LOL about your mantle and the post-Easter decor. At least you've dusted it! Your trip sounded wonderful...shopping for treasures and camping by a lake! Lucky Gal. ;o)
You found some neat dishes, those Paris plates are very pretty. And I really like the large set of dishes, pattern and color very appealing to me.

Love your seashell sideboard decor! Funny thing, my DH went to FL to visit his Mom for her 90th b.d. recently and brought me a TINY box of shells back. I've never decorated with any sea-themed stuff, but I do love any kind of nature things to 'collect'. Rocks, wood, shells...nothing makes me happier than this kind of thing. Well when I took down the Patriotic stuff a few days, I decided I might just try a seashell theme on my family-room mantle for summer decor. LOL, great minds thing alike huh LG? I went to Dollar Tree and found some goodies, and then to Michaels. So I am playing around with it now.
Tho after seeing yours....with big neat stuff...I'm already turning green with envy! I just have little things. Those fishing floats are so neat. I've seen them at the antique mall but too expensive. :o(

Oh, I need to remember to show you a teacup mosaic thing for a candle. Its such a pretty idea and would look great in a vignette. I'll find the photo tomorrow and add the post and info here.

hugs, chatty Karen at 2:30 am

You always seem to find such "treasures", Lucky! All your new dishes are wonderful, and I'm especially taken with your plate from Portugal . . . and for only 25-cents! You've done a great job with your seaside sideboard. Those colorful fishing floats add so much flavor to the vignette. And, congrats, for using a piece of art with it! I always like that, and even one piece can amp up the visual impact. Yours does wonderfully! Thanks for sharing with us.
Lynn

Great dishes, all of them, I really like the maroon ones. You did a great job on your display with the shells and the painting is lovely. I was just whining about there being nothing to decorate for till fall, and look what you came up with. Your trip sounds fun, we camped at the lake last weekend and left the camper there so we could go back this weekend. For a frou-frou girl, I love camping.
Frou

Thanks for all the nice comments, Ladies.

Karen, I hope you post your seashell theme mantle when it's finished. I've always loved shells, have made and sold mirror frames with them and plan to make one more for me. I buy them whenever I find them at yard sales as I've used most of my stash from various beaches we 'combed' and can't beach comb here so far inland! My dream vacation would be Sanibel! Maybe someday. I have 7 of those large glass fishing floats which I bot at a yard sale for $7. An unheard of bargain as they are the real deal too. The smaller ones are a gift from a generous friend.

Lynn, I'm always amazed at how people price things for their YS's. Sometimes unreasonably high and other times very low. I almost always pay asking price now, getting too old to haggle! LOL And it hardly seems polite for a few cents.

Frou, I've wanted to do a beachy/shell theme for awhile. Many of these shells are usually in my powder room. DH and I have camped together for 44 years altho it's not quite as rustic anymore!

So good to hear from you, too, Luckygal! And, wow, you sure did good for 1 day of GS'ing! sounds like a lovely camping trip...always enjoy being by a lake, too! And such wonderful dish bargains!

I'm going to post a pic here from GJ that you might enjoy...that I saved in my future projects album...someday, I may find the right statue to try one of these and collect enough seashells...don't find them often here in the corn & bean fields! LOL!

{{gwi:201076}}

I LOVE your summer/beach vignette...that painting is what makes it come alive...I can hear the ocean! Love how you "nested" that large seashell on top of the vase...used so many textural items in the vignette & adding the candle! BEAUTIFUL! TFS! Jeanne S.

LG, here's the link to the candle cup. Its not really a mosaic, just some bits glued on that would be simple for anyone to do. Like me, LOL.

Jeanne, that Seashell Lady is really neat. Hope you can do something like her someday.

hugs, Karen

Here is a link that might be useful: teacup candle

Jeanne, thanks so much and I'm going to save that pic also - I'd love to find a statue like that and embellish with shells! I've seen the women's heads with shells added but this one is really nice.

Thanks for that link Karen. I've seen those and wouldn't mind doing some as I have many teacups that need a project! Every time I buy dishes for mosaics there are teacups which aren't good for flat mosaic projects.

Very lovely finds Lucky...I agree that you always find such nice treasures. All the dishes you found are very nice..but I really like the ones you are planning to use for Christmas...Too bad that you can only salvage a place setting for 4 . They are really very nice.
I like your seaside vignette on your sideboard. Using that painting as a backdrop sets off the 'seaside' theme nicely.
Your 6 day trip sounded like a nice escape...I love camping too, and what could be better than camping by a lake and
great YS!!

jeanne... that is quite an impressive Seaside Garden Statue!
Very different..I like it..

jane

Thanks Jane!

Of the 'good' dishes in the burgundy set there are 2 cups but no saucers and they are a different but similar pattern to the plates. Yesterday at the thrift store I found 2 saucers that looked similar and was pleasantly surprised when I got home to find they match the cups exactly! Only 25 cents and now at least I have a set for DH and I to perhaps actually use. AND more dishes to play with!

"I got home to find they match the cups exactly! Only 25 cents"...
LuckyGal, you are SO well-named. LOL. If you don't play the lottery, maybe you ought too!

hugs, Karen

LOL Karen..@ LuckyGal playing the Lottery!!
I agree...with finding those cups that matched AND for $.25...now that's LUCK...she should 'Go For It'!!

jane

LOL Karen and Jane, I occasionally buy lottery tickets but haven't won much in years. I don't tell you about all my near misses at the thrifts and YS. Yesterday there was a lovely Wedgewood luncheon set for 8 at the Thrift store that I was going to buy but when I checked it out carefully all the plates were really badly worn. I was disappointed as the cups and saucers were in perfect shape and it would have been a real find. So I'm not always lucky but I do shop in 2nd hand venues a bit so over time have found some good things! Persistence pays!

What can I add that hasn't already been said??? Totally agree with everyone else's comments. Your picture really pulled your vignette together perfectly, will be wonderful to look at during the hot days of summer! I also wanted to tell you that I love your lace piece on your mantel too, very pretty. Hope you have lots of fun with the dishes both for tablescapes and to make some pretty mosaics. Luvs

Thanks Luvs, I use that lace runner a lot altho it's a machine made old thing and well worn but I kinda like it.