The rain finally stopped and the sun came out this weekend. It was glorious! On Sunday, we actually sat by the pool, grilled out and hung out on the patio for the first time in months. It finally feels like summer is here and I am elated!
Just in time, too. The kids get out of school on Friday and today I’m joining my friends for a special Summer tour — the Welcome Home Summer Tour sponsored by our friends at Balsam Hill.
This week, we are opening up our homes to show you some of our summer décor.
A full list of the participating bloggers is at the end of this post and I hope you’ll visit each and every one of them to get some summer decorating inspiration!
***
Welcome to my living room — it’s one of the first rooms you see when you come in to my home so it is usually one of the first spaces to get freshened up in the spring and summer.
Truthfully, I don’t do a lot to decorate for summer but I do like to freshen things up with fresh and/or faux flowers.
I love fresh flowers and plants the best but they just don’t last as long as I’d like so I use both.
Since my kitchen is wide open to my living room, I try to coordinate both rooms.
I love this faux lavender. It’s a part of my coffee table vignette I posted about last week.
It features the wine barrel cheese tray from Balsam Hill and their flameless battery operated pillar candle.
The cheese tray is an authentic reclaimed piece from the bottom of a wine barrel. When I wiped it with a damp cloth to clean it off when I first received it I could actually smell the wine!
It is really big and could serve a wide assortment of cheeses and/or meats but when it arrived I set it on my coffee table and liked it so much I decided it needed to stay there for awhile! It works great as a decorative tray, don’t you think?
Balsam Hill also sent me some cheese knives but I’m going to save them and show them to you later this week.
My kids love the flameless candle.
I have to confess that of all my flameless candles, it is my favorite. It gives a very realistic glow and we have used it a lot these past few weeks with all of our dark, dreary and stormy days. You can see what it looks like in a video I created in this post.
Did you spy what’s in my huge basket in front of the fire place?
Soccer balls. Yep. Now that the weather is nicer, the kids will be kicking the ball in the back yard. My huge basket has been a life saver — I can corral all those balls and they’re still handy for the kids.
Speaking of handy…I’m really enjoying my “new” desk that I made over this spring. It has worked so well in this unused “corner” just off the living room and kitchen.
This little table on the other side of the back door never gets any attention on the blog so I thought I should add a picture of it.
I didn’t really change it up for summer…I just added the little faux succulent.
The wind mill was made by my husband when he was a kid (it was a kit) and the rocks in the glass jar are little finds we discovered on his uncle’s ranch a few summers back.
I’ll be showing you the rest of my summer home later this June. In the meantime I hope you’ll visit everyone today and the rest of this week. Also, stop by Balsam Hill to check out their great products. Everything I received was beautiful, excellent quality and packaged very well.
**I was given products from Balsam Hill for this post but all opinions are my own.
Monday
From My Front Porch To Yours
Lilacs and Longhorns (that’s me!)
One More Time Events
Prodigal Pieces
White Lace Cottage
Tuesday
What Meegan Makes
Artsy Chicks Rule
Sondra Lyn at Home
Confessions of a Serial Do-it-Yourselfer
Restoration Redoux
Wednesday
All Things Heart and Home
Setting For Four
House Of Hawthrones
Girl in the Garage
Cedar Hill Farmhouse
Thursday
Concord Cottage
Our Southern Home
Fresh Idea Studio
Cupcakes and Crinoline
Sweet Pea
Friday
Top This Top That
Serendipity Refined
Mrs. Hines Class
Knick of Time
I often share at: Metamorphosis Monday, Your Designs This Time, The Scoop, Wow Us Wednesdays, Inspire Me Tuesday, Furniture Feature Friday, Something to Talk About, Amaze Me Monday
Your house is beautiful in every season, Julie.
I love your summer living room Julie – and the tray is amazing- Trays are one of my favorite decorating staples and this one is just so unique! Here’s to the long lazy days of summer xo
Your home looks beautiful Julie! Love that cheese board.
So rustic and inviting, Julie! I’m really loving that candle and I know my kids would love that it has a remote.
Pretty room, Julie and I love the windmill your hubby made when he was a kid.
I’m really wanting one of those flameless candles. They look so realistic and there’s no fire danger. Your tray is amazing. Love its size and how you’ve styled it for summer.
Hi Julie ~
Everything looks so fresh and beautiful.
I love your coffee table ~ where did you purchase it?
That little windmill is so darn cute.
Your desk is so pretty ~ It’s so nice you can make everything match ~ just with a little bit of paint.
Have a wonderful day.
Rose
Thanks, Rose! I bought my coffee table from my neighbor for $10 several years ago. They had been using it as a craft table for their small children and it had craft paint all over it. She thought I was crazy when I asked her if I could buy it instead of her hauling it off to Goodwill. I sanded all the craft paint off and then painted it with Annie Sloan’s Aubusson Blue and some dark wax.
They are the best finds.
Thanks Julie ~
I guess I have to hit some garage sales ~
Love all your touches of summer! I am with you on flameless candles being the favorite… they always give the perfect touch to any setting!
Wow, absolutely gorgeous! Yes those luminara candles from Balsam Hill are so realistic!
Hi Julie, I love your Summer Living Room and the Cheese Board and Flameless Candles are fabulous. I was really debating on that cheese board too. It all looks so beautiful together. have a great day, Lisa
I love your home. It is inviting and warm. I am crushing on the cheese board. Anf the windmill. Perfect touches for a Summer feel. Pinned
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Your home is so lovely and inviting, Julie! That tray is perfect on your coffee table with the lavender. Loving the mirror on your fireplace too! XO
I love that faux lavender! It looks real. (and that blue table is great!)
The tray is perfect!! I missed that one! 😉
xo
Nancy
your summer styling is so pretty. gotta tell ya, i am tempted to order one of those cheese trays or go find a barrel and cut the bottom off!
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Love your family room….and you did a fantastic job in putting in the perfect touches of Summer!…
Julie, I could just move right in! Your home is so comfortable and detailed and filled with BEAUTIFUL things! Perfection in my book! I do love flowers in the house… especially in the summer! What a great tour!
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Julie, everything looks perfectly lovely and ready for Summer. (Just a few more days!!! and Yea for the sunshine!)
Y’all have fun with those soccer balls!
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Love the summer decorating in your home, Julie! I really liked the vignette on your end table. What are the white balls with the letters on them? And where did you find them? They were so interesting and fun!
Thanks for sharing,
Lanita
Thank you, Lanita! The little balls are ceramic alphabet balls I found on clearance a few weeks ago at World Market. They also have a numbers set.
Have a wonderful day!
Julie
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Everything looks so beautiful and welcoming. Every detail is perfect!
I love, love that window over your fireplace!!!
Julie, such a wonderful idea to use the cheese tray as a tray in your living room, and I’m so glad you noticed that it does smell of wine. Isn’t it nice?
The flameless candles are one of the greatest decorating tools. They are so timeless and work in any season, even in the summer. Your photo with the warm glow of the illuminated candle shows the lovely lighting created on those long summer days that slowly fade into the night. Just love it!
Thank you for showing the products you chose in such a creative way. I’m so glad you enjoy them.
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Julie,
That cheese board is to die for! I love the rustic elegance. All of your summer touches are so pretty. Enjoy your summer with the kiddos!
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What a beautiful living room tour and love all of your pretty decor Julie, especially the windmill that your husband made, so sweet and the table it’s sitting on is a gorgeous piece!
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