My Birthday and Fourth of July

It's my Birthday  today!

 and the big summer holiday weekend is upon us already! Can you believe it? Seems like it took so long for summer to get here!

I am heading down the shore to my beach house. yippee!!

 This weekend is always fun, It's Fourth of July weekend!!
What do you do on 4th of July?
Get together with family or friends or both?
We BBQ, like most people.
Do you have any great recipes to share? Feel free to post a link in the comments.
 I'm always on the lookout for some special holiday treats. Only one condition, it has to be easy.
Any family traditions?
My sister makes these cute napkin rings for the Summer Holidays.

I like to bring out the vintage table cloths

And I usually always make this cake.

Which is the simplest thing in the world.
I use angel cake ( you can bake your own if you want)

• 1st layer in vanilla pudding
• break cake into pieces for 2nd layer
• layer of whip cream
• decorate with blueberries and strawberries to resemble a flag!!

Happy July Fourth weekend!!



Have a good one!

Sharing at:

Somewhat simple

BNOTP

Flaunt it Friday #60

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Show and Tell Friday
Recipe linky at Remodelaholic

Whites

I was on a thrifting mission recently and was lucky enough to find 4 milkglass dishes that match a set I've had for a decade, with only four plates, but 8 glasses. I was so happy to find these :0)




And along with the dishes, in the same shop I found this pretty white pitcher.
(I have a weekness for pitchers. Weather they are white or blue and white. I have a hard time turning away.

I have a few favorite places here in New Jersey but this was a new place I discovered while visiting Florida.




And I also found a pretty little burlap coffee bag,




which I eagerly snatched up and stuffed with beach grass and seashells and a starfish.

I love finding new places that are chock full of things, don't you? It's like being a little kid in a candy shop, and you almost have to drag me out. My next trip down there, I am hoping to get some vintage mixing bowls.

I am still in the process of little by little, making the florida house more beachy. It's getting there. These things take time. Especially when I'm not there too often. But it is always fun to sneak away and shop and discover new places.





A vintage lace tablecloth and one of my white pitchers in my shore house in New Jersey. I felt very lucky when I nabbed this piece of pottery.

I haven't looked it up yet but it has a number on the bottom and I think it's a Hull or Mc Coy.
 If you do recognize it please let me know in the comments.
I like how the off white lace looks over the white table.

 I can't forget to include the pretty white roses for my daughters graduation!

 Her friend gave her one red rose because that was the color of her grad cap and gown.

I love how it looks mixed in with the all white.

I hope you all have a great white wednesday!

Posting over at Faded Charm's
~White Wednesday # 106~

House of Hepworths

• Feathered Nest Fridays
• Frugal & Fabulous Design

"Magic Mike" to the rescue for a Pirate's Grad Party

And this entire area will get a set decoration via moi.

These chairs need a makeover.

They are in Ok condition.

I just need a change. I want them to look fresh.

 Maybe a cabanna look.
 I want them a little more like this inspiration picture below from Diane Keaton's back yard in the movie " Something's Gotta Give"  OMG I love this.

So I've been busy at my sewing machine all week, nothin like an upcoming event to get my butt in gear.
That'll do it everytime!!
While Magic Mike has been sprucing up the yard, power washing and planting some flowers.
( Can't you just envision him out there with his power washer, knockin everything over and splattering dirt all over the windows.??  ; 0) ....And setting up some tents.
Nahh seriously... this kid is the best thing ever happened to this family. (Outside all of us , of course)

We had to order extra chairs from a rental place for the big party. But were able to borrow the tables and the tents. which saved us about 300 as compared to last years grad party.
Wheeehhh! this is my last one.. my youngest.


------------------------------Fast forward to June 25th.. all is ready and I am excited. I just have to go get the ingredients for the bahama mamas and mojitos... yippee.

I made envelope covers for the chairs. i couldn't find the outdoor fabric that I wanted, so I used a shower curtain fabric. We'll see how that holds up.
I also used drop cloth material for the lounges because I wanted them to have that nubby and neutral look.
They should do ok outside as long as we get lots of sun. If we get too much rain, then, I think they won't do so good... and I am still on the look out for the perfect outdoor fabric for this project but for now this will have to do.
Viola....

They ain't perfect but they're cozy and fresh and I love the aqua. I  found those big fluffy Tommy Bahama pillows at my Home Goods which I couldn't pass up, for the loungers. I love their pretty cabana stripe. Those big pillows were just the look I was searching for. I love to shop at Home Goods and by the way Rhoda at Southern Hospitality is having a giveaway of a Home Goods Gift card.
I made the little throw pillows to match the chair fabric.

And the rest of the yard is ready for a partayy!!  My son Matt bought me the pretty planter on the wall last year for my birthday.( That is also a Home Goods item ) and my son Ed bought me the cute aqua wind chime 2 years ago for my birthday. (free from it's winter prison in the shed)

The cute little white table was a "found" item (rescued). 

Old chewed up pine, some doggie took a liking to....and the owner tossed.

 my thrifty soul saw a treasure.

 I quick spray painted it white cause I wanted a place for my little mexican clay pieces, and mojitos:)

I guess you can tell this part of my yard has a little mexican theme going on.

It makes me feel like I am on a vaction when I sit out here by the pool.

(Spot any more items out from hibernation?) 

And we are almost ready for the guests! And they don't know it but they are all getting little Pirate hats!
In celebration of the High School's mascot.

You can see in the photo below how we have the pool equipment laying across the width of the pool. that is because ducks kept coming in for a visit which was really cute at first, but let me tell you.. not so cute when they started to poopie in our pool. So the poles laying across helps keep them away. I'm sure with all the party guests those ducks won't be visiting.

Ok I gotta go back in and get the food ready.

Can you believe it ? That bistro set is another Home Goods item. So is the aqua oil lamp on top of it!!
 Gee I swear I'm not a spokewoman for Home Goods, but it is me fav. ( maybe I outta  :))

Now for the Party pictures...

The graduate:

and the cake, was fashioned after my daughter cap which she had decided to decorate for graduation .

The top of her cap:

The Cake:

Darn good likeness heh?

And of course some cupcakes!

The graduate  and the cake artist

The school's sports teams are called the "Pirates" and a big old pirate with a patch is the schools mascot.
so that was the theme of our party.


Funny thing is all the adults had a great time putting on the little pirate hats I found.

 ( Pirates were also the theme last year when my Mary graduated from the same school.)

It was only after all of the other party goers donned the silly hats, could I get the graduating class to go along with my craziness, but all eventually embraced the fun, as you can see by their grins.

I love a good party!!
Don't you?
What a super and memorable day we had!! I had a ball at the party and so did everyone else!

I'm partying again with these lovely woman:

Metamorphisis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch

Thrifty Decor Chick

Thrifty Treasures Sunday
The CSI party link up

Just Pinking about Saturdays

I thought I would post some of the pink amd purple seashells I found while down in Florida on the gulf side.

I couldn't resist putting them all around this pretty pink roses vase I picked up while antiqueing in Key West

Not all the beaches of Southwest florida are abundant with these. But some are just loaded with them, and the beach that my florida vacation home is near has tons! Especially after a bit of a storm. The pitcher is my keepsake of my trip to the Keys with my sis back in April.

When I put this set up on my bedroom bureaux down there last trip, my hubbo says to me
"that doesn't match anything in this room" and I swiftly responded "That'll change"
Because, basically, nothing in that bedroom is the way I want it, so everything will need to undergo some transformation, sooner or latter.
It is as it was,  when we purchased it. The only thing we bought was a new mattress.

It needs to be Beachified, Shabbified, and basically Cottaged up a bit... so

1.The furniture has gotta go
2. The rugs gotta go... ( they are clean, just not me, not my color, I actually prefer hardwood or laminate floors, not a fan of the rug)

I'm secretly looking for new flooring for that place. I say secretly because right now we are in the midst of a redo of my daughters room in NJ...( I am back in New Jersey again) and that will take some time and some money, and as I search for her new flooring options I am secretely weeding through what I can use for Florida....so of course Florida will have to be on the back burner for a while.

But speaking of Florida, when I was down there at the Target I found this to-die-for shabby chic bedspread and shams which I HAD to go back and buy when I woke up the next day, because my brain just kept swirling around lusting for that pretty pinkness.

And the Euro pillow of my dreams, so soft, and pink on pink, and fluffy.

i just could not resist...I tried... I left the store without it, I went home, ate dinner, cleaned up, went to bed,
But it called to me at night..."Come back" "Come back" like that Titanic movie. :0)

 So I had to go. i couldn't leave it there on the shelf calling my name.

Now all I have to do is get furniture in there that I actually LIKE..
I am hiding the night table in the photo below with a tablecloth

because I HATE it...
furniture goes
rug goes
Bed stays

And that will be the start of that room re-do. Inspired by some  pink shells from the shore.

posting at Pink Saturdays
All Roses Show Off Your Cottage Monday

http://www.thesaturdaymorningsblog.com

Funky Junk Interiors