Chickadee Home Nest: June 2015

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Red, White & Blue Inspiration, Part 2

Hi, All! I love patriotic holidays and red, white & blue so much that I have tons of pictures to share, even after last week’s post (here). While last week was mostly about red, white & blue gardens and other great inspiration from our trip to Newport Beach, California, this post is more about home—our home specifically.

The table is set! Won’t you join me for a patriotic luncheon? I used my Ballard Designs Southern Living tiered basket (love, love, love it—it’s so versatile!) as the main attraction and to save room on the table by using it to hold the dishes, napkins, mugs, etc.

The flag is actually a scarf (coincidentally, a souvenir from our Newport Beach visit). The Warren Kimble Colonial sugar and creamer are ready for the coffee to accompany dessert, which includes fresh fruit: cherries in a pewter star dish (a GREAT gift from a friend many years ago), and strawberries in a blue-and-white bowl. The silver underplate for the strawberries complements the pewter star dish and adds a bit of “ummph” to the bowl, rather than setting it directly on the table.

As you know…no holiday decorating is complete at our house until the china cabinet is done! As you also know, I’m The Lazy Decorator, so a few touches of red added to the blue-and-white Spode Delamere, and voilà! A subtle “salute” to a patriotic holiday!

After our luncheon many of the pieces found a home in the china cabinet.

These flag stirrers were a great find (wish I remembered where!), as was the blue-and-white pitcher—DO remember where I found it—at a second-hand store!

Hardly is there a time when you don’t find blue hydrangeas somewhere in our home—and a great addition they are to our red, white and blue decor!

For some reason I feel like people are decorating earlier for the Fourth this year—have you noticed that? I don’t mean stores—they had Fourth of July merchandise out in March, I believe! Do you think it’s the earlier-and-earlier Christmas decorating habit that is spreading even to the Fourth? Will be, like the stores, be decorating for the Fourth in June? Or just carry it over from Memorial Day right into the Fourth?

Speaking of Memorial Day, I have one more picture to share with you! We were in Florida over Memorial Day weekend, and thinking ahead, I took the flag scarf, AND A SMALL FLAG, in order to observe that day while we were there~

Remembering those who serve and have served is important—even while on vacation. Thank you to all of them, and their families.

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Since I’m seeing more patriotic deco, I’m feeling pressure to get my decorations out. I also want to get my posts done, in the hopes that they’ll offer some ideas and inspiration to you. I get so many ideas and inspiration from you all, that it’s the least I can do! :) That’s what blog friends are for, right? Next week’s post will be the front porch, so stay tuned!

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Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I’m thrilled to know you stopped by, and I’ll always visit back and comment too. If you like what you see, I invite you to follow me (I promise to follow back), and please—Pin away and follow me on Pinterest too! Thank you!!

NOTE: Some of the items I use in my posts are in my Etsy shop, but many are not, simply because I haven’t updated my shop. If you see something you like and wonder if it’s available for sale, email me at coral5252@gmail.com and let’s talk!

Monday Show and Share at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/

Mondays at The Art of Homemaking at http://strangersandpilgrimsonearth.blogspot.com/

Mop it Up Monday at http://www.ishouldbemoppingthefloor.com

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

ModMix Monday at http://modvintagelife.blogspot.com/

Amaze Me Monday at http://www.dwellings-theheartofyourhome.com/

Inspire Me Monday at http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Masterpiece Monday at http://californiacoastalhome.blogspot.com/

Karen’s Something to Talk About at http://www.karensuponthehill.com/

Tuesday’s Blog Shop Listings at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Tuesdays at Our Home at http://mariaelenasdecor.blogspot.com/

Tuesdays at The Scoop at http://www.stonegableblog.com/

Tuesdays at http://theenchantingrose.blogspot.com/

Inspire Me Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Wednesdays at DIY Design at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com\

Centerpiece Wednesday at http://thestylesisters.blogspot.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://www.savvysouthernstyle.net/

Thursdays Share Your Cup with Mrs. Olson at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Home and Garden Thursday at http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com/

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Thursdays at http://www.impartinggrace.com/

Thursday Your Turn to Shine at http://blesserhouse.blogspot.com/

Share Your Style Thursday at http://www.Commonground-do.com/

Fridays at Feathered Nest: http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/

Fridays at http://rootedinthyme.blogspot.com/

Fridays at Home Sweet Home: http://thecharmofhome.blogspot.com/

Show and Tell Friday at http://romantichome.blogspot.com/

Pink Saturdays at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Saturday at http://www.craft-o-maniac.com/

Saturdays at http://piecedpastimes.blogspot.com/

Saturdays at Be Different, Act Normal at http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Red, White & Blue/Patriotic Touches

Hi, there! I’ve been gone for quite a while! I have no explanation as to why I’ve been out of blogland, except to say that I don’t know where the last six weeks have gone! I hope you’re enjoying your summer!

Those of you who follow me (thank you!!) or know me, know that I absolutely love to celebrate patriotic holidays, so it’s not surprising that it’s the Fourth of July, my second-favorite holiday (second only to Christmas and its true meaning), that brings me out again!

The Fourth of July is such an awesome opportunity to not only celebrate our freedom, but to reflect on it and what it means. Having left Cuba as a young child, my parents brought my little brother and me to this great country seeking not financial gain, or a better standard of living…oh, no…it was something much more fundamental than that. We sought only FREEDOM. Knowing what the loss of freedom really is, once re-gained it is all the more precious.

I suppose there’s some sort of psychological connection in this, given that the Cuban flag and the American flag are both RED, WHITE, and BLUE, but those colors, in just about any display or item, stir something in me that I find hard to articulate—PRIDE, LOVE OF COUNTRY, FREEDOM, RECOGNIZING THE PRICE THAT SO MANY HAVE PAID—INCLUDING THEIR FAMILIES—TO GIVE US OUR FREEDOM.

OUR AMERICAN FLAG, The Memorial Tournament, Muirfield Village Golf Club. Love the SIZE of this flag, and I even love the servicemen and women crouched before it.

The Cuban flag. (Source: Wikipedia)

So now that I’ve explained my love for all things RED, WHITE, and BLUE, I wanted to share some pictures I took while we were in the Newport Beach/Corona del Mar (California) area last June. They were ALL DECKED OUT for the patriotic days of summer, and I was lovin’ it!

The shark topiaries along Highway A1A in Newport Beach are ready for the Fourth of July—sunglasses and all!

Here’s the whole ~~family~~ school, dressed in their patriotic best!

The landscaping at our hotel was also ready for the patriotic holidays…a flower show after my own heart! I don’t seem to have much luck with lobelias here in Ohio, but they flourish in these parts of California, and they’re the perfect blue for a RED, WHITE, and BLUE garden!

Did you notice the agapanthus (also known as Lily of the Nile) in the prior picture? We were there during the June gloom, but these are so striking and add such beauty and texture to the garden! No wonder they’re planted everywhere!

These beauties would be AWESOME in our RED, WHITE, and BLUE garden!

I know, I know…this has NOTHING to do with red, white and blue, or patriotic gardens, but I just had to share these gorgeous palm trees with you, since these, too, are favorites.

Juxtaposition (http://www.juxtaposition.com/) is ALWAYS on my must-visit list when we’re in the Orange County/Newport Beach area. Great, interesting selection (more pix below!), and who.can.beat the scene?? You can see it in the reflection? That is, if you can tear away from trying to see all the patriotic details in the window! It is right across the Pacific! We of course also visited the Starbucks there in the Crystal Cove “strip” center (it’s a crime to call it a strip center!), and of course sat outside to just absorb the view into our very bones!

How’s this for another beautiful patriotic display?

Lots of blue and white clothes, artfully displayed with touches of red.

A w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l book (more below!), by, of course, Mary Emmerling.

What a treasure trove of Americana this book offers!

Another beautiful patriotic display…this is the shop to visit for RED, WHITE & BLUE decor!

Which of these would you like? The woven handbags/beach bags? The gorgeous blue shirt, or the white (in the softest, yummiest fabric!)? Or the scarf? or necklace?

Okay, now look carefully…half the bike is OUTSIDE, the other half is INSIDE! LOL And so pretty to boot!

The flower shop with the bicycle. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the name—I’d love to give them credit for their beautiful displays, so if you know what it is, please share! Oh, and did you notice the flower baskets by the door are, yes…RED, WHITE, and BLUE?

Even the store signs create a patriotic scheme! (And by the way, we had DELICIOUS pastries at Rendez Vous!)

Well, are you MORE in the mood for the Fourth of July—or any patriotic holiday—after this run through Newport Beach? I certainly am! I hope to be back soon with some more RED, WHITE, and BLUE, so early wishes for a happy and safe Fourth of July! In the meantime, I hope to visit many of you for more inspiration!