Summer Stars In My Garden

I spent this past week in my rose garden.

Most of my roses get an ombre effect when left in the sun.

My pink rose goes through many changes in the sun. 

My pink rose (over a few days in the sun)  looking very shabby chic.

I'm linking with My Romantic Home

and Oh , The PLACES I've Been

Crystal Cove, California

Today I'm posting Crystal Cove located between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach, California.

This is a photo of the beach to the north.

This is a photo of the beach to the south. This is a California State Public Park. The cottages 

 are run by and rented out by the state. It's open to the public. All land and

beach is public. The cottages are vintage and quaint and the area is very private.

It's not easily accessible but it has handicap parking and specific handicap

equipped cottages are for rent.

One of the beach cottages on the beach that you can rent from $42 a day to $249 a day.

An iconic beach cottage being restored.

A photo of some of the cottages on the beach that can be rented for a day up to seven days.

There is a demand for these rentals. Renting six months in advance is the norm. You can

check on-line for cancellations. ReserveAmerica.com. Pick out the cottage of your

choice atCrystalCoveBeachCottages.org.

Can you imagine yourself sitting here in the California sun?

Vintage sign for sale in the gift shop. There is a cafe on the beach called the Beachcomber.

A take on cruisin'.

Linking with Oh, The PLACES I've Been

Huntington Beach Pier, Huntington Beach, California

I watched the series premiere of "Graceland" on the USA network last night.

It's about undercover agents living in a house on the beach in the Santa Monica/

Malibu area. The surfing scenes in my opinion were taken off the north side

of the Huntington Beach Pier in Huntington Beach, California. I'm showing

the north side of the pier in these shots. They could be surfing the north side

 but the shots of the pier alone, I think, are from the south side.

I may not know what I am talking about but I think that the surfing

shots in this new series were taken in a different location than

the shots where the beach house is. If you live is this area and have

seen this new series, what do you think?

Surfing the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier

Laguna Beach, California

Laguna Beach, California

I've been remiss and have not posted our beautiful beaches

here in Southern California. Today I am. All these photos  were taken in

Laguna Beach, California.

Laguna Beach, California

                           Laguna Beach photo taken looking south from the bluff at Las Brisas
                                                                      restaurant.

Laguna Beach photo taken looking north from the bluff a few steps from Las Brisas

restaurant. 

Las Brisas Restaurant photo taken with the restaurant facing

 the sea.

One of the beautiful homes near the bluff area.

 Photo of a beautiful home that was my favorite on the day these photos

were taken.

I'm linking with Oh, The PLACES I've been

A Celebration For Mom's

These are the flowers that were on the men's table at the

 Mother's Day celebration my daughter hosted. (Votives

from Pier 1). 

These are some of my favorite images from a  Mother's Day 

celebration my daughter had for women that are mothers and

women that are motherless.

The flowers on the women's table.

Table set for the women at the celebration.

Sweet photo of the blouse and necklace worn by my grand-daughter.

Beautiful earrings worn by my daughter. 

(from Nordstrom's rack).

Awesome earrings worn by a gorgeous mother.

Gifts from the event. Notice the crown sugar cookie?

I'm linking with My Romantic Home

and The Feathered Nest

Oh, The PLACES I've Been

All Things French

This chandelier printed on burlap and framed, I found at

Hobby Lobby.

Raoul Dufy image on silk scarf. See the Eiffel Tower

on the right.

This was taken at T.J. Maxx. It was a poster board for sale.

This is Dufy.

Here I am in my office all alone composing a post in

my dreams of France and everything French.

Borrowed image. Source unknown. If it is you, please, leave

me a comment and I will credit you and give 

a link back to your post.

My favorite photographic print that I have hanging

in my home.

Chambord  Castle.

Image of Eiffel Tower on a coaster from Sur La Table.

Paris in your mind's eye.

I'm joining this party at Castles Crowns and Cottages:

I'm linking with Oh, The PLACES I've Been

More From The Shabby Chic Boutique

 Most photos of this post are from Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Couture

  boutique in Santa Monica, California. These photos are from the

  visit I made in January of this year and  they didn't get in my original post.

The vintage bottles are from Rachel's shea butter line.

Those are little blue coin purses and make-up bags.

Go here to see more photos that I took in January from

Rachel's boutique.

What would a shabby chic post of mine be without a  pretty chandelier.

I like the shade on this little lamp.

Doesn't this look comfy?

Everything looks so sweet in her shop even this ordinary table.

Funky chandelier? What do you think?

I've been thinking about having a giveaway with products from Rachel's boutique.

Santa Monica, California location.

I'm linking with The Tablescaper for Oh, The Places I've Been

A personal note here about being a Shabby Chic fan. I am not 

reimbursed for posting anything Shabby Chic. I have been  into

Shabby Chic way before I had a blog in my brain. 

 I started decorating my master bedroom, master bath

 and one guest bedroom in shabby chic in 2001. I was taping

Rachel Ashwell's TV shows (they were 1/2 hour shows) and

a friend of mine told me Rachel had a boutique in Fashion Island

in Newport Beach, California (now closed) and then later in

Malibu, California(also closed) (I knew about the

 Santa Monica boutique-still open). I watched my taped shows

of Rachel's over and over and eventually sent the tape to

comfort a friend. I didn't make a copy.Wouldn't it be 

great if Rachel made a DVD of those episodes?

All this was before Rachel's line was in Target, altho

 for a time it was in Mervyn's. Anybody remember that?

In 2004 I switched into overdrive and really got passionate

about shabby chic decor. I found my end tables at the now 

defunct Subtle Tone boutique (Newport Beach, Ca)-shown

below-and my friend Pernilla and my daughter helped me

with it and we all took a field trip and had lunch at Jennifer

Lopez' restaurant Madre's in Pasadena, California. 

Designed and decorated by Rachel. It was beautiful. 

 It was opened from 2002 to July 2008. 

My last  project was to shabby chic my laundry 

room and I did that last summer (shown below).

My Shabby Chic laundry room

My bedside table ala Rachel Ashwell

 Happy Mother's Day

I'm linking with My Romantic Home

I'm linking with French Country Cottage for

Feathered Nest