Summer Mantel & Living Room

Summer is finally here! 

I wish I could say I was enjoying it,

sitting by the pool, sipping lemonade and reading a good book, 

but it seems between work & my son's baseball games,

there is time for little else.

I wanted to share my mantel & living room.

I went with blue & white and

I must admit, I love this color combination.

In April, I had my heart set on going

with a peach & aqua color scheme for Summer.

I was ahead of the curve, for once.

I started gathering items & sewed new pillow covers.

And then....

in May, I started clearing out my Spring décor

& began adding the peach & aqua décor.

Oh what a fail!! 

 I hated it even before I finished it!

I quickly took everything down & decided 

blue & white was the way to go.

I have to laugh because I've been seeing

a lot of blue & white around lately.

I guess I chose well. 

I'm toying with the idea of changing the curtains to 

coordinate with the blue & white theme, 

but I'm not sure if I'll be looking to change 

everything up again once Fall arrives.

Decisions, decisions.

 I rarely show this side of the room,

so here goes...

even if it is an off center picture!

I really hope you are enjoying your Summer so far!

Thanks for visiting me today. 

Summer Mantel 2015 with Beach/Coastal Flair

Hello, hello!

Is there anyone out here?
(I sound like a Pink Floyd song!)

My goodness, I've been lost to blogland for way too long!

But, I'm back and I'm glad of that.

I hope that it has been a great Summer for everyone, so far.

Let's take a look around today...the Mantel & Living Room are set for Summer.

I went a little beachy/coastal in my decor.

I found this postage stamp sign @ Home Goods and fell in love with it!

The rest of the room was decorated around that sign.  

I had to spread the "blue" love around by making some pillows

and adding blue here & there.

The coffee table got a little nautical treatment,

as did the shelves of the entertainment center.

I love this light & airy feel for Summer!

Have an excellent day and stay cool!

Cheerful Cherry Kitchen (Summer Fresh)

This Summer, I wanted to add a little fun to my kitchen.
I thought I would begin by trying to make curtains.

When I got to the fabric store, I struggled to find a fabric that I liked.

Then I spotted the cherries and thought, 

why not?

There was just something about them...

so fresh, so fun, so full of Summer...

so I went for it.

The simple curtains I made led me to switch out our

 cobalt blue pendant light to a bright cherry red one.

I love it!

As I continue this "one thing leads to another" saga,

I decided to pull out some cherry dishes 

and put together a counter top vignette.

My cabinets with the glass doors got a lot more red added to them.

(I had to open the doors in order to get a picture without the glare.)

The wall art below was already hanging in the kitchen, 

so no need to change it.

And that is how I gave my kitchen a cheerful cherry Summer fresh look.

(now there's a mouthful!)  

 

Patriotic Mantel (4th of July)

My goodness, where is the time going? 

It's hard to believe that June is almost over! 

We're still running around with baseball, 

 but look forward to enjoying Summer 

and the beautiful weather we're having.

I thought with the 4th on its way,

it might be time to show some

patriotic spirit with a 

4th of July mantel!

This mantel came together quickly 

and with everything that I already had on hand.

Do you remember I used this sign last year on

my dining room hutch?

I made it out of the left over slats from my mom's window blinds.

What is it about red, white & blue that I love so much?

I hope you have a happy week

and 

a wonderful 4th of July!

 

Summer Hutch Decor

I find it very awkward to begin and end blog posts.

I feel like I say the same thing every single time.

Honestly.

Do you have that problem, too?

I mean after all these years of blogging, 

what can I really say that's different 

and not been said before?

I think I'll have to ponder that question

and see what I come up with.

Anyhoo....

I would love to share my dining room hutch with you,

since she's all decorated for Summer and 

ready for her closeup.

Ahh, the easy & carefree days of Summer!

The only thing new here is the folding ruler star.

As a kid, I can remember pinching my fingers with

 my dad's folding ruler whenever I fooled with it.

Now, I couldn't wait to get my fingers on a folding ruler

 so I could make it into a star.

I didn't even mind if my fingers got pinched in the process!

I don't know if you've noticed, but I have a fascination with stars.

A closeup collage.

Here's a breakdown of all the stuff I used:

Sailboat from Michaels.

Lantern from Ikea.

The burlap flower picture is from Hobby Lobby.

It was a yellow flower when I bought it, but

with my trusty paintbrush, I made it blue.  Heehee!

Bicycle from Kohls.

Candle holder from Target.

Bathing girl from Michaels.

Ruler from Etsy.

Starfish from Christmas Tree Shop.

I made the banner with fabric/burlap scraps I had on hand.

And that, my friends, is my Summer dining room hutch!

As always, I appreciate your visit.

Summer Mantel 2014

Hello, hello dear friends!

I feel like my motto should be,

"So much to do, so little time."

We are looking at maybe another week or two of total

craziness and then, with any luck,

I can finally put some of these grandiose ideas/projects

that I've been dreaming up into action.

Why is it that I am always full of ideas when

I don't have the time to try any of them?

Anyway, enough of the complaining,

let's take a look at the summer mantel.

My plan was light, bright & simple.  

Aqua, lime green & white.

I had everything you see here except for the

spools of green baker's twine.

I found them at Hobby Lobby...they're so cute!

I bought this wooden window thing a few years back while

we were on vacation in the Lake George area.  

 I have no idea what its former life was,

but someone was smart enough to repurpose it with these burlap

pockets.  It was filled with red geraniums when I bought it

 and it was love at first sight!

A little something for interest at the bottom of the fireplace.

Light, bright & simple....

Happy Summer!

Linking to:

Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life

 

Peonies

Peonies.

 

I love peonies.

 

Can I share a peony story with you today?  I think you'll enjoy it.

♥♥♥

 

When I was a kid, my parents had a very long driveway.  Along this driveway, were peonies...red, white & pink.  There must have been 15 bushes all in a row.  

 

Not once do I recall, in all my childhood, seeing a vase of peonies in our house.  My mom HATED the ants that swarmed the blooms and wanted no part of them.

 

One day, my dad & brother decided to get rid of all the peonies along the driveway.  (To this day, neither my mom, nor my siblings seem to recall why they did this.)  Tragic?  Yes, but what did I know?  I was young and never gave the flowers a thought. 

 

Forward ahead 20+ years, while visiting my in-laws.  I entered their home and immediately my nose caught the whiff of something very pleasant.  It was a scent that I recognized, yet I had no idea what it was or why I recognized it.

 

I quickly asked my mother-in-law what it was I was smelling.  She told me it was her peonies.  She had them in a vase on the kitchen island.

 

I ran over to them and took in their heavenly scent.  I froze on the spot.

 

Oh my goodness!  I couldn't believe it! 

 

Wasn't that the scent that I remember permeating the outside air while I played outside as a kid?

Wasn't that the scent I smelled while riding my bike, playing hopscotch, and jumping rope?

Wasn't that the scent I remembered while playing hide n' seek &  roller skating too?

 

It was the scent of my childhood, yet until that moment, I didn't realize it. 

 

It astounded me that a scent could bring me back 20+ years and give me such happy thoughts.

 

So after all these years, I finally have my own peonies in our yard.   

 

 

 

I may not have 15 bushes of them, but cut & placed in a pitcher on the table, I can have the same beautiful scent that takes me back to my childhood in an instant.

 

So tell me,  can you relate?  Do you have a scent that takes you back to another time & place?

 



Summer Mantel 2013

Hello everyone!!

 

I guess I should begin with a small apology.  I took an unscheduled break from blogging and in the process I guess I worried some of you.  I really am sorry. I'm fine...all is well...no need to worry!  

I can't believe I missed the entire month of May from blogging.  I never intended to take a break.  It just sort of happened without my knowledge.  Really.  I've been so busy, busy, busy, it's almost been to the point of ridiculousness.

Now I want to say....thank you!  Thank you for your emails inquiring about my whereabouts and if everything was ok.  It's nice to know that I was missed and that I was in your thoughts.

♥You girls are the best!!♥

How about I share my Summer mantel with you?
 

I wanted to go with something a little fun & whimsical this year.  And for once, I didn't care about trying to match the colors to the living room couch or the area rug.  I just did what I wanted to do and enjoyed myself doing it.  Ha!  No rules!

 

I didn't buy anything for this mantel display.  I had everything on hand...except for the baseballs. Those were courtesy of my husband.  I promised to return them to him after Summer was over.  Scouts honor.    

 

Sorry about the reflection in the mirror.  You all know how much I hate the ceiling fan.  But the pictures on the opposite wall are quite visible in the reflection too.  Oh well. 

 

 

I just love that big jar of baseballs!  We are big fans of baseball in this house.  There is always a game being played or being watched on TV around here.  Would you believe I bought that jar for $5.00 at a tent sale?  I think it was a steal!

 

 

The left side of the mantel.  I bought the sailboat last year at Michaels. 

  

 The right side of the mantel. 

I whipped together the banner for some fun color. 

 

 

Thank you for stopping by for a visit today.  I'm hoping to return to blogging more regularly now.  I don't know that I'll ever be able to catch up on all that I've missed with all of you, but I will be over to visit you soon.

 

 

Linking to:

 

Swing into Spring at DIY by Design

Tuesdays at Our Home at Our Home Away from Home

 

The Year in Review 2012- Part 2

Welcome to Part 2 of my 2012 Year in Review.
Part 1 can be found here. 

 

Let's get started, shall we?

 

In May 2012,

 

I did a little restyling.

 

 

I gave my Easter burlap rag wreath

a new look.

 

I got to spend some time in the kitchen too.

 

 

Yummy...Strawberry Pretzel Squares.

 

In June 2012,

 

I revealed my next completed project.

 

 

I painted my stairs.

 It was a huge undertaking, but oh so worth it!

 

I took my dining room hutch

from black,

 

 

to Annie Sloan's Old White.

 

In July 2013,

 

with some old windows found in the trash,

 

 

 

I created this gallery wall for my family room.

There's a cute story about finding the windows in the

trash if you'd like to click on the link to read it.

 

I had a little fun outdoors too.

 

 

The mister & I created this crooked planter

to fill an empty space in our landscaping.

 

In August 2012,

 

 

I played with my dishes and created a

French Country Tablescape.

 

I also took on a project that I never thought I'd

be able to pull off.

 

 

I painted & reupholstered a chair! 

Click on the link if you'd like to see the

awful before picture. 

 

 That's all for today folks.

Stay tuned for my Year in Review 2012- Part 3!