HOUSE TOUR TUESDAY, Summer Vignettes

Warning:  If you are a first time visitor, you should know that 

I  love   the beach. 

I go every chance I get.  So in my landlocked Kansas home, I use a lot of natural items that remind me of my time by the water.  (If you crave a little more inspiration, you can look here, here, here, and here.  There are lots more posts on this, but I should stop boring you now so you'll read the rest of this one!)

I titled this post, "Summer Vignettes", but some of these items are out all year--I just can't help myself!  A friend was recently over to my house and said, "You should do a blog post of some of these vignettes."  So, here it is...  

The huge float was a gift from a great friend who knows me well!

 This is Charlie the fish.

He frequently eats seasonal items and show up on blog posts.
This time he ate some sea glass and a shell. 

I have two of these corbels from a local antique shop.

I had no idea what I'd do with them when I bought them,

but I had to have them.

Forgot that my starfish needed a perch!

 A seashell swag on an antique iron hall tree!
Another TJ Maxx purchase--love that store.

Shock, another starfish in a lantern!

There are two of them too!

They hang beside an antique cabinet.

This cloche is from the same friend that bought me that large float in the first photo!

It sets on top of my Grandmother's bowed-front china cabinet.

And lastly, here's a little carved fish from TJ Maxx.
I paid $12.99 for it and saw it in an "antique" store for $80!

Yes, there are a couple of trends here.  One, the natural sea elements and second the antiques.  I think they make wonderful housemates.

 

Thanks  for stopping by.
I appreciate each visit and love to read any comments you leave.

Have a wonderful summer week!

  Robin

Linking Up With
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
A Stroll Thru Life
Coastal Charm
Boogieboard Cottage
Simple Details 

Seashell Addict

I've got a bit of a confession.  I'm a hoarder.  I love seashells and I have a lot of them.  I think this situation is beyond a cure and I'm not sure I'm ready for help.  Maybe I am a seashell addict!  Oh my goodness, I think I may be!  It's never a good thing to realize about one's self, but I felt I had to come clean on this issue.  I haven't taken to hiding my compulsion, yet...

I have so many shells that I cannot possibly show them all to you in a summer season and if I did, not one would be left reading (looking) at my blog, but...here's the summer mantle two different ways...one with a few shells and one with lots of shells.  Feel free to say which one you like better...I can take it, really.

Here's the simpler version, just a few lovelys...

 Yes, sometimes I even put shells in shells...although...those aren't really shells in that shell, so maybe I'm safe on this one!

 I loooove that pink color on this shell...

 Okay, this is where I put out a few more shells.  Too much???  Be honest...no I'm not going to tear up when you say too much, I'll just swallow that lump in my throat and go on (probably to the shell store, but that what shell addicts do).

 Isn't that big shell on the right just gorgeous?

Who could resist buying this one?

Could you, really?

Too much???

As always, thanks for reading (or maybe just looking at pictures).  Till next time, take care and enjoy summer nights!

(Yes, these shells are in addition to the post I did here on my living room's summer displays)

Linking Up With

Savvy Southern Style
Coastal Charm
Very Merry Vintage Style
A Stroll Thru Life
Boogieboard Cottage
Between Naps on the Porch
Faded Charm Cottage
No Minimalist Here
Common Ground 
Have A Daily Cup From Mr. Olson
The Brambleberry Cottage
The Shabby Creek Cottage
Somewhat Simple
Delightful Order
At The Picket Fence
Simply Designing
The Charm of Home
Romantic Home
The View From Right Here 
Funky Junk Interiors
Serenity Now 
Homemaker on a Dime 
The Networking Blog Hop

Everything's Just Beachy

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day.  We had family over for a mid-afternoon lunch, sat on the deck and look at our gardens.  I know, sounds like a yawn of a good time, but that is how we enjoy the summer holidays.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard summer calling and rolled out the summer tub of decorations.  Here's a couple of the results of a long afternoon of cleaning and rearranging.  No comments about how slow I am, please!

First up is a tabletop display...

 That cute little glass float is from Pottery Barn--they came is a set of six!  Love them.

 Those are antique porcelain orbs that were used for water purification--at least that's the story from the antique's dealer.  Don't worry, I would have bought them anyway, just in case you're thinking," yeah right...sure those are antique water balls"

This is my coffee table display this year...

 

Just a note about coral, I never buy the real deal...it isn't good for the oceans to harvest real coral, PLEASE don't buy it when there are so many great reproductions.  Yes, that is my preachy voice, I admit it!

The turtle is new and bought in the middle of winter at Hobby Lobby when he was half off.  I just wanted a turtle so much after seeing sea turtles at each beach I visit.  The last one was in South Carolina and he (assuming) was huge and had died, but I loved him anyway.  I just wanted to go pat him into eternity...strange?  Yeah, for sure, but I love sea turtles.

The shells surrounding the turtle are a special gift from a special friend.  They are snail shells and not from the sea, but so sea-like!  I love that my friend thought of me when she saw the snail shells!  I am easily flattered, really!

Thanks for reading (I'm assuming you didn't just look at the pictures).  Till next time...

Linking Up To

Coastal Charm

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia
Savvy Southern Style
A Stroll Thru Life
Primp
Faded Charm
Have A Daily Cup From Mrs. Olson 
A Delightsome Life 
At The Picket Fence
No Minimalist Here 
The Brambleberry Cottage
Common Ground
My Romantic Home
Finding Fabulous
The Charm of Home
Chic on a Shoestring Decorating
Boogieboard Cottage
The View From Right Here 
Funky Junk Interiors
52 Mantles 
Homemaker on a Dime
DIY Project Parade 

A Favorite Spot

As you may know from other posts, I love the sea, the ocean, and large bodies of water.  It only makes sense that I have items from this love in my house, and not just in the summer.  Some of these babies will be out year 'round.  They make me happy and remind me of a place in Florida where we go each year as a family.  That makes me happy too because our grown children always try to go with us.  It is a week of bliss by the ocean, under an umbrella, waves crashing , a good read in my hands and sandwiches in the cooler.  Aaahhh!  I just breathe easier thinking about it.

It is out of this serenity that I bring you this spot in my home.

All of this sits on this table that came to me from an estate sale.  Hope you enjoyed a little trip to the water, especially in this season of record heat here in Kansas.  Florida, we're coming.

I'm linking to http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/2011/08/tuesdays-treasures.html. and http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2011/08/nifty-thrifty-tuesday-no73-and-chalk.html you can visit it by clicking on these links.  Enjoy!

Another Upcycle

I think these are beautiful botanicals and I've had them for a while.  I love botanical prints and think they are timeless, but not immune from me wanting a change.  They were part of a calendar my dear daughter bought me in Chicago and it was with some regret that I changed them....but a girl must move on sometimes and so I have. 

Out came the pictures and they are safely tucked away for another adventure in decorating in the future.  The frames I reused and sprayed the backing with that wonderful Elmer's spray fixative I mentioned here.  I then added the fabric that was leftover from another project--cost $0 and my ego is healed from my wastefulness.  The shells were ones I had around the house--yes, I bought them, but when and where, I do not remember, so the cost must be $0 by now, according to my logic!  Can you relate? 

I did have some trouble figuring the layout for the wall.  It looks like a "duh" moment now, but I played with the layout with some cutouts I did from ugly wrapping paper.  Here's what that looked like as I was frustrated getting it down pat.

And here is the final result. I used E-6000 glue(?) to mount the shells.

Here's a close-up shot of a few individual pictures(?).

These shells were a gift from my dear sister.  Thanks sis.

This was a fun, easy project and the whole wall cost $26 because I reused the frames and the leftover fabric from another project.

As always, thanks for reading and feel free to comment on either this blog or facebook.

I am linking up with http://www.shabbynest.blogspot.com/ and http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/2011/07/tuesdays-treasures_26.html
http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/2011/07/wow-us-wednesdays-24.html