Fifty Shades of..... naaahhhh.....

This post isn't about that book. It's about lamp SHADES.
Oh, yeah, those look pretty nice, don't they? They didn't start out that way!

Take a gander at the... ah... swanky?..... lampshades below.

I got them from my junking friend Beth Evans-Ramos 

[of Salvage Studio book fame, now known for Mama Knows Her Cocktails]

 who gave me these shades after no one would buy them at her garage sale. for a buck.

Yeah, they were THAT bad!

We had a pretty good laugh about the cheap plastic-tablecloth-like material they are covered in

and the little bits of tinsel that gather it in several places.

[Seriously, who came up with this design?!]

Worst part? The smell.  These babies were victims of secondhand smoke, for sure.

When I started removing the plastic from the frame, I saw that it actually started out as WHITE. 

That nice warm ocher/gold tone? Smoke stains. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick.......

Once I got all that smelly tacky plastic off, the frames emerged as FABulous vintage accents.  

LOVE the shape. Now THAT I can DO something with!

 

Because I love to see the shape of the wire frames, I usually finish off lampshades like this simply:

These have criss-crossed two lengths of twill fabric tape around them.

I tied a small bow at the top edge of each bend in the frame, to hold the twill tape in place.

And, as shown up above, they looked fabulous in my booth at the Farm Chicks Antique Show...

for all of five minutes. Just long enough to snap that photo.

Because they were the FIRST thing that sold. For $20 each.

Let's Review: 

two fugly plastic lampshades at a garage sale = $1 each FREE
time to strip frames bare = 20 minutes 

[which included putting on a mask so I couldn't smell the smoke odor]

cost of twill tape =  $2.00 at thrift shop

time to embellish bare frames with twill tape = 10 minutes
two stylish lampshades at one of the biggest antique shows in the USA = $20 each

THAT is why we go junking!!!
I made so many lampshades over 5 years that people called me 'the lampshade lady' at shows.

[I guess it's better than 'shady lady'.....]

Here are just a few of the ones that I have created with still-visible bare frames:

 lacy doilies sewn together and seam binding tape   .   glass crystal strands

 rik-rack, seam binding, and a button strip from a linen shirt  .  gold velvet ribbon and manila stencils

 dollhouse china, seam binding and ribbons  .   metal shoe stretchers

 a strip of burlap with a canvas military belt  .  wood clothespins to hold photos

 and of course, there are these lampshades from this popular post!

I recommend using faceted clear or frosted white 'candle flame'-shaped incandescent bulbs

or edison bulbs when you are working with shades like this.
The light from them is softer and won't glare in your eyes on cool fall nights!

shared online:

Worthing Court | Home{work} Wednesday

Tablescape Contest Winner!

Last July, I created a tablescape in the dining room of my brother and sister in law's home,

as part of a whirlwind three-day Weekend Makeover of their house. 

And when fashionista tableware designer Rosanna Bowles of Rosanna Inc.
announced her 7th Annual Tablescape Contest,

I sent in photos of what I had created - along with the fun story of my makeover ambush!

I found out on Thursday morning that my design was a finalist.
And Friday night, when I clicked into facebook, I saw the update: 

My design tied for third place!

Along with our entries, we had to share a story about the tablescape...so I did.
And Rosanna is sharing it on her Table Talk blog.

[I didn't realize that the WHOLE story I sent in would be published,
as it's a bit more personally revealing than I have been publicly. But that's ok.
Perhaps it will serve as an encouragement to someone who reads it...]

I am so honored to have been chosen by Rosanna and her employees...
[I also really miss being able to shop her fabulous warehouse sales in Seattle!]

Here are a few more photos of my tablescape

 In this post, I showed you how 'the Judy's' used a plain pine board as a centerpiece base - 

I did the same thing on this table, using a white wood shelf that was sitting in the garage.
Clear glass vases filled with sand, shells, and a candle now stand out from the dark table.

 Click to view the dining room in this makeover project

and ALL of my 'Weekend Makeovers'

 [I'll have new ones soon!]

_____________________________________________________

Order Sweet Sweater Pumpkins HERE - now in FIVE colors, including PINK!

 for more decorating ideas for every season,

  visit the HOMEWARDfound blog 

and these social networking sites:

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A Fabulous Fall Fete!

OK, just so we start off on the right foot here, that word is not 'FEET'! It's more like 'FATE':

fête [ fāt , fet/ ] (faet / fate)

noun

noun: fête; plural noun: fêtes; noun: fete; plural noun: fetes

1. 1.

   a celebration or festival.

   synonyms:

   gala, bazaar, fair, festival, fiesta, jubilee, carnival;

verb

verb: fête;

1.

honor or entertain (someone) lavishly.

"she was an instant celebrity, fêted by the media"

Let's go with BOTH definitions, for they certainly fit this story!

Today, I'd like to share with you some welcoming, elegant fall event decor.

I took the photos in this post back in October, 2010, at the Remnants of the Past Antique Show - 

which was held at the historic Dana-Powers House in Nipomo, CA at that time.
[it's now held at the glorious Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo]

Judi Powers (left) owns her family's historic property, and Judy Watkins (right) owns the show.

 Together, they created beautiful decor to welcome the show vendors for a party.
The gathering was held on the beautifully landscaped grounds of the farm on the night before the show.
And 'the Judys' always make things SPECIAL!

They have great style, and I know you'll love seeing what they did...

The setting was the beautiful gardens surrounding the historic house...

 a private and perfect site for weddings and parties all year long!

continue reading for more inspiration...

I'm in the Bloglight!

Welcome to my guests from hometalk and the blogtalk group on facebook -

Thank you, Miriam Illions for featuring me and HOMEWARDfound today!
 hometalk is a FABulous community website where you can share, discuss, learn, and be AWED
by EVERYTHING having to do with creating & keeping houses. It's AMAZING!

I'm Deb and I'd like to welcome you to my blog!
 I'm a retail and home stylist, designer, and published writer.
[more on my 'Start Here' page]

Sweet Miriam Illions had this to say in the Blogtalk post:
"This week, the beautiful & graceful Deb Kennedy of HOMEward Found Decor is in the Bloglight!
Deb's story is inspiring and uplifting. She applies her creativity and fresh perspective 
not only to design & decor, but to all aspects of life. I am honored to feature you in the Bloglight today, Deb!"
[wow! she really makes me sound much better than I am!]

Miriam also asked a few questions to help you get to know me, 
so let's get right to those:

continue reading...

Oh, Lighten Up!

Several years back, I happened upon a small thrift store's 'going out of business sale'.

And found these lamps sitting in the parking lot for $5 each:

Shown as found.

Dear Lord in Heaven.... someone thought this was a good idea....

You DO realize that the white parts in this 'before' image used to be BRASS, right?
So some manufacturer somewhere, sometime, actually gave the OK for these to be made and sold.

In the seventies, no doubt. ugh.

Then someone else took the time to tape the glass off and paint the brass parts white -

but left the hideous gold-orange glass with black felt pen-embellished raised scrollwork.

ACK!

And yet.... I see the possibilities even in the hideous ugliness:
If I could just neutralize the color and visual hot mess, these could actually be quite charming.
And so that's exactly what I did...

continue reading to see the amazing AFTER shot!

DIY Gold!

I'm all about sharing 'Fast, Cheap & Easy'TM ideas 
that make use of the 'everyday stuff' you have on hand...

giving things a little boost or using them in a new way 

to help you attain Seasonal Style at Home.

Well, when I saw THIS idea on a friend's blog, it was just SO easy and SO perfect
for our seasonal transition from summer to fall

that I contacted him to ask if I could share it here on HOMEWARDfound...
and he said yes!

Michael of Inspired by Charm was inspired by Jan of Poppycock 
who pinned this fun idea for painting kids' magnetic letters with paint -  
and he re-created the idea using very trendy gold paint.

Now if that's not a case of 'making do' with STYLE, I don't know what is!

Head over to Inspired by Charm to see Michael's post 

and follow his tips for adding a little gleam to your fridge!

Click 'Read More' on the left to find out what ELSE Michael is up to!

'as seen in BHG!'

 A few weeks ago, I received a very nice message from LuLu Tapp,

owner and photographer extraordinaire from DustyLu Interiors & Photography in Los Angeles.
She let me know that my little pumpkins were going to appear

in the feature on her lovely home

in the Better Homes & Gardens Halloween Tricks & Treats 2013!

After I picked myself up off the floor, I thanked her. Profusely!
And I've been on the lookout for the issue ever since.

Monday, she messaged me "Hey Deb!!! Its out its out!!! On newsstands now!!!Woot woot!"

At nearly the same time, a friend sent me the cover shot shown above,

then another friend sent me an interior image that includes my 2012 Harvest pumpkins:

This is one of Lulu's photos of her gorgeous home from the magazine... LOVE!

Being able to use the words 'As Seen in BHG' is just a dream come true -

I am so very thankful for the opportunity.
I originated this design, and have been making and selling them for many years,
and it's nice to finally be 'noticed' this way.

I saw a comment that Lulu made on Instagram and it made me do backflips:
"Better Homes and Gardens editor was flipping over the pumpkins and botanicals  -
I think she wanted to take them!!! Lolol"

Lulu discovered my original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins last fall, at Kymberley Fraser's store 'A Beautiful Mess'.

They looked like this in her display:

Thank you again, Kymberley, for your support!

Thank You All...

I would like to express my most heartfelt thanks to you all

for the comforting, caring, loving messages posted on my last blog entry...

 you've touched my heart.

Since I started HOMEWARDfound, 

I've made a concerted effort to NOT share personal information here

[because, frankly, my life has been a Lifetime Movie for the last two years

and I wanted this blog to be a happy place]

but losing my best friend was just the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back.

I had to take a break - and not pretend that everything was ok.

Thank you for understanding, and offering your sweet condolences.
They have been so helpful over the past week.

The sunset roses in the photos here are the last few that didn't fit into the arrangement

that I made for my best friend's memorial service on Friday.
They are sitting beside me now, on my desk, 

reminding me of her fiery red hair - and even more fiery spirit. 

The truck is a miniature replica of the one my grandfather drove.

Those are two of the people dearest to me, whom I have lost.
This little reminder of their presence in my life and my heart comforts me as I grieve,

as have your words and prayers...

That's my 'decorating tip' for today:
Surround yourself with things that are meaningful to you,

 that represent happy memories and special people.