celebrate home!

"endings need grieving... and beginnings deserve celebration."

i read that line recently in a devotional, and it really spoke to me.

while many of us may not actually be grieving the end of a very trying year,

we certainly DO need to celebrate the arrival of a fresh new one!

there's a lovely song called 'Celebrate Me Home'
(originally by Kenny Loggins, and recently covered by Josh Groban)
that includes these lines:
"Come on and play my music, Let's turn on the love light in the place...
Please, celebrate me home...Play me one more song that I'll always remember,
And I can recall, Whenever I find myself too all alone, I can sing me home."

what a beautiful idea - to celebrate home.
not feel imprisoned in, not tolerate, not begrudgingly accept... but celebrate.
express gratitude for the home we have, enjoy the time spent there, really live there.

as we enter this new year, i thought it would be good to focus on 

ways that we can refresh, reclaim, and rejuvenate the MOOD inside our rooms...
celebrating our homes, if you will.
helping us to embrace and enjoy where we live our lives in simple ways every day.

continue reading for some of my top tips to help you celebrate your home...

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...

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!

sweet sweater... trees!

yep, i found something ELSE to use sweaters for!
( no, this isn't my original idea - i've seen some really darling colorful ones on the 'net! )
but this is ME, queen of sweaterdom, so i had to try to make my own versions of them...
and i like the simple, warm look!

'continue reading' for this super-simple holiday & winter decor project
made with thrifted / upcycled sweaters...

Into the Pale : A Neutral Palette

I've heard a lot of people saying the same thing lately...
"Once the tree and the holiday decor comes down, it looks so EMPTY!"
Well, maybe I'm weird, but I kinda' LIKE the cleared-out spaces!
To me, this is the perfect time of year to do a nice, thorough cleaning
and a refresh of our rooms so that we start the new year with a 'clean palette'.

I took that idea to the nth degree this year
and pulled all of the orange accent color OUT of the house.
I packed it up and put it away, leaving only the neutral background - 
and the result is a soft, cozy, warm, 'cashmere' feeling in the house!
It's perfect for winter, and a nice visual rest from all of the holiday excess.

and the best part? it wasn't even hard to do...

click 'continue reading' for the before and after!

The Wintered Garden

I've always been amazed at the way a landscape transforms 

when covered with the simplicity of pure white snow...

Monday morning, I sent off some of my photographs of a snowy garden landscape
[snapped in Seattle in Winter, 2012 before I moved away]

to Broadway+Thresher Magazine editor David Gobeli, 

and he's turned them into a blog post today!

See the B+T blog post here

Black & white images like those inspire a perfect decor combination for winter...

Mixed with warm wood tones, black and white create a fresh, crisp color palette
 that reflects the snowy landscape outdoors...

Find more black & white decor inspiration:  
* office
* living & dining rooms
* chalkboard-inspired

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...

creating a warm welcome

sometimes you just can't find what you want out there in a store...

not even in a vintage / antique / thrift store (my fave places to shop)
it looks perfect in your head - but it doesn't exist yet.
oh how i LOVE that! 

i find i'm most creative when i have to get resourceful and make what i want.

case in point: an 'old'-looking sign that said JOY.

when i couldn't FIND one, i MADE one...

by simply painting block letters on a piece of plywood that was in the garage,

using regular house paint (flat white, with a slight tint of yellow to age it)

then adding a brown 'shadow' with a wash of thinned brown paint.

the FINAL touch to give it a 'vintage feel' was to paint in some circles of glue,

and then sprinkle those with some old glitter. 

(this photo shows the glitter circles in the letters a bit more clearly)

to coordinate this entryway display with our holiday theme, 

i gathered up a lot of textural sweater-y / knitted things like a blanket, a scarf, snowflakes,

and a few of my past winter seasonal products/creations:
a Sweet Sweater Snowman TM, Burlap & Sweet Sweater Santa Hats TM,

and a sweater-or-scarf wrapped wreath.
(click for links to posts - sweater hats posts were removed when they sold out)

with all of these items stacked on a vintage sewing machine case 

and hung from our old porch post coat rack,

our entry hall now welcomes us and guests in from the wintry weather.
(LOL... NOT! it's never that cold here) 

... and that's pretty JOYful!

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects # 501

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!

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!)...

Front Porch Holiday Decor: Raid the Garden Shed AGAIN!

when you drag out the holiday decorations, what area do you decorate FIRST?

i'm a front door / front porch kinda' person. 

i figure if you begin by creating a warm seasonal welcome at the door,

everything else you do looks that much better!

OK, i'll fess up...

i also think that if your front door / porch is decorated the day after Thanksgiving, 

you blow your neighbors away. 

you win the neighborhood 'who gets their lights and wreath up first' contest.

even if the inside of your house looks like a tornado hit, you look like superwoman!

so, let's start at the front door!

in THIS POST back in August,

i shared photos of my fall front porch: 

well, the decor you see in the photos in today's post is based on the SAME elements used back then:
stuff from the garden shed!

 the galvanized buckets, watering can, and plant stand all stayed in place for the Holidays.

after removing the fall grasses, leaves and pumpkins,

i flipped over the bottom bucket, and then filled all of them up with greens

that i cut from our trees.

the details include a little miniature tree [fake],

pinecones, a birdnest, a banner & burlap stocking that i made

 and

one very cool vintage light globe nestled into the top bucket of greens

is lit from within [night light bulb] to add a soft glow at night.

it looked like a glowing white snowball

and regarding those greens....

you're going to want to pay close attention here, 

because this is my NUMBER ONE 'TOP TIP' for Holiday decorating on the cheap!

HOW TO GET FREE GREENERY:

stalk the landscapers in your neighborhood. 

know when they come - not just to do YOUR yardwork,  but the neighbors. and the common areas.

take them a plate of cookies

[why, yes, i AM suggesting that you SCHMOOZE them!]

and then ask them for some cuttings...

evergreens, pine, fir, cedar, boxwood, magnolias, bay laurel, cypress -

no matter where you live, there are always bushes, trees, and hedges being trimmed.

FREE MATERIALS!

just ask them for the greens before they load it all into their chippers or trucks.

 you will be saving them money when they go to the landfill, so they usually always hand over the goods.

if you live in a rural area, always make sure you have permission to be on the property to cut boughs.

and don't steal them from your neighbor's yard at midnight ;0)

i have been known to pillage greenery from abandoned warehouse complex parking lots

but i am not recommending that YOU do that!

ok, back to the porch...

there was also a very long wood bench (made from an old headboard)

that i cozied up with a huge burlap pillow and a bagful of 'gifts' - 

really just simple boxes tied with burlap & ribbon.

between the bench and the door, there's one of my old folding wire shopping carts,

filled with greenery.

an old snowsled leans against the wall behind the cart, 

and an old brown umbrella is a fitting final touch for the Washington winter weather. 

i didn't buy anything to decorate with -

i just combined things i already had to create a mood.

the white, brown, green, and gray color palette

made for a serene setting that coordinated with the beach house,

and it welcomed neighbors, friends, and family well into January, too...

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!

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!

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!

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...

rustic holiday tablescape

designed to coordinate with the contemporary rustic style of our 'tree' theme,
as seen in the faux wood junk trees in the background,
this tablescape is a study in simplicity...

wood tones & textures, clear glass, and mixed hues stand out amongst minimal foliage/greenery.

the bonus? this style is REALLY easy and fast to create!

'continue reading' to see the details up close...

Glamping with Style!

let me tell you about the time I turned a 20' X 20' party tent into a Glamping Tent!

Inspired by bedouin tents and high-end resort cabanas, I pulled simple elements together

and designed a temporary living space that ended up being a true show-stopper.
My late husband and I actually LIVED in this tent for four days,
at the Battle Ground, Washington BarnHouse vintage marketplace event in 2009!
[The other vendors at the show were the ones who dubbed it 'the Taj Ma Tent']

 The floorplan:

The bedchamber is on the top right.
The kitchen area is on the lower right.
The rest is lounge space!

The elements:

Canvas drop cloths, white netting curtains, and white vinyl tarps became walls and floors.

Lightweight / collapsible furnishings are plastic chairs, blow-up beds, and an old door + some sawhorses as a kitchen counter.
Candle lanterns, tap lights, and one killer chandelier provided light in the evenings.
A small metal Oriental coal heater held sections of a firelog to warm up our toes each morning.
A collapsible gas barbecue allowed us to cook our hosts a pretty nice meal, too!

The design:

[btw, those netting curtains looked really stunning when they were hanging loose... as shown below.

But it was so windy, they had to stay tied or they ended up a tangled mess.]

The BEST and most unexpected detail was the giant chandelier hanging from the apex of the tent!

And yes, it DID light up - thanks to a car battery temporary power supply.

During the two days that the BarnHouse Marketplace vintage event was open to the public, 

the meadows were filled with cars and other campers, and thousands of attendees & shoppers.
Many of them thought that the Taj Ma Tent had been created as a resting area for them!
Since we were off in our booth selling our wares, we didn't mind sharing.

Professional photographer Robin Laws took the preceding three photos of the Taj Ma Tent.
The last one appeared on the title page of her article about the BarnHouse event

in the Winter, 2010 issue of Somerset Life Magazine.

Now, it WAS a lot of work setting that baby up. And tearing her down.
But it was fun!

I'm sharing it with you because I think this idea is something anyone can do.
OK, maybe not as overboard as a 20X20... but what about using a 10X10 popup as your base?
Set up your own cabana in your backyard for summer entertaining and relaxing,

or get brave and actually take it to a campground or beach!

I used a 10X10 popup as the base for our tent for two years, and decorated it in a similar fashion...

The walls were canvas drop cloths, and a few shutter panels to let fresh air in. 

The door was mesh curtains. The floor was vinyl and canvas tarps.

Furnishings were a blow up bed, a few crates to hold stuff, and plastic lounge chairs.
No chandelier.
Much simpler. Much faster. But people still took a lot of photos!

Just goes to show that you can scale an idea up or down and make it work for your needs.
Now go be creative and get Glamping!!!

Find Robin Laws Photography here

Sadly, the BarnHouse Marketplace event is no longer in business.

L.O.V.E. letter... tiles

way back in 2009, i had a wild idea to make a supersized version of wood Scrabble tiles.
i made them - a LOT of them, actually - and sold them (a LOT of them!) for several years.
at that point, no one else was making them or sharing them online.
a few years later, in 2013, i shared them here on the homewardFOUND blog.

since this is the season for putting our hearts on our sleeves, (or, erm, walls?!)
i thought i'd share my super easy tutorial again!

continue reading for a very easy DIY project that you're sure to L.O.V.E.!