Farewell summer. I hardly knew you.

The rain continues to pour over Washington and it only seems appropriate on September 11. But I can't help but feel that summer zoomed by way too quickly this year. So as I wistfully gaze at this photo I took of Joe during our summer vacation I am wishing I could click my heels together and go back to the beach with the warm sun on my back.
I suppose it wouldn't be a great summer if I didn't feel like it went by too quickly. We had lots of birthdays to celebrate, fun cookouts with family and neighbors, an amazing Coldplay concert, days by the pool, trips to witness friends getting married, trips to visit friends just because, family to visit us, and a couple of lazy days in between. Ya, it was a good summer.
So instead of melancholy, I'll just choose to be thankful that beautiful autumn follows summer and not winter.

Decalin' Around

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to spice up your plain walls on a budget, you may want to consider decals. Etsy is a wonderful resource for unique and high-quality decals to suit virtually any aesthetic. Here's how we've used decals in our place.

I loved the look of this ornate S for the stairs in our entryway.
































And I thought these birds were a sweet and subtle touch to add to this lattice screen my husband built for our living room.















I love clean lines and simple design, and these poms add some interest to our bedroom without going over the top.


















Here are a few Etsy seller options for you to peruse.

I like this fun floral pattern from Single Stone Studios.

You could use one by itself, use them in a pair, or layer them with other colors. Look at all the color options!

With Etsy sellers, it is so easy to customize their merchandise and get exactly what you are envisioning. The only limit is your own imagination and nothing has to look exactly like a catalog or magazine ... unless you're into that sort of thing, that is. If you've never purchased from an Etsy seller before, let me tell you, it is truly a pleasure. All of the sellers I have interacted with have been uber-accommodating and happy to tailor an item to exactly what I'm looking for.

I purchased my cute little birds on a branch from Decorette. (You can also see her stuff on her new web site decorettestore.com.) Guess what? She's located way down under! I won't lie, I was pretty excited when the package came adorned with all the cool postage markings.

How pretty is this huge swooping design?

Or this adorable peacock?

And I can be pretty picky about words on walls (especially when they're cheesy), but who doesn't need to be reminded of what love is, according to I Corinthians 13?? In the right spot, I think it could really work.


















The dandelion poms in our bedroom are from Elephannie, where you can also find this cuteness. I think it would look so cool in a girl's room ... maybe on her mirror or on or above the headboard.

Or how about just making the decal the headboard?

If you don't own your current place, you (or your landlord) may not be keen on sticking your walls with decals (even though they come off in a flash and don't even take off the paint). As an alternative, you may want to consider using decals to embellish basic pieces like an old dresser you repainted or one of those banal Ikea sidetables. I think these circles from Elephannie would look rad.


















Or how about a dressing up an old piece of furniture with these great blooms from Byrdie Graphics?
















I may have to give that a shot if I find anything makeover worthy when I do a bit of thrifting on Saturday. I'll keep you posted on what I find. Wish me luck!