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Showing posts with label new year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new year. Show all posts

1.05.2024

welcome, winter...

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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...

12.22.2023

wishing you the happiest holidays

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Christmas arrives in just a few days,
with a New Year on the horizon...

as we wrap up 2023,
i want to express my deep gratitude for your visits, likes, and comments
on my seasonal home decor content across social media platforms,
as well as to the generous bloggers and home publications
who have featured my projects over the past year.

i love the creative community we have all built together,
and truly appreciate your support & encouragement. it means the world to me.
and i really LOVE it when you tell me that i inspired you to make something new!

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i so enjoyed your happy responses to my 'terra cotta Christmas' themed posts,
and you can imagine my smile when i spied these items on the Terrain website:
apparently i wasn't the only one obsessed with terra cotta pots this holiday season!

i'd love to hear from you what your favorite homewardFOUND post was this year,
and what you hope to see from me in 2024...
some fun project images are already sent off for publication,
with ideas for new winter-into-spring decor projects percolating in my brain.

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i'm currently enjoying the end of this year and the dawning of the new one
while embracing some quiet time and 'artist dates'
to refresh and refuel my creativity as i plan for 2024 projects + content.

i hope you find time to do the same - 
disconnect, rest, renew, and revive yourself
in whatever ways you need to.

wishing you the merriest of Christmases
and happiness in the new year!

creatively, deb

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1.02.2023

warm new year greetings

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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...

1.08.2022

the yellow bonanza of 2021

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i've been enjoying my time offline, tending to some household projects and tasks,
but thought i'd pop in to wrap up the past year in a big (yellow!) bow...
i've had so much fun creating a multitude of seasonal home decor projects
inspired by the Pantone 2021 Color of the Year, 'Illuminating' Yellow

continue reading for a quick peek at what i shared every month of the year!

1.01.2022

a quiet beginning...

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the beginning of a new year is like an empty room or a blank canvas or page to me...
as i open a new calendar and stare at the month of January,
i see a fresh start. possibility. space. time. freedom. opportunity. 
i like the idea of letting go of the old and embracing the new - 
even when it's sometimes scary to make big changes.

in mid-December, i read a post by one of my favorite authors, Ann Voskamp,
and felt a great weight lift from my soul when i scrolled down and saw these words:

Let go of Plan A — Go with 'Plan Be.'

it hit home because Deb is a planner, my friends. a list-maker. a 'DO-er'.
and i most definitely gauge my worth and value on my output and productivity.
i always have - long before social media made it a daily goal visible to the world.
and it's a very bad habit. it drives me into burnout in every area of my life.
i've been struggling with that since October.
 but after spending much of December not creating online content,
and thinking about what i can do to remedy the predicament i find myself in,
i know what to do now...

continue reading

12.30.2021

sweet sparkling new year!

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we arrive at the end of the year, and the start of a new one...
we've made it, and that's cause to celebrate!

whether you gather with family, friends, neighbors, or a special person tomorrow night,
or spend a blissfully cozy evening alone in a bubble bath or watching The Ball drop,
i have a few last-minute ideas to share for making your New Year's Eve sparkle!

speaking of lifting spirits, continue reading for more...

1.11.2021

optimistic outlook in my office

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color really can change the way a room feels... and works!
at the beginning of a new year, color can energize us and our work spaces.

when i decided to 'try on' the current trend of a yellow and gray palette, 
i chose my studio/office as a test subject.
previously, i shared the new arrangement around my faux fireplace - 
this color palette also comes into play on my desk and nearby bookshelf
to help organize and cheer up my work space.

by curating not just the color palette but the amount of items in each area,
my office functions better. i have what i need every day at hand.
items i use less are stored in easily accessible areas, and don't overwhelm the space.

and honestly? this happy sunny yellow color affects my mood. (most days).
so if simply bringing in a new color to my space can do all that, i'm all for it!

continue reading to see how impactful a color change can be...

1.08.2021

diy silver tray snowman

.art,wall art,re-purposing,decorating,DIY,diy decorating,junk makeover,new year,winter,tutorial,up-cycling,vintage,winter home decor,home decor,winter snowman decor,snowman,silver tray snowman,repurposed silver trays,junk snowman,january home decor,Illuminating Yellow,Ultimate Gray,yellow and gray decor,gray and yellow decor,2021 color of the year palette 
as i was placing three silver trays on my mantel (see my last post),
an idea for using them in a different way crossed my mind...

i love using unusual materials to create seasonal decor accents,
and then using & reusing them again in many ways.
this unplanned project certainly fits that M.O.! 

continue reading to see how easily i turned those trays into a snowman...

1.01.2021

celebrate home!

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"endings need grieving... and beginnings deserve celebration."
i read that line recently in a devotional, and it really spoke to me.
while many of us may not actually be grieving the end of a very trying year,
we certainly DO need to celebrate the arrival of a fresh new one!

there's a lovely song called 'Celebrate Me Home'
(originally by Kenny Loggins, and recently covered by Josh Groban)
that includes these lines:
"Come on and play my music, Let's turn on the love light in the place...
Please, celebrate me home...Play me one more song that I'll always remember,
And I can recall, Whenever I find myself too all alone, I can sing me home."


what a beautiful idea - to celebrate home.
not feel imprisoned in, not tolerate, not begrudgingly accept... but celebrate.
express gratitude for the home we have, enjoy the time spent there, really live there.

as we enter this new year, i thought it would be good to focus on 
ways that we can refresh, reclaim, and rejuvenate the MOOD inside our rooms...
celebrating our homes, if you will.
helping us to embrace and enjoy where we live our lives in simple ways every day.

continue reading for some of my top tips to help you celebrate your home...

12.29.2020

color your winter decor

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let's face it. we're all facing the same 'post holiday decor question':
what do i do NOW?
my house looks so empty after the Christmas decor is down.
do i do winter decor? if i really don't want to go with a 'snowy' look, how do i DO that?
or do i jump right to spring - or stop off for a short visit at Valentine's Day?

if you think that i don't ask those same questions, think again!
honestly? i struggle with the whole 'winter wonderland' look...
 i live in the desert in Southern California. it's cold here, but not snowy.
and i need color. the monotone snowy look isn't my jam anymore.
 
recently, a thought came to me:
color always inspires me, and mother nature never fails to offer inspiration
as each season unfolds with new hues, new color combinations, new life.

thing is, having color in your home doesn't have to look like my holiday theme did - 
a riot of every color in the rainbow. all at the same time.
sometimes, it is the addition of one hue to a soft neutral background
 that adds what i call 'a punctuation point' in a room.
just a touch goes a long way. and it doesn't have to cost a thing!

continue reading to see what is inspiring me this winter...

1.06.2020

making a happy home

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a brand new year is a fresh new start, in so many ways...
every year, i choose a single word to be my intention and focus (rather than resolution).
i like this approach, as it is more about 'be' than 'do'.
THIS year, my word is 'happy' - for many reasons.

Mom and i also select a word that is our shared 'Word of the Year',
something that reflects a purpose or mission or quality that we intend to pursue together.
and this year, that word is 'HOME'.

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we chose it for a few different reasons...
but the really amazing thing is that as soon as we decided on it,
all KINDS of things started showing up to 'confirm' that it was the right choice:
things like songs, and sentiments in cards from friends, a book that a friend of mine was selling, 
and us noticing little objects we had around here already
that would bring the word 'home' resonance in our home and our daily life.
and when i combined my word with our word, it really came to life...

continue reading to see how our winter decor evokes a 'happy home'!

1.02.2020

create a cozy home with repurposed sweaters & blankets

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on a cold winter-y January day, 
we can always count on a soft sweater and a fuzzy blanket to warm us up.
why not incorporate that into our HOMES?!
in my decor for the winter season, i did exactly that -
and let me tell you, it panned out much better than i ever could have planned!

continue reading to see how a fabulous thrifted find brought it all together...

12.29.2019

rustic junky new year wreath

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i love creating a fresh look on our front porch for each season. 
okay, it's not a porch. more like a 'vestibule' - long, narrow, and dark. 
(totally impossible to photograph well, especially with dark terra cotta colored stucco walls. but i try!)

that's why it's important to me to come up with a display here that will welcome guests.
i always bring in light colors, textures, and seasonal elements.
i have a plan for this area and am searching for a large lighter element to add this spring...

for winter this year, i chose rusty metal as the starting point.
some whitewashed wood elements, rope & twine, and rustic wood crates
(ALL things that i have used here before!) combined in a 'winter' scene.

continue reading to see more of our front porch decor...

1.29.2018

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...

1.12.2018

Ready to ReDecorate!

rustic industrial farmhouse salvaged home decor
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!

12.26.2017

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!

1.05.2017

Into the Pale : A Neutral Palette

vintage antique repurposed neutral decor
I've heard a lot of people saying the same thing lately...
"Once the tree and the holiday decor comes down, it looks so EMPTY!"
Well, maybe I'm weird, but I kinda' LIKE the cleared-out spaces!

To me, this is the perfect time of year to do a nice, thorough cleaning
and a refresh of our rooms so that we start the new year with a 'clean palette'.

I took that idea to the nth degree this year

and pulled all of the orange accent color OUT of the house.
I packed it up and put it away, leaving only the neutral background - 
and the result is a soft, cozy, warm, 'cashmere' feeling in the house!
It's perfect for winter, and a nice visual rest from all of the holiday excess.

and the best part? it wasn't even hard to do...

click 'continue reading' for the before and after!

12.29.2016

Pop! Fizz! Clink!

It's almost here - are you ready for the toasts?!

With the help of my friend Scott Carlson, wine specialist for BevMo
I'd like to share some helpful info to make your night the BUBBLIEST!

Continue Reading for some sparkling tips...