Simple Winter Table

winter, for me, is all about sparkle and texture.

rough with smooth, crystal with wood, tarnished silver with crisp white.

mixing it up wherever i can brings a warmth and comfort to the 'bareness' of rooms

after the holiday overload is gone...

my winter color / texture palette this year is
white, crystal, rough wood, and glowing copper.

the simple tablesetting here shows yet ANOTHER way that i use an everyday item:

my standard white ceramic dishes.
you've seen them oh, about a million times here on the blog - 

i do that purposefully, to show you how

a very BASIC item can be re-imagined and presented in fresh ways each season.

continue reading for more details!

Welcome 2018 with a Junk Wreath!

2018: project one!
i took down the holiday decor in our entryway and needed to replace it...

admittedly, i've been too busy to even PLAN anything for that area.
but a quick look at what wreaths were on hand turned up two bare reed circles,

and that was all the inspiration that i needed!

tied together with a length of twine, the two reed wreaths are more substantial
(because in art and design, repetition adds strength).

i rummaged through a box of 'odds and ends' and found a slew of things to use

to add personality and interest to the wreath...

what's on there?
there are two tarnished silver cups, some galvanized construction tape, spring, and gift tag. 

an old outdoor faucet, a wire light bulb cage, a tiny shovel, a coffee measuring spoon,

a rusty letter O, a bling-y shower curtain ring, and a champagne cork with cage.

an odd assortment, they hail from miscellaneous sources 

(my old home, my Dad's workbench, gifts from friends, flea markets)

but they all have a connection to my story - and to each other,

which shows up when they are mounted together on the wreath using more twine.

i think they look a lot like a floral arrangement, 

but that might be just my weird sense of design talking ;)

 in any case, they reflect what I think of as a 'winter palette' - 

greys, blacks, charcoals, and varying shades of brown mixed with sparkling glass.

it may not be cold here where i live, but this combination evokes a 'winter-y' mood for me!

continue reading to see where it ended up!

Take the Party With You Tonight!

it's New Years' Eve!

time to pop the corks, pour the bubbly, and start celebrating!

 i've just got to share this nifty way to transport sparkling wine and glasses to an event -
whether you are heading to the roof to watch fireworks or the ball drop at midnight,
or to the neighbor's place for some revelry,
it's a perfect way to take the party with you!

Click 'Continue Reading' for the tutorial...

Get Warmer for Winter!

With the approach of the New Year, we all seem to crave a change....
whether it's a personal makeover, a new resolution, 

or a way to make our rooms feel 'not empty' after the Holiday decor & trees are gone.

You'll find inspiration here on homewardFOUND decor!

 I offer posts with ideas for warming up your home in winter, 

for decorating with a fresh whitewashed palette or subdued neutrals,

and for organizing your office / craft room with style...

you can even get a jump on your February / Valentine's Day decor!

... click on the 'WINTER' tab in my sidebar to find more content

(You'll find ideas for every season of the year by clicking on the links in my sidebar.)

Thank you for coming by to visit...

and may this new year bring you blessings and joy!

Recycling Christmas!

I LOVE changing up my color schemes each year, 

combining ornaments in new ways

and mixing what I have to get a whole new look...
(see more of this year's 'Ombre' tree - on the left - here)

How about you?
Do you experiment each year, or do you stick with the 'tried and true' favorites?!
What are your favorite colors for your Christmas Decor?

the mission statement of HOMEWARDfound decor

is basically 'work with what we already have' (or can get CHEAP)
and is born out of my love for making things over -
so I rethink, reimagine, redesign, recycle, and reuse everything I have all.year.long.

continue reading to see some of them!

homewardFOUND decor is on Insta!

I'd like to invite you to follow my NEW homewardFOUND decor account on IG! 

I'll be sharing all of the hwF shop news over there - 

new handmade and vintage products that are headed to Room #1, 

changing displays, upcoming events, *special offers* 😉 and more! 

Don't miss a thing at https://www.instagram.com/homewardfounddecor/

(you can still follow me as @debiwardkennedy, too -

I'll continue to share all kinds of inspiring things there)

ombre' gradient Christmas tree

this year's Christmas tree in our house is OMBRE'!

the ornaments are all of the SAME ones we used last year: 

i used all of the colored balls & figural ornaments and fabric poinsettias.

i didn't use the ribbon or the clear glass or paper ornaments that we used last year.

it's a completely different look for the tree - and we didn't spend a cent on it!

the ornaments used are white, ivory, gold, pale copper/rose gold, copper,

orange, tan, brown, and bronze.

i like the way the color gradient is dark at the bottom - like the floor -

and light at the top - like the ceiling.

it seems to make the tree feel even more grand and statuesque.

so.... now let me tell you the story of this theme!

that's LAST year's Christmas tree...

i had fun creating paper ornaments and pulling together a new look 

for the first year in the new house - 

which was a more neutral palette than my Mom has ever had on a tree before. 

we pulled gold from her holiday decor stash, 

and white, ivory, and browns from my holiday decor stash, 

then we bought some new ornaments to add to the mix - copper and orange.
(orange is our accent color here at home)
it all came together beautifully in a lush, full decor style - see more of it here.

well.... me being ME, i just can't do the same thing twice. ever.

.so as i was thinking about this years' tree, i remembered a tree that my friend Michael created

and shared on his blog Inspired by Charm last year: 

now, i love that idea! it's fun, it's happy, 

and from a design standpoint, it's a standOUT idea.

but it isn't ME. ...however.....

i realized that if i took all of the ornaments we already HAVE (sounds familiar, right?!)

and used them in gradient bands on the tree, 

i could replicate the idea without using the same colors. 

make the idea my own, so to speak.

which is what i hope the ideas i share here will do - 

inspire you to tweak them so they work for your style, your life, your home.

so, i showed that photo of Michael's tree to Mom, told her about my idea,

and asked if she was game to TRY it - with the promise that if it looked horrible,

she could tell me that, and I'd UNdecorate the tree and re-decorate it another way.
she agreed.

so I did it. and it worked!  (and Mom LOVES it!)

(i am also happy that i don't have to dismantle it and redecorate)

a side-by-side comparison:

Michael's tree is cone-shaped, while ours is a skinny tree - so ours looks kinda' funky.

i wish i had larger ornaments on the bottom part, but all in all i am happy with it!

i wanted to share this project with you so that perhaps you will 

look at the holiday decor elements and tree ornaments you already have 

and be inspired to think about them in a new way...

maybe doing an ombre' tree is not your thing, and that's fine.

perhaps using only one color, or a new combination of colors, 

would be a fun way to make things feel 'new' at your house 

without spending anything!