~ Snow in Southern California ~

I am a person for whom the adage "variety is the spice of life" was coined.

At Christmastime I find this to be true when I go to decorate and find myself needing to mix it up and make it different than the year before.  To me, that is just part of the joy.

However in my current home I think that my snowy scene on my "mantel" will always remain the same.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

~ The Lighter Side of Santa ~

I have amassed a fairly large collection of Santas.

This guy joined the family this year.

I put him in the living room with other ... paler ... Santas.

All those above were purchased at a TJMaxx / Marshalls kind of store.

This guy ... possibly my favorite ... was purchased at The Dollar Store.
For a dollar.

Many of my Santas didn't make the cut this year.  This year I approached my Christmas decor with a much lighter touch.  I have to say that I'm very happy with the results.
I'll be even happier when the time comes to put them all away.

How about you?

Do you put it all out every year or do your collections get to take turns?

~ Christmas near the Beach ~

 

 

 

 

I am loving the beachy color scheme in my living room this Christmas.

Blue.  Green.  White.

What's not to love? 

~ A Little Halloween Elegance ~

My living room is relatively formal as compared to the other rooms in my house.  But I still wanted to add some autumn accents.  Not wanting to go the orange/black/purple route, I opted for ...

White.

And to kick it up a notch ... I added some bling!
(Thank you TJ Maxx)

These white wooden favorites were purchased many years ago ... at Mervyns.
That alone tells you it was quite a few years in the past.

But they haven't aged.  Or ... if they have ... I'm thrilled.

I bought these elegant looking signs in Encinitas this summer.
I'm pretty certain that they came from Gardenology. A thoroughly charming store.

I'm loving my living room this fall.

~ Harvest ~

Big news people.
I have officially turned off my A/C.

I have retrieved this wreath from the garage to hang on my front door.
Other fall decor to follow.

I have this beautiful harvest painting in my home that finally has her time to shine.
My bestest friend Kelley painted it with pastels. She is over-the-top talented.

I found some fall leaves on this tiered server.

I found some on my canisters.

Baking with pumpkin is just around the corner.

I'm very excited about Autumn.
And you?

~ white wash ~

If you couldn't tell by now ... I'm a "phase" kind of gal.  Meaning, I go through a (new decorating/color) phase, I make some changes, I enjoy the phase.

Until, I inevitably move on to a new one.

I will, however, state in my defense that there is a short list of my phases ... I'm not ALL over the place.
Much.

Because there are a finite number, sooner or later I come back to phases that have been my friends before.

Which is also economical, since I keep stashes of certain basic phase components.

Maybe because it's been so SO hot here the last week or maybe because the cream has risen to the top as they say ...

But, I am feeling the need for some uncluttered white.
I'm loving my bathrooms.
I feel cooler already.

How about you?  Are you a phase kind of gal?

Please tell me that you are.

~ Color Combo: Sea Shore ~

Prior to moving to my home here ... I was a white wall only kind of gal.  But when I encountered some strange colors from the previous homeowners that I wanted to change, I became a blue wall kind of gal.

The one big exception was the Master Bedroom.  It's walls were already painted in a stunning neutral ... that pretty much matched the carpet.  I soon saw how much I loved how white and blue stood out against it.

I love this room ... and how this sandy, ocean, shell color scheme comes together.

Oddly enough, I made my "Speaking with the Stars" quilt not even thinking of this room and then later found that the colors and the size were a perfect fit.

I already had a blue slipcovered chair with a precious and sentimental throw (thank you Mom!) that perfectly matched the carpet.

It's taken me a year and a half to get the combinations just right ...

And to find the perfect sheets.

(Thank you Target!)

I've carried over my scheme to the bathroom with it's blue walls and sandy colored tile.

How about you?

What's your favorite color combo?

~ Color Day: Red, White, Blue ~

Truth be told ... I really don't have any red in my home, other than at Christmas.  But I revel in red whenever I see it ... and I love to see it in the summer!

This picture above was taken last weekend at Balboa Island in Newport Beach. Just a fun little beach house along my walk that wanted to stand up and salute.
There are also umpteen fun little shops on Balboa and I saluted almost every single one.

This piece of patriotic happiness is from a trip to San Franciso two summers ago.
Taken on Pier 39 (duh) ... on a clear and sunny day.

This is actually wallpaper from a friend's beach house.
I hung out in that bathroom probably longer than I should have ... just to inhale it's beauty.

OK ... so this letter "S" is in my studio.
It stands for ... Studio.
Or Sewing. Or Sea
Or Sand or Sun.

This small quilt ... I want to say I made it around 2007 ... is from a Jo Morton pattern.
With my own embellishments.
It's almost impossible for me to follow someone else's pattern exactly, which I find highly annoying.

This boat with it's own red, white and blue flag is from my Permanent Wave quilt.
You can find that pattern here.

These fireworks are from 2008 in Tempe AZ.

I suspect that at the moment I took this picture the temperature was still topping 100 degrees.

That made no difference, whatsoever.

Because I love fireworks.

Happy Birthday America.

Hooray for the Red, White and Blue!