Foofin around Down the Shore

I came down the shore on Saturday. Just needed a couple of days off to break things up. So while I was whiling away the hours, relaxing with a mojito in hand... I took a good look at my chair and a half and decided it was time to throw it in the wash again. I usually do that once a year, cause its slipcovered. and I always have to wait for it to line dry, because it's recommended to not go in the dryer. So I got to thinking...while I was waiting...
 I had this great Rachel Ashwell shabby chic slipcover from target on-line, which I was going to return because it didn't fit my big bulky loveseat....just sitting in my car....Let's try it on the chair and a half.

Have to say LOVE

This slip comes with a little ruffled front end! and it's so comfy. A nice white twill.
It is thin tho, so a bright colored print sofa would probably show through. Yes i have kids, a whole slew of em., teenagers and grown adults, and a sweet little grandbaby too. And lots of sandy toes.
Nothing like a white slip to throw in the wash and bleach at will!

 I am thinking about whitewashing those dark frames around the ships. These are a gift from my brother. He's a really good painter.

It went on pretty easy and tucked in simply too. it comes with a seperate seat cushion, that you adjust and tighten.

 And then I wrapped my separate pillow back in a plain white sheet. I will have to get around to making this pillow an actual cover, but I am very happy with it for now.
It's a nice change,  and the pale blue slip that came on my chair will go in storage for a while. I actually bought this chair and sofa and a smaller  club chair from Macy's furniture about 8 years ago. a big store with just furniture, not the Macy's in the Malls. I loved it so much I bought 2 of the club chairs for my florida house. They had a wide choice of slipcovers to choose. I never see slipcovered sofas offered for sale anymore, except Pottery barn and they don't have a lot of fabrics. The whole set is so so comfy, and the sofa is even a sleeper, with a special slipcover.

And after a night of cozying up on it and watching my new favorite show "Falling Skies".. I  still like the way it looks  in the morning.
I didn't even have to straighten it, just fold my blanket, and done.

Here is a close up of the little vintage purse I found out thrifting. I just adore her.

Now if i could only get my hands on some Hydrangea for this pitcher.

I know where there are plenty but I can't take any. Just down the street in the lighthouse gardens is an enormous bush, but no touchy, touchy allowed. Understandably so.

Right now, as I write this post, i am enjoying the sounds of the "Soul Cruisers" singing " I'll always love my momma" wafting thru the salty North Wildwood air from Keenan's Irish pub just up the street. They are there every Monday, and i don't even have to leave my front porch, to hear all of the oldies but goodies of Motown sound...so I am thanking the Lord for all my blessings, and the comfort of a cozy home, with the sea air drifting through the windows.

What I love about the shore is ...most often, I don't even need the air conditioner. It can be sweltering back home near Philly, even in the suburbs, because it is "the Delaware Valley, and humid just stays there.
Down the shore it is always a delightful sea breeze in my cottage, and I just love to suck it up.... Now they are singing " Bright sunshiny Day" i think we can make it now the rain has gone...

"Give me just a little more time"... and our  love will surely grow.
Time to dance.
Later ladies!
Eileen


These are my haunts: 

Motivate me Monday

Show off your cottage

Faded Charm  White Wednesday

A Beach Cottage  Good Life Wednesday

Primitive and proper Piece of work Wednesday

Remodeling Mary's room Phase 1 & 2 & 3

We recently decided it was time to remodel my daughter Mary's room. It was way past time to get this done.
First  some of the inspiration rooms found on houzz.

traditional bedroom design

contemporary bedroom design

eclectic bedroom design by media and blogs Dreamy Whites
Mary's inspiration file on houzz has about 25 pics and they all seem to be various shades of blue, or cool green and brown and white

Now the cold hard reality of what we are
 working with....

( there is a nice frenchy mirror in there,not getting it's just deserves... I will re-use elsewhere)

We are trying to break it down into phases.

Phase 1.. Get rid of all the old furniture we didn't want to repurpose. It was all hand me down furniture from the older children. It really was time for her own new stuff.

Phase 2.. Tear out the ugly rug that had been the last living relic of rug alive in this old house, and hope we can have the hardwood underneath refinished.

Phase 3 ...Get busy painting walls, while we wait for the new furniture, and paint this headboard.

Phase 4 ...Install  new flooring ( Hardwood didn't work out) and put furniture in place.

Phase 5 .. Picking out Window dressing, decor items, Bedding.

So we have begun.
Phase 1 ...begun June 9 (leaving for a vacay on June 10)
We got rid of the ugly old beat up dresser and chest, and emptied the room of everything... Check

 Phase 2.. June 10
I figured it was a good time to begin the rug tear out, when we were going on vacation because she would not need to sleep in her bed, and we could get the hardwood floors refinished in there while we were away.
Big mistake.... the guy who came to tear out the rug and refinish the floors said the wood had damage and raised his price to make them "look good". Because I wasn't  home to  see for myself. We told him forget it, and we would get laminate floors and someone else does that. So i ordered the laminate while on vacay ( thinking I would save some time ) But when I got home realized the wood was not so bad at all anyway and I probably should have just had them refinished, even if I called a different guy. But the  laminate floor was already bought and paid and we were waiting for delivery , so I went that way. So it left us time to move to phase 3...paint ...which we did. for 3 days. Check


Phase 3..
We got back from vacay and got busy with our paints. Mary wanted a room with an accent wall.
Like those clean scandinavian designs, where just one wall is different, sometimes with wallpaper, but her's was just going to be paint, and perhaps a painting, on canvas. It took us a few days because we had to do all the shelves in the closets too...
So these are the colors we liked most
Behr "valley mist" a pale pretty green for 3 walls ( it is much lighter than it looks here)

Behr sapphire berry for the accent wall that her bed will go against..

Behr Pensive sky a pale grey for the ceiling and for the trim. I love that name pensive sky.
 It's a real soft frenchy grey

So here is the room all freshly painted.
The window wall, in "Valley Mist"

And the three colors together the trim, accent wall and main wall

Here is another view of the accent wall meeting the green wall. with pensive sky on the ceiling and trim.

After we finished the painting, we moved on to Phase 4 and in went the floor. You can see the pale green walls a bit better in this one.

 Great floor it only took 4 hours
.here is the floor completed and all cleaned up It is Asian Mahoghany from Home Depot. It is a laminate but  it looks like real wood.

Phase  5 coming soon... , The new furniture and home decor items!! yippee. and a sneak peek at what Mary's new furniture looks like....a beachy vibe.

Can you guess where I might go for Home decor items? Where would you go? for bedding, and lamps, and drapes, throw pillows and such?

gonna run over to the linky party at
Inspiration Friday
Funky Junk's Sat Night special
Metamorphosis Monday

4th of July weekend, full of Sun, Beach, Ocean, Rocks,

How was your weekend?
I had a great time and my little cottage was packed with family and friends. We have more coming than expected so I set off to  the local discount store to purchase an extra blow up bed, I couldn't resist stopping to gander at the sunset. Just loving how the pink-orange reflects in the wetlands water.
I didn't have my camera, but my iphone works nice in a pinch. Those tele poles you see on the left of the shot is the road I will travel to go get the extra bed

 It was a beautiful journey.

The next morning as I headed to the beach with my teenager daughter...more eye candy.. our cottage is on the other side of the lighthouse so we often walk through the lighthouse gardens to get to the beach. They have these huge hydrangea bushes in there!!
Again happy to pull my iphone out of the beach bag, for a quick pic.

Secret little spots to step into off the garden path. I promised myself to go back here next week with a real camera, just to take some pictures of these beautiful flowering bushes.

And then much to my surprise when I get to the beach there is another huge change. I need to walk closer cause I can't believe my eyes.... Am I seeing the rock jetty again?

In just the 6 weeks since Mother's Day, all of the rocks that were previously completely burried under sand, have become exposed again. This is at Hereford inlet and the ocean at North Wildwood NJ

These rocks have not been visible above the sand for at least about 15 years. They started to get covered with sand back in the early 90's and once covered completely stayed that way all throughout the 90's and 2000's

 Now this year in  6 weeks time the ocean has taken back it's sand and exposed them again. I love them, and remember them well. It is just so strange to see them again in such a short period of time.

 Usually these changes occur a bit more gradually. Like over decades, not weeks. As I get closer I am amazed and excited to see them all again.

I adore their natural beauty

And the designs and colors...
Like this pink and green standout in a sea of black rock.

and this pretty blue and grey.. makes you want to take it home.

Just watching the waves wash over them, is soothing and they are like beautiful pieces of granite.

My sis ad my daughter kept pointing out new ones for me to capture. Like this one with a pink stripe down the middle....Gotta love that I phone. Handy dandy thing to have.

And this one with the purple stripes in it...

Or the gorgeous grey stripes. How's that for a nautical stripe?

I am so happy to see them all again, even though it means we lose some of our sand. The people on the promenade in the top right are probably thinking "Oh no... what happened to the beach?" That wooden X you see used to actually be an entrance to the beach from the promenade. Closed off now it says " no safe entrance"... Mother Nature is a rebel like that.
I love the natural element of the rocks.

We walked up as far as we could get through without climbing.

Now we will head back to our chairs on the beach!

I hope you enjoyed our little visit to the beach here in North Wildwood, NJ with me.

I will be joining these wonderful ladies linky parties.
Good Life Wednesdays

Outdoor Wednesday
Show and Tell Friday

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!

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BNOTP

Flaunt it Friday #60

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Show and Tell Friday
Recipe linky at Remodelaholic