For the Love of Outdoor Spaces ~

With the Summer finally here, I was browsing through all of the fabulous outdoor spaces on Houzz.com and thought I would share a few that made me smile for one reason or another...

More Lemonade...it is Hot ~

Okay, so Summer is in full swing here - for us Seattle-ites, 90+ degrees and we are almost on the verge of melting! Thanks to my sister-in-laws pool (thank you, thank you Nicole) and some good ole' lemonade, we are good to go. Stay cool!

"This perennial favorite requires just 3 ingredients: lemon juice, sugar, and water. This means it won't take much time away from a leisurely summer afternoon to mix a batch. To make 2 quarts, pour 3 cups of fresh lemon juice (from about 20 lemons) through a fine sieve into a pitcher. Add 2 cups of superfine sugar, and stir until it has dissolved. Stir in 4 cups of water and some ice, and then garnish with lemon slices". - www.marthastewart.com

From Wood Shed to Fun Playhouse ~

Last week I was at my friend Keri's house (you can check out a tour of her house here and here) and she just completed the most darling playhouse...I just had to take a few pics!

They purchased a wood shed and customized it to be this darling hangout for her 5 year old daughter and almost 2 year old son. Yes, those are hardwood floors - she wanted to give them the real deal!

The door is my favorite part - she purchased a recycled door, cut it to size and added an adorable antique door knob.

She made these adorable letters with scrapbook paper and a few perfect embellishments. And her daughter got to add some of her beautiful artwork!

I love the colors she selected - the light blue ceiling is perfect. 

And to finish off the decor, a little Pottery Barn Kids-ish twig display in the corner. 

And a few more sweet little details...

(check out the molding - who would have thought it was just a wood shed)

And I couldn't resist a few shots of her gorgeous outdoor pots...

Summer has finally arrive in Seattle - can I hear a who hoo! It has arrived with the sun blazing (these are our adorable doggies loving the warm weather).

A Great Red, White & Blue ~

I hope you all had an amazing 4th - we had a great long weekend at the beach. It would have been nice if the weather would have cooperated just a bit more, but that didn't stop us from having a fun time!

Kids Project for the 4th ~

I thought it would be fun to get the kiddos involved in a little project for the 4th of July - who doesn't love a little red, white & blue?...well at least with glitter!

 I grabbed a few new supplies and a few I had on hand. I just picked up the felt stars for $1 each at JoAnns, the buckets were from Target for $1 each, the sand was on clearance from Pottery Barn for $3.50, the ribbon was on hand and the chopsticks were from Teriyaki last night...don't throw stuff away, you never know when you might want a few wooden sticks! 

Oh, and some glitter from JoAnns as well.

We started by painting on a little glue around the edges and shaking on the coordinating colored glitter...I know rocket science right?

 

Then I whipped out my hot glue gun and glued on a little ribbon, glued on the chopstick and topped them with the glittered star. 

And here they are...

I am getting excited for the fireworks...and food!

Linked to the Stars and Stripes Party at Censational Girl

Red, White & Blue ~

I don't know about you, but I am getting excited for the upcoming weekend - I just love the 4th of July! Great food, great company and a great day to celebrate...or weekend, right? Here area few photos just to get you in the mood.

Martha Stewart

Country Living

 Sparklersonline.com

Do you do any type of decorating your the 4th? I have to hold myself back, I think I could go crazy with the red, white and blue!