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10.30.2016

Boo to You!

When I was unpacking fall decor for the new house last month, 
I discovered these in a box...
two of my 'Embellished Pumpkins' that I created and sold 
at the Glitterfest show three years ago.

(Why is it that I keep stumbling across stuff like this - 
stuff I don't even remember I HAVE - 
but I CAN'T find the stuff I NEED - like my printer cords??!!!!
Mysteries of moving, I guess!)


I took a fancy flocked shadowbox frame and an old wood clock case
and foofed them up with some fanciful materials:
faux leaves made of vintage sheet music and black resin with glitter,
real oak leaves that had been bleached, a bit of old lace,
two black crows - one with a vintage paper crown,
scrapbook paper with a haunted theme,
a watch case filled with a vintage photo (that I 'Bewitched' with a felt pen hat!),
some vintage rhinestone jewelry bits,
and of course no fall project from my studio would be complete without
my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins
this time in black and white!

Though fun to create, this isn't really my personal palette or decor style, 
but since they didn't sell at that show, I kept them.
And I'm glad I DID...
because they serve a perfect purpose: wishing you all a

although..... THIS ain't bad, either! ;)

10.25.2016

Thank You, Friends...

Hello, my friends... 
I want to thank you for hanging in here with me lately. I know there haven't been any new blog posts, and there have been scant few posts on the fb page, as well.
Life has just been hard lately, with a LOT of stress and frustration. I don't know about you, but for me, I find it hard to be creative when I am stressed out! I TRY, but my mind wanders and my heart just isn't in it... that's where I've been lately. My Mom has had a huge burden on her shoulders and there hasn't been a single thing I've been able to do to help solve the problem, and it's been wearing us both down... we've just been 'surviving', not really living.
Thankfully, that big, ugly situation was resolved last Thursday: Mom & Dad's old house FINALLY closed escrow and sold! She's endured seven long months of situations you would not believe if I told you - including FIVE failed escrows! - and has had to deal with an agent and broker that have been far less than forthcoming and pro-active. It's taken a huge toll on her, but at last it is over.
She is free now to move forward with a new life after Dad's passing, with a clean slate and hope for a joyful future. I see a huge difference in her spirit just over the weekend, which brings peace to MY heart - I was really REALLY worried about her. Our family gathered this weekend to celebrate and 'christen' the new house, and it made her so happy to have everyone here together. Memories were shared and made, of course a few tears were shed, but the time together was good for all of us. Loss is hard, grief is hard, but love heals. We also celebrated the engagement of my nephew to his wonderful girlfriend, and that added to the joy of our day.
With the stress of the old house mess behind us, I hope to find my enthusiasm and energy return so that I can take on projects around the new house again. I am ready to get back to creating and sharing decor ideas that will inspire you as you decorate your own homes! I am ready for JOY - which is our theme for Christmas this year, btw ;) I'm ready to find joy in my creativity, in daily life, in our home, in seeing things in a fresh new way... and I hope you will join me!
<3 Hugs to you, my 'HOMEees', for your continued support and kindness - I appreciate you more than I could ever express <3
With Love and Gratitude, 
Deb

10.15.2016

Garden House ReVisited

The photo above is what it looked like after my whirlwind two-day flurry of activity.

This is what it looked like BEFORE I got started:
See the entire transformation - that took place in one weekend - here.
It's always fun to see how spaces change over time...
Two days ago, my friend Todd shared this photo on social media:
He's decorating this tiny space for some fall picnics and enjoyment...
and yes, that's the same garden house!

You see, Todd built that garden house many years ago. 
He owns the house and the yard that it sits in.

I lived in that little bungalow for a few short months back in 2011,
after life collapsed and I had to leave my dream farmhouse & life on an island.

Todd allowed me to make over his little garden house, and I am forever grateful to him for that. 
Not only was a lot of fun and a creative gold mine -
giving me content for my blog here and many great photos - 
but it was a distraction from stressful situations at a time in my life when I really needed it. 
It gave me space and time to think. 

And now, he lives in that bungalow and enjoys that garden.
Seeing Todd out there decorating and loving that sweet little space just makes my heart happy. 
My screen door is still there, some of those tiny pots on the wall are mine, and those white shelf units were mine, too - 
though I used them in the laundry area of the house, not where they are now. 
But I LOVE them in this location!

I love that Todd was a generous friend who saw my sorrow,
and helped to turn it into a measure of joy by letting me create in this special space.
It is a gift I will never forget.

10.06.2016

Off the Wall?

Last spring, after moving into the new house,
Mom and I went shopping at the Down Home Spring Sale,
held at the home of Don & Peggy Arbenz.
Several years ago, I wrote about their GORGEOUS antique store in Orange, CA - 
they have since closed the store, but sell at shows and at their own events.

I really love their style,
(I've posted about some of their store's Fall and Halloween displays)
and just knew that we would find some things at their sale
that could be incorporated into our home... and we did!

One of the (many) treasures that came home with us was 
HALF of a tall, weathered wood porch post!
(It had been split lengthwise and has a totally flat back)
As soon as we saw it, we envisioned it as a coat rack in our entry hall:
Okay, well.... to be honest, we pictured it hung vertically... on another wall...

But the more we looked at it, the more we realized that 
this position limited the capacity for holding things -
including decorative things that change with the season.
( You see where I'm going with this, right?! )
So in the end, we moved the position from vertically beside the door 
to horizontally behind the door
(the door would be on the adjacent wall to the left of this photo)

Once hung in place, 
we gathered up a variety of interesting metal hooks from all over the place, 
and screwed them into the wood:
Top Row: 'faucet' hook - etsy . 'JOY' hooks - World Market
Bottom Row: vintage hook - ReStore, WA . silver metal hooks - Hobby Lobby

Find more coat hooks at World Market . HobbyLobby . 

It's a terrific drop zone right inside the door, along with being nice to look at!
The look and content will change with each season, 
making this as much an art gallery as it is a coat rack 

I'm working on a rustic 'Welcome' sign to hang above it, 
and you can see that one of my refreshed chalkboards ended up here, too!

9.29.2016

Perfectly Imperfect

This is so easy it's ridiculous...
but that's the best part!
Because whether you have old fall decor pieces that have lost their appeal
or you ran across a steal of a deal at the thrift shop,
paint covers a multitude of sins... and a whole lotta' UGLY.

Like, um, those badly-painted ceramic pumpkins in the 'before' shot.
Sorry, but those be UGLY!
But at a buck each, I couldn't pass them up. I have a weakness for a bargain.

My PLAN was to paint them to look like galvanized metal.
Great idea - but I am just really short on time right now.
They sat on the floor in my studio (see before shot, again) for two weeks,
staring at me as if they were demanding to be 'fixed'. 
One day, I'd had it. I was really sick of looking at them.
So I went to the garage, grabbed a can of semi-gloss white paint, 
and slapped two coats of paint onto the pumpkins.

LO and BEHOLD: fall decor  - that looks like I just got it at HomeGoods or Target!

I just used some leftover trim paint. Not a new can of spray paint.
(tho if I had HAD a can of that, I probably would have used it instead).
Craft paint would work, too - heck, FINGER paint would work!

The thing is, it's not perfect. 
I can see the imperfections and bumps from the OLD paint job,
and the brush marks from my 'slap-dash' paint application.
However, I.DON'T.CARE!

Once those freshly-rejuvenated babies were put into a display in my entry,
the flaws aren't apparent at ALL. They look absolutely FABulous there:

... and that's a lesson I apply to life, as well as decorating:

Nothing's ever going to be perfect. 
But it can still be fabulous when we make the most of it.

I'm far from perfect or flawless, and most of my projects and decor aren't, either!
I'm not in this to impress anyone or monetize my blog, 
but to share and inspire you to just TRY your hand at new things.
It's probably not gonna' turn out perfectly.... 
but if you don't tell anyone, they probably won't notice anyway!

So, dear readers, dig out the ugly decor stuff you're hiding
and give it a simple coat of white or black or neon orange paint - 
because sometimes you can make a big change in just five minutes.

PS: read the story of 'Jack', my other white-painted ceramic pumpkin

One last thing:
Thank you to the lovely ladies who ordered pumpkins yesterday...
I appreciate your enthusiasm and support over the years, 
and am happy that you were able to snag the last of the Originals!
Bless you all <3 

9.25.2016

lost and.... FOUND!

Remember these lil' babies?!

After selling my neutral-hued and orange Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins for five years, 
I released a limited edition of them in PINK in 2013 - and you LOVED them!
(thank you from the bottom of my pumpkin' shaped heart <3 )

Recently Janet at Shabbyfufu shared one of her own photos of my pink pumpkins,
the one you see on the lower right corner of my image above,
and her readers were clamoring to get some of their own...
I couldn't oblige, as making them in quantity makes my carpal tunnel flare up
(and Deb is not happy when she is in pain!)
That's a big reason why I stopped making them to sell after 2013, and offered my tutorial.
The other reason was that my Dad was undergoing cancer treatments,
and time spent with him was way more important than making pumpkins.

Well.... I have a bit of good news for anyone hankering to get their hands on
a couple of my pumpkins: I FOUND SOME!


;)
Yes, you have a chance to get one of the last sets of 
my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkins in PINK, 
right here on the homewardFOUND blog!

 Tuesday Morning September 27 at 8 AM Pacific Time,
I'll have SIX SETS ONLY for sale here on the blog!

The PayPal purchase button will be on the right sidebar for your convenience.
Sold only in sets of 3 - varied sizes, pink tones, and knit textures in each set.

important stuff:
Shipping included, to continental USA addresses only.
Limited quantity available. No holds - Purchase required at time of order.
All purchases final. No refunds, no cancellations. No custom requests/orders.
Sale will cease immediately when available quantities are sold.

I'll see you here Tuesday!



9.22.2016

If Walls Could Talk...


There are a LOT of model homes here in Southern California!
Every builder creates a jaw-dropping, show-stopping block 
of every model they offer in every subdivision - to entice buyers.

Mom and I looked at a LOT of model homes when she was deciding to buy hers.
I've been touring model homes all of my life, since my teens, 
because I love seeing how they are decorated. I love the details. 
I love the designer touches that you can't get in a house -  they are 'for inspiration only'. 
And that's EXACTLY what I use them for!

Case in Point:
The WALL TREATMENTS at three new neighborhoods' models nearby,
built by Pardee Homes (who built our new house).
I saw the models earlier this month, and was impressed with
the interesting textures and patterns on the 'builder boring' walls:

Painted Wood
See that first photo up above, with the board & batten wood paneling?
I think that's what we're going to add to a niche in our entry hall.
We can't use shiplap, because the horizontal pattern will make the already long hall look longer...
so I think the vertical B&B pattern will be the best solution.

Stained Wood
I especially like the wood flooring applied to the back of an entryway cubby unit:

Stained Wood ON THE CEILING!

Paint

Photographic Mural
(it's a photo of a rusty train car)

'Wood Look' Ceramic Tiles

Brick

Stuck on what to do with YOUR walls?

Head over to some local model homes and get inspired!