Saltwater Sounds Weekly: Happy Easter

Welcome to Saltwater Sounds, a collection of ideas, tips, and inspiration. This is where I share everything happening in the world of Shiplap and Shells, what’s to come, and the inspiration I’ve found from other bloggers around the web.

colorful tulips

This and That…

Happy Easter Sunday. I hope you’ve been having a wonderful weekend so far.

It was all about the flowers this week. As I made my way around town after PT and other appointments this week, I fell in love with all the flowers that seemed to be everywhere I went.

So, let’s start with Trader Joe’s. Yes…this is my FAVORITE place to shop. I don’t get to go very often. It’s almost an hour away, so when I go, I go BIG! I always have so many things to stock up on, like olives, salsa, green sauce, pasta, tomato sauce, and of course, flowers.

ranunculus for sale

And being that it was Easter week, there were even more amazing flowers than usual. So bright and colorful, like these gorgeous ranunculus blooms. It warmed my heart.

colorful petunias

I was heading out of the parking lot after my mammogram and noticed an unusual amount of flowers at the Fred Meyer garden center, so I decided to take a look.

There were so many summer annuals. So many.

I was surprised because we are still too cold to be able to plant these out in the garden right now. The woman working there said they had just received a truckload of these beautiful blossoms the day before.

I only hope they will bring them into the store every night so they survive. I wanted to buy every single variety here but knew I didn’t have any more room in the greenhouse, so I walked away sadly.

But at least we have this inspiration to look at.


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yellow daffodils in bloom

Around the Garden and Greenhouse

Yesterday was a big day! I had two garden helpers working with me to get some April gardening tasks done. There was a lot of rain, but we survived.

The dahlia tubers were dug up and divided, the fish compost started to be spread into the garden beds, and we did some perennial dividing and transplanting. It feels so good to have gotten some of that done.

The daffodils are looking pretty impressive in the spring garden now.

Sadly we are going to have to remove these barrels soon. They are breaking down, and I don’t know how long they will last.


yellow daffodils growing in the garden

I’ve decided I need daffodils in every pot in the garden next year. You can never have enough.

tulips starting to bloom

The tulips are almost ready! I will keep you updated.

I’ve been trying so hard to spray Liquid Fence on them every time it stops raining for a day.

The greenhouse looks full and alive. It will soon be time to start hardening off these summer seedlings, and then they will be transplanted to the raised bed garden when the tulips have died back.

I hope to harvest every last tulip before that happens, though.

The zinnias, cosmos, and sweet peas look great. I have some cosmo pinching to do.

sunflower seedlings in the greenhouse

The sunflower seedlings grew like crazy while I was in Palm Springs last week.




spring flowering bulbs in vintage enamel container

Around Our Cottage

While I was at the garden center, I did find some pretty spring flowering bulbs at a reasonable price, so I took them home to make this spring flower arrangement.

This vintage enamel container has been sitting around for a year or two, and I was so happy to finally put it to use.

spring flowering bulbs

Grape hyacinth, daffodils, and tulips are a winning spring combo.

The colors made the entire space pop, and the house looks so pretty for Easter.




My Favorite Finds and Deals This Week

coastal linen candle

Antique Candle Co.

Up to 30% off candles and accessories! Including…

  • grapefruit
  • lemon eucalyptus
  • fresh and clean bundle
  • fresh cut herbs
  • clean cotton
  • brass candles
  • and more!

From the Blog

cottage kitchen summer decor

15 Best Design and Décor Kitchen Ideas and Inspiration

Are you looking for design and decorating ideas and inspiration to help refresh your kitchen? In this post, I’ll share 15 tips and ideas to transform your space into the beautiful kitchen you’ve always wanted.


vintage rug in pink, cream and brown shades

Selecting the Perfect Vintage Rug for a Spring Refresh

Do you have a hard time finding a rug for your living space? I’ll share some tips on selecting the perfect rug for your home and the one-of-a-kind Revival vintage area rug I found to refresh my living room for the spring season.


summer cut flower garden evening view

Cut Flower Garden Dos and Don’ts

Have you ever thought about growing your own cutting garden but aren’t sure what you might be getting yourself into? I’ll share some of the cut flower garden “dos and don’ts” I’ve learned along the way.



My Favorite Inspiration Around the Web This Week

spring flowers in basket with vintage decor

No one freshens up their spring porch like my friend Jennifer from Cottage on Bunker Hill. See some creative ways she uses her flea market, and thrifted finds to decorate.

These 7 tips for painting furniture without brush marks.

How to make a DIY painted rug.

charming green cottage

My friend Mary from Life at Bella Terra has the most amazing property in Arizona. See how she rejuvenated her charming guest cottage.

These 7 small porch ideas on a budget.

5 scrumptious quick bread recipes.

embroidered floral napkins

The talented Leslie at My 100 year Old Home shares the prettiest DIY spring cocktail napkins with flower embroidery. They are the perfect budget-friendly spring craft.

These kitchen organization and decorating ideas.

This fabulous over-the-top ice cream cake.


I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and let me know what you’d like to see on the blog! Thank you for being here.

Until next time,

Wishing a week full of joy, kindness, and peace.


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4 Comments

  1. Wow, sensory overload from the vibrant flowers in your photos! Stunning! Every year around this time, I have to restrain myself from buying and planting too early. Tell me, how does one find helpers for their yard work? That’s exactly what I need rather than a landscaper or yard service. I’m all ears. Thanks, Kim.

    1. Hi Debra,
      I do the same thing when I see beautiful plants. I keep finding great flowers at Costco. So I have to find more room in the greenhouse for the petunias and impatiens I bought. We found a lawn service, and the guy put in 5 hours to help me with other things the other day. I got really lucky. I have been using a very competent young woman for three years who comes every other week to help me, and I am so lucky. We are always looking for other help, but no one wants to work. If I do find someone, they don’t come back. Too much work to do, I guess.

  2. Happy Easter Kim! Thanks for sharing my porch this week. It’s nice to see. your garden coming back to life & I’m glad you have help!! My first daf opened Friday so things are slowly coming back to life over here too!!

    1. It is so fun to start seeing the garden perk up Jennifer. We are starting to spread the fish compost, and it looks so good out there.

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