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: a stylish & EASY taper candle tip

I've decided to focus on very simple projects this month, sharing a few tips that will quickly and easily impact your decor as you warm up your winter homes.

This particular tip isn't mine - it originated with a very special shopkeeper, entertaining guru, visual stylist, decorator, and author who has been inspiring me for decades now: Ted Kennedy Watson (no, we're not related!).

Ted owns two stores in Seattle - Watson Kennedy Fine Living on Pine Avenue (across from Pike Place Market), and Watson Kennedy Fine Home on First Avenue. Both stores boast a wealth of beautiful items to enjoy in your decor and entertaining, and the displays Ted creates in the shops and the window displays are absolutely some of the best I've ever seen. I could (and did) spend hours taking in every detail in both shops during the 18 years I lived in Washington.

This particular stylist's 'trick' is SO easy - and by adding just one little detail, it makes a huge difference!

continue reading to see HOW easy...

Published Again! Farmhouse Style Magazine

another of my diy home decor projects is included in
the Fall 2024 Issue of Country Sampler Farmhouse Style Magazine...

the pegrack / coatrack that we made
using a vintage porch post, cut in half lengthwise before we bought it,
is part of the 'Architectural Adaptations' feature in this issue,
with a special mention of the unique hooks on ours.

continue reading to see a peek from the magazine
AND a few different ways i've styled this feature...

upcycled garden 'bee cups'

this project may not fall within my usual 'seasonal home decor' category,

but it certainly fits my 'use what you have' philosophy!

have you heard of 'bee cups'?

created to provide a safe fresh water source for garden pollinators,

they're a hot item among naturalists and gardeners here in the West...

with our drought conditions, access to water is important to every living thing.

i've seen several versions of 'bee cups' for sale,

and one day as i was taking care of a task at home, a very simple item

(that was about to be trash) caught my eye - and this project is the result!

continue reading to see what i used (if you haven't figured it out yet!)...

cozy yarn winter flowers

it's still winter, and i'm staying warm in my studio

while working on some new spring decor projects for future posts...

but in the meantime,
i'd love to share one last winter project to finish off February!

i'm calling these 'yarn flowers', made by combining winter elements

with a few stems of faux flowers to create this fun bouquet. 

(and yes, my new favorite loopy white yarn IS in there!)
it's an easy, creative way to add some whimsy to these cold days...

continue reading to see the details...

cozy yarn-wrapped candles

you may have spied these in my last post...

they're a new take on one of my fave early projects:

sweater-wrapped vases. only these are yarn-wrapped vases!

they are a fun way to cozy up your home decor in wintertime.

this material has the effect of fluffy white powder snow that is perfect for the season.

continue reading for the easy how-to AND an important safety tip...

warm new year greetings

happy new year, my friends!
i hope 2023 finds you healthy and happy...
every year, i learn something new. sometimes MANY somethings.
and this past year, i think i could sum up what i learned as:
"sometimes, you just have to do the thing."

this winter i've added a new element to my studio, shown in the photo above -

it's a heater that looks like a wood stove, 

and it works perfectly in tandem with my fake fireplace mantel built in 2020!

i had been thinking about doing this for over a month, but put it off.
(procrastination is my biggest challenge, seriously.)

then in Mid-December the temps dropped waaaaay lower than normal,

and my studio windows frosted over.
sometimes nature gives us a lil' helping hand to get us moving.

continue reading to learn more about my solution...

my FAVE winter decor projects

all of the Christmas decor is packed up, and i've been thinking about winter decorating
and all of the many ways i've 'warmed up' my homes every winter over the years...
 some of those projects have been successful several times in more than one home

as i re-create them in new versions + colorways.

over the past ten years of blogging here at homeward found decor,

i've shared hundreds of my original diy home decor projects

in 733 posts since i launched this blog in August 2012.

if you've been reading my blog for the past decade, THANK YOU FRIENDS!

if you're new here, i hope you enjoy discovering some of my past creations

as i share a look back... 

continue reading for some of my FAVE winter decor projects!

tiny thread nests

springtime always brings me back to making different kinds of bird nests...

they represent spring, and also connect to the practice of 'nesting',
making a home fresh and clean as well as warm and welcoming. 

today i am sharing a new nest i've created this month,

inspired by talented artist and designer Cathe Holden.

i recently saw a photo of one of her sweet little nests made from sewing thread,

and was so charmed by the utter simplicity of it that i just had to replicate the idea -

 using yellow thread, of course!

this was a truly 'fast, cheap, and easy'TM project that i think you'll love,
and it would make a perfect treat at each place setting on your Easter table!

continue reading for the easy details... and more about my muse, Cathe!

NEW! Sweet Sweater Candles

Merry Christmas Eve!
today i'm sharing a craft project that came to mind LAST year -
i just didn't make them until this year!

this decor element is a fun way to use scraps of sweaters - and even some TRASH! -
but is also meaningful to me.

for me, Christmas is about Jesus' birth,
and celebrating the light that He brought into a world mired in darkness.

i love adding extra twinkle lights to my home in the dark days of winter,
lighting candles, and having a fire in the fireplace (it's faux, but that's ok!).
adding extra warm light sources feels cozy, and also enhances my mood.

continue reading to see just how easy making these faux candles is...

Sweet Sweater & Scarf wreath

let's start off with a warm, welcoming touch for winter at the front door...
today, i'm re-visiting a past project: the scarf-wrapped wreath!
for this version, i've turned the scarf into the bow and covered the wreath with a sweater.

it's a easy and inexpensive way to create a wreath
that will work well wherever you place it - 
on the door, a wall, a mantel, or even lying flat with a glass-encased candle in the middle!

the bonus is that there are no needles falling off of this wreath!

continue reading for the easy details...

it's a 'Sweet Sweater Season' holiday!

well, here we are, friends.... the holiday season is upon us!

i've been giving this year's theme a great deal of thought over the past months,

and have come up with something that isn't what you might expect to see.

i've decided to COMBINE holiday decor with winter decor!

combining two seasons into one ('holinter'??!)

means simplifying and focusing on creating decor that isn't specifically 'holiday'...

the goal is to S T R E T C H the decor impact from December all the way into February
so that i don't have to spend two weeks at the start of a new year
dealing with taking down the holiday stuff and putting out all-new winter stuff.

i really don't need more stuff.
i want less not more work after the holiday season!
i want more time for fun days on my brand new calendar,
and more time for reading and long winters' naps by the fire. or pool. whatever!
and this season, i'm making it happen.

are you in?! 

...continue reading for some sweet sneak peeks!

floral painted pumpkins

i recently went thrifting in Palm Springs
 and found some beautiful vintage china with yellow roses and gray & brown leaves.
the moment i saw them, i pictured a new version of a project that i created last fall:

 last November, i painted some of my ceramic pumpkins
with floral motifs that matched my brown English Staffordshire china collection:

they were a HUGE hit on social media (thank you all!)
and even won a creative 'pumpkin decor' challenge!
last year i also painted some mini pumpkins with the Jewel Tea 'Autumn Leaf' pattern
to match my grandma's ceramic collection.
i envisioned a similar paint treatment that would match the 'new' vintage yellow rose china,
creating the perfect additions to a beautiful fall mantel or table this year.

many people get a similar effect gluing pretty paper napkins onto pumpkins. that's ok.
but i love to paint, and i'm able to replicate the design from the plate, so i do it that way.
honestly? it's not hard. and it doesn't have to be perfect.
the end result is a very elegant fall decor accent that i made myself - and that no one else has.
  i LOVE that part!

continue reading for more details...

boho chic: 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!

seashell wall art

for as long as i can remember, i've collected mementos from the beach...
tiny bottles of sand, sea glass remnants, little pieces of driftwood, and seashells.
*NOTE:  i DO make sure it's permissible to take these natural 'artifacts' from their locations,
and i don't take a lot. *

finding new ways to display these treasures is a fun creative exercise,
and this summer i've re-worked a former project to highlight a few of my seashells.
and yes, it's yellow! sunny, bright, warm, happy yellow for summer.

continue reading to see a few of my summer seashell shadow boxes...
(try to say THAT fast!!!)

farmhouse may-keover: dining room & kitchen

go ahead, you can sit and stare at that beautiful view...
i sure did while i was there! 

the view from my friends' front porch is stunning, 
and that's what you see when you look out the bay window in her dining room - 
also visible from the living room. 

today's post shares the things we did to start refreshing her dining room,
and moves into the very simple ways we gave her kitchen a fresh look... 

continue reading for some 'fast, cheap, & easy' decorating ideas!

farmhouse may-keover: living room

i'm structuring this 'MAY-keover' series of posts
as if you are walking into and through my friend K's farmhouse...
first, you saw her grand front porch and welcoming entry hall
(link at end of this post)

today, we'll focus on her living room

and all of the simple changes made that completely transformed it...

continue reading to learn some easy tips for re-styling a room on a budget!

farmhouse may-keover: front porch & entry

spring is here, it's MAY - 

and that means it's time for another budget-friendly DIY MAY-keover series!

this time, i helped a friend redecorate the farmhouse she inherited from her parents.

her Dad built it, her Mom loved it, and now it's hers...

and i wanted to help her express her own style, to make it her HOME.

she's given me permission to share the changes we made with you,

and i know you'll find inspiring and usable ideas!

continue reading to see some of the simple, affordable ways we added style

to this beautiful farmhouse...

re-purpose glass light globes as candleholders

i've used glass globes from light fixtures in many ways over the years,

from turning them into pumpkins in fall, making snowmen out of them in winter,

and using them as flower vases in spring.

my favorite globes are the old ones, with ridges and details that catch the light

no matter how you use them... but those are getting really hard to find.

miraculously, i found one on a recent trip to a nearby thrift shop...

and the moment i saw its shape, i knew what i wanted to try with it.

i paired it with another globe and a few more elements,

and they worked just as i had hoped - in TWO different ways! 

continue reading to see how easy this spring/summer decor accent is to create...

winter tablescape + diy candle wrap

since my focus for this new year is 'create . decorate . celebrate',
i'm making a concerted effort to do little things for myself more often
in 'celebration' of life and home.

case in point: making an effort to make mealtime more intentional,
 and setting a pretty spot to enjoy it!

cultivating this one habit is an opportunity to step away from the computer
and enjoy some nutritional food, nice music or the sounds of birds outdoors,
and moments of gratitude a few times each day.

it's important to me to make space for that,

and i think often we need a reminder that we don't have to save the nice china for visitors...
we should make the effort even if it's 'just' for ourselves. we're worth it!

continue reading for simple ways to set a pretty table... plus an easy DIY candle wrap!