wood ladder easel

in a recent post, i shared this 'found and foraged flag' project.

what i didn't share was the way i've chosen to display that flag art in my office:

on a ladder. oh, but it's not just ANY old ladder! 

continue reading to see how i modified it in just two easy steps... 

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!

turning the tables...

seems like every day, i see a photo on social media of tables made from wood cable spools.
it's kind of the 'orange crate' diy decor trend of the 70's reborn!

i've STILL not seen anyone do with them what *i* do with them:
pair the wood spool top with metal bases from other tables. 
because, you know, i always have to do things differently than other people!
we have quite a few variations on this theme at home - 
... continue reading to see what i've created!

diy headboard to a-door...

in my book, making do with what you already have simplifies life,

and certainly beats buying more stuff...

when we moved into the new house, i had two choices:

use the same old wood gate as a headboard,

or come up with something new.

i chose 'something new' - but of course i didn't go out and BUY a headboard!

keep reading to see what i did....

5 easy ways to summerize!

 

it's summertime... and the livin' should be easy!

it's time to simplify, lighten up, and create rooms that welcome a casual, fun, active lifestyle

to enjoy over the next few months.
i have a few simple ideas to make your home feel like a resort all summer long
without having to spend a lot of your vacation / stay-cation cash!

here are my top five tips for adding summer style to your rooms:

my hat trick!

decorating with collections is an easy way to bring your own personality into your home, 

and changing them up seasonally is a fun way to change the 'wardrobe' your house wears!

i love straw hats, and have a nice collection (tho it is smaller than it used to be).

displayed in spring and summer, i often hang them on a pegrack or pile them all on a chair.

sometimes, i even hang them on a wall. yes, RIGHT on the wall, as seen here...

it's as simple as putting a few clear pushpins in the wall and plopping a hat on it.

a grouping like this makes it pretty easy to grab one when needed - and hey, it's free wall decor!

then there's that OTHER hat trick... continue reading to see what i used under those chapeaus!