SUMMER MINI HOUSE TOUR

I've recently mentioned that I'd be posting a summer house tour soon, and I'm afraid I over-shot that a bit. Consider this more of a "here's a few summer decorations I put out" post.  :)  Since summer is well on it's way, I focused on the living room and entry and called it a day.

For the entry, I left the giant clam shell but removed the orchid arrangement and added a live fern.

When I realized the pot was visible, I scrounged around for something to cover it, and my disco ball ornaments did the trick.  Disco balls truly are for every season!  (See mine used in Fall here, Christmas here, and my big mama ball here!)

I'm certain that this is my favorite summer vignette ever...natural, simple, shiny, and green.

Moving on to the new sofa table, a few weeks ago I showed you 3 ways that I styled it, but here's where the accessories have landed for summer.

This little crab door knocker is my favorite summer accessory.  He was a thrifted find and is missing a leg, I guess someone got hungry.  ;)

My instagram friends saw my new purchase a few weeks ago, but here is my new loveseat in it's home!  I sold the big red chair to a sweet reader for her vacation home, and came across this one at Dillard's for a steal.  I love the lines, and the pillows are hiding a few tufts in the back.

Now let's just talk about those pillows for a minute... my sewing machine was humming last weekend as I made a few new sets for summer.  I've had the spotted Togo fabric for probably a year and made some stockings out of it at Christmas, but that left me without enough for the pillow backs.  So, I used a stripe on the back.  Turned out ok by me!

**Sneak peek at a looming project in the background...we hope to tackle the ceiling first this weekend!

I also made a pair of these pretties thanks to a little help from my friends.  Bethany taught me how to use my sewing machine to do monograms, and Emily found this fabulous fabric and shared the source with me.  It's metallic DENIM, and it's off the bolt at Hancock's!  It's slightly stretchy and such a nice weight.  You MUST see how Emily used it in her home for the backs of the shelves in her Butler's Pantry...gorgeous!

Ok, pillow rant is over, but I'm loving how that simple change lightened things up for summer.

(*If you'd like to try making your own pillows, check out my easy tutorial for how to make a pillow with a zipper, or, if you need a better visual, check out this fantastic video tutorial from Hobby Lobby.  Although they're similar, I actually like this method a little better than mine,  and my sister is the host!  Watch it anyway to check out her cool trick with the seam ripper...)

I made an excellent Craigslist purchase a few weeks ago, and this table was included in the deal.  I wasn't super excited about it until I realized how perfect it would be for this spot in the corner between the couch and the loveseat.  Plus, I really liked the details once I got a good look at it.

The black dresser doesn't have anything specifically for summer, but I'm loving this green tray here with the blue and white pieces and a touch of brass.

The coffee table...

and the Mantel.

You can see my brightened-up peacock mirror, a small lady-vase that I picked up 80% off at Hobby Lobby recently (she was turquoise but some glossy white paint fixed that), and I couldn't resist another Lindsay Letters piece from Hobby Lobby.

So that's it!  Just a few simple changes, clipping some outdoor greens, shopping the house and moving some things around, and we're all summer-ized.

Lastly, I'd like to thank Crane and Canopy for inviting me to design a room featuring their fabulous bedding.  This was my first time for a project like this, and it was so much fun!  You can see what I came up with here.  Don't be surprised if you see something similar around here in the future!

And, many thanks to Heather from Southern State of Mind for inviting me over to her blog yesterday for a little Q&A in her "At Home With..." series.  It's been so fun participating in her Summer Style Soiree series this summer, and I enjoyed visiting while she settles in with her darling new baby.  Thanks Heather!

Whew! That post turned out to be way longer than I anticipated.  If you made it to this point, thanks!  Remember, see you here Friday for July's Best of the Nest Party!

Linking up with: Thrifty Decor Chick