beachy in the burbs

DECORATING: great idea for Expedit shelves!

2011-10-29T09:42:00.005-04:00

How cute is this little boy's room by Sarah over at Jack & Izzy? See how she put the Ikea Expedit shelves into the corner together? What a great idea... I love it!

CRAFTING: beachy oars!

2011-06-08T10:05:00.003-04:00

How cute is this oar makeover by frugal farmhouse design? Check out her posting with a how to here. Also be sure to visit the beach section of her shop online - super cute stuff!!!

{Image Credit: frugal farmhouse design}

SHOPPING: beachy blues @ World Market

2011-05-30T20:29:00.012-04:00

I stopped in World Market last weekend and wanted to buy everything in sight! They had so many beachy shades of blue and green, I wanted to buy all of it. My favorite though is their Campaign desk - I love the finish on it.

{1} World Market - Turquoise Candle Holders - $12-20 - click here {2} World Market - Campaign Desk - $230 - click here {3} World Market - Tablecloth & Napkins - $12-35 - click here {4} World Market - Shower Curtain - $30 - click here {5} World Market - Turtle Platter - $20 - click here {6} World Market - Ribbon Pillow - $20 - click here

SHOPPING: beachy loveliness @ PB Teen

2011-05-23T12:55:00.000-04:00

Am loving all the beachy decor at PB Teen!

{Image Credit: PB Teen}

{1} PB Teen - Canvas Stripe Curtains - $39-69 - click here and here

{2} PB Teen - Turtle Pillow - $35 - click here

{3} PB Teen - Coconut Shell Table Lamp - $59 - click here

{4} PB Teen - Fish Pillow - $35 - click here

{5} PB Teen - Floral Rug - $99-499 - click here

DECORATING: beach ball lights!

2011-05-23T10:00:00.003-04:00

I love these lights for a beachy nursery! You can find them for sale here, but they'll cost you a pretty penny at £275.00 each :(

{Image Credit: Apartment Therapy}

DISPLAYING: super cool wall art

2011-05-21T17:33:00.006-04:00

Came across this super cool wall art over at Picnics in the Park and had to share. Can you believe her husband made it himself? I love it! If you visit their blog, be sure to check out their nursery and kitchen redo - lots of vintage and turquoise! : )

{Image Credit: Picnics in the Park}

CRAFTING: pom pom garland!

2010-11-29T22:46:00.010-05:00

I'm going to try making some pom pom garland (the bright colors are perfect for our little lady) to hang with our Christmas stockings. Here are some that I love from around the web.

The above pic's are from: 1. Kiddley, 2. Google Images, 3. Google Images, and 4. armelle.

DISPLAYING: prints for our playroom

2010-11-24T13:42:00.000-05:00

We're trying to transition what has been our guest room and office into a playroom too. We're trying to make a small room work triple-time and get some use out of it after we've neglected it for months. One of the projects I'm trying to tackle is the artwork. All the prints that came down off the walls when we rearranged the furniture have been sitting in piles on the floor. I had been wanting to do something a little different, but not sure what. I really like what Emily from Emily A. Clark Interiors has done in her family room with some online images she found to create her own beachy artwork. You can see her finished display here. I especially love the octopus, which she downloaded here.

I also want to try to include some baby pic's of our little lady. I came across this pic posted by Kelly at Kelly Green Interiors and love how the baby photos are on display. I have two frames already that would be perfect for this.

DECORATING: new lamp

2010-11-23T08:00:00.004-05:00

I've had my eye on the Maskros pendant lamp at Ikea for awhile now and just finally picked one up! It comes in two sizes - HUGE and small, which is the one we chose. I absolutely love the big one and if you have the right space for it, it'd look fabulous. We have just a small room though, so the smaller lamp was a much better fit. It's going into what has become our guest room, office, and now play room for our little lady. We're clearing out the clutter and then we'll be hanging this lamp and some prints on the walls. I'll share pic's once we've finished.

Here's how it looks in a playroom over at Eva's House. I think they must have the larger-sized one, which looks great with high ceilings.

GIVING: Beachy Gifts

2010-11-21T01:37:00.020-05:00

Hi there! I've been MIA once again for what feels like forever with tons and tons of appointments and even a week-long hospital stay for our little lady - the poor girl just can't catch a break! We're all thankfully back home and hoping to stay hospital-free. I've just started Christmas shopping online and came across these beachy gifts that I thought I'd share. They're perfect for that beachy person on your list and they're all $20 and under!

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{1} Bunnies by the Bay - Skipit's Hit the Deck Shoes - $20 - click here {2} The Wheatfield, Etsy - Save Our Seas 8x10 Print - $15 - click here {3} Oiseaux, Etsy - Personalized Bookplates - $15 - click here {4} Anthropologie - Shell Measuring Spoons - $12 - click here {5} Pier 1 - Mini Stoneware Fluted Dish - $4 - click here {6} Earmark, Etsy - Personalized Nantucket Notes - $20 - click here

DECORATING: touches of blue

2010-07-20T13:50:00.012-04:00

I came across this pic on my home ideas and it makes me wish we had a porch or sun room with beachy seating like this. I love the touches of blue in the painting and cushions.

{Credit: Coastal Living Photo Credit: Peter Murdock}

I also really like this living room with the hint of yellow, light blue chairs and butcher block table, but I hope that table isn't for eating with a white couch against it. I wish we had room to fit a pair of chairs for extra seating in our living room, but we need extra floor space for our little lady's PT sessions.

{Credit: Cottage Living Photo Credit: Robbie Caponetto; Rex Perry}

And I absolutely love this kitchen! Of course this home is in Key West, where bright blues and greens go all year round. I think I'd love it year-round, even if I don't live at the beach : )

{Credit: Coastal Living Photo Credit: Tria Giovan}

Speaking of blues, I've been on a globe kick lately. My husband and I are addicted to the show Pawn Stars and we've been antsy to get out and go shopping at the local yard sales and flea marts. I have the perfect spot for a globe collection in our apartment and have been keeping an eye out for them. My inspiration is this great collection in lovely design's home. If you've never visited Sharilyn's blog, you must stop by. I adore her style and home. I wish our's could look as put together (and clutter-free)!

SHOPPING: searching for a comfy rocking chair

2010-07-07T11:56:00.010-04:00

We're searching for a rocking chair to add to our bedroom since that's where we do bedtime and late-night feedings. Our little lady LOVES to rock and so it's worth it to have two in the house (the first is in her nursery and we're keeping that one there for naptime and early evening feedings). There seem to be tons of gliders out there, but I really just want to be able to rock (honestly, gliding makes me a bit queasy).

I absolutely love the look of this rocking chair by Wigwam in the UK, but it doesn't seem to be available anywhere on the web.

I also love this old rocking chair in a nursery featured on Oh Dee Doh that was painted and reupholstered.

But for the most comfort, we're considering an upholstered rocker like this one from Target. I've checked out Land of Nod, PB, Babies R Us, Lazy Boy, Walmart, and the department stores, but they're all either pretty pricey or have awful reviews. This one is $450, which is still a lot, but much more reasonable than the others I've found online and it got two decent reviews.

Our search continues, so if you have any ideas or if you or someone you know has been pleased with their nursery's rocking chair, please share!

SHOPPING: seaside @ world market

2010-07-05T09:30:00.002-04:00

World Market has a super cute line of outdoor beachy products that include a set of napkins, table runner, pillows, chair cushions, and even matching floor pillows. ($12.99 & up). I especially love the napkins and pillows which would be cute indoors too.

CELEBRATING: happy 4th!

2010-07-04T22:07:00.001-04:00

Wishing everyone a Happy 4th - our little lady's first! : )

SHOPPING: seahorses @ urban outfitters

2010-07-03T09:51:00.006-04:00

Check out this oh-so-beachy duvet cover and matching shams with seahorses on sale at Urban Outfitters ($19.99 + $39.99).

DECORATING: super cool nursery in maritime blues

2010-07-01T04:03:00.004-04:00

How cool is this nursery featured on Oh De Doh? And it was sparked by a visit to the Camden Aquarium in South Jersey. I love this! You can check out more pic's and ideas by this nursery's designer here.

DECORATING: red, white, & blue

2010-06-27T13:19:00.009-04:00

We're excited to celebrate the 4th of July, our little lady's first! When it was just the two of us, I always used to want to - or had planned to - decorate for various holidays, but just never got around to it. Now that our little lady is here, I try my darned-est to at least put a few things up to make it extra special for her. Whether for the holiday or all year round, I love light blues and reds together - the combo looks so beachy. I especially love this red, white, and blue playroom and kids' room. Aren't they cute? And how about this cute vintagey kitchen? I love the bowls and curtains!

{Credit: House Beautiful's Red, White, and Blue Photo Credit: Eric Piasecki}

{Credit: BHG's Show Your Red, White, & Blue}

DECORATING: beachy is back

2010-06-24T14:35:00.004-04:00

I have no idea how often I'll actually be able to post here, but the little lady and I are having a nice {calm} week so I thought I'd take a moment to try returning to something I used to really enjoy - sharing beachy finds with you that I wish looked like our home or even life for that matter. I've always loved the beachy homes that we all see and love in magazines, but now more than ever after all that's happened to us and our little girl, I notice how neat these homes are. Too neat. Like unrealistically {is that a word?} neat. Our home has all white walls and it still never looks like the pages of Country or Coastal Living. For awhile it looked more like a hospital room with an IV pole, feeding tube supplies, and medications everywhere. Now it's beginning to slightly resemble say the messy version of a room in the Ikea catalog. Hey, at least it's a start to something resembling "normal" {whatever that is}. Here's today's find. Check out that breadbox!

{From: Country Living's Beach Cottage Style on Fire Island Photo Credit: William Waldron}

DECORATING: Beachy Kitchens

2009-09-16T21:55:00.007-04:00

It's been awhile and oh my, has lots been happening. Between doctor's appointments, sonograms (I'm coming up on my 5th? one this week, I've lost count), decorating the nursery, getting the lease signed with the tenants for our condo, family members visiting, and lots of shopping trips to get ready for the big day, it's been pretty hectic. We only have 2 weeks to go now 'til this little girl's arrival. I'm scheduled for a c-section the day before my due date. The nursery's just about complete and we're feeling (mostly) ready to go now. I promise to share nursery pic's soon! In the meantime, I wanted to share these cute kitchen pic's from Country Living. I love the shades of beachy turquoise and green. How great is the turquoise blender and toaster? Does anyone know where to find one? To see more, visit here and here.

EXPECTING: Decorating the Nursery

2009-06-22T15:45:00.018-04:00

We've finally gotten the boxes out of the kitchen, dining area, and living room! The nursery has been serving as storage for all the empty boxes and our guest room is holding all the still-packed boxes. We're slowly getting there! Thanks for all your sweet comments these past couple of weeks! I love reading them and haven't had a chance to drop by all your blogs, but will be as soon as we make headway in our new place. I just wanted to post a quick update on what I have in mind for our baby girl's room. I'm doing lots of pink with touches of oranges and light blues (like our wedding colors). Since we have white walls in our new apartment, I the touches of color should pop against the background of white. So far, we've received this cherry blossom/blue bird painting as a gift from our wish list:

...along with this cute area rug.

I can't wait to add these curtains:

And this Cracker Barrel rocking chair:

I switched from the Walmart Baby Mod crib I had picked out to this Dwell one at Target (which is $50 cheaper): To which I hope to add, this crib sheet:

And maybe this dust ruffle:

I also hope to add this matching changing table (also $50 less expensive than the Walmart one I had originally picked out), which provides some additional storage:

I'm thinking about switching out the metal knobs for these cute blue ones from Anthropologie (where I have a gift card!):

Which would make it look something more like this:

And isn't this pink and orange bird pillow cute?

I also love this nightlight. And I've had my eye on this orange and pink capiz light.

I also have a bunch of these orange and pink wood frames left over from our wedding for a project for the baby's room. I have enough to do the alphabet and am thinking about doing printed letters A through Z to hang on the wall together or trying to get each of our family members to hold up a printed letter and take a photo of them to frame. Since our family members all live more than 3-4 hours away, thought it'd be nice to have family pictures in the baby's room.

That's it for now... I can't wait to get started!

DECORATING: Had to Share

2009-06-10T10:51:00.010-04:00

We're all moved in now (thank goodness), but not yet unpacked (getting there). We picked up some mail from our old place and I had a Country Living magazine waiting for me - yay! I had to share these pretty, beachy pic's from this month's issue and their website. I can't wait to get unpacked, so that we can start decorating. Please keep your fingers crossed for us as we're hoping that our condo sells or rents soon - and then I can pick out a few new pieces for the new place!

{Photo Credit: Björn Wallander}

Check out this cool website for vintage prints like the one above. {Photo Credit: Aimee Herring}

{Photo Credit: Aimee Herring}

{Photo Credit: John Coolidge}

{Photo Credit: Robin Stubbert}

SHOPPING: New Decor for New Digs

2009-05-28T21:41:00.001-04:00

We're moving! We'll be renting our condo out and moving to a bigger space to make room for baby. While we're sad to leave our current neighborhood, we're excited to spread out into more space in a cute area just outside the city. This condo was never really big enough for the two of us, but especially now that there will soon be three of us. Moving is never fun (the past week or two has been chaos) and we just can't wait to get settled into the new place. We'll have a balcony, fireplace, bigger kitchen, and central a/c! For our new balcony, I adore these outdoor rocking chairs painted in beachy green ($130). They also come in a beachy gray color. It'd be great to have a rocking chair for rocking the baby outside on summer nights. The plan for our new space is to have a guest room for visiting grandparents. Since we'll be using what little closet space we can get for storage, we'd like to try to fit a wardrobe in the guest room for stowing suitcases and clothes. I like this Aspelund wardrobe, new at Ikea ($179) which is on the smaller side and in our price range. Ikea also has a matching Aspelund bed in full/double and queen sizes ($150 + $179).

DECORATING: Home Office + Guest Room

2009-05-21T13:55:00.004-04:00

I'm getting so excited to decorate our new (much larger) space! I came across this pic today on House Beautiful and love all the touches of white. I want to do my home office (I'll be working from home once the baby arrives) in mostly white with pops of light blues and greens. We'll be using the master bedroom as an office and guest room, so that our bedroom can be down the hall instead, next to the baby's room. I'm thinking of using our Ikea white bookcases and finding some pretty curtains to hang from the ceiling to divide the space between the guest room and home office. It's a pretty large master bedroom and our plan is to also use the huge walk-in closet to create an office for my husband (3 spaces in one room!). If you come across any pic's online where they show a divided space, please include the link in a comment. I'm looking for ideas. Thanks!

{Photo Credit: Michael Price}

DECORATING: Beachy Coat Rack

2009-04-19T18:25:00.003-04:00

Last summer I had discovered a pretty large piece of driftwood on the beach near my inlaws' beach house, had dragged it to their house, and then forgot to put it in our car before we left. I was annoyed with myself then for forgetting and even more so now after seeing this fabulous coat rack on Sunset's website. I'm definitely going to be on the look out this summer at the shore and will not be leaving any driftwood behind!

{Photo Credit: Rob D. Brodman, Jess Chamberlain}

SHOPPING: For Baby... Let the Fun Begin!

2009-04-14T20:07:00.018-04:00

We're not doing much decorating these days with the possible (likely) need to move in the very near future with baby on the way, so this is just window shopping (and a little daydreaming) for now. If we had a girl (please let it be a girl!), I'd love to do these colors - baby blues with bright pinks and oranges - in her room. I wanted to tuck these ideas away to remember them for later, when it's time to decorate for baby. You can't help but think of cherry blossoms this time of year in DC and after our recent visit to see them at the tidal basin, I'm hooked. I came across this Cherry Blossom Birdies Canvas Reproduction painting by Posh Tots while looking through baby shops online and love it ($127).

I love this Garden Stepping Stones Rug by Posh Tots ($86).

And I adore these Pink Damask Printed Crib Sheets by Dwell Studio at Target ($14.99). I especially love the pattern because it matches a duvet cover I have by Dwell that I bought from Target years ago. It'd be perfect to add to a bed in the baby's room for when we need to catch some zzz's alongside baby and to also use for visiting grandparents (since wherever we do end up moving to will surely be a small space - we shall see).

I'm really not crazy about the prices of cribs, but do love this simple one by Baby Mod at Walmart ($300). It also received pretty decent reviews, which is nice. I also love this mosquito netting from Ikea for hanging over the crib - does anyone know if that's not safe for any reason? ($20). How cute is this pink and white Glider by Dwell Studio at Target? ($180 + $80) Next I'll pick out some boy colors! : )

TRAVELLING: Cherry Blossoms in DC

2009-04-13T18:33:00.006-04:00

Forgive me for being completely MIA! So much has happened in the past few months... The night before we left for Grand Cayman, I was up late packing for our trip and I told my husband that I was feeling SO bloated and jokingly said that I was either getting really fat or I was pregnant. I started connecting the dots and thought wait a second, could I be, nah, well maybe... I ran to the bathroom to take a test. As my husband was falling asleep in bed, I sat there trying to figure out whether the darn thing was showing 2 lines or 1.5 lines or what! I took another test to be sure and it was definitely two lines! I ran out to tell my husband, "look, two lines, two lines!!" But he didn't know what that meant and went back to sleep (I didn't bother trying to explain or wake him up - instead, I jumped online to see how reliable pregnancy tests are). A few weeks later, it was confirmed at the doctor's office and my husband finally believed it was really happening. It's been a bit of a whirlwind since. Just a month or so after finding out we were expecting, I was laid off by the architecture firm I had been working with for the past two years. I was never happy in the position - a super controlling boss, messy office, and too many not-so-nice colleagues - but I really wasn't expecting to be laid off. It happened at the end of the day on a Monday after my boss gave me work to do that morning that I was never going to be able to finish because he was letting me go at the end of the day. The way it was handled made me feel like he put as much thought into how to let me go as he has into how to run his business (into the ground). I won't go into the details, but this guy spent and wasted thousands of dollars and then surprise, surprise, he ran out of money. That night was terrible. I've never felt so awful before. I've never been let go from ANY job before until this one. My husband was so sweet though, bringing home pink hydrangeas for me and making us dinner. I couldn't help but cry all through the meal though. But the very next day, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted. I hadn't felt better in some time. Obviously, I was terrified of what could lie ahead financially with a mortgage payment to make and a baby on the way. But it felt incredible not to have to go back to that awful place. It made me realize how unhappy I'd been. I got on the networking and job searching right away and a contact put me in touch with another architecture firm. I was laid off on a Monday and hired by this other firm that Thursday morning. We're so incredibly fortunate and blessed that it worked out that way. The new firm is family friendly and allows me to work remotely. I really like it so far and can't believe I didn't just leave the previous job sooner. So after all this and with so many unknowns about whether we'll stay in our current condo or try to move, my husband and I decided that after living in our nation's capital for about 4-5 years now, it's time we finally see the cherry blossoms that DC is known for. We went two weekends ago at the height of the festival, with the blossoms in full bloom. They were gorgeous... the crowds not so much... but we were still glad we got to see them (finally).

This dog is not our's, but one that I had to snap a pic of - he sat there patiently for his owners. As they told him to smile, he'd grin and show his teeth! It was so darn cute!

We were aiming for the cherry blossoms, but got the long line of port-o-potties instead!

VISIT: National Cherry Blossom Festival, Washington, DC, www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org -The festival is now over, but there are still some cherry blossoms in bloom here in DC.

SHOPPING: Finally!

2009-02-23T21:37:00.003-05:00

You may remember a previous post I did on our sofa search. At that time, the Marlo sleeper sofa from Pier 1 was $699. The price then dropped to $599 and then recently it went on clearance to $499. This price was much more within our budget and we desperately needed a sleeper sofa to be able to have overnight guests - we live in DC, but our families and a lot of our close friends are in the Philly/Jersey area. After stopping by about four different Pier 1 stores here in the DC area, I was finally able to locate the LAST ONE available in a store in Maryland. We went to check it out and they would only show us the cushions since the couch had been moved to their back room where customers are not allowed. We couldn't believe that even though we were about to spend $500, we weren't even allowed to take a peek at the actual couch. My husband kept teasing me about this saying that we were about to buy some very expensive cushions! But at this price and the fact that it was the LAST one in the entire DC/VA/MD region, I really didn't want to argue with the staff who were extra helpful and were just following store policy. We ended up filling out a Pier 1 credit card application to get an extra 10% off and free shipping, so we paid about $450 for the couch! It's being delivered this week - we can't wait!

GARDENING: Daydreaming of Spring Flowers

2009-02-11T16:36:00.003-05:00

This image on Country Living's website caught my eye... I would love to have flowers spilling off our window ledges, but our small budget had our boxes looking pretty wimpy last spring and summer compared to these. It makes you wish spring would get here already, doesn't it? I hope this warm weather we're having lasts through the weekend!

{Photo Credit: John Peden}

DISPLAYING: Organized Kitchen

2009-02-04T13:34:00.003-05:00

I love e-newsletters from My Home Ideas. It just makes my day when one arrives to my inbox. Full of great ideas, I always end up linking over to their website to click through all their gorgeous photos. I especially love this (very) organized kitchen. I love the idea of putting a shelf over a window, but maybe for a window garden instead of jars of spices. Has anyone ever tried this? Maybe a shelf from Ikea might work?

{Photo Credit: Thomas J. Story}

DECORATING: Cozy Den

2009-01-27T17:00:00.004-05:00

I received an e-newsletter today from My Home Ideas and this den caught my eye. It's so cozy and the couch is in the corner like one would need to be in our small living room. I really want to try adding a couch in the corner in our room with a variety of framed prints above like this, but we're holding off a bit longer for a new couch after our getaway to Grand Cayman [which was worth every penny!]. Don't you love the coral pillows? They remind me of the one that Pier 1 had on sale for awhile.

{Photo Credit: Robbie Caponetto}

TRAVELLING: Greetings from Grand Cayman

2009-01-24T16:20:00.004-05:00

While others were venturing into DC for the inauguration, we couldn't wait to get out and away from the crowds and traffic. It had been a mess the week before getting to and from work on the bus and when both our offices were closed due to security, we planned a last minute escape to Grand Cayman. We're so glad we did! We enjoyed a week in 80 degree weather (except for a day when the wind kicked up a bit and it felt "chilly"). We went swimming, laid out on the beach, walked to Georgetown, visited the Butterfly Farm, held baby sea turtles at the Sea Turtle Farm, went 100 feet below on the Atlantis Submarine, and strolled along the beach. It was great! Now we're back to the cold and 'real world' with work on Monday (boo). Hope everyone had a nice week! VISIT: Grand Cayman, http://www.caymanislands.ky

DINING: Perfect Soup Weather

2009-01-14T16:04:00.007-05:00

The Nest has a small collection of Italian recipes and I had to share this one. It's the perfect weather for soup - when is it going to snow? it's freezing! - and I'm hoping to give this one a try for dinner one night soon. I just have to dust off our blender that has been banished to the kitchen cabinet above our fridge (which only my husband can reach).

Crema Di Pomodoro (Tomato Soup)

Ingredients: 8 ripe tomatoes, quartered and seeded 3/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, plus additional for garnish 1/4 cup olive oil, plus additional for garnish Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 4 thin slices fresh mozzarella, cut into 3 strips Directions: In a blender, combine half of the tomatoes with the basil, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until the volume is reduced, then add the remaining tomatoes. Blend on high at least 1 minute, until the mixture is fully blended, smooth, and frothy. Pour into bowls, top with the mozzarella strips, and drizzle with oil. Garnish each soup with a leaf or two of additional basil. If you wish, chill the ungarnished soup in the refrigerator before serving. {Excerpted from The Cooking Club Cookbook by Katherine Fausset, Sharon Cohen Fredman, Rebecca Sample Gerstung, Cynthia Harris, Lucia Quartararo, and Lisa Singer with permission from Random House, Inc. copyright © 2002}

DECORATING: Vintage Charm in West Virginia

2009-01-14T15:29:00.004-05:00

If you receive Country Living's e-newsletters, you may already have checked out their 2009 House of the Year featured in today's email. I adore the touches of turquoise - aren't the chairs fabulous? The bedroom is oh-so-romantic. I especially love the chandeliers hanging above each nightstand. The bath is by far my favorite though - the sink, vintage framed mirror, light fixture, burlap curtains, and old wood door - it's just perfect!

{Photo Credit: Keith Scott Morton}

COLORING: Mellow Yellow

2009-01-12T17:18:00.004-05:00

I mentioned yellow in a recent post and how while it may not be a 'favorite' color of mine, I've been finding that the more I look around in our home (now that some of the clutter is gone - yay!) that it has really popped up throughout our kitchen and living room areas as an accent color. It's really starting to grow on me. It all started with a small (okay, BIG) collection of pineapples. My husband still likes to tease me about this even though I cut way back. There are now just two pineapples hanging on the wall - a wood-carved one I picked up in New Orleans years ago and a beaded one that was a find at a thrift shop in South Jersey. But the yellow has carried over to other things I love. An old yellow chair that was a gift from my Grandpop from their beach house. A yellow, green, and blue tablecloth that I found on clearance at Anthropologie. And a pastel yellow measuring cup in a set we received as a wedding gift - they're now hanging in our kitchen. I received one of the House Beautiful e-newsletters last week and this cottage got my attention. It has beachy elements and check out the yellow accents. You can see the rest of the space here in the article by Frances Schultz about designer Leslie Klotz's work on this cottage in the Hamptons. Of course the entire home is fabulous - it's in the Hamptons, so of course it is. My favorite is the dining space below with yellow seahorses on display and matching yellow on the chairs. It's amazing how just those small additions of color really pop in the mostly white space. It's making me want to paint our small kitchen white.

{Photo Credit: Laura Resen}

SHOPPING: Vintage Chalkboards on Etsy

2009-01-11T19:21:00.009-05:00

With all the New Year's resolutions, it's a great time to add a chalkboard to your kitchen or home office for making and crossing off those to do lists. I love, love, love this vintage framed chalkboard posted by Blue Bell Bazaar ($68). And isn't this antique window frame gone chalkboard just perfect by This Simple Life ($35). For something a tad smaller, check out this cute board by Craftesania ($7.50). This board offers pretty ribbon - this one in a beachy green - by Rowans Room ($65). You can get the decorative nail in the pic here ($8). This board by Catjtthomas is cute in white ($28). SHOP: Etsy, www.etsy.com

SHOPPING: Fun Finds @ CB2

2009-01-11T17:47:00.011-05:00

It's a new year, which means new products! I love this time of year because the beachy colors are finding their way back into stores and catalogs. Check out these fun finds at CB2 that offer a splash of color and modern twist. I love this Marimekko Bedding ($29.95 -$109.00). It could look great as a set or by just adding the shams to a white quilt. We've all seen various versions of the metal bins and baskets. I love this take on it, a 9-cube wall shelf, for hanging to collect mail and what not ($89.95). I also adore this white chair - which reminds me of Ikea's OLLE chair that comes in birch and black ($34.99) - but while CB2's version is cute in white, it's also really expensive ($149 each). And speaking of chairs, I also love this Surf Office Chair in sunny yellow. I find that yellow isn't a favorite color of mine, yet I find various shades of it finding its way into my kitchen and living room ($229.00). This console table is great for a small space like our's because of its depth at only 14 inches ($279). It's also a great table for displaying a collection of sea glass and beach finds in pretty glass jars. Don't these vases kind of look like buoys? ($6.95-$9.95) Here's another great vase - this is a bargain and a great way to display some sand or pebbles from the beach with a flower on display ($1.95 each). SHOP: CB2, www.cb2.com

CELEBRATING: Our Best Christmas Yet

2009-01-11T17:12:00.004-05:00

It feels like forever since I've been online! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year's! We had a great holiday, our first one married and our first one being in the same place together for Christmas. While we were dating and then engaged, it was just so much easier to drive up together and then go our separate ways - he to Philly, me to Jersey. This year though, we went first to Philly together and celebrated Christmas Eve with his family over dinner and dessert. Santa visited the neighborhood on a firetruck and gave bags of oranges and apples out to the little ones - even he's getting healthy! We also enjoyed opening stocking gifts with his family. At the end of the evening, we drove over to Jersey to go to Christmas mass with my Grandmom, then stayed the night at my parents' house. My Mom still makes us "kids" (30, 19, and 13) wait at the top of the steps until she and my Dad have their coffee and the Christmas tree is lit. It's been awhile since my husband (who is the youngest of three in his family) has had to do that, so he got a kick out of it. We also enjoyed homemade lasagna at my Grandmom's house later that night. As part of my Christmas gift, my husband planned a surprise and took me to see the Nutcracker by the Washington School of Ballet at the Warner Theatre here in DC. It was my first time seeing it and I absolutely loved it! I loved how they incorporated cherry blossoms to represent the ones we have here in our nation's capital and I also loved the blue fairies (below). We enjoyed another show on New Year's Eve. We went with friends to see Legally Blonde. I think it was a bit too girly for my husband and my girl friend's husband, but it was a lot of fun. This was by far our favorite Christmas, since we got to celebrate with each other and with both families and then enjoyed time together back in DC. I'd love to hear what you all did over the holidays! What was your favorite part?

DECORATING: Christmas snuck up on us this year...

2008-12-23T12:02:00.004-05:00

This post should actually fall under "Lack of Decorating." I'll admit that since my last post, I still haven't done any Christmas decorating. It feels like Christmas snuck up on us this year and we were caught off-guard and completely unprepared. I'm usually the type of Christmas shopper that picks little things up throughout the year when I see something that someone would love, so that by December I'm pretty much already done shopping. Not this year. With our wedding and honeymoon this past spring, settling into our first home together this summer, taking weekend road trips throughout the fall, and keeping up with our jobs and family gatherings in Philly and Jersey, this year has flown by in a whirlwind of activity. So this year, I'll just have to enjoy seeing all of the gorgeous holiday decorating online. Next year though, watch out because I'm going all out. I have a closet full of ornaments - many were gifts to us at my bridal shower and our wedding - and other decorations that I've been saving over the years. My kitchen cabinet is bursting with our "good" plates and serving platters, just calling out to be used for a family gathering. I can't wait : )

{Photo Credit: Coastal Living, Courtesy of Southern Living}

Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas! It's almost here...

SHOPPING: Christmas is almost here!

2008-12-16T16:59:00.009-05:00

Christmas is almost here and we haven't decorated, shopped, or baked yet! It's just been a really busy few weeks both at work and home as we have been trying to get our heat fixed, rearrange furniture in the condo, and attend holiday parties, happy hours, and dinners with friends and family members. With all the rushing and driving around, we haven't been feeling quite in the spirit just yet, so I surfed the net to try to get inspired to do a little beachy holiday decorating. I came across this seaglass garland for the tree and had to share ($34.00). And this seahorse stocking! ($28.00) Isn't this Santa just great? ($180) I love this stocking - if only it weren't so darn expensive! ($92.00) I love this seaglass angel from Etsy seller Ocean Gypsy ($10.00). And adore this seaside cottage by Etsy seller Tropical Cottage ($99.95).

SHOPPING: Metal Chargers

2008-12-15T23:25:00.004-05:00

For those who have dropped by to say how much they like our new hammered metal chargers (aren't they great? I love them!), here is a less expensive metal charger from World Market. These look much better in person than in the image online. I loved these on the spot when shopping in the store. ($12.99, temporarily on sale for $10.39 each). SHOP: World Market, www.worldmarket.com

GIVING: Winner of the Sparkling Shell Ornament!

2008-12-15T11:42:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the delay in posting this! We've been without any heat in our condo and it was freezing a few nights this week. We have radiators from the 1920s and they're not the most reliable. We're still working on getting them fixed. Anyway, the winner of the Sparkling Shell Ornament is: princess210 Congrats! I'll email you to collect your contact info for shipping purposes. Thank you again to Hide Tide Creations for this great giveaway and thanks to all of you lovely ladies for your comments! It was a lot of fun reading them!

TRAVELLING: Shopping in Pennsylvania

2008-12-02T13:13:00.006-05:00

We enjoyed a great weekend visit to Jersey and PA to visit our families for Thanksgiving. This was our first Thanksgiving married and together in the same place! Each year prior to this one while we were dating and then engaged, we would drive up from DC together and then go our separate ways (our families live just an hour apart on either side of the Walt Whitman Bridge). As this weekend of visiting family came to a close, we took a detour on Saturday before coming back to DC. We visited West Chester, PA to (finally) exchange a wedding gift at Simon Pearce - an artist known for his handmade glass and pottery. This is the glass bowl we had received (the smaller of the two). While it was nice, we had received so many bowls, that we decided to exchange it for something we'd get a bit more use out of.

We exchanged the bowl for four hammered metal chargers and a spoon rest. So we can only have two people over for dinner : ) which is just perfect for now anyway in our teeny tiny place! I especially like the spoon rest because it's simple and pretty enough to be used on the dinner table for resting a serving spoon on.

If you live in or will be visiting the PA area, I recommend stopping by. It was a little out of the way (not near the main street area of West Chester), but neat to visit. They have glass blowing on the first floor as you walk in and then the shop on the second level is filled with all the glass, pottery, wood, and metal pieces you could possibly imagine. It's pretty pricey, but they also had a section of marked down items that are just a tad off (not 'perfect' enough for full price). They also had a nice restaurant where we had lunch. The quiche was great!

Our next stop after Simon Pearce was Terrain. I had read about this new shop in Philadelphia Magazine. It was created by the same guy who started the company who manages Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie, which happen to be headquartered in the former Philadelphia Naval Base in Philly (I used to work in the Base before moving to DC).

As you walk up, it's like a Christmas Wonderland filled with wreaths, trees, and pointsettas. As it got darker outside, it looked even more amazing with the Christmas lights hanging above. The shop is very much like Anthropologie with lots of stationary and spa-like products (soaps, lotions, and what not), but the big difference is all the gardening products (containers, tons of plants, and decorative items).

Both stops made for a nice day visit before hitting the road and sitting in all the post-Thanksgiving traffic. We got stuck in tons of traffic even though we drove back to DC on Saturday evening. I guess everyone was thinking the same in wanting to get back early to avoid the traffic on Sunday.

VISIT: Simon Pearce, www.simonpearce.com, West Chester, PA -and- Terrain, www.terrainathome.com, Glen Mills, PA

{Don't forget about the giveaway! Last chance to leave a comment is this Saturday.}

GIVING: More Giveaway Fun!

2008-11-22T10:26:00.005-05:00

I love this giveaway with Etsy seller Hide Tide Creations! I adore their shell products and they are kindly giving away one of their Sparkling Shell Ornaments. It is a six-inch metal star embellished with small shells and small swarovski crystals at each point and in the middle. It can be hung on a Christmas tree or displayed in your home or office. I just love it!

For Your Chance to Win:

Visit Hide Tide Creations and peek through their beachy products. Leave a comment here noting which is your favorite. Also - if you'd like to share any ideas about how you like to use or display shells in your holiday decorating, please do share in your comments! Leave your comment by Saturday, December 6th for your chance to win.

About Hide Tide Creations:

They are three sisters and a sister-in-law who have always enjoyed using seashells in their homes. Growing up along the West Coast of Florida, they spent their summers on various Florida beaches and fell in love with the beauty of shells. They add special embellishments such as new and vintage crystals, rhinestones, buttons, brooches, and faux pearls.This is an image from their workshop.

SHOP: Hide Tide Creations, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5922378

TRAVELLING: Essex, Connecticut

2008-11-22T09:59:00.004-05:00

We had a great weekend trip to Connecticut last weekend. We went to visit friends and to be there for their baby shower, but we also got to play tourists on Saturday. They took us to the coastal town of Essex. It was so cute!

I especially liked these shops. The French Hen 16 Main Street Essex, CT Tel: (860) 767-7781 Weekend Kitchen 6 North Main Street Essex, CT Tel: (860) 767-1010 Website: http://www.weekendkitchenct.com/ Blog: http://weekendkitchenct.blogspot.com/ The River House 51 Main Street Essex, CT Tel: (860) 304-8480 Website: www.river-ct.com It was really nice and would probably be even prettier on a spring or summer day. It rained off and on the Saturday that we were there, so it happened to be gray and drab all day long. Still fun though and worth a visit if you're going to be in the area! VISIT: Essex, Connecticut, www.essexct.com

GIVING: Winner of the Sand Dollar Necklace

2008-11-22T08:48:00.011-05:00

We have two winners! Thanks again to Courtney for doing this great giveaway! The first winner of the sand dollar necklace is: ALICE Check out Alice's blog here for some great kitchen decorating ideas and recipes too! Yay! Congrats! Alice, please email me here to collect your prize.

To find out who won the second necklace, go here.

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Here's a list of all your favorite beaches:

- Beaches all along the Gulf, the white sand and clear water is gorgeous - Langue de Barbarie (Senegal), a beach right in the middle of the river and sea meeting - Cape May, New Jersey

- Wells Beach, Maine

- San Francisco, California

- Tokyo beach

- Long Beach Island, New Jersey, from the Barnagat Lighthouse to the end of the island

- The Cove, Barbados

- Cape May Point, NJ

- Siesta Key and Destin in the Sarasota area

- East Beach, Rhode Island

- Maui, Hawaii

- San Clemente, CA

- Ocean City, New Jersey

- Kid's Beach in Kona, Hawaii

- Islands of Terengganu in Malaysia

- Lanikea on Oahu, Hawaii

- This beach here in Australia

- Stone Harbor, New Jersey

- Oahu, Honolulu, Hawaii

- Miami Beach, Florida

- A beach near San Diego, CA

- Mary Lake, Minnesota

- Moonstone Beach, South Kingstown, Rhode Island

- This beach somewhere on the California coast, about 15 miles out of San Francisco

- Belize

- Leadbetter in Santa Barbara, California

- The beach in front of the Four Seasons Wailea, in Maui, Hawaii

- Megans Bay Beach, St. Thomas

- Santa Monica Beach Station 7, California

- Paradise Cove in Malibu, which is known as Stretch Mark Beach

- Jost Van Dyke's (B.V.I.) beach area at the Great Harbour

- Mombasa, East Africa

- Trunk Bay, St. John, US Virgin Islands

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I can't name just one favorite beach, so I'll share a few of mine with you.

- Cape May, New Jersey

We both grew up going here, and now my husband and I still visit here together. We love it. My family likes to go every summer together. My sister and I love The Whales Tale. If you go, be sure to check it out in the Washington Street Mall. It's further down the Mall towards Congress Hall.

- Ocean City, New Jersey

We both grew up making day trips now and then to Ocean City, but had never spent much time there because both our families had houses in Cape May when we were growing up. We decided to marry in Ocean City though for a number of reasons - it was much more affordable than Cape May, much closer to the Philly Airport for our friends and relatives flying in, it offered this big gorgeous hotel for our reception and overnight guests traveling in to be with us, and the Catholic Church in town was more than happy to work with us. We had this amazing wedding weekend there and now it will always have a special place in our hearts. We especially loved having a moment on the beach together after our ceremony when our photographer captured this photo.

- Praiano, Amalfi Coast, Italy

This was our first trip together. Praiano is this little town between Amalfi and Positano and there's this tiny beach at the bottom of the cliffs. You have to walk down about about a million steps to get there, and then of course back up them when you want to leave! Just after we started dating, my now-husband told me that he had something to tell me. I of course thought there was someone else or he was about to break up with me. We had only been dating about a month at this point. Turns out that he had already applied (before meeting me) for a semester abroad in Istanbul, Turkey for his graduate program. He would be away for five long months. I think he would have stayed if it weren't for me insisting that he go. I mean what if we weren't even together in a month or two and he gave up going to Istanbul - we had JUST started dating. Well, we kept dating and when it came time for him to leave, we planned to meet during his spring break in Italy along the Amalfi Coast. It was probably our best trip ever! I accidentally ruined all my pictures by carrying the film in my bag, which went through security. I've asked my husband if we can go back to re-take all the beautiful photos, since now I have my digital camera - and learned my lesson about the film and security x-rays not mixing : )

- Taormina, Sicily We went to Sicily for an amazing honeymoon where we got to meet my distant relatives (our favorite part of the entire trip!). It was the most memorable experience that we'll never ever forget. We stayed in this beachy tourist spot, Taormina. Down the road and then down about two million steps, was this rocky beach full of sea glass. I LOVED it and we spent the afternoon collecting as much sea glass as we could carry back up all those steps.

SHOP: Courtney Anne Designs, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6174218

GIVING: Last Chance... Beachy Necklaces

2008-11-20T14:53:00.006-05:00

Forgive me for being away online for too long... we just recently returned from another lovely weekend getaway - to Connecticut this time (photos coming soon!). It was six hours there and six hours back on the train and we returned home feeling exhausted and under the weather. We feel completely drained after three weekends in a row of travel and are now (finally) looking forward to being in DC this weekend! Just wanted to post a reminder that today is the last day for a chance to win one of these two lovely necklaces! If you haven't already, go here to leave a comment for your chance to win. The winners will be announced tomorrow! I have another giveaway that I'll post on Saturday - yay! Thank you to all of you lovely ladies for your comments so far. I've been awful lately in posting and commenting over these past few weeks with all the travel we've been doing. It makes my day to hear from each of you and I look forward to catching up on all of your blogs this weekend! : )

TRAVELLING: Sperryville, Virginia

2008-11-14T00:56:00.003-05:00

I planned a surprise road trip for my husband's birthday this past weekend. We drove just two hours west of DC to Sperryville, Virginia on Friday after work. Unfortunately, we got stuck in rush hour traffic. When we finally made it there, we were greeted by tons of BIG dogs - I think there were two Labs and three St. Bernese Mountain Dogs. The place turned out to be really cute! We stayed in a restored Carriage House at a vineyard. The Carriage House was like our own little cottage and it had a deck that overlooked a stream and the view of the nearby mountains. On Saturday, we enjoyed a nice breakfast and got to meet the dogs again. Bo liked sitting on the deck waiting and hoping for some of the delicious, homemade muffins. We ventured out for another surprise for my husband - a trail ride at a nearby ranch in Hume, Virginia. We arrived early and got to meet all 30 or so horses and fed a few some apples and crackers. We were waiting for things to get started and a school bus pulled in. It turns out that the other 28 of the group of 30 were school kids from Leesburg. Luckily, we got to hang out at the back of the long (loud) line of kids. It was a nice ride (even though I still don't like riding a horse - this was really much more for my husband since he loves it). Afterwards, we made our way to Luray Caverns, which just happens to be the fourth largest in the country (according to the tour). It was really neat! We couldn't believe it was first discovered by a few guys going in underground with just candles! At the end they turned off the lights to show us total darkness... you could not pay me a million dollars to go wander around this place with just a candle - super creepy! I loved the barn we saw outside the Caverns with a reindeer painted on the front. We made our way back to Sperryville and had to wait for dinner with our reservation not for another hour and a half. Turns out it's the ONLY sit-down restaurant in town, so we had to wait. We enjoyed a cup of coffee and live music in this old church turned coffee shop just a couple of shops down from the restaurant. On Sunday {my husband's birthday}, we enjoyed another nice breakfast, while Bo sat on the deck staring us down with those big ol' puppy eyes. I didn't feel too bad for him though, since we gave the owners some leftover steak from our dinner the night before for the dogs. We ventured out into town and stopped at a few antique shops, the coffee shop, and then hit the road to make our way back home. It was a great weekend and we especially loved the vineyard and the ranch!

SHOPPING: Beachy Knit Hat

2008-11-12T13:15:00.004-05:00

Beach Bungalow 8 posted this and I had to share. If it weren't so darn expensive, I'd sport one of these this winter. ($115)

SHOP: Kate Spade, www.katespade.com

SHOPPING: His & Her Computer Armoires

2008-11-11T16:14:00.016-05:00

We just returned from an amazing weekend getaway to celebrate my husband's birthday (photos coming soon!) and this is quickly turning into another busy week with unpacking, working, laundry, cleaning to catch up on, and repacking for another upcoming trip - not to mention trying to actually make it to the gym and work out (something that has unfortunately fallen to the wayside). I'm also desperate to get some stuff done in our condo. It's a mess with all the weekend travel we've been doing. I've been going through piles of magazines - tearing out what I want to save and tossing the remains into recycling. I'm determined to get rid of all the clutter that's accumulated. My motivation comes from our stay in this gorgeous carriage house at a vineyard in Virginia - it was absolutely amazing! After staying in what was a small but gorgeous space, I'm determined now to take our small space from cluttered to organized, so that we can actually enjoy it while we're still living here (it's so small that we won't be in it for 'too much' longer - whether that ends up being six months, a year or more, only time - and the financial/real estate market - will tell). We also really want to be able to have friends and family visit before we do end up moving to a bigger space and we can't have anyone over until we've cleaned, decluttered, and invested in some new furniture (a new sleeper sofa is still at the top of the list). Right now though, our most pressing project is to reorganize our work spaces and so I'm searching for his and her computer armoires. Our desks are in our bedroom and seeing all the paper, printers, and computer clutter isn't pretty, so I'd love to be able to close doors to hide it all. I've thought of hanging curtains to hide the entire area, but it'd be awkward and I don't think that would really work in the space we have. I've also thought of adding shelves above our desks to help contain the clutter, but we really don't want to drill so many holes in the wall, since we don't know when we might put our place on the market. I've been using an antique drop leaf table for my desk and my husband has my old Markor desk from Ikea, but both are just way too big for our too-small space. So they're moving into storage as soon as we're able to find something smaller to replace them. I've been searching online for computer armoires that aren't too pricey and it's been a lot tougher than I thought to find something cute, but cheap. The other catch is that it has to be thin depth-wise to fit in the space we have - about 20 inches or less. I thought I'd share what I've found so far. Let me know what you think and please do share if you have any ideas or know of any other computer armoires out there that might work. Forget Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel - which I LOVE - they're just way too expensive for our limited budget. I think this Badu Cabinet from World Market is nice because of its dark wood (it'd match our bed also from World Market), but the price is a bit steep since we'll want to buy two. I'm also not crazy about how you can see through the top part of it. I could probably add some pretty fabric, but still... it's a bit expensive. ($399). This is the Jonas Secretary from Ikea. I hate the birch color (a bit too modern for our vintagey and dark furniture - maybe it could be painted?), but it's much more reasonably priced and I like the storage that the drawers underneath provide. But it looks like this could possibly take up even more space when you add a chair to sit at it because of the drawers underneath not allowing for leg room. Its depth measures 18 7/8". ($169) This Secretary by West Elm is sort of similar in shape, but allows for leg room underneath. The price is way out of our budget, but is a good example of what could work within our limited space. Its depth is 20", but the drop down panel could be a tight fit. ($799) I like the distressed dark wood of this Sauder Armoire from Walmart, but it's a bit pricey for buying two. Its depth is 21.7". ($329.83).

I had to also add this Computer Armoire and Roll Top Desk from Belfort Furniture. Of course no prices are listed, which probably means they're expensive. But aren't the colors and distressed finish just beachy? Both are just over 22" in depth. I think the armoire could use different hardware. I especially love the roll top desk because of its black hardware and it provides leg room underneath.

Any ideas?...

TRAVELLING: Philadelphia, PA

2008-11-07T12:16:00.013-05:00

I've been MIA this week online after what was a very busy and exciting weekend in Philly! Last Friday morning, we drove from DC to Philly to go to the Phillies parade. We met friends beforehand and caught a ride with them into the city. Thank goodness we did! Septa, though they had encouraged fans to take the train in, were passing by stations as they approached Philly because they were too full. People were waiting for an hour or more and some even missed the festivities because they were unable to catch a train in to the city. Luckily we found a parking spot and were able to walk the rest of the way in to the parade. The city was packed! We heard they estimated that millions made it downtown for the parade - it sure felt like it. People were hanging outside of windows, climbing trees and lamp posts, perched on top of buildings... anything to catch a glimpse of their favorite Phillies players. We saw a sea of red, with costumes here and there reminding us that it was Halloween. After all the excitement of the parade and celebrating in the city, we made our way back to Gladwyne to celebrate Halloween and my father-in-law's birthday over dinner and cake. Saturday, we visited Chanticleer Garden in Wayne, PA and enjoyed a beautiful day outside. I highly recommend it if you're visiting the area. It's now closed for the winter, but I'm sure it'll be even more beautiful when they reopen for the spring. Sunday, we enjoyed brunch and caught a glimpse of deer running across the golf course outside. We made it back to DC without too much traffic on Sunday night and are now looking forward to celebrating my husband's birthday this weekend. We've had lots of fall birthdays to celebrate - my Mom's in September, my Dad's and brother's in October, my sister's was this Thursday {happy birthday if you're reading this!}, and now my husband's is this weekend. Yay! {Don't forget about the giveaway! - I have another one in the works that will be posted here soon}

Gladwyne, PA

Chanticleer Garden - Wayne, PA

Gladwyne, PA

CELEBRATING: Phillies WIN World Series!

2008-10-29T23:31:00.003-04:00

Words cannot possibly express our excitement : )

GIVING: It's a Giveaway!

2008-10-28T22:26:00.009-04:00

With Thanksgiving and the holiday season just around the corner, I'm kicking off a series of giveaways - this is my first ever (yay!) and the first in a series of fun giveaways with various Etsy designers. Here's your chance to win some great prizes - either as a treat for yourself or a gift for a special someone. It's also a small reminder to consider Etsy this holiday season for amazing and unique hand-crafted gifts, wrapping, and cards. So here we go!

We begin with TWO prizes! How cool is that? You have a chance to win one of two beachy necklaces designed by Courtney Anne Designs. Both are sterling silver 16" necklaces. The first, "White Sand Dollar," has a black freshwater pearl, white opal swarovski crystal, and sand dollar charm. The second, "Silver Seahorse," has a white freshwater coin pearl, black diamond swarovski crystal, and sea horse charm. Both are just beachy and oh-so-cute!

Necklace # 1 - "White Sand Dollar"

Necklace # 2 - "Silver Seahorse"

The first will be given away here at just Beachy in the city, the other at my Big Fat Italian wedding. You're invited to enter both to double your chances of winning. You don't have to enter both to win, but one name will be drawn from Beachy's comments and one will be drawn from my Big Fat Italian wedding's comments. So, for your chance to win: leave a comment noting your favorite product in Courtney's Etsy shop and include what your favorite beach is (it can be anywhere in the world). We just want to hear the beachy spots you all love to visit!

You have until Thursday, November 20th to post comments. Winners will be announced on Friday, November 21st. Thank you to Courtney for this amazing giveaway! : ) SHOP: Courtney Anne Designs, http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6174218

CELEBRATING: Phillies... Almost... There

2008-10-27T20:53:00.011-04:00

It's been a quarter century since the 76ers gave the City of Philadelphia a professional sports championship, and it was in 1980 that the Phillies won their only title (I was two years old at the time). This is a BIG deal that our Philadelphia Phillies are competing in the World Series. For those not as familiar with the sports scene, our Philadelphia teams always seem to be a little like the Bad News Bears. There are times when it's just cover-your-eyes-bad, and then there are moments, even seasons, where our teams have risen to play so great, raising our hopes and dreams for a winning season - creating new, proud fans along the way and continuing the Philly spirit, despite the years of disappointment and losing seasons. No one expected this year's team to win the division, let alone make it to the World Series. But here they are.

{Photo Credit: Dave Maialetti}

As my husband and I have fallen into Phillies fever here in our home of DC (a city that just recently got baseball back with its Nationals team - and for those of you not familiar with this area, is a few hours south of Philly), I've shared with coworkers, girl friends, the friendly folks at my gym, everyone I meet, I can't help but share that "our" Phillies are in the World Series. Almost everyone has responded with how boring baseball is to watch on tv. They're just jealous it's not their home team! Because when it's your home team, it changes everything. I love watching and getting to know the coaches' and players' personalities. My husband of course just wants to zone out, watch the game, and yell at the tv now and then. I, on the other hand, can't help but bombard him with questions. Where is that player from? {silence} Is he married? {silence} How old is that coach? "I don't know." Is anyone on this team actually from Philly? "Honey, it doesn't work like that." If a player is on third base and the player on second gets out, does the player on second run home or back to third? "Can you please just watch the game?" It drives him crazy, but I can't help it. I want to know... I want to understand. I grew up playing basketball, soccer, track, volleyball, lacrosse - you name it, I played it... except softball. I was awful at the sport and never really took to it. So it's one that I know much less about. But no matter what you do or don't know about baseball, watch and you get to know the players' personalities... and then you're hooked. You're officially a member of the Phillies fan club. You want to see them hit a home run, not just because you want them to win, but because you get to see a player's shy, proud smile that makes you - we - at home smile to see it. You get excited to see their excited faces and then their teammates lining up to high five, hug, and my personal favorite that I still don't quite understand, slap them on their bottom.

{Photo Credit: Michael Perez}

During last night's game, the Phillies' pitcher Joe Blanton "just closed his eyes" as he said and hit a home run - becoming the first pitcher in 34 years to hit a home run in a World Series game. Fox News had players wearing mics so that those of us watching at home could hear snippets of the conversations that take place between players on the field and in the dug-out during the game. You could hear Shane Victorino egging the young pitcher (28 years old, ironically born the year that the Phillies won their last and only title) to give a little wave because the crowd was waiting for it. The pitcher gave a quick, sort of awkward, embarassed wave to the crowd and it was just one of those moments where you couldn't help but smile. This team is young and they may be a bit camera- or crowd-shy at times, but we fans love them even more for it. Tonight's game was played in 39 degree rainy weather. Freezing fans cheered and swung their Phillies towels in the air. Waiting outside the stadium, in bars across the city, and at home, fans were waiting on the edge of their seats to see who would win tonight's game... hoping and praying for a Phillies' win. The players, cold and drenched, played to inning six when a rain delay was called. Now we continue to wait and see, from the edge of our seats, who will win this 2008 World Series.

No matter what happens - and no matter what's going on in the real estate, financial, or job market or with the upcoming election - baseball is a feel good sport. It brings fans and families - and in our house, a Philly guy and Jersey Girl - together. Two sides of the Walt Whitman Bridge come together here in our Nation's Capital in the name of love... and baseball.

TRAVELLING: Sunny Day in Washington, DC

2008-10-21T21:09:00.016-04:00

We enjoyed a day of playing tourists here in the city on Sunday. We had a few weekends in a row of travelling home to Jersey for various family get-togethers, so (finally) we were here in the city and decided to get out to visit two sites - the Corcoran and Dumbarton Oaks in Georgetown. It was a gorgeous fall day with a blue, blue, blue sky. We took the bus downtown and enjoyed the short walk by the Washington Monument to the Corcoran. When we entered the museum, we saw what looked like an enormous mound of paper about to tumble down into the stairwell. It turns out that the artist's (Elena del Rivero) home and studio was across the street from the World Trade Towers. She found thousands of random pieces of papers that blew out of the buildings on September 11th into her studio through her shattered glass windows. She stitched them all into this massive exhibit - it's over 500 feet long. When you look closely at the papers, it's everything from old invoices to bank statements and everything else that one would have in office files. I don't even know how to describe the feeling of seeing it other than how sad we felt. To see it, go here. We were excited to check out the Richard Avedon exhibit, which didn't disapoint. I love his black and white portraits. I did wish though that they included more background information with each image in the exhibit - each one must have a great story behind it... from the photo session, to the person, the times, etc. I also loved the statues displayed along the stairwells through the museum. From the Corcoran, we walked downtown to get back to the bus stop to head to Georgetown. From there, I was in complete awe of the homes as we walked to Dumbarton Oaks. They're gorgeous and perfectly decorated, perfectly painted, and perfectly landscaped. I tried to imagine what each of the home's residents do for a living to afford the lifestyle. The pumpkins and gourds placed above doorways were such a cute touch. I highly recommend that you swing by Dumbarton Oaks if you're ever in the city during spring or fall. It was amazing with all the fall flowers in bloom, a rainbow of mums. My favorite part was this room attached to the mansion that had trees growing along the walls. It would be perfect for a swanky dinner party or small, intimate wedding. It was a great day and we really enjoyed finally getting to take advantage of our location here in the city. Now we're looking forward to the World Series starting tomorrow! Our Phillies are playing against Tampa Bay. Please keep your fingers crossed, say a prayer, light a candle, do whatever it is you do for good luck, strength, and success for our Philadelphia Phillies. The last time the Phillies went to a World Series, my husband and I were in high school (16 years ago!).

Corcoran: Downtown: Georgetown: Dumbarton Oaks:

VISIT: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th Street NW, Washington, DC, www.corcoran.org Dumbarton Oaks, R and 31st Streets, Washington, DC, www.doaks.org

SHOPPING: Beachy Finds @ Room Service Home

2008-10-15T14:47:00.012-04:00

I was window shopping on Room Service Home today and came across these beachy finds. Check out these cute postcards on sale. ($12.99)

While I would never, ever in a million years pay over $400 for a bird house - this one sure is pretty to look at! It's a great idea for a craft project. ($439)

Aren't these framed shell prints pretty? ($122.00)

And this set of six framed shell prints? ($279.00)

I love these wire baskets. They're on sale in the antique white color. It'd be really cute for a hall table to collect mail. ($24.99)

This travel clock is a coming soon item, so a price isn't yet posted. I love how tiny it is. How cute! ($TBD).

These sailor bookends could look oh-so-cute on a desk or bookshelf. ($32)

SHOP: Room Service Home, http://roomservicehome.com

TRAVELLING: Back to School in Madison, NJ

2008-10-13T20:10:00.005-04:00

It was back to school this past weekend! I went with my family to visit my little sister at Fairleigh Dickinson University. The campus is beautiful with lots of historic brick buildings. My favorite was this mansion, which used to be the original owner's summer home (must be nice!). Madison, New Jersey is a cute town. Lots of cute houses! The main street in town is small, but offers some cute restaurants. There were tons of yard sales that I would have loved to check out, but this weekend's trip included a short tour around campus, a trip to the nearby mall, Target, and grocery store. Being a freshman without a car reminds me of my days when I first moved here to DC (without a car) and ordered groceries online and a shopping trip to Target became a BIG deal! We enjoyed the weather and were amazed to see people sunbathing and swimming in the hotel's outdoor pool - in October! Overall, it was a nice weekend and we were able to celebrate my Dad's birthday together. I wish this image turned out clear - there was this amazing sunset on the drive home to DC. I call this "Cinderella's Castle," but I believe it's a Mormon Cathedral. It's along 495 as you make your way into DC.

TRAVELLING: Beautiful Bridgeton

2008-10-05T22:38:00.006-04:00

We visited Jersey this weekend for an annual crabs and spaghetti get-together with my Great Aunts and Great Uncles on my Grandfather's side of our family. Hosted at my cousin's house in Bridgeton, it's the perfect gathering spot complete with horses and greenhouses. As soon as we arrived and stepped into their kitchen, my husband said it smelled like our Italian relatives' kitchen in Sicily that we visited during our honeymoon. The day was complete with delicious Italian food, homemade ice cream, watching the kids play a game of bocce ball, rides on the swings and old-fashioned seesaw (which as you can see below, gave us a good laugh), a walk through their greenhouses, catching up with relatives, hearing updates on the Phillies' and Eagles' scores being shouted throughout the afternoon, sharing a good laugh during a group photo, and being sent home with bags of fresh Jersey apples and peppers. Needless to say, it was a great day!

VISIT: Bridgeton, NJ, www.cityofbridgeton.com

SHOPPING: Lovely Lighting @ Horchow

2008-10-03T22:00:00.006-04:00

Which chandeliers at Horchow don't I love? So many of them are gorgeous! These are so expensive though, that they're really more eye candy than anything else. I especially love this shell chandelier. Do you think it's possible to make a shell chandelier from an ordinary, plain one? Maybe paint it white and add some shell touches to it? ($1,050)

My Great Aunt in California has a tulip light similar to this one hanging in her kitchen. She joked how a friend told her it was out-of-date. I adored it and told her that I would gladly take it off her hands if she decided to "update" it. ($495.00)

Isn't this white painted sconce oh so beachy? Before tossing old outdoor light fixtures, it's a nice idea to try painting them a vintage white like this. ($500+)

Doesn't this light look a lot like a sea urchin? ($750.00)

And of course I love this beachy blue one. It's made in Italy of porcelain. This one is so darn expensive, but I like the idea of painting a chandelier blue like this to give it a new look ($2,185)

WINDOW SHOP: Horchow, www.horchow.com

SHOPPING: Beachy Finds @ Target

2008-09-30T22:48:00.012-04:00

Check out these beachy finds at Target... While I know this definitely can't compare to the incredible chandelier in Coastal Living's Idea House, this basket chandelier with votive candles is a less expensive option for getting that shells-in-the-basket-chandelier look. ($20.99)

Isn't this blue frame fun? ($12.99)

This white tray would be a great addition to an entryway table for collecting keys and mail. ($12.49)

This is new, so not yet on sale, but aren't the blues and greens on this Victoria Hagan pillow so pretty? ($29.99)

SHOP: Target, www.target.com

DECORATING: Beachy Ideas from Coastal Living

2008-09-29T11:03:00.007-04:00

Coastal Living magazine's 2008 Idea House is online. Go here to take the virtual tour on their website. I've had trouble downloading it, but hopefully you'll have better luck with it than I have. I was able to view a couple of the images at the interior designer's website. You may not be able to tell in the image below, but they put seashells in the chandelier's basket. Guess how much the chandelier costs... guess and then go here to find out. Were you close? I wasn't! Check out this link with an image slideshow (for those of us who may be less tech-savy and can't get the virtual tour working) kindly provided by someone at Coastal Living magazine. VISIT: Coastal Living, http://www.coastalliving.com

CELEBRATING: Phillies Win the East!

2008-09-27T18:57:00.008-04:00

What a game! The 9th was a nail-biting, on-the-edge-of-your-seat inning! The Fightin' Phils are headed to the play-offs.

Hopefully we have some more wins ahead - a great reason to have a get-together - so check these out for the next ball game. This baseball runner is on sale at Pottery Barn Kids ($8.99 - $9.99).

Add some paper to this clipboard and have everyone jot down their guess for the winning score with a prize for the closest guess ($26.00).

Throw some Halloween candy in this pumpkin bucket ($14.99).

Go, Phillies! : )

SHOPPING: Beachy Bargains

2008-09-24T22:31:00.011-04:00

Score some beachy bargains with the last of what's left from the summer sales. Check out this cute coral pillow on sale at Pier 1 ($7.98).

These sheets are now sold out, but you could pair these striped shams from Pottery Barn Teen with white sheets for a splash of color ($1.99).

Or these striped pillowcases also from PB Teen (Set of 2, $2.99)

I love this beachy blue table runner from Target ($9.09).

I'm hooked on shell mirrors and now picture frames. I found one recently at a museum gift shop on clearance and now here's another shell frame from Target. A black-and-white photo would look great in this ($10.49).

DECORATING: Eye Candy from Decorati

2008-09-24T11:57:00.005-04:00

One of the perks of working for an architecture firm is that we often receive emails and brochures from designers ranging from landscape to interiors. I received an email this week from Decorati and signed up to view their image gallery and products. I especially loved these rooms by designers Jennifer Mabley and Austin Handler. I love how the turquoise blue colors pop against the white walls and furniture in the first image. Aren't these just beautiful?

VISIT: Decorati, http://decorati.com/

SHOPPING: Fun Finds @ Mermaid Hut

2008-09-22T22:35:00.009-04:00

I discovered Mermaid Hut (don't you just love the name?) through Coastal Living magazine and adore their online shop. They offer everything from furniture to Moravian stars to beach bags to "totems and tikis." There are some great finds that are affordable, along with others that fall into the expensive-but-still-pretty-to-look-at category. I especially love these distressed metal buckets ($9.99). I've seen these before, but am never sure exactly how best to put them to use for storing items. Any ideas?

This pendant lamp would look great on a porch - if it weren't so pricey ($399).

I really love these framed blue coral prints ($199). I think I might try to recreate these with similar frames and stationary. The Cavallini stationary sometimes offers similar styled notecards and I've seen mirrored frames like these at Home Goods, Marshall's, and Filene's Basement before.

These white candleholders caught my eye. They're beginning to appear on a few different sites. Hopefully they'll go down in price as their newness wears off. They'd look lovely for a candlelit dinner ($70-$150).

I would love, love, love to get my hands on a shell mirror like this one. Some may think it's tacky (all those shells), but I love it. ($269).

SHOP: Mermaid Hut, www.mermaidhut.com

DISPLAYING: Beachy Lanterns for Cool Fall Nights

2008-09-21T23:25:00.003-04:00

For those lucky to have an outdoor space, this could be a great idea for those fall nights spent outdoors relaxing or entertaining. World Market has these new lanterns in beachy blues and greens in various shapes and sizes. If you purchased them in different styles, they could be displayed in a group for an effect similar to the hanging lanterns below (which is the lobby area at the Secrets Capri Riviera Resort in Cancun, Mexico). Because it's a large hotel lobby, they have a ton, but just a small grouping could have a big visual impact on a small outdoor space or indoor porch. My favorites are the star ($12.99), the cathedral ($19.99), and the solid-blue cathedral ($14.99) lanterns. They're still a bit pricey to buy a bunch, but it could be worth it for the wow factor and some lovely candle-lit evenings.

SHOP: World Market, http://www.worldmarket.com/

CELEBRATING: Break Out that Old Bottle of Rum

2008-09-19T11:01:00.006-04:00

Ahoy there, matey! It's Talk Like a Pirate Day! Did you know it's an international holiday created in 1995 by two guys in Oregon playing raquetball? While playing, one of the two yelped "Arrrr" in response to an injury. And the idea was born. Dave Barry caught wind of it, included it in an article, and its sails were set to become an international holiday. Learn more here and you can sign up for the Poopdeck (don't worry - it's just an occasional newsletter by Ol' Chumbucket) here. For Talk Like A Pirate Day 2008, Cap'n Slappy and Ol' Chumbucket are spending it in Philly as guests of The Franklin, which is presenting National Geographic's Real Pirates exhibit. Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!

And in honor of the holiday, treat yourself to this Treasure Box by India Hicks available at Crabtree & Evelyn ($30). The dark wood box is complete with doubloons, shells, skull & crossbones, key, and treasure map. It also includes a Casuarina scented spray refresher with a hint of palm trees, orange blossoms, and sea air. Sounds perfectly beachy!

CRAFTING: Make a Map Bed!

2008-09-16T17:25:00.008-04:00

I LOVE this map bed featured on My Home Ideas. What a great craft project! I would really love to try this when we have a guest room. My Grandmom has this old twin-sized headboard and footboard set just sitting in her garage that I had my eye on this weekend. We don't have the space for it just yet in our too-small condo, but I put my dibs on it for now : ) The instructions provided on My Home Ideas are below.

{Photo Credit: Jason Wallis} Gather the Goods • 1 gallon latex primer • 1-gallon bucket • 3 bottles school or craft glue • Water • 3-inch-wide sponge brushPrime the bed, and let dry completely. Then, combine equal parts craft glue and water in a large bucket and submerge each map in the bucket. This can get messy, so use a drop cloth or do the project outside. Press each map firmly onto the primed bed, and use either your hands or a sponge brush to smooth out bubbles and wrinkles. We recommend overlapping the maps for a collage effect. Spread some of the extra glue mixture over the edges and smaller grooves of the bed to ensure that pieces adhere. If the bed looks like it's covered with a white film, don't worry -- it'll dry clear. Let your decoupaged bed dry for a full day before inserting the box springs and mattress. We don't recommend sealing with shellac or polyurethane; both can yellow over time.

DECORATING: Let's go on a picnic...

2008-09-14T18:53:00.004-04:00

I always go ga-ga for turquoisey-blue, vintage furniture. Isn't this picnic table neat? It caught my eye in the recent October issue of Country Living magazine. The Livingston Manor, NY farmhouse is four modular units built in a factory that are assembled together on-site. Check out the rest of the house here.

DECORATING: Mirror, mirror on the wall... whose the beachiest of them all?

2008-09-08T10:58:00.005-04:00

Isn't this shell mirror just fabulous? I can't even remember where I found this pic (otherwise I'd give credit), but I had saved this and found it when cleaning out a folder of images.

Find one of your own at Sea & Shell, that is if you have the budget... they range between about $300 and $1,700! This could also be a great craft project and one I'm considering since I have a huge shell collection. The key is to make it in such a way that doesn't look completely cheesy. Had to add this one as well that I discovered today on My Home Ideas. Click here to see more shell-covered designs by J. Marshall Sims for this Florida beach house. I LOVE the pink painted walls!

{Photo Credit: Antoine Bootz}

TRAVELLING: Villas, NJ

2008-09-08T10:34:00.003-04:00

I've been MIA online since travelling to the Villas (just outside Cape May) in South Jersey for Labor Day weekend. We spent the holiday weekend with my husband's family at their beach house. Here are a couple of pics I snapped of the gorgeous sunsets, which felt more like a scene from the Caribbean than what most think of the Jersey Shore. It was beautiful and yet another reason I love my home state! :) We've been busy since with job "stuff" and wishing we could still be relaxing at the shore. Hope everyone had a nice weekend!

DECORATING: Inspiration from Better Homes and Gardens

2008-08-29T01:15:00.005-04:00

One of the (many) things I love about going to my Grandmom's house is that she always has a big stack of decorating magazines and saves the Better Homes and Gardens for me since she knows I love taking them to page through once we return home after a long drive back to the city. In the September issue, they feature the home of Sarah and Peter Andersen in Peterborough, New Hampshire on pages 212-219. This lovely home was once Sarah's family's and after their departure from the house for 15 years, she and her husband returned to purchase the 1820s clapboard home, then transform it back into a beautiful, charming space. Apologies that these aren't the greatest quality (I quickly snapped the pics of the magazine pages and they're just a tad fuzzy), but wanted to share anyway since her home has so many wonderful beachy and vintage elements. Isn't the blue Swedish clock great? It was a gift from her father.

Credits: Written by Sharon Overton; Photos by King Au/Studio Au; Produced by Stacy Kunstel; Styling by Matthew Gleason.

SHOPPING: Ikea Labor Day Sale

2008-08-27T17:23:00.006-04:00

Ikea's annual Labor Day Sale is this weekend. If you've had your eye on something at Ikea, this weekend is the time to get it! If you're getting married in the next year, be sure to go and check out their candles, glasses, and decorative items. My husband and I scored super cheap pillar candles last year in our wedding colors (orange and pink) that we wouldn't have been able to afford otherwise if we hadn't gotten them at such a great price during their holiday sale. We also picked up some beer glasses and used those as candle holders. SHOP: Ikea, www.ikea.com

DECORATING: Inspiration from House Beautiful

2008-08-21T17:33:00.005-04:00

I had to share this beachy home in Connecticut featured in an interview with interior designer Jason Bell in the recent e-newsletter from House Beautiful magazine. I love the framed prints and especially all the shades of PINK in the guest bedroom (it's my other favorite color besides shades of beachy blues and greens).

Credits: Interior design by Jason Bell; House Beautiful Interview by Lisa Cregan; Photographs by Simon Upton; Produced by Doretta Sperduto; Stylist Todd Moore.

SHOPPING: New Table @ Crate & Barrel

2008-08-21T15:37:00.006-04:00

I've been busy, busy, busy this week with a deadline at work - can't wait to be done with it and for the weekend to get here! I received a Crate & Barrel email today announcing their new Alpha Coffee Table and thought I'd share. I love this table, but hate the price (way out of our budget). But still, it's a pretty unique coffee table and reminds me of the old wood ABC blocks. I'd love it even more if it also came in beachy blues and greens! ($899) SHOP: Crate & Barrel, www.crateandbarrel.com

SHOPPING: Beachy Finds @ Soft Surroundings

2008-08-16T19:12:00.012-04:00

My husband and I spent the day shopping for a sleeper sofa. We didn't find anything that was the right size, color, AND cushion-y feel in our price range, but at least we got to see some in person and I feel like we're closer to finding what we're looking for. So now that we're back home, he's napping (so not a shopper!) and I'm looking for more furniture options online. I came across Soft Surroundings while searching through Kaboodle (if you've never tried it, it's this amazing tool for shopping online - just type in what you're looking for... "sleeper sofa"... and it will pull up all the sleeper sofas that are all over the web - kind of like Google, but even better because these are posted by people like us who are searching all over the web for furniture and decor items). Anyway, I thought I'd share some of the beachy finds at Soft Surroundings. If you'd like to check them out in person, they're opening two stores in the Chicago area and are currently in South Windsor, CT and St. Louis, MO. Isn't this nightstand just lovely in robin's egg blue? ($178)

This image makes me wish that we had a backyard to escape to. This canopy is gorgeous, but you can of course find one for less at Ikea. This one is quite lavish though and has much more material to it. ($68)

I thought these panel curtains maybe had ribbons striped across them, but in the larger view of the image, you can see that it's actually jute roping! Not sure if I love it or hate it (especially how it frays off the sides of the panels), but they remind me of sailing. ($48)

Isn't this area rug just delightful in ice blue? (3'x5' = $275)

SHOP: Soft Surroundings, www.softsurroundings.com

SHOPPING: Another Cute Chair!

2008-08-15T10:56:00.009-04:00

I found another chair from Z Gallerie that I absolutely love, but not sure it'd exactly fit in our too-small space. And the price is still a bit too high. ($300) SHOP: Z Gallerie, www.zgallerie.com

SHOPPING: Another Armless Chair @ Overstock

2008-08-14T18:00:00.007-04:00

I found another armless chair in a pretty shade of blue at Overstock.com ($220). Still not quite the price I'm looking for though.

I also found this chair online, but with no price of course (which we all know means EXPENSIVE). But isn't it gorgeous?

TRAVELLING: Stephen Decatur House Museum in DC

2008-08-14T17:38:00.004-04:00

I visited the Stephen Decatur House Museum, one of the oldest surviving homes in DC, for work today to take photos of the preservation work the firm I work with recently completed there. With its location across from the White House, the Decatur House was (and still is!) one of the capital's most desirable addresses. I also snapped a few pic's of their gorgeous zinnias growing in their courtyard garden. If you're ever in the DC area, I highly recommend stopping by the Decatur House. It's so much fun to walk through this historic home, but my favorite part is the gift shop! It's a beachy/maritime theme, since the former resident of the house, Stephen Decatur, was a high-ranking official with the Navy. It's worth checking out if you plan to stop by the White House, which most people do when they're here visiting our nation's capital.

VISIT: The Stephen Decatur House Museum, 1610 H Street NW, Washington, DC, www.decaturhouse.org

SHOPPING: Armless Chairs @ Target

2008-08-12T23:18:00.009-04:00

I've been thinking about the idea of adding two small chairs - along with the "future" sleeper sofa - to our living room to create a seating area for lounging, reading, and eventually entertaining. We have limited space to work with and currently, the room also holds our small dining table. I came across a few cute armless chairs on Target's website. I'm really into the idea of pattered fabric and love these. I'm just not quite sold on the prices (Coral Chair, $261; Floral Sea Glass Chair, $260; Striped Chair, $225). They had a recent sale on their furniture that I missed out on - I wasn't ready to commit to anything with our continued rearranging of furniture. What do you think of these? Do you think armless chairs would be okay for occasional seating or would they be uncomfortable without the arms? SHOP: Target, www.target.com

DECORATING: Lovely Recycled Wood @ Laville Frames

2008-08-12T15:52:00.005-04:00

Check out this cute recycled framed mirror from Laville Frames. ($200) I saw this linked from Cottage Living's website and love their recycled wood frames, mirrors, and signs. They're a bit pricey, but it's a great place to get ideas to apply to your vintage finds. {I would show more pics, but they have some wacky code that prevents even taking a screen shot of their products. Don't they want us to write about their lovely products in blog world?}

SHOP: Laville Frames, www.lavilleframes.com

ENTERTAINING: Beachy Table Decor & Centerpieces

2008-08-09T12:51:00.003-04:00

I'm working on my photo collage project today and hoping to finally finish it, so that I can hang them all up this week. While going through all of our honeymoon and wedding pics, I found these images filed away in my wedding planning folder and thought I'd share. They're intended for a wedding, but could be inspiration for your next dinner party. Of course I love all the shells and sea urchins, which we incorporated into our wedding day :)

Images from:

Modern Bride

DECORATING: Swanky Ship Chandelier.. Say that 3 times fast!

2008-08-08T16:49:00.004-04:00

Had to share this swanky ship chandelier sold by Beach Dwelling. I saw this lamp displayed in one of Congress Hall's shops in Cape May, NJ and fell in love on the spot! Some might think it's ridiculous, but I adore it! If only it wasn't $2,900! It makes me giggle to imagine the look of horror that would surely appear if I told my husband I spent $2,900 on a ship chandelier. He'd send me straight to the looney bin!

And here it is on Coastal Living's website... Photo by: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn.

SHOP: Beach Dwelling, www.beachdwelling.com

DECORATING: Map Kick!

2008-08-08T12:32:00.005-04:00

I'm on a map kick lately. I saw a great pic of framed maps above two desks on either PB Kids or Teens, but can't find it there now. I thought it would be a great way to tie my husband's and my desks together which are on either side of a white Ikea filing cabinet. I especially love the shades of blue and green.

Images from: Domestic Bliss & the Art of Faking It

All Things Blue

Fazai38's Inspirational Blog

SHOPPING: PB Teen & PB Kids... Who knew?

2008-08-05T00:49:00.010-04:00

Just when I thought I 'might' be getting a little tired of Pottery Barn (just a little), I discovered PB Teen and PB Kids! Not that I didn't know they existed, but I never really took a moment to look through their products until I received a catalog in the mail recently. Their stuff is SO CUTE! How great are these Weathered Wood Storage Bins? ($8 & $20)

And these cute beachy Benches! ($60 & $80)

Wouldn't this Weathered Headboard look great in a guest room? ($400-$500). I actually have a duvet cover that looks like the pink one in this pic. I bought it years ago from Target's Swell Collection and I can't wait to break it out again when we have a "real" guest room in our future "real" house : )

And I love this beachy blue Vanity... are you seeing a pattern here? Blue, blue, blue... I can't get enough. ($120 hutch + $120 mirror = $240)

These Wire Wall Letters would be great in a kitchen or home office. ($15 each)

SHOP: Pottery Barn Teen, www.pbteen.com, and Pottery Barn Kids, www.potterybarnkids.com

SHOPPING: Searching for a Sofa

2008-08-03T22:13:00.013-04:00

My husband and I worked like busy bees this weekend to clean up our condo big-time. The huge mess of boxes and packing materials that had accumulated from the recent bed delivery and other furniture purchases has been moved out of the living room and recycled at a nearby shipping store. With my husband's encouragement, I sorted through a ton of magazines (I have a serious addiction - I just can't get enough of them and then never want to let them go) and we dropped off almost 3 bags full at our nearby Goodwill, along with an old filing cabinet and a bag full of clothes. We're going to keep our current desks for now, which I'm thinking of painting white (though my husband isn't too keen on this idea). We stopped by Ikea tonight to pick up one of the Helmer set of metal drawers in white to put under my desk.

We're also shopping now for a new sofa for our living room, since we have a bit more space there. We're looking to purchase a small sleeper sofa for overnight guests, which will also provide a seating area if we do ever have guests over for dinner - that is, if/when we ever get to the point of not being embarassed for guests to see the condo (hopefully in the near future). It's been such a mess that neither of us would want anyone to see it. We're both usually neat freaks, but when you have a small space like our condo with little closet space to "hide" things, it tends to get messy much more quickly. For the living room (and future entertaining!), here are a few of the sofas I've checked out so far online. Ikea has their line of sleeper sofas, but I'm not crazy about the material of their slipcovers. I prefer the microfiber material, since it seems to hide stains well. {Please let me know if you see any sleeper sofas for under $900 that would fit well in a small space, but offer at least a double-sized sleeper bed.}

Marlo Sleeper, Pier 1 ($699). I hate that Pier 1 doesn't provide any dimensions online and there isn't a pic of this sleeper sofa unfolded into the bed. I'm hoping to go check it out in their store sometime soon.

Capri Sleeper Sofa, Target ($780 + current 15% discount = $663). It's annoying that they don't show an image of the couch open to show what the bed looks like. It'd be a huge help in making an online purchase like this.

Panama Sleeper Sofa, Raymour & Flanigan ($800). Of course I LOVE this beachy blue color!

CRAFTING: Ribbon, scrapbooking, & lanterns.. oh my!

2008-07-30T23:29:00.007-04:00

I was at the gym tonight and saw a commercial for Martha Stewart's new line of wedding products at Walmart - sa-weet! I was excited when I got home to check it out, but was slightly disappointed with what I found online. Some of it seems like the same old wedding and craft stuff we've seen before (ie. bells, doves... yawn) and I remember seeing more of a variety in Martha's scrapbooking products at Michael's the last time I was there. Some of the products could still be great though for that next party or craft project. I think my favorite items are the markers and the pink and orange paper lantern set (they're in our wedding colors, so love 'em!). Some of these products would also work great for a baby or bridal shower, which I'm sure is exactly what the marketing folks had in mind.

6-Piece Polka Dot Lantern Set, $11.96
Eyelet-Pattern Lanterns, $11.96
Doily Lace Edger Punch, $13.97

Cool Spectrum Glitter Marker Set, $9.97

Stamp Starter Kit, $17.97

6-Spool Ribbon Dispenser, $9.97
4" x 6" Glitter Photo Mat Card Kit, $9.97
12x12 Elegant Blue Album Kit, $24.97

SHOP: Walmart, www.walmart.com

DECORATING: Condo Chaos

2008-07-29T16:42:00.008-04:00

I'm having one of those kinds of weeks where everything feels all wrong. Despite our love for the new bed that arrived on Saturday, the condo is in complete dissarray (in no shape for "after" pics yet) and the clutter and chaos is getting to both my husband and me. Then there's my current job situation (not too great at the moment) and the stress is coming from both directions - work during the day and at home in the evenings.

I received an e-newsletter this afternoon from MyHomeIdeas.com that spoke to our sorry state in the condo. In On the Couch with Erika Powell, she's asked "what's the most common mistake homeowners make? and how can it be avoided?" Her answer: "The most common mistake is not letting go of 'stuff' often enough. I guess I am biased because I do this for a living, but in my own home, I like to get rid of old things to make room for new things. I can understand hanging on to heirloom pieces with deep emotional attachment, but sometimes homeowners keep items that really skew the overall vision for their home. "

This is DEFINITELY our major problem... like the too-big Markor desk my husband's currently using that I purchased from Ikea ages ago (for a much larger apartment at the time) and we (aka. he) hates the idea of spending money on another to replace it... and then there's my gi-normous "desk" which is actually a dining table that I picked up at a yard sale in my hometown years ago and I hate to part with it because it was such a good deal (only $15!). I really think we need to let go of some of our furniture in the bedroom though. It's taking up way too much space, especially now with our new bed. And we think we might be in this space for at least another year or two, depending on the real estate market and where our careers take us. We really need a zen-like (beachy!) space for relaxing after our stressful days in the office. These images below are my inspiration. This is how we want our space to look and feel - clutter-free.

This is Erika McPherson Powell by the way. She was born in Norfolk, Virgina and has interned in New York City for Victoria Hagan Interiors and renowned textiles maker Scalamandré before graduating from Auburn University's interior design program. At 23, Erika began Urban Grace Interiors in the coastal town of Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. Erika also has a blog by the same name, which you'll now see on my favorites list :)

DISPLAYING: Perfect for a Starfish & Shell Collection

2008-07-26T00:18:00.010-04:00

Wouldn't this end table from American Country Store Home be great for displaying a collection of starfish, a few bottles of sea glass and pebbles from the beach, and a couple of old books? I especially love the slate blue wood finish (it's similar to the nesting tables we just bought for our nightstands) and you can pick from about a dozen choices of hardware. ($399)

I also love this cottage cabinet that comes with a lock and key. ($299)

INFO: American Country Home Store, www.americancountryhomestore.com

CELEBRATING: Fall/Winter 2008 Brides South Jersey

2008-07-25T01:06:00.005-04:00

I received an email from our wedding photographer tonight... the Fall/Winter 2008 issue of Brides South Jersey magazine is out - our wedding was included! Kella, our wedding photographer, (who is amazing by the way, in case anyone's searching for a photographer in Jersey) received her issue and posted a few pic's on her blog. We haven't received our copy in the mail just yet - I'm guessing because we're in DC and it'll take another day or two to arrive.

CRAFTING: Ladies Night @ Paper Source

2008-07-24T23:56:00.008-04:00

It was ladies' night tonight at Paper Source! My friend Cara and I signed up for the 2nd Annual Paper Source Girls Night Out as soon as we found out about it and were two of the lucky girls to get in before it was sold out. They ended up having a waiting list, then decided to hold an August event after this one did so well, and now the August one is sold out too! The cool part is that not only was this event sold out here in DC - it was sold out across the country in their other stores too. So while we were crafting in Georgetown, so were ladies all across the USA : )

It was a great time! They had snacks, cocktails, Georgetown Cupcakes, raffle prizes (sadly I didn't score one of the prizes, but Cara did! She won a gift certificate to Sherman Pickey - yay!), and goodie bags filled with coupons, stationary samples, and even samples of Lush body lotion and a fizzy ball for the bath.

So what did we make? A travel envelope-folio, collaged postcards, and an organic bag covered in pretty stamps. We topped the evening off shopping with a 10% coupon off anything in the store (of course it would have been even better if they had upped the coupon a bit to say 15 or 20% off - wishful thinking).

OH! And before I forget to share this... we found out tonight while there that Paper Source is negotiating retail space to open stores in Princeton, NJ and Philly! Sa-weet!

{Cara, if you're reading this, thanks so much for going - it was so much fun to get crafty!}

INFO: Paper Source, www.paper-source.com

SHOPPING: Fun Finds @ Sundance

2008-07-24T00:04:00.009-04:00

Here are a few fun finds from Sundance... aren't these cute? A bit pricey (okay, a lot pricey), but cute. Their site is a great place to scope out ideas for what to do with a dodgey-looking yard sale find. A coat of silver paint and voila, you could have yourself a sassy chair or stool like their's for $200 - $300! I honestly don't think I'd let ever let anyone even sit in a chair if I paid that much money for it : )

Stella Fire Pit ($250)

Factory Stool ($195)

1956 Armchair ($275)

Wire Wall Storage ($195)

Barnwood Bench ($155)

DECORATING: Singin' in the Shower

2008-07-23T21:55:00.009-04:00

I got stuck at the office late tonight (working under a deadline this week) and to top it off, got caught in the torrential downpour on the way to the bus. Even with an umbrella, I was soaked from head to toe and couldn't help but hum Singin' in the Rain and then laugh at how ridiculous I must have looked. So I thought I'd share some cute outdoor showers tonight that I caught a glimpse of on Coastal Living earlier this week. Click here for Coastal Living's complete slideshow. {Photo Credits: Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn and Maura McEvoy}

I especially love this one with the blue and green tiles featured in Sunset magazine. Click here for Sunset's complete slideshow. {Photo Credits: Barbara White and Art Gray}

And wouldn't this Changing Cabana from Pottery Barn be the cutest next to an outdoor shower? I know - Pottery Barn again! I just can't get enough though. ($299)

ENTERTAINING: Fun Freebie from Real Simple

2008-07-22T22:43:00.005-04:00

Real Simple magazine is offering a freebie online - a cute clambake invitation. It looks a bit different in the PDF file than how it appears in their magazine, but the shell is still cute and the invite could be reworked a bit in Photoshop. Click here to download the file. It'd be great for a rehearsal dinner, baby/bridal shower, or as it suggests - a backyard clambake with friends.

INFO: Real Simple, www.realsimple.com/clambake

DECORATING: Hooked on Pottery Barn

2008-07-22T18:29:00.008-04:00

I've been constantly checking (stalking is more like it) Pottery Barn both in-person and online to see what new items may have gone on sale. With a gift card and registry discount coupon burning a hole in my pocket, I've been anxious to find something worth using both towards. I had stopped in with a girl friend recently and saw these distressed nesting tables in their Charlotte Blue color. I fell for them on the spot, but decided against the purchase because we did already have one nightstand that we'd been using.

Flash forward to this past Sunday when I somehow convinced my husband to rearrange just about EVERYTHING in our condo. We made a huge mess with having to unpack our entertainment center, bookshelves, his desk, everything!, to be able to lift them and move them. His den/office is now our tv room and his desk is now beside mine in our bedroom (which I love because then we're at our desks together :) Turns out that we also moved his nightstand to be an end table beside our sofa in the now tv room, so we were without any nightstands. {Insert lightbulb going off here!}. I remembered the matching sets of Charlotte Blue nesting tables - the perfect size and color to go beside our new bed that's arriving this week. They were sold out online, PB's Friendship Heights store was sold out, the Georgetown store was out... thank goodness they had two sets (and only two!) left at the White Flint Mall. And I'm not sure why, but the blue tables were less expensive than the other colors still left - which I'm so glad for because the blue was my favorite anyway!

One set was their floor model and so it was already assembled. It's now on my husband's side of the bed and looks SO cute! I love it! He was disappointed that it doesn't have a drawer, but agreed they were "cute" and "beachy" (his words). Once we get the other one unpacked and assembled, I'll take a pic to share!

DISPLAYING: Moravian Star

2008-07-19T22:02:00.005-04:00

I came across the blog of Lisa Teague Studios and love this image from her portfolio. She has 4,000 sf of studio space in Nashua, NH and specializes in custom wall finishes and color. I always see these beautiful Moravian Stars in stores and love them, but am never sure what to do with them. I even bought one for my Mom a few Christmas's ago because she loves them too. I attended Moravian College in Bethlehem, PA my freshman year and the Moravian Stars were hanging on front porches everywhere and so I guess we both just loved them especially after my year there. I think this is such a great way to display a decorative light like this. Not everyone has a ceiling like this one, but this could still look great on the ceiling of a front porch, foyer, bathroom, or above a kitchen sink.

Her studio offers a variety of workshops in painting techniques and selecting colors. You can learn more here. They seem to be a bit pricey, but they do invite returning veterans in for free, which is pretty cool.

INFO: Lisa Teague Studios, 55 Lake Street Mill, Nashua, NH, Tel: (603) 595-7073, www.lisateague.com

TRAVELLING: Summer Shopping @ Antique Shows

2008-07-17T19:47:00.008-04:00

My husband kindly left a news clipping on my desk this morning before leaving for work that he knew I'd enjoy (I love when he does that) - it's Finders Reapers by Terri Sapienza on the front of today's Home section in the Washington Post. It's all about antique shopping in the DC area and the upcoming flea markets in our region. They introduce a shop owned by Amy Rutherford, Red Barn Mercantile, in Alexandria, Virginia and include her flea market tips. One of her best tips is to bring measurements - I always forget to do this and it drives my husband crazy (ie. I "think" it'll fit). I love this beachy blue bowl from Amy's Red Barn shop online. The best part... it's oven-, dishwasher-, and microwave-safe. ($35)

They also include a list of upcoming flea markets both near and far.

ROAD TRIPS:

DC Big Flea - Dulles Exposition & Convention Center, 4368 Chantilly, VA, July 19-20, Sept 20-21, and Nov 1-2, $8 (good both days).

Richmond Big Flea - Richmond Raceway Complex, 600 E. Laburnum Ave, Richmond, VA, Aug 2-3 and Oct 18-19, $5 (good both days).

Lucketts Fair - Lucketts Community Center, 42361 Lucketts Rd, Leesburg, VA, Aug 23-24, $8, two days for $12, age 5 and younger are free.

Historic New Castle Antiques Show - Battery Park, New Castle, DE, Aug 24, $6, age 16 and younger are free.

Baltimore Summer Antiques Show - Baltimore Convention Center, 1 W. Pratt St., Baltimore, MD, Aug 28-31, $12 (good for all days).

Shenandoah Antiques Expo - Augusta Expo, 277 Expo Rd, Fishersville, VA, Oct 10-12, Fri $10 (good for three days), Saturday $5 (good for two days), Sunday $5.

Flea Market at Eastern Market - Seventh Street & North Carolina Ave SE, Washington, DC, Sundays year-round, Free.

Georgetown Flea Market - 15th Street North & Courthouse Rd, Arlington, VA, Weekends year-round, Free.

WILLING TO TRAVEL:

Washington Antiques Fair - Washington, PA, July 27, Aug 31, Sept 28, & Oct 26.

Charlotte Antique & Collectible Show - Charlotte, NC, July 31-Aug 3, Sept 4-7, Oct 2-5, Oct 29-Nov 2, & Dec 4-7.

Brimfield Antique & Collectibles Show - Brimfield, MA, Sept 2-7.

Atlantique City - Atlantic City, NJ, Oct 18-19.

Elephant's Trunk Country Flea Market - New Milford, CT, Every weekend April through mid-December.

Renninger's Antiques Markets - Kutztown, PA & Adamstown, PA, Saturdays in Kutztown and Sundays in Adamstown year-round.

Lakewood 400 Antiques Market - Cumming, GA, Every third weekend year-round.

Annex Antique Fair & Flea Market - New York City, NY, Every weekend year-round.

Madison-Bouckville Outdoor Antiques Show - Bouckville, NY, Aug 16-17.

SHOP: Red Barn Mercantile, 113 South Columbus Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314, Tel: 703.838.0355, www.redbarnmercantile.com

TRAVELLING: Sea Glass Festival in Lewes, DE

2008-07-17T17:32:00.014-04:00

While in Lewes, I spotted this pretty poster and after only a quick glance, left Lewes wondering if there's an actual Sea Glass Association. After searching online, it turns out there is and they have a festival coming up this fall in Lewes, DE! Unfortunately we can't make it that weekend which happens to also be Homecoming weekend at my sister's university, but I thought I'd share the info for any fellow sea glass collectors. I have quite a few pieces of blue and green sea glass from our trips to Italy that look like the ones below : )

North American Sea Glass Festival
October 11th & 12th, 2008
The Virden Center

University of Delaware

Lewes, DE

Be sure to check out their latest newsletter (PDF file), which is very well designed and offers an interview with a sea glass collector along with other interesting articles.

INFO: North American Sea Glass Association, http://seaglassassociation.org

DISPLAYING: Photos Galore!

2008-07-16T15:47:00.007-04:00

We have so many photos, postcards, and printed mementoes now from our wedding weekend, honeymoon to Sicily, and the following weekend road trips, that I'm rethinking how to display the items we'd like to have out as opposed to packed away in boxes. I've already been working on these photo collages for our foyer over the past few weeks, but I'm also rethinking our walls in the bedroom. I came across these pic's that offer some inspiration.

Photo Display 1, Living Etc.

Photo Display 2, Living Etc.

INFO: Living Etc., www.livingetc.com

DECORATING: Custom Plaster Panels

2008-07-16T12:15:00.003-04:00

I received this e-newsletter at work from Jonas Everets Design with images of these custom plaster panels. It's a pretty neat idea for giving your walls a three-dimensional look. Their email says that their design process began with detailed concept drawings and progressed through a number of design stages, including custom made templates and hand tooled wax carvings to rubber molds and finally to the finished panels. {Photo Credit: Gilberto Tadday}

INFO: Jonas Everets Design, http://jonaseveretsdesign.com

DISPLAYING: Vintage Detergent Bottles

2008-07-15T22:46:00.004-04:00

I saw this product while flipping through the most recent issue of Domino while at the hair salon. How cute are these vintage-looking bottles of detergent by The Good Home Co.? (1 bottle - $21.50). What a great way to display something ordinary that's used everyday and if you have to do laundry, might as well make it pretty so it's a chore that you don't mind as much. (And of course you can always make your own by finding vintage bottles and pouring in your detergent.) Lavender is my favorite scent, so I also love their Lavender Dryer Sachets (3 sachets - $12). The Beach Days and Italian Citrus scents also sound fun!

SHOP: The Good Home Co., www.goodhomestore.com