Five Things on a Friday – 7/18/25

Happy Friday! We’re right in the middle of summer now, and I hope yours has been the best mix of memory-making, quiet afternoons, and warm, sunlit evenings when you can really take a moment and soak it all in. We’ve had a pretty busy week this week, and I’m looking forward to, hopefully, a few quiet moments like that this weekend.

We’re having a summer (mostly) at home this year, and it’s been going “mid” as the kids would say. Ha. We’ve definitely been up to some fun things like berry picking and beach days, which have been lovely. There have also been impromptu trips to get ice cream and slushies, and days in the pool like any self-respecting summer should have. The thing that has caught me off guard, though, is just how much time I spend working. Somehow, I just didn’t notice that I’ve been slowly spending more and more hours of the day working between The Creek Line House and our photography business, Art & Spaces. I had all these ideas for things to do this summer, but I’m finding there aren’t quite as many free hours left over as I thought there would be. Trying to reconfigure my schedule a bit and maybe step back from some little tasks here and there to free up more time for the rest of the summer. It will be over before I know it, so the time for making memories is now.

Our kitchen project is underway, and of course, we’ve hit some snags. Progress has been made with moving and reconfiguring cabinets, and some electrical work has been started, but this is an old house, so things aren’t always straightforward. OK, they’re never straightforward at all. We’re at a point where a little bit of thought is required, so we’re at a standstill currently. It’s frustrating, but also, I really should be used to it by now. It’s hard not to get excited to get started with painting the cabinets (Mount St. Anne by Benjamin Moore) and get the beautiful new sconces, curtains, and hardware installed that are just waiting there for me. So that’s my update on that. Basically, my update is that there is no update. Soon, though, hopefully! 🙂

I think I may actually be making some real progress at keeping up with the garden this year. It will almost look like it’s about to get away from me, but then I hop out there and do a little weeding, and it’s back to looking relatively tidy and pleasant, relatively quickly. Every time I go out to get some work done, I discover that there’s actually less to do than I thought, and everything comes together quite quickly. This is real progress, friends. In past years, I would head out to try to catch up on weeding in a small section, only to discover again and again that it was a much, much bigger job than I had realized. More of a multi-day task than a 15-minute one. So, as you can imagine, I’m quite delighted to have all these little pockets of relatively reasonable-looking gardens all around our property this year. As I’ve learned, when you have a big property, things are never really fully tamed, and it’s more a process of keeping things managed and holding back the overgrowth as much as possible, while adding a few pretty things here and there to distract the eye. After 14 years, I think I might be able to say I’m really getting the hang of it.

Speaking of gardens, I had the best idea the other day. Of course, many before me have been doing this for years, but since I don’t have a greenhouse, I never thought it was something I could really get into. I spend a small fortune every year filling my planters around the house on my various porches and decks, and even then, I can’t always find what I’m looking for. Of course, I do try to use perennials when I can so they come back every year, but we often have a few particularly harsh stretches during the winter, and I lose some of my perennial planters despite my best efforts to keep them protected. This year I had the realization that I could take cuttings and propagate new plants this summer for next year’s planters. It’s really much the same as the process that I use for my houseplants. My ledges, window sills, and shelves might be a little extra full over the winter, but I think it will be worth it. I have a few different plants I’d like to try to propagate for next year, so I’ll keep you posted on how it goes and the methods I use for each individual plant type. Excited to share the results!

I’ve been working away behind the scenes recently at keeping my little shop updated and fresh over on LTK. I’ve historically been pretty terrible at sharing links to sources from my home or great things that I find, and I typically only remember to mention these things when they come up in a blog post or when someone specifically asks over on Instagram. I’ve re-committed myself to keeping my shop updated with fresh finds and reliable Creek Line House favorites, so there’s a centralized location to find all these links and fun finds for home and life. I’m actually really proud of how it’s coming along, and I think I’ve created something really beautiful, inspiring, and useful. Basically, it’s the type of page that I’d love to scroll through with lots of pretty pictures and helpful collections to shop for different spaces and seasons. If you’re on LTK (or even if you’re not, everyone can see the shop), pop over and tell me what you think I’m missing!

NEWS AND FINDS

-Kennedy’s summer printable art collection is out, and I’m so proud. This is a collection of hand-drawn pieces that she has made available to print at home on your home printer. It’s the easiest thing ever because you just download the art piece you like, print it off, and frame it using a frame you already have. I’ve actually had a lot of input into this collection because I wanted something that I could love for all the different types of spaces we style and photograph with Art and Spaces. I needed something minimal, but soft, and with beautiful movement. I’ve been using these prints for a few weeks now, and they’ve been working so well. If you’re looking for just the right affordable piece to bring that designer look to your home, check out her Etsy shop!

–Clearly Canadian is back! I recently worked on a fun little campaign with everyone’s favorite beverage from childhood, and it was so inspiring. The challenge was to use their iconic blue glass bottles to arrange blooms from my garden, and it actually made the most beautiful little arrangements. Anyway, the classic flavors are all available, and they have some new ones too,with zero sugar, either unsweetened or with stevia, so there’s really something for everyone now. So much nostalgic fun and just as tasty as ever.

Pictured Above: All-Weather Pergola | All-Weather Planters | Garden Tool Set (Affordable, but great quality. Love this set.)

-Have you heard of a Canadian company called Opposite Wall? They offer curated selections for wall art, frames, and wallpaper, and honestly, they can do know wrong. I’ve loved every collection they’ve come out with for the past few years since I’ve started following them. I have an extremely large moody landscape that I ordered from them last year hanging over my bathtub and it’s just so stunning. It was such a dream to partner with them a few weeks ago to restyle my mudroom with a few of their vintage-inspired art pieces and I ended up finding the most beautiful antique-inspired portrait piece after looking for one for the last year or so with no luck. Here’s how my mudroom turned out! Use my code CREEKLINE for an extra 5% off during their site-wide July sale!

Pictured Above: Kind Sir Canvas| Beach Print | Shoes Print | Umbrella Stand | Mirror | Washable Rug |

-Pinterest comment of the week: “Came out great! I put the seasoning on roasted potatoes, chicken, or use in a dressing for potato or pasta salads” – Julie. See the recipe: Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

-New on LTK: I shared a collection of beautiful textural stems with soft color to use now and into the fall months. Some great deals on pieces to be reused over and over again for years to come. I also put together a little collection of some of my favorite practical summer things that have been making life easier this year, from an easy button-up to a waterproof pouch for the beach or kayak that also doubles as a clear handbag for stadium events.

Pictured above: Sage Bundle | White Faux Sedum | Burgundy Thistle | Allium Branch |

Elderberry Stem | Snowball Branch | Gold Sedum | Smilax Spray

Pictured Above: Lightweight Microfibre Towel | Bronzer | Sun Mylk | Sunglasses | Perfume Oil | Spray Sunscreen | Earrings | Swimsuit | Waterproof Pouch | Button-Up | Sandals |