Patriotic Mantel (4th of July)

My goodness, where is the time going? 

It's hard to believe that June is almost over! 

We're still running around with baseball, 

 but look forward to enjoying Summer 

and the beautiful weather we're having.

I thought with the 4th on its way,

it might be time to show some

patriotic spirit with a 

4th of July mantel!

This mantel came together quickly 

and with everything that I already had on hand.

Do you remember I used this sign last year on

my dining room hutch?

I made it out of the left over slats from my mom's window blinds.

What is it about red, white & blue that I love so much?

I hope you have a happy week

and 

a wonderful 4th of July!

 

Teen Girl Bedroom Reveal

 I was going to share my daughter's bedroom redo with you late last year.  

Being the bad blogger that I am, I never shared it.

-----

 One day, I got a bee in my bonnet.

I realized my kids were getting too old,

and in my son's case...too big & tall, for their twin beds.

Wouldn't it be nice to buy the kids bigger beds?

They'd be so much more comfortable.

It'd be nice to have the extra room.

(I think those were the phrases I used to convince my husband.)

Well, one thing lead to another & before I knew it,

both kids had a complete bedroom overhaul,

just because bigger beds were in order.

Fair warning:  

You will not see a room that is devoid of real life. 

 Magazine-ready kid bedrooms are unreal & unnatural.

Kids have stuff, and stuff has to go somewhere.

It can't always be hidden behind closed doors.

It took me years to understand this.  

Phew...glad I got that off my chest!

Olivia loves books and she loves New York City

(among many other things).

Her room came together from those loves.

Bear in mind, this kid loves her stuff and doesn't

want to part with any of it.

Gray, white & yellow became the chosen color palette

when we found this pretty quilt at TJ Maxx.

NYC pillow from this shop at Etsy.

I shared my DIY lamp shade for Mr. Pig here.

NY Public Library art found on the streets of NYC.

(a no brainer for this room!)

NYC decal from Etsy.

Our Lady Liberty and a favorite book of New York.

You can't talk NYC without some subway art!

Here are her shelves...
loaded with books & other stuff.
The shelves were here when we bought the house
and they are the sole reason why Olivia selected
this smaller room as her bedroom.
For her,
shelves = books; books = happiness.

More things she loves.

Celebrities, etc.

Sherlock Holmes ala Benedict Cumberbatch!

Found here on Etsy

The music box from The Phantom of the Opera.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of Olivia's room.

See you soon!

P.S.  I've been thinking about adding an area rug. 

Any thoughts on that?

Linking to:

Feathered Nest Friday @ French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home

What's It Wednesday @ Ivy & Elephants

Summer Hutch Decor

I find it very awkward to begin and end blog posts.

I feel like I say the same thing every single time.

Honestly.

Do you have that problem, too?

I mean after all these years of blogging, 

what can I really say that's different 

and not been said before?

I think I'll have to ponder that question

and see what I come up with.

Anyhoo....

I would love to share my dining room hutch with you,

since she's all decorated for Summer and 

ready for her closeup.

Ahh, the easy & carefree days of Summer!

The only thing new here is the folding ruler star.

As a kid, I can remember pinching my fingers with

 my dad's folding ruler whenever I fooled with it.

Now, I couldn't wait to get my fingers on a folding ruler

 so I could make it into a star.

I didn't even mind if my fingers got pinched in the process!

I don't know if you've noticed, but I have a fascination with stars.

A closeup collage.

Here's a breakdown of all the stuff I used:

Sailboat from Michaels.

Lantern from Ikea.

The burlap flower picture is from Hobby Lobby.

It was a yellow flower when I bought it, but

with my trusty paintbrush, I made it blue.  Heehee!

Bicycle from Kohls.

Candle holder from Target.

Bathing girl from Michaels.

Ruler from Etsy.

Starfish from Christmas Tree Shop.

I made the banner with fabric/burlap scraps I had on hand.

And that, my friends, is my Summer dining room hutch!

As always, I appreciate your visit.

Summer Mantel 2014

Hello, hello dear friends!

I feel like my motto should be,

"So much to do, so little time."

We are looking at maybe another week or two of total

craziness and then, with any luck,

I can finally put some of these grandiose ideas/projects

that I've been dreaming up into action.

Why is it that I am always full of ideas when

I don't have the time to try any of them?

Anyway, enough of the complaining,

let's take a look at the summer mantel.

My plan was light, bright & simple.  

Aqua, lime green & white.

I had everything you see here except for the

spools of green baker's twine.

I found them at Hobby Lobby...they're so cute!

I bought this wooden window thing a few years back while

we were on vacation in the Lake George area.  

 I have no idea what its former life was,

but someone was smart enough to repurpose it with these burlap

pockets.  It was filled with red geraniums when I bought it

 and it was love at first sight!

A little something for interest at the bottom of the fireplace.

Light, bright & simple....

Happy Summer!

Linking to:

Tuesdays at Our Home @ Our Home Away From Home
Inspire Me Tuesday @ A Stroll Thru Life