I'm Lovin'... Patriotic Porches

I'm loving these gorgeous porches all decked out for the Fourth of July!


via bhg.com


via bhg.com


via SimplyThisAndThat


via Raised in Cotton


via Pinterest



via Pinterest

via Pinterest


via Pinterest



via Pinterest


Red, white, and blue perfection via coastalliving.com


And my own Fourth of July porch decor...

Get your Star Spangled Door Bucket HERE... on sale for only $16.96!

Happy Decorating!

I Can't Resist... A Great Sale {and This Entertaining Tip!}

Remember this Lovely from Avolli.com and a previous I Can't Resist...?



She can be yours for 55% off!!  Yes, Tricia is continuing her Early Retirement Sale by offering 55% off her entire inventory until June 30th.  She still has some incredible heirloom quality pieces left if you're looking for an investment, plus some wonderfully affordable artwork and accessories.  How about these pillars for $67.50 each??



Head to Avolli.com for this sale and find out how to help spread the word and win $100 at Tricia's blog-- I did!!

And because two is better than one, I also can't resist this outdoor entertaining tip to create ambience in your outdoor space. Strings of lights outdoors are the perfect touch, but I don't have any overhanging trees or structures on my back deck.  I spotted this photo in my July Southern Living magazine and am dying to recreate the bamboo poles strung with lights.



Their super easy tip is to anchor the bamboo poles with sand in the buckets.  They've done four poles and strung the lights up each pole and across above the table.  If you're pergola-less in your outdoor space, this is a really cool option!

And speaking of the July issue, Southern Living has also discovered our beloved Lake Rabun.



Touted as one of best family lakes in the South, Rabun is near and dear to us and a great North Georgia escape if you're looking one.  I introduced you to the lake and some of its gorgeous homes last week.  Take another peek if you'd like!

Images via avolli.com and southernliving.com.

A Girl Can Dream Right? {Inspiration}

Well, gang,  I'm whooping it up in NYC right now, so I wanted to share some gorgeous homes from our weekend getaway LAST weekend to Lake Rabun, Georgia (I know, I get around, right?).  El Presidente and I spent some time boating and marvelling at how many properties on the lake are for sale right now.

So we did what every other aspiring lake house owner would do... took pictures!

{This one's not for sale... it's where we hang by invitation :)}

Then we went out and bought a lottery ticket!! 

Which one's your favorite?

Lake Rabun Living

The hubs (aka El Presidente) enjoyed a wonderful anniversary weekend on Lake Rabun.  Rabun is one of the man-made Georgia Power lakes in the mountains of North Georgia, about 2 hours northeast of Atlanta (click HERE for more about the lake).  We're so blessed to have a fairy godmother/aunt who graciously hosts us periodically... and we enjoy her hospitality every chance we get!  In fact, we got married there June 10, 2006 and quite literally took the plunge off her boathouse dock. It's still one of our favorite getaway spots.

Today, I thought I'd give you a taste of life on the lake in the North Georgia mountains.  In the summertime, it's all about the outside.  Can you see why?

One of our favorite warm weather spots is right here, on top of the boathouse.

We spent several hours a day in these chairs!  Our second favorite spot is her screened porch that overlooks the lake.

It runs the entire length of the house and wraps around to the kitchen.  The perfect spot to enjoy coffee in the morning and one last glass of wine at night.  Her rattan furniture was painted 17years ago when they built the house and it still looks wonderful.  Quite the paint job!

She's known for her quirky little touches that make it feel like home.

You almost feel like you're in a treehouse!  They were careful when they built the house to leave as many of the trees in place as they possibly could, for shade, privacy, and the treehouse effect.  Success!

This is their walkway down to the boathouse and dock.  See what I mean?

Cozy rug underfoot anchors the seating area and the soaring tongue-in-groove ceiling of the porch keeps it feeling open and au naturel.

Just outside the screen door is a stone patio that runs in front of the bedroom wing and houses the hot tub (of course).  My favorite thing about this space is this beautiful rail crafted from mountain laurel branches.

There are steps from the patio down to this second little dock with a handcrafted laurel arbor.

Think you could relax in this swing?  Or how about with this view?

or this one?

Cheers!

I have more to share from the lake, so c'mon back and put your feet up. :)

Linking up with Ten June's Summer Fun party!!

And Centsational Girl's Favorite Destinations!

Looky What I Found {and a Sneak Peek :-)}

I'm late to party on the owl trend in decor.  I know it's been around a while, but in my latest Home Decorators Collection catalog, this little guy was beckoning...



Isn't he the cutest??  Click HERE for this ceramic garden stool goody.

Kinda feeding into my current obsession with ceramic garden stools in general but that's fodder for another post!

Now, lucky you, get a SNEAK PEEK at something new from Willow House!  In our new fall catalog (out August 1), we are unveiling a new line of dinnerware and a new line of flatware....

What do you think??

I'm loving the cool mix and match colors of the dinnerware! It coordinates with our current Riverstone serving platters.

I'm seeing beautiful tablescapes in the future!

Coming up:

*Graduation party decorations

*A new I Can't Resist...

*Abstract Art

Happy Decorating!