At the Beach

Hello everyone!

I wanted to share some tranquil beach pics with you.  This is from our summer vacation that we just got back home from.  We stayed at the Ocean Villa Club on Butler Beach, FL near St. Augustine.

These were taken at dusk, so the beach was pretty empty and the temps were very nice!

This is the boardwalk that took us to and from the beach from the condo.

These are the condo units.  As you can see, there is even shuffle board available.

Here is the swimming pool near the boardwalk that goes to the beach.  There was another one located next to the tennis courts on the other side of the complex too.

Everyone was gone eating dinner at this time of night!  It quickly filled back up after dark though.

There was a retention pond not far from our unit that you could hear frogs croaking at night.  It was really loud!  Luckily, they stopped before we went to bed.  LOL!
 

Looking at these pics, makes me wish I was back there right now! 

Did you go on a summer vacation?  If so, where?

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~ 

Princess Place Preserve

Hello everyone!

I just got back from my Florida vacation yesterday.  Now, it's back to reality!  But, it's great to be home.  It was nice to sleep in our own bed and use my own kitchen and bath for a change.  I love going to new places, but always appreciate home when I get back!  

We had a great time.  We traveled to St. Augustine and stayed in a condo on the beach.  We did the usual playing in the ocean and sitting on the beach for hours (under a sun shelter) and swimming in the pool.

This time, we took our dog with us.  Loved doing that!  We'll definitely continue traveling with him.  He is the BEST little traveler!  We were able to let him off the leash around our sun shade and he stayed with us despite all the temptations to run off around us.  We were careful to keep him cool and shaded since  his breed is prone to heat stroke.  

He made himself right at home!

The highlight of our trip (for me) was going to the Princess Place Preserve.  It was breathtaking!  It is a 1500 acre preserve owned by Flagler County, that allows fishing, camping, canoeing, picnicking and even horse back riding.  You can learn more about it by clicking here.  

We took a picnic lunch and walked around to see the beautiful rustic unspoiled nature everywhere.

 

My husband took a kayak out to fish the waters there.  He saw a manatee and even an alligator.  I didn't get too close to the water after I heard that! 

 

Here is a directory in the park.  

After we toured some of the grounds.  We went for a tour of the old home place of Henry Cutting and Angela Mills that originally owned the property in the late 1800's before the county bought it from them many years later. They were aristocrats and even entertained royalty in their Adirondack style home.  They had servants working for them and owned the first in ground swimming pool in FL!  Angela Mills out lived her husband and went on to eventually marry a Russian prince (she met in Russia during her travels) and they moved back here.  That is how she became a princess, thus the name, Princess Place Preserve.

Here is the pool.  How would you like to swim in THAT?!    

Notice the old wood diving board.  This pool is being fed by Artesian springs.

You can see the picture of a young Angela Mills on the sign.

Look at the view from the porch!  There was a wonderful breeze coming off the ocean.

I loved the porch.  It wrapped around the entire house and provided lots of welcome shade and cool breezes.

  

A peek of the inside.  It was mostly unfurnished though.

Kitchen

Butlers Pantry

Dining Room

Since this post is getting long, I'll stop here.  I'll share some more pics of our trip in my next post.  I'm hoping to be able to upload a video I shot on the beach too.  

Hope you enjoyed the tour as much as I did!  

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Pillow Covers from France

Hello everyone!

Wow!  This week is winding down fast.

  I am packing today for vacation since we leave tomorrow.  So excited!

Before I leave, I wanted to share my newest pillow covers that I ordered from this Etsy shop in France.

  

I had been looking for this type of fabric for pillows for a while and when I found these, I knew they were the ones I had been searching for.  

It's actually vintage fabric!  However, it's in nearly perfect condition.

These chairs have had many different pillows on them.  I must say, though, that these are the first pillows that I've ever gotten directly from France.  I had to wait a long time for these to get here too!

Since they are so neutral, I'm sure they will move around the house through the years.  Everything else sure does!  LOL!

Well, I'm off to the coast.  Wish me luck so I don't get too sunburned.  I have  freckled skin, which means I burn, not tan.  Hopefully, we won't run into rain down there either.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Grey Pots & Burlap

Hello everyone!

Today, is the first real sunny day that we've had all month!  By that, I mean sunny skies with a few white puffy clouds (not rain clouds) and hot sunshine (not steamy and damp feeling).  I am so happy!  How long will it last?  I don't know.  But, I'll take it for today!

I made a few changes around the house and wanted to share what I did.  

The first change was to move my grey painted bench from the family room to the upstairs hallway.

I also placed my cabinet doors on the wall above it.  Remember they used to hang above my mantel?  I like this simple style for the hallway.  The bench is very narrow so it doesn't impede traffic.  

What went downstairs in place of the bench was this burlap ottoman.

I've had it for about a year now, but had it in storage when I changed the room around.  Now, it's back!  

Recently, I received something I ordered from Woody Crest Living.  It just spoke to me when I saw it for sale.  It's this little herb crate with small grey pots.

I have it on a stool in the kitchen for now.  I'm enjoying using the little grey pots under my cloches at the moment too.

Here is one on my kitchen counter.

And here is one on my coffee table.

They are fun to stack and use for texture.  

So, these are just a few things that I've done lately.  

Hope you're having a great week so far!

Thanks for stopping by.

~ Kelly ~

Dreaming of the Coast

Hello everyone!

It has been a long, gloomy and soggy week here.  There have been a few good days of sunshine, but it is never without the clouds or threat of rain.  Even if we do get sunny blue skies during the day, the night time brings storms so we wake to wet grass and humidity.  Luckily, though, the temps have cooled down a bit.  

So, I am dreaming of our upcoming vacation to the coast of Florida.  

I only hope the rain doesn't continue to follow us.

I am looking forward to eating seafood, lounging by the pool and walking on the beach.

We're even taking this little guy with us!

(See what he does to my pillows?  None of my pillows are safe from him.)

He has gone with us to Florida before, but never to a beach that allows dogs.  So, this will be his first trip to the beach and playing in the ocean.  We are very excited to be able to take him with us.

So we are using this week to prepare for our trip.  

I will try not to bore you with too many vacation photos when we return.  LOL!

Hope you all are having a great weekend so far.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~

Scenes from Around the House

Hello everyone!

The sun shined for just a little bit this weekend so I could grab my camera and show you some of the new vignettes around my house.

I'm loving the mix of white flowers, wire/metal accessories and texture in my spaces.

Let's get a closer look.
 

First off is this new cloche with a rope handle that I found at Hobby Lobby.  I have been eyeing these types of cloches for a while now, so I'm thrilled to finally have one of my own now.

  

It came with the wooden base too!  I added one of my galvanized trays (that came in a set of three from Decor Steals)  to the coffee table as well.  

I changed up my mantel, slightly, with a few candles, baby's breath, and a zinc colored crown.  

A small wire basket was added to the table beside my sofa.  It now holds a candle inside it.

In the foyer, a white tureen holds a bit of greenery and a mesh wire cloche balances the lamp on the other side.

I have a set of these canvas bags that came from Antique Farmhouse a while back.  One of them is being used to hold a bouquet of white flowers.

In the dining room, I replaced the grey bench with this vintage white painted chair.  More white flowers fill the corner.

 

So, these are some "scenes from around my house" at the moment.   

Just keeping it light and airy with some vintage thrown in!
 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

~ Kelly ~