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! ;)
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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!