summer reflection

Today a photographer came over to take my picture for the book jacket! I was so nervous and self-conscious at first but we clicked instantly and she really put me at ease.



What made it extra nice was that she liked my home so much and made me see it again through fresh eyes.



Recently I had compiled and taken photos to be part of my sweet blogging pal Stacey's A Sort Of Fairytale Blogger Home Tour series, and thought I'd share some of them here.



I like to think that graphic touches like the metal M keep things from being too feminine in a house with boys ...



and make up for spots like this which are admittedly pretty girlie.



Ball fringe fastened only with clothespins due to my fickle-pickle tendencies adds texture to the plain lamp shade.



As I told Stacey, I love beach cottage style where things are light, casual and utilitarian. At 2.3 miles from a pond, I like to consider my home A Sort Of Beach Cottage.



A tension rod and two cafe valances conceal all kinds of not-so-pretty remotes and things in the living room.



The shower curtain, a no-remorse splurge, really makes an impact in our home's one and only tiny bathroom.



Putting together content for Stacey pushed me to finally try framing fabric in embroidery hoops. Love this and it could not have been easier or faster. The fabric in the medium hoop is reversed for slight variation.



Took this photo a while ago for Cottages & Bungalows.


It's enjoyable to create a collage (using an online source like PicMonkey) to get a glimpse of your tastes, palette and motifs all at once.



When we moved into our house I used this jar of seaglass as my color inspiration.

Treasured Tips
- Trashy beaches are the best bet for finding sea glass. Found all of this in one day!
- Visit Stacey's delightful blog for all kinds of design inspiration.

xo
elyse

camp tinker: sweet treat

Here in New England, it is always such a treat to visit a coastal main street lined with shops and cafes, and any destination worth its weight in seashells should have a candy shop (er, shoppe). {Bonus points for places that use small white paper bags}

Once back at home, it doesn't cost much to whip up a fabulous five pound batch of fudge that could cost up to $25 per pound at one of these little places. I use the fudge recipe found on the jar of Fluff*. If you can stand the heat of the kitchen, it will be worth it, I assure you. And I repeat, it yields five pounds of fudge so you'll have plenty to enjoy and give away.

*the recipe on the jar calls for double the amount(s) listed at the link



What a fun excuse to decorate plain white paper lunch bags into your own sweet parcels.

Make your own design or click-and-print mine.



Then trim and paste labels onto white paper bags. (I found mine at Target)



Also use labels to decorate emptied berry containers



or to add whimsy to wrapped wax paper (serving suggestion: sea shell and baker's twine; paper trimmed with scallop-edged scissors)



Do you have a favorite candy shop? Mine is Chatham Candy Manor for the chocolate covered cranberries. Mmmmm!

happy summer wishes

xo
elyse

field trip: by the beautiful sea (x3)

Rockport, MA

LONG POST ALERT :)

Some times it takes someone visiting from out-of-state to explore your own surroundings. Know what I mean? This was the case last weekend when my sister Dede and brother-in-law Bobby who live in New Jersey, wanted to spend a day together exploring Rockport and Salem along the near-ish North Shore of Massachusetts (about a 90 minute drive).



Rockport is a charming seacoast village located on Cape Ann, a place I hadn't been to since I was about ten years old, known as Massachusetts' "Other Cape."


Image source



Along the picturesque streets of the Bearskin Neck area, we strolled area shops and had clam chowder and lobster rolls for lunch. We even spotted actor Adam Sandler who appeared to be enjoying the same kind of breezy afternoon.















This is probably where I should end this post but I can't help myself because there's still plenty more to share!

Next, we headed north to the history-rich town of Salem.



Even though none of us have read The House of the Seven Gables* by Nathaniel Hawthorne, we took the museum house tour, which was fabulous and fascinating: filled with detailed storytelling, rich decor such as hand-colored wallpaper, even a secret staircase.
*My eleven-year old is now reading the book



We finished our day with stopping by the Bewitched statue in Lappin Park, downtown Salem



followed by some window shopping.

Okay, now I should wrap-up this post. But, there's one more place!

After our busy Saturday we weren't sure what to do on Sunday. I had always wanted to see the Flying Horses Merry-Go-Round, the oldest continuously operating carousel in the country, but really didn't know where it was. As we kept our eyes close to the map was I ever SURPRISED when we reached the beautiful destination of Watch Hill, RI.





Ocean House: Dear Ocean House: Need any blogger reviews?



Without even a ferry ride we were transported to the most idyllic beach town with ocean-view streets lined with cafes, boutiques and even a candy shop equipped with quintessential white paper bags.





I kept saying out-loud, "I am shocked and smitten by this place!"







My nine year-old even grabbed the brass ring three times!

Thank you for sticking with the very long post. Inspired by these coastal treasures of towns, I am busily tinkering with more ideas for my next Camp Tinker post.

happiest summer wishes

xo
elyse

camp tinker: sandscape terrarium

Happy July and thank you for stopping by to see what Camp Tinker is all about. As mentioned in my previous post, Camp Tinker aims to be a series of summertime posts featuring simple and enjoyable craft projects. It also serves as a little "craft lab" for me to try out new ideas and twists. This post's project is a sort of no-fail terrarium.



Ready, Campers?!



For the "findings" think of small seaside-related items such as a tiny starfish meant for scrapbooking, little shells, glass beads, pebbles, wired roses.



Let's begin by making a beachy fence by cutting craft sticks a bit more than half-way, as shown.



Next, glue two pieces of string across the sticks to form a fence; let dry completely and snip loose ends.



Gather all of your supplies. Grab anything that you have in your craft-stash that you think would be pretty. No craft stash? Look around for broken jewelry or beads, small rocks and sprigs of plants -- real or faux. Digging through my own supplies, I rediscovered a bag of shells spray-painted white and among them scallop shells saved from a restaurant. (Yikes!?)



Yep, I even had a coffee cup filled with sand and lavender sprigs saved from December so I poured that into the vase; it wasn't quite enough sand so I mixed in some table salt until it was the amount and shade I liked best.



I added the little fence in the sand and then played and placed things about.



When my beach scene was to my liking, I decided to place it on a large plate and surround it with shells.



For variations, create scenes using small toys or miniatures or add a candle. So many possibilities! Imagine a row of jars, each filled with sand and treasures ...

MORE FUN WITH SAND
Use emptied bags from lunch at the beach to take sand home; fill bottles and label. Fill other bottles with sea glass to create a sparkling vignette.



xo
elyse

{Please feel free to share completed projects on the Tinkered Treasures Facebook page}