Farewell to Summer Nautical Tablescape

Labor Day Weekend.....one last "hurrah"

 before summer is just a pleasant & distant memory.

Regardless of it being super hot still....

school is back in session, the football games are starting

 and the days are beginning to get shorter and shorter. 

I don't decorate heavily for fall until the corn stalks are brown,

 so I still have some summer left in me

to join in the fun over at Cuisine Kathleen's 

end of summer tablescape challenge.

My centerpiece is a simple one:

I used a tall heavy glass & metal chippy cloche

 with a few shells and starfish tucked inside.

I ♥ these heavy stoneware scalloped shell plates.

The burlap is supposed to represent the ocean's sand.

The blue goblets are used to represent ocean.

Use your imagination that they are light blue and better matching.

(Please and thank you.)

My simple but trusty plain white vintage English teacups come in handy 

in their effortlessness to match about anything I conjure up.

While growing up in a summer vacationland on the lake

 it always meant  Labor Day weekend always signified

 the end of the BEST fun.

All the cute visiting city boys had to return home,

 and all the cute local boys had to go back to college.

The Eagle's song  "Boys of Summer"

 written by Don Henley nailed it best:

Nobody on the road

Nobody on the beach.

I feel it in the air

The summer's out of reach.

Empty lake, empty streets

The sun goes down alone.

I'm driving by your house

Though I know you're not home.......

But for the time being the lake is still full of boats

 and jetters and floaters.

The beaches are still full of sun bathers and swimmers.

(And lots of volley-ball players and frisbee throwers!)

The pubs are still filled with fun and laughter and music.

It all sure makes me wish I were 20 something again

 and dancing every night like it all would never end.

But as the Bible tells us, there's a time for every season.

All things have their season,

 and in their times all things pass under heaven.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

My summer season is much quieter now, consisting of more

 watching hummingbirds than sun bathing,

doing more garden weeding than dancing

and more reading than partying..............

and that is as it should be.

I am quite content and full of peace,

 happy with my special memories

and hopeful with my possible future ones.

Dance with the Sea

Walks on the beach

Days in the sun

Swims in the ocean...

Come on every one!

You know you enjoy it

Whether you’re younger or older

So have a good time

Before the weather gets colder.

Splash in the ocean

Dive with the sea

Don’t hide from the fun

Come here and you’ll see.

The sun is burning

It’s 90 degrees

There’s lots to discover

You just wait and see!

We’re splashing

We’re tanning

We’re laughing

We’re fanning

We’re having so much fun

We can hardly breathe.

The ocean is calling

The waves are all falling

So come and be happy

And dance with the sea.

{source}

HAVE A FUN BUT SAFE HOLIDAY WEEKEND!

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

Tablescape Thursday  *    Snickerdoodle Sunday

Ahoy, Mateys - Nautical/ Pirate Luncheon

I love summer and it is passing much too quickly.

I sure do wish we could slow it down a little bit!

I wanted to share my cousin Kathie's annual 
"Cousins Luncheon" 

and her fun nautical nod to All Things Pirate.

Every year she hosts a wonderful
 ladies cousins luncheon at her lake house.

This year her fun luncheon theme was All Things Pirate.

"Land Ho, Mateys!" says Polly the Parrot!

Gotta love the good 'ole Jolly Roger!

Even some of the food shared in this fun theme!

Cousin Rita's deviled egg boats.

Cousin Mary Ann's roll ups with pirate swords!

Kathie's buffet-style table was so charming
 with all  its nautical touches everywhere!

Kathie's sister, my other first cousin Carol
 gave her that pretty sailboat for the table!

Cute little fishies salt and pepper shakers looked right at home.

Her lake cottage home is all done in awesome nautical style, too.

This corner hutch houses their pretty sail ship collector plates

plus vintage ball jars of Lucky Stones and sea glass

 collected from beautiful Lake Erie.

This schooner replica is proudly displayed 
in their big bay window in front.

Kathie's uncle on her father's side painted this wonderful art:

Sorry for glare on glass.

And our grandfather on our mothers' sides painted this:


Next time I visit there I will have my good camera and
maybe even bring lighting - these phone pics just
haven't done her home and party justice at all.

This painting is absolutely gorgeous in real life.

Some of you may not know about my hometown area,
so at the risk of repeating myself again with all
my Home Town Pride:

We all grew up on or near Catawba Island

on the north coast of the US.

I tried to show where I am from on this little map.

See all the way to the upper left, on the north coast?

Our houses were on the very tip of that little jutting peninsula.

It used to be an island but it was made to be a peninsula

 in the early 1900s I believe.

Last year marked the Bi-Centennial anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie
in the War of 1812.....


Here is some info on in and if you look around that web site
you will find last year's re-enactment ship pics of that battle.

http://battleoflakeerie-bicentennial.com/history/the-battle/

Both my cousin Kathie and her husband Charlie have retired,
but work as garbed re-enactor Docents at Perry's Monument 
on Put-in-Bay, on Middle Bass Island, Ohio - right across from where I grew up. You can see Perry's Monument from our houses.


Here's some GREAT pics on Pinterest of the celebrations.

http://www.pinterest.com/putinbayohio/battle-of-lake-erie-bicentennial/


AND THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR VISIT!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

Cuisine Kathleen   *   Share Your Cup   *   Tablescape Thursday

Living Room Tour - Summer 2014

Our town's school children went back Wednesday, poor dears.

It is all just is too soon! 

 I am shocked! 

There is absolutely NO rush to greet autumn just yet!

I started then thinking about how autumn is around the corner

 and realized I hadn't even shared my living room with its

neutral and calming summertime decor.

I have been very much enjoying outdoors on these

 absolutely perfect days of summer!

It's been totally awesome weather this week, very rare for Ohio!

View from loft.

Sorry I am so short.
 With this pic I should have been standing on a chair
 for a better effect...so you weren't subject to seeing the backs of these tall chairs, ah well.

I like design but I am not a very experienced photographer.

When if I grow up I should very much like to become one, though!

In this room you will find a family heirloom cedar chest,
 and a few precious pieces of my mom's collection

from her Englewood Beach, Florida days.

(To this very day I still can't look at a shell without thinking of that sweet angel of a lady!)

I keep a candle safely inside that big stoneware mug with
it's neat braided/twisted handle with matching tray.

It hides the ugly candle, and keeps it just a little more protected
should the glass candle break.

My sister had that happen once and it caught the wooden table on fire.

So it DOES happen, so I like to be extra careful.

Oh, here's a little bit of Mom's white coral collection, too.
She had an entire huge basket full of them from over the years.

She spent her winters on that beach looking for treasures.



~~~~~*~~~~~

Do you see my subtle summertime nod to the beach theme here?

Nothing overdone, just bits of neutral

 that bring my heart such fond memories and joy.

since I am being uncommonly nostalgic today

I should point out on top of that large antique wooden closet is 

a piece of driftwood my Mom had for years -

she used it upright in a white urn with white rocks

at Easter-time as an egg tree.

I keep it out year round.

♥

Have I shown you my newish little wooden side table yet?

I'm not sure that I have.

It is the perfect size, and it has 4 pretty floral block carvings on it.

And it has a nice and pretty solid neutral marble top.

Below you see a glimpse of my new bronze lamp.

The glazed pottery one with the burlap shade is now resides 
in our master bedroom.

This is a neat floral arrangement: it has those little tiny
sticks that light up at the end at night for a bit of
ambient glow. 

It's the only floral arrangement in the house 
that I haven't designed myself.

The polished marble coasters were the very first thing
  my husband and I bought for our home together;
 purchased when we we travelling on our honeymoon cruise.

♥

This little white carved bird on my mantle, below
 is one of my very first "birdie" decor items.

 I've had it for years......it is a tealight holder.

I've used it outdoors under the veranda for years,
and I've used it as a little seed holder before too.

BEFORE/AFTER

This below is how I had this room last summer.
You can catch that tour again here.

It's completely different now. 
I hadn't realized how much till I put this post together!

*Curtains & rods, changed to more casual & lighter 

*Round white mantle mirror gave to daughter;
 swapped it for our big wall clock that was in our dining room.

*Painting changed to an old arch salvage piece.
(Still have it somewhere, wonder what I did with it?)

*Smaller green jug is now in dining room,
traded it for an antique wicker covered jug for some texture.

*Black/white/brown chair pillows gave to daughter,
 traded for our new Arhaus down pillows.

*Little metal folding table by window went upstairs
 to my reading nook,
traded for large Umbrella plant that was in the opposite corner.
(It likes the window in warm weather but can't take the cold
so will move in late fall.)

*Painted the big metal wall art to lighten it up 
and moved my 2 heavy terra cotta candle sconces from dining room.

*Moved all furniture to new spots except the big wooden closet.

*Bought new bench and little side table in late spring.

*Moved jug lamp to bedroom when I bought the new bronze one.

*A few moves of little decor items not a  big enough deal
to be mentioned specifically.  : - )

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

Before/After Wed.  *  Feathered Nest Fri.  *   Met Monday

Show and Share   *   At Our Home    *   Inspire Me

Goodbye, Robin

Goodbye, Robin Williams.

The world won't be nearly as fun without you.

You will be sadly missed.

Faerie House Container Garden (Before/After)

Well at least I imagine a pretty fairy living in this tiny little house,

 but to know me is to know it is a bird.

At least for now anyway.

Where a little bit of imagination may lead us............

....I believe.

And as the seasons come and go, here's something you might like to know. 

There are fairies everywhere: under bushes, in the air, playing games just like you play, singing through their busy day.

 So listen, touch, and look around — in the air and on the ground. 

And if you watch all nature's things, you might just see a fairy's wings!

                                                                                           ~Author Unknown

As always, thank you for your visit!

♥

~Michele

Linking:

Met Monday   *    Garden Party   *   You're Gonna Love It

Inspire Me Tuesday