easy 'dot' candy pumpkins

it seems this fall has affected me by making me crave candy and sweets!!

this happy project was born when i found THESE at the Dollar Tree:

'member those?!!!

'dot' candy on paper strips was one of my FAVE sweet treats as a kid

(confession: i would sometimes stop at the local Circle K market while walking to school

and spend my lunch money on candy instead. BAD little debby!!!)

when i saw these GIANT candy versions, i grabbed a package

and got right to work when i arrived home...

...continue reading to see how easy this pumpkin decor is for adults & kids alike!

faux food 'caramel apple' pumpkins

a recent rainstorm and cool temps (that have long since vanished!)
spurred my 'fall feels' - and my taste buds for all things caramel.
it's my favorite fall flavor, and i love indulging it...
from scarfing down Werther's Original caramel cremes
to sipping a caramel apple martini on a cool but sunny late afternoon.

with those thoughts already swirling in my head, 
seeing a photo of a green apple being dipped into melted caramel
inspired something else... this fun 'faux food' bit of sweet fall home decor!

how it started:

i knew that a method i had previously used to make faux honey
would work for the glossy dimensional caramel effect,
so i proceeded with this project as i had with that one.
(my faux honey jar is linked below this post)

... continue reading to see how it's going, and how you can make them, too!

have a ball with these pumpkins!

do you have a family full of sports fans?

oh, my friends, you're gonna' have a BALL with this idea! 😉

i was killing time before an appointment by walking thru a 'FIVE below' discount store,

and spied a bin filled with small basketballs in bright happy colors...

there was no yellow, but the minty green one caught my eye!

continue reading for tips on this SUPER fast & easy pumpkin decor project!

sandy castles

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...

crepe paper dandelions

summer's on the horizon!
with Memorial Day coming up this weekend, many parties are being planned...
from backyard bashes to pool parties to picnics in the park.
that last one gave me an idea for a tablescape/party theme
and i'm revisiting a past project as part of it.

last spring, i participated in an art challenge on Instagram,
and making a paper dandelion was one of my entries.
today i'm sharing the easy process with you, 
along with inspiration for a fun summery table decor idea!

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...

grandma's button flowers

did your grandma have a button box?
mine did, and i spent many hours playing with the colorful contents as a child.
 when my Grandma Ward passed, i was given her button box.
to this day just looking at it makes me smile...

 i decided to start collecting buttons of my own to add to her tin,
so i grabbed them at garage sales and thrift stores
and sometimes even bought some from craft stores.

when i began using the buttons in home decor projects.
one of the projects i undertook was to make button flowers:

those were made back in the early 2000's!
it's such an easy project that kids can do it, too.

continue reading for my easy tutorial... 

faux food flower 'cupcakes'

continuing with my floral theme for this month,

i whipped up these fanciful floral 'faux food' cupcakes...

which i did not make with butter, eggs, sugar, and flour.

my friend Sasha ('Saucy') decorates very real cakes and cupcakes

with the most fantastical elements - like frosting flowers.

her delightful creations inspired these flower-decorated cupcakes,

and also inspired my faux gingerbread cake last December.

check out her amazing edible art on Instagram

some projects have a lot of prep, a lot of elements, a lot of steps.

this isn't one of those. this is a one-and-done decor project. easy-peasy. 

i can't even call this a 'tutorial' because it's SO easy.

don't believe me? continue reading!

'flower power' coasters

a perfect way to add a spring touch to your entertaining,

these easy to make 'flower power' coasters can be created in any color -

and are really simple to assemble. after you disassemble, that is.

oh, wait, i'm getting ahead of myself...

continue reading for my easy tutorial...

flower bunnies

spring has arrived, April is here, and Easter is on the horizon...
this truly easy floral project will add some fun to your spring decor!

whether you make it with faux or fresh flowers,

it's sure to make everyBUNNY smile ;) 

continue reading to see how you can replicate my look!

Easter egg mushrooms!

my last post for  March Mushroom Madness  
wraps up with this creation... just in time for Easter!

why not decorate for spring with mushrooms, along with the bunnies and eggs?
ah, but these are no ordinary mushrooms - these are made from eggs!
you can use REAL eggshells, as i did, or simple plastic eggs to get this whimsical result.

(i know, eggs are really pricy right now! i always save the shells to use in my garden,
but i'm always happy to turn 'trash' into 'treasure' via crafting!)

 continue reading to see how easy they are to create...

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!

NEW sweet sweater SNOcakes!

after i posted my gingerbread sweater cake at the end of December,
i began seeing all kinds of 'sweater cakes' online...

this gorgeous image from Lion Brand Yarn came up in my IG feed 
and MANY others are popping up on Pinterest -
utterly gorgeous real cakes that are frosted to look like cable knit sweaters.

i was particularly drawn to the white winter-y ones and knew i could replicate the look.
since i had everything i needed to create a faux cake,
i got busy creating my own 'Sweet Sweater' version.
and since it's still decidedly winter, i thought i'd share it here on the blog...
it's too late for more Valentine's Day decor, anyway!

continue reading to see the details - plus a few surprises!

use heart-shaped cake tins as decor!

just in case you need a very last-minute Valentine's Day decorating idea,

here's a cute idea using heart-shaped baking pans and cookie cutters!

i mean, why NOT use what you have on hand to decorate?!

continue reading to see the details in this bonus post!

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!

NEW! sweet sweater 'gingerbread' cakes!

deb used to bake. uh huh. but now if deb bakes, deb eats.
getting older with a slowing metabolism sucks!
so now my approach to 'holiday treats' takes a different form...

i just make sweet things out of other things... like SWEATERS!

for the finishing touch on my Gingerbread Holiday theme this year,
i've created two all-new Sweet SweaterTM originals to inspire you:

an oh-so-trendy 'tall cake' and a lil' mini 'cake buddy'
all trimmed out with gingerbread houses, men, candy canes, snowflakes,
and some 'frosting' that couldn't be easier!

continue reading to see how these sweet treats came together - 
without a calorie in sight ;) 

Miss Dot goes to the county fair!

the past four posts have shared some of the decor i created
for a recent 'county fair' themed camping/glamping event.

and though most of the photos i took of trailers DIDN'T turn out :(
i have a few of ours and a few shots from the event
to share as inspiration for you when you host events or go 'glamping'!

continue reading so Miss Dot can show herself (and her COUSINS!) off...