Paper Flower Power!

  Don't know what it is lately, but apparently I have blossoms on the brain!
I recently saw some gorgeous photos of brightly-colored paper flowers on Instagram,
posted by 'BloomBox_oc' - I tried to save an image to share here, but it wouldn't work.

Their photos reminded me of a paper flower that I won at an event, 

so I dug through some of my (still packed) boxes and found it...

it's the middle flower in that image above, made from old book pages and tissue paper

by a very creative vintage show vendor named Becky, from 'Whimsies'.

All that flower power inspired me,

 so I dug out a bunch of my own vintage paper and made myself some:

It was fun!
I haven't spent a lot of time doing creative things for myself lately, 

and this was a nice way to spend the hottest part of the day - 106 degrees. YIPES.

And when I was done, I had a buncha' blooms to put on my studio/office wall:

I haven't made time to do many creative things for myself lately, 

and this one just made me smile.
Just in case that photo above doesn't make the scale clear, here's a reference shot:

Yeah, these babies are HUGE!

This project was was fun, easy, and I already had everything I needed to make them -
which is pretty much how most of my projects come about, anyway:
I get inspired and then dig through what I have to 'make it work'!

Through the process, I snapped some photos and put together a simple tutorial:

Looks like I'll be making more in the near future, too...

my Mom saw these on my wall and asked
"I think these are exactly what I need for the wall over my bed!
Can you make some in aqua and tan and white, to match my linens?"

Why, yes, Mom, I sure can!  see more of these here!

Shared Online:

Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

By The Numbers...

 This post was prompted by a FABulous project
that I saw at my youngest daughter's home...

She wanted to give her curb appeal a jolt of style  -without spending a lot.
(sounds like all of us, right?)

so she bought picture frames at the Dollar Tree, a can of black spray paint from Ace Hardware, 

took her porch lights and house numbers off the wall... 

and painted them all!

The lights & numbers went back up, then the frames were hung -

which pops from her gray siding and draws attention to the numbers:

There's one arrangement by her front door, and one beside her garage door.
She told me it took her no more than two hours, start to finish.

Now THAT's 'Fast, Cheap, and Easy' for you! ;)
__________________________________________

Those of us who decorate 'differently' than the mainstream often get comments

that are confused, bewildered, and less than complimentary. 

You know what I mean, right?
'Why did you build a headboard out of DOORS when you can buy a perfectly good headboard?!!'

and that sort of thing....

Well, I used to hear those comments from my KIDS. Oh, yeah. 

Mom embarrassed them by hanging old windows on the side of the garage,

by refurbishing garage sale finds, by making planters from old restaurant tin cans.
They did NOT appreciate my 'recycle, reuse, reimagine' philosophy.
[where did I go wrong??!!! LOL] 

Over the years, as my daughters and son have grown up and furnished & decorated homes of their own,

guess what they discovered?
oh, just that making use of what they have on hand or can get inexpensively (or FREE)

isn't such a BAD thing after all - and it can look pretty impressive!

(Is this where I get to say 'I told you so!'???!!!)

Singin' the Blues...

Nope, I'm not sad that it's summer!
It's just that as the days heat up, the color blue can REALLY cool off our homes...

a shot of blue hues can bring calming energy and a cool (literally!) vibe to your decor.

Find some true blue hue inspiration for your summer rooms here:

bohemian blue inspiration

beachy summer color palette 

beachy weathered paint tutorial
summertime blues party decor
FREE weekend makeover parts 1 . 2 . 3 . 4

Don't be blue, baby! Just use it to decorate with ;)

FABulous Fourth!

Summer's definitely heating up, and Independence Day is just around the corner....
if you're looking for some 'Fast, Cheap & Easy'TM ideas for your weekend,

you'll find them here on homewardFOUNDdecor!

Summertime Front Porch Decor Inspiration

At Liberty Vintage Decor Inspiration
Red, White and Blue flavored water beverage

Patriot Games: Scrabble game boards as placemats

Nautical Flag Decor Inspiration
Coke Bottle Tabletop Decor Inspiration

Poker Chip Magnets

Water Bottle safety-grip labels

(click pink type for link to post)

Wishing you all a safe and happy Fourth!

spirit of aloha

yes, you CAN live in a tropical paradise - right where you are!
i've always said that if you truly love a place,
you shouldn't have to wait to visit it just once a year.
simply use the palette and elements from that place to decorate your home - 
so you can enjoy it every day!

oh, how my parents loved their annual vacation on the island of Kauai, Hawai'i.

they loved being surrounded by amazing examples of tropical beauty, 
tiki decor and Polynesian architecture - by the sights, sounds, and smells of the islands. 

from the elegance of five-star resorts to historic buildings to primitive jungles,

Hawai'ian culture embodies adventure, nature, the sea, the sky, and the sand 
like no where else on earth.
(and it was the ONLY place on earth my Mom could get my Dad to stop working!)

each year after their visit, they would return home relaxed, 
extolling the beautiful spirit of Aloha that surrounded them there.

so a few years ago, i did a makeover to bring that spirit into their home...

while they were visiting the islands, i re-decorated their home 

with all of the (many) Hawai'ian elements that they collected on their annual trips.
Mom had tucked things away in cabinets, pulling them out to use for her famous parties...

i decided to just turn their home into something that resembled one of

the resort properties on Kauai instead,

so that they would be surrounded with reminders of the place they loved every day.
 and they LOVED it!

i did this makeover during their trip in June, 2013. they went again in June of 2014 - 
completely unaware that it would be their last trip there together.
my Dad was diagnosed with cancer on their return that year,
and he was gone eight short months later.
i am so glad i brought the islands to their home when i did, 
because Dad's last days and hours were spent in a room filled with 
the beautiful music of the islands and soft breezes blowing in from the patio.
we were able to give him the feeling of being in Hawai'i...
and now he's in an even more beautiful place.

see my tropical thrifty weekend makeover of their home
in this four-part series:

Tropical Weekend Makeover Part I
 Tropical Weekend Makeover Part II

Tropical Weekend Makeover Part III
Tropical Weekend Makeover Part IV

...and make sure you check out ALL of the 'tiki style' posts here on the blog
for many more tropical decor ideas!

Deb and the Disney Darlings

A few weeks back, I wrote a guest post for the Disney Darlings blog.

Haven't heard of that one yet? ;)
The Darlings share photos, video, news, and tips for enjoying all things Disney, 

contributed by bonafide Disney Fans & Experts who, like me,

have spent their lives being enchanted by the magic at The Happiest Places on Earth.

Chock-full of tips that will help you out on your next visit to Disney's Original Magic Kingdom,  

my post 'Survive the Crowds in Hidden Spots at Disneyland' 

gives you locations in each 'land' in the Park where you can find 

a little bit of shade, quiet, a place to sit or get a snack, restrooms, and peace of mind.
That's especially helpful information to have when you take young children to the Park.




I've been lucky enough to have grown up visiting Disneyland. Visiting a lot...

My grandpa and uncle were electricians who helped build several attractions in the Park
(It's a Small World, Tiki Room, Mr. Lincoln, Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean)

and we lived just blocks away.
I marched down Main Street USA with my high school marching band & color guard many times,
and I was a Cast Member at the Disneyland Resort, working in the retail stores as a visual specialist.
My whole family gathered at Disneyland in July, 2014 for a huge family reunion.

In the process of spending time there throughout my life
as a child, a teen, an adult, a cast member, an aunt, a parent AND a grandparent,
I've discovered some tricks and tips that can make all the difference!
When the opportunity came to share those tips with the readers of Disney Darlings,
I was honored to provide them with content on a subject so dear to my heart.

I hope you enjoy it, too...

Click on over to the Disney Darlings blog to read my post!

Do you know about the Baby Care Centers that Disneyland offers free of charge?
These locations offer quiet space where you can care for your infant/toddler's needs...
Learn more in this MousePlanet blog post!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Kitchen....

I've been documenting the progress of our house all along - from bare ground to finished home.
One day, I was looking through my images to find something I needed,

and I suddenly realized that there was something VERY VERY WRONG going on.

I actually flipped back and forth through a few particular images several times, 

furrowing my brow and wondering what was catching my eye - 

because I literally couldn't figure out what was bothering me.
I looked for a while more and then
BAM!
I saw it. and I laughed.
Because.... well, it's kinda' hard NOT to see.

But the thing is a LOT of people didn't see it.
Not the installers, not the construction lead, not the supervisor, and not the customer service rep.
Honestly, *I* didn't even notice it when I was standing IN THE ROOM in front of it.
We've been in this house all along, sneaking in after hours and on weekends
to keep track of the progress...
dancing with joy as every phase was completed and it became more and more 'real'.
I even snapped that photo used with the Project HOMEward logo and didn't see it!!!
It took the perspective of comparing several photos to reveal the problem...

Let's see if YOU can see it:

Well??? Didja' SEE it?
Let's try one more time:

dear heavens.
THOSE CABINETS!
yeah. somehow, one entire HUGE section of upper kitchen cabs was installed WRONG.
Like, 'six inches too high' wrong!

After seeing the photos, Mom and I went back out to the job site.
Looked at the left side, then the right side.
Yup. WRONG.
The right side was hung closer to the ceiling. 6" closer!
Heck, I could barely reach the microwave handle... and Mom just looked up (WAY up) at it forlornly.
I stood in front of the sink to make sure I wasn't seeing things... nope.
BIG problem. HUGE. (ThankyouJuliaRoberts)

Then we went to the model, and I measured the cabs there. uh huh. no problems:

SO we went to our sales rep, showed her my photos of our cabs,

and she screeched. Then she laughed.
Then she got on the phone and called the supervisor and said 'We gotta' FIX THIS! NOW!'
You see, our final walk-through was the next day.

We went home, assured that they would address the issue in time for our walk through.
And when we showed up the next day, they had lowered the entire bank of cabinets by 6",

which included cutting the granite backsplash behind the gas cooktop AND repainting the upper wall.

All in one day.

And it looked AMAZING:

Our customer service rep, Chip (yeah, really... and his wife is Julie, so he calls her JuJu: Chip and JuJu ;) ) 

was completely, utterly stymied by the fact that I had caught a mistake that over five people had missed.
THIS is one more reason why we are so impressed with Pardee Homes...

if there's a question, a problem, an issue... they FIX IT. Promptly.

So... let's see if I can't follow that lead and get back in the groove here on the blog,

to share more of this new house process with you in the coming weeks, OK?!
Thanks for hanging in there with me!