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Showing posts with label weekend makeover. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weekend makeover. Show all posts

8.17.2021

boho chic: lace vases

coastal style,beach style,entertaining,decorating,weekend makeover,diy decorating,summer,re-purposing,white,DIY,vintage style,boho style,neutrals,vintage,dollar store crafts,flowers,summer home decor, boho home decor, boho crafts, boho diy.
it's easy to take inexpensive materials and turn them into a luxe look.
this pretty bohemian vase and floral arrangement are a great example...

made from two thrifted vintage cotton lace doilies and tassels,
a glass vase and two bunches of fake flowers from Dollar Tree,
arranged with wood beads and rattan wreaths that i had on hand here at home,
it gives a relaxed late-summer vibe to my office
 and also subtly fits my current yellow obsession ;) 

continue reading to see how easy it is to transform a cheap glass vase...

8.10.2021

boho chic: crochet lace umbrellas

white,weekend makeover,summer,re-purposing,outdoors,neutrals,entertaining,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,creative spaces,coastal style,boho style,beach style,somerset life magazine,vintage,bedouin tent,glamping,cabana,bohemian decor,summer decor, summer entertaining,backyard boho,backyard umbrellas,create a boho umbrella
you know i love using things in ways they were never intended to be used,
so is it any surprise that i use lacy cotton crochet tablecloths on canopies & umbrellas?
probably not!

 ten years ago at a vintage show, i created a fancy 'valance' on a simple IKEA net bed canopy
by draping a cotton crochet lace tablecloth over the hanging hoop at the top.

this look fits right in with the 70's aesthetic so popular right now,
and a perfect addition to any backyard or event decor this summer & early fall.
i'm sharing the ways i've used lace to update decor elements overhead
 as part of my august 'look back' at past projects... 

continue reading to see more ways to use crochet & lace for a boho vibe!

8.03.2021

boho chic: backyard cabana

white,weekend makeover,summer,re-purposing,outdoors,neutrals,entertaining,DIY,diy decorating,decorating,creative spaces,coastal style,boho style,beach style,somerset life magazine,vintage,bedouin tent,glamping,cabana,bohemian decor,summer decor, summer entertaining,backyard boho,backyard cabana, create a backyard cabana
august always feels to me to be the most relaxed part of summer...
as the light changes to a richer hue with autumn's approach,
i see this month as 'Summer's Golden Hour' and want to lean into the slower pace.

so for the next few weeks, i'll be re-visiting some of my past blog content
featuring some 'boho chic style' that fits current design + decor trends.
(and i've tucked in some NEW versions of those projects, too!)
 i hope you are inspired to try some of them!

continue reading for the biggest, baddest, 'boho-est' project i've ever undertaken...
and learn my tips on how YOU can do it, too!

7.27.2020

summer patio decor refresh

beach style, boho style, coastal style, color, decorating basics, diy decorating, entertaining, fast cheap and easy, furniture, makeover, on the porch, outdoors, room makeovers, summer, weekend makeover, patio decor, patio decor makeover
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...

5.28.2020

a tipsy tiki totem pole

art, beach style, Christmas Decor Themes, Christmas tree, coastal style, color, Disneyland, DIY, diy decorating, garden art, junk makeover, makeover, re-purposing, summer, tiki style, weekend makeover, tiki culture, tropical backyard decor, tropical decor, restyled decor
you may have seen the sign that says 'Tipsy Tiki Bar' in my last post...
that's connected to another recent 'restyle' of an old project.
a week before the tiki bar came into being, Mom had an idea for something else in our backyard.

she shared her idea with me, and i liked the fact that it was basically a way to re-use items
from our Happy HULA-days theme last Christmas.
i started noodling the 'how' of the project... and remembered a favorite feature at Disneyland.
yup. there's something there that my grandpa Ward helped to build in 1963
that we enjoy to this day, and that inspired this project!

continue reading to see how i re-used our Christmas decor!

5.25.2020

build a backyard tiki bar in a sandbox!

beach style, boho style, coastal style, color, diy decorating, DIY, entertaining, junk makeover, makeover, outdoors, re-purposing, summer, style, tiki style, trash to treasure, weekend makeover
you guys, i discovered that my kids actually listen to me!
i mentioned to two of my daughters that i was sad that i couldn't go to the beach (thank you, Covid19).
and do you know what they did? they sent me a backyard sandbox for Mothers' Day!!!
"now you can get your toes in the sand, Mom!" 

little did my darlings know that they were kicking off my first project of the summer...
one that caused us to re-think EVERYthing about our backyard.
because.... if you can't go TO Hawai'i, then bring Hawai'i to YOU!

 i recently shared my salvaged wood potting bench in this posti built that last summer, 
then took it down and put all of the elements in other places.
well...... as the plan for the sandbox unfolded, i pulled all of it out again.
because you know me, i love to just keep making one thing into another....

continue reading to see how a sandbox and a potting bench became a TIKI BAR!

5.21.2020

junk makeover: beachy wood signs

#MAYkeovers, art class, beach style, coastal style, color, color palettes, DIY, diy decorating, junk makeover, just for fun, painting, outdoors, spring, summer, tiki style, weekend makeover, backyard decor, home decor, colorful decor
many many many vacations have been cancelled or rescheduled this year,
by many many disappointed people. myself included.
there were no planned excursions to Hawai'i this year for us,
but because it is a place that my Mom and Dad loved, and now i love,
it has a special place in our hearts. even if we can't GET there.

here's my take on that: if you can't go to the islands, then bring the islands to YOU!
and that's exactly what my Mom and i have been working on in our backyard.

continue reading to see just one of the recent projects we've undertaken
to add some tropical charm to our 'staycation location'...

5.11.2020

free weekend may-keover!

art, beach style, coastal style, color, color palettes, DIY, diy decorating, fast cheap and easy, makeover, painting, room makeovers, seashells, spring, summer, wall art, weekend makeover, restyled room, home decor, beachy decor
if this 'stay at home' order has done one thing, 
it has made many of us start looking more closely at the rooms we live our lives in. right?.
and that can reveal things that we tend to overlook...
like rooms that are looking a bit sad, and need some help.

now, you know me - i'm not gonna' spend money if i don't have to.
and i don't consider home decorating an 'essential' reason to head to the store right now.
so.... i shopped the house and pulled together stuff we have here already
and gave one of our rooms a simple makeover. FREE. in a weekend.
one day to paint two items, another day to swap out accessories and linens. easy-peasy. 

continue reading to see the details!

5.01.2020

colorful office makeover

art, Blast from the Past, color, color palettes, crafting, creative spaces, DIY, diy decorating, fast cheap and easy, inspiration, makeover, neutrals, room makeovers, style, weekend makeover, What Matters, home decor, office decor, colorful decor
i thought i'd start off the month with a #MAYkeover story!
a week ago, i undertook a massive purge / cleaning/ reorganization of my studio/office.
while it has needed a deep clean for over six months just to get rid of things i don't use anymore,
the truth is that this project was the result of color overload...

before we talk about how my creative space ended up having a BAD effect on me,
we need to go back a bit... to my 'neutral phase'....
office decor, home decor, creative spaces, diy decorating, vintage style, vintage, repurposed, upcycled, salvaged, thrifted, diy decor, neutral decor, weekend makeover, #MAYkeovers, color palettes, room makeovers
you've seen my neutral-tone studio that i created in my farmhouse on an island.
i loved that peaceful, serene room that allowed me to focus on my work,
and for over a decade now, i've embraced neutrals as the basis of my home decor.
sure, i sometimes add a small 'pop' of color each season to the porch or other rooms -
but i've kept my creative workspace neutral. it worked in the past, so i stuck with it.
until i realized something about myself...

continue reading for the story of how i got from there, to here, and what happened in between!

2.24.2020

salvaged galvanized bucket fountain

salvaged, junk, junking, diy, garden, backyard decor, home decor, farmhouse style, rustic style, galvanized buckets, fountains, repurposed, diy, spring decorating, industrial style
when we moved into our newly constructed house almost four years ago, 
the entire backyard was nuthin' but dirt.
together, Mom and i came up with ideas for our own personal oasis,
i created a plan and sketches, and after a harrowing journey with the WRONG contractor,
we got the RIGHT guy - and our vision finally began to unfold.

when it came to the center of the yard design, we knew we wanted a fountain -
but we couldn't find anything commercially that we liked.
so i started looking at what we had and what i could do with it...
and what we HAD were some galvanized buckets and watering cans!

continue reading to see how i created an easy fountain with them...

2.15.2020

freshening up!

spring, home decor, diy decorating, color, green, repurposing, upcycling, simple decorating, organizing, office, entry, work spaces, inspiring spaces
as March approaches and spring arrives, 
i tend to gravitate toward greens and yellows as accent colors in my neutral home...
what's YOUR favorite color right now?

wait - what??? COLOR? ooooh, scary, right?
you can live with color without committing to long-term change!
add a few simple colorful accessories to your office or entry way
and your neutral rooms will SPRING to life! 

in this past post, i shared some of my office organization & decor ideas,
along with photos of my own studio spaces over the years.
i recently came across photos of another office space i had in the past,
that i spruced up with a shot of bright chartreuse green.

this seems like a good time to share those, with a seasonal change on the way.
giving our spaces a face lift as spring approaches is a great idea...

continue reading to see how offices and front entries can quickly look and feel 'spring fresh'!

5.03.2018

decorating makeover tips

color palettes, decorating, decorating basics, DIY, diy decorating, fast cheap and easy, furniture, makeover, re-purposing, room makeovers, tutorial, beach style, boho style, color, weekend makeover, summer
i think you might be convinced that doing your own makeovers is hard. 
and expensive. and that perhaps it's just tooooooo much for you to try. 
really want to dispel those doubts, and show you how to get started -
because it's all about USING WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE!


and you've made my room makeover posts some of the most popular here on homewardFOUND -
so let's revisit them and get some fresh inspiration!

continue reading for my 'how to' tips for your OWN free makeover...

10.15.2016

Garden House ReVisited

The photo above is what it looked like after my whirlwind two-day flurry of activity.

This is what it looked like BEFORE I got started:
See the entire transformation - that took place in one weekend - here.
It's always fun to see how spaces change over time...
Two days ago, my friend Todd shared this photo on social media:
He's decorating this tiny space for some fall picnics and enjoyment...
and yes, that's the same garden house!

You see, Todd built that garden house many years ago. 
He owns the house and the yard that it sits in.

I lived in that little bungalow for a few short months back in 2011,
after life collapsed and I had to leave my dream farmhouse & life on an island.

Todd allowed me to make over his little garden house, and I am forever grateful to him for that. 
Not only was a lot of fun and a creative gold mine -
giving me content for my blog here and many great photos - 
but it was a distraction from stressful situations at a time in my life when I really needed it. 
It gave me space and time to think. 

And now, he lives in that bungalow and enjoys that garden.
Seeing Todd out there decorating and loving that sweet little space just makes my heart happy. 
My screen door is still there, some of those tiny pots on the wall are mine, and those white shelf units were mine, too - 
though I used them in the laundry area of the house, not where they are now. 
But I LOVE them in this location!

I love that Todd was a generous friend who saw my sorrow,
and helped to turn it into a measure of joy by letting me create in this special space.
It is a gift I will never forget.

7.11.2016

By The Numbers...

by the numbers house number refresh homewardfounddecor
 This post was prompted by a FABulous project
that I saw at my youngest daughter's home...

She wanted to give her curb appeal a jolt of style  -without spending a lot.
(sounds like all of us, right?)
so she bought picture frames at the Dollar Tree, a can of black spray paint from Ace Hardware, 
took her porch lights and house numbers off the wall... 
and painted them all!

The lights & numbers went back up, then the frames were hung -
which pops from her gray siding and draws attention to the numbers:

There's one arrangement by her front door, and one beside her garage door.
She told me it took her no more than two hours, start to finish.

Now THAT's 'Fast, Cheap, and Easy' for you! ;)
__________________________________________

Those of us who decorate 'differently' than the mainstream often get comments
that are confused, bewildered, and less than complimentary. 
You know what I mean, right?
'Why did you build a headboard out of DOORS when you can buy a perfectly good headboard?!!'
and that sort of thing....
Well, I used to hear those comments from my KIDS. Oh, yeah. 
Mom embarrassed them by hanging old windows on the side of the garage,
by refurbishing garage sale finds, by making planters from old restaurant tin cans.
They did NOT appreciate my 'recycle, reuse, reimagine' philosophy.
[where did I go wrong??!!! LOL

Over the years, as my daughters and son have grown up and furnished & decorated homes of their own,
guess what they discovered?
oh, just that making use of what they have on hand or can get inexpensively (or FREE)
isn't such a BAD thing after all - and it can look pretty impressive!

(Is this where I get to say 'I told you so!'???!!!)

6.05.2016

spirit of aloha

#MAYkeovers, decorating, DIY, entertaining, outdoors, re-purposing, room makeovers, summer, thrifted, tiki style, vintage, weekend makeover, tropical style, diy decorating, coastal style, blog series
yes, you CAN live in a tropical paradise - right where you are!
i've always said that if you truly love a place,
you shouldn't have to wait to visit it just once a year.
simply use the palette and elements from that place to decorate your home - 
so you can enjoy it every day!

oh, how my parents loved their annual vacation on the island of Kauai, Hawai'i.
they loved being surrounded by amazing examples of tropical beauty, 
tiki decor and Polynesian architecture - by the sights, sounds, and smells of the islands. 
from the elegance of five-star resorts to historic buildings to primitive jungles,
Hawai'ian culture embodies adventure, nature, the sea, the sky, and the sand 
like no where else on earth.
(and it was the ONLY place on earth my Mom could get my Dad to stop working!)
#MAYkeovers, decorating, DIY, entertaining, outdoors, re-purposing, room makeovers, summer, thrifted, tiki style, vintage, weekend makeover, tropical style, diy decorating, coastal style
each year after their visit, they would return home relaxed, 
extolling the beautiful spirit of Aloha that surrounded them there.

so a few years ago, i did a makeover to bring that spirit into their home...

while they were visiting the islands, i re-decorated their home 
with all of the (many) Hawai'ian elements that they collected on their annual trips.
Mom had tucked things away in cabinets, pulling them out to use for her famous parties...
i decided to just turn their home into something that resembled one of
the resort properties on Kauai instead,
so that they would be surrounded with reminders of the place they loved every day.
 and they LOVED it!

i did this makeover during their trip in June, 2013. they went again in June of 2014 - 
completely unaware that it would be their last trip there together.
my Dad was diagnosed with cancer on their return that year,
and he was gone eight short months later.
i am so glad i brought the islands to their home when i did, 
because Dad's last days and hours were spent in a room filled with 
the beautiful music of the islands and soft breezes blowing in from the patio.
we were able to give him the feeling of being in Hawai'i...
and now he's in an even more beautiful place.
#MAYkeovers, decorating, DIY, entertaining, outdoors, re-purposing, room makeovers, summer, thrifted, tiki style, vintage, weekend makeover, tropical style, diy decorating, coastal style, blog series
see my tropical thrifty weekend makeover of their home
in this four-part series:


...and make sure you check out ALL of the 'tiki style' posts here on the blog
for many more tropical decor ideas!

3.10.2016

Out with the Old....


Everyone knows the golden rule of selling a house...
no, it's not 'location, location, location'.
It's 'neutralize, neutralize, neutralize'!

A construction crew came last week to remove the trellis wall treatments
and to paint over the mural in the downstairs powder room.

Years ago (90? 91?) I painted a mural of a vineyard scene in it,
and Mom had Dad install white trellising to the other walls and ceiling
then hung silk grapevines and grape clusters from it.
Her family room and patio had a 'wine country' theme, and this room played off of that.

In 2013, I redecorated the house to reflect my parent's love of Hawaii
(while they were vacationing in Hawaii!)
and painted a new beach scene on the powder room wall.

(you can see that project in my Thrifty Weekend Makeover series!)

When the contractor finished, it was beige. Just...... beige.
 But it's a small room and it needs to 'look bigger' (???) to prospective buyers
....so this is what we do. We 'neutralize'.
We remove every vestige of our personalities from the house 
so that prospective buyers can 'picture themselves living here' -
as opposed to them seeing exactly how WE have lived here.
This is what real estate agents tell clients now: Erase yourself from the property.

Meanwhile the encroaching stacks of empty folded boxes are dwindling
and the stacks of packed boxes is growing in every single room.
Surfaces are empty, spaces are starting to echo,
and it really looks like we are moving at last.
.

It's gonna' get harder.
Not just the physical work of lifting and hauling,
or the emotional work of sorting and purging,
but the emotional impact of finding hidden memories
in rooms once so filled with life.

As excited as Mom and I are about this move, the new house, 
the new opportunities and a bright shiny next chapter that this move brings,
there's a lot of history here in these rooms.
History that is happy and joyful, and history that is sad and heartbreaking.
Our family's happiness and sorrow soaks the atmosphere,
and as the rooms empty out, 
those memories echo in our hearts.

I can't look at the staircase without seeing generations of our family -
my parents, my siblings, our children, my children's children -
posed on it, year after year, for photos...
And that's just one memory.

HOME means so many things...

fortunately we carry home with us in our memories no matter where we go.

5.12.2014

DIY Kitchen Cabinet - to - Shelf Makeover

This time of year, it seems everyone talks about 'Spring Cleaning'.
Well, we all KNOW that 'cleaning' leads to 'makeover' projects, right??

That happened in the kitchen of my former dream house...
 
Stuck in the early 90's, it was really ready for a makeover.
The oak cabinets were ugly and basically non-functional: 
narrow, hard to get access to the back of the corner cabs, 
and the doors were hung to open backward!
Not to mention they were made of orange-stained oak, 
and there was a weird paint job on the kitchen walls. 
One day, I started emptying them to clean and re-organize...
and I was frustrated beyond belief with how little they held.
[ Let's just say I was a bit VERBAL in my frustration, shall we?]

The husband heard my grumbling, walked in, surveyed the mess, and asked
"Ya' want me to just yank those things down and build you some shelves?"
 
In record time, those suckers were off the walls and out the door!
[ NOTE: I do not demolish things. 
No swinging hammers and flying wood like on HGTV and TLC shows.
Those scenes REALLY make me mad, to tell the truth. ]
We removed the cabinets from the wall, hauled them out to the workshop,
then removed the doors from them. 

Those doors became the new shelves for the kitchen, 
and the sides of one corner cabinet were ripped into strips
 to create the brackets to hold the shelves on the wall.
The rest of the cabs were hung on a wall in the shop for storage.

Painted white, the new shelves were ready to go up within a day - 
AFTER the walls were painted.
A fresh tan paint color on the entire kitchen (walls AND ceiling) 
 unified the spaces that had been split by the overhead beam and 'bay' area on the window side. 
Unseen in the photos, a new track light was installed on the backside of the beam. 
White paint on the window trim made it seem much larger and more open than the previous wood tone. 

[BTW, the rest of the plan was to paint the lower cabinets white, unifying the whole kitchen. 
I never got that far before we had to move.]
The new wood shelf brackets were screwed into the studs, 
the shelves screwed onto the brackets, and the project was done.
Then I noticed that the shelves weren't spaced quite the way I had wanted...
but I didn't say a word. 
This was a vast - and FAST - improvement, so I was just grateful to have it done!

 I filled up those shelves and the counter space below them with functional and beautiful elements - 
and those shelves held over TWICE the amount of kitchenware than the cabinets ever had!!
Best part? This project cost us nothing but time:
We had the paint (our whole house was painted that color), 
we had the screws and sand paper and tools, 
and we used the old cabinet wood for the new shelves. 

It turned out so well, we ended up doing exactly the same thing in the laundry room, too.
But of course, I don't have photos of that. :(

 Don't be deterred from making your rooms function and look better
just because you think it will cost money.... it might not cost a cent!
My next post will have a fun re-purposing idea for your bedroom decor

More Spring decor inspiration on Pinterest!

shared online:
Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

7.27.2013

Thrifty Weekend Makeover: Part IV

Welcome to Part IV
of my Thrifty Weekend Makeover, 
where we're Re-Styling Rooms using items found in the house
and adding some thrifted elements!

 You've seen the backyard patio, the family room, and the wine bar and guest bath...
In this final of four installments, you'll see the
 Living & Dining Room Reveal!

Let's start at the front door...
The grapevine wreath that was hung on the family room fireplace is now on the front door.
I left the greenery on it, and embellished it with some easy accents:
two small bunches of faux orchid flowers, a little pair of zorie sandals
and a small beach sign [all from Dollar Tree
introduce the turquoise/brown/green color scheme and the tropical theme.

Talk about 'Fast, Cheap, & Easy'TM - this cost four dollars and took all of five minutes!
continue reading to continue your tour...

7.25.2013

Thrifty Weekend Makeover: Part III

Welcome to Part III of my Thrifty Weekend Makeover, 
where we're Re-Styling Rooms using items found in the house
and adding some thrifted elements!

In the family room reveal in my last post, I hinted that there was something around
THIS CORNER
 that I was REALLY excited to share with you!
So, just peek around the right side of that wall with the hat and clock and straw bag on it...

 BEFORE, you would have seen THIS:
It's a regular-sized closet, refitted years ago to hold wine accoutrements 
(glasses, wine-related picnic ware, 2 small wine fridges, etc.) 
as well as the LARGE oak leaves for the dining room table.

 Well, that just didn't go with the Tropical theme, so I got busy...

 I took down the curtain, emptied everything out of there, and then painted it.
This paint is the wall color from the living & dining rooms in the house,
and I used half a gallon of it that was out in the garage.
[it took THREE COATS to cover the raspberry red!]

You can just see the edge of a mural on the garage door before
I painted that out, too - the trim is now white and the wall & door are tan.
[it's okay - I painted that mural back in 1991. I've hated it ever since.]

Then I put everything back in the closet, starting with the two wine fridges 
and the table leaves... only I laid one of the table leaves on TOP of the fridges, 
creating a totally usable counter area that wasn't there before.
And then I decorated it!


If you're ready to see what it looks like NOW, continue reading...