It's a red, white & blue kind of week . . .

I love decorating with red, white & blue for summer

It helps that we live in a blue and white house

with a red door.

This adriondack chair sits on the front porch all the time, but a change of pillows gives it a patriotic look.

It was easy for the back porch to get a summer update

by simply changing the flowers to red and white -

 flags and a wooden soldier finish off the look.

With no blue flowers in the garden, I had to get creative with my floral arrangements - lavender is combined with red asters and white alyssum.

A few colorful pieces added to the shelves give the kitchen a fresh summery look.

The dining room is always dressed in red, white & blue.

Setting a patriotic table

just requires flags and colorful dishes.

A few flags in the entry

and the guest room finish off the red, white & blue theme for the week.

What about you - do you decorate with red, white & blue this time of year?

"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

It Feels Like Summer

As we walked along the beach this morning we passed two teenage boys discussing the weather.

One boy said it felt like summer and the second boy said that it was literally about as far from summer as you can get.

The second boy is correct that we are at the seasonal opposite of summer, but it does feel like summer.

Thinking about "summer like" weather and reading my new decorating books made me realize what was wrong with my post Christmas mantel.

 After Christmas, I left the existing painting on the mantel and used a New Year's theme, but it just didn't feel right.

The change to a beach theme might not be right in other parts of the country, but it fits on our little part of the coast.

The painting is of the side of City Hall looking down to the sea on a mild January day.

Shells, found in abundance in our house, fill metal baskets.

Candlesticks I received for Christmas add height to the shell displays.

The walls shine bright yellow enhanced by the sun and an abalone shells holds a mere pittance of the wealth of sand dollars Steve finds on the beach each day.

There is a method to my madness in decorating with "summer" items - perhaps it will encourage winter to laugh at me bringing rain and snow so that we can get in a little skiing.

This mantel fits our little beach cottage and lifestyle and it reflects who we are- no matter the season.

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Join me at

A Stroll Thru Life - Inspire Me Tuesday

Cedar Hill Ranch - The Scoop

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia - Tuesday's Treasures

Coastal Charm - Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Kathe With an E - You're Gonna Love It

Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesday