WINTER: office organization on the cheap

  

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors blog hosts a weekly linkup, encouraging her followers/readers to share their recent projects. This past Friday, she suggested that we also share our favorite tips for getting organized at the start of a new year... which sent me to my hwf blog archives to find a post I knew would be what she was hoping for.

It took me awhile to find it in my archives, but I did, and linked it up to her party. The response to it in just two days is astounding! Now I feel motivated by Donna to share this helpful info that you can use by re-posting my original post from 2013 again - so I'm sharing it today as a 'Bonus Post' in addition to my regular content.

This info is the 'BTS' - Behind the Scenes -  of how I created my absolute dream office / design studio... spending very little money, using reclaimed + thrifted items + what I already had. I've actually done this in every creative space I have designed for myself, since the very first one in 2004. (I shared that studio in another post, which is linked at the end of this post)

In January of 2011, I moved into my dream house on an island in the PNW, and enjoyed the opportunity to design a whole new studio/office for myself.  I undertook this project exactly as I would one for a client: start with what you have and look at it in a fresh way.

continue reading to see how I get organized - on the cheap!

Easy Yarn & Twine Pumpkins

fall has not yet 'fallen' here in Southern California,
 but it's definitely pumpkin season for me!

first up, i'm sharing this incredibly easy way
to turn everyday items into pumpkins for your autumn decor...
these were made using yarn / twine skeins and thread spools.

i've embellished them a bit using elements
that go along with the 'sewing/knitting supply' theme
because i just can't leave well enough alone - 
yet there is NO sewing or knitting needed for this project!

continue reading to see how to make these in just minutes...

terra cotta pot mushrooms

my favorite seasonal decor is the kind that happens

when i'm just playing around with things in my studio - and an idea hits me.

i love using things in ways OTHER than how they were intended to be used,

both indoors and out.

these terra cotta pot mushrooms are one of the easiest things i've made,

and they are a perfect spring accent for your home AND garden spaces.

continue reading for an insanely easy tutorial to make your own versions!

terra cotta pot wreath

yes, this project IS a 're-share'!
as i made this wreath for my 2023 'Terra Cotta Christmas' theme,
i did so planning to share it again this spring...

it just captures all the spring 'feels' SO well 
and has endless possibilities for embellishment each season - 
which is really what homeward found decor is all about.

friends, you don't need a whole new set of decor accents each season!
and you certainly don't need to shop for all new stuff...
and bins to store more and more and more stuff.
make your own decor and create a home you love to live in.

continue reading for my tutorial...

it's time to talk about my pot addiction.

no, that post title ISN'T an April Fools Day joke -
and it doesn't mean what you THINK It means!
in case you haven't noticed, i just love terra cotta pots!

they are such a versatile decorative element...

i can ALWAYS find a way to use them, in every season:

gather them on a platter or in a crate, sit them on a miniature chair,

add a little moss, tuck in a blooming primrose or tulip (fake is okay!),

dome them under glass, set the table with them,

make mushrooms out of them, turn them into Christmas decor,

and generally use them in ways they were never intended to be used!

i don't think i'll ever run out of ideas...

there was this ONE incident, however, that launched me into

the terra cotta pot stratosphere...

create a living nest

i thought this project up months ago and am so happy to finally share it!

this 'living nest' idea was spurred by a photo i saw online:

my thought was, why not take the 'living wreath' topiary

and turn it on its side?! would it resemble a nest?

so then i had to experiment a bit to see if that idea would work out in reality. 

continue reading to see how it did!

a serene winter wreath

i love a seasonal wreath, don't you?!

this simple winter season wreath
is created from remnants of an old white matlasse' bedspread
and adorned with natural elements from my yard,
reflecting the way winter looks and feels where i live.

a fabric-wrapped wreath can be made with YOUR preferences,

and i hope this one inspires you to create something you love!

continue reading for an easy tutorial...

time for a change... a new 'mantel'!

in November 2020, i created something i had wanted for a long while:

a faux fireplace and mantel, as a photo backdrop.

using some spare lumber and white paint

i cobbled together a simple 'fireplace' and attached it to

the old wood gate that hangs on my studio wall

(my dad built it in the 80's and i swiped it when he built a new one in 2013!)

this backdrop has been in constant use since then, and has worked pretty well.

there have been a few times when it has not worked well -

usually when photographing a wreath or wall art

that was too big in scale to fit in the space above the mantel.
(and those sharp dark shadows from the 'firebox' drove me mad!)

in mid-December of '23, i decided it was time for a change

and tore that faux mantel and firebox enclosure apart!

the result is very satisfying.

continue reading for more details...

welcome, winter...

my personal word for this next year is light 

along with the many meanings that word encompasses.

 i often hear people talk about how dark winters are -

yet after we remove the holiday decor, our homes feel lighter. cleaner.
(and yes, some say emptier.) 

but do we really want to fill them up again with a lot of stuff? 
why not welcome the new year with the lightness of a refreshed home?

i'm embracing the aesthetic of lightness and simplicity this year,

as well as a renewed focus on the beauty of nature in every season.

that's going to affect the way i approach my own home decor

and by extension the content i share here to inspire you.

as i plan and create new projects for the upcoming season,
i'm asking myself questions about how i want my home to feel,
how i want to feel IN my home, and how i can inspire you
to create a home you love to live in.

continue reading to see where i'm heading...

NEW! sweet sweater 'sandy' cake

a question i am often asked is 'where do you get your ideas from?'
i'm honestly inspired by everything! 
from the color combinations i see in nature to memories of my childhood
to objects i see that make me ask "can i make that out of a sweater?!"
i am never without ideas to investigate (which is why deb doesn't sleep....)

one of my long-time online friends from the 'way back' blogging days (early 90's)
is the most incredible cake decorator and baker i have ever seen.
Sasha (@saucybakes on IG) has a wild imagination and wicked talent,
and her creations never fail to make me
 A. hungry and B. intrigued about replicating them in my own style.

back in 2022 i was inspired by Sasha to create a cake
using sweaters, as my own 'birthday cake',
which then led to creating a faux holiday cake and a faux frosty wintery cake.

a recent post on her IG account showed a 'Little Mermaid' themed cake
with shells and sprinkle 'sand'...
so i started thinking about making a summery 'sand cake'
with a sweater and seashells and a few other elements. 

continue reading to see how i interpreted a beachy theme faux cake!

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...

warm new year greetings

happy new year, my friends!
i hope 2023 finds you healthy and happy...
every year, i learn something new. sometimes MANY somethings.
and this past year, i think i could sum up what i learned as:
"sometimes, you just have to do the thing."

this winter i've added a new element to my studio, shown in the photo above -

it's a heater that looks like a wood stove, 

and it works perfectly in tandem with my fake fireplace mantel built in 2020!

i had been thinking about doing this for over a month, but put it off.
(procrastination is my biggest challenge, seriously.)

then in Mid-December the temps dropped waaaaay lower than normal,

and my studio windows frosted over.
sometimes nature gives us a lil' helping hand to get us moving.

continue reading to learn more about my solution...

NEW! faux painted bamboo pumpkins

my penchant for tropical decor and tiki culture inspired this new pumpkin project...

our So Cal home is filled with tikis and bamboo and leafy palm fabrics,
because during the pandemic lockdown we had to cancel our trip to Hawaii
and decided to just make HOME feel as much like Hawaii as we could.
and we love it!
so, i like to create seasonal decor for us that coordinates with that theme.
pumpkins that look like they are made from bamboo are a perfect fit!

continue reading for my paint tutorial...

give 'em pumpkin to talk about!

for my final 'Halloween' post, i'm sharing some costumes!
they're a bit different that what that word might cause you to expect...
because they are all for pumpkins!

i dressed up my white pumpkins in hats, glasses, bow ties, lacy ruffs, masks, crowns,
and one spectacular wig.
they're ready for the costume parade - and they serve as great inspiration
if you're still looking for last-minute decor ideas!

continue reading to see how i raided the costume box and dressed up my punkies!

decorate pumpkins with stickers!

Halloween is comin' up quick... 

and if you're still looking for easy ways to decorate, i've got 'em!

this pumpkin decorating method ticks all the boxes:

fast✔     cheap✔     easy✔    no-carve✔     no clean-up✔   kids can do it ✔

and the results are loads of fun, too!

continue reading for a really sneaky way to get fabulous 'last minute' pumpkins!

repurposed planter pumpkins

i can't even say this is a 'craft' project...
it's more like an 'arrangement' project.
it's just stacking things together to make pumpkins!
SO easy - and flexible.

it will work in any color, any size, any style:
i'm into a black and white (with accents of yellow!) palette this fall,
but these would be elegant in gold & white, mod in chrome silver and white,
boho chic in terra cotta, and traditional in varied orange tones.

continue reading for the details - and more ideas!

paint + paper picture frame pumpkins

creating seasonal decor accents with paint and paper is my jam.

i love taking something i already have, combining it with scraps of this and that,

adding some paint, and turning it into something new

without spending a cent.

it's 'green'/eco-friendly, no-cost, easy to do,

keeps stuff from being 'stuffed' into storage boxes until it's that season again,

and it's a great way to ensure that my decor is unique and one of a kind.

i'm able to embrace current trending looks - with my own twist.

like..... yellow. yup. still doin' my yellow thing. alllll year long!

while these photos do indeed have yellow in them,

the project is graphic black and white - which is not just perfect for Halloween,

but easily incorporated into nearly any color scheme.

or, you know, altered to fit any color scheme...

you want orange? great! swap out the black for orange!

maybe you embrace all neutrals? okay! use soft sand instead of black with white.

and if 'cute' isn't your vibe, picture these made from elegant gold frames
filled with vintage book pages or wallpaper, with gold-painted wire 'stems'.
i want to inspire you to make it yours!

continue reading for details...

white wire basket pumpkins

i use a lot of containers in my studio (and home) to try to be organized.
wire baskets like these from the Dollar Tree help corral my copious stash
of craft & art supplies, and various small bits & pieces that i use and re-use in projects.

i was today years old when i looked at them and saw pumpkins instead!!!
similar to the gold wire basket pumpkins that i shared last month,
they are SO easy to make.

continue reading for the easy how-to...

gold wire basket pumpkins

 i just love finding something that can be turned into something else.

case in point: these gold metal wire baskets from Dollar Tree.
not only are they great for storage & organizing, they are also a 'raw element' for crafts.

i used four of them to create three different kinds of pumpkins,
and it was truly one of my trademark 'fast, cheap, & easy' efforts!
of course, you could do this with old galvanized wire baskets, as well.

continue reading for my easy new tutorial...

faux 'kintsugi' pumpkins

i am always amazed by how my creative muses get my attention!

after bumping a vase and having it crash to the floor (ending up in tiny pieces),

an ancient art form came to my mind.

the 15th-Century practice of kintsugi, meaning ' to join with gold ',

is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by re-joining broken parts

with lacquer that has been mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum.

the result is an elegant art form,

making the vessel stronger and more valuable than it was before breaking.

here at homewardFOUND, re-purposing and upcycling old, used, cast-off items 

is my way of embracing the same philosophy - and applying it to home decor.

giving things a second chance, a new purpose, is not only budget-friendly and 'green',

but immensely satisfying from a creative standpoint.

i've applied the kintsugi aesthetic to these pumpkins for fall decorating,

and i love the way an age-old art can look so fresh and contemporary!

continue reading to see how easily you can achieve this look, too...