The Happy Woman Store

I’m not much of a decorator, really — not enough panache. And, it has taken me 4 years to finish this room — not a timeframe most clients would be too pleased with. But, I AM finished with this room now and I must say: it has the desired effect. I wanted a space that was romantic and peaceful and that’s what I have. The furniture is our old Lexington stuff from 20 years ago, but I think it works well.

My inspiration was this vintage lamp that I found in Door County about 8 years ago. I loved the shape and the colors.

From there, it was a hunt for the right bedding. I went through a couple of quilts (now relegated to the guest bedroom) before I settled on this one, by Company C. It had the right amount of green to pick up the wall color and blue to match my beloved lamp and it brought in a beautiful rosy pink that softened everything.

I finished up with an art piece from Cali’s Boutique in downtown TC that I stalked until it went on sale and my grandmother’s chair, recovered in a soft yellow plaid. This room is my new sanctuary, a great place for a lovely summer nap.

Granted Sarah would look good in a paper bag, but just look at these brocade jackets from Two Star Dog. Style, details, and quality are their hallmark and these jackets are no exception. And, even though I’m about a foot shorter than Sarah Sue, it looked good on me, too.

Coco has a lot of passions in life. More than I do, if you really want the truth. Her latest way to pass the time involves spending time at the beach. At first, she wasn’t quite sure that she was down with the whole ’sand’ thing and the whole ‘water’ thing, but once her beloved ball was thrown into the sand and water, she decided she was completely down with the whole beach thing, sand and water included.

Here, she’s making her way through the beach grass. She just loves it when the grass is taller than she is.

Here, she braves the mighty waters of Lake Michigan. BTW, this is as far as she’ll stick her toes in. If her ball lands in the surf, she looks at us as if to say “you don’t think I’m going in after that thing, do you?”

A little beach nap is always welcome on the perfect beach day.

And, finally, just to make you jealous that you’re not spending your summer in northern Michigan, here’s a photo of the view from the beach. Hard to take, isn’t it?