"a little summer"

I am madly working in the garden 

getting it ready for a Summer Cottage Garden Party.

But, I took some time out this past weekend to "summer-ize" the house.

With sun, sea and sand pillows, ocean art and surfboards, 

one might wonder how I could add any more "summer".

I tucked some wooden buoys into a wire basket

and dug a favorite enamel mug out of the cupboard - I love the colors and the beach scene on the mug.

Shells and a new message were added to our vintage typewriter.

 The living room got a huge dose of seaside decor -

shells from our travels and walks along the beach fill my vintage shopping basket,

buckets and buoys,

weights and starfish decorate the mantel,

and a container of sea glass (gathered over the 17 years since we moved to our beach cottage) are all on display.

The anchor pillow sits on the sofa year round, 

but somehow it looks more summery when paired with patriotic pillows.

Steve likes the display of shells on the cedar chest

because each shell, piece of coral and even the sand, is from a surf trip he took to the Maldives in 2001.

I have seen lots of rooms with whales so I placed my whale bookends on top of some "beachy" books instead of holding the books up.

There's "a little summer" everywhere at our house

and with JP's wedding just 5 weeks away

I don't imagine there will be many changes for quite awhile.

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Join me at

My Salvaged Treasures for the Vintage Inspiration Party