Glass Lamp Globe Snowglobes

If you've seen my original glass globe pumpkins for fall,
then you know I love using everyday things in new ways to decorate with!

Here's another idea for glass globe light covers:
Take the simple clear glass ones, and make them into snowglobes!

* find small figurines at thrift shops or the dollar store

* spray paint them gloss white

* hot glue them inside a shallow white bowl or pedestal

[i like using hot glue  - 
because if i want to change it all later, i can!]
 

* flip the globe upside down with the opening facing up

* add some snow flakes or glitter inside.

* put a bead of hot glue all along the rim of the globe, 
and place the base upside down onto the glass globe's opening.

* trim the edge of the base with vintage trims, ribbon, jewelry if you like.

 * in the globe shown below, i also glued a clear plastic snowflake behind the little angel figure.

You can use glass fishbowls from the dollar store, too!
see MORE ideas for using glass lamp globes in your winter decor HERE!
(this content originally appeared in that post)

Happy HalloWEEK! part 1

Everyone knows that the celebrating lasts longer than one night :)
so for the whole week, I'm posting fun ideas and inspiration EVERY DAY on

the homewardFOUND decor facebook page!
(Did you know that you don't have to be a facebook user to see that page content?!
Click over and check it out! )
.and 
 I've rounded up my six BEST pumpkin ideas for you:

 

1. My Original Glass Globe Pumpkins
2. My Faux Concrete Pumpkins
3. My Copper Kitchen Scrubby Pumpkins
4. My Homemade Clay Mini Pumpkins
5. My Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins (of course!)
and
6. My Super-Simple one-step tip 

for making stale old pumpkin decor look shiny and new

Go on, get your spooky on!

PS: like that 'spider web-by' embellished umbrella in my photo? see more here

shared online:

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}

Vanilla... Nice, Nice, Baby

I guess it's not hard to see where my inspiration came from for this decor scheme....

smile.

My autumn color palette always - ALWAYS - includes tones of vanilla.
From pale cream to warm ivory, I love this color.

Mixed with soft brown-sugar tans and golden caramel hues,

 it's warm and inviting and comforting....

and craving-inducing
(especially when I am burning a vanilla scented candle, which is every day!)

My last post showed you the wall o' shelves in my office/studio,

decorated for Autumn in my fave hues.
Today, let's look across the room at the breakfront/sideboard/dresser area:

(Let me give you your bearings, because this image can be confusing...

There is a wall behind the dresser-top display, 

with two mirrors and my inspiration board hanging on the wall.
That's why you see the wall o' shelves on the left and another dresser on the right - reflections)

My inspiration board is long and narrow, to fit in the space between the mirrors.
Every season, I swap out the photos and quotes pinned to it.

Oh, and the 'bulletin board' itself?
Cardboard boxes, laid flat, sized to fit the space, covered in gift wrap, and nailed to the wall.
EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEasy.

 On the dresser/sideboard top, I mix and match and add stuff every season

to create an inspiring and pleasing vignette.

This season, I used wood and galvanized metal for depth,

with my ubiquitous white dinnerware to lighten it all up.
(dishes are not just for serving food, you know!) 

Add in creamy tones in bleached leaves and my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins,

and then the final details:

 A perfect cashmere pumpkin sits under a handmade wire dome / 'cagelet',

displayed on a cool white ceramic pedestal bowl with a plate on top.

 I made this wire folly YEARS ago (inspired by Alicia at Posie Gets Cozy!)
and I love changing it up every season.

I know, I know...

every time I share photos of this, I get messages and comments about making a tutorial...

truthfully, I haven't had the patience to break it down into the 20 steps it will take.
Not sure anyone would hang around to even READ a 20-step tutorial!!!!

 I tuck little sentimental details into my display here because I can see them when I am writing...

those two ceramic tiles were made my by creative daughter Brianna in her high school art class.

One is sunshine, one is rain... they sum up life for me,

and remind me every day of a sweet little redheaded girl who has always loved art.
I'm talking about Anni - but that applies to ME, too! ;)

One last area in my office is the dresser to the right of my long desk...

the dresser belonged to my Grandpa Ward, and I treasure it.

On top of the dresser, a classic alabaster lamp (found for TEN BUCKS at Goodwill!)

casts a warm light onto another gathering of creamy vanilla decor...
wood yardsticks, old papers and neutral gift wrap are stored in a miniature milk can,

and more Sweet Sweater Pumpkins are displayed,

one topped by two crowns under a wire dome - made from a tomato cage!

( and THIS one I DID create a tutorial for right here )

 I still have a bunch of bleached leaves and sweater pumpkins that I didn't use in the vignettes,

so I filled up two canvas totes and plopped them into my vintage wire shopping cart by the door.

 I think they just look like two scoops of vanilla bean ice cream!

.
My no-sew Sweet Sweater Pumpkin Tutorial is available FREE here.
Find my Bleached Leaf Tutorial here.

I Admit It, I'm Plain Ol' Vanilla....

While I love the occasional seasonal addition of a bright, happy hue to my decor,

I am basically a vanilla girl. 

Warm, soft neutral colors are my preferred palette, 

and my go-to design choices year-round are always pale and soft,

like a melted bowl of vanilla bean ice cream with caramel sauce.

Great. Now I'm hungry!

So anyway, each Autumn, while everyone else is decking their haunted halls 

with orange and rust and yellow, (or maybe black and purple)
I am creating serene, luscious, warm & cozy vignettes from shades of vanilla and brown sugar.

In Autumn, my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins in neutral tones are ALWAYS on the menu,

(see some of the ways I have used them in the past here)
 and this year is very, very vanilla....

In one area of my office/studio, I have small wall shelves over a daybed.
These provide a canvas for an ever-changing seasonal display for my collected treasures.

Here on these shelves, my pumpkins nestle into containers of many kinds:

Creamy sweater pumpkins perch on top of 

a rolled-up canvas military belt and an old roll of medical tape, 

as well as in a little galvanized bucket.

 My miniature clay pumpkins sit on the shelf and on the back of a vintage toy truck
(that reminds me of my Grandpa Ward's truck each time I look at it)

Coffee mugs with my initials serve as pedestals for a sweater pumpkin 

and a tiny 'found objects nest' that I made.

More sweater pumpkins simply sit on the shelves, paired with small ironstone pieces.

BTW, the 'bottom shelf' you see in the photo below?
Not a shelf, actually.
It's a wood window box turned sideways, sitting on top of a bookcase headboard.
Using it this way gave me added display space AND storage for the piece.

I simply MUST include a nod to my favorite year 'round decorative element: Mister Big Bear.
My mom gave him to me over 22 years ago, 

and he's been the go-to cuddle spot for sick kids and sick Deb, 

has absorbed a LOT of tears on sad occasions, 

and has charmed grumpy grandchildren into cheerfulness countless times.
He's family <3 ... and he doesn't mind being dressed up!

Follow my original tutorials to make your own:
Sweet Sweater Pumpkins
Mini Clay Pumpkins

Find more sweet vanilla decor in THIS POST!

Linked Up:

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Autumn's Golden Light

 

I was searching for a certain image the other day,
and in the process I came across some old photos that just say 'AUTUMN' to me.

The golden glowing light captured in them is my FAVORITE thing about fall...

the way the light turns more amber and deep, especially in late afternoon.
It's my favorite time of day!

Since my last two posts have been about fall decorating 

as inspired by displays at vintage shows,

I thought I'd wrap that up with a post showing images of one of MY old booths at a show.
Enjoy!

 From the glowing woods to glistening golds,
luxe velvet and satin fabric details to simple paper and leather,
I think this embodies that certain color of autumn light that I so love.
There's not a typical tree leaf in sight here, but the decor speaks to the pleasures of fall.

Yes, decor can be inspired by something as simple as the color of light 
that pours through your windows during a certain season or time of day!
Let the color of a summer blue sky or a winter snow be the touchpoint for your decor,
and you'll have created an ambience that speaks to your soul.

PS: It's not about spending money.
All of the items shown in the above photos were made or 'fixed up' 

using reclaimed and repurposed materials that were found or thrifted.

Though the look is 'luxe', the cost was miniscule.

 

Someone else took photos of my booth at that show, too...

and they ended up in Where Women Create magazine a few years later.

Where Women Create's Summer 2012 issue 

featured a story on Judy Watkins and her Remnants of the Past Antique Show,  

with beautiful photos of the show by Jenny Malott.
I am so very grateful to Jenny, Judy, and Jo Packham of WWC 

that they chose several images of my booth displays to include in the story:

Right Page: my Retreat booth & products

(looks familiar, huh?
yes, Jenny took EXACTLY the same shot that I did!)

Right Page, lower left corner: detail of Retreat booth display

Right Page: Baby Grand Piano Bar,
created with my late husband Bob Kennedy for our business, 'Retreat', in 2009
This piece truly was one of his greatest designs...

details of the piano bar:

 * exterior and interior covered with vintage player piano & sheet music
* interior re-purposed as a wine storage unit, liquor bottle & glass storage, 

and keyboard replaced with a pull-out mirrored tray for serving.

shared online:
.

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

 .
There's a lot more to that story....

Sweet Simple Nests

Years ago, I was bent on cleaning up some flower beds near my front entry.
I had endured the garish orange day lilies blooming there (planted by the owner of the house),
and now that they had finished, I was ready to eradicate them from my yard. 

I wielded cutters and rake, bringing them to their proverbial knees...

and quite by accident, I discovered a new material to create with:
DEAD foliage.

Deb has not gone 'round the bend here, I swear....

The dried, browned stringy leaves of the daylilies had landed in piles as I trimmed.

And those piles looked like something to me,

so I picked up a hunk of foliage and twisted it around in my palm, 

and Lo and Behold, a NEST emerged!

I created a whole bunch more, and decorated my home with them.
Then I made even  more, and sold them at vintage shows.
When those ran out, I found pots of dead daffodils at the nursery, 

and they GAVE THEM TO ME!

So I made more nests. With FREE STUFF. We ALL like that, right?!

So in case you'd like to try this, here's my SUPER SIMPLE method to

 turn dead leaves into nests in just three simple steps!

Prep:  Get a pair of scissors and some cotton string or hemp twine,

and cut it into a three-inch length for each nest you want to make.

Step 1:
If the foliage is still attached to the plant, in the ground or in a pot, make this easy on yourself...

grab the foliage just above the bulb area, and cut there.

Step 2:

Bunch the foliage into a long strip, and begin twirling it into a circle shape in your hand

by curling the cut ends around toward the strip. 

Twirl it once or twice or three times around, depending on the length of the foliage.

The uneven ends of the foliage should be on the outside of the nest,

giving a more natural appearance to it when done.

OPTIONAL STEP:
Add pieces of thread, ribbon, twine, etc. to the strip of foliage before creating the nest

to make it look more like a real one made by a bird.

 

Step 3:

Tie a piece of the string / twine around the foliage on the side where the cut ends of the foliage are -

just like threading a needle, feed one end of the string into the hole - and then tie a knot.
This will hold the nest together and keep it from unwinding.
Then cut the string ends off.

Add any charming little details you'd like to...

a tuft of moss, a fading gardenia bloom, rose petals, a precious found object.
I just sit mine in there because I like to change them,

but you can attach yours with glue if you'd like.

Then display your sweet nest as part of your Spring decor!
Here are two ways I displayed the nests I made:

An aqua glass candle holder lifts the nest up like sculpture,

while the galvanized lantern functions like a tiny house for a bird nest.

You can see more of my nest creations on HOMEWARDfound
 Here . Here . Here . Here

shared online:

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}
(Malia Featured my sweet nests!)