I Admit It…I’ve Fallen in Love

I love houses…YOU love houses.  I know all about you, because you wouldn’t be here visiting Chickadee Home Nest if you didn’t.  So I’m admitting that I have fallen in love…AGAIN.

You see, we visited my sweet 91-year-old MIL in Orange County, and while there my husband and I took a few quick trips to our favorite haunts—Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar, and Newport Beach.  The shops, the restaurants, the views…what views!  Then we stumbled into it—the place that makes your heart beat a little faster than it was already beating:  BALBOA ISLAND.

Let’s just take a quick little tour, and tell me what you think:

This picture is just to “set the scene.”  You can see the houses lined up across from this little beach…

It gets better…

Remember the view above?  Yes, that’s what these residents see, day in, and day out.

Another lovely.  I really liked the taupe and white combination.

 

Aren’t these the coolest version of Adirondacks?  The black might get a tiny bit warm in the California sun, but aren’t they lovely in contrast with the hot pink flowers?

And what about this row of white houses with flags?  And the bougainvillea?  I do believe flowers love the sea air.

And how about those porch lights?  Are they not perfect?  And the small flags at the very top (is that what they call a widow’s watch, or widow’s peak?)

This one…THIS ONE, with the precious front yard.  I fell asleep that night imagining the table I would set out there…

…it was a long table with a long, flowing white table cloth, sterling candelabras with crystal bobeches (because of course there would be a gentle breeze), and perhaps candle shades…  Can you picture it?

(But if I lived here, I think I would ask the community leaders to please move the trash bin, wouldn’t you?)

 

The Flowers of Balboa Island

Now that you’ve seen just a small sample of these charming homes in this charming community, I’m sure you understand why I fell in love.  Have you ever stumbled upon something or someplace that you know you were meant to see? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

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

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

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

Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

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

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

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

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

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

July Birthdays Birthday Party

My husband and I have five children (he, 2 boys and a girl, and I, 2 boys).  Three of the 4 boys have birthdays in July (one of his sons and my July son were born a week apart—same year—and my July son and his other son have birthdays 2 days apart—(did you follow all that?).  PLUS, two of our DILs have birthdays in July, and my husband’s birthday is in July!  Whew!!  It would be impossible to celebrate each one individually, so this is the party for the 4 who will be able to join the July Birthday Party!

First let me warn you, though.  The heat wave that’s hitting much of the country has not missed us in Ohio…so this was the fastest table and picture-taking session on record.  My husband wondered why I wouldn’t be doing it inside—well, we can’t have a BEACH birthday party inside!  To the screen porch I went!  I actually set most of the table the night before, and got up early the next morning to “beat the heat”… but the heat beat me!  I finished the table and took pictures so fast that if I didn’t use Picasa you’d think you were suffering from vertigo—quite a few were NOT straight.  It was truly a point-and-shoot day!  And you’ll notice not evening shots…Let’s just say the heat won.

But here we are—the table got done, the pictures were taken.   

Happy birthday to all my July sweeties!

Let’s start with dessert first, shall we?

With this heat we can’t have real ice cream, so how ‘bout ice cream cone candles?!

  I know, I know…we’re in Ohio.  But that won’t keep us from pretending we’re at the beach!  We’re BEACH people!  We have SAND from our favorite beach in Siesta Key, Florida, shells galore from there too, and . . . FLIP FLOPS!

I’ve had the flip flop plates for years and had planned to use them for this table, then I saw Mary’s Home is Where the Boat Is post with flip flops she made from Nutter Butter cookies….HAD.TO.HAVE.THEM on MY table!  No worries, I let her know I would be “stealing” her darling idea and giving full credit. 

Are these not the cutest things ever?! Mary made hers with icing, but I take shortcuts—it was 10:30 at night when my husband and I hit Kroger.  So I bought two tubes of gel icing, and I, too, had flip flop cookies!  I sprinkled them with nonpareils and added the little stars.

Served on my vintage Tiara tiered server.

  And how about a high-heel server?!  My husband bought that for me at an arts festival several years ago.

Pottery Barn shell pewter hors d’oeuvres picks, also from a number of years ago,

and Pottery Barn crabs—can’t be at the beach without them!  (They’re really place card holders.)

We also have our table-size sandbox—a darling gift from our son and DIL…perfect for Mom the beach lover!  At the top corner you see the “trunk” of the palm tree, and the starfish could go there instead.  It’s a Nora Fleming dish with interchangeable embellishments/add-ons.

Water!!  Lots of water!!

And now I have to tell you about my dishes…the serving tray--$26.86 originally—is a Zak Designs, and so are the teal plates and the glasses.  Got them all—and the pitcher—for $3.00 at a auction!  I didn’t even know what was in the box lot, but I saw teal, and that was good enough for me!  I couldn’t be more excited about them!  I’ve never had Melamine dishes before, but to settle my heart’s desire for teal dishes for this table, they are perfect!  Take a look at the “glasses”—they look like glass!  Boy, do I wish I could find glass ones just.like.these!!

Thank you for stopping by our July birthday party.  I hope your imagination got a good workout and that you enjoyed our beach in the screened porch!   What do you do when you have multiple birthdays in one month?  Are you able to celebrate them individually like I’d love to do?  And do you do beach themes even though you’re nowhere near the beach—just to bring it a little closer?

I’d love to hear from you to know you stopped by…and please tell me what you thought.  Love your visits/love your comments. 

I invite you to follow me.  If you do, please let me know and I’ll be sure to follow right back! 

I wish you happy beach days,if only in your dreams.  Here’s where I’ll be this week; I hope you’ll stop by and visit me and the great selection of posts you’ll find at these great parties!

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

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

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

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Thursdays at StoneGable http://www.stonegableblog.com/

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

Tablescape Thursday at betweennapsontheporch.net

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

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

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

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

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

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

At the Beach ~ in Cannes

When my husband and I spent three weeks in France and Spain several years ago, we were in Cannes a good part of the time.  We were traveling solo—no tour guide—and we literally stumbled into Le Suquet, the old part of Cannes.  What a loss it would’ve been if we’d missed it!  The streets there were laid out 400 years ago!  The main streets are now pedestrianed, and feature lovely, tiny restaurants and shop after shop after shop of beautiful, colorful French linens and dishes.  I was in heaven!  Because the streets climb up to the clock tower (where the view of the Bay of Cannes is incredible), the restaurants build tiny platforms, where they manage to squeeze in as many tables as possible~it’s so charming!

Unfortunately, theft is a “bit” of a problem in Cannes, and our cameras were stolen while we were there, so we have no pictures of that leg of the trip. :(   Local Nomad Blog has this picture of Le Suquet’s restaurants and the ingenious “wedge” platforms~

Le Croisette is the famous beach in Cannes, seen in its full glory in many, many movies.  So recently I did a tablescape using the tablecloth we bought at one of the sweet little shops in Le Suquet, and let it be my inspiration.  What a wonderful souvenir it has been!

I decided to keep the additions to the table at a minimum, so as to not detract from the design.

 

The early-morning sun casts lovely shadows on our screened porch.  The yellow and blue dishes are Big Lots finds—and a perfect match for the tablecloth!  The fish dishes are by mudpie.

And the lavender—after all, this is a table of the south of France—is from our garden.

 

The wine/lemonade goblets and the Mexican on-the-rocks are from Pottery Barn.

I’ve had the gold tablecloth and napkins for years—a happy match to the Le Suquet tablecloth!

A simple jar with lavender and Stella d’Oros, also from our garden, for the centerpiece.

The service table, with the candles at the ready for evening dining.

The beach motif continues…

Sunflowers add to the French beach decor.  Oh, the fields and fields and fields of sunflowers we saw, all with their big and little faces turned to the sun, and the pictures we took of them…

Did you know, that in French and Spanish sunflowers are called “tournesol” and “girasol” respectively, which literally translate to “turn to the sun”?  What a perfect name for them!

 

  As dusk arrives, time to light the candles and enjoy the shadow play.  The Chocolat window piece is quite befitting the event, yes?  It was a Mother’s Day gift from my husband, because the movie
Chocolat, and the music from it, are favorites of mine.  He somehow snuck it out of the French Hen Barn Sale without my seeing it!  Love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please come right in…

…and enjoy a glass of icy-cold lemonade with me.

 

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you’ll leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! And if you like what you see a lot, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I invite you to follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

DIY by Design Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

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

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

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

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

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

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

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

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

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

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

From my nest to yours~

Zuni

WaterColor-Themed Mother’s Day Brunch

The power of a logo…not only are some instantly recognizable, but they evoke feelings instantly.  The most powerful logo I’ve encountered is the logo from WaterColor, Florida.  We were fortunate to stay at WaterColor Inn several years ago, and I still have simple mementos around the house of that wonderful place, and the logo that so captures its essence:

Can you relate?  Does it speak to you as it does me?  It’s the SAND, the WATER, and the SKY!  (or I’ve also heard that the deep blue represents the deeper blue of the Gulf, farther out).  Isn’t it LOVELY?? (sigh…)

This logo has helped me to hone in on the colors I love, and they are now reflected in various ways throughout our home—always bringing back memories of this special place.  In their website (http://www.watercolorflorida.com) they describe WaterColor  as “a vibrant beach resort and residential community that eases into its natural surroundings with a Southern simplicity and grace.”

Sooo…today Bright Eyes (3 weeks old tomorrow) was coming over to your home for the first time—with his Mama and Papa, Baby Love, and GL.  Grandbabies coming over for the first time has always been a very special event for us, and in celebration we prepared a beach brunch.  It was a perfect day for it—bright skies, warm, a soft breeze…  This post is dedicated to our DIL, who has blessed us and our son by joining our family and giving us three BEAUTIFUL grandbabies.

And again, guided by the WaterColor logo, our table evolved. 

About the table ~ It’s a family table, a REAL table.  You’ll see the inspiration from the logo, but you’ll also see no centerpiece—the FOOD was our centerpiece—and the grandbabies’ Bunnykins place settings. 

First came the runner…I tell you, teal and blue, and I’m happy.  I got it at Crate and Barrel last fall and hadn’t been able to use it.  So that’s our SKY. 

The blue tablecloth…right along with the logo, is the WATER, and

the napkins are the SAND.

Our menu was simple but yummy:

• Cranberry Scones and Chocolate-chip Scones (recipe from The Gourmet Cookbook, edited by Ruth Reichl)
• Baked eggs (see Wings of Eagles at http://wwweaglewing.blogspot.com/2012/05/you-asked-for-it.html) ~ She was my inspiration for our menu.  (I kind of followed Ina’s recipe but added my own twist.  They were a big hit, and I have to tell you, our son is a professionally trained chef!! :) )
• Beeeauuuuutiiiifuuuulll, red, sweet strawberries
• Bacon
• Home fries
• Toast, coffee, juice

The eggs were baked in the individual gratin dishes.

 

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave me a comment to let me know you were here—I read every single one of them! They encourage me and inspire me. And if you like what you see a lot J, maybe you’d like to +1 this post or pin it on Pinterest too! Thank you!

I hope you will follow me. If you’ll let me know that you’re following, I’ll be sure to follow you back.

Seasonal Sunday at http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com

Sunday Showcase Party at http://www.bystephanielynn.com/

Show Off Your Cottage Monday at http://houseinroses.blogspot.com

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

Metamorphosis Monday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

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

Cozy Home Scenes Tuesdays at http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday at http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com

Tuesday’s Treasures http://www.myuncommonsliceofsuburbia.com/

Tabletop Tuesday at http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Cuisine Kathleen at http://www.cuisinekathleen.com/

Wow Us Wednesdays at http://savvysouthernstyle.blogspot.com/

Winter Blues Party at http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

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

What's It Wednesday at http://ivyandelephants.blogspot.com/

Voila! French Inspiration on Thursdays at http://frenchcupboard.blogspot.com/

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

Tablescape Thursday at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Open House Party Thursday at http://nominimalisthere.blogspot.com

Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Transformation Thursdays at http://www.theshabbycreekcottage.com/

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

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

Potpourri Friday at http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/

Inspiration Friday at http://www.atthepicketfence.com

Thrifty Things Friday at http://thethriftygroove.blogspot.com/

Vintage Inspiration Friday at http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/

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

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

Fridays Unfolded at http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/

Saturday Nite Special at http://www.funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/

From my nest to yours~

Zuni