Mimosa and Waterside Wednesday

7 pm and it's been bugging me all day that I didn't get a chance to post earlier for
Waterside Wednesday. So here goes. It's dark already and I have my Tatine 'woodsmoke' candle lit. I actually got a first 'whiff' of woodsmoke while out on a walk earlier. It's not really cool enough for an indoor fire yet but somebody couldn't wait! Anyhow, I picked up this book for a buck at a thrift shop because I loved the title 'London' and the spark of color. (just this once) A nice place to rest some coral.
Pantone picked 'Mimosa' for their color for 2009! Peel back the jackets and check the bindings for some great and inexpensive decorating tools!

I think I mentioned that I was painting the walls white. Well, this is where everything ended up while I painted the living room. Lots of shells and white candles waiting to be re-vignetted! (?)

I love the soft natural shades and shapes of shells. This is what calms me.

Here's the little pink rose plate from Vintage Lizzie on the Cape. Looks like I've been adding some bits of other little treasures in there too. I see rhinestone pins and some blue beads from a bobeche that I cannot part with.

This simple stack of bleached white shells says it all for me. Be sure to stop by and visit the kindred spirits over at Barbara's Waterside Wednesday! That's where I'm headed now!

For the love of PeeGee Hydrangeas

This is a dresser in Carol's dining room that has a stunning display of PeeGees, blue eggs and conch shells from a local beach under a cloche! (I'll be beachcombing there after the next storm) Her collection of ironstone and vintage lighting is well, okay.... to die for.

Carol bought this vintage chandelier in pieces (yes, hundreds) and restored it. Very early one morning she awoke to a vision of it embellished with stunning cone shaped PeeGees! It's wildly beautiful! Breathtaking!!!

I have to tell you. We had been planning it for weeks; waiting for the perfect time to don our dark clothing on a rainy night and go sleuthing around the neighborhood pruning bushes for unknowing homeowners. It was for their own good! And how else would we manage to obtain the necessary goods for the perfect autumn decor accessory? We would have had to plant a tree 10 years ago when we first moved in to our neighborhoods to have what we needed now! I wish I'd known then. I vow to plant one this autumn. Mom had a beauty that 'brother dear' dug up and burned in the spring!!!! arrgg! I was so mad/sad to see it gone.

The one bush that we had been eyeing for a while was an 'oakleaf peegee hydrangea' with bigger heads, leaves and blossoms! Fortunately for us, these grow wonderfully in the northeast with cold winters and hot summers.

It was such a (guilty) pleasure placing stems with heavy blooms here and there, and filling pitchers. The house came to life. Just the perfect colors too!

some in the Ikea pitcher on the quilt chest....

some on the mantel in the large ironstone pitcher...

a few in another ironstone pitcher on the china closet, saving the biggest and prettiest one for my new favorite wicker jug.

I hope we've inspired you to plant a 'peegee' of your very own for spectacular blooms in the future!

Beach Bum Baby on Waterside Wednesday

Good 'sand'wich!

Where's my surfboard?

me & my shadow ~

hmm.. I see some 'Babes'

C'mon! What are you waiting for?

Whoa! It's deep over here.

Have a great Waterside Wednesday Girls! xo BBB

Jeanne d'Arc Living in English!

Have you seen this magazine yet? No, I mean really immersed yourself in this oversized, 160+ page, much more than a magazine, devoid of advertisements, (except for two or three pages in the back and even these are gorgeous ads) book? They call it a 'magasinet', but it's a real keeper. Not the kind that you tear a page out and get rid of. It's one that you'll display for its sheer beauty. Not a book that has a couple or at best 'few' pics kind of book that you stack with the others. No. These deserve a very special place to be enjoyed for inspiration time and time again.

I'm not merely trying to sell a magazine here girls, but rather turn you on to something new that I look forward to receiving every other month. I run to greet the UPS guy for this box. Okay, so he's kinda cute, but besides that.

This I savor in peace and quiet. It's an indulgence!

The sheer simplicity of how the Scandi girls decorate their homes and embellish their gardens is beyond words. Heck, the translation to English is the buttercreme frosting! Well, it's just beyond words...you'll have to see for yourself.

The newest is the 5th edition. They will arrive at the end of September. I have a few of the 4th edition available now. Does anyone have the 1st edition that you know of? I'd love to have it!

xo Roberta

Carol's Lovely Seaside Entry

Carol has invited us in for a treat and to see her front entry, but I want you to see her birdhouse first. Let's go around to the back and peek into her three season porch... Being the perfect hostess that she is, she's all ready for us. Looks like a scrumptious summertime brunch girls!

Here it is. This seashell birdhouse is a real beauty and labor of love. A wraparound deck on both levels for these lucky birds too! Willy doesn't know we're here yet so let's go to the front door. He's a French Poodle who loves the ladies and will shower us with kisses!

A rose boat sitting in the front yard. Charming! I've shown it to you here flourishing at it's peak.

One step into Carol's house and you will be mesmerized. She has beautiful vintage French chandeliers and sconces everywhere! Look how she placed two different sconces on each side of this fab mirror!

I don't know if I'd be smiling with this much woolen attire on at the beach but the scarfed updo's are fun!

This is where the magic is. She searched a while before she found the perfect 'ghost' mirror and then applied a 'secret' gray wash to the frame.

Dreamy...ethereal...the mirror is the real star here. The stage for the performing shells and candlelight.

Doesn't this starfish look like it's dancing? ha!

And, working our way to the table we pass a cloche' piled high with bleached conch shells.

As always Carol, it was delightful, delicious and a pleasure! Thanks so much for having us.

Blogged for Barbara's Waterside Wednesday

Walk with me along the path...

Let's go this way for a change...John's boardwalk/putting range toward the shore.

Look over to your left and see the beautiful marsh behind the beach cottage.

I awoke early one morning after a stormy night and this little white boat was floating here. At first I thought it was my imagination! I think John claimed it as his own as it's been resting here ever since.

Let's climb over these rocks to the clearing.

Keep your eyes open for shells..darn, I forgot the bags. One for trash, one for treasures. This conch shell is a little battered but I'll claim it for my collection.

There's a patch of pebbly sand just ahead where I sit and daydream sometimes.

Aha, something else for my wishlist. Two weathered Adirondack chairs! Let's see, an outdoor shower, picket fence and two of these chairs. That should do it for now....

Thank goodness for pockets even though these don't hold much!

At home I spread out my treasures. hmm, a rare peice of driftwood and a very pretty shell with wavy edges in the perfect color. I've never seen one of these before...perhaps it has travelled far.

Blogged for Barbara's Waterside Wednesday. I hope you have enjoyed one of the last walks of summer. For now, I'm back to whitewashing the cottage walls. Stay tuned...

Pick a Mantel....any mantel

I've been creating a 'Mantel of the Month' on my website for about five years now. This monthly feature encourages me to change my mantel out every month that's for sure... (whether I'm ready or not)! This morning, this new month, I was really ready. You see, I've been painting the living and dining rooms at the cottage 'Simply White' (more on that coming soon) and I'm finally at the decorating stage! So, I have a question for you all....a survey if you please...
Do you like Mantel #1. Pure & Simple or Mantel #2 with a Little More Fluff?
I'd love to hear your thoughts...
To see more mantels and the decor changes over the years check out Mantels and scroll down to the archives.

Happy September Mantel Decorating!