find past summer projects HERE!
6.12.2025
SUMMER: thrifted game as tiki wall art
But Deb, you don't LIVE on an island!, you might say. True.
But we LIVE like we do!
Back in 2020, our home decor theme shifted. Massively.
We had created a sort of farmhouse/wine country hybrid with small seasonal accents, made by me. But when the Pandemic lockdown was put into place and we had to cancel our summer trip to Hawaii, we pivoted. "If we can't go to Hawaii, let's bring Hawaii to us!" was our mantra... and the shift to tropical decor with a tiki subtheme hasn't stopped! We enjoy it 365 days a year. (Yes, I still add in a few seasonal items - but now, they're ALL tropical!)
Thing is, I know this kind of themed home decor doesn't appeal to the majority of people. It is a bit like living in a Disneyland attraction (that's by design - my grandfather helped build Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room!) and that's not for everyone, so I chose to continue creating & sharing 'regular' seasonal decor projects that would appeal to most of my blog readers.
But life is crazy right now in these United States, and I need FUN! I need HAPPY!
I thought that perhaps you, dear readers, might need more of that as well.
So this summer, I'm sharing a slew of tropical / tiki / Hawaiian style projects that I've already completed here at home. This is your 'peek behind the curtain'!
...continue reading to see how a thrifted 'cornhole' bean bag game became wall art!
6.04.2025
SUMMER: one-step bamboo refresh!
This is a tip I learned years ago from my sweet Dad...
I've shared it before in my 2013 makeover of their backyard, but since my ENTIRE summer series this year is about creating your own tropical decor, I thought this project would be a perfect way to kick off the season. It's an easy first step to refreshing your yard!
Continue reading for details...
4.24.2025
SPRING: Revisiting the Garden Bar!
This particular project came about because my Mom was struggling to pot up some plants for her backyard on her glass patio table. Not the optimum surface for messy work. Not five feet away from her, against the house, stood a folding metal outdoor bar - sitting there, unused, except for large parties once or twice a year. Me? I didn't see a bar... I saw a potting bench!
continue reading to see how it all came together...
4.26.2024
terra cotta pot mushrooms
3.22.2024
create a living nest
10.10.2023
have a ball with these pumpkins!
8.08.2023
TROPI-fall decor in our Shasta trailer!
i wanted to time-travel back to last September and show you
my 'TROPI-fall' pumpkins in a different kind of setting!
though i don't share many photos of our home here on the blog,
all of our rooms and decor have a tropical vibe.
since we are unable to travel to Hawai'i now, we 'live Aloha' here at home.
as summer wanes and autumn approaches,
i bridge the seasons with pumpkins that i create in beachy, tropical styles...
faux painted bamboo and sand, coconut tiki mugs with stems, and more.
so would it surprise you to learn that i ALSO use tropical decor
in our Shasta camping trailer, Miss Dot?!!!
i 'shop the house' for decor elements that fit the season or theme
of the campout we're going to
(we are members of three different trailer groups),
put them into a storage bin, load it up, and then
have as much fun decorating Miss Dot as i do decorating our home...
7.19.2023
tropical tiki transformation
7.12.2023
tropical front porch decor
that means i use elements & materials in ways they weren't intended to be used.
and i RE-use things i've created before in new ways.
this tropical look on our front porch is a perfect example!
in past posts, i've shared how i raided the garden shed for fall porch decor,
using items meant for the garden to decorate with.
here i've used paper & bamboo party decorations...
5.26.2023
fave past summer decor projects
continue reading for some of my FAVE past summer decor projects!
4.26.2023
'flower power' coasters
4.08.2023
published in Farmhouse Style Magazine!
my friends, i'm absolutely THRILLED to finally be able to share this news
that i've been keeping a secret for several months now...
as i create 'home decor that's not from a store'.
3.06.2023
pyrex glass bowl mushrooms
so let's continue with my
March Mushroom Madness!
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...
6.30.2022
Miss Dot goes to the county fair!
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...
4.28.2022
happy May Day flowers
10.15.2021
repurposed planter pumpkins
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!
8.10.2021
boho chic: crochet lace umbrellas
so is it any surprise that i use lacy cotton crochet tablecloths on canopies & umbrellas?
probably not!
by draping a cotton crochet lace tablecloth over the hanging hoop at the top.
i'm sharing the ways i've used lace to update decor elements overhead
as part of my august 'look back' at past projects...
8.03.2021
boho chic: backyard cabana
(and i've tucked in some NEW versions of those projects, too!)
and learn my tips on how YOU can do it, too!
6.21.2021
sunny garden plant markers

this 'sunny' summer project is the third in a series...
designed to bring a fun, colorful vibe to my garden this season
and hopefully to inspire you to try something similar in your home!
every gardener loves to ID the plants they grow,
and this cute plant marker project is an easy way to use stuff around the house
to make an artful impact in the yard!
continue reading to see what i used and how easily these are made...