern California.

The weddings and event settings that she creates are so intricate and detailed, 

so personalized and delightful, that they appear in magazines every month!
(she's currently featured in the newly-revived Flea Market Style Magazine - 

which is run by two MORE of my incredible friends!!!)

Sylvia called me up last week and asked me to help her 

to create some simple but inspiring holiday decor in her studio/showroom,

as it was to be the setting for an event industry holiday party.
Of course I said yes! We've worked together before, and it's always fun!

continue reading to see the beautiful results...

which wine???

Years ago, I had the pleasure of working in the wine industry in the Pacific Northwest, 

where I learned more than I ever thought possible about the fruit of the vine....

Still, when I am stymied on a food and wine pairing,
I call on one of my friends to help me out with advice I can trust:

Scott Carlson is an experienced, knowledgeable wine & beer specialist for BevMo Stores, 

and he's been sharing some great information about wine pairings for years.

  I've rounded up some of Scott's best points on the subject
of pairing wines with Thanksgiving Dinner,
and added in a few of my own comments and recommendations
to help you select several wines for your upcoming holiday meal... enjoy!

<< click on 'continue reading' for Scott's recommendations!

100 Thanksgiving Table Decor Ideas

My Vintage White Thanksgiving tablescape is included in this seasonal collection of 

'100 Inspiring Thanksgiving Table Decor Ideas' on TinyPrints.com, 

and I'm honored to have been included!

View my original post with tons of pretty & easy tabletop ideas

View the entire Tiny Prints blog post 

________________________________

PS: a requested correction to the caption on my image on the Tiny Prints post has not been made,
so I'll include more information about it here for those visiting for the first time:

My tablescape shown in their post includes a pumpkin as a centerpiece,
but it is not 'wrapped in lace', as TP identified it.
It is one of my own Original creations, a soft-sculpture pumpkin known as
Sweet Sweater Pumpkins, made from sweaters.
The one in the photo has been embellished with a fascinator hat  with a lace veil.

If you'd like to make your own versions of my design,
you can find my Sweet Sweater Pumpkin tutorial here.

4 NEW Thanksgiving Tablescapes

My friends, the Holiday season is HERE!

Let's get inspired to try new things, shall we?!

A year ago, I purchased a beautiful vintage tea set with a fall floral motif,

and had planned to create a new tablescape post with it. Well, that didn't happen!

THIS year, I hauled it out and got to work creating that long-overdue table setting,

and along the way, I came up with three MORE ideas to share with you.
Every last one of these ideas is SIMPLIFIED, because we're ALL busy enough right now!

I just used stuff I already had here at the house - 

I seriously didn't even buy flowers or real pumpkins or anything -

and let it play out in true 'homewardFOUNDdecor' style
'cause that's how I roll...

Click through for four inspiring new themes...

A Faux Awning Window Valance

In the process of 'making do' with many items we already had on hand to decorate the new house,

Mom and I decided that the orange & white chevron-stripe cotton fabric

would look pretty happy over our kitchen window.

In the old house, there were two floor-length curtain panels of this fabric at the wine bar...

aaaaaaaaand I JUST realized that I never took a photo of that. 

Trust me, it looked great! 

Although we knew what fabric would be on this window,

we really weren't sure what the valance would look like.
Until we went to Hawaii last June...

we walked into a DARLING little shop in Kapaa, Kauai, called Serendipity
(sorry, they have no social media or web presence to link to)

and spied a set of sweet, rustic, rusty BUT lightweight metal brackets on a table.

I held them up, flipped them over, 

and thought "we could use them to hold the curtain rod over the sink!'

...so that's exactly what we did:

This photo shows the brackets holding the lower of two curtain rods -
simply a cheap white metal tension rod, extended to fit the width we needed.
It rests on the top scrolled 'arm' of the metal bracket.

Up above, the higher of two curtain rods is set just below ceiling height.
With high ceilings, there was ample room to raise the fabric panel above the cabinet tops, 

which keeps the eye travelling upward instead of  stopping even with the cabinets.

The rod at the top is a standard cheap white metal rod with curved ends that mount to the wall.
We had both rods, but they only run about $5 each new.

The fabric panel was shortened by half, and we used the existing top casing 

to hang the panel from the top rod.
While I could have sewn a new casing into the new bottom edge, I didn't.
I used masking tape to tape the bottom edge of the fabric to the tension rod
(all the way across)

and then I rolled the fabric up twice to completely cover the rod and the tape.

 The bracket holds the lower tension rod out about 10" from the wall,

and the top rod is only 2" from the wall - 

so the effect is of a fabric awning over the window and the wood blinds.

It's a lot more interesting than just a plan fabric valance panel hanging straight down!

The fabric can be very easily removed for washing, or to change it up.
We even have a piece of muslin painter's cloth sized and ready for use here

in case we decide to go with a more neutral palette one day!

.

I hope this inspires you to think of things differently - like your window treatments.  

My first choice for this window was actually a vintage metal outdoor awning!
If I ever find a white one that will fit, I'll do it!

Don't just hang a panel or a valance if you have a chance to do something fun instead:
I've used picket fences as awnings and valances, 

old screens as awnings,

I've hung baby clothes on a clothesline as a valance... 

 See? You can use ANYTHING! Come on and get creative!!!