A Loaf of Bread, a Jug of Wine, and Thou!

Our extreme summer heat here in Southern California has finally waned,
giving us a chance to head back outside and enjoy nature.
With the change of seasons on the horizon, it's the perfect time for a picnic!

Picnics can be elegant and fancy, plain and simple, or somewhere in the middle.
For me, whatever they look like, they should be EASY.
The movable feast shown here was packed up into a large woven tote and a big wire basket,
making it easy to transport everything from car to a grassy park in one trip...

it's not a massive meal, just a tasty repast of bread, fruit, cheese, wine, and water.
( oh, and some homemade, hand-cranked ice cream for dessert! )

Just add an iPod with music, a classic book of poetry, and someone special
for a perfectly relaxing Autumn afternoon...
in the park, at the beach, in the mountains, or even in your own backyard garden!

 * The dishes nestle into a lined basket for transport, 
while a small galvanized bucket holds flatware.

* Vintage galvanized cookie boxes hold bread, fruit and cheese. 

* A 'new but looks old' galvanized napkin holder fits right into the look.
 
* Tumblers work far better than stemmed glasses for wine
(steadier on rough tables, and oh so European!)

* Water is presented in re-used glass soda bottles instead of plastic.

* Galvanized candle lanterns hold citronella candles to ward off pests.
 
* That little vintage galvanized ice cream maker is one of my prize possessions 
(I've never seen another like it!) and oh, does it work fast!
 
* A simple canvas painter's tarp serves as a sturdy tablecloth - 
and can come off to lay on the ground for an afternoon nap, too!

 There's something really special about this table scape... it's the dishes.
They ARE vintage, but aren't fancy or precious or particularly valuable. Just sentimental.

 These melamine plates and bowls from a grocery store promotion in the sixties
feature seasonal-themed artwork by Currier and Ives,
along with a pretty floral border in brown and gold tones.
That border makes it perfect for a fall color scheme...
but I chose to use the dishes because for over 45 years,
these dishes have been known as 'the picnic dishes' in my family.

They belonged to my Grandma Ward, and she brought them out for every camping trip and picnic.
She kept them in her truck camper's 'kitchen box', and then in their little Shasta travel trailer.
During my childhood, that little vintage trailer was my 'playhouse',
and these dishes were my toys.
I created elaborate and artful 'salads' from leaves and flowers and errant vegetables
sneakily culled from Grandma and Grandpa's garden.
(why I didn't grow up to like cooking, I'll never know!!!)

After I grew up and had my own family, Grandma gave me her dishes.
So we used them for camping trips and backyard barbecues and picnics at the beach, too.
I treasure them, and just looking at them brings back SO many memories of happy times...

Keeping basic elements needed for a picnic ready to go in a basket or tote
makes it easy to enjoy a last-minute trip
to enjoy sunset on the beach or a temperate day at the local park...
Don't let the fact that summer is over keep you inside!

shared online: 

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}


Creative Country Mom's Garden | Tuesday Garden Party

Autumn's Golden Light

 

I was searching for a certain image the other day,
and in the process I came across some old photos that just say 'AUTUMN' to me.

The golden glowing light captured in them is my FAVORITE thing about fall...

the way the light turns more amber and deep, especially in late afternoon.
It's my favorite time of day!

Since my last two posts have been about fall decorating 

as inspired by displays at vintage shows,

I thought I'd wrap that up with a post showing images of one of MY old booths at a show.
Enjoy!

 From the glowing woods to glistening golds,
luxe velvet and satin fabric details to simple paper and leather,
I think this embodies that certain color of autumn light that I so love.
There's not a typical tree leaf in sight here, but the decor speaks to the pleasures of fall.

Yes, decor can be inspired by something as simple as the color of light 
that pours through your windows during a certain season or time of day!
Let the color of a summer blue sky or a winter snow be the touchpoint for your decor,
and you'll have created an ambience that speaks to your soul.

PS: It's not about spending money.
All of the items shown in the above photos were made or 'fixed up' 

using reclaimed and repurposed materials that were found or thrifted.

Though the look is 'luxe', the cost was miniscule.

 

Someone else took photos of my booth at that show, too...

and they ended up in Where Women Create magazine a few years later.

Where Women Create's Summer 2012 issue 

featured a story on Judy Watkins and her Remnants of the Past Antique Show,  

with beautiful photos of the show by Jenny Malott.
I am so very grateful to Jenny, Judy, and Jo Packham of WWC 

that they chose several images of my booth displays to include in the story:

Right Page: my Retreat booth & products

(looks familiar, huh?
yes, Jenny took EXACTLY the same shot that I did!)

Right Page, lower left corner: detail of Retreat booth display

Right Page: Baby Grand Piano Bar,
created with my late husband Bob Kennedy for our business, 'Retreat', in 2009
This piece truly was one of his greatest designs...

details of the piano bar:

 * exterior and interior covered with vintage player piano & sheet music
* interior re-purposed as a wine storage unit, liquor bottle & glass storage, 

and keyboard replaced with a pull-out mirrored tray for serving.

shared online:
.

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

 .
There's a lot more to that story....

Falling for the French

After spending nearly two days setting up and styling Rita's Mammabellarte booth
at The Vintage Marketplace at the Oaks show ( which you saw in my last post),
 I headed over to assist another vendor in the setup of her booth!

Sweet Liz Sandor, owner of 'My Little French Venue',
had been toiling in the hot sun to get all of her goods unloaded and into her space.
She just needed me to help her add the finishing touches to her displays,
and I was delighted with the beautiful things she had for me to work with!

While Rita brought a Farm Fresh mood to the show, Liz brought elegant French style...

Her display inside the tent was built around some truly stunning antiques....
The china vitrine, secretary desk, trumeau mirror, and refined armchairs set quite a stage.
So I took the small items and props she had brought along,
and grouped them into color themes so that all of her vignettes said 'Fall'
(with a French accent, of course!)

Here are some of the details of what we did:

 

The photo of the beautiful statue bust was the last one I snapped at the end of the day...

the sun was setting beyond the hilltops, and one shaft of glorious golden light

made its way into the front of the booth just as we were finishing up.

It didn't quite reach the statue - 

but a small mirror was placed to reflect it onto this lovely face,  and I got the shot!!!

Liz's fresh flower arrangements and high-end faux flowers added fall foliage to soften the scenes.

continue reading to see MORE beautiful photos of Liz's gorgeous booth...

Farmhouse Fall

 Last week I had the honor of working with and for a very good friend, Rita Reade,

who is the proprietor of the creative vintage business Mammabellarte 

and co-founder, along with her sister-in-love, Christie Repasy, of The Vintage Marketplace at the Oaks.

Rita has her hands full organizing and assisting the 65 vendors at every show,

which is held every three months in a lovely park setting NorthEast of San Diego, CA,

so she hires me as her visual designer and stylist *
to style all of her beautiful creations into an inspiring booth setting...

and I love every minute of it!

Here's what I did with her booth for the fall show, 

to coordinate with the show theme 'Farmgirl Fancies' -
I hope it inspires you for fall decorating!

 Rustic elements and a focus on ivory, white, tan, and green set a Farmhouse mood.
Rita's signature pink is still in there, but it's taking a back seat in the color palette this time...

Those are vintage window screens that I turned into an 'awning' at the back of the booth! 

It was a spur-of-the-moment idea that became my favorite part ;)

continue reading for MORE gorgeous photos!

Wine Not???

Last Fall, I shared a simple way to spook up a chandelier with black netting.
Then last Spring, I shared photos of a crystal chandelier turned into a water fountain.

Both ideas were created by the incredibly talented visual team at a nearby home and garden store, 

Roger's Gardens.

Well, they've gone and done it AGAIN!

I went over to check out their famous Halloween House displays this year (post to come!)

and saw this fun embellishment of a chandelier...

It's simply ropes of chandelier crystals (with metal clips) epoxied to the bottoms of

wine and champagne glasses,  letting them dangle precariously in the air:

Talk about SPIRITED decor ;)

Want to see more of the ways this visual team uses their crystal chandelier props?
chandelier fountain
wicked chandelier

visit the Roger's Gardens website

shared online:

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

Welcome, Fall! Wait.... WHAT????!

Yeah, it's FALL, Y'all.... and I'm just not ready for summer to end!

Before we jump into ideas and inspiration for Autumn decorating here at homewardFOUND,

I thought I'd share what I was up to over my two-month 'break' from social media.

Yes, friends, I'm going to answer the eternal September question
that we all remember (fondly??) from those first-day-of-school assignments:

'What did you do on your summer vacation?' 

You had to either write about it or stand up in front of the class and talk about it.
(How many of you, like me, immediately thought 'KILL.ME.NOW.' when the teacher informed you
that you had to speak instead of write because she knew you LOVED writing??

Fortunately, I finally overcame my fear of public speaking!)

Just as I planned, I spent my 'summer vacation' doing things I love:
walking at the beach, going to flea markets and vintage shows and thrift stores,
reading books from the library, swimming in the pool, sitting on the porch swing,
seeing friends and family, and of course working at the Happiest Place on Earth!

 But the BIG thing, the ONE thing that made this summer totally awesome was that

We had a Family Reunion!
Four generations of my family - my parents, siblings, our kids AND my grandkids -

gathered in California to celebrate my Mom's 70th Birthday

and to celebrate that we are one AWESOME family - 

not 'despite' the difficulties we have faced, but in part BECAUSE of those challenges.
Love is stronger than anything - even distance that spans the continent.


26 of us spent five days together at my parent's home,

splashing in the pool, making a lot of noise, talking, laughing, 

and eating SO much good food... 

(my brother brought 100 pounds of fresh fish and King Crab with him from Alaska,

and that fish fry dinner was utterly decadent!)

It was such a joy to be in the same place with all four of my 'kids' and their families,

including my four grandchildren, 

enjoying the smiles and hugs and stories and laughter.

It's a bona fide miracle, folks,
and I could not feel more blessed to have had this time with them.

And then, on the last day....
We went to Disneyland!

We posed with my BOSS! (and isn't he the CUTEST boss ever?!) 

We posed by the Castle!

and we posed in front of the attraction that is VERY important to our family,

'It's A Small World'

We have family ties to the history of this wonderful place:
My Mom's Dad and brother, my Uncle Don, were electricians

who helped build many of the attractions at Disneyland...
Grandpa Ward worked on It's A Small World, Tiki Room, and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln.
Uncle Don Ward worked on the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean.

All of my life, I have had such pride that they worked to bring Walt's dream to life,

to make the magic real
(that's a HUGE part of why I have always wanted to work there!)
and since the day my first grandson was born,

I have dreamed of riding the little boats of It's A Small World with my grandchildren.
Just like my grandpa rode it with me when I was a Little Debby.

I got that wish ;) That weekend was the best part of my summer!

I created the graphic that you see at the top of this post, 

and had it made into buttons at PureButtons.com.
My sweet friend Julia Chow, who is my fellow cast member at Disneyland,

captured our dream of a day in photos.
(See more of her fabulous work on her Julia Lisa Photography facebook page)

OK, now it's YOUR turn...

"What did YOU do on YOUR summer vacation?"
Leave a comment and share!

I promise I won't make you stand up in front of anyone :)