Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Beachy Tablescape Reveal

Well, I'm back, with lots of photos for you. Last week I shared a few sneak-peek photos of the beach tablescape I was putting together. I hope you are ready to spend a few minutes checking out my completed project. There are so many awesome items I've found...in fact, I may have overdone it and after looking over my pictures, it seems to me to be a little crowded. Oh, well. I can always use this display on a bigger table in the future. This one was set only for two people. 

I started out with a really cool looking tablecloth. It's just a really nice yard of material I bought at WalMart's sewing department. The colors and swirls just give off the beach vibes, don't they? And, you can't really see it in the photo, but there is a glitter sewn in the material, so it sparkles in the sunlight, just like the ocean waves do.
 Here is a full view of the table setting. I put them out in my back yard, which is full of shady trees and privacy, yet dapples of sunlight came through to brighten the surroundings.
 Coming a little closer, you can see how much "beach" decor I added to this table.
 When I zoom in ever closer, you'll find so many details, like the seahorse candle-holder, which I found on sale at Kohl's.
 On the opposite side of the table, you will find these two decorative fish just swimming around. They were discovered at a Dollar Tree store, no less than $1 a piece!

 I had been looking for a "nautical" teapot for quite a while, and even though I'm not a big fan of lighthouse decor, this find from a local antique mall/thrift store caught my eye and I just couldn't leave without it.
 A different view of the table...
 I got the mugs and matching dessert plates at Kohl's, also. I love the ocean blue design on the inside of the mugs, which match the outside edge of the plates.
 The seashell plates were a cool find from the Dollar Tree. As you might have guessed, I love Dollar Tree!
 All the displayed seashells, sand dollars, and seahorse were items we either collected on vacations at the beach or that were gifts from family members. The napkins were from another bolt of material at WalMart. The napkin rings were actually elastic gem bracelets that were double-wrapped around the napkins and silverware.
 My creative juices really got flowing when I found two clear plastic canisters at WalMart. I filled them halfway with play sand, stuck in some shells and sea glass and added the beach chair, sign, and towels, which were on a sticker sheet for scrapbooking. They were then glued to mini-popsicle sticks and stuck in the sand. The photo below is of the two canisters side-by-side. Below that are close-ups of each scene that I put into a photo collage.

 Here is another collage of my shells and plate settings.
I got this seagull mug at a garage sale. The stamp on the bottom said it was made by the Queens Rosina China Company, England.

Well, that's my table for today! Hope you enjoyed the showing! I had a lot of fun putting it together. Now for some good news, but also sad news. I'm going to be away from blogging here for at least a few weeks. I'm gonna be packing and getting ready for the move to our new lakehouse. So, when I do post again, I will hopefully be showing and telling you about our new lake life!! We have anticipated this move for so long that it's almost surreal to think it will actually happen. But, I trust it will! Until then, have a wonderful August! When I am able to find the time, I will try to continue to read many of the blogs and blog hops that I follow. So keep on blogging!!! :)

Ann
“Better joy in a cottage than sorrow in a palace” Spanish Proverb
  Linking up at these blog hops:
Tea Cup Tuesday @ Martha's Favorites)
 Table Top Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life


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Thursday, July 26, 2012

Beachy Tablescape: Prepost Peek!

Hi, all! I have been so very busy! Another week almost gone and I still haven't had a chance to put together my tablescape. I have lots of items to share with you, but want it to be just "beachy" (hint, hint). I'm really excited, as it looks like we are very close to closing on our house (finally!!).  We are looking at moving about mid-August, so next week may be my last post for awhile, as we will be VERY busy!! Until then, I took a few close-up pics to wet your curiosity!!









 Are you curious, yet?
Stay posted. I'll be back next week with the finished tablescape. 
Can't wait to show you!
Have a great weekend!!!!
Ann
“Better joy in a cottage than sorrow in a palace” Spanish Proverb

  Linking up at these blog hops:

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Thursday, July 19, 2012

My Gardens Refreshed!!

Hi, everyone!! I 'm running behind with my posts, once again this week. It's been quite busy around my house, lately. We've been doing different projects, as well as adding a new Radon fan in our basement. We recently found we had high radon readings in our house. To get the full story you can go to a post from my other blog HERE. Each project completed means we are another step closer to moving into our lake cottage! Yay!!!


I've not been feeling very well this week, so this will be a short, but sweet post, as well.


What a wonderful morning we've had here in northern Indiana. For about 2 months we have been high and dry (and very hot), weather-wise. In fact, many of the local farmers have all but totally lost their crops this season....SEE NEWS REPORT (Photos of Corn Devastation in the Midwest)  We are surrounded by corn and soybean fields and most of them are 3/4 brown.  But this morning we FINALLY got a wonderful hard rain and thunderstorm! It's still a little humid, but the temps have dropped about 15 degrees from yesterday. My flowers and vegetables are SO happy, as well as my lawn. I took some pictures awhile back, when the heat was at it's worst. A few of my flowers actually not only survived, but some even seemed to thrive in this dry heat, while others suffered miserably. So, I thought I would share pictures of  some of the thriving flowers with you today.
A few  Lilies still showing off their gorgeous blooms!

 The Echinacea plant had just a few flowers....most wilted in the sun quickly after these small shoots opened up.
 A few around my waterfall survived a little better.(below)
 The Tiger Lilies were taller(about 4 feet) around my waterfall, also. Another grouping in my rock garden didn't get above 6 inches and never bloomed.
 Of all my summer flowers, my Balloon Flowers were the happiest.
 One of my Balloon Flowers starting to open up.
 An open Balloon Flower.
 Purple Salvia
 Some of my tomato plants, which also survived the heat, as long as I watered them every day.
Pink Hibiscus Bush....blooming earlier than usual.

I've been really drinking a lot of iced tea lately, since the weather has been so very hot. Looking forward to drinking some hot tea again soon and sharing some new table decor I purchased and am making.  I also hope to be sharing with you a new teapot I bought recently at a second-hand store. Hopefully I'll be feeling better and will have some awesome tablescape photos to share with you very soon.
 Till then, happy teatime. And depending on your location, stay cool! If it's raining where you're at, I hope you'll get to take a little time to do a little reading and relax.

Ann
“Better joy in a cottage than sorrow in a palace” Spanish Proverb
  Linking up at these blog hops:
Tea Cup Tuesday @ Martha's Favorites)
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Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Nautical!!


Today, I'm back to dreaming a little about decorating. You see, there's still a good chance we will be moving to the lake cottage and I would LOVE to decorate using some of my favorite styles. One of my newest favorites is a nautical theme!! 
I love sailboats, anchors, buoys, seashells, netting, starfish, etc!
I've been hopping around the internet and also on Pinterest.  It's also been awhile since I've posted anything "tea" worthy and have missed joining in many of the tea time blog hops. So, I thought I would combine my love of nautical and teatime....unfortunately I don't own any nautical teapots or cups. Maybe someday, but till then, I'm sharing some cute settings, decor, and tea stuff I found around the net!!!


I love nautical colors, especially blue and white, with a touch of bright colors here and there. The table setting and decor above are adorable and it looks like it may be teatime! Perfect!!


Oh, I adore sailboats!! This table above is just so perfect for a sunny lunch or just dessert!

If the weather is nice, sipping on tea on the patio, porch, or deck is so much fun!! Of course, I found another sailboat photo above and a couple of well padded wicker chairs makes the perfect spot!



   Or it would be fun to just have an outdoor party!

Source: squidoo.com via Ann on Pinterest

I love old photos and have seen several of people taking tea at the beach. I would love to do that someday!! Having a little 'cabana' or shed to keep the sand and wind from getting into the tea would be a wonderful idea, too!
Source: fotolibra.com via Ann on Pinterest


Here are some more pretty beach/nautical tablescapes:



Source: countrydoor.com via Ann on Pinterest

Isn't this teacup perfect for drinking tea on the beach? (Notice that the inside rim says, "Storm in a tea cup." I wonder what kind of tea would make the "perfect storm"?
Source: modcloth.com via Erin on Pinterest

This teacup would be perfect for having your tea on a boat!!!

This teapot is so original! Looks like they used a real seashell.....wondering if the ocean could be heard in that tea! :)

Another great ship teapot and matching cup!

I've begun collecting several nautical decor items already, but I'm just waiting to find the perfect tea set to share my own tablescape display. Hopefully soon you will be able to see those in a future post!

Well, hope you enjoyed my little viewing of  "nautical" tea things. Remember to stop sometime today, relax a few minutes, and sip on a cup of your favorite tea.

Ann
“Better joy in a cottage than sorrow in a palace” Spanish Proverb
Tea Cup Tuesday @ Martha's Favorites)
 Blog Hop Till You Drop @ Blog Hop Friday


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