July ~ Something for the Weekend

July ~ Already!

Hi everyone! Summer really kicks off here at the beach for Fourth of July. Today there's a gale blowing in off the ocean, but the sky is bright blue and the sunshine is warm [-ish]. Summer spirits are high, despite the goosebumps. Time to relax and enjoy the long holiday weekend.

This is my kitchen counter. Don't the bowls of fresh veggies look pretty!

Pink  ''spray''  roses in the sink.

7 stems for 6.99. Dozens of blooms. I'll put them in my Stars and Stripes jug and I'll add real little flags for the 4th.

Makings for simple meals--a lemony Caesar salad with avocado,

...or fresh ravioli tossed with tiny tomatoes, garlic, herbs and a squeeze of lemon. I won't bother to roast the baby tomatoes , I'll just sautee them in olive oil with garlic and sweet onion moons; dollop of wine, some butter, lemon. Fast and fragrant for hungry beach-goers.

I have an inexpensive wine this week. Cheap but good, a crisp white: Beach House Sauvignon Blanc 2014 here

And here's my newest candle----called Tomato Vine.

So unusual, it actually has that weird green sticky smell of a tomato plant, yet is fragrant and complex for scenting summer evenings.
And the jar color! Ooooh!

I'm hoping I'll make it down to the beach at least one of the days. This is my new beach bag.

It's deliberately small, since I no longer have to carry kiddies' toys, snack, sunscreen etc etc. Just big enough for my own spray sunscreen, some peanut butter crackers, and my hand sewing. I love the tribal ikat print in graphic black and white--and the little green pompoms! Cute and $3.oo at Target.

This is the little wristie or pouch Target has too, good for smaller items, like my phone and Chapstick--and it has pink poms! Adorable. Also 3.oo.

A trip to Staples yielded the surprise find of a lovely Journal, creamy white ''suede '' with golden pineapples. I'd like to create a perpetual journal, writing each day over the years. Though I'm not great at journalling.

And a very cute little notebook for drawing.

It has an elastic attached to keep it closed. I'm picturing Sharpie pen sketches but the card paper inside is heavy enough for markers or watercolors to also be used. I'll tuck these into my big bag too.

Oh and we must have a weekend book! This week's book: The Identicals, by Elin Hilderbrand HERE



Dysfunctional, not very nice adult twins, think The Parent Trap, on Nantucket/ MVY. Not plausible, but this is after all a beach book, a fantasy. Hilderbrand writes such vivid characters, her people really come to life--but except for teenage Ainsley and maybe friend Caylee, I'm not sure these are people I'd actually want to know. (Hilderbrand excels at my kind of details like what everyone wears, cars they drive; what wine was served, what food prepared. In one chapter Harley makes party food including tiny avocado toasts, each with  different toppings--radish, hardboiled egg, etc. Best part of the book! I can't wait to try for one of my sunset on the deck evenings with friends.) I'd give this novel 3 Amazon stars. Try the library first.
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 New pink Crocs for gardening.

You all know what a fan I am of Target. I love these lightweight cardigans they sell. Soft cotton and acrylic, perfect for chilly evening walks with Mo, and yes, as mentioned above, it is chilly with the wind blowing. Little pineapples on white--perfectly summery and goes with everything.

Speaking of pineapples...my friends gave me this gorgeous tall Chinese urn. It doesn't ''go'' in their grey/ seaglass house right now, so I'll use it for awhile.

I found this little real pineapple for it, to bring a bit of tropical into my blue and white house.

And apropos of nothing I'm actually sewing, I saved this really fun Pineapple quilt block design to my ''someday'' list.Candied Pineapple Fabric.com Free Pattern



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I promised Kelley I'd show her my terrarium. It's about the size of a shoe box and for some reason, nothing every survives in it.

 

Mo had a bath and mani/ pedi. He smells like Hawaiian Tropic coconut suntan oil, and is very white and fluffy.

He's waiting for the BBQ to begin. How about you, any plans?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

PS Reminder ~ This is the final week of my Dollar Days Sale in my etsy shop. There's some fun things still to find for only a DOLLAR! I've added a few items, too , and marked down some of the more expensive items. Check it out, link in my sidebar on right. Thanks!

Summer Trip to the Flower Nursery

Hi! Warming up a bit here so my friend Elle /  L and I make the trip over the bridges to the flower store. I'm growing my deck pot plants from seeds and bulbs this year, cheaper and easier for me but I used the need for organic potting soil as an excuse to take a look around.

I mentioned it's chilly here but of course somehow we picked the hottest day so far to go, and it was pushing 80-something there on the mainland. A bit of a shock to our oceanfront breezy systems!
Pretty things greet you on arrival.

The old farmhouse is decked out with hanging baskets and a lovely birdbath and flowers in front. (I looked and still cannot see where that funny little window actually is. Inside is a dropped ceiling, so maybe  the window is just in a nowhere spot?This is a working nursery that also does a lot of home and business landscaping. The folks are pleasant but busy and not chatty, so I never feel I can ask about the farmhouse.)

Hydrangeas.

Astilbe. Man, it's hard to make astilbe look good. This is lovely, isn't it.

Indoors filled with traditional flower bed plants.

Lots of gorgeous turquoise coastal pottery, for deck planters.

I loved this casual vignette, the turquoise pot and deep blue petunias. Sadly the petunias won't survive on my deck, or I'd have brought this beautiful idea home.

More ideas, pre-planted deck pots. $$$$$$

Cute signs and garden fence decor.

This is the shop that specializes in fairy gardens---

The photo was too blurry but they have garden gnomes smaller than the end of your thumb!

This was very cool. A big vintage jar laid on its side, inside a scene with a shoreline garden and light house; blue glass pebbles for the water, with a sailboat.

And kitschy cuteness, fun for a summer window.

Outside more lovely ideas. Many beautiful shrubs, heavy on the hydrangeas which do so  well by the ocean, plus sweet garden benches and gazebos. Woodland, not seashore though.

L got mosquito repelling citronella and I got a few tiny succulents for my terrarium which has been moved to a shady spot on the deck. Last chance for it, nothing seems to grow in my terrarium.

And she and I discussed a project we're working on--a secret, to be revealed later this summer if it works.  I also want a small solar powered bowl-type fountain, the kind that burbles over river rocks? L suggests Lowe's.--next on out list.

PS Remember my Dollar Days Sidewalk Sale is still going on in my etsy shop, thru  4th of July week. Lots of fun things for a dollar, plus I 'll take offers on anything else in my shop. Come visit? link in right sidebar here>>>>

Have a great week,

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

beach photos - same day, two years ago....