Red, White and Blue - Water?!

 my 'famous' strawberry & blueberry flavored water

was featured in a past post about front porch decor here on the blog.
it really is pretty, isn't it?!
I made and served this beverage at the vintage shows that I hosted on my farm in Washington,
and it was included in one of the articles i wrote for a magazine.

It's a simple 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' idea (my trademark!) for summer entertaining:

Just put layers of frozen blueberries, ice cubes, and fresh strawberries

in an old glass jar, then fill the jar with water.

They flavor the water ever so subtly - SO refreshing on a hot day - 
and it looks absolutely perfect for a patriotic party!

I can't believe how many times that image has been shared and pinned since then! 
It's my most popular pin EVER, so I want to thank you for the love!

i've always thought that photo was too dark, 
but i can't remove it because of all of the pins & shares - 
so i've added a better, edited image up above in this post and re-pinned it!

You can see another version of my flavored water here

and here

shared online:

Cupcakes & Crinoline | Project Inspire{d}

the How To Home | Project Inspire{d} #274

creatively beth | team creative crafts linky party #147 (2023)

thank you for featuring my project, Miss Beth!

memorial day, labor day, fourth of july, patriotic party decor, red white and blue decor,
red white and blue berry water, entertaining, patriotic party drinks, diy, homeward found decor

It's All Bottled Up!

Don't you just LOVE it when you find something you already have
that you can make use of for your upcoming party or holiday decor? I do!

I was searching through the garage cabinets one day for paint,

and discovered a hoard of vintage soft drink bottles under there!

I knew exactly what I'd use them for: flower vases in a patriotic tablescape...

The vintage Coke and Pepsi graphics on the bottles
coordinate perfectly with the patriotic color scheme in this summer setting by the pool...

I even used some blue blown-glass plant watering bulbs to bring in more color,

because it doesn't always HAVE to be about flowers in your centerpiece.

Click the 'Read More' link for more photos and ideas!

patriotic wall art

this combination of vintage sheet music and a salvaged vintage bottle
is a 'Fast, Cheap & Easy'TM project for summer,
one that's easy to create and enjoyable for the whole season!

A 1" pine board scrap is painted, then covered with a piece of vintage sheet music
[the one above is 'America the Beautiful'- perfect for July decor!]

A piece of baling wire holds the bottle securely on the board.
Put a screw into the front of the board and wrap a wire around it, then tightly around the bottle.
[make it possible to untwist the wire and remove the bottle, so you can fill with water]
Then put two screws into the top outer corners of the board, 

and attach another wire to hang the whole thing on the wall.

I also added a few patriotic words snipped from old books to the front of the bottles.
[I only use damaged books for that!]

Place a single flower in the vase, or perhaps a vintage flag!

i made these years ago and sold them at a vintage show,
and displayed them hanging on an old crib spring, that was hung on the barn wall:

Don't have scrap wood?

Grab some from the scrap bins at the local hardware store.
Don't have vintage sheet music?
Look online for images you can download and print, or use a magazine or book page instead.

 And even a new bottle will work for this project!

See more of my embellished bottle creations here

shared online:

funky junk interiors | diy salvaged junk projects #534

All American Style: Dresser Makeover

Looking for some inspired and LOW COST ideas for your Summer home decor?
Here's what can be done with a little bit of carpentry work and a few coats of paint

to a piece that may start out very UN-inspiring...

The mid-century (1950's) dresser shown in the 'before' photo wasn't too appealing-

except for the fact that it was found for free in the remnants of a friend's garage sale!

Combined with some old boards, new knobs and feet, a little router work, and paint treatments,

the one-of-a-kind piece in the 'after' photo is ready to be a star 

in an an entryway, guest room, family room, or even on a patio for Summertime fun!

* The long tapered legs (very dated look) were chopped off just below the case. 

Then four large ball feet purchased from the hardware store were screwed into place.

 * A new top was added over the existing dresser top, 

made from some old, peely-paint T&G siding pieces, placed side by side. 

The new top measured @ 3" larger all around, to add more dimension to the piece.

* 2" crown moulding was added to make the new top a seamless fit to the old piece.

* Up close, you can see the grooves in the drawer fronts - cut in with a thin router blade to mimic barnwood.

* The entire piece was painted white.
Then, the drawers and cabinet door were all painted dark blue, then more layers of  white and red were applied. 

A dry-brush application of white over the blue and red followed, 

then a careful sanding with fine-grit sandpaper revealed the graduations of color 

and made the grooves stand out on each section.

Best part? The paint was free at the garage sale, too!

* Simple round white ceramic knobs were added to the original drawer pull holes on the piece - 

their quirky offset placement was charming!

The finished piece has no hint of the dated, Danish-inspired design it began with. 

Instead, it displays classic country lines with charming All American Style!

[This project was completed in 2010 by my late husband and I for our business 'Retreat'.
It was purchased and lives in a beach house on Camano Island, WA ]

Three Cheers for the Red, White, and Blue!

 Memorial Day Weekend is the official kick-off to Summer
[and oh, are we glad it's here!]

For our first Summertime post, I offer you some Patriotic Inspiration

for Red White & Blue table decor...

and a fun way to add something special to your place settings:

use old game boards as placemats!

It's pretty easy to find Scrabble boards (nice because they are red, white, blue, and tan)

and other old game boards at thrift stores - 

usually, the pieces are missing from games but the boards are still in the box.

If you DO find one with pieces, you can spell out your guests' names!

Don't forget about my tutorial for making Giant Letter Tiles as coasters, too!

shared online:

A Little Claireification | Best of the Weekend

Funky Junk Interiors | Party Junk

Sweet Summertime Front Porch

it's time to start thinking about SUMMER!
To me, summer brings to mind front porches...

I love front porches, and dreamed all my life of having a home with one.
The swing was my favorite spot to sit on the front porch
of my island home in Washington state...

smelling the field grass and the sea air, all at once.
Watching the birds and eagles and deer and horses.
Enjoying the sunshine - and the rain - from this safe little perch.
Looking out across the fields where my antique show was held...

 I was lucky enough to have this one for just a while.
It really, truly was my Retreat ;0)
[My friend Elise of Elise Marie Photography took these two photos and I am SO GLAD she did]
 

I don't live in this beautiful farmhouse on five acres 
on Camano Island, Washington anymore...
but I still love the memory of it. 

 No, I didn't prop and style the heck outta' my porch for these photos - 

this is how it looked every day, all summer long. Simple.

 You may find that really funny, coming from a decorator, stylist, and writer

who is photographing her porch for a magazine story, 
but my thing is I just wanna' be REAL.

That's why I loved writing for FOLK Magazine back then...
It was all about Real. American. Living. Not photo sets.
[ then I found out more about what was going on, 
and quickly stopped writing for that publication ]

You can create a simple front porch setting, too:
* Gather up a bench or a few chairs
[check craigslist, thrift shops, and of course curbs on trash day!] 
* Add a table to hold a drink 
[what about an upside-down crate, or plant pot?]
* Finish with a few pillows and colorful decor accents.

Whether it's sprawled across the whole front of your house or is a small covered entry,
your porch can become an oasis of relaxation this summer.

I had another small covered porch on the back of this house, just off the dining room.
I tucked a vintage metal folding bed out there, positioned like a lounge chair
(with the back up at an angle) piled it with pillows,
and hung curtains on the porch posts to enclose the space a bit.
It was a lovely, private place to greet the morning sunrise...

I love this photo!

If I do a decor book, this will be the cover.

The quilt on the swing was a family heirloom. 

The flags popped into a Coke bottle were a last-minute thought -
see more easy summer decor ideas like this in this post!

To change the look of the porch,
it was easy to replace these simple colorful accents with something else.

 Since we are working with a Red, White and Blue theme here today,
I thought I'd share a 'Fast, Cheap & Easy' party tip:

A refreshing and very patriotic version of flavored water

Just put layers of frozen blueberries, ice cubes, and fresh strawberries 

in an old glass jar, then fill the jar with water.

They flavor the water ever so subtly - SO refreshing on a hot day!

Below is a shot of my 'Sweet Retreats' column
that appeared in Issue V of FOLK Magazine in 2012,

using some of the images I am sharing here...

 My post is also featured in a hometalk e-newsletter!

What about you? Where is YOUR favorite place to relax and while away the summer?

EDITED 6/15 TO ADD:

In Spring, 2015, three and a half years after I moved out of my dream house
and even after I stopped posting new content here on my blog,
I came across a piece of art that I quite simply HAD to buy: 

This piece is called 'Shore House', by artist Zhen Huan Lu.

Do you see why I had to get it?
 It's very nearly the exact same setting as my own front porch,
right down to the 'stop sign'-shaped window beside the front door.

Amazing.