Seashell Nutcrackers

Seashell Nutcrackers - Casa Branca

 

These quite fabulous seashell nutcrackers are called shellcrackers by Alessandra Branca. The 27-inch-tall shellcracker is handcrafted with sea urchins, sea fans, coral, Swarovski crystals, and various seashells. Some of the finer details include Venetian paper and stick bug wings for the cracker’s eyebrows.

Fall DIY

MacKenzie-Childs Blue and White Striped Pumpkin 

Mackenzie-Childs has lots of wonderful pumpkins for fall and Halloween decorating in lots of colors, designs, and sizes. I especially like this blue and white striped one. I never tire of blue and white stripes.

Not for Babies Only

Rubber Duck

Yesterday I went to wash my car and realized I was out of my car wash detergent. I had the brainstorm to Google whether I could use baby shampoo and the answer was yes. My car looks great and it was so gentle on my hands too. I already use baby shampoo for a myriad of tasks around CCC.

Holiday DIY

Lantern Vignette

 

Temperatures dipped into the fifties overnight and summer is finally over here - hallelujah! Cooler days ahead. It has me thinking of Christmas decorating.

Are you looking forward to decorating for the holidays? I certainly am. I bet most of us have metal lanterns - I have quite a few at CCC. This is so darling - create a little holiday vignette. Miniature trees like these can be found at places like Target, HomeGoods, and below. 

Setting the Summer Table

Lenox British Colonial

Lenox British Colonial is my everyday china and I love it. It is perfect for Florida. I use it with many of the things you see here like rattan chargers, pineapples, palm fronds, and tropical fruits and flowers. But I prefer it with bamboo flatware.

The Scalloped Woven Lampshade High/Low

Green Seagrass Scalloped Lampshade

 

I saw this lampshade and was immediately smitten - green, scallops, seagrass - I think it would look great on one of my blue and white Chinese lamps.

A Blue Halloween

London - Explore the Pretty

It's Friday the Thirteenth, so let's do a Halloween post. I thought this was fun Halloween decorating inspiration with its blue skeletons and blue pumpkins. Acrylic craft paint works great for painting pumpkins. Use spray paint for the skeletons. Do you see how the skeleton on the left is reading a book?

Selecting a Scarf to Frame

J.Crew Silk Seashell Scarf

 

I thought today it would be fun to share the scarf I bought to frame and the reasons I chose it.

Framing Scarves

Framed Hermès Scarves - Marika Meyers Interiors

 

The photo above is from the 2017 DC Design House that I attended and this wall made quite an impression! I just bought a beautiful silk scarf online I would love to frame. I was going to use my go-to source Framebridge, but the scarf I want to frame is larger than they do. The scarf I got is not valuable enough to justify heirloom framing where they hand sew it on acid free board and such.

Red, White, & Blue with Chinoiserie Beach Style

Tuckernuck

How fabulous is this? Back a cabinet in red paint or wallpaper and fill it with blue and white Chinese porcelain, seashells, and sea life plates.

Setting the Summer Table

Lenox

 

This is a fun and quick DIY that I absolutely love. Using a place card at each table setting is very old school and elegant.

Setting the Summer Table DIY

Caspari

 

I love finding beautiful inspiration for table settings and this one is fantastic. I have posted before about creating your own faux coral branches.

Chinoiserie Chic DIY Wallpaper Restocked

Harrison Howard Before the Raj

 

A couple of weeks ago I posted on Harrison Howard's peel and stick wallpaper at a fantastic price and everyone loved them. See the post here. Folks had great ideas on where to use the wallpaper - a folding room screen, decoupage, a camper, a beach house powder room. So many possibilities....

Chic DIY Wallpaper Choices

Harrison Howard Ocean Wonders Collection

 

Fans of the brilliant artist Harrison Howard will be delighted to learn that he has a line of wallpaper.

Christmas Chinoiserie Chic DIY

Caspari

 

I am not the biggest DIY person. When I do a DIY, I want it to be fast, easy, and with guaranteed success. Both of these projects basically involve a can of spray paint.

A Sneak Peek - Christmas @ CCC

CCC

 

I finished the ornaments for my two Amanda Lindroth wicker pagodas. I used real red coral, real pink sea urchins, and miniature Christmas ornaments. Oh, and a couple pairs of my earrings - Mignonne Gavigan lobster claws and J.Crew coral.

Vintage Finds & Color

Got It Joburg West

 

I really enjoy shopping online for vintage finds. No gas and the world is my oyster. This week I scored a few things I love.

Oscar de la Renta

Oscar de la Renta - Punta Cana

When we think of Punta Cana, most people think of the gorgeous home of Bunny Williams and John Rosselli. One of the most beautiful rooms of all times was at the late Oscar de la Renta's residence in Punta Cana. Note all the blue and white Chinese porcelain and all the wicker chairs.

I especially love the table piled with books and the red coral branches in the photo below.

The Devil Is In The Details

Rattan Knobs

 

Are you looking for a great way to update kitchen cabinets, laundry room cabinets, bathroom vanity, dresser, chest, or desk? I had stock white cabinets in my laundry room with butt ugly knobs and updated them with these darling rattan and wood knobs and it was transformative. They look wonderful!

Lanai Inspiration and an eBay Find

Don Easterling

As part of my exterior painting project, the lanai will be painted inside and out and the ceiling will be painted haint blue.