ping pong paddle painted cacti

i sometimes see something online that inspires me, 
and i take the idea a bit further...

add or subtract or just let it jump-start my imagination,

and end up creating my own new version of something.

i thought i'd share this view of a past project with you today...
it was inspired by someone else's project, i took it further with my own idea,
and i shared the BACK side of it last fall.
(to be honest, i like this side the best!)

continue reading to see all of the prickly details of my faux cacti!

tutorial: make faux succulents from ribbons

as i've been scouring my house for crafting / decorating supplies during quarantine,

i've unearthed a LOT of stuff that i had forgotten about!
case in point: a tin container of multicolored ribbons shoved in a box.
i pulled them out, separated them by color, and looked at the pile of green ribbons

with an eye toward using them somehow in the new guest room decor.

nothing immediately came to me UNTIL i walked outside that evening to water our plants.

i looked over at a galvanized bucket filled with succulents and BING! 

bells started ringing in my head.

a nice 'play' session ensued, where i messed around with paper, scissors, and glue

to combine with those ribbons and turn them into a decor element.

once that was done, i attached them to something already in the room -

and i really like the way this one turned out!

continue reading for the before, during, after, 

AND a tutorial to walk you through making your own faux succulents from ribbons!

painted ceramic vases = faux cacti!

ideas for decorating with succulents and cacti have taken over my brain!

i've been sharing all of the details of projects completed as part of a recent

no-cost makeover of our guest room, giving it boho style,

and i hope you've been finding some inspiration for projects of your own!

the bowl of faux succulents/cacti shown above reveals another one, and it's SO easy. 

continue reading to see the before & after transformation...

scrap paper cacti wall art

this project was a really fun one... 

it's one of those 'paper, scissors, paste' crafts that always make me feel like i'm back in school.

simple materials and process combine to create a nifty piece of wall art

that ended up NOT on a wall at all... 

continue reading for the details and a quick 'how-to'!

garden junk in the bathroom?!

you can't give a guest room a new look without foofing up the guest bath, too...

i completed that task using things i had on hand in a new way, and it didn't cost a cent!

one of the projects i completed for this quick makeover 

was a variation of something i've done before with a certain piece of junk.

the other was painting some fun and funky faux cacti - using a pretty unusual material. 

continue reading to see more!

faux succulent wreath & wall decor

 when it came to wall art in our newly 'refreshed' guest room, 
i re-thought the currently hot trend of 'basket groupings' on walls

and went with a grouping of repurposed rusty metal items instead.

resembling woven baskets, they give the room a 'boho' feel - in a unique way.

my take on 'modern boho style' is less earth-child hippie and a bit more mid-century in feel.

and there's a reason for that:

during my sophomore summer, one of my jobs was selling imported baskets at the swap meet -

it was a hot, sweaty, physical job that a friend and i did every weekend all summer long.

we had to drive a junky old 'three on the tree' van to the drive in, unload it,

set up displays of the baskets, and then sit there all day convincing people to buy them.

then we had to load up anything that didn't sell. it was exhausting.

the only redeeming quality of it was the paycheck and spending time with my friend.

so now i have an aversion to baskets being used as they were back then! (the late 70's)

i like this solution... and just wait until you get a closer look at those succulents!

continue reading to see all of the details and 'how-to's'...

no-cost diy boho guest room decor

my home is basically a laboratory. a design 'test kitchen' of sorts.
every space is fair game for me to try out ideas, 
without worrying whether or not they'll work. if not, i try a new approach!

recently i had some ideas for some new decor that would bridge summer into fall,
with a bit of a 'modern boho' vibe. 
i just wasn't ready to remove all of the fun tiki style details
that we are enjoying in our main living spaces this summer.
so i took a peek into the guest room... and found a willing volunteer.
this room has been the same for four years, and it's long past time for a refresh!

i got to work and created a buncha' new projects, then restyled the room in a day.
i used what i have on hand here at home, so a whole new look didn't cost me a cent.
(all of those projects will be getting the spotlight in upcoming posts)

continue reading to see the before, during, after - and all of the details!

repurposed wood crate entry decor

decorating with succulents and cacti is a hot design trend right now...
these easy-care, high-impact plants are making appearances 
in mod boho bedrooms and rustic farmhouse dining rooms,
as well as on back decks & front porches everywhere.

last summer, i was inspired by a very creative display idea at a store, 
so i re-created a budget version of it in our front entry, using succulents.
i never shared this project in a blog post, so it's time to make up for that.
(plus, it ties in beautifully to a whole new series of posts i'm prepping for August!)

continue reading for the details

summer patio decor refresh

this patio decor project is a perfect example 
of my homewardFOUND decorating philosophy:
re-think what you already have to make your home look terrific!

we've reached the middle of the strangest summer on record,
and if you're like me, you've been home A LOT  - 
maybe the spaces you've spent a lot of time in might need a refresh right about now.
since we're all enjoying the nice weather outdoors these days,
why not give your patio, porch, or deck a quick makeover? FREE?!

continue reading to see two examples of VERY 'fast, cheap, & easy' makeovers
on two different outdoor living spaces...

up-cycled magazine page floral art

you know how people always say 'let me sleep on it'?
that creative solutions come to them in their dreams?
yeah.... not me. my muses come at night and KEEP me from sleeping.

at the end of the day, i climb into bed, 

nestled up with a cup of tea and a good book to read - or my phone to scroll thru.

my goal is to slow my brain down, stop the flow of thoughts and ideas, so i can fall asleep.

and every once in a while, it actually works.

most of the time, though, i see something online or read a description in a book,

and my brain starts imagining wild creations and designs.

so i haul myself out of my comfy nest of a bed, run across the hall,

go into my studio, and scribble a quick sketch or jot a note to capture the idea

before it vanishes into the ether. 

i was today years old when i finally got SMART!

i decided that i need to have a small notepad and pen on my bedside table instead.

  a quick bit of mixed media art fun resulted - and now i've got a solution i can sleep with.

continue reading to see what inspired the design!

faux painted bamboo mirror

 when we moved into this house four years ago,

our decorating modus operandi was truly 'use what you have'...

more than 90% of the furniture we used came from my mom's old house

(1% came from mine - my grandpa's dresser and my farmhouse table!)

the mirror we have in our entry hall came from the guest room at the last house,

where it matched a dresser with a 'bleached oak' finish.

honestly, i love the mirror here...

it bounces light from the kitchen into an area that is lacking light.

but mercy, the original frame! i just haven't been sure about what to DO to it.

i contemplated a simple black satin stain or paint finish at one point,

but ruled it out as being too dark for this area of our home.

then two days ago, a brainstorm hit, and in just a few hours 

that mirror was made completely new using a faux paint treatment.

continue reading to see more details - including the 'before and after' shot... 

scrap wood tikis

last winter, i created a lot of tropical & tiki decor
as part of our fun 'Happy HULA-days' Christmas theme.

you've seen posts sharing most of it appearing in our current summertime decor,
bringing a tropical vibe to our home and yard for us to enjoy
during this 'staycation' that is lasting a whole lot longer than anyone anticipated.

one of my projects during quarantine has been the front entry of our home...
which isn't a porch but a 'vestibule' - and is really hard to decorate.

i came up with a simple solution using last December's holiday entry decor:

continue reading to see how i re-used my own tikis made from scrap wood!

diy galvanized birdbath

while songbirds love to come and splash in our backyard salvaged galvanized bucket fountain,

i noticed that the tiny wrens and hummingbirds who visit us don't go near it.

perhaps the bubbling water frightens them, or the buckets are too deep for their use...

it seemed to me that a birdbath was called for.

i went looking around the yard and garage to see what we had that i could use to build one,

and found two items that combined perfectly for this project.

continue reading to see how to make a simple and easy birdbath for your garden!

festive 'foo foo faux food' for the fourth!

a miracle happened yesterday... a thrift store near us was OPEN!

so, masked up with sanitizing wipes in hand, Mom and i tiptoed through the door

and were welcomed by a cheerful young lady who was wiping down the register counter.

only one other person was in the store, so we felt quite safe.

and on the way to the back of the shop, 

where there are many many bookshelves filled with many many books 

- for just ten cents each, which is why we LOVE this thrift shop! - 

i spied a brand new roll of vintage crepe paper (probably from the 70's)

and my weakness for vintage paper ephemera began nagging at me. 

(spurred on by the fact that i haven't been out thrifting since February!)

yes, i bought it. i spent a whole TWENTY FIVE CENTS on it!

nope, i had NO IDEA what i was going to use it for. i just couldn't resist.

but then i came home, sat it on the sideboard in my studio,

 next to a few small bottles holding old paper flags.

and an idea for a 'fast, cheap, & easy' accent for the Fourth of July was born!

click through to see the details...

diy fourth of july

Fourth of July weekend is coming up in just DAYS,
and no matter where or how you are celebrating
during this crazy quarantine you probably need some easy 'use what you have' ideas!

so i've pulled together all of the previous red, white & blue projects, ideas, & decor
that i've shared here at homewardFOUND since 2012

to inspire your patriotic celebrations!

continue reading to see them all...

NEW! Sweet Sweater Pops!

so a funny thing happened while i was creating my last blog post...

i was typing in additional ideas for accessories that one might use

on one's own versions of my Sweet Sweater Sandbabies.

things like ball caps popped into my mind. and THAT led me down a rabbit hole...

it went something like this:

"yeah! ball caps! ball caps?! baseball! hot dogs! beer! popcorn! 

POPCORN??!! waaaaaiiiiiiiit a minute... i have...."

at which point i ran out of my studio to the garage, to the party supply bins,

where i found the paper and plastic popcorn containers i knew were in there.

i returned to my studio and dragged out the box with sweater remnants,

and there was a bag filled with wonky fuzzy yarn that is the color of UNbuttered popcorn.

my crazy brain puts two and two together and the result is those guys up above:
Sweet Sweater Pops!

Red, White, and Blue PATRIOTIC Pops.

and then the ideas REALLY started poppin'... continue reading to see!

NEW! Sweet Sweater Sandbabies!

in my last post, i shared my new 'sweet sweater kakamora'

along with a 'flashback' to a previously unseen 'sweet sweater sandbaby':

and he was cute.... but he needed some color to fit into my studio/office decor!

so i grabbed some bright beach buckets, white beach hats,

one last tan sweater from my stash, and one tan chenille 'sweet sweater pumpkin'
and started playing around....

the happy result was these three adorable beach babies in colorful buckets!

oh, but wait... i didn't stop there! keep reading to see what happened NEXT!

tropical gift bag wall art

along with the plethora of tikis i've been creating,
i've added some other tropical decor elements to our home for summer...
elements like this leafy wall art, made from a plastic gift / tote bag!

continue reading for the easiest art project ever...

tiki garden markers

in March, we worked on the raised herb garden in the backyard,
ordering plants online from our local nursery - who offered curbside no-contact pickup of our order
during our state's 'Shelter at Home' quarantine.
social distance gardening - who knew??!

the garden needed some plant markers,

so i came up with a way to utilize an item that we have a plethora of around here.
and that worked great - for awhile.
but with the recent infusion of tiki decor in our yard,
those original plant markers just didn't fit anymore. so i gave them a makeover!

continue reading to see their old and utterly ridiculous (and FUN!) new look!

repurposed tiki signs

these signs appeared in my past two posts... one for each recent project.

do they look familiar to you? they should - you've seen them before!

  i shared them LAST YEAR as part of our Happy HULAdays theme - but they didn't look like this.

when i wanted signs to accompany recent tiki projects in our backyard,

i knew these pieces would work perfectly... and with a little paint, they did!

it's just one more way i can decorate using what i already have here at home.

if i can use summer tiki decor at Christmastime,

then i can re-purpose my Christmas decor as summer decor!

continue reading to see the before & after shots (and find out a secret about them)...