Subject: Rehoboth Houses

Melissa -

Hello and happy Friday! So today I am going to show you the pictures I took of my favorite houses in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Some of them reminded me of houses from a movie and I absolutely drooled at the thought of spending a weekend living in one. Or just a night - I'm not greedy. The details on the houses were great too - lots of stone mixed with wood siding and cedar shingles. And the yards were immaculate. I was very jealous of the climate up there. It was hot, yes, but not the kind of hot that just zaps flowers in the middle of the afternoon if you are not out there holding a garden hose to everything. Basically - not like here.

I don't even know if these pictures will do the houses justice, especially since I took these on the last day we were there when the sky was gray and cloudy (the best kind of weather to be leaving a beach vacation, in my opinion). But I hope you get the idea. Oh, and I saved the best for last!

I included a close-up of the yard on this next one because I thought it was so charming:

The house that went with this next yard wasn't all that memorable to me, but I loved this little stone wall and garden behind it:

This house seemed a little out-of-place among all the others, but I loved the red geraniums in the pot and the manicured box woods. Plus the American flag against the gray (with the red geraniums) is really nice, so I decided to include it:

And this one is called The Grey Goose and it was my favorite house of all. Can't you see why?

Don't you just die for that pink door? I don't know how well you can tell from the pictures, but the house was this amazing gray with white trim and a pale pink door. And the house is on Queen Street - how perfect is that? I also loved the little walkway on the roof - I can only imagine what the view is like from up there. Seriously, if they were selling tickets on the driveway, I would have bought one just to see what the interior was like!!

I hope you have a fabulous weekend and I will see you back here next week!

Subject: Rehoboth Beach - An Introduction

Melissa -

So our big 10-day trip included five days staying at my aunt-in-law's beach house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. I had no idea what to expect, but Mr. Lass said that what the Hamptons are to NYC-ers, Rehoboth is to the DC set. Yes, please! I have never actually been to the Hamptons so I have no way to make a comparison, but the houses in Rehoboth were super-cute and the main street was within walking distance to where we were staying and had so many local shops and restaurants, you would need an entire summer to experience everything.

Here are some pictures I took along the main street:

Okay, so I only took two. So now I will talk about what is in the shops. Most of the shops were very boutique-y, meaning they were small and locally-owned and included merchandise that I had never seen before. It was so fun to look at everything - longingly, for the most part, since whatever I bought would have to jammed into an already-full suitcase or carried through security and on board an airplane, which is hard to do with a toddler in tow.

However, I did find this little gem and had to have it:

Isn't it gorgeous? I carried this on-board, which meant carting it around on a layover while pushing a stroller, but it's totally worth it to look at it everyday. It is really unique - the top is smooth glass, but the underneath is some kind of scrolled medal that is textured and has an amazing patina on the base. It's one of those things I will love forever. I asked the shop owner about it, hoping it would have some kind of cool story, but she said it was a reproduction and they had another one in a box in the storeroom. Oh well.

One thing about Rehoboth Beach that I found so interesting is that it is a very Northern beach town. Meaning the beach isn't that great (compared to the crystal clear water and powder sand we enjoy on the Gulf) - for one thing, the water is absolutely frigid. Of course, Suz didn't seem to notice - she squealed with delight every time a wave would come and water would cover her feet and legs. But one of the main draws is the boardwalk, which is right along the beach. It is really long and seems classically Northern. There are tons of places to buy what I call fair food - hot dogs, French fries, cotton candy, ice cream, pizza - you name it. And also a few arcade areas that had rides and classic games like Wack-a-Mole. The whole thing reminded me of Coney Island, which I have never been to, but I think is kind of the same set up. Did I take any pictures of this? Of course not...ahh! :( But here is a picture from the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk website:

Except add hundreds of people and tons of pelicans. Funland was just that - super fun. We did, however, leave our stomachs on the Sea Monster ride, but otherwise had tons of fun.

Okay, tomorrow I will show you my favorite houses in Rehoboth Beach. You will love them!!

Subject: Catching Up

Melissa -

Hello friend! I am back in town and after having tackled a mountain of laundry and restocking our refridgerator, I am now ready to report on our trip and comment on your posts while I was gone. I feel like I have so much to share, so let's get started.

First things first: I loved your post about the Land of Nod Blog! It was new to me as well and I am excited to spend some time perusing it for ideas. What little I saw of it after following the link you posted has me intrigued. I saw one post by one of my favorite blogs - Making It Lovely - which was exciting. I didn't realize she was a contributor, so it will be fun to see what she has to say. The one post by her that caught my eye was about her daughter's new "big girl" room. Although it is still early (Suz just turned a year old in March), I find myself already daydreaming about what I will do for her room next. While in Rehoboth Beach, I found this amazing print that I think would be so fun in a little (or big!) girl's room:

Isn't that fun? I found the same one on eBay that is a fifth of what it cost in the store (the eBay one isn't framed). I think this is such an original idea for wall art in kids' rooms. This is an obvious choice for a boy's room, but it seems especially creative for a girl's room. I may have to keep this in mind! Plus something about it says Mad Men to me, which makes it even more appealing :)

I'm super jealous of your brother's new life in LA! I never had the nerve to move somewhere so far away, but I do enjoy living vicariously through people I know who do! Please keep sending pictures and stories via Brother Peach...especially any juicy celeb sitings!

Okay, I feel sufficiently caught up. Can't wait to share with you pictures from my trip this week!

Subject: The Picker Sisters

Have you seen this show??

I think it started last week, but I discovered it on OnDemand.  

Here's the synopsis...

Starring best friends and renowned interior designers Tracy Hutson and Tanya McQueen ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"), "Picker Sisters" reaffirms the classic saying “one person’s trash is another’s treasure” by following the design duo as they crisscross America in search of rare relics and materials to create stunning pieces for their Los Angeles home décor pop-up shop.

And here's just some of the awesome pickens':

Looking forward to the next episode!!  It make me want to go drive to North Georgia and hit up some junk yards!! 

 

Synopsis and all photos courtesy of Lifetime TV.

Subject: La La Land Part 2

Welcome to day two of LA living and some detail shots of my brother's pad...you know the one that's about a million miles away!!  (Tear!)  So, brother lives in a studio if you couldn't tell from yesterday's pictures.  I think it's nice that the bathroom is separated by the hallway/closet.  I've seen some studios that are literally just boxes.  I'm pretty sure his entire place is equivalent to my master bedroom/bath/closet, but he's making it work.  I think I have too much crap stuff to live in a studio...probably the reason I never lived in NY like all my girlfriends, but something about being in a confined space seems fun.  Like you just bring the essentials and you probably spend way more time outside of your place than in it.  However, since I am this biggest couch potato I know, I've just discovered reason #2 why I never moved to NY or any other big city for that matter.

Okay, on to the pictures before I continue blabbing about nothing important.

Thanks to my brother for moving to LA so I had something to blog about yesterday and today!!  And for the awesome pictures, too.  Such a photographer!

Subject: La La Land

So, a few months ago - despite the pleading from me and my mother - my brother picked up and moved to LA.  While I haven't been out to see his new place, which is just blocks from the beach, it looks like a pretty awesome place to call home.

This is the view from his street.  Pretty amazing, right?!

Okay, more awesomeness tomorrow.  Until then...

xxx

Subject: TJ Maxx Drooling

Melissa -

Living in a small town definitely has its drawbacks (only two Targets, one Michael's, no Home Goods!), but for some reason the furniture at the TJ Maxx is surprisingly good. I don't know if you have decided on dining room chairs to go with your new table (when you get it), but I fell in love with these:



I especially love the nail head trim as well as the fabric - it was almost like a linen. It just seemed really sophisticated, but the nail head made it feel more rustic and less formal. Plus it looks comfortable, which is so important if you want your guests to be comfortable and sit awhile. The price was great too - $149.99 each.

Of course, there were only two available, but I'm sure with the entire metropolis of Atlanta at your disposal, you could track down enough!

So have you noticed a trend with my posts this week? While I'm gone, I'm emptying out my phone of pictures I meant to send you!

Xoxo,

Kara

Subject: Craigslist Side Table Makeover

Melissa -

I was going through some old pictures and realized I never sent these to you: I found a side table on Craiglist and painted it, so now it's good as new!

Here are the before and after:

I have always wanted a table like this, with the slanted shelf on the bottom. Originally thought I would use it to hold magazines, but they do not fit/won't stand up and cookbooks are too big. So now I have a few books on there - including on of Suz's. Miraculously, she really only takes her book off the shelf...most of the time!

This table was painted around the same time as my new kitchen table - you can kind of see it to the right when I was priming the big table. The orange is Ember Glow by Sherwin-Williams. I put a few coats of the same wipe-on polyurtherane as I used on the kitchen table, just to project it from everyday wear and tear.

It's in the corner of the kitchen, just inside of a doorway that was empty and needed something. This is the perfect size - anything too big would have looked out of place. Yay for Craigslist!