Whimsy Decorated Porch with Paper Parasols!

Midwest Living porch

I don’t have a porch, but I have a nice deck. Of course, the grass is always greener and we want what we don’t have. I didn’t think about it too much until I stumbled across this picture in Midwest Living. I love it. What a retreat! This makes me consider living in the Midwest if I could have a porch like this, well for a split second it does, I love the West Coast and this porch has a West Coast vibe with those colors and chrysanthemum Asian prints. I love the linens, the paper parasols, and the mix match chairs. Very cool look for reunions, birthdays, and wedding receptions.

We are having a beautiful weekend with lots of sun today here in Western Washington. The garden is thirsty but I don’t mind being outside. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

-Victoria

Read Full Post »

DIY Bandana Quilt Tablecloth For Summer Gatherings

Tablecloth from the Aeshetic Nest

I can’t wait until our little “project” ,umm, goes away! I want the projects in my life to be slapping a new coat of paint on a flea market furniture find or planning summer parties. I like to pretend that I’m doing something for the 4th of July. I like to pretend that it won’t be chilly, gloomy, or rainy and that I don’t have a bathroom subfloor to put down. I like to pretend that I’m having a 4th of July BBQ on our awesome new deck with adorable decorations and a rocking meal plan. Maybe next year?

I found this adorable DIY tutorial for a bandana tablecloth quilt on The Aesthetic Nest. It’s cute and Mrs. Aesthetic Nest makes this look so easy to do. You could totally finish one before the 4th! I would love to make one of these for a 4th of July celebration. I would use red, white, and blue bandanas. And yes, I’d have to make it a western (I’m from Nashville!) with horseshoes on the table and galvanized water cans filled with black-eyed susans. My BBQ meal plan would be Paula Deen goes Pike Place: grilled salmon, oysters, grilled local veggies (nothing is better than a grilled Walla Walla onion), orange blossom spongecake with a raspberry coulis, and mint ice tea.

I know I do not have time this year to throw together an adorable bandana tablecloth. But, if we do get blessed with decent weather this weekend, I can do something similar by using red, white, and blue bandanas as napkins or place mats. I’ll bring out the cowboy boot steins (isn’t it lame that I have those?) and put daisies in a milk glass vase. The food will still be good. Good food is always a priority here at Tudorks.

I most likely won’t update our blog this weekend. David has a three day weekend and there is always something to do here at Tudorks! I hope everyone has a great 4th of July weekend!

-Victoria

Read Full Post »

An Umbrella I Like: Yep, We Do Get Sun You Know.

We're practically Vanderbilts.

So, I’ve been told that after all of this restoration and rehab, that we will have a killer deck. David also tells me that it has an Olympic and Cascade views. I haven’t seen this, but I have spent limited time on the current deck because it is rotted and looks like a death trap leaning over a blackberry bramble. Currently, we do not own any patio furniture or any patio “supplies”. So, I’ve been looking around. Much of the patio furniture I find is huge and ridiculous. Well, at least for our anti-social selves. I really want something simple, vintage, metal or cast iron. I have feeling that I will be on the look out for sometime, at least until next summer. David mentioned an umbrella. I thought  it was a stupid at the time. I wanted to be in as much sun as possible; I mean we do live in the PNW. I also thought of umbrellas as nylon beige things that went with your ugly hammered glass topped table and with your ugly metal chairs with the Hawaiian floral seafoam and peach print. Yuck, gross, and boring. I stumbled across this picture of the Vanderbilt’s and their amazing fringe umbrella, table, and chairs. This is what I want to keep my skin Belle Epoque creamy during our 3 drought and sunny summer months. I found some fringe umbrellas on-line but they were too “tropical” and I thought they would look silly unless we plan on having tiki themed parties for the rest of our lives (don’t tell David, he wants tiki themed parties and most likely a tiki themed funeral). These natural fiber fringed umbrellas are nice but not very Washington. I then found this amazing, “very Venice with a touch of circus tent” umbrella on Z Gallerie’s website. The last I looked it was marked down to $150. It’s dreamy and I want it. Not enough fringe but it will do. I told David that I could make my own because when I searched umbrellas, I also found hand-painted ones. I could do that and tassel and fringe however I please. He said this would be tacky. I feel he has no faith in me. I mean I am not going to bedazzle it. But, I really know it is because he found out about all that tiki stuff. Rats.

-Victoria

It's dreamy.

Read Full Post »