Keeping the blog tour going . . .

Recently I was invited by Kelly of The Essence of Home to participate in a Blog Tour.

I have to tell you that I was extremely flattered to be noticed by Kelly because she has a beautiful home, great style and I am a big admirer.

Kelly's home, which is featured in the recent Romantic Country magazine, has a much different color palette than my primary color scheme, but I get lots of inspiration each time I visit.

Now, on to the tour and 4 questions to answer -

#1 What are you working on right now?

I signed up for the Mad Tea Party at A Fanciful Twist so I am working on plans for a garden party at my house on June 30.

I also signed up for Where Bloggers Create at My Desert Cottage

which calls for cleaning, re-organizing and playing in my creative space.

I am photographing a friend's amazing beach house

and another friend's home filled with wonderful vintage finds for blog posts.

#2 How does my work differ from others?

I guess the difference is that my blog does not fit into any specific category.

The tagline of my blog header is "life in a little cottage by the sea" - one day a post might be about my garden,

another day it will be about table settings,

and frequently it will be about my love of primary colors.

#3 Why do I write/create what I do?

I am hyper active and always have to be working on something - I see blogging as a way to give that hyperactivity focus.

In order to have something to blog about, I have to be painting, rearranging furniture, setting a pretty table . . .

#4 How does your writing/creative process work?

Spontaneous combustion . . .

 I write about what's happening at our little cottage that day - new dishes, a soup tureen picked up at a garage sale, something I just made, a walk along the beach . . .  very little planning.

And, now to continue on the Blog Tour,  2 more bloggers on the tour will be posting about their blogs next Monday.

 Jeanette of Creating A Life.

Jeanette has always had a passion for thrift shopping, decorating, DIY and making pretty things for her home.  She began blogging in the fall of 2012 while on a journey to begin a new life with her children after a traumatic divorce.  Her blog focuses on creating a beautiful, cozy and personal home with very little money by re-inventing, up-cycling and re-purposing items you already have.  She loves showing you how to see what you have through new eyes, while acknowledging God's grace to her family in the process!

Ricki Jill of Art @ Home.

Ricki Jill is an artist and stay-at-home mom who loves to cook and decorate.  She treats her home as her canvas.  She enjoys reading and hosts a weekly link party, "Literary Friday".

Be sure to check out both blogs next week, you won't be disappointed.

Changes To Our Garden Room

We spend much of our year in our outdoor room.

In May, we made the trek to IKEA and bought 2 chaises for the garden.

The only cushions they had in stock were black and although they are comfortable (enough so that I frequently fall asleep while reading) they don't satisfy my love of color.

I found terry cloth covers at Target that slip over the top of the chaise and I like them, 

but I really wanted to use these yellow pillows and the pale yellow did not work with the bold stripes.

I remembered this 4 yard remnant I bought to use as backing for pillows.

Last night I made pillow cases for the black cushions - super quick and far easier than I expected. 

 I simply folded the fabric over, sewed up the two long sides, hemmed the opening ends and folded one end inside the pillow case.

I am really happy with the striped cushions and I think the yellow pillows finish off the look.

I needed a table near the chaises so I hunted in the garage for the mate to this little folding table.

The mate is not looking so good.

I covered it for today with a sweet vintage tablecloth I stole from my mother's linen closet years ago.

I love the sweet detail in the tablecloth and just for today, I will leave it out in the garden.

I am a happy camper with my new striped cushions.

And I have to say, this little vignette is calling to me, "come sit and relax", when I should be painting that wooden table.

Okay, I'll sit, but only for a little while.

I just have to grab my book and a glass of tea.

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Join me at 

My Romantic Home - Show and Tell Friday

The Charm of Home - Home Sweet Home

French Country Cottage - Feathered Nest Friday

The Dedicated House - Anything Blue Friday

Rooted in Thyme - Simple & Sweet Fridays

Getting Ready Takes Time

It is amazing how a party, albeit a virtual one, can motivate me.

I am so glad that I signed up for Where Bloggers Create at My Desert Cottage because I am forced to clean up my creative space and I am finding projects started, yet never completed.

Last Thursday, I spent a full day in my creative space and reduced the piles of left over fabric by cutting out quilt squares for some baby quilts.

I found forgotten projects piled on top of one another and finished a few.

I didn't finish the baby gifts in time for the baby shower, but they are ready for the baby's birth just a month away and the card has already been mailed off to a blogging friend who is having knee surgery.

The favorite thing I made was a  S U M M E R banner from the last remnants of a drop cloth- quick, easy and free.

I tore the remnants into 4 inch wide strips and made a paper pattern to get the V shape at the bottom.

Not only was the fabric scraps, but so were the letters - you can see that I used what was left after the stickers had been used for other projects.

I used Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (it dries quickly) and branched out of my primaries by mixing colors to get a purple and orange, but you can see that the purple 'e' is not quite purple - maybe next time I will get it right.

The top edge of each flag was simply folded over and sewn down to create a casing for left over cording.

All that was left to do was to hang the banner on the side fence along with old rusty tools I stole from my parents' garage years ago.

This isn't an area of the yard that is seen by many people, but it makes me smile when I am getting dressed in the morning and look out the window; Lulu likes to hang out in the side yard getting into trouble.

I put together a few "kits" for other projects, but I did not finish organizing my creative space.

The dresser, which serves as a work space, is not camera ready,

and I still have piles of fabric to deal with before the deadline for  Where Bloggers Create.

But, I am finding forgotten supplies, using up what I have and I am realizing that even getting ready for a virtual party takes time.

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I am joining these parties today

Lavender Garden Cottage - Cottage Style Party

Cozy Little House - Tweak It Tuesday

Coastal Charm - Show and Share