The Outer Banks, Pretty Seaside Homes, and Hunter Douglas

We just got back from a great family trip to Duck, North Carolina.   The weather, the blue ocean water, the home cooked food, and family time couldn't have been better.   I think the whole family would agree that the house we rented contributed greatly to a wonderful time!  It all started with a web search that brought us to these pictures.

We were instantly sold!  The house was even better in person.    It was light filled and simply decorated so you focused on the gorgeous view outside.  It was obvious someone put a lot of effort into creating an "effortless" look.  They created a beautiful home our whole family of 15 could enjoy!

Here's the sunrise from our bedroom window.

My brother-in-law, Rob, our resident fisherman, fished every morning.  The first thing he reeled in was a handful of shark eggs that actually had baby sharks in them.    You could hold the shark egg up the sun and actually see the little shark wiggle around.   Amazing.

We also drove my car on a Corolla beach to catch a glimpse of the wild ponies.  I admit I was a little nervous (ok, a lot nervous because my palms were sweating).  I didn't let the air out of my tires like you're supposed to and about halfway through the trip my sister-in-law discovered that the users manual for my all wheel drive SUV said it shouldn't be taken off road.  Hmmm.  Luckily we didn't get stuck and we found what we came looking for...

We walked up 214 steps to the top of the Currituck Beach Lighthouse to get an amazing view of the ocean and sound.  We did discover some in our group were afraid of heights.  So I landed up carrying one child down 214 steps.

Bumper cars, shopping, hunting for treasure with metal detectors were a few more of the fun activities we enjoyed.  Thank you Bill and Carol for hosting such a wonderful trip with memories that will last a lifetime!

In the past week I've been receiving articles and catalogs with fall decor.  Even the clothing stores in Duck, NC were carrying fall clothes.  I'm just not ready for the transition yet.  So before I jump on the bandwagon I wanted to share pretty pictures of a beach house in Kiawah, South Carolina that was recently highlighted in Coastal Living and designed by Frank Randolph.

The pillow fabrics by John Robshaw and Lee Jofa are great.  So is the industrial looking table.

A powder room that doesn't take itself too seriously with paint splatter wallpaper.

One lucky dog!

A den with accent chairs that have an artistic quality.

I wish I could see the rest of the painting.  I like how it introduces another color into the blue and white decor.

Lastly, I wanted to mention that I can meet all your window needs with Hunter Douglas products.  Wood blinds, natural woven shades, window shading, shutters, and honeycomb shades just to name a few.  Attributes of good quality window treatments include energy efficiency, privacy, furniture protection, child safety, and lifetime guarantee.  Here are a few pictures of their products to get you thinking...

Have a wonderful week.