I am sure you will all agree that blogger friends have to be the nicest people in all the world. They are always the first to step in and help any way they can. Since I am not able to do a ton of decorating or DIY at the moment because of back surgery, I am thrilled to have some friends share their talents with you all.
Today we have Amber from Follow The Yellow Brick Home to share a special Guest Post with us. Isn’t that the neatest name for a blog. She lives in a 1921 Yellow Brick home that she is transforming into the most amazing place. Just look at the makeover she did on these stairs. This just gives you a little idea of her amazing design and DIY talent.
Today Amber is sharing- –
Amber lives in Kentucky and loves all things vintage. Her home is full of wonderful treasures that she has transformed.
You can see her 2018 Summer Home Tour here.
Hello everyone, my name is Amber – blogger @ Follow The Yellow Brick Home and I am so excited to be guest posting today at A Stroll Thru Life. I have been inspired by Marty’s beautiful blog for years, so it is such an honor to be here. Today I am sharing some decorating ideas and inspiration for creating simple summer style.
Summer is flying by and we all want it to slow down! It’s the season for
relaxed, easy living and enjoying summer pleasures, so why stress about the
decor? After the Fourth of July there are no major decorating summer holidays
until Labor Day, so even our homes get a little “rest” from all the
“over the top” holiday and seasonal decorating that seems to start in
the fall and continues through spring. Nevertheless we still want our homes to
be beautiful and inviting during the summer. The good news is that it is really
easy to embrace simple summer style using gifts from nature and maybe a
thrifted find or two.
After the Fourth of July I cleared away my festive red, white and blue
tablescape and left a simple centerpiece of faux roses in a shabby urn on top
of some beautiful antique ironstone platters. I recently found two gorgeous
vintage brass candlesticks at a yard sale which I placed on the table as
well, and I am loving the simplicity of this tablescape for the rest of summer.
With the exception of the linen runner from Home Goods, everything I used was
purchased at a yard sale or thrift shop. Even the 100 + year old authentic farm
table was a $10 yard sale find from a few years ago!
Of course fresh flowers are perfect for summer, but when you can find
thifted faux roses for $3.00 that look beautiful and will last all summer, that
is even simpler decor!
With the beautiful age and patina on the brass candlesticks, there was no
need to rush out and find candles to fit right away. Simple decor!
Faux plants, greenery and trees can also add pops of lively summer color to
any space.
Simple summer style can be functional as well as beautiful. Pretty market
bags, totes and summer hats can double as summer decor when not in use.
Having hats and totes on display means you can grab and go off to the market
for farm fresh produce or a day full of fun junk hunting!
After you have filled your tote to the brim with fresh produce or junkin’
finds, you can come right home and incorporate your treasures in summer
vignettes or tablescapes. Most fruit and veggies are meant to be stored at room
temperature, so as long as your produce is fresh it should last a couple of
days on display and you will be less likely to forget about it in the crisper
drawer!
A stack of ironstone platters topped by a half-dozen fresh peaches looks
simply beautiful, and tasty!
The only problem with this type of “decor” is that it often gets
eaten up rather quickly!
Strawberries and blueberries are beautiful in summer vignettes. Since
they are not as likely to last long without refrigeration, gobble them up
right away and enjoy the beauty and simplicity of faux berries instead.
A bowl of fresh lemons always makes a bright and sunny summer centerpiece,
and you can also enjoy them in fresh squeezed lemondade!
On Monday I shared some vintage summer vignettes for
the Summer Festival Blog Hop. I decided to really “simplify” the
vignettes on the antique mirrored shelf in the dining room. My husband picked
some free Queen Anne’s Lace from the road side for me, and I shopped my house
for as many assorted glass jars as I could find to put them in. I love how the
simple summer vignettes turned out!
Focusing on simple summer style allows you to use what you already have in
creative ways instead of spending lots of money on new summer decor. I made my
own little Queen Anne’s Lace botanical print to add into the vignette by
photocopying a picture from an old botanicals book and staining it with tea.
If you don’t have an old flower or botanical print book there are plenty of
printables online. Simple, easy and free!
Changing up throw pillows for the seasons is one of the quickest and easiest
ways to give your home a whole new look. Blue is a perfect accent color for
summer, reminiscent of sunny, blue skies, refreshing swimming pools, and azure
coastal waters.
You can purchase new throw pillows, but using throw pillow covers to change
the look of your pillows seasonally is even simpler and often much cheaper. I
made my blue grain stripe pillow cover for summer for less than five dollars
using a muslin pillow cover from Hobby Lobby (reg $4.99 with 50% off), some
inexpensive blue acrylic paint, and a sponge brush. I simply taped off a stripe
pattern with painter’s tape and stenciled the stripes. To incorporate more
nautical style for summer, there are some really cute starfish,sail boat, whale
and anchor stencils you could also use to make your own summer throw pillow
covers.
If you love reading, why not display a colorful collection of your favorite
books on a coffee table or console for summer? When books are close at hand you
will be more likely to sit down and unwind while gaining some gardening or
decorating inspiration, or you can enjoy getting lost in your favorite story.
Create an easy summer vignette by stacking an urn full of summery vintage
croquet balls or a French wire basket full of moss ball spheres on top of the
books.
In addition to flowers, seashells are beautiful gifts of nature to use as
decorative accessories during the summer months. Whether you display a couple
of large shells on the mantel or artfully arrange a grouping of small shells in
glass containers here and there, seashells certainly add summer vibes to any
room. This summer I filled an antique ironstone platter full of natural and
nautical treasures to enjoy on the antique trunk in the living room.
In a few days we will be off to the beach, and I will be collecting more
seashells to use in some late summer vignettes. I will also be hitting lots of
antiques and thrift stores on vacation, so I can’t wait!
I
would like to thank Marty once again for having me as a guest on her beautiful
and inspiring blog! If you enjoyed this post I would love to invite you
over to Follow The Yellow Brick Home to take a look around. I am always sharing
ideas for creating a beautiful home with a chic and stylish look using
inexpensive thrifted finds and vintage treasures. For more summer decorating
ideas, be sure to check out An Early Summer Tour Of My Home Kentucky Home.
Please join me in sending prayers and best wishes to Marty for a speedy
recovery! Have a fun and relaxing summer everyone!
Amber
You can still link up to Inspire Me Tuesday, so let us know what you’ve been up to and link up everything.
If you like Thrifty & Chic on a Budget, I would love to have you follow me.
Have every post delivered to your inbox with Bloglovin
Check out Pinterest & See behind the scenes on Instagram
