Be Colorful Coastal

Seasons In The South

Summer Accents For A Florida Home

 

 

 

 I haven't done anything drastic but last week I did make some small tweaks throughout the house to acknowledge summer.

Sometimes it is just moving existing pieces around to see what works but the beauty of designing with these bright tropical colors is that, just like in nature, they play so well together that the options seem limitless.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Individually, I liked all of the possible vignettes but when I stood back, there were too many florals in the room. Something had to be eliminated and switched out.

 

 

I already have a couple of vases and glass bowls sprinkled around the room so I didn't want to do that again. A sculpture of some sort would be great but until I find the right piece, these candlesticks are my stand in.

 

 

 

 

I did, though, find a new teapot and candle holder for the kitchen table.

Thank you, Home Goods.

 

 

 

 

A collection of coral vases gave this niche a fresh new look.

 

 

And nothing says summer like a basket of striped beach towels.

 

These new hand towels were an easy refresh in a guest bathroom.

 

 

I'm guessing it is my Midwest background, but the changing of the seasons will probably always be my call to tweak, shuffle, and embellish our home.

Follow me to over to these two inspiring blogs for more creative inspiration...

Inspire Me Tuesday

and

Paintings are the works of Brenda Belfield and Sharron Erbe. Both artist's pieces can be seen at the Sweet Art Gallery in Naples, Florida.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Florida Christmas Decor

 

 

 

I have never been in Florida for the entire month of December.

We usually head back to our Midwest family and the littles early in the month.

 

 

So I haven't decorated our Florida home for the season yet but suppose I could. It is fun to think about what I would do to bring some Florida-style Christmas to our home.

 

Recently, I've been drawn to the Palm Beach designs with a little chinoiserie thrown in.

 

 

Palm Beach Lately

 

 

I am currently obsessing over this tropical Christmas stocking. 

Who doesn't love a monogram?

Maybe for next year?

 

 

Palm Beach To Pawleys

 

 

Flamingos would be easy and I do love flamingos...

 

Ddardidesigns

 

 

Dime Store Chic

 

Sunshine Style

 

This more elegant West Indies-vibed Christmas theme intrigues me too.

 

Sunshine Style 

 

How fabulous are these palm and pineapples paired with silver ice buckets? Very!

 

Southern Living

 

 

Calmly Coastal? Yes, I like this look.

I'm obviously a conflicted woman.

 

 

Celebrate & Decorate

 

Goldfish Kiss

 

 

And I'm also open to adding a bit of a modern twist to our Christmas decor.

This artwork, very simply, makes me happy.

 

A Constellation

 

 

And I love a colorfully whimsical vibe like the one I discovered at Kelly Golightly.

 

 

Kelly Golightly

 

The glam of gold tinsel and the vibrant colors have me swooning.

 

Kelly Golightly

 

And a bedazzled nutcracker paired with a luxe traditional pineapple? I die!

 

But one of my favorite ideas was her holiday pool party!

 

 

Kelly Golightly

 

 

Yes, a holiday pool party...someday.

I think that idea deserves its own post, so more on that soon.

 

In the meantime, Cheers and wishes for a glorious holiday season to you and yours, and thank you for being a part of

Be Colorful Coastal.

 

A Florida Christmas?

Photo Credit: Lynn Neuman Shutterstock 

 

 

I was one of them, a northerner who smugly felt like Christmas could only happen above the Mason-Dixon line where the December temperatures hovered closer to thirty degrees than to eighty.

 

 

 

"I would miss the seasons," I said.

 

 

 

 

 

But while I was walking back to my car this week in a sleeveless dress and listening to Christmas music pealing from the outdoor speakers, I thought to myself, "No worries, Christmas is a real thing in Florida".

 

 

 

It doesn't hurt that poinsettias line the sidewalks instead of sandy dingy snow. 

 

photo credit: South Florida Reporter

 

 

I understand those that love the changing seasons and can't imagine a Christmas without snow but trust me when I say, it is definitely possible to equally embrace the holiday spirit here in Florida.  And honestly, it is undeniably more pleasant, to peruse the shops, and navigate the sidewalks without needing to dodge ice patches and melting snow puddles while wearing boots and gloves.

 

 

So yes, Florida, there is a Santa Claus and the Christmas spirit is alive and well here and I'm so glad to spend a part of our holiday season with you.

 

Florida Styled Pumpkins

 

Say hello to my tropically inspired hand-painted pumpkins.

 

 

 

 

I started with two white pumpkins from Hobby Lobby.  

They are out of stock online, but I was able to purchase them at our local store.

I scoured the internet for tropical prints and then began drawing my designs on the pumpkins with a pencil.

 

 

I used regular craft paint and then finished them with a top coat of glossy Mod Podge (actually only one had its top coat when I took these photos). I don't plan to leave my pumpkins outside so I used the indoor formula.

 

I like pairing them together and I am already planning on adding more next year, but even individually, they are a fun seasonal change-up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colorfully Coastal Fourth Of July

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I  

 

 

 

Photo credits:

 

 Chartreuse house with the flag - unknown

Pale turquoise front porch with the flag - Hooked On Houses

Bright pink house with the flag - Rachel C Photography, Flickr

Lime- green home with turquoise door - Beach Bliss Living

Coastal style pillow - OBX Trading

Patriotic flamingo tumbler - Zazzle

Vintage vignette with the flag, pink flowers, and antique toy truck - Fox Hollow Cottage

4th of July watermelon - Pinterest

Flag draped in doorway - Domain

The flag hung vertically with white furniture - Veranda

Flags in planters around the pool - Pinterest

Flag wrapped Palm Trees - Imagine

Stars and Stripes umbrella next to the pool - WSM Aquatics

The flag hung between two Palm trees - San Diego Union-Tribune

Land of the Free and flag at the beach - Linda of Coastal Charm

 

 

Ten Spring Finds For $10 Or Less

You knew it had to happen. Amazon is moving into the grocery markets, and pharmaceuticals lately so it

wasn't a huge surprise to read that they are going toe to toe with the dollar aisles and stores as well.

I had to check it out and quickly came up with ten of my own top picks from the Amazon Dollar Store.

Finds for the home...

$9

$9.99

$7

$3

 

 

                                                                    Squeezable Soap Dispenser $10

 

 

Fun party flair...

 

Two Pack for $7

$9

And as long as you are shopping, something for you too.

$7

$6

 

$10

 

 

 

All items available HERE.

 

 

Bye Bye Beatrice

Spring Updates For A Tropical Home

      

          Lily O's

   

   

  

   

Arhaus Pendant Lighting

  

   

   

   

  Flamingo Bamboo via Emily McCarthy

   

   

  Trader Joe's

   

   

   

   

   

   

   A Kailo Chic Life

  

Sharing my spring update post HERE

 

Coastal Fall Decor or No More Fake Leaves

 

 

As a transplant from the Midwest, where it was easy to introduce a touch of fall into our home decor, I am currently left wondering how I change things up seasonally now that we have a coastal home. Do people even do that here?

There isn't much creativity in draping everything in faux leaf garlands and plastic pumpkins.  It's been done and done again. Let's move on.  I will confess to a few fake stems on the front door but really, nobody should want their home to look like an aisle in Hobby Lobby.  

 

 

Instead, I want to bring in subtle changes as a nod to the change of seasons. It can be as simple as adding accent pillows in fall shades,  in velvet, or both.  

Starfish Cottage  

 

 

 

  Rustic and fall seem to pair well.  That said, a simple burlap bow on a planter is an intriguing detail.

Seaside Interiors  

 

 

The addition of a few fresh stems in  traditionally autumn colors can make the room feel like a touch of fall is in the air.  

Rachel Reider Interiors  

 

 

In a coastal home, maybe fall comes with just a nubby throw,

  Coastal Living

 

    Completely Coastal    

 

or a bowl of red fall apples.

HGTV 

 

 

   Dressing a tropical home can be simply adding textures, a touch of brown, and layering in some extra pillows.

HGTV    

 

 

I would suspect that we choose the color palettes for our home because we are influenced by our environment.  Therefore, a lot of coastal homes reflect the blues and sandy colors of the water and beach. Bright pink, coral, and vivid greens also seem to play a large role in tropical designs. It is a little more challenging to blend those colors with the usual oranges and golds of Autumn. So that means thinking outside the norm. Change things up by bringing in white and pairing it with beachy elements.  

 

Driven By Decor

 

 

Live Bay Side      

 

 

Songbirdblog.com

 

 

  Thirty-One10.com

 

Fall mainstays in unexpected tones can be a show stopper.

Add chartreuse pumpkins to a mantle,

 

C.W. Styling

 

or paint an abstract canvas in Pantone's new fall color, Dusty Cedar.  

 

 

Besides color and texture, the glow of lighted candles is a sure way to make any space feel special. On a cooler evening by the pool, these would be spectacular.

 

 

Stop by Concord Cottage so see how she made these.

 

 

It doesn't have to take a lot of effort or a lot of money but it does take a bit more creativity to flaunt some fall flair in a home that never EVER sees snow.

:D

 

I have new ideas of how I'm going to play up fall. I  hope you do too. I'd love to hear how you bring the seasons into your home.

Do share.

xoxo,

p  

 

Sharing my coastal thoughts here:

Flamingo Toes

Dressed For Fall

Meet Puck.

He was a Christmas gift that has been classing up our place for maybe fifteen years now. 

 

He is actually in our home up north, which is where we are right now as we count the days until September when we will be returning to our coastal home. But while we are here, I thought I would share with you a bit of my seasonal style.

Puck has been moved from room to room a few times but he usually ends up in the family room or the breezeway. I've always enjoyed changing things up a bit with the seasons and with September right around the corner I started thinking about his next look. Before I knew it I was looking at old photos of Puck, and it became obvious that I have really embraced, and maybe gone a bit overboard, dressing Puck in seasonal decor. I pulled some of the photos together and thought it would be fun to share a few of his ever-changing looks with you.

 

This would be Autumn Puck dressing in a lighted garland of fall leaves.

 

 

When it was time for book club, Puck donned his cheater readers.

 

 

 

His Halloween hat is one of my favorite looks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the past, I've done a pre-lit evergreen halo, but this year I'd like to acknowledge my Scandinavian roots and add candles to create a St. Lucia crown. 

 

 

 

 

 

Puck has an Easter bonnet,

 

 

 

and a Fourth of July chapeau.

 

 

 

 

 

I like to dress him for parties and events too.

This was the look for a bridal shower,

 

  

 

 

 

and a snow day ( which we never have in Florida).

 

 

 

 

 

He dressed the part for the New Year,

 

 

 

 

and he went all out for the Academy Awards party. 

 

 

The Iowa Hawkeyes play their first game of the season next weekend and around here that means  it's time to bust out the black and gold. Yep, I think I just figured out his next new look.

:D

 

 

 

Go Hawks!

When I finally move him south he might have to have a Panther or Gator hat. 

:D

Some of us change out the mantel or the front door or a window sill with the seasons, and some of us dress up Puck.

:D

 

Have a great week.

xoxo,

                                                                                                                  p

Linking up my Fall Fun here:

Life and Linda

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Embracing Change

A Stroll Thru Life

The Creative Circle