I’m guest-ready with summer linens, wildflower bouquets, coastal touches, a vintage flea market find, and a little something for the dogs — all from my Maine cottage!
That Time of Year
It’s that time of year — when visitors start to flock to Maine, and family and friends begin to fill my home and guest cottage.
I truly love sharing both my home and this beautiful spot on the coast with loved ones.
Earlier this week, I welcomed two friends I met on Instagram for a girls’ overnight. Saturday, my sisters arrive for a week-plus stay, followed by my dad and his friend on Sunday.
Readying my home to welcome them brings me so much joy — fresh summer linens, a quilt folded carefully at the foot of the bed for still-cool Maine nights, and a bouquet of wildflowers, meadow-picked and waiting on the bedside table.
Downstairs, the tidying and fluffing continues. This week, I made an unexpected change to the living room mantel after stumbling upon a very special piece at a local flea market.
Maddie and Cisco love having guests, too — more pets and belly rubs for them (as if they don’t get enough the rest of the time, ha!). They’re especially lucky when visitors arrive bearing treats, as one of my friends did this week. I’m excited to share her son’s Maine-based small business — a thoughtful line of pet treats and food made with locally sourced all-natural ingredients.
Let’s get right to it!
Guest Spaces Prepped for Summer
Call me crazy, but I love to make a bed. The mix of patterns, colors, and textures just makes me happy.
Each guest bed gets its own special combination of summery layers — all chosen with the intention of welcoming guests with comfort and charm.
The Captain’s Room
This year I treated the Captain’s Room to a new sheet set — a blue and white coastal scene from L.L. Bean.
I paired it with a quilt I had on hand, scattered with small block-print-style blue flowers on a crisp white background, and a classic white pique coverlet with blue stripes folded at the foot of the bed.
The ruffled checked shams are from Amazon (a great find), and the throw pillow — a needlepoint sailing ship — ties in perfectly with the ship gallery wall above the bed.
It’s a true mix-and-match moment: novelty print, floral, geometric, and solid. Fresh, nautical, and full of summer charm!
The Waterside Guest Room
I always look forward to making up this bed each summer with linens I’ve had for years.
The sheets and shams are a bold, joyful floral that reminds me of the Marimekko patterns from my childhood. A sweet ruffled quilted bedspread adds softness and gives the eye a place to rest from all the pattern.
At the foot of the bed, a quilt pulls in the colors of the sheets for a cohesive feel.
Two throw pillows complete the look — a long lumbar embroidered with bright florals (a lucky Target find years ago) and a square HomeGoods pillow with flowers arranged in the shape of Maine. It’s small touches like this that give the room a sense of place.
Nostalgic, cheerful, and bright — this bed just feels like summer to me.
The Guest Cottage
In the guest cottage, I continued my signature mix of florals and geometrics, always balanced with a solid to break things up.
This time, the white sheets with a blue embroidered chain-link border and scalloped edge bring that grounding note.
The quilted floral coverlet and matching shams, from Schweitzer Linen, are a favorite — especially the delicate scalloped edge trimmed in deep blue tape.
At the foot of the bed is a quilt that belonged to my grandmother. I love how perfectly it matches the coverlet — a happy accident that feels meant to be.
An embroidered throw pillow that reads “Guest Cottage” adds a playful finishing touch and a warm welcome.
Fresh Flowers
For summer guests, I always love to place a little bouquet on the bedside table.
The other morning, before my friends arrived, I wandered out to the field with clippers in hand. The lupine — tall spires of purple swaying in the breeze — are in full bloom now, and I was delighted to spot a few stands of wild irises tucked among the grasses. Their petals, smaller and more delicate than the lupine, added a graceful contrast in shape and texture.
I gathered stems of white viburnum, a beach rose or two, and creeping buttercups for a pop of yellow. A few sprigs of Russian sage brought a soft haze of lavender, and for greenery, I tucked in lupine leaves and tall, wispy meadow grass.
The result? A loose, relaxed arrangement — the kind that feels just right for a Maine summer morning.
Shop my and similar bedding
A Flea Market Treasure: Vintage Ship Diorama
Last Saturday, I met up with college friends in Brunswick for a little catching up and treasure hunting. We chatted over lunch at Wild Oats Bakery and Café, then made our way to the Cabot Mill Antiques and Flea Market. We did a quick loop through the antiques side, but spent most of our time poking around the weekend-only flea market.
Flea markets don’t always offer the prettiest displays — often it’s more chaos than charm — but that’s part of the fun. Sometimes you have to dig a little to uncover the good stuff.
In the second booth we stopped at, my eye immediately went to a dusty wooden shadowbox edged in thick rope. Inside: a ship model nestled in a painted sea, sails raised, and every surface covered in a good layer of grime. My heartbeat quickened.
It was an antique ship diorama, and I could see through the dust that it had great bones — charm, craftsmanship, and a perfectly weathered look. I flipped the tag and was pleasantly surprised. Then I remembered one of my mother’s rules: always ask for the best price. When I did, the dealer paused, looked at me, and asked, “Are you a nice person?” I said yes — very nice! — and he offered me 20% off. SOLD.
Once I got it home and did a little digging online, I confirmed what I thought — I’d found a real treasure. These antique maritime dioramas sell for four times what I paid, often more.
For more on shopping trips to Cabot Mill, check out my posts A Late Summer Decor Refresh with Antique and Vintage Finds and Meadow and Marsh | My Coastal Maine Bathroom Inspired by Nature,
But, what is an antique ship diorama?
Ship dioramas were made mostly in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, often by sailors or coastal folk artists looking to capture a favorite vessel or maritime scene.
They’re housed in wooden shadowboxes, usually with a painted blue sky and sculpted sea made from plaster or papier-mâché. The ships themselves are flat-backed, with carved wooden hulls and raised sails — usually weathered white.
Some include a tiny dory boat, a stretch of painted shoreline, or a flag waving in the wind.
Each one is a little different, full of handmade charm and nautical history — like a sailor’s story frozen in time.
Move Aside, Captain Ward
Of course, I could hardly wait to get my new treasure cleaned and in place.
Though I had just recently declared that it looked like Captain Ward (the painting above my living room mantel) could be a permanent fixture, it was clear this ship diorama needed to take center stage. Move aside, Captain Ward!
I gave it a careful cleaning — a soft cloth and a bit of Murphy’s Oil Soap, with a damp Q-tip to get between the sails. And what emerged beneath that dust? A sky of soft, painterly blue with wispy white clouds, and sails that brightened several shades. It’s not pristine, of course, but that’s the beauty of age — all that history adds character.
To style the mantel, I kept things simple to let the diorama shine. I pulled two wooden architectural pieces from my stash for either side — they almost feel like they are part of the mantel. Beneath the diorama, I placed a weathered old metal lantern. Done!
I truly couldn’t love this piece more. The rope detail — perfectly knotted at the top — adds incredible texture. The pale sky and weathered sails are soft but still feel fresh for summer. It has a rustic, folk art charm that suits the stone fireplace perfectly.
It just goes to show — you never know what you’ll find at a flea market!
A Special Maine Treat for Maddie & Cisco
One of my friends who visited this past week came bearing gifts for Maddie and Cisco — lucky dogs!
Her son has started a Maine-based small business called AlphaDiets, which offers specialty dog food, treats, and supplements built on the belief in the “transformative power of raw dog food.” All products are made with naturally raised, locally sourced ingredients — no fillers, no preservatives — and are lab-tested for quality and safety.
From raw and air-dried food to nutrient-rich toppers and wholesome treats, there’s something for every pup. These products are crafted with real meats and superfoods to help support a healthier, happier life for our beloved four-legged companions.
I love that AlphaDiets is deeply rooted in Maine — from the ingredients they use to their presence at local farmers markets. It’s a joy to support a thoughtful small local business.
You can learn more about their mission, the story behind the company, and browse their full lineup of products at alphadietsusa.com.
And yes — in this vegetarian household, Maddie and Cisco are more than happy to handle the meat-eating duties. AlphaTreats were a hit!
This Week Into Next
It was another busy week!
Last Sunday, I spent the afternoon putting together some new porch furniture — I can’t wait to share it with you soon!
This was also the final week of the school year here in Maine, which meant wrapping up my volunteer work with the Weekend Meals Program at our local food pantry. It was another fulfilling season helping prep and pack 600 food kits — each filled with two breakfasts, two lunches, and four snacks — for kids to take home every Friday. I love being part of this program, and while I’ll miss it, I’m also looking forward to a slower summer pace, filled with visiting family and friends.
This summer, I’ll be volunteering a few days a month in the gift shop at Marshall Point Lighthouse — the very lighthouse Forrest Gump famously reached in his cross-country run. Visitors still love recreating that moment, running down the long white wooden walkway just like Tom Hanks did in the movie.
Sadly, that iconic walkway was badly damaged in the historic January 2024 storms and has been closed to the public since. The good news? Repairs began last month, and the walkway is set to reopen on Friday, June 20th!
We’ve launched a capital campaign to raise $150,000 to cover the repair costs. If you’d like to learn more or support this historic (and still active!) maritime treasure, visit the Marshall Point Lighthouse website.
Next week, I’ll be taking a break from the blog to focus on time with family.
Wishing you a joyful start to your summer, friends!
