NEW! Sweet Sweater Succulents!

well... i said i'd be back if the muse strikes again... and those gals are partyin' around here!!!

after my last (surprise!) post, i tucked those ping pong paddle cacti into a bucket in my office - 

because i am vowing NOT to decorate with pumpkins for fall until it FEELS like fall here.

(it's in the triple digits where i live. decidedly still summer weather.) 

and apparently, those lil' cacti have seeped into my brain - because I HAD ANOTHER IDEA. 

same story as before: 

flash of creative energy. trip to the thrift store. making a mess in my studio. and it worked!

the best thing about this one? it makes use of something i've done before:
i took my Original Sweet Sweater Pumpkin tutorial... and made a CACTUS!

of course, i just HAD to share it with you!

<<< click 'continue reading' for my new 'Sweet Sweater Succulents' tutorial! 

well, hello, pumpkins!

(i know, it's been a year since i closed this blog! i wasn't going to post anymore!
but a recent project is SO easy and SO worth sharing with you that... well, here i am again!)

a while back, i had an idea for a new decor project.

it was inspired by some scrap wood cacti shared by 'A Crafty Mix'
on Funky Junk Interiors Junk Projects Party #474 ,

only my idea was to use *a particular wood item* as the basis of my repurposed cacti.
then i forgot all about it. (hey, it's summer....)

this past week, for some strange reason, that forgotten idea morphed into a new one.

and it was pumpkins, natch. i mean - this is me, the former pumpkin queen. 

what ELSE am i gonna' be thinking about as fall approaches, right?

i've designed my original sweet sweater pumpkins, glass lamp globe pumpkins,
tin can pumpkin pails and faux concrete painted pumpkins

...and shared them all with you here on the blog. 

so with my 'pumpkin brain' engaged, i made a stop at the local Savers thrift store,

and they had exactly what i needed. i saw it, i liked it, i wanted it, i got it. (yeah).

and then... i painted it!

<<< click 'continue reading' to see what i did - and what i used!

diy home decor for every season

my original diy seasonal decorating content is always available here on hwF... 

simply click on these images to access archived posts for that topic:

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* see post below this one

creatively speaking...

.

for the past few months, i have posted a quote on social media every Sunday.

the quotes are always about creativity, 

these words of wisdom have been helpful to me while wrestling with some facets of my own creativity...

you see, a while back, i lost my joy in creating. 
oh there was still the undertaking of projects and posting about them online, 
but really it was pretty much just a lot of going through the motions 
and hoping that my mojo would return.
nothing about my creative process was easy or flowing or remotely satisfying.
add in the pressure of keeping up with what's happening on social media,
and the result was complete overwhelm and a shutdown of the creative cycle.

something had to change.
i began to journal and read and spend time in nature, getting away from screens 
that were filled with the results of other people's imagination and creativity, 
taking time to consider what my aching heart was trying to teach me.

and then... an epiphany....

(continue reading)

more glass globe pumpkins!

 years ago - seven, to be exact - i made this original creation shown above. 

i call them 'glass globe pumpkins' because they are made from vintage glass light globes.

(the kind that hang on the ceilings of hallways & kitchens in old houses) 

more recently, i found some unique vintage glass lamp globes* and turned them into pumpkins - 

with a twist. i did something on these that i didn't do on the originals... 

continue reading to see the new versions!

fall picnic: a movable feast

Fall is the perfect time of year for a picnic...
enjoying an alfresco meal that is elegant and fancy, plain and simple, or somewhere in the middle.
Keeping basic elements needed for a picnic ready to go in a basket or tote
makes it easy to enjoy a last-minute trip
to enjoy sunset on the beach or a temperate day at the local park...
Don't let the fact that summer is over keep you inside!

...continue reading to see just how easy it can be to create a Movable Feast!

a fall wreath-hanging secret!

 September has arrived, along with a refreshing cool front ('only' 91 degrees here this weekend!)

suddenly i found myself in a fall mood, ready to change up the front porch decor...

in true 'homewardFOUND' fashion, i started rooting around the garage to see what was on hand.

and in the process, i found something we bought back in JANUARY - and promptly forgot about.

we had a purpose in mind back then, but when i pulled it out of a box on Friday, 

i immediately came up with a completely different way to use it. 

(which is really no surprise to any of you, i am sure!)

there's a hint in the photo above, and when you continue reading, you'll see it!

pumpkins on point - needlepoint!

yes, my friends, it's THAT time of year again - pumpkin season is here!
and i am so excited to share with you some of the most unique and beautiful handcrafted pumpkins
that i have ever had the pleasure to see...

the Original Heirloom Needlepoint Pumpkins (TM) 
by smWollman Designs
handmade from carefully curated vintage needlepoint panels,

these charming creations express the richness of fall in a stunning new way.
each pumpkin is a one-of-a-kind creation, rare and never to be replicated.

the needlepoints used are handcrafted by 1000s of unknown hands 
over a span of many years, from across the country. and every needlepoint has a story to tell...

continue reading for more about these perfectly imperfect 'on point' pumpkins...