I almost forgot this week's theme at Inspiration Avenue, "beach treasures". It's Saturday evening, and I either can just pass it this week which I really wouldn't like, or I can contribute with something that I made a year ago. I opted for the latter.
Acrylic paints on a 8 x 10 canvas, then added some shells, seastar and driftwood that I had found on our beaches. Stamped a seastar, glued a torn book page in the lower right corner and embellished with the stamped image of the "sunsource" (one of my favorite stamps by Stampington & Company) without the sun. The colors are not quite true to the original, but I couldn't get the camera to represent the colors correctly. This shade of sea green seems to be a challenge!
There are several specific places in the world that feel magical to me. New Zealand was one of the first places that spoiled me day after day with sheer amazement of the natural beauty that abounded everywhere. The Amalfi Coast of Italy made me squeal at every turn as we Vespa-ed around the gorgeous (and steep!) mountainous seaside. Cape Cod feels like home and nostalgia and happiness wrapped into neat summer packages. And the coast of Maine to me sings of relaxation, fresh air, and the sea.
My aunt owns a house near Boothbay Harbor, Maine, that is all at once beautiful, inspiring and creaky (it is over 100 years old, after all). The cheery blue ceiling of the huge wraparound porch beckons you to relax the moment you walk in. The back looks out onto the water, and the sounds of seagulls and lobstermen conjure up classic American novels and old whaling stories. I love it there.
We don't get up to Maine very often due to work, schedules, etc., but I just read about a possible new lifeline - it's a perfume called "Maine." It's made with sage, seaweed, beach plum and pine. I wonder if they were able to bottle the crisp sea air. Originally spotted on A Cup of Jo.
Folks. I AM BACK. :) I've missed you all! Fo reals. Did you all have nice Labor Day weekends? Ah, the last holiday weekend of the summer. When did it get to be September?? I feel like summer just started and now it will be over - officially - in 19 days! (Though Labor Day weekend really feels like the true end of summer.) Boo.
In the meantime, I'm grasping on to the last semblances of summer, which to me right now is feeling like a nautical tone - for the home, clothes and accoutrement. Here are some of the nautical items inspiring me right now:
The above living room really started off this seafaring feeling for me. I don't like an overly "theme-y" room, but this one is done nicely and without getting too crab shanty. The striped rug, the tufted ottoman and the pseudo-leopard stripe pillows are killing me with goodness. (Also this room kind of looks like a much more chi-chi version of my own living room, so of course I'm in love.) ;)
These sheets are totally nautical with a touch of French provencal - and would be perfect in any crisp guest room. Can't you just picture visiting the coast of Maine, sleeping in a white and blue room, with a lovely ceiling fan overhead and a seabreeze through the window? These would be the sheets I'd imagine gracing that bed. Ahhh....
I would wear a stripey sweater every day if it wouldn't be just plain weird (and slightly dirty, no? or require tons of washing...). Oh yeah, and I'd happily float around all day on a lovely boat in Napoli, too, but that part may be a little less realistic than just rocking a sweater daily...
35 buckaroos for some seaside style in your house isn't half bad. I'd snap this up instantly if we had any doors that needed holding up (I don't think my bathroom door or the front door would work...).
I saw these dishes in person the other day and they are amazing. They're reasonably heavy-weight and the illustrations on them are gorg. They're a little pricey and maybe a bit much for everyday (the octopus tentacle handle on the teacup is both genius and creepy), but I still love 'em.
I mean really. Who doesn't need a pair of gold docksiders in their closet? I know I sure do. (Also please note that I had an identical pair of these when I was in elementary school. They were fresh to death and I wore them allll the time. Such a trendsetter at 10. [haha])
And finally, this fun guy was too cute not to include. We all need a little whimsy, especially when doing nautical, and this guy is pretty good. In fact, I would wear his outfit anytime.
So what do you think? Is this nautical route way too overdone these days? I'm not planning to run out and buy all of these accoutrement anytime soon (or any, likely), but I did love the breezy and clean feeling these pics gave me. Hope it helped you hang on to summer just a wee bit longer!
Today feels like a bit of a ramshackle day. It's the end of a much-anticipated holiday weekend, we're all trying to get back into the workweek, it's way hot again, and I have a dentist appointment (fun stuff).
Instead of trying to wrap my head around one singular, cohesive theme or concept, I thought I'd be a little fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pantsy and give you some of my favorites from the week. I hope you don't mind the visual menagerie. Maybe you're even in the same place I am and feeling a bit flighty? Well, if your brain can take it, here is a visual mix - a few things I'm loving right now:
I love the subtle peek of lace, especially with a modern neckline (pic on the left). Images from Stella McCartney's Resort 2011 collection
I love wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and the perfect neutral couch. Photo from Domino magazine (RIP), via Shelter
I love a tufted chair (especially with nailhead trim!) and a cheeky pillow. Photo from Style Files
I love a cheery door (especially in blue) and I looove quatrefoils. Photo via Caitlin Creer Interiors
And with the lovefest concluded for now, I'm off to the dentist (love! not.). Please stop by again a bit later for a fun end-of-day post/query. Hope your day goes swimmingly. Ciao for now!
Isn't this photo lovely? It makes me think of road-tripping in the summer with the windows down and heading someplace fun. I can't wait to get away for our beach trip in August. Until then, though, I'm just enjoying the good weather (it's been unusually non-boiling-and-curl-your-hair-humid for June in MD - how about where you are?) and trying to soak up as much of the weekends as I can (when I'm not working).
Here's wishing you an amazing weekend. I'll be back Monday. Until then, go Team USA (don't forget - World Cup Soccer starts Saturday!).
I am running off to a busy day, but I'll be back a bit later today - at least to wish you a happy weekend - so check back in (when you're pretending to work but really just obsessively watching the clock to see if it's 5:30 yet...). ;)
I'm going to put something out there, but promise not to get mad at me:
I hate running.
(I am scared of - and awed by - you, oh tribe of religious everyday runners...)
I mean, I totally *wish* I loved running - in theory it seems pretty amazing - but when I'm doing it, I pretty much want to chop my own feet off so I never have to do it again.
However, I just came across this Self Magazine article(via Have Your Cake) about proper running technique and tips, and am wondering if I've just been doing it wrong all this time. For instance, did you know that "most runners strike the ground on their toes or heels, but ideally, you should land on the balls of your feet and push off"? I think I'm a "heel striker" - which makes total sense as to why each stride hurts my back and knees so much.
Dare I say these revelations (see other tips here) might be enough to inspire me to give running another try? Especially if it gives me abs like these: Yikes.
If this 90-degree business breaks tomorrow, I might be willing to give it a try... (I'm shocking even myself.)
(B, please remember and cite this high-falutin' talk tonight when I come home from work at 7:45 and am whining about being tired...) ;) What about you all? Any runners out there? Any good running or general motivation tips? I need to get in shape before our beach trip!
I have freckles. But not like these: Photo via Full House
I wish. She is gorgeous.
I do, however, have upper thigh tires like these (without the perfectly balanced buxom-ness elsewhere though): Photo via Mary Ruffle
She's beautiful though. I was very happy to see that even a beauty icon like Marilyn had a little junk in her trunk and some cellulite/thigh pockets like me. This will be a little inspiration for me before our upcoming beach trip in August. Maybe I'll be as self-confident as she by then. (ha)
Are you a freckle fan? No need to ask if you're a Marilyn fan - everyone is (even doubters like me).
Art in the bathroom can be a tricky thing (all that steam can take its toll on paintings), but those oil paintings are kinda too pretty not to include in here. Top it off with the blue bathtub, classic tile floor, and a plethora of fluffy white towels, and this bathroom is in business. That little yellow rubber ducky and I would take a bath in there any day. So beachy... love.
Lovely readers, I need your help! I know most of you don't have time to comment on here regularly, but if you could take a second and give me a simple "option 1," "option 2" or "you're a crackhead - I say neither," that would be so appreciated!
Here's the conundrum:
I absolutely love Sherry and John from Young House Love, and am so impressed with how they've renovated their 50-year-old house - not to mention their awesome design skills on a budget. Ever since I saw this photo of their kitchen(below), I've been totally into their clam-shell-as-fruit-bowl. See it peeking out from the counter on the right-hand corner?
Here's a close-up: Pretty cute, right?
I don't need a fruit bowl (we already have a tiered thing-y [that's the technical term for it] that we use for fruit), but I love this clam shell dish nonetheless and am sure I could find a home for it somewhere. I even saw the exact same one on Cougar Town last night as a mail bowl in the front hall (crap, did I just admit that I was watching that show?).
So my question is this: I have a few options for buying this seashell bowl, but can't decide which way to go. I need your help!
Enter option 1: This is the exact clam shell from Sherry and John's house. It's from Z Gallerie (here) and costs $49.95. It's made of resin and it's 12" x 20". Don't mind all the filler-junk (bark, ephemera, etc.) shown in the above photo - just think about how cute it looked in the Young-House-Love-ers house.
Option 2:
Okay, admittedly, this one probably looks pretty gross because it's set up with ice and actual oysters in it. Ew.
Here's a close-up in case all the crap on the table above is too distracting: This one is from Pottery Barn (here) and was originally $139 (woah there), but is currently on sale for $99.99. Before you freak out over the exorbitant price tag for a knock-off crustacean, consider that I have an $82 credit to PB (that I haven't found anything else pertinent to use on), so that makes this shell only $18 for me. Just got a whole lot better looking, right? This one is sand cast of aluminum with a polished finish and is food safe (I'm not sure the Z Gallerie one is).
Option 3: neither. Why buy a giant shell for the home without a solid use in mind first?
So whaddya think? Option 1 - the Z Gallerie shell at 50 bucks; Option 2 - the PB shell at 12 bucks (with my credit); or Option 3 - neither, and I am pyscho for being that into shells...?
Looking forward to hearing back from you on this or any what-is-sure-to-be-entertaining commentary on my thought process and shell obsession. :) Thanks for any help!
This weekend was lovely. The official start of spring on Saturday did not disappoint; even though I was up north on Cape Cod, we still had absolutely beautiful weather both days of the weekend. I even got to walk on the beach! Hanging with family, eating tons of food, walking in the gorgeous sunshine, reading and relaxing...I am recharged and ready for Monday, despite the rainy forecast. Showers bedamned, flip flops here I come! (And more posts to come, so check back...)
Photo of Jessica Stam by Sølve Sundsbø, via Bits of Beauty
I have to head out a bit early today as we're heading up to the Cape to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday (whew, way to go, Nana!) with family. It'll be 10 degrees colder there (booo), but hopefully nice and sunny nonetheless, so I'm hoping to sneak in a quick trip to the beach.
Here's wishing you a fabulous weekend, whether you're just hanging around outside(ha, see photo - baaad pun) or booked all weekend like me.
I'll be back bright and early Monday - hope to see you back here then!
These incredible hand-drawn creatures couldn't be more at home here on sea*life*style, could they? Rachel Wilson’s gorgeous illustrations of sea creatures, some of which she developed in a collaboration withBrainstorm Print and Design, are amazing examples of not only beautiful hand drawings, but also intricate patterning. The varying patterns and amazing minutiae within each creature illustration is fascinating to check out up close; click here and here to see each in more detail.
This would be such a beautiful gift for someone. Many of the things on the Tuvalu site are quite pricey, but this box actually comes in at only $32 - not too shabby for something so delicate and pretty. The only thing that got me was this description:
"This jar was hand made out of an antique bottle, carefully welded in copper with coral from the sea. A magnificent art piece for anyone who admires the ocean. Dimensions: up to 16" (may vary slightly)"
What?! "Up to 16 inches - may vary" is pretty vague. First of all, 16 inches is pretty large no matter how you slice it, but "may vary slightly" leads me to question how big or small this thing might be. I honestly thought, from looking at the photo, that we'd be talking about a box that is four inches or so across, not a foot and a half! Could that be possible that it's so honkin' big?
Next time I'm visiting a friend who has a 10-person dining room table with no centerpiece or decor for it, I know exactly what to get. Harumpf, I was going to say it'd be such a pretty jewelry box, but at the true size, that would be pretty extreme. Regardless, since it's so sea-ish and and stylish, how could I not share it here, on sea*life*style, after all? ;)
No need for knick-knacks cluttering up your mantle when you have a fireplace this beautiful. Those gorgeous pink hydrangeas and clean white details are all you need for this fireplace to feel pitch-perfect. It helps that the inset mantel is so lovely, too. Isn't this home heater somehow just right, for either a snowy winter or a breezy beachhouse?
Not only is that an amazing couch - tufted upholstery? nailhead trim? coral pillow? Burberry throw? Check, check, and check. I die. So good! - but also the little girl is adorable. What really appealed to me most in the photo, though, are those fun flowered caps.
Something about them is so flirty and fun, even though they're totally utilitarian (and so much better than an ugly shower cap that you get for free at a hotel): Photo Cig Harvey, via M.A. Belle
And I think what I really love about the cute caps is that I equate them with crazy old ladies - the fun crazy, not crazy crazy kind. I hope to one day be like that: old enough not to care if people look at me funny when I go into the grocery store rocking a flowered swim cap, and happy enough with myself after all the years that I'll wear exactly what I want, regardless of whether it's a bit kooky. A friend and me, 50 years from now? Kim's the more buxom lady on the left, and I'm the paler gal with the turquoise cap (my fave color!) on the right. :)
Would you ever wear a flowered swim/bathing cap? Do you wear what makes you happy, regardless of what other people might think? I know as I hobble out of my 20s, I'm definitely wearing things I want to wear. At least there's something good about getting old!
Confession: I hate (hate) working out. Not that this is a secret, but it's certainly true. I do looove the aerial dance class I've started up again (after seven months off - ugh!), but doesn't this look so fun too?: It's called Jukari (it's actually called Jukari Fit to Fly, but let's just stick with Jukari for now), and it's borne out of a collaboration between Reebok and Cirque Du Soleil.
The moves - which include jumping, swinging, leaping and good old conditioning - target the whole body and give you a serious cardiovascular workout as well as muscle toning /building, but the key for me is that it just looks really fun.
These moves look pretty entertaining, and much better than hoofing it on a boring treadmill:
The workout takes place on the "FlySet," which is a steel bar attached by two loops to a rope, which is fixed to the ceiling with a 360 degress swivel, meaning you can not only hang from it, climb on it, but also move with it.
Especially now that the New Year is upon us, and B and I have committed to a beach house in August, I need to get my behind in gear. So if Jukari will make me look like Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Marissa Miller (below), I'm in.
Unfortunately, Jukari is only available in LA and NY right now (and internationally, but I'm not jet-setting these days), so I'm out of luck for now, but hopefully it'll come to little ol' Annapolis sometime soon. Hey, if we have pole dancing classes, aerial dance, and Zumba all over the place, can't we get Jukari too?
Good morning (slash afternoon), everyone! Did you all have fun weekends? Ours was a blast, both fun and crazy and mellow (from a busy Saturday to a lazy Sunday). We even had some snow here - rare for early December! It's pretty much melted at this point, but the tangible confirmation that winter really is here made me think of the photo above. I love the hazy, dreamy quality of it, plus doesn't that winter bonfire on the beach look fun?
I'm trying to get my head back in the blog world so that I have some cool and inspired things to bring you all (and not just adorable, but totally ridiculous, posts about kittens being surprised). If you all have anything interesting or holiday-appropriate that you'd want to share, please feel free to email me and I'd be more than happy to post it here. Otherwise, here's hoping I find some inspiration. Be back in a bit!
