My Weblog

July Roses

Today is a day that's traditionally celebrated with red, white and blue, so here's my twist on a patriotic color scheme, which should fall in line a little better with Pink Saturday!

Summer

It's that time of year again - picnics, parades, barbeques, and fireworks - all to celebrate our country's birthday. How wonderful it is that we can do that! Happy Fourth, everyone!

Although I don't have a photo of it, I want to share a simple, festive, and yummy fruit salad, perfect for those picnics and barbeques. All you need are fresh fruits and a clear glass bowl. Choose a variety of fruits in various colors, such as strawberries, watermelon, cantalope, kiwi, peaches, grapes, mango, and blueberries, to name a few. Cut the larger fruits into bite sized pieces. Start layering them, one type of fruit at a time, in the glass bowl, saving the blueberries for the topmost layer. Be sure to alternate the colors, and when you're finished you'll have a striped, colorful bowl of fruit. It's fabulous!

Pink Carnations

I love this shade of pink - not too light, not too dark... in fact, perfectly delicious. When I saw these carnations I had to buy a bunch. I think they set off this thrifted (would you believe 50 cents?) blue and white striped round vase just right. Happy beginning of summer everyone, and Happy Pink Saturday too!

Summer Dreaming

I love books. Both the reading and the looking at pictures. So this summer, I've been reading a few mysteries for fiction (a fun book to read is "A Royal Pain" by Rhys Bowen - a smart little mystery set in the 30s), and a few decorating books to gather ideas for something just down the road.

My husband and I put an offer in on a house. Although there are a few other offers (what is it with this multiple-offer business, anyway? I thought the economy was supposed to be slow), and we won't know right away if ours won, I like to dream of the possibilities. This house has a room just off the master bedroom, sort of like a private sitting room. But what to do with it? I'll have a studio elsewhere in the house (which is best because it's usually a mess and I don't think it would be a good idea to have that mess right in plain sight when a person is trying to sleep). Will suggested putting our exercise machines in it. Perhaps. I've thought of making it a proper sitting room, maybe with my grandmothers secretary in there and a comfy chair or two, or a daybed for the grandkids who are still quite little and would like being right there with us.

Anyway, I'm probably ahead of myself with all this dreaming! There's a lot of inspiration in these wonderful books (especially "Romantic Style", which is very French) so it's hard not to dream about it. We should know soon if it will happen or if the dreams will have to transfer themselves to a different house. Whichever way it goes, dreaming is the fun part! No major work involved!

Sunshine

 

Yellow for sunshine and lavender for... well, lavender season! Two colors that speak summer.

A Little Desk Makeover

A few weeks ago I drove by a yard sale and out of the corner of my eye saw a little child-sized chair and desk set. I was intrigued, but my practical conscience tapped me on the shoulder and said "No, keep driving. You don't need any more junk in the house". I listened, and kept driving. However, the yard sale was just down the street so I couldn't help but drive by a few more times over the weekend and I kept seeing that little desk. The weekend passed, the sale was tidied away, and I forgot about the desk. The next weekend, the sale was on again. And the desk was still there. I finally walked over to check it out, and found that it was only $2.00! I bought it, thinking how cute it would be for visiting grandchildren.

It was very old and wobbly and out of square, with a fading brown stain and a vinyl seat cover. I sanded it down, painted it white and sanded it a little more, then went through my fabrics looking for something beachy and found this aqua stripe.

Isn't it adorable? The seat is hinged and lifts up to reveal a little hidden storage area, perfect for coloring books and crayons. It's just the right size for three-year-old Ryan, next time he visits. Oh, and here it is in it's original condition - I actually remembered to take a "before" shot!

To The Dads

 

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there! Especially Will, my husband, Zach, my son-in-law, and Mike, my brother. My own dad passed away in 2003, but he's still remembered on this day, too. I found this little cherub pot in his garden shed a few weeks ago, all dusty and cobwebby with remnants of soil inside, and couldn't resist bringing it home. It makes me smile because it's not his style at all - I can't think why he even had a pot with a cherub on it! But I planted an ivy in it, so it's become a little remembrance of him. And it suits my style just perfectly!

Strawberries

Strawberries, anyone? I made 30 silk strawberries in various shades of pink for the guests at a baby shower (honoring a soon-to-arrive baby girl, of course!). I love making these little berries - they're filled with lavender and smell so good. There's nothing like fresh berries, real or faux, to usher in summertime!

For more pink, be sure to visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for the weekly Pink Saturday Parade.

Summer Daisies

Finally! I think summer might be here. After weeks and weeks of chilly, windy weather, the sun has decided to shine and the sky has managed to stay blue instead of grey for two days straight. Bringing these daisies into the house adds a hint of summer inside, too. So with the outside and inside brightened up, the next logical step is to brighten up the blog - I think it's time for a new banner. I like my springy little nests up there, though, so maybe I'll wait until June 21st, the official start of summer!

Mosaic Monday :: Garden Gates

Last week my mosaic was of picket fences, now, how about garden gates? These gates were photographed in and about Williamsburg, VA - one of my favorite places to visit. I love the history of the town, from it's humble beginnings as a fort, through it's heyday as our capital, then it's century as a sleepy little village, and now it's restoration. Just knowing that men such as Thomas Jefferson and Peyton Randolph and Patrick Henry walked those streets makes me feel connected somehow, probably because I had ancestors on the eastern seaboard during that time, and it could be that some of them travelled to Williamsburg, too. I like to think so, anyway! We just don't have the same kind of history in California.

Last time we were there I noticed all the garden gates, which opened to courtyards, brick pathways, gardens or fields. I couldn't resist taking a picture of each and every one I saw! These are my favorites. Be sure to visit our hostess Mary at The Little Red House for a list of many more mosaics!