A French Door dilemma

I have a beautiful set of French doors down at the shore house. but I also have a problem I have been eager to solve. They are wonderful doors that both open out onto the deck.

It makes it extremely nice to open the house up to the outside and let the sea breeze in...the ocean is just on the other side of the boulders with the concrete prominade on top. Just beyond all the damn tourists cars!

 I like it better when it's empty down here. I used to be able to see some of the ocean from my kitchen till the powers that be put up that prominade!!

 Anyway... there are days when.. well let's just say that the flies like to come in too!

I tried a fancy new Anderson roll screen, and have to say that just wasn't going to work with my crew.
For 2 reasons.

1. A thousand ins and outs is not exactly what that type of screen was made to endure.
2. Sometimes it is so breezy  that the screen would blow right out the bottom and get stuck, and not roll back in when you needed it too. Yep, you guessed it.. Extremely annoying! So that screen got nixed.

Now I have found a solution that is working for us.
This is what I did:

Hung a beautiful rod. ((Excuse the pics, it's my blackberry I forgot to bring the camera battery..daahhh.))

Found a curtain that was more like netting.

And bought some large easy sliding curtain hooks.

Now I knew I would need something to weigh down the panels or these curtains would be totally useless blowing in all over the house and letting in the busy little pests.

So I used what I had. Sea glass.

Mixed with some pale green glass pebbles

I must admit it is pretty in my green depression ware!
But I need it now for more important things.







All the sea glass and pebbles get thrown into the bottom hem

And sewn into pockets so the stay where I want them- in the middle and on the ends.












Now we are ready to test drive these babies......

They actually do their job. They blow in a little with a strong breeze, but stay weighted down.

Most of the time they can remain open, but when we are preparing food or eating, they have to be closed.

And this is the view from the exterior... stopping those pesky little flies.                               

My daughter is in there right now eating fruit salad.

Telling me I am a Blogaholic.

So that is my solution to "no screen to fit my french door without destroying it's gorgeousness" at the Cottage Beach House.

Our outside Shower just needed some inspiration

7-4-10
I was a bit too busy to blog Saturday 7-3 and Friday 7-2 basically because I had some work to get done on my Cottage Beach House for the guests arrival, and of course I needed to get to the beach for a little fun in the sun!
So here is how that all went.
Friday: Went food shopping, Stuffed the fridge with all kinds of good food to eat.
Then set forth on cleaning up that outside shower that noooobody wanted to use anymore.
 I finally was inspired to spruce up the area where our outside shower is, after finding this picture out there in blogland.

It's to die for isn't it?

Ok, now I was inspired, but, oh what a mess I had to work with!

Take a look at this mess:

And the inside was like the scary scene from" Psycho"

So after giving it a really good scrubbing with some bleach and tide,

I started with a fresh Shower curtain which I got on sale  and a cute little hook with surf boards.

Then I scoured around the house for decorations hidden since my son's wedding in Florida last year, some star fish and netting.

 I moved one of our chairs near so we had an easy place to drop stuff. 

And last but not least I had this great sign that says "Beach House" that has been waiting well over 10 months for my hubbo to hang, which he finally agreed to after seeing my enthusiasm for the new shower redecorating project.

So now the inside looks a wee bit more inviting

And the finished  shower area is dare I say...Beachy!!

I just love an inspiring picture! To get my butt in gear.

I hate hard work and scrubbing but I do like a good challenge, and I get that from a beautiful picture.

Not bad eh??? I think I will add some flip flops.

Inspiration Shower

                                                                        

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For some reason I am not able to do new posts on blogger so I am dating them to separate them for now.

7-6-10

This is my really easy no bake 4th of July Trifle Cake that the whole family loves. I't's completely gone now of course!

I'm sure a lot of people already know how to make this but for those who don't here it is:

Ingredients needed:

• 1 and a half angel food cakes
• 4 jello instant vanilla pudding
• 2 boxes of strawberries
• 1 box blueberries
• 2 tubs cool whip

• 4 boxes of jello instant vanilla pudding ( just mix with milk amount on box and whip 5 minutes, fold into glass cake dish.

• Break up 1 and a half Angle food cakes and layer over pudding

• Spread  2 tubs cool whip on top of cake pieces

• Add a square of blueberries, and stripes of strawberries.

Chill till you are ready to eat cause it's already done!

Everyone I know loves this tasty treat,

 I've never been any kind of a baker so desserts are far and few around here,

 but guests all like this one too.

I would have liked to post this for you prior to the 4th but I only made it on the 4th. 

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7-1-2010
Today was the beginning of the 4th of July weekend and I began to cherish the special moments early this morning. It started with my grandbaby arriving all decked out in her red white and blue, which she will be representing all weekend in different outfits, I am sure!

"Grammy this thing needs a drink" is what she is probably thinking.

 At only 15 months she's just beginning to talk. She says " turtle" clearly but calls food 

"yang yang". I think she means yum yum.

We got a little morning stretch with a game of pick up...

Later she showed me her feet and I took her for a walk in her stroller

Let's get rollin' Grammy I wanna see some 4th of July decorations!

Oh the sights we might see as we roll and just BE

Red petunias, white puffy clouds, and a awesome blue sky!

What a day for a daydream...custom made for a daydreamin girl

Four little flags stand like soldiers all in a row

A nieghbor's special tribute has a warm cozy glow

And what would summer be without a windflower or three?

Oh Grammy.. it's nap  time for me.

I had such fun, but I gotta get my zzzzzzzzzzz

6-28-2010
I also thought I would get my 4th of July table ready and use what I have around. Lucky for me I have lots of fabric. I've been wanting to use these vintage milk glass and 1920's ruby glass vase, and today is it!

The fabric I will use for the tablecloth is a  Navy Blue and White cotton duckcloth with flags, lighthouses and anchors. I think it will be perfect for a Cottage Beach House 4th of July.

I used red and white flag fabric for the napkins.

15 x 12 inch is fine, Just accordian fold them.

And stuff into your goblet or lay on the table next to plates

 And do you remember making little tissue flowers as a child? That is how the centerpiece is made. It is fabric folded accordian style, then tied together with a rubber band, and fluffed out

4 more pieces of fabric for the centerpiece

folded accordian

Twist 4 together with rubberband, and fluff out

       put in to centerpiece vase

Then set your table and get your 4th on!!

That's my easy peesy  no cost 4th of July table

Show your crafty ideas  for the 4th of July at the CSI project

Today was a great day because I stayed down at the Cottage Beach House one extra day instead of rushing back to work..
In the morning  I decided to do some puttering around the house, before going to the beach to get my tan on with my sweet sixteen year old,
 I always enjoy puttering around the cottage and I was extra inspired by The Better Homes and Gardens Red White and Blue Cottages.

So I dug up whatever I had laying around that could fit into a stars and stripes, red, white and blue theme to set the cottage up for next weekend... the 4th of July! I had forgotten about these pillows I picked up a few years back for 1 dollar each!
I was pleasantly surprised because generally my cottage is a seaglass blue and green in just about every room.
Below is what I found already on my wall and on a shelf! Stars and Stripes! That's my grandbaby "Sadie" in a blue stars frame!  The lighthouse I have had since 2001 it's an old cast iron one and holds a candle. A perfect touch of red and white. It is so fun to re-purpose things .

So here it is together. My little 4th of July vignette.

And I kept going... to the porch with just a touch of red on the pillows, and a bit of it on the lighthouse.

 How lucky the car in the back was red too!

And the little window seat could use some of those pillows too, with the red trim and anchors!

So that is my ode to the Fourth!

I had so much fun snapping these shots. Hope Ya like em. Feel free to comment. I love comments!

Ok the bedroom is finally done. Below are the pics. I think it came out even better than the inspiration room! I love it. The pillows from Home Goods are reversable and washable with zippers. The rag quilt was either Domestications or Brylane Home I forget.  I'm sorry I didn't take before pics but it was pretty pityful. Now it is my sanctuary. I love the texture of the rag quilt, and the ticking stripes on the cozy comfy pillows.

The lamps I found at "Home Goods." I love how they match the bed spindles.

 And they even pic up the floral in the quilt, it's not the same floral but.. I am loving it! 

The colors are perfect. 

And the whole room

Is a joy to be in!

Such happiness and contentment from fabrics and textures!

All from one little picture on the Coastal Living issue!