The many faces of Cape Cod

Tuesday, June 3rd

“DRIVE BYS: AROUND THE WORLD”

You are just in time for a brand new event in Blogland, hosted by The Inspired Room.

Washline, originally uploaded by bluebirdsandteapots.

Melissa from The Inspired Room is INTRODUCING “DRIVE BYS: AROUND THE WORLD” on her blog today. Melissa always has the most gorgeous posts describing and showing images of the beautiful neighborhoods nearby her home. Melissa's "DRIVE BYS" are filled with gorgeous photographs. Now she has expanded this tour to include her friends worldwide. I always love going for rides to see homes, gardens and admire all the curb appeal. Today, you don't need a gallon of gas to tour the many neighborhoods over at Melissa's blog, The Inspired Room.




There are many faces of Cape Cod that I enjoy, and no matter what season I always find inspiration to take home with me. I love bringing my camera and enjoying all the sights that I find there. The possibilities are endless...I found this gorgeous washline last summer which inspired a few paintings and cards.

Lovely Washline, originally uploaded by bluebirdsandteapots.

The season of washlines is one of my favorite seasons. As a little girl I will never forget how good the linens smelled when the linens had been hung outside to dry.

A favorite washline was inspiration for this painting. I just added a print of my painting called Summer Breeze Washline to my Etsy store. The original painting is a watercolor, I used a technique called passages of white to make the white spaces flow and hint the leaves so that the emphasis would be on the linen instead.

I remember telling the framer that I wanted the mat board to reflect the color of apple green summers to make one feel that they could almost hear the crickets. I chose a white frame to reflect the color of linen. I found this dreamy cotton canvas textured cloths to use for my prints. The bright white of the cloth gives me the same crisp feeling that I wanted for this piece. The feeling of the print accents the texture of the design that I found in the linen sheets hanging on the washline. The print image is 8 x 10 with a white border for framing

Summer Breeze Washline, originally uploaded by bluebirdsandteapots.

Gardens, gardens and more gardens bloom on the Cape.




I love watching the ferry to Martha's Vineyard from Falmouth.



The typical Cape Cod cottage with weathered shingles and garden charm.




Sometimes I get so caught up in capturing all the eye candy, I forget about all the places to visit. I have gone antiquing on the Cape because there are so many and you can find such unusual nautical things. I had never thought of consignment shops.



I guess what I love about consignment shops is the idea that instead of people discarding things, they offer them as new treasures to someone else. I love to see old objects become some fixed up, painted or spruced up treasure. One of my favorite blogs to visit is Daisy Cottage. Kim is the perfect example of someone who can take old things and with a bit of paint, a dash of love and the flair for decorating, she can create a beautiful home filled with unique things. What fun I just found out that Daisy Cottage was featured on Cottage of the Month, on a blog called The Old Painted Cottage...another fun place to travel.


On Friday I was on the Cape and visiting some of my favorite places near Falmouth when I stumbled on something new. The store front of this consignment shop caught my eye as I was driving on Route 28. D's Home Again had such a wonderful variety of things.






There was wonderful transferware, a china cubboard filled to the brim with all kinds of dishes, china and special pieces. I saw a gorgeous old typewriter sitting on top of an old fashioned school desk, Nantucket Baskets, furniture, linens and art. There were lots of old books, jewelry and some great furniture pieces.


I found a wonderful casserole dish that matches my set of dishes that I purchased in Hong Kong in 1992. Wow! I still use these dishes, and I never get tired of them. When I returned home I left it out to admire on my kitchen counter.




I left D's Home Again in East Falmouth with my find, and a brochure that gives you a map and lists all the Consignment shops on Cape Cod. Consignment shops are those hit or miss adventures that make you feel so lucky to stumble across a great find.


With map in hand I set out to visit some of the shops listed on Consignment Shops of Cape Cod. I got to see quite a few. Another favorite was I love It Consignment & Gift Shop in the town of Cotuit. This shop was such a cute surprise from the doorstep to the little entranceway. There was clothing, shoes, handbags, special treasures on consignment as well as lots of art from local artisans and some new things as well. As soon as I walked into the door the splash of color everywhere was so welcoming.






How could you drive by this, and not stop to see what was inside this shop.?


The last shop I visited was Second Time Around, which is located in Mashpee and had a beautiful selection of clothes, shoes, handbags and accessories. The shop was decorated beautifully and the owner was a delight.






There were so many consignment shops on the brochure, and I can't wait to return and check out some more on the Cape over the summer.



Before I go, I just wanted to leave you with some images that reflect the many faces of gorgeous Cape Cod. The song for this post is Old Cape Cod, sung by Patti Page, and a melody of sounds from the ocean.

Of course the favorite drive-by would be the view of a sunset reflected in a lighthouse window, or simply from the shore.






Make sure you visit all the Worldwide Drive Bys at The Inspired Room.