HEAVEN SEEMS A LITTLE CLOSER IN A COTTAGE BY THE SEA

I thought I'd share with you my little slice of

HEAVEN BY THE SEA
Since I've been spending time here this summer,
I had some time to take photos of the
place I call my vacation home in the summer.
It's not big, it's not grand, but it's comfortable
and it works for me
to live a few steps from the sea.
I'll show you a few of my little
decorating projects to help give that
BEACHY LOOK to your home.

Isn't this child's Adirondack chair so adorable?

I designed the color, font and size of this saying through
WALL WORDS
and painted these cottage stripes on my blank and boring
soffit for some visual interest in an otherwise "dead" space

You can breathe new life into an otherwise
ho-hum shelf with some paint, glue, shells and rope
and display your "beachy" items in a whole new way

Then you can create a vignette around
your new masterpiece

I had a hard time finding a cream shell chandelier...
so I created my own

More paint, glue, shells, and grout turned this
HOME IMPROVEMENT STORE
basic, budget lighting

...into something a little more fabulous.
Then I whipped up a cream silk chain cover to hide the
ugly chain and wire and give it a more romantic look.
If you don't sew you can always buy one here

In this case, I actually liked to swag the chain
because I think it created more visual interest here.
It was also cheaper than hiring an electrician
to center the light over the table!
The lampshades are basic cream, silk chandelier
shades that I added the shell and hemp trim to
to finish off the look

I love to group candles together on a tray
for romantic look.
It also creates a great aroma and soft subtle light.
These candles are the sweet summer smell
of honeysuckle...yummy

This is a great open space for entertaining

Shells can be found any and everywhere!!

I whipped these panels up, added some bullion fringe
and put loops to hang on these cute drapery tie backs

These flowers started out as napkin rings
I purchased at MacKenzie-Childs
on a shopping trip to NYC.
I looked past their original use for a table setting
and went right to using them on these windows...
The color was PERFECT!!
I made these little scarf valances to slip right through
the holes of the napkin rings and added the
fun apple green rick rack trim for a whimsical touch.

Of course I couldn't pass up the matching tray.
I knew my candles would love it!!

I found this antique tin ceiling tile to hang
on a large challenging wall.
It measures 4 feet by 4 feet

This salvaged arched window made a great piece of art
for another challenging space

As soon as I saw this distressed,
hand painted coffee table,
I knew it was coming home with me!!

These fish were found in an antique shop.
They were just 2 lonely fish without posts or stands.
One day when our wooden fence was being replaced,
I saw all the wooden posts getting thrown in a dumpster.
" WAIT!!! "I said to the workers,
"Can you save me a few of those posts??"
I cut them down to the appropriate sizes and
added square plaques from the craft store to the
top and bottom, drilled holes for the dowels and Voila,
my fish had a new home!
Don't they look happy now????
I know, fish smiles are weird

I love these birds and this big birdhouse

The roof is just the perfect color, too!

This miniature iron birdbath was the perfect find
for the bird egg soaps I already had

I know they're a little crazy,
but I found these Mermaids and they fit in

with their shell accents and color scheme

The entry way needed a little something...different

I took an old galvanized tub and filled it with some sand
(it took a few trips to the beach)
I made some faux dune fence by painting and distressing
pieces of lattice and twisting wire around
each slat to create the fence.
POTTERY BARN sold this dune grass
to fill in the tub and I added some finds from
the beach: shells and a piece or two of driftwood.

A rattan beach hat propped on old shutter
with an antique buoy look great paired with these
great rope fishing balls that create another vignette

Here's an easy one-
Why not stencil or hand paint a distressed painted board
with a beach saying of your choice?

Shell Salt and Pepper shakers a la TARGET (Tar-Jay)
grouped with other "beachy "items,
like this antique beach pail paperweight

Another "shelly" vignette

The custom pillows in my daughter's room were
inspired by
the fabulous
CAROLYN WESTBROOK HOME

Maybe you can come and be our guest

at my little slice of HEAVEN by the sea!