I'm Conflicted Part 2

So, I mentioned yesterday that I'm of two minds.  (I think I like too many things - and - uh don't worry - Worker Bee is all too aware of this)

I love the sort of beachy look my living room is starting to take on.

But then I see things like this and I'm all in love again.

And, BTW, does anybody sell Greengate of Denmark in the good ol' USA?  please?  

So the color palette is similar to the beachy look I'm loving too.  But I see flowers.  Lots of flowers!  

Greens, blues, whites, and rosey reds.

Can someone please teach me how to crochet?  I love these little edges and I have no clue how to do them.

 Florals really have my heart too - just like the beach does.  Note the aqua settee.  Purrrrrrr. (oh that's right - I should say buzzzzzzz, but sometimes purr is the perfect onomatopoeia)

And vintage barkcloth florals?  Why they make my heart go pitter patter!

Green wall and vintage plates - more floral happiness, but it's probably the green wall that really gets me excited.

And then I'm drawn to the colors of this vintage pottery.

And this?  Why it's just a pretty little picture!

Now....your turn to weigh in.

Can my little cottage be both beachy and flowery? 

And I have to take into consideration what Worker Bee will be comfortable with.  

Would the flowers be too much?  

Will Sweet Bee Cottage start to have multiple personalities?  Will that be okay 

And here's a little something to remember 

the beachy look I'm dreaming about.

Buzzingly,

Wanna' see more inspiration?  Check out my "Now This Just Says Cottage to Me" board on pinterest.

I'm Conflicted

I am so torn right now.  I don't know what direction I want to go in.

I am in love with two ideas for Sweet Bee Cottage.

Two styles you might say.  

Two different directions I could start heading in with our little cottage.  

And because I am so stuck - I have made no progress.  

(Oh yeah - money might be a factor too!  LOL)

Sweet Be(e)ach Cottage is what I'm going to call what I'm thinking.  

(I know - corny - but I can't help it.  I think I was born corny.)

So I recently shared the apple green rug we bought for our living room....and I think....I'm slowly going beachy.

Come with me as I look for some inspiration...

Gorgeous whites, bleached woods, and shades of blue....but definitely not practical. 

Very cozy with reds and khaki which fits with what I have now (not counting the new apple green rug- LOL) but I want to have a different palette - less red I'm afraid. 

Love this cabinet, but there's no way I'm starting a coral or whatever collection.  However, I do have this jelly cabinet that we use as a game cabinet that I think would be adorable in this color.  

I found a wonderful blog/store with the sweetest cottage inspiration. I shamelessly pinned and pinned and pinned from The Distinctive Cottage.

I'm thinking about painting our heart shaped table a really soft buttery yellow - maybe not as bright as this yellow.  

And this inspiration board was what started the whole thing off!  

Here's my list of things to change....

1.  lampshades

2.  paint red heart table (in lower left foreground) a softer color - coral? raspberry? buttery yellow?

3.  change vintage floral pillows on two wicker chairs

4.  paint game cabinet aqua (no picture of that)

5.  paint mom's old dresser that's now my sofa table

6.  put shells or starfish or similar in wooden bowl

7.  paint back of bookshelves (red now - probably the same blue I painted the library bookshelves)

buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz - happy buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

So....is it crazy to have a beachy cottagey look when you are about 150 miles from the beach?

And I did mention I have another look that I am being drawn to.  

I'll have to share that in another post.  

Please share your thoughts....

And thanks for buzzing along with me.  It's always a treat to see you've stopped by.

P.S. You can see more beach inspiration here.

More from the Best Little Beach Cottage Evah!

I promised you I would show you the inside of the charming beach cottage we rented this summer.

We last stayed here just over 3 years ago.  There have been a few changes and all to make it even cozier and more welcoming.  Now there were 8 of us staying there so I really only got pictures of my room, but as we were leaving the cottage, I snuck back in and took some video.  It isn't quite as cute as when we checked in, but you can get a good idea.

I'll start with the room I stayed in....

Such a sweet pink and I adore the apple green cabinet!

One of my windows had doors!  So cute!

Lovely huge window with a view of the lovely front garden.

Apple green!  Apple green!  Apple green!  (Can you hear me singing that?)

You may have noticed - no closet!  Not much floor space - but perfect for a little beach cottage getaway.  I used the peg rack to hang my pjs on and anything else I needed.  

And now........

for the tour of the inside of the cottage......

I hope you enjoyed our jaunt to the beach!

The weather here is turning a bit cooler (if you can call high 90s cool) but now I have jury duty next week.  So much to do before I head back to school. 

Baby Bee starts a whole week before me and she only has three weeks!  YIKES! She is starting middle school and it is such a huge change.  She is going to miss her elementary school a lot!  I will too!

I also have the Big County Fair to get ready for!  The More Creative Bee and I hope to meet up this week to plan our tables and trees.  And I have furniture I am really, really hoping to get painted.  It might be an awfully busy week for me!

Thanks for buzzing along with me!  I promise next time I go to Journey's End I will take pictures of the darling little beach town too.  We love it!

The Best Little Beach House.....

Evah!!!

My family just spent the most delightful relaxing week at the beach!

We discovered this sweet little beach cottage 3 years ago when we came over for my mom's 70th birthday.  Ever since then we've all been dreaming about going back for a summer visit and we were finally able to book it this year!  Yeah!  

It's just perfect for our extended family of 8 – my mom, my brother and his wife, his two girls, and my little family of 3.

The cottage is called Journey's End and I thought you might enjoy getting a little video tour of the outside.

Please forgive my bouncy camera work....

(edited to fix the video - you can now see it)

Glad you got to come with me just little bit.

Summer is just buzzing along.  Is yours going too fast?

Thanks for your visit!

P.S.  I'll have more video and pics of the inside on my next post.  

Welcome Home....

Is it wrong to just feel so warmly welcomed when you pull up to your own home?

One of my favorite things about Sweet Bee Cottage is how inviting it looks as I drive up after work.  

Our kitchen is on the front of our house and it's where everyone always hangs out.

One day I'd like to have a little bit of a front porch on Sweet Bee Cottage, but for now, my cherry plates on the wall will have to impart that front porch cottage feel.

And there's always a little something to the left of the front door to welcome me home.

And then I glance at our address plaque that we bought at the Judy Buswell Studio in Willamina, Oregon on a trip Worker Bee and I took shortly before I got pregnant with Baby Bee.

I love it when a story goes with the things you own.

(By the way - we adored Portland!  I seriously could move there.  My favorite part of Portland you ask?   Why Java Man espresso joints!  First place I ever had a Mexican Mocha!  YUMMMMM!)

But I digress, as usual.....

And then there's Sam (the cat who thinks I belong to him) waiting and trying to break in.  

He's a sneaky one, that rascal Sam.

Waiting on the other side of the door?

 Why it's Worker Bee and Baby Bee all snug as bugs in rugs

•••••••and Worker Bee greets me at the door with a fresh latte•••••••

and we all snuggle into our evening at Sweet Bee Cottage.

Oh yeah!  Truth in advertising and all....Worker Bee DOES NOT greet me at the door with a fresh latte, but a girl can dream, right???

Thanks for buzzing by for a visit!

I hope one day, you too can stop for a visit and I won't let you down.  I'll have that latte waiting for you when you come in the door!

For the Love of Gingham

Are there certain patterns or prints that you are always drawn too?

Me?  I'm a gingham gal.  (Well, to be perfectly honest, I'm also a floral gal, a striped gal, and a polka dot gal.)

Which brings me to......

Gingham in the kitchen:

Gingham outside:

Gingham to wear:

Gingham for the house:

Gingham to craft:

(all images found on google or pinterest)

So.....are you a Gingham Gal?

Or maybe a Polka Dot Princess?

Perhaps a Fancy Floral?

Thanks for buzzing in!  

I am so glad to see you.