Summer Linens in the Guest Bedroom

Since I knew this summer I was going to have several overnight stays in the way of family and friends, I decided to lighten up and brighten up our guest bedroom with some pretty new linens.

Both the throws on the bed and the decorative pillows are from my favorite store, and I am sure one of yours as well, Home Goods.

I painted the mirror's metal frame in white and hung darling thrift shop hats over each of the beds. Then I switched out the dark night table for a lighter painted piece. I also painted the base of an old lamp in a salmon color, although I am rethinking that color choice.

And the heavy wool area rug was removed to expose the much lighter hardwood floors.

Just a few simple changes really gives this space a nice summer feel. 

Wow...I find it hard to believe that there are only 20 more days until the kids are back to school and then bam right into the hustle and bustle of the autumn's almost never ending slew of activities.

Hope you all are enjoying the last few weeks of these lazy hazy summer days!

XO

Summer Porch Decked Out in Red White & Blue

A couple weeks ago my dear friend Donna gave me a wicker set which included a love seat, two chairs and a coffee table. How could I possibly refuse anything that is free right? Well as it turned out I really liked the look of the natural wicker on my front porch. I tried the chairs but they were too large for the space, so out came the love seat and it was a perfect fit.

Now the next question I had to ponder was what color cushion and pillows should be added to the wicker piece to make it feel cozy and at the same time go well with my home's exterior.

So I thought and thought, and finally it hit me...whether I liked it or not I was going to have to accept the current colors of my home, that of a funky looking red brick and the old 1980's blue shutters. Oh how I long for black shutters and that awful red brick to be painted white. But for now making those changes is not in the budget so I need to embrace the outdated colors and work with what I have! 

I picked up a pretty denim blue color seat cushion plus the red and white stripe and the star pillows at Pier One. I found the other 4 pillows at Home Goods along with the wicker basket and the jute carpet.

To create a little table for a drink or some magazines, I simply placed a classic wooden Coca-Cola crate on top of a small plant stand.

So I am all ready for the summer with my patriotic front stoop. 
How about you...do you have a front porch you like to decorate for summer? I have seen a lot of gorgeous ones out there in bloggyland, could one be yours?

Have a great weekend!
XO

An Exciting Announcement...Summer Home Tours Beginning Monday June 8th

Hey all of you wonderful bloggy friends out there, I have a big announcement to make! Beginning next Monday join 21 Rosemary Lane and 29 other fabulous bloggers in a massive Summer Home Tour. My good friend Marty from the beautiful blog A Stroll Thru Life has pulled together 30 bloggers to share their summer inspired home decor for a full 5 days!

Here is the amazing line up...

Mon - June 8th

A Stroll Thru Life 

                     Live On Virginia Street                    

Snazzy Little Thing

    21 Rosemary Lane

Thrifty and Chic

Claire Brody Designs

Tue - June 9th
Thrifty Decor Chick
Our Southern Home
Making Home Base
Hymns & Verses
Bliss @ Home
DIY Showoff

Wed. - June 10th
City Farmhouse
Driven By Decor

No Minimalist Here
SG Style
Decor To Adore
Desire Empire

Thurs. - June 11th
A Thoughtful Place
Monica Wants It
Rain On A Tin Roof
Charming In Charlotte
Remodelando la Casa
Dimples & Tangles

Fri. - June 12th
Simple Details
Tidbits & Twine
Design Post Interiors
Designing On The Side
Peaceful Home Decor
Talk Of The House 

So be certain to mark your calenders for Monday June 8th!! I am sure it will be an incredibly inspiring 5 days. 

I just can't wait!

And don't forget to stop by on Wednesday evening to join our weekly Share Your Style link party. The fun begins at 7pm!!

XO

Kid Fun: Marshmallow Pops

While at the beach the beginning of this month my sister Kim shared with me her Woman's World magazine, and on the 3rd page was this adorable fun kid recipe from blogger Vanessa Coppola from See Vanessa Craft.  (You must hop on over and check out Vanessa's blog...so many great ideas for parties and crafts!) Well it stuck in my head as being one of the cutest party treats I have ever seen. So today when my friend Donna invited us to her pool for a little swim party with the kids, I knew I was going to have to make Vanessa's summery sweet treat to take along.

These are incredibly easy to make with some pretty simple ingredients.

Here is what you will need...

About 15 lollipop sticks or straws. (I used plastic straws from Walmart and cut them down.)

15 marshmallows

1/2 12 ounce bag of  light  blue candy melts (also from Walmart)

1/4 cup of crushed graham crackers

15 cheddar flavored gold fish

 30 large white pearl sprinkles for the fishy's bubbles

Push the straws or lollipop sticks into your marshmallows. Melt the candy according to package directions. For really smooth coverage I use a teaspoon and dipped it into the candy and then with the right side of the spoon I smoothed on the candy as I twirled the marshmallow stick. Then dip the bottom of the pop into the graham crushed crackers and lay them on their side on a clean plate. Press in the fish and the pearl sprinkles. The candy will hard pretty quick but if you are in a hurry you can pop them into the frig for a few minutes.

This darling recipe appeared in the August 11, 2014 of Woman's World Magazine

These pops are really perfect for a kid party...but I have to admit that adults like them too!!!

Hope you are enjoying a great day!

XO

Sharing this post at link parties hosted by these wonderful blogs...

Coastal Charm

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Stone Gable "The Scoop"

A Stroll Thru Life

Elizabeth & Co.

Savvy Southern Style

Lamberts Lately

I'm Not a Trophy Wife

Daily Dish Magazine

The Dedicated House

Simple Summer Coffee Table Vignette

For this vignette I wanted to keep things light and very simple because we really do use the living room in our home as the family room, so this road side find table gets A LOT of use. 

I brought in from the back patio two pretty wire candle holders I bought last summer at the Christmas Tree Shops, and paired them with the wine cork serving tray I made a couple years ago. (To read how the wine cork tray was made just click here.)

An inexpensive somewhat beachy looking faux arrangement was added to the tray along with a small coordinating starfish. I then placed a pretty piece of blue glass in the way of a small vase on top of a stack of summer issue decorating magazines. I love to peruse through them while enjoying a little kid and hubby free alone time.

I am really liking the soft blue in this space...I may have to shop my home for more blue to add to the rest of the living room!

Wishing you all a great start to your weekend plans!

XO

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Coastal Charm

Summer Entry

This year things got a little bit mixed up due to the fact that in the process of redecorating both the master and the guest bedrooms (no I haven't revealed the guest room just yet) I have had to do some re-figuring as far as the placement of the furniture in the house. So the cedar chest which once sat at the end of our bed before the master bedroom makeover, no longer fit in the room, therefore it had to find a new place to live.

I then brought down the large mirror which was hanging in the upstairs hallway and placed it just above the chair rail. The cedar chest was topped off with a pretty turquoise Portuguese pitcher, a farm basket to hold some of my favorite magazines...

...and in the center of the chest is a large pitcher I picked up at Home Goods last year filled with faux hydrangea.

Don't hydrangeas just scream SUMMER? 

But the wall still needed something more so I dug out of the garage a shelf which had once hung in the kitchen, spruced it up with some white paint, and Mr. Rosemary Lane hung it for me just above the mirror! 

Jokingly he asked me how long it was going to be before it comes down. I had to laugh because I LOVE the idea of one more surface to decorate, so my answer was simply..."Not for awhile."

The shelf has a groove for plates so out came these beautiful turquoise blue dishes, another Home Goods find from a few years back. Some green glass items were added along with my thrift store swans that I love so much.

I think the pops of turquoise against the soft yellow walls really makes the front entry of our home feel very summery.

Have you lightened up your decor for the summer months? Better hurry since the solstice is tomorrow!

Wishing you a relaxing weekend and a beautiful first day of summer!

XO

Sharing this post over at these wonderful blog's link parties...

Savvy Southern Style

Ivy and Elephants

For the Love of Turquoise

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OK...it is almost here, just a few more days! The kids are practically done with school and the heat has begun to roll on in. You know what I am talking about...the lazy hazy slow things down and just relax season of 

SUMMER!

And the color which screams SUMMER to me is the beautiful yet tranquil color of

TURQUOISE!!

So over the past day  or so I spent some time pinning pics to my new pin-board titled Turquoise. Here is some of what I have pinned

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According to Wikipedia...

 Turquoise /ˈtɜrkɔɪz/ or /ˈtɜrkwɔɪz/ is the name of a greenish blue color, based on the gem of the same name. The word turquoise comes from the French for Turkish, as the gem was originally imported from Turkey. The first recorded use of turquoise as a color name in English was in 1573.

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Feeling a little turquoise inspired???

XO

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The Dedicated House