Mother, May I?

ok, friends, Mother's Day is this coming Sunday!
here are some easy and creative last-minute ideas for your celebrations...

continue reading to see all of my Mother's Day posts!

May Day 'Posie Pails'

here's a simple tutorial for a May Day flower holder - from a tin can!
it's time to go back to the days when we left flowers on our neighbors' doorknobs
on May Day, don't you think?

this project, my friends, is a real 'blast from the past'...
not only did i paint hundreds and hundreds of my tin can pails for years,
but i also created this idea using seed packets as artwork for a simple DIY version...
and shared it here on homewardFOUND waaaaaaay back in 2013! yes, FIVE years ago!

...continue reading for my easy tutorial to make what i am now calling 'Posie Pails'!

Raid the Garden Shed for Spring Decor!

Adding a few touches of natural elements to home decor each season
is an easy and inexpensive way to freshen up our rooms
and make everyday life worth celebrating.

there's an easy way to get started on your spring decorating:
head out to your garden shed, greenhouse, or garage,
and raid it for all of the pots and trowels and rakes you can find!
these wonderfully worn elements are the perfect touch for your front porch,
front door, entryway, and INSIDE your home, too!

continue reading to see the many ways you can use clay pots as decor items...

Welcome 2018 with a Junk Wreath!

2018: project one!
i took down the holiday decor in our entryway and needed to replace it...

admittedly, i've been too busy to even PLAN anything for that area.
but a quick look at what wreaths were on hand turned up two bare reed circles,

and that was all the inspiration that i needed!

tied together with a length of twine, the two reed wreaths are more substantial
(because in art and design, repetition adds strength).

i rummaged through a box of 'odds and ends' and found a slew of things to use

to add personality and interest to the wreath...

what's on there?
there are two tarnished silver cups, some galvanized construction tape, spring, and gift tag. 

an old outdoor faucet, a wire light bulb cage, a tiny shovel, a coffee measuring spoon,

a rusty letter O, a bling-y shower curtain ring, and a champagne cork with cage.

an odd assortment, they hail from miscellaneous sources 

(my old home, my Dad's workbench, gifts from friends, flea markets)

but they all have a connection to my story - and to each other,

which shows up when they are mounted together on the wreath using more twine.

i think they look a lot like a floral arrangement, 

but that might be just my weird sense of design talking ;)

 in any case, they reflect what I think of as a 'winter palette' - 

greys, blacks, charcoals, and varying shades of brown mixed with sparkling glass.

it may not be cold here where i live, but this combination evokes a 'winter-y' mood for me!

continue reading to see where it ended up!

Easy Christmas Wreath Makeover

Welcoming people to our homes is important every day - especially during the Holiday season.

A wreath for the door or front porch is something that we almost all include in our decor... 

Like you, I gaze longingly at the beautiful wreaths and garlands 

displayed at elegant home decor shops and garden centers

And THEN I look at the price tags... not happenin', folks!!

Fortunately, those inspiring creations can lead the way to making what we already have BETTER!
I'm always up for taking something old and making it look new
(okay, well, not always - sometimes I take new things and make them look old!)
...and the wreath that my Mom has been using for about 20 years now was due for an update.

continue reading for my secrets...

Garden House ReVisited

Remember my Garden House Makeover Project?

The photo above is what it looked like after my whirlwind two-day flurry of activity.

This is what it looked like BEFORE I got started:

See the entire transformation - that took place in one weekend - here.

It's always fun to see how spaces change over time...

Two days ago, my friend Todd shared this photo on social media:

He's decorating this tiny space for some fall picnics and enjoyment...

and yes, that's the same garden house!

You see, Todd built that garden house many years ago. 
He owns the house and the yard that it sits in.

I lived in that little bungalow for a few short months back in 2011,

after life collapsed and I had to leave my dream farmhouse & life on an island.

Todd allowed me to make over his little garden house, and I am forever grateful to him for that. 

Not only was a lot of fun and a creative gold mine -
giving me content for my blog here and many great photos - 

but it was a distraction from stressful situations at a time in my life when I really needed it. 

It gave me space and time to think. 

And now, he lives in that bungalow and enjoys that garden.

Seeing Todd out there decorating and loving that sweet little space just makes my heart happy. 

My screen door is still there, some of those tiny pots on the wall are mine, and those white shelf units were mine, too - 

though I used them in the laundry area of the house, not where they are now. 
But I LOVE them in this location!

I love that Todd was a generous friend who saw my sorrow,

and helped to turn it into a measure of joy by letting me create in this special space.

It is a gift I will never forget.

Off the Wall?

Last spring, after moving into the new house,

Mom and I went shopping at the Down Home Spring Sale,

held at the home of Don & Peggy Arbenz.
Several years ago, I wrote about their GORGEOUS antique store in Orange, CA - 

they have since closed the store, but sell at shows and at their own events.

I really love their style,
(I've posted about some of their store's Fall and Halloween displays)

and just knew that we would find some things at their sale

that could be incorporated into our home... and we did!

One of the (many) treasures that came home with us was 

HALF of a tall, weathered wood porch post!
(It had been split lengthwise and has a totally flat back)

As soon as we saw it, we envisioned it as a coat rack in our entry hall:

Okay, well.... to be honest, we pictured it hung vertically... on another wall...

But the more we looked at it, the more we realized that 

this position limited the capacity for holding things -

including decorative things that change with the season.
( You see where I'm going with this, right?! )
So in the end, we moved the position from vertically beside the door 

to horizontally behind the door
(the door would be on the adjacent wall to the left of this photo)

Once hung in place, 

we gathered up a variety of interesting metal hooks from all over the place, 

and screwed them into the wood:

Top Row: 'faucet' hook - etsy . 'JOY' hooks - World Market

Bottom Row: vintage hook - ReStore, WA . silver metal hooks - Hobby Lobby

Find more coat hooks at World Market . HobbyLobby . 

It's a terrific drop zone right inside the door, along with being nice to look at!

The look and content will change with each season, 

making this as much an art gallery as it is a coat rack 

I'm working on a rustic 'Welcome' sign to hang above it, 

and you can see that one of my refreshed chalkboards ended up here, too!

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 ;)

Happy Halloween!

 Sometimes, great decorating is the result of restraint.
Without much ado or effort, these simple white pumpkins have Halloween holiday spirit

and all I did was tie two (STUNNING) plastic masks onto them.

No carving, no paint, no hours of effort and mess were involved....

just a simple one-step 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' TM decor detail that REALLY makes an impact.
This is a perfect solution for those of you who haven't decorated yet

with just HOURS to go before the Trick-or-Treater Invasion!

I paid just one dollar EACH for those masks at a local flea market,

but you can still find great ones at local party supply stores.

Wishing you all a very Happy & SAFE Halloween!
I'll be handing out treats at Disneyland tonight :)

shared online:
Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Happy HalloWEEK! Part 2: A Skeleton Crew...

When I walked into Roger's Gardens 'Hauntingly Beautiful' Halloween BOOtique this fall

and saw THIS decor element, I laughed out loud.
Last year, their decor made me think of the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland.
THIS year, it makes me think of Pirates of the Caribbean!
(Yes, I am an unabashed Disney Kid!)

If you've ever looked at cheap plastic skeletons 

and thought there is NO way those will EVER look good,

think again....

 because used as an overhead 'trellis' for climbing ivy, these old bones have full-bodied style!

The skeletons hang from the ceiling and dangle down at the edges of rooms & doorways,

creating arches overhead.

Faux ivy twines through and around them, looking ever so creepy.

I could also see using REAL ivy - DEAD, brown, shriveled ivy - for this project.
Or maybe BLACK faux ivy - with gray spanish moss dangling down!

 (Sorry, bad pic - but I love his face!)
This is a great decor idea for a front porch, entry hall, or over the dining table.
Just think of all of the 'helping hands' you'd have around!

See ALL of my Halloween posts here

Find Roger's Gardens here

Backyard Bistro

While it's easy to haul out the plastic lawn chairs and folding tables for summer gatherings,

it's not much harder to pull together a stylish outdoor setting

that you can enjoy every day...

 just think 'Bistro' style, and your back deck or patio

could feel just like your favorite neighborhood cafe'!

By using simple furnishings and accessories that you may already have, 

you can create a welcoming and comfortable dining nook outdoors.

It doesn't take a lot of space, either!
A vintage wood table and two metal chairs snug up to the deck railing here,

just as they would at a trendy bistro!

Dressing the table with a white tablecloth, 

and hanging another as a temporary curtain to block the sun, 

elevates the setting to more than 'picnic' style.

( BTW, the vintage stove in the background has been retrofitted as a bbq,

and the vintage fridge is now a smoker. )

A bouquet of flowers and herbs from the garden finish off this relaxing setting,

perfect for enjoying a late afternoon glass of wine alone or a morning cup of tea.

 Gathering up a few pieces from other areas can easily create 

seating & eating areas on small decks or patios:

On the left, casual beach style is achieved with whitewashed furnishings, crisp striped linens and rug, 

and galvanized metal accents.

On the right, a pretty garden setting is created with white metal lawn chairs and a park bench,

 tucked up to a more modern metal & glass round table.
Accessorize with potted plants and whimsical wire accents,

like a gargantuan birdcage holding a potted miniature rose.

More for relaxing than eating, this area came together in minutes -

 and plastic chairs never looked so classic!

Check out the FREE makeover I did on my brother's front deck here

I snapped this photo at one of my fave cottages at the beach....

which is just out of frame on the left side of the photo.

While the architecture - decking, sunroom window wall, and huge climbing vine-

definitely contribute to the charm here,

it's made up of mostly simple vintage furnishings for easy care:
an old wooden picnic table, some wicker chairs, and a wood table are whitewashed for easy upkeep.
Add a jute rug and a striped umbrella, and the setting is ready to go when you are!

( I often look at this gorgeous area as I walk by, and wonder 

'how many times do people crash their parties?'

because as you can see, it's RIGHT on the public walkway at the beach!
But I'd live there in a HEARTBEAT!)

shared online:

Creative Country Mom | Home Sweet Garden Party

Thank you, Brooke, for featuring my post this week on your blog!

Red, White and Blue - Water?!

 my 'famous' strawberry & blueberry flavored water

was featured in a past post about front porch decor here on the blog.
it really is pretty, isn't it?!
I made and served this beverage at the vintage shows that I hosted on my farm in Washington,
and it was included in one of the articles i wrote for a magazine.

It's a simple 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' idea (my trademark!) for summer entertaining:

Just put layers of frozen blueberries, ice cubes, and fresh strawberries

in an old glass jar, then fill the jar with water.

They flavor the water ever so subtly - SO refreshing on a hot day - 
and it looks absolutely perfect for a patriotic party!

I can't believe how many times that image has been shared and pinned since then! 
It's my most popular pin EVER, so I want to thank you for the love!

i've always thought that photo was too dark, 
but i can't remove it because of all of the pins & shares - 
so i've added a better, edited image up above in this post and re-pinned it!

You can see another version of my flavored water here

and here

shared online:

Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

the How To Home | Project Inspire{d} #274

creatively beth | team creative crafts linky party #147 (2023)

thank you for featuring my project, Miss Beth!

memorial day, labor day, fourth of july, patriotic party decor, red white and blue decor,
red white and blue berry water, entertaining, patriotic party drinks, diy, homeward found decor