Summer Entertaining

Summer creates a change of pace.  We work less, relax more and certainly entertain A LOT. Nothing brings people together more than a family beach house.  When I think of summer I imagine a bushel of crabs in the backyard, a big bowl of fruit salad and endless amounts of food from kabobs to quinoa salad provided by mom.  Let's not forget Brownie Sundays.  Obviously we stuff ourselves only to leave enough room to fit some more. Thank you metabolism. 

So at the start of each summer our bay front household undergoes a seasonal spruce up.  The weather and salty sea air is hard on everything, especially outdoor furniture.  This means that every year there is painting to be done.  Below is a photo of a patio table that was just refinished.  Originally purchased at Pottery Barn, the table was a mosaic of a Lobster.  We don't eat much Lobster in Ocean City, MD.  A Blue Crab seemed a little more fitting.  This table will host endless amounts of dishes all summer long.  Family and friends will fill their plates on the patio and head down to the yard to enjoy.

Another tip for summer entertaining at the beach: Lighten the load with your serve ware.  When transporting from inside to out, you want your plates and dishes to be light and sturdy.  Being mermaids, we like to stick to the nautical/beach theme.  Find something that is somewhat common and easy to mix with other dishes. Below are a few nautical examples I have been coveting. Number 1 is a tasting dish from FURBISH STUDIO for only $5.00.  Number 2 is a seascape plate set (4 included) from World Market for $15.96.  Good Prices and totally inline with the Eastern Shore theme for summer. 

One last must have for summer dinning and entertaining is an outdoor rug, but you knew this.  World Market once again has AMAZING prices on outdoor decor.  I am absolutely in love with their 4'x6' Blue Shell Seascape Rio Floor Mat 

This rug has a similar texture and color scheme to the one we have placed with our Blue Crab table.  Which, I am sorry is not for sale.  If your like the idea of painting some kind of image on a table, give it a try.  Or we could, we love doing it.  Below is a mermaid I painted on our picnic table a couple of years ago:

What should we paint on the picnic table this year? Post below!

DIY BAR: I was "Crafty" before it was cool

In the age of  DIY I find it hard to show off a new finished product without someone saying "I saw that on Pinterest".  Don't get me wrong.  I love Pinterest for inspiration and ideas, but some of the messages that site sends just straight irritate me (shout out to Ashleigh Hilker).  There is 5 minute six pack abs, low calorie desserts and DIY furniture that costs more to make than it would to purchase new.  Oh if it only took 5 minutes to have six pack abs.  I'm sorry, but low calorie dessert does not taste like the real thing and if DIY furniture was easy, we would all furnish our homes with refurbished garbage.

Lucky for me I was Crafty before it was cool.  This means I know that not every project turns out the way you hope.  I would say 1/3 of my attempts are flops, but that is just part of the DIY game.  You have to just take a step back and try and different approach. 

Since moving into my new Reston apartment I have been doing some crafting myself.  Our most proud DIY project is home bar.  Props to the man Finch Eric(a) my dad.  He pretty much came up simplest way to get a sturdy bottom shelf up with as little work as possible. All it took was a trip to home depot, a drill and stud finder.

We decided to make a bar because we had this awkward little area in our hallway that was designed as a computer area. With some idea's from Dana and some Pinterest inspiration we built the beaut last weekend.  While we have not been mixing drinks every night, or any night this week, I am so excited to entertain for the first time tomorrow!

So here is what we used to create our bar:

•  A Dresser from The Pink Finch of course
• Home made canvas: "Brunch without booze is just a sad late breakfast"
• One Floating Shelf and One 48 inch Board with shelf hangers from Home Depot
• Wine Glass Holder from The Container Store
• Antique Wine Bottle Holder
• We decorated the bar with previously owned items and added some color with accessories from Home Goods.

This project worked because we did not model it off of some tiny url picture we found online, we worked with what we had and kept it simple.  My advice when starting a DIY project is to roll with the punches.  If your original concept is no longer plausible, switch gears. Always get input from others, it helps to have a second set of eyes.

Even though this was a DIY success I wan to thank Pinterest for the unrealistic expectations it creates! Feel free to post your Pinterest Fails below :0)