SUMMER: coming soon!

 
It's almost Summer!
But I'm gonna' be honest... right now, I'm struggling. I'm overwhelmed. I'm stressed out.
Welcome to living in 2025, I guess. It's just all too much, all the time.
And it's taking a toll on me.

I'm going to take a quick break from blogging for a few weeks, to participate in some family celebrations & events that we've all been looking forward to. I haven't been with my entire family - all four kids, their spouses, and all five grandkids - for eleven years, and I want to enjoy every last minute with them. I want to focus my time and effort on the people I love right now, instead of working on decorating projects and blog posts and promoting blog posts on social media.

...and I'll return to blogging in June with some fun tropical summer decor projects that I've been working on around our house, including this one:



Meanwhile...
If you're looking for some red, white, and blue decor inspo for your upcoming Memorial Day Weekend celebrations, click here!

Creatively, 
Deb @ homeward found decor

WINTER: make a faux vintage felt pennant

 

This is another 'just for fun' project to add to your winter decor - and also one of those projects that changed course a few times!

My original inspiration for this were two photos on Instagram, shared by Jens Fresh Vintage. Jen shared shots of her antique booth winter setup, showing winter paint-by-numbers and thermoses and ski's - and vintage souvenir pennants from ski resorts:


Recalling the fun days that I had spent skiing the slopes at Northstar and Squaw Valley in Lake Tahoe, I decided to make myself a felt pennant that looked old.

As you can see in the photo up above, I did not make pennants that say 'Lake Tahoe' or anything like that... I went bigger! 

Continue reading to see a step-by-step tutorial to make your own pennants - AND what I ultimately ended up doing with them in my studio!

easy summer decor: all bottled up!

Memorial Day Weekend is here (in the States, anyway)

and that means it's time for the big 'summer kickoff'...

the project i'm sharing today is a re-do and throw-back

to some of my patriotic red, white and blue summer decor from the past

(i've linked that below this post)

but the new version fits my current 'green era' obsession.

 it's another 'throw it together in a minute' decor trick

that can be replicated in SO many ways on a table, mantel, bookshelf, and more. 

'summerizing' your living spaces is an easy way to embrace the season...
quick additions of simple elements will change the feel of your home!

continue reading to see a few of the ways i've used glass bottles...

easy 'dot' candy pumpkins

it seems this fall has affected me by making me crave candy and sweets!!

this happy project was born when i found THESE at the Dollar Tree:

'member those?!!!

'dot' candy on paper strips was one of my FAVE sweet treats as a kid

(confession: i would sometimes stop at the local Circle K market while walking to school

and spend my lunch money on candy instead. BAD little debby!!!)

when i saw these GIANT candy versions, i grabbed a package

and got right to work when i arrived home...

...continue reading to see how easy this pumpkin decor is for adults & kids alike!

fourth of july decor roundup!

 i'm being lazy right now and NOT creating any new summer decor content
for the Fourth of July.

but that doesn't mean i don't have loads of previous projects

to inspire your celebrations!

click HERE to see ALL of my past fourth of july blog posts & projects
(the first four are yellow - but they'd be perfect in red, white and blue!)

see more inspo on my July Pinterest board

continue viewing post...

county fair dime toss game!

it's SUMMER and time to party!
and quite by accident, i just created a HIT of a party game...

when our fabulous girl camping group the Lemon Drop Divas plan an event,

we go ALL OUT. WAY over the limit. everything is themed, with coordinated decor.

a campout in May was themed 'Lemon Drop Divas County Fair'

and it was packed with references to old time fairs. 

including a midway. yep!

we were all given the opportunity to create a 'carnival games' booth

as part of our own fair midway, to enjoy with our friends.

i was stumped... until i was sorting through a bunch of stuff we had here at home

and realized 'we have a LOT of wine glasses that we don't use!'

and when that thought combined with the carnival game concept,

i had a light bulb moment.

continue reading to see how easy it is to set something like this up!

paint palette eggs!

this one came to me one day while i was going through my bins of spring decor.

back in 2020 i made some simple Easter eggs with varied finishes on them,
and as i saw those in the bin, i realized that their shape was very much like
the paint palettes that artists use... and a new creative idea was born!

...continue reading for this easy project

(and to see what those 'paint palettes' are REALLY made of!)

white wire basket pumpkins

i use a lot of containers in my studio (and home) to try to be organized.
wire baskets like these from the Dollar Tree help corral my copious stash
of craft & art supplies, and various small bits & pieces that i use and re-use in projects.

i was today years old when i looked at them and saw pumpkins instead!!!
similar to the gold wire basket pumpkins that i shared last month,
they are SO easy to make.

continue reading for the easy how-to...

summer sand pail centerpiece

summer's here, and it's time to relax and kick back.

that includes taking it easy with decor for home & parties...

so i'm sharing one of my fave summertime decorating tips.

this easy idea is a perfect happy everyday accent -

perhaps on a hallway console or dining table, 

or even at your front door.
it's also fun for a party - and no, not just for kids!

pssst.... continue reading to find out two secrets about that sand!

'paint chip' inspired painted dresser

i always say that paint is a magical ingredient in decorating....

it can change things faster and easier than any other element!

i recently envisioned a new paint treatment for an item i've had for years

(actually, it's been in my family for THREE generations!)

and am so happy with the results.

continue reading for the reveal!

diy floral painted hearts

 

there's no LAW that says Valentine's decor has to be pink and red, right?

in keeping with my current infatuation with the Pantone Colors of the Year 2021,
i've decided to adapt them to fit this sweet holiday!
eternally optimistic Illuminating Yellow and soothing, cozy Ultimate Gray
pair up with white in this painted diy project,
while the floral designs impart a romantic, country-fresh, sort of boho vibe.

the inspiration for this technique was inspired by two projects from last fall...
and by something of my Mom's that has always been in my life.

continue reading to see what inspired the patterns AND the before shot!

diy painted gift wrap ribbon

 

faced with a creative challenge, i usually turn to paint as a solution.

unable to find THE ribbon i had envisioned in my mind, i made my own.

time consuming? yeah. but very inexpensive, and totally worth the effort.

and yes, you can do this, too - no advanced paint techniques needed.

continue reading to see how completely devoted to a theme i can be!

rainbow colorized wreath

switching up my holiday decor themes each year is a lot of fun,
and it doesn't cost a lot to make a change...

this white wreath was just $6 at a local thrift shop four years ago,
and i've reworked it with colorful ornaments to match my colorful tree.

most of those ornaments i already had,
a few i grabbed at thrift shops and Dollar Tree to fill out my color palette.
( all told, i spent less than ten dollars on this)
attaching them to the wreath was a quick undertaking,
and the impact is uplifting - indoors or out!

continue reading for a few wreath decorating tips...

rainbow colorized Christmas tree

i really think Joanna and Cleo of The Home Edit would LOVE this Christmas tree!
a brilliant white tree with bright color ornaments, arranged in rainbow ROYGBIVP order 
("it's a SYSTEM!" - if you know, you know)

a place for everything and everything in its place, right?!

okay, so, yesssss, i've been watching The Home Edit on Netflix. a LOT.
and yessssss, it has indeed had an influence on my Christmas decor this year.
i was also inspired by an Insta photo of a huge garland made of balloons...
that spurred the idea to create a 'garland' of colorful ornaments
that were arranged in color order.

continue reading to hear more about where those ornaments CAME from
and see how easy this approach to tree decorating is!

creative Christmas tree skirts

i'm going to confess that i have never used a store-bought tree skirt

on any of my own Christmas trees. NEVER.

it's not that my trees go bare-legged, it's just that i use different things under them than most people:
vintage petticoats, silky satin formal skirts, my wedding dress!, rugs,
old wood crates, and more tablecloths than i can count. Oh, and a fuzzy blanket!.
i've even used.... wait for it... pine branches. simple, right?

this year's happy colorful theme called for some FUN under the tree,

and i've come up with two different ways to do that by repurposing other items.
one involves some crafting, and will work on any size tree.
the other is for a small tree,
and was so easy i could hardly believe i hadn't thought of it before.

i hope they both make you take a look at whatever tree skirt you've been using
and think twice... about maybe trying something different this year.
now, let's get creative!

continue reading for the easy diy tutorials...

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!

colorful office makeover

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'....

if you've read my posts about office organization,

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!

yes, you can paint a lampshade!

this colorful lampshade was a spur-of-the-moment weekend project, 

an idea that came to me as i collapsed into a chair 

after the second day of my weekend studio/office overhaul project.

i was scrolling through Instagram and saw an image that completely delighted me - 

and solved my problem of 'what can i do to this plain ol' lampshade?'

paint it, of course!

so, i put down the phone, grabbed my paints, and gave this old thrifted shade a makeover.

i really love the way it turned out, and it was an easy way to add color and pattern to the room.

continue reading to see what started this whole thing...

a found & foraged flag

You know, I enjoy sometimes decorating with red white and blue
just as much as the next patriotic American... but... 

what if I don't want to use red and blue in my home, 

and want to stick with white + warm neutrals?

Well... I found a way to do exactly that,
and still have a focus on the flag for the Fourth of July!

I found some items in my garage, left from my closed homewardFOUND shop.

When I looked at the weathered white fence pickets,
and the blue-ish zinc metal scraps, I saw a flag.

My whole 'schtick' here on the blog is re-using, re-cycling, re-imagining
stuff that I already have to create new stuff... 
It's born out of my 45-year long career in retail visual merchandising/display,
where nothing is created to last a long time 
and change is the only constant!

  I quickly got busy assembling things on the workbench...
and that metal in the top photo isn't what you think it is!

...continue reading to see how I made my own faux zinc!