A Mix 'n' Chic Style Challenge

Hi guys!

I recently got an email from the Chairish.com site to participate in a style challenge - a Mix'n'Chic Style Challenge!  

I thought, sure, why not?  It might be fun......and it was!

You might be aware (tongue firmly in cheek) that I'm going beachy in my cottage with aqua, greens, blues, whites, and natural textures and I found several perfect items on the Chairish.com Shabby Chic Category that I thought would go together great!

So......here is my first style board.....evah!

I was asked to use items from their Shabby Chic category, specifically eight pieces, and I found this fabulous china hutch that was my inspiration piece.

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Don't you just love all it's vintage shabbiness?  

It's inspiring me for the one I'm making over (I hope - if it's still at the thrift store when I get there - fingers crossed, don't jinx it).  

Then I started poking around in the entire Shabby Chic section and I found this great table and industrial cabinet.  I'm a big fan of mixing a little cottage, a little industrial, and a lot beachy together.  

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I thought the table was fantastic with the white paint and zinc edging.  It's 72" in diameter and can seat 10.  

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And this industrial cabinet is just as it was found (and, bummer, it has already sold) and I thought it would make a great bar cabinet.  Such a great color!  I love finding something you can use in a new way. 

For seating I just love metal garden chairs - almost talked Worker Bee into getting some on clearance at World Market last summer, but he just rolled his eyes at me.  Sometimes you have to go with your gut and not push it with my poor husband.  Maybe someday he'll come around.  Anyway, I digress (such a perfect word for my blogging style).  

I found these fabulous aqua chairs at Dot & Bo.  Perfect for my casual beachy vibe I was going for on my first evah style board.  

Dot & Bo

 And, of course, you need to have an area rug for your dining room!  What could be more perfect than seagrass?  Why, it even has "sea" in it! (although, truth be told, I would probably go with a synthetic seagrass rug because they are so easy to maintain and clean)

Burke Decor

 I also used ChipIt! from Sherwin Williams to make the color palette.  All those beautiful beachy colors make my heart sing!

Do you see the little vintage rum bottle?  Found that on chairish.com too!

BTW, I just told Worker Bee I had finally decided what color I wanted to paint the dining room chairs and he said, "What?  You're painting those?"  Clearly he does not listen when I am going on and on about what I would like to do.  Probably a wise choice on his part.  But I've already gotten clearance from my mom (aka Sewing Bee) to paint them since they were originally hers, so it's a go.  Oh, and I want to paint them aqua!  I know!  You're shocked!  Pick yourself up off the floor.  You had to know it was coming.  (And, Worker Bee?  While I'm at it I'm recovering the seats too - with drop cloth! Hope that got your attention!)

And, you know I could add more to this, (oh Lord, Worker Bee and Baby Bee know for sure how much more I could add to anything) but I kept it simple, as if it were for somebody else.  Somebody who likes things clean and neat and not a bit cluttered like I do.  

Thoughts, people?  Yes, you, with your hand raised???  Just kidding dear friends!  I wouldn't call you out like that.  A little teacher on summer vacation humor!  

Thanks for buzzing by!  

P.S.  I was not compensated in any way by Chairish.com.  I just thought this would be fun and it finally got me onto Polyvore.  (Great, another thing to make me spend too much time on the internet.)

I've Got Time to Play!

So I played with dishes in the backyard!

I saw on Instagram there was a #summerdesignchallenge for a garden party and I thought it would be fun to play along.  Of course, I missed the deadline, but oh well, I had fun and I took enough pics to share with you!

I started with this table runner I picked up at Home Goods earlier in the spring.  It's perfect for where I'm heading with my sunroom/dining room.  

We have my parents old chippy picnic table and I love the way it looks.  However, Worker Bee is fed up with it.  He is worried about ingesting paint chips.  I told him it's good for the digestion, but he disagrees.  I just might have to repaint it this summer.  

Then I used my thrifted vintage Wedgewood Hedge Rose plates.

I added my vintage, probably antique, silver-plate flatware and napkins I bought at World Market.

I used the sweet aqua glasses I got from Pottery Barn and wine glasses my mom picked up for me at the pharmacy she used to work at.  They are made by Tag.

Finally, I used these aqua bowls from World Market.

Who knew?  My wine bottle even goes with the beachy colors!

And I am such a rotten friend.  I texted pictures of my little imaginary garden party to my friends teaching summer school.  Don't worry, I promised to have them over for a nice garden luncheon.

Now, can I serve you a lovely gazpacho soup?  Or perhaps a cold berry soup?

Thanks for buzzing' along!

Linking up to Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

And So the Aqua Quest Continues...

I am so obsessed with my beachy colors these days.  

OBSESSED I tell you!

I was just innocently entering the shipping information for a recent etsy sale and I decided I needed to search for aqua/turquoise pottery while I was there.  

And, of course, I found something.

The real McCoy, you know.

Should be here in a few days!  Can't wait!

Wanna' see what else I found?

etsy

etsy

etsy

So, what random things do you search for on etsy?

Thanks for buzzing in!  Such a delight to see you!

P.S.  And thank you so much for your kind words from my last post.  That's one of the things I love about this community!
P.P.S.  I bought the basket weave McCoy planters, but the rest are available on etsy…….for now…..

Step 1 (and a Teensy Bit of Step 2 Too)

Here's the first little project to send my little cottage to the beach.

When we were at the little beach cottage a couple of weeks ago, there was the cutest little dresser in the master bedroom.  (It was built into the wall, which I loved, but that just won't work at our house.)

Now.  Was I a good blogger and take a picture of it?  Of course not, so you'll just have to take my word for how adorable and beachy it was.

Here's what we started with…

And this is what we have now…

Simple.  The little dresser at the REAL beach house was pine and had a different knob on each drawer.  They were all in colors of blue, green, and yellow.   This is an end table in our living room/family room that started off as a nightstand in our bedroom but I'm of the "Anti-Matching Nightstand School" (yeah, there's night school for it and everything - I'll show you my diploma some day).

Wanna' know what we keep in there?

We keep our DVDs in there!  Please note the slight addiction Worker Bee has for The Simpsons.  (And he converted Baby Bee too!)

So Step 1 is complete.  Yeah, I know.  Too easy.  But, hey.  It's a start, right?  Weather is supposed to cool down a bit later this week so maybe…finally…..I'll get some painting done!  But no promises.

Oh and here's a tiny bit of Step 2 too.  

Found the perfect fabric for welting on our white denim slipcovered wing chairs in the "library."  

Currently they have a mustard/barn red gingham check for the welting, but we're replacing that with this…

Isn't it gorgeous?  And only $8 a yard for decorator fabric!  

Well, Baby Bee has a friend buzzing over for the night, so I better get dinner ready….yeah…ha…..calling out for pizza!  I know how to make those teenage girls happy!   

P.S.  And you'll never guess where I got the knobs.  No you won't.  Okay, you're right.  I found them at World Market.  (aka the "Bad Place")  Don't judge me.

P.P.S.  Linking up with….
Share Your Cup
&
Tweak it Tuesday
&
Show and Tell Friday

Have You Ever Loved a TV Kitchen?

Besides the Brady Bunch kitchen, right?

Well, I am in 

with the kitchen 

on

Damaris (I feel like I can just call her Damaris) was the winner of last year's Next Food Network Star.  Worker Bee and I enjoy watching that show and we were both fans of hers.  

She is quite quirky (does that remind you of someone?) and has a fun sense of humor and she is a culinary teacher (remind you of someone again?)  I find her quite endearing.

But in all honesty, as much as I like her and her show,

it's the KITCHEN I'm smitten with!

And it's not even the cupboards or counters that get me all excited.

It's the accessories PEOPLE!

I struggled to find images on the internet to show you all the delightful little containers and tools she uses.  And with my World Market Eagle Eye (yes, that is a medical condition and it can only be treated by frequent trips to World Market so you can spy new things to want with your World Market Eagle Eye) I noticed quite a few of the little aqua delights are from there.

 Not sure if the little birdie butter dish is still available, but most of the other items I saw at the store just the other day.

Best way to spot the cuteness for yourself is to watch the show!  I am not usually home when the show airs, but I catch it on demand.  

So what TV kitchen do you LOVE?

And what have you been making in your kitchen this hot summer?  Well at least it's hot here in Central California!  

My sis-in-law just sent me pictures of the flood at the lake they live on in Minnesota.  Sure wish they could send that rain our way.

P.S.  Notice the beachy colors?  I wondered if you were paying attention.

Sweet Bee-ach Cottage

Please forgive the spelling in the title.  I just couldn't resist.

I've come back from our beach vacation, freshly inspired.

When I first started blogging, I was all about the 1950s vintage cottage - inspired by vintage tablecloths.  I still have quite a bit of that style, especially in my kitchen, and I'll always love it, but I'm finding myself drawn more and more to the blues and greens inspired by the beach.  

So I'm going Sweet Bee-achy!

Now, I'm fully aware that I live about 130 miles from the beach, so I don't want to go too beachy.  I think it would look a bit ridiculous to have tons of sand dollars and shells in a house where we frequently have 10 or more days in a row of 100º+, but wouldn't the cool colors from the beach be so refreshing when it's so hot outside. 

In fact, at our wedding, Worker Bee promised to never grow tired of the colors blue and white, so I know he's fully committed.  Ha!

 Are you inspired?

I love seeing you've buzzed in for a visit! 

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

P.S.  Collage images snagged from my Pinterest board - I Left My Heart at the Beach.

I Left My Heart at the Beach (Again!!!)

Howdy!

I thought I was back on a roll with blogging and I guess I wasn't (since it's been at least 6 weeks since I've posted anything).  But I am vowing to get going again.  

And what better way to start off than with a another trip to the best beach cottage in the world.  Yes, all of the Sweet Bee Family spent another week at the beach in a small town on the central California coast.  And we get to go back next year too!!! 

Last year I showed you the main floor and the exterior.  Today I'm going to show you the upstairs loft where Sewing Bee (my mom) and Baby Bee (daughter) and Reader Bee (niece) and Cutter Bee (other niece) get to sleep.  

I'm pretty sure the second floor/loft was not original to the house.  You reach it by climbing up a narrow little staircase (not even room for a rail) and, right at the top of the stairs are…

And then you turn around and there's another bed…

I also spied this little lady…

I cannot resist a girl with a curved apron – and aqua knobs! (Does that just sound wrong?)

The family read and walked and ate and played and read and read and read some more.

 (Took these pics while we were driving - I wasn't driving, just passenging - and we loved how the fog just hugged the rock - Morro Rock that is, California's own Gibraltar.)

It was just a fabulous week.  

Came back here to 100º+ temperatures and not much motivation to get things done.  But today…yes today…I plan to clean out our entry way closet.  Maybe if I'm brave I'll even blog about that too.  The last time I did it was about 5 years ago and in the process, I backed up into a drawer I'd pulled out to clean and fell hard.  Broke the drawer.  Just about broke me too.  So wish me luck!  Or, better yet, pray I don't do that again.

Thanks for hangin' in there with me!  Hope it cools down  a bit so I can get outside and do some painting.  

I have been doing LOTS of reading!  I'll have to share some of my favorite ones with you.

Buzzingly,