fave past summer decor projects

summertime is finally here, 

so let's start the new season with some easy decorating ideas!

i've enjoyed refreshing my homes every season over the years...

 some of those projects have been successful in more than one home

as i re-create them in new versions + colorways...

from bright primary hues when my kids were young,

to a restorative neutral palette with beachy style in an 'empty nest',

to my current enjoyment of bright happy yellow & white

(and the tropical / tiki decor in greens & oranges that you don't see on the blog),

my decor choices always reflect how i want to feel at home.

over the past ten years of blogging here at homeward found decor,

i've shared hundreds of my original diy home decor projects

in 765 published posts since i launched this blog in August 2012.

if you've been reading my blog for the past decade, THANK YOU FRIENDS!

if you're a newer visitor, i hope you enjoy discovering some of my past creations

as i share a look back... 

continue reading for some of my FAVE past summer decor projects!

crepe paper dandelions

summer's on the horizon!
with Memorial Day coming up this weekend, many parties are being planned...
from backyard bashes to pool parties to picnics in the park.
that last one gave me an idea for a tablescape/party theme
and i'm revisiting a past project as part of it.

last spring, i participated in an art challenge on Instagram,
and making a paper dandelion was one of my entries.
today i'm sharing the easy process with you, 
along with inspiration for a fun summery table decor idea!

continue reading for my easy tutorial...

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!)...

deb flips the bird... ?!

that post title doesn't mean what you might think!

some people 'flip' furniture. (actually, i've done that, too).

now i 'flip' home decor elements each season...

sometimes more than once IN a season!

and my favorite tool for changing how things look is paint.

i never let the color of an item found at a thrift store or yard sale

or even in my own storage bins limit me - 

because it's SO EASY to repaint things to make them fit my current decor style.

so when i discovered this little ceramic bird on a bottom shelf at Dollar Tree,
the very last one they had in the store,

i didn't hesitate a moment before dropping her into my shopping basket:

the pink color isn't BAD, it just doesn't fit my decor.

but with a few ideas and some paint, i gave her FOUR NEW LOOKS

and i created spring wreaths / wall decor for three of those!

continue reading to see how all four turned out...

giant paper flowers

sometimes it's just best to go BIG, you know?

i've been a retail visual merchandiser + display designer / stylist for over 45 years,

and have made a LOT of props in my lifetime...

and i learned that whether you're creating a window display

or an event display or a photo backdrop, large scale has the most impact.

making big things can get costly, tho - unless you use inexpensive materials

like paper, tissue, and repurposed/upcycled elements.

the flowers you see up above were created for use in an event entry display,

and are made from new cardstock paper -

but i've made similar ones from vintage book pages, too.

can't you just imagine flowers made out of repurposed MAPS?

old newspapers? magazine pages? gift wrapping paper?

yep, so can i!

i can also see them decorating a lovely Mother's Day brunch setting,
or as decor in a nursery or girls' room.

continue reading for a quick tutorial and loads of inspo...

grandma's button flowers

did your grandma have a button box?
mine did, and i spent many hours playing with the colorful contents as a child.
 when my Grandma Ward passed, i was given her button box.
to this day just looking at it makes me smile...

 i decided to start collecting buttons of my own to add to her tin,
so i grabbed them at garage sales and thrift stores
and sometimes even bought some from craft stores.

when i began using the buttons in home decor projects.
one of the projects i undertook was to make button flowers:

those were made back in the early 2000's!
it's such an easy project that kids can do it, too.

continue reading for my easy tutorial... 

faux food flower 'cupcakes'

continuing with my floral theme for this month,

i whipped up these fanciful floral 'faux food' cupcakes...

which i did not make with butter, eggs, sugar, and flour.

my friend Sasha ('Saucy') decorates very real cakes and cupcakes

with the most fantastical elements - like frosting flowers.

her delightful creations inspired these flower-decorated cupcakes,

and also inspired my faux gingerbread cake last December.

check out her amazing edible art on Instagram

some projects have a lot of prep, a lot of elements, a lot of steps.

this isn't one of those. this is a one-and-done decor project. easy-peasy. 

i can't even call this a 'tutorial' because it's SO easy.

don't believe me? continue reading!

'flower power' coasters

a perfect way to add a spring touch to your entertaining,

these easy to make 'flower power' coasters can be created in any color -

and are really simple to assemble. after you disassemble, that is.

oh, wait, i'm getting ahead of myself...

continue reading for my easy tutorial...

junky bloomz!

'reduce reuse recycle' is the leitmotif of my design & decor approach...

i'd much rather use what i already have on hand here at home

than 'buy more, store more, discard more'.

by using what i have, i'm challenging my own creativity

and making my life easier by not having to wrangle more storage bins! 

as i was cleaning out a cabinet in my studio recently,

i stacked miscellaneous items on my worktable and floor.

as i turned to grab something to put it back in the cabinet,

i saw that some of the elements stacked together created a 'flower' of sorts...

and deb was off on a creative adventure!

(yes, i KNOW it's actually procrastination but just go with me here, ok?!!!)

continue reading to see how many different flowers i created with 'junk'!