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...

my original design of a salvaged galvanized bucket fountain

has been published! 

it appears on page 86 in the new Summer 2023 issue of

Country Sampler's Farmhouse Style magazine

available on news stands now!

if you're visiting my blog via the magazine, welcome!

for those of you who have been reading homeward found for awhile,

you'll remember seeing this project in one of my all-time top posts.

my homeward found decor projects are all about using what i have on hand,

and coming up with new ways to use everyday items
as i create 'home decor that's not from a store'.

continue reading to see the details of my fountain project -

and others with farmhouse flair!

wire lampshade mobile

you've all read my statements that 'i see things differently'
and 'i never really use things the way they were intended to be used!', right?
i'm very into 'use what you have' decorating & crafting using 'everyday' elements.

one day in 2020 when i was bored outta' my skull here at home,
i looked at a stack of wire lampshades and wire domes in the corner of my studio,
 and just played around to see what i could DO with them.
they ended up as a giant kinetic sculpture / mobile hanging from my studio ceiling.
and i shared that version here on the blog.

since then, i've changed it up a bit, and added a new element that makes me smile.
wanna' see?

...continue reading for wire lampshade mobile part 2!

the old rugged cross

in my last post, i shared my new faux Kintsugi painted eggs,
and in the background of a few shots you saw a small collection of wood crosses.
today, i'm focusing on those and how they are made from 'everyday' materials.

Easter arrives in just a few days, and it is one of the most important days of the year to me.
my faith is built on the miraculous events celebrated on this day centuries ago,
and my hope resides in the promises God made about what it all means for the future.

Easter is also the day that my sweet Dad went home to Heaven seven years ago,
just as the sun was rising and beaming through the windows onto his peaceful face...
a precious reminder about what is really important in this life.

having a cross (or collection of crosses) in my decor is important to me,
and i love being able to make them unique and personal.
i hope these ideas inspire you!

continue reading for details...

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!

NEW! Sweet Sweater Spookies!

this is quite possibly the EASIEST project i've ever undertaken...

and it was an idea that popped into my head as i was washing dishes!

i re-use plastic storage bags, washing them after use (unless they are greasy)

then placing them upside-down over a glass to dry.

as i did that one morning, i absentmindedly thought 'hah ha! he looks like a ghost!'

and then i stopped, looked again, and this crazy idea hatched in my brain.

so bear with me, and come along for the craziness!

continue reading for the details...

salvaged silver pumpkin coach

if you've been around for awhile, you know that i've got a thing for pumpkins...

it all began with my sweet Grandpa Ward, who had a nickname for me:

his little pumpkin eater. 

i have always thought he called me that because of my rusty, pumpkin-y auburn hair

and i sure wish i would have asked him about that before he died when i was 15.

because of that nickname, i've collected pumpkins for most of my life.

and every year when fall rolls around, as i decorate with some of them,

i can hear the echoes of his voice calling me that pet name.

this project brings together two special things about my Grandpa:

his nickname for me, and his time building many of the attractions at Disneyland.

and though i bet you can name the film and the Disney Princess connected to it,

there's another inspiration that helped to bring this idea to life...

continue reading for more!

salvaged silver tray pumpkins

salvaged silver trays paired with simple kitchen serving tools
become elegant pumpkins in this project,
and can be adorned with just about anything you choose...
the fall leaves here include yellow tones to fit my 2021 obsession!

continue reading to see how easy assembly is!

make a 'harvest time' sign from a clock!

here's a timely project for you: turn a wall clock into a sign!

with a 'harvest time' message, it's perfect for fall decorating
inside your home or on your front door...

and a great way to re-purpose a pretty but broken clock.

continue reading for the easy-peasy details...

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...

sunny yard art

welcome to part two of my 3-post sunny garden art series!

today i'm sharing the fun sunshine 'sculptures' that i created outta' old metal...

things.

i honestly don't know what they are. i found them at a junk shop.

they were galvie, so i bought 'em and brought 'em home.

then i never used them. 

until i imagined them alongside the sunshine 'wreath' from my last post! 

continue reading to see the start to finish details...

not to mention a COMPLETE RE-DO of these with a Disney theme!!!

sunshine door decor

talk about sun salutations!

i was staring at some junk that was sitting in the garage the other day,
decided it looked a bit like something from a place i love,

and came up with another way to make a sunny project

that's perfect on your front door, wall, or even garden fence!

this is an easy one to make,

using only a few pieces of metal junk, paint, a wreath hanger, and some zip ties...

*** as a matter of fact, it's SO EASY that i just RE-DID this project
with a *bit* more of the original inspiration included! ***

continue reading for details on the original project AND the changes i just made...

re-purpose glass light globes as candleholders

i've used glass globes from light fixtures in many ways over the years,

from turning them into pumpkins in fall, making snowmen out of them in winter,

and using them as flower vases in spring.

my favorite globes are the old ones, with ridges and details that catch the light

no matter how you use them... but those are getting really hard to find.

miraculously, i found one on a recent trip to a nearby thrift shop...

and the moment i saw its shape, i knew what i wanted to try with it.

i paired it with another globe and a few more elements,

and they worked just as i had hoped - in TWO different ways! 

continue reading to see how easy this spring/summer decor accent is to create...

flower embellished lampshade

spring is trying to arrive. mother nature is just a bit fickle right now...

until she makes up her mind, i find ways to 'force' spring by adding flowers to my decor.
and i don't just mean in vases and pots...

a 'bouquet' of faux flowers was used to embellish this plain lampshade,
adding spring-fresh style with little effort.

continue reading to see how!

miniature wire nest charm

a search through some boxes unearthed a relic from my past
that's been in hiding for years...
when i saw it, i was inspired to make a larger nest using wire,
and i love how that turned out.

these miniature wire nest charms were an item i previously made and sold at vintage shows,
and this one is the original!
you can make one of your own, or as the perfect springtime gift!

continue reading for an easy tutorial...

spring forward with a wire nest

let's spring forward! (pun intended - sorry, i couldn't resist!)

 
recently, i played with a new material to see if it would work as well as i thought it would
to create a new kind of bird nest for spring decorating.
(the fact that it literally LOOKS like a spring evaded me until i was typing this post!)
i have to say, i LOVE the result! 

 can't you just see this nest as a decor accent in rustic, farmhouse, and boho style rooms?!
it's an easy project that i think you'll want to try...

continue reading for my easy tutorial!

yes, you can make a bird nest!

bird nests seem to me to be a sign of springtime...

over the years, i've been lucky enough to have found a few real ones, 
incorporating them into my home decor in spring. and fall. and on my Christmas trees!

i've also made quite a few - 
from elaborate to simple, from small seasonal versions sold via an enchanting online boutique
to an enormous one made for a client to hold a precious gold-embellished ostrich egg,
making them always connects me to nature.

this year i've made one with the slightest hits of gray and yellow elements
unearthed in my bins and boxes of saved materials,
and i thought i'd share the easy process of making them with you.

if you're sitting there thinking 'whaaaaa? MAKE a bird nest?!', continue reading!

she pegged it!

the peg rack in our entry hallway seen in my previous post

was hiding something...

behind the gray hat and yellow scarf was a really different kind of 'hook'.

it's not a hook at all, actually. it's a vintage item that i re-purposed as a hook.

it's one of my favorite projects ever, first created over a decade ago.
i've never seen anyone else do this (at least, they haven't posted it online)
and i think it's about time that i share it!

continue reading for details...

painting the globe...

today i'm sharing a project that uses the OTHER 'color of the year',
Ultimate Gray.
(since most of my recent projects have been all contained Illuminating Yellow,
i thought it was time to give the second color some attention!)

i finally came up with a way to restyle an item that i've had tucked away for years...
it was a banged-up, scratched, faded (but not in a good way) paper world globe,
and using gray and white paint to transform it was the perfect solution to update the look.
note: this is a globe from the 1990's. not vintage or antique. not valuable.

now it fits into my decor, and is a sweet reminder of special people each time i look at it.
isn't that better than keeping something stashed in a closet
because although it means something to you, you don't know where to PUT it?

continue reading to see the before, during, after... and AFTER!

'house of love' salvaged sign

every time i look at this project, i hear the song 'House of Love' in my head...

[if you're not old like me, you may not remember that song from the 90's,
recorded by friends (who later married) Amy Grant and Vince Gill.
it's an earworm, so if you want to hear it, there's a link after the post!]

this project is a re-use of something i first created last January - 
i've just changed it a bit and added to it. i love re-making old projects!

continue reading to see the before/after...

salvaged fan becomes a backyard table!

this big old orange thing might just look a bit familiar to you...
it's the industrial fan housing that i grabbed right outta' my neighbors' trash can
and turned into a pumpkin in a previous post.

honestly? the pumpkin project was an afterthought.
THIS was the reason i grabbed it before the trash truck arrived...
to make an accent table for our backyard fire pit area!
it was a simple assembly, using things i had on hand already
and it makes a world of difference in this area of our yard.

continue reading to see how just three simple elements created this table...