Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beach. Show all posts

9.29.2009

Sea painting


Photo found on Desire to Inspire, from Patrice Cowan Bevans

The bedding and some of the furniture choices in this room are a bit...mature...for my taste, but I am absolutely enamored with the painting above the bed. Just looking at it makes me want to curl up under a blanket and take a nap or serenely rest for the night. The lamps are pretty chic too (I have very similar ones in my house!). I only wish I knew who painted it. Anyone?

9.07.2009

Happy Labor Day


This photo felt right for today, Labor Day, the (sad) end of summer. As Habitually Chic noted, this photo by Matt Albiani really does epitomize the "packing up and heading home" feeling I get every year when Labor Day rolls around. I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day holiday weekend (perhaps full of sun and sand? And hopefully no traffic!), an even better summer, and that you're all excited for fall. Cheers, all - looking forward to a great new season!

8.11.2009

Last-ditch summer


Photo from celestephotography

With fall just around the corner, B and I have been talking about what summery things we want to do before the weather gets cooler and the long summer days are all gone. My list could go on and on being that I love summer so much, but here are our top 10 to-dos before summer's done:
  1. Ride the scooter - especially downtown (for gelato perhaps?)
  2. Go to an outdoor concert - my favorite summertime activity
  3. Make more fresh guacamole - mmmm
  4. Lie on a blanket and look up at the stars (need to find a field around here - or maybe the beach?)
  5. Kayak someplace new (we'll definitely do this in Maine - the island just across the way with a lighthouse on it is at the top of my list)
  6. Head out on our friends' boat for some wakeboarding (or faceplanting, in my case)
  7. Pick crabs with friends - ideally arriving dockside by boat
  8. Walk on the beach barefoot and dip our toes in the surf
  9. Watch B play in his baseball league playoffs (go Pirates!)
  10. Sit outside at Davis', Carrol's Creek, Sly Fox or elsewhere in Annapolis and watch the boats, eat, drink and hang out with friends all day
I just fell in love with summer all over again (I'll just pretend the past two days of 100-degree mugginess and misery didn't happen). I can't wait to get cracking on this list! Think we can do all of this before Labor Day? We're already booked through September, but I'm hoping we'll get to sneak some of this in.


And this too.

7.31.2009

Sea & sky



I want it, I need it, I have to have it. The bedroom itself is a bit muted and mature for me, but I love this photo by Marine Hugonnier:



I don't think seeing it alone does it justice, but I love how it's used in the above room and so simply framed in white. So gorgeous! Room by Steven Gambrel, as seen on Shelter.

7.30.2009

Fairytale photos




Both of these beautiful images come from Hanna L. on flickr, but I saw them on The English Muse. They're both whimsical and romantic, and undoubtedly very, very pretty. The second one kind of reminds me of this photo that I posted a few weeks back, although this new one is a bit more brooding in a way. It's still dreamy, though, and I like it on this gray day.

7.23.2009

See you next week!


Wanted to add in one more image before I head out for the weekend...
Doesn't she look like a gorgeous mermaid / siren on the rocks? Photo by Emma Tempest.

Have a wonderful weekend and see you next week! xoxo -r.

7.22.2009

Starry mirror


Photo by Eric Roth

Is there anything to say about this mirror other than gorgeous? It must have taken a zillion starfish to make and immeasurable patience. It's sort of in the same vein as the mirror from this post (look on the right-hand wall), but so much more pristine and so, so fresh. And all those white starfish against that sky-blue wall makes me happy. Nothing like a good dose of blue and white with a beachy vibe to flank any entryway. What a happy sight to come home to!

7.20.2009

Vintage surf's up


Photo from Tim Clark Interiors, a design firm in Santa Monica

Someday I will have a vintage Woody (in blue and wood, please!) to put my surfboards atop. With my scooter, my Woody, my surfboards and B's kayaks, we will have the perfect fleet. A girl can dream, right?...

Beachy and bright


This photo series is so summery. For me, it instantly sends me back to the beach: the sounds (crashing waves, seagulls, kids playing), its smells (sunscreen, hot dogs, fried clams, salty sea air) and the visuals too (bathing suits, the surf and all things sunny and bright). What a happy little trip. Photos from Morgane on Lookbook, via Oh Joy!

7.17.2009

Have a great weekend!


Photo by JP Greenwood

This is our first weekend in town in ages, so we're going to try to enjoy it to the fullest while the summer's still here (can you believe it's end of July already??). We have dear friends coming in to town (one of whom is from South Africa and has never seen Annapolis), plus family visiting for a day. We're also going to try to fit in some boating and - bleck - finishing cleaning all the gear from our recent camping/kayaking trip. And, of course, I want to take the scooter out and enjoy it while the weather is warm. Whatever you have in store this weekend, hope it's great and see you Monday!

7.16.2009

House of Turquoise





I just found House of Turquoise via Mary Ruffle (who else?) and went gaga over all the gorgeous blue and beachy rooms (which, as you know by now, are my faves). I saved about half of the images for my inspiration folder before realizing I should share this site and some of the pics. Here are some other great ones. I love that the photos above and below are a mix of bright and cheery as well as more subdued and sophisticated. Maybe if I ever have a big girl house I'll incorporate a mix of all of these:









I've saved all of the photos with credit information (so if you click on the photo you'll get some more info on the designer or source), but you can get the full info and links on the House of Turquoise site. I'm adding this new (to me) website to my blogroll right now; hope you enjoy too.

Video wedding invitation

How sweet is this wedding invitation? I'm not sure if the couple also sent out a more traditional printed invitation, but I am loving the fun video they put together regardless. It's a great way to let friends and family know about your big news (perhaps better as a save-the-date than the invite itself, but so cute either way). Fabulous choice on music, too. It's a song called "The Next Time Around" by Little Joy (a band that includes Fabrizio Moretti, drummer from The Strokes and Drew Barrymore's ex) and it has such a great breezy feel to it that works perfectly with the beach footage of the couple.

Update: I just found out the bride is a Parisian woman named Amandine. How "French holiday" is the video (including the hipster soundtrack and the Euro styling)? It all makes sense now.



Love it. So creative and such a good, happy feel to it. (Originally seen on A Cup of Jo.)

7.15.2009

Underwater sculptures (alternately titled "I admit it: I love JT")



(Warning: I might still be a bit drowsy from our late-night return. My apologies in advance.) Okay, here we go. So, not sure if I should be embarrassed about this or not, but I found this very cool post from...Justin Timberlake's blog. (It was my first time there, I promise. I found his site through someone's retweet about sarcasm and then, bam, I saw a post on his site that was awesome.) Aw, hell, I admit it - I love JT. Especially his stints on SNL ("All the Single Ladies" anyone? He was pretty good in a leotard and heels. And "D*ck in a Box" and "J*zz in My Pants" were hilarious too.) Anyhoo, before I get worked up into a lather over JT, let's get on to the actual post about this underwater sculpture park.

British sculptor Jason de Caires Taylor has created several sculpture installations for an "underwater park" in the waters off Grenada (an island in the West Indies). Snorklers and divers can check it out up close, but you can watch a video about it here:


I think it's slightly creepy - the people are so realistic looking that they seem to be slumbering in watery graves - but I do think it's absolutely beautiful and breathtaking as well. Another cool thing about these installations is that the sculptures act as artificial reefs to attract various marine life and promote coral growth, which is a good thing for the underwater ecosystem there.

To find out more about his underwater sculptures, go to the artist's website or to his YouTube channel. And thanks, JT.

H2O de parfum


I'm not a huge perfumer wearer. I've only ever used two perfumes: Bobbi Brown Beach, which everyone said smelled like suntan lotion, and Aquolina Pink Sugar, but people kept saying they smelled cupcakes when I walked by. I don't know how Tous H2O smells, but its packaging is gorgeous. Can you imagine this sitting on a vanity, reflecting light through the blue facets? So pretty.

Being billed as an "eco-chic" perfume, the bottle is made from 25% recycled glass and is 100% recyclable. Also, the cardboard packaging is made from materials certified by the Forest Stewardship Council and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to Intermón Oxfam, a program which helps provide drinking water to communities in need.

The fragrance itself is "an aquatic fragrance...and features organic alcohol with notes of organic lemon, organic lavender, rose, jasmine, mandarin, cedar, white amber and Australian sandalwood from sustainable development." Lovely design and intention. If it smells as good as it looks and aims to do, I'd be happy to replace my previous beachy/sweet scents for one that does good.

7.09.2009

Pretty pits


Just came across this new "healthy deodorant" at Sephora. Made by Lavanila, the deodorant is clinical-strength but 100% natural (plus has no parabens, dyes, sulfates, aluminum or even mineral oils) and smells so yummy. Not that I want anyone sniffing my pits close up, but these could be great for a hot day (going to the beach anyone?) when you don't want to overdo it with perfume.

The deodorant comes in four scents: pure vanilla, vanilla coconut, vanilla lavender and vanilla grapefruit. Mmm, almost makes me want to take a bite (ew). I saw them in the store, but you can get them through Sephora online here. Bonus for the pretty packaging!

7.08.2009

Picnic perfect



I promised I would post info about the Wrap-N-Mat, a great "green" product a friend of ours introduced us to, which would be especially good for people with kids who take lunches to school (or adults who bring their lunches to work), or for anyone taking a summertime picnic to the beach or elsewhere.

So here's the deal: I know I've been guilty of using plastic sandwich bags for a variety of things, from sandwiches to snacks, and then just throwing them away. I knew you could wash them and reuse them, but they always seemed to rip or wrinkle and the whole idea of reusing this disposal item over and over kinda skeeved me out. Enter the Wrap-N-Mat, a "green" alternative to its throwaway cousin.



As you can see above (in the images from a recent issue of Real Simple), the Wrap-N-Mat is like a sandwich wrapper and place mat combined. If you don't like the picnic-y gingham print shown here, they have other fabric prints to choose from. I have to be honest: I don't love their other options for prints, but they do have solid colors too and I really like the above gingham red and white.

I love that when you unwrap the sandwich, the Wrap-N-Mat becomes a place mat for you to eat on, meaning you don't need a plate (or maybe even a napkin). The best things are that they're completely reusable, easy to wipe down, come in different sizes (there's a larger one for big sandwiches, plus a smaller size for snacks), they save you money and are a much greener choice overall. Perhaps I'll add this to the list as a fun holiday or birthday gift for our friends' kids and even for some of the adults I know.

7.07.2009

Stairs to the sea


Photo from House Beautiful

Whose house is this and when are they inviting me over? The stark white everywhere plus the angular table and slightly abstract art are more modern than I'd use myself, but I cannot get over the words on the stairs! I want to go up those stairs and see where they go, or go down them and around the corner to see if they indeed lead to the sea. Even if they didn't, I'd still adore the idea. Also how cute are the seagulls above the stairs?

If I had that perfect little summery cottage on the lake, I might even put these words on the patio stairs that led out to the beach (the ones right next to the outdoor shower). A girl can dream, right?

7.06.2009

Good, clean fun


Ever since I was a very little kid I remember wanting an outdoor shower for our house. My mom used to tell me how the house I was born in (which was just blocks from the beach) had a little enclosed (but open-roofed) outdoor shower that she would take steaming hot showers in, even in the dead of winter, and look up at the stars. How dreamy is that?

Here are some of my favorites "open-air showers" from around the interwebs:



Three photos above by Deborah Whitlaw Llewellyn, as seen in Coastal Living


Photo by John Clark, as seen in Dwell


Modern minimalist shower in Montauk, NY by Murdock Young


A more preppy shower by Murdock Young


Simplistic, unsheltered shower in California by Feldman Architecture


Photo by Maura McEvoy, as seen in Coastal Living

Throw in a bar of soap and a nice fluffy towel and I'd be ecstatic with any one of these outdoor showers. (I think I'd even be brave enough to use it throughout all the seasons.)

Plus, if you have kids or pets, it's the perfect place to give them a good hose-down after the beach (or soccer game, or mud puddle, or any day in the life of a kid/pet really) before they enter the house.

So whatever you use it for, an outdoor shower is a win-win (or should I say "wang to the wind"?) situation.

7.02.2009

Happy 4th of July weekend!


B and I are headed to the beach for this long weekend, so I'll be signing off until Monday. Until then, here's wishing you a happy Fourth of July! Oh and happy birthday, America! Hope you (the reader, not America) get to enjoy some delicious treats (like the tasties above and below from Martha Stewart), hang out with friends and family, and soak up a gorgeous summer weekend. See you Monday!

Mmm....

Welcoming entry


If I had this entryway to walk into every day, I'd breath such a breath of fresh air every time I walked in the door. How cute is that green bureau? I love it as the sole splash of color in the very white space. Even more so, I love, love, love the silver lamp set atop the bureau, with its ball/dome things and the drum lampshade. Also, it's kind of hard to see in this photo, but I think the mirror is some kind of shell/rock creation that looks so beachy and fresh. I have a friend that makes mirrors and frames like that herself from shells she's collected from her travels and she swears it's not that hard. Perhaps that's a craft I'll try sometime...

Doesn't this area just say "welcome home" (or better yet, "take off your shoes, the beach is just out back!")?

Photo from House and Garden via Shelter.