Finding The Perfect Summer Sandals

 

In my previous post on summer shoes I began my hunt for some fun on-trend summer slides.

It is very hard for me to find a shoe that fits my narrow foot, is comfortable, and is stylish and cute.

I have ordered several pairs and sent back several as well. I love ordering from Zappos they make it painless to send back anything. My orders arrive quickly so it is a win-win in my book.

Today I will show you what I have ordered, sent back and the one's I kept.

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This is a pair that I kept, they are extremely comfy, they are almost too wide, but I can get away with them for hot summer days when my feet will probably get a bit swollen.

 They do run a bit short so I would order a 1/2 size up, if you wear an 8 order an 8 1/2. This color is so versatile as well, like a pair of faded denim jeans. I will enjoy wearing these this summer.

This next slide came from Nordstroms and is on sale right now......

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These are very comfy and they fit nicely. I am still debating on whether to keep them or not only because the band on the top of the toe area sits low and I am not sure how much flopping the back heel will make. 

Initially I loved them and then I walked around the house and they were fine, just going to revisit them today to see what I think. I also have some others coming for a little comparison shopping. So the jury is still out on these.

I needed something that could be dressed up or down and was a bit neutral so these next slides fit the bill for me........

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My style tends to be a bit classic/preppy so these are a perfect shoe with the tassel for a preppy look. I have to say these fit beautifully because they came in a narrow and they were immediately comfortable. No debating went on with these, they are definitely keepers.

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I absolutely loved the way these looked on my feet, they were also very comfy, however too wide for my narrow foot, so back they went, but I would recommend these. Shop bop turned out to be an easy online shop to work with as well. Easy returning process.

In the beginning of all my looking I had decided I wanted to find a fun casual slide, a neutral and a fun statement slide. I have the fun casual slide and the neutral, but I am still on the hunt for the statement slide.

I have two more coming my way to see if they work before I make the final decision on the cobalt blue slide......

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Yellow is a color I mix in my wardrobe a lot, so I thought this pair would be fun to try. Fingers crossed that they work.

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These have a bit higher heel than the others I have ordered. The navy will work with just about everything in my wardrobe and the extra height will be good for my short stature, that is if I can walk on them and feel stable.  

One good thing about the block heel coming back in style is they are definitely more stable. These are on their way!

I found so many cute slides in my searching and have a couple more pairs in mind if the above slides don't work out for me........

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This slide would fall into the statement and neutral category. Don't you just love the casually tied bow. It is not too fru-fru for me.

This next shoe is so adorable and the more expensive of all of them, it has so many colors in it, plus it has pom-poms, I just love pom poms. These would definitely be a statement slide.....

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Remember when wearing a statement/colorful shoe..........

Hope you found a little inspiration in my post and feed back on what I have ordered. I will keep you posted on what I finally wind up keeping. Can't keep them all!! 

Shoe sources I like to use are:

Zappos

Nordstroms

Shop Bop

Easy ordering and returning 
with free shipping both ways!!

 

 

 

Summer Looks For Earth Toned Rooms

 

My last couple of post have been about making summer changes in your homes. 

For those that have whites or blues it comes quite easy to add some summer changes.

However, if you like neutrals and earth tones you might feel a bit left out when it comes to a summer look. I know I have a very hard time in the fall for my home and what colors I like to use. So I totally understand the dilemma.

Your look gravitates more towards an autumnal look and feel, and that is your comfort zone. 

But what if you neutral, autumnal lovers want to shake it up a bit and add some summer touches, where do YOU begin?

Today I am going to tell you, and show you some examples of summer looking rooms that don't have the traditional colors we often think of for summer.

REMEMBER!!

TEXTURES ARE YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND!

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When it comes to textures think about what is textural at the beach......

1. Sand

2. Shells

3. Driftwood

4. Baskets, wicker, rafia, beach bags and hats

5. Sea grass, palm fronds, monstera leaves

6. Glass bottles or orbs in clear, amber or green colors

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Not one single beachy blue color here and yet you know it is summer because of the green foliage and the beautiful piece of coral. Simple yet makes a huge summer statement.

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 Notice how the right touch of greenery can make a room feel cool and inviting and give it that summer vibe, even with darker pieces of furniture. 

Also notice the nice composition and the use of texture in the vases. 

If you wanted to give this  a more beachy vibe a piece of coral in place of the box, or next to the lamp would do that for you.

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There is no mistaking that this room is decorated in earthtones and yet they gave it a summer vibe with the addition of all different types of sea shells in beautiful neutrals.

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Once again seashells come to the rescue for your summer look. Notice how beautifully they go with this earth toned room. The look is carried out further with the sea fan coral motif pillows.

By adding lighter textural pillows ,baskets and plants your room will feel lighter and more airy. The large beach glass bottles are a nice nod to a coastal look.

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You don't have to always add blues to make it look summery or coastal. Here are some examples of color schemes without the soft beachy blues we are use to seeing.....

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There is nothing prettier than the sunset at the ocean. No blue here just a beautiful grayed purple like the sky. This would make a gorgeous color scheme in a room.

Another beautiful color scheme with brown at it's base. I know a lot of your might have a brown leather sofa, maybe these are some new colors you could add to your room.

 

This is so yummy!!

This reminds me of coastal fog.

When trying to figure out what to use in your own neutral  or earth toned room remember your objective is to give it a summer vibe.

For you that might mean tropical or earthy by using natural elements from the beach. Don't limit your imagination by thinking there has to be blues in your room. 

Green is a wonderful fresh summer color that mixes well with just about any color scheme.

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I hope this has helped open up a new way of thinking for my neutral and earth tone loving readers. 

You too can have a summer looking room, just use a little imagination. Read the list of elements I made earlier in this post as a possible new elements to use in your rooms.

REMEMBER TO ALWAYS!.....

 

 

Summer Changes In Our Greatroom

 

I had so much fun this week changing out my great room with it's summer look. Here are the steps I took to get my summer look..........

1. DE-CLUTTER

The first thing I do is to take away all my accessories so I will have a clean palette to work with. It is so much easier to create when there is nothing in the room to distract you.

2. Keep it simple let your rooms breathe! 
 Less is more for a summer look.

3.Add more whites, creams or ecru. 

I added a white garden stool and a white ceramic planter beside my chair.

BEFORE.....

After.....

 

4. Bring in your summer pillows

Next I bring in the summer pillows which is part of a rooms base pieces, and they can set the mood and color scheme for the room. 

This is where you can have some fun with colors and textures. You can keep them cool and serene, fun and tropical, or neutral and textural like the sand on the beaches. 

For my own personal home I keep it cool and serene with blues, a touch of aqua, and whites. 

 (fabric by Pindler and Pindler called Nebula)

In my chairs I us a large scale print in blue, white, and black. 

Using a nice large scale pattern makes a nice statement in a room.

On my sofa I add ONE pillow. Yes you heard me right! It is a nice long lumbar pillow in a simple fabric that coordinates with my sofa's ticking stripe, and the  larger scale patterned pillow on my chair. 

 (Lumbar pillow measures 44in. X 14in with self cord welting.)

The fabric on this pillow comes from England it is made by Ian Makin. They make gorgeous fabrics if you like stripes and checks. They are my go-to place for good quality stripes and checks. They are quite easy to deal with as well, great customer service.

5. Change out accessories

 I start by bringing in the larger pieces I want to work with first. I like to add more clear glass pieces and things that make me think of the coolness of water.

The first place I added my summer element was on my mantel.

 (Beach glass bottles are  16in. high, purchased many years ago)

These bottles actually came from our bedroom,  they usually sit on top of our armoire. Don't be reluctant to shop your own home, move things from other rooms if they will work for you in the room you are tweaking.

The bubble balls and two large pillar candles were moved to the zinc tray under the TV.......

The glass bubble balls vary in size. I have had these for years as well. Originally purchased at Homegoods. They are very heavy and they absolutely fascinate me.

Here is a close-up of one of the bubble balls.....

6. Try to not get too thematic with beachy, or kitschy objects in your room.

Next I moved onto the coffee table always keeping in mind my color scheme, the season, and making sure I keep it simple. This was my last area to address in this room.

7. Take a look at your room at this point and make a list of elements that you would like to add to your room

Here is a picture of how it looked before. This is when I made a list of a few elements I felt I needed to add to the room.

The very next day I took my list to Homegoods. Here is my list......

1. Coral piece for coffee table

2. Book about the ocean or in beachy colors.

3. Navy blue lampshades

I was shocked to find two navy lampshades which is exactly what I needed to change out my two lamps. However!! I did find a new lamp for the great room which is perfect for the room.

It has a white wavy ceramic base and a clean lined navy drum shade.......

  

I also found my coral piece......

AND my book.......

 I was pretty excited to find this book, it couldn't be any more perfect in color, or theme.

I used one of the lampshades in the kitchen area. This area still needs tweaking. I plan on finding a clear beach glass bottle and using some monstera leaves for a more beachy look.....

Back to the coffee table and my new piece of coral and book.

I normally use a tray to corral elements as seen here......

Since I am going for a more open look I removed the tray......

8. Time to stand back and look at your room to evaluate any changes you might want to make.

I am pretty happy with my room so far, however I do want one more piece of coral to use on the coffee table, something a little higher than the other piece.

You will notice I added a beach glass vase on the coffee table to pull the soft aqua color from the mantel to this side of the room. 

Also notice the books on my basket are all in blues as well. Books make great color spots and conversation pieces in a room. Every room needs books IMHO. 

You can always find books at thrift stores with the color of spines you are working with if needed....

I now have three things to add to my room....

1. Beach glass vase for mirror table.

2. Taller piece of coral

3. Monstera leaves for vase on mirror table.

I hope this post helps you all in your own process of changing things out for any season!

Happy Summer!!