SPRING: re-purpose light cages as flower frogs

Daffodils are my FAVORITE flower. Have been since I was a Little Debby and loved watching 'Daffy O'Dill' dance in Disney's 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Every spring, I grab bunches of them and fill up the house with sunny flowers... and while I miss being able to drive to the Skagit Valley in Washington state and get my fill of multiple varieties grown and sold in roadside 'honor stands', now I just drive to Trader Joe's Market and grab some bunches! (TJ's imports daffodils from both Skagit Valley, Washington and Fraser Valley, British Columbia, Canada).

The one thing I don't like about them is how the stems can end up bending and cutting off the water supply to the blooms. But now I've come up with a fun way to turn something else into a solution! 

Continue reading to see this EASY repurposed flower frog idea!

SPRING: flower-filled purse door hanger

March is here and spring is coming!
I'm always so glad to see the earth awaken after her winter nap, and love to use flowers and other garden references in my spring decor...

This project builds on one I've created before (linked below this post) and is an easy way to add some springtime charm to your front door or indoor walls!

Continue reading for tutorial...

WINTER: create faux 'wrapped' bulbs

A classic trend in winter decor is a nature-focused Nordic vibe, using natural elements that celebrate winter while hinting at spring. I've always love white flowers in winter, as they reflect the idea of snow-blanketed gardens.

This year, I've created some faux versions of wrapped bulbs and nestled them in snowy white ceramic containers. This simple project has brought a winter-y feel into my studio, and will transition perfectly into spring in the coming month.

Continue reading for an easy two-part tutorial...

WINTER: PomPom Vases

Here at the edge of the 'winter-spring' seasonal transition, I try to keep the coziness of winter's soft textures going by mixing them with elements that  start to reflect springtime.

When I picked up a remnant of some minty-green pompom trim at a fabric store's going out of biz sale, I immediately knew that I was going to do this with it...

Paired up with some smaller white pompom trim that I had from Dollar Tree, plus a thrifted curtain panel with minty green pompoms running down two sides, that new trim pulled it all together. It took just minutes for these three vases to get a new look!

Continue reading for my easy tutorial...

WINTER: yarn ball SnowBuddies!

I just have to ask: Do You Wanna' Build a Snowman?!

Since we have a bit of winter weather left (thank you Punxatawney Phil), I thought I'd share this fun new idea with you...

I dropped some yarn balls the other day, as I was taking them out of a box, and one bounced onto the top of a nearby mug (empty!). Imagine my surprise as I realized that it looked for all the world like one of my Sweet Sweater Snowmen. Only EASIER to make! 

Continue reading for my easy tutorial for making Yarn Ball SnowBuddies...

WINTER: Scrap Paper Hearts Wreath

In a bit of a coincidence, I was notified on Wednesday that one of my past project posts for Valentine's Day decor would be featured on Thursday in the HomeTalk daily email and on social media... and that project just happens to be the original version of the one in this post, which I scheduled for Friday! I bumped it to publish a *bit* earlier, so I could link this new version to the original post that the HomeTalk link will lead to.

I offer a warm welcome to all of you who are visiting from HomeTalk!

As my beloved regular readers know, I love 'making something out of nothing'. In other words, turning the contents of my trash + recycle bins into seasonal home decor accents. Making my own decor this way costs me nothing, is a fun exercise in creativity, and gives me no guilt at all when I disassemble and re-use elements from one project to another!

Let me show you how I turned scraps into Valentine's Day home decor ...

WINTER: office organization on the cheap

  

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors blog hosts a weekly linkup, encouraging her followers/readers to share their recent projects. This past Friday, she suggested that we also share our favorite tips for getting organized at the start of a new year... which sent me to my hwf blog archives to find a post I knew would be what she was hoping for.

It took me awhile to find it in my archives, but I did, and linked it up to her party. The response to it in just two days is astounding! Now I feel motivated by Donna to share this helpful info that you can use by re-posting my original post from 2013 again - so I'm sharing it today as a 'Bonus Post' in addition to my regular content.

This info is the 'BTS' - Behind the Scenes -  of how I created my absolute dream office / design studio... spending very little money, using reclaimed + thrifted items + what I already had. I've actually done this in every creative space I have designed for myself, since the very first one in 2004. (I shared that studio in another post, which is linked at the end of this post)

In January of 2011, I moved into my dream house on an island in the PNW, and enjoyed the opportunity to design a whole new studio/office for myself.  I undertook this project exactly as I would one for a client: start with what you have and look at it in a fresh way.

continue reading to see how I get organized - on the cheap!

WINTER: diy gumball machine lamp!

Sometimes, you have to do a project or make a thing just for fun.

Like when you've been deep cleaning your studio/office and feel buried in the mess. (Especially when you are 'stress cleaning', am I right??) Or when an item crosses your view and a thought comes to mind "What IF...." This happens to me a lot, actually. My ADHD + rampant imagination combine and my mind is overtaken by those ideas. I can't even sleep until I try them out!

This week I unearthed a gumball machine from behind a chair in a corner. I thought it was in bins in our Shasta trailer - but no, it was tucked away just waiting to surprise me! And when I picked it up and sat it on the credenza, it ended up next to some glass lamp globes that were headed to one of the cabinet spaces of the credenza. 

My brain started adding things together, and this project happened. 

I just never know what's going to happen from day to day around here, I swear... 

Continue reading to see how easy it is to turn a gumball machine into a lamp!

2024 WRAPPED!

as the holiday season comes to a close

and we are poised on the brink of a new year,

i'm taking stock of 2024 with a quick look back

at stats for the blog and my social media accounts.

as part of that, i want to share my favorite projects from the past year...

let's call it 'homeward found WRAPPED' (like Spotify ;) 

continue reading to see my favorites from 2024...

our 'CHOSEN' Christmas tree

Christmas Day is over...

and i hope you're kicking back in your pj's,
enjoying this delightful limbo between Christmas and New Year's Day.

(after all, who really knows what day it is?)

 as i indulge in as much laziness as i can muster,

i thought i'd share this year's Christmas tree decor - 

some elements i've had for years, others i made just for this theme.

it's.... different. not what most people would do.

(anyone out there surprised by this?!!)

the theme and elements fit into our tropically decorated home

and also speaks to our 'reason for the season'...

continue reading for more details...

holiday 2024: a modern nativity

i have vivid childhood memories of helping my Mom decorate for the holidays,

including hanging ropes of tinsel garland in the front windows

then adding single glass ornaments that caused the garland

to dip into points like a jester's festooned collar.

simple, easy, inexpensive elements transformed our little home

into a winter wonderland.

and at the center of it all was the creche, or nativity scene...

yes, this one. like so many other families,

THIS was the nativity scene i grew up with.

it always sat on top of the 'hi fi' stereo console,

with an arrangement of greens and candles

with a few tree ornaments added to make it 'sparkle'.

after i married and had my own home, 

my Mom gave me the nativity set.

my four children grew up with it in our home,

and then our first grandson played with it in our home:

he's two here, and i will never forget hearing his sweet little voice

whispering 'sheepses' and 'baby cheesus' as he played with it.

(he just turned eighteen and he graduates next May...

how quickly the time has flown)

each year, i create a 'new' nativity scene for my decor theme.

i've linked a few of those below this post, 

including the way i used my OLD nativity figures in 2020.

this year, i recreated the simple modern figures

that i first used in 2022...

and to make them fit my theme this year,

i just added in some green props.

continue reading for two different looks...

holiday 2024: mini Christmas tree farm!

a contributing factor to this year's theme,

O CHRISTMAS TREE 

was finding three gorgeous flocked trees at Target.

then i found two white ceramic trees for a buck each at a thrift shop.

all i had to do was add in a few trees i already had -

and give a few of them a makeover -

as well as make a few new trees,

and my mantel turned into a mini Christmas tree farm! 

continue reading for a few really fast tree tutorials...

holiday 2024: funky fabric Christmas tree!

while most of my holiday decorating this year
involves re-using a lot of elements i already have
along with a few new things i am making,
there ARE new store-bought things in the mix...

and one of them inspired a whimsical tree:

i picked up a few small flocked trees at Target for $3 each.
as they sat in my studio waiting for me to use them, 
i looked at that bright chartreuse green tree - and had a brainstorm.

i have a fuzzy chartreuse green microfiber blanket.
i have a few wire tomato cages. i put those two together.
and the result is a very... SEUSSICAL... tree.
which perfectly fits my 2024 theme,
O Christmas Tree 

continue reading and see what craziness i pulled off!

holiday 2024: diy upcycled painted ornaments

wreath number two for this year is a fun one...
i rounded up some old ornaments that i don't ever use, 
and gave them a whole new look with paint.

the pattern that i painted on these ornaments
was inspired by the posterboard i've been using as a 'drop cloth':
it's just splotches and swaths of paint left from many painting sessions -
which looks a lot like a current 'graffiti' paint trend
that is an easy pattern to replicate.

since my theme this holiday season is
O Christmas Tree
using ornaments in varied ways works perfectly!

follow along and let me show you how easy this is...

holiday 2024: repurposed Christmas card wreath

it's TIME! welcome to homeward found holiday 2024:
O CHRISTMAS TREE

this year, i'm using 'artful' elements from my studio and my stash
to bring this holiday decor theme to life in my studio...
yes, green fits my current 'green era' color obsession,
AND it allows for a re-visit / re-style of some of the
elements that i have used for holiday decor in the past.

follow along for the next few weeks as i share
easy tutorials using stuff you already have on hand
to create a whimsical, magical holiday mood in your home...
and you can choose any color YOU love!

first up, an easy-peasy paper project that even the kids can get in on!

continue reading for tutorial and links to other similar projects...

modern wood bowl mushrooms

yep, i'm stubbornly holding on to the fall season over here!
our triple-digit summer temps didn't drop until Halloween week,
so i am in no rush to hurry autumn along.
(i can actually sit outside now!)

after sourcing a few wood bowls at a local thrift shop,
i wanted to make fall decor from them, and

these incredibly easy mushrooms only took ten minutes to create.
and i love the woodsy vibe they have!

continue reading for a truly simple tutorial...

NEW! Faux Pumpkin Cake

yes, Deb loves sweets - edible or not!

and since Halloween is all about the treats,

i just make my own calorie-free versions -

like faux caramel apple pumpkins and this faux pumpkin cake.

in trying to finish up my yearly 'pumpkin palooza' projects,

i had an idea for a pumpkin slathered with frosting to look like a cake,

but wasn't sure if i could make it look the way i wanted it to...

after searching online for images of 'pumpkin shaped cakes'

(click here to see what came up). 

i was scrolling Instagram and saw THIS:

but WAIT - that's not a cake. it's EMBROIDERED fabric!

artist Heather Rios is INSANELY talented at making fake look real.

she shares her astounding works of art on Insta at @heather_rios_arte

Heather's idea of showing the inside of the 'cake' 

impacted and changed my original plan -

and made me reach for a particular material in my stash

to approximate the texture she gets in her artwork.

continue reading to see how it all came together!

NEW! Sweet Sweater Apples!

one thing always leads to another 'round here....

after i turned some old green sweet sweater succulents

into green sweet sweater pumpkins (see my last post)

i had some different sweater succulents left over.

i've not only turned them into something different,

but have come up with yet another sweater creation"
Sweet Sweater Apples!

continue reading for details and a quick tutorial...

Make My Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins + Succulents!

every autumn, i get a huge uptick in blog traffic
searching for my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin tutorial.

they're a fun bit of seasonal decor that i am proud of creating back in 2007,
they've been published in major shelter magazines a few times,
and i love that people want to make their own versions of my babies!

every year i make new versions of them, and create a new post

just to make it easier for the tutorial to be found.

and yes, this year, i have green pumpkins!

but i didn't make them this year... i RE-made them.

because they weren't originally pumpkins...

back in 2019, i created my Original Sweet Sweater Succulents,

using my 2007 Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin method...

this year, i've made two simple changes to them
to turn them into pumpkins!

continue reading to see how easy this was...
and for links to both tutorials. 

Ping Pong Paddle Pumpkins, Take 2!

yes, I'm still over here re-imagining alla' my pumpkins!
this time, i dug into some boxes and found a past project
that's been on my mind...

i originally made the ping pong paddle pumpkins in 2019
(i'm linking the original post & tutorial below)
and it just felt like time to find them 
and give them a fresh new look - in green!

continue reading to see how they looked before,
and how easily i changed them...
(because i bet you have something you could do this to!)