Summer Breeze

Today has been warm and breezy...the kind of day where you just want to be outside and on a beach somewhere.

Actually I did a little bit of both.  This afternoon I had lunch with my dear friend Anna, and we ate outside which was so wonderful this early in the year.  She filled me in on her recent trip to Costa Rica and some cool coastal ideas she has in the works, so when I got home I had to go hang out by the water for a bit, just to get a little beach vibe going.

I know summer is just around the corner and my whole being is craving it. Even my pictures reflect it with their beachy blues and greens.

If we continue to have weather like this, it won't be long before my flip flops are out of the closet and shorts and t-shirts become my new uniform.  Ahh, is there anything quite as wonderful as those warm summer breezes?!

Simply Put

In keeping with my Coastal Cottage Christmas theme, I decided to decorate my living room sparingly and mostly with natural elements.  On top of the TV armoire, I added numbered mixing bowls (which were a birthday gift from my daughter last year), and filled them with fresh cedar.  Starfish resting between each bowl adds a touch of beachy'ness and conveys the coastal feel that I wanted to have all throughout the house this year.  The two musical Santas on the far left are from the 1960s and bring back memories of my childhood as my mom put them out every year.   I also love that their bright red outfits add a pop of Christmas color to the room.

I filled my glass wall vase with sprigs of cypress and tucked a single white poinsettia blossom in it to continue the green and white theme.  The white chenille throw belonged to my grandmother, and most likely dates from the 50s.  The nautical themed pillow was a steal that I got from Williams-Sonoma Home last year, I think I paid $19 for it and it included the down insert and free shipping...woohoo!


 

Simply put, I didn't spend a dime on this decor, and you have to love that this time of year when spending can get out of hand.  

I hope you are all off to a great week, and that you've found your groove this holiday season!

In Shreds

I'm making progress on my Christmas decorating for this year.  As you may remember, I was torn between using all of my traditional decor, or going with a more simplistic and natural approach.  I finally decided to go with a more restrained look this year, and I'm embracing a coastal cottage look that I'm liking a lot.  I've also decided that I will try and only use what I have on hand or what I can find in nature.  My goal is to spend little or no money aside from buying some fresh greens that I can't find on my own.

There are still many more things to do...weird since simple should mean I'm done already right?!  What I have found is that simple isn't always easy.  I find it takes a lot more thought to use less and edit out the unnecessary yet still have it convey a festive look.  And I've always thought that I was a less is more sort of person, turns out I'm a more is more kind of person, but I'm liking moving over to the "light" side!

As much as I'm loving my pared down look for the holidays, I'm not loving some other things going on around here these days!  Like my email which is still giving me fits!  The fact that our son's tire blew out while he was driving home...thankfully he was fine!  The money I set aside to finish our backsplash is now going to 4 shiny new tires, which aren't cheap.  I dearly want my backsplash done, but I want our son to be safe WAY more!

And speaking of shredding, Misty Belle, yes that cute little pup, who is over a year old now, has taken to chewing on things!  The other evening while watching Glee in our living room I caught her nibbling on the skirt of the couch.  What the heck?!  She has never done that before! 

I guess sometimes, even when you are finding your groove in one part of your life, another part can be completely in shreds.  Let's hope she gets through this wacky phase quickly.  I know I've said I want a new sofa for my living room, but she didn't have to take it so literally, unless of course she has a puppy bank account with a furniture fund in it that I'm unaware of!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!