A DIY Blog Empowering You to Complete Your Own Project
I have a confession to make. All the wood that you saw on my art studio wall is not exactly old and salvaged.
In order to have enough wood, I had to buy some new pine boards off the shelf at Lowe’s. I actually chose furring strip boards because they are already chewed up and imperfect.
But, I also grabbed a few other supplies: [Read more...]
I don’t know whether to be excited or dread that yesterday was the last day of school for my boys. I have some summer camps lined up for them, but frankly our summer schedule is all over the place. So much so that I need help remembering where the kids are going and when.
I thought it would be a good idea to display the schedule so the boys could see what was coming up (to avoid the inevitable anxiety from different camps for different weeks.) To give them a little control over the schedule, we sat down and brainstormed our bucket list for the summer. Ice cream, swimming, and Carowinds are only a few of their bucket list items. I thought it was especially sweet that they wanted to spend time with our longtime sitter one or two days 
.
While I was contemplating this displayable schedule, I received a box of goodies from Plaid. The boys were home when it arrived, so naturally they hovered like eager vultures as I opened it. And of course they immediately wanted to make something with the supplies. Sometimes timing is a serendipitous thing.
I set up the kitchen table with all the supplies and a plastic cover over the table. When I looked up, my oldest son had disappeared! I found him like this:
There is a little sliver of an island located just off the coast of North Carolina. It is only accessible by one bridge, and is a mere 3.4 square miles in size. I adoringly think of this island as our little slice of heaven.
Every year as the beginning of school looms, we make an annual trip to Ocean Isle Beach to close out the summer. If you are the party animal type, and want to compete with the shenanigans of Snooki and the Situation, this is NOT the beach for you. Ocean Isle has a strict no house parties policy. And is a sleepy family-friendly beach.
Ocean Isle Beach has the unique geographic situation of facing south.
Because of this early risers are treated to stunning sunrises.
While the lazy sleepers can catch the colorful sunsets.
Facing south also has an effect on the waves. They are usually much calmer as they meander onto shore from the south, instead of directly from the east. But, the surfers don’t seem to mind.
Another thing I like about Ocean Isle Beach is that you can bring your dog along. Dogs are allowed before 9am and after 6pm during peak season.
I don’t know if Buddy has ever seen the ocean. He was very inquisitive and chased a crab until it disappeared into the waves. Buddy didn’t want ANYTHING to do with the water!
I think he’s a land lubber!
One week at Ocean Isle is enough to wash your cares away. I hope you enjoy the rest of this pictorial tour of Ocean Isle Beach, NC.
If you are in the area, be sure to stop by Ocean Isle Inn and ask for Tracy. He’s a great guy with some cool history nuggets about Ocean Isle. Tell him I sent you ;0).
The evening that we walked to the pier was truly beautiful. The clouds were pink and purple and blue After the sun set, as I sat by the water a mother and her children walked by. I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of their silhouettes against the golden waves. I love this picture!
But, I love this picture even more because all the wonderful things in my life are here. All four of my boys!
That’s it. I gotta run now. I hope everyone in Hurricane Irene’s path stays safe tonight and tomorrow.
 Dark sky and light ocean at Topsail Island. |
We had a fabulous time, but my favorite part of the weekend was sleeping on the deck at the foot of the ocean with Pretty Handsome Guy. Nothing can compare to being lulled to sleep by the ocean!
Some of you noticed that I have a new profile picture. I am forever indebted to John for taking several pictures of me specifically for my blog. (Being the photographer in our house means that I have very few photos of myself.)
So, since I still have summer on the brain, I wanted to go ahead and introduce you to these beauties that hold bottled up beachy goodness in them.
If you have been one of my readers for a month, you may recognize these from the tour I gave of the Painted Cottage in Ocean Isle Beach, NC. Leigh is the owner, and she was so sweet to offer something to give away to my readers. That’s right, these two beautiful glass bottles could be yours. And, because I REALLY want to thank my followers, I’m giving you five chances to enter the giveaway.
It is pretty simple. Here are the ways that you can win these two adorable beach in a bottle accessories:
Be sure that if your comment profile is “anonymous” that you leave me your name and email address in your comment, so I can contact you if you win .
Wow, you have up to five chances to win! On October 1st, I will pick a winner using Random.org. I’m looking forward to sending some summer beach love to one of my readers. Good luck!
Okay, now I need to try to get in synch with the autumn spirit. How about if I just stare at John’s beautiful “Fall Colors” photograph!
Collect some cool shells, beach glass or driftwood. Use a broken shell with a sharp edge to write your name or message in the sand. Decorate your scene with the shells, etc. Take oodles of pictures. Try different angles and different distances.
When you get home pick out your favorite. And then you can use your favorite photo editing software or one of these great free websites Picnik or Sumo Paint- to make color corrections, cropping, etc.
Print your picture out and put it in a cute frame.
I debated whether or not to add shells and sea glass to the outside of the frame. The kids voted and we decided to add them with hot glue (or you could use E-6000) to the frame.
Then hang your sign on a door or set it up on your desk. You be the boss!
