Monday, July 7, 2025

Sarah's Sea Shell Stories ~ Monday Morning Blooms


Anchors Away as we sail into the month of July.

Welcome to Monday Morning Blooms

where I'm joining my flower friends, Pam and Mary.





Those of you who have followed along with me may recall that I grew up on the Texas Gulf Coast, and that I often bring a coastal vibe into my summer decor that reflects 

Sarah's Sea Shell Stories.  

Coastal decor is classic and elegant, 

a timeless vibe that stirs joy within my heart.


 My youth was weekend day trips to the beach, fresh sea food, fried shrimp dinners at Ship Ahoy, late night shrimp cocktails with my sister after coming home from a date, and Sunday walks on the T Heads, admiring the boats, feeding the seagulls.

Corpus Christi was the Sparkling City By The Sea.


Adult years, have included vacations at seaside destinations,
 salt air blowing my hair, and sand between my toes.


It's literally been raining here since the 3rd, so join me inside as my plans for an alfresco setting were obviously sidelined.


I set a table for a crew of two using 
a nautical theme and colors.

Sally Sells Seashells By The Seashore
My new summer hat.  Appropriate, don't you think?

A Royal Check MacKenzie-Childs 
porcelain whale sits center of my table.
This large creature is great filled with drinks, 
chips, or other tasty summertime treats, 
though I opted for fresh flowers for our table.

Blue hydrangeas and speciality dyed garden mums 
fill the whale, with Sarah's sea shells 
scattered about for a centerpiece.

Captain Jack, a carved figure long ago 
bought as a souvenir, welcomes you to the table.

A variety of red, white, and blue plates are stacked atop a cotton runner and scalloped placemats that I added this season.  
The beautiful linen table runner beneath, along with the 
 linen napkins with embroidered anchors, are from 

These exquisitely embroidered anchors are on ruffled
edge napkins that I folded to add beneath the dish stack.
I like the way they add a touch of elegance!

The anchor linens are now discontinued, but perhaps
Victoria will introduce a new line of nautical pieces.

A set of 4 etched crystal brandy snifters were at my favorite Austin thrift store, Next to New , $8 for the set.
 I snapped them up knowing they would offer  
the perfect touch for my nautical tables.

The small silver shell spoons have 
lived here for decades.

Perfect for shrimp cocktails to start.

Ice cream with chocolate sauce 
and a side of cookies to finish!

More flowers and seaside treasures are on the buffet.   

Treasured signed handwoven Nantucket baskets are filled with a mix of the dyed garden mums and white snap dragons.  
It's so simple to place stems of favorite blooms into containers.
In this case, baskets were cleverly woven with glass inserts.  

The basket with the anchor is actually a flatware server 
from Vagabond House, but I placed glass tumblers 
within and filled them with flowers.

To be honest, these dyed mums were about my only choice at the grocery store, and at first I thought they were too contrived. Once I arranged them, I felt they offer a touch of elegance.

Not certain how they dye 
these petals, but it's dramatic.

The graceful white snap dragon 
stems certainly look elegant!

What are your thoughts on the dyed mums?

The tiered try in the center holds various pieces collected over many years of vacation travel to seaside destinations.  
The faux ivory scrimshaw containers are from visits to Nantucket, and the needle cases were found mostly
 at French or English antique markets.  

The petite silver mermaid salt dish and spoon are the 
perfect container for sea glass I found along 
sandy beaches of Washington State.

If you are interested, click above for a close up look at the seaside treasures on the tray that I shared in a previous post. 

 What is your favorite seaside destination?
Below are a few of my favorites:  
 Nantucket ~ Cape Cod ~ Carmel By The Sea ~ Coastal Maine 
Cote d'Azur ~ Coasts of Normandy and Brittany 

It's been dark and raining for days here, so feel free to
click above for an alfresco nautical setting where
I filled my Nantucket baskets with red ruby dahlias, pulled out
more Arte Italica Crown Linen anchor themed linens, 
and set a table for two out on the terrace.

This table set for the 4th of July, uses a similar nautical 
theme and potted plants in red and white blooms.

Catch the wind and sail on over to visit 
Pam and Mary at the links below:




Shimmering sunlight
My forever kind of place
Come away with me
SJP - 7/7/25

Thank you for the emails and concern for Texas.  It's been horrific and painful for our community with many Austin families dealing with unimaginable loss! I always appreciate your kindness and so love your comments; if anonymous with no
blog account, please include your name.
Joining
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner Home and Garden Thursday @ Delightsome Life







Sarah
Sarah

The summer we married, my husband was in graduate school, and I was employed as a teacher. We took a portion of our savings that summer and purchased a sailboat. We christened our Catalina 22, “Hyacinths For The Soul” after Saadi’s poem. Our "Hyacinths" provided years of pleasure.

9 comments:

  1. Good morning Sarah, I always enjoy seeing your collections and your nautical and seaside treasures are no exception. I love your MKC whale serving as a vessel for your flowers…so versatile to hold beverages or snacks too. I don’t know how I missed those beautiful embroidered anchor napkins from CLD, I would have snapped them up. Your new thrifted brandy snifters were a bargain…perfect for serving shrimp cocktail or mini dessert! Wonderful baskets and scrimshaw pieces too. Thank you for taking us to the seaside this morning; it’s always a treat to have you join us for some flower therapy. I know your heart is heavy with the devastating flooding and loss of life in the Texas Hill Country. Prayers for those missing and families who are grieving. 💗🙏

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  2. Good morning, Sarah. Your collections are amazing and as I always say, your attention to detail is fabulous! I so love your coastal vibe. The summer hat is just perfect and the Royal check MacKenzie-Childs porcelain whale is a beautiful piece for flowers or whatever. I am not a fan ordinarily of dyed blooms, but I think the dyed mums are charming and add to the nautical theme. The plate stack is beautiful with all of the lovely details. The brandy sniffers were a great find and are ideal for shrimp cocktail or ice cream. I certainly love the Nantucket baskets. We enjoyed a vacation a few years ago on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, great memories of the seashore! We have enjoyed many beaches in other countries and here in the USA. My favorite seasides are the Alabama and Florida Gulf Coasts.

    It is always a pleasure to have you join us, Sarah. Butch and I are praying for all the families who have lost their loved ones and for those still missing. Like Mary said, I know your heart is very heavy for the horrific tragedy in the Texas Hill Country! We have visited there a couple of times and it is a beautiful spot in Texas. 🙏🏻

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  3. Thank you so much for sharing. Your flowers and nautical themed tables ales are exquisite.

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  4. Good morning, Sarah. What a beautiful seaside them you've carried out today. Of course, the tragic news from Texas weighs heavy on the minds of anyone with a heart. Your theme adds lightness and beauty, something everyone needs. The Arte Italica linens are certainly beautiful, and I love the mums and how they're tinted. I think they look very nice! All your special additions - the carved sailor, the Nantucket baskets (wow!), the faux ivory scrimshaw pieces, and the thrifted brandy snifters are all perfect additions. I love the memories tied throughout, like gentle waves moving among the table descriptions. I love what appear to be majolica plates in blue - they look like a set I have in green. Very beautiful, all of it! Happy Monday Morning, Sarah. 🙏🏼for Texas families, the rescuers and the victims of the tragic flood at Mystic Camp.

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  5. How lovely, Sarah. I was whisked away to the beach. Your collections always make me smile. Your MKC whale filled with flowers is a delightful focal point. Those brandy snifters are exquisite. Perfect for any lovely treat.
    How lovely to be at the beach with you this morning! Thank you!

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  6. I love anything that has to do with coastal living.Everything..the views..the decor..all the cute cute things.I have so many fond memories of being Gulfside in Fl..I also love flowers.Delightful post..Oh and Shrimp cocktail..is a favorite of mine:)

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  7. Such a sad time for Texas and your community - sending prayers their way. Your table is filled with lots of nautical fun! The flowers are perfectly dyed to blend into your theme. As always, i enjoy peeking into your home!

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  8. I poured over every image you posted to save. My son just recently got his Intercoastal Captains license and is a true ship captain now! This will be inspiring for many family dinners to come as we all love the water. ...and travel! Such a delight Sarah!

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