Salty Air, Sun Kissed Hair...

Salty Air, Sun Kissed Hair... by shabbychicks featuring tunics

Bringing Home the Beach...

so, you had an AMAZING spring break vacation

at the beach.

 well guess what...
it's our spring break too!

and we've managed to sneak in a few days at the beach...

every year, I hear families 

saying they don't want to go home, they LOVE the beach

they can't wait for summer...
like the mom on the towel near me, 

the one with the sunburn that will leave BAD tan lines

watching her kids play in the sand...

who just told her husband he needed to find a job in Florida
so they could move down. 
yeah...about that...

anyway, I'm no decorator and don't pretend to be.

I wouldn't even DREAM of trying to pull together some fussy, high end

look.  We're barefoot and casual all the way!

 but I do have a few ideas for you.

I know there are probably TONS of articles out there on this...

in fact, I've written a few things myself.

nothing terribly original...just common BEACH SENSE.

but since I'm hearing a lot of wishing and DREAMING going on about

life by the beach, let's do it again:)

sometimes we all need a refresher course, right?

and THIS time, if by chance I get ANY comments after being so lazy.
I will write back! The NEW me:)
 so lady with the sunburn, this is for YOU!

it's so EASY to decorate in that shabby, 
beach cottage way...

first up...clear the clutter.

think about it...beaches and the ocean are wide open spaces, 

stretching as far as the eye can see.

 the trick here is to keep it simple...relaxing...easy going.

beaches can be bare stretches of sand or layered with shells...

but it never feels cluttered.

 Next...color scheme.

it's really quite simple.
just sit back and think of what you see at the beach.

sandy beaches...fluffy clouds...foamy waves...pink shells...washed out driftwood...blue sky...

 and shades of aqua, seafoam, and turquoise.

 painting your house a DREAMY shade of white or cream makes a great canvas.

 accenting with any of the above colors will immediately bring the beach in.

 by the way, one thing I've learned since living in Florida for 16 years...

decorate how YOU want...not what the area or your friends think you should do.

sometimes I want a beachy feel, sometimes I want a FRENCH feel,

sometimes I want to feel as if I'm in a cabin in MAINE, complete with a moose motif:)

so if you live up north and everything is dark wood...it's only paint!

 go for it...add the little touches that say "beach" to you.
at the very least you'll be happy thinking

about your beach vacation!

moving on to furnishings...

this is where slipcovers RULE!

 just don't make my mistake and be sure to get the kind that you can rip off,

throw in the washer and bleach the heck out of them.

 i will ALWAYS have slipcovers...so comfy, so cozy, so casual...

all ways to describe a beach house.

the key is FABRIC...because it's the most comfy.

 linens, canvas, duck cloth, cotton.

and besides, what good Rachel Ashwell groupie would be without slipcovers?

wicker is a FABULOUS touch too.

 at any garage sale or thrift store, you can find a wicker chair or table.

take it home, spray paint it white/cream/aqua...whatever...and

VOILA...instant beach feel!

 if you have an old dark wood table...paint it white and chip it up a bit.

(although mixing woods is COOL too:)

floors...hardwood RULES!

a few throw rugs scattered is all you need for those

SANDY FEET.

 if you're not a fan of hardwood...
tile works too.
but in my personal opinion,
the contrast of wood...any shade...plays against the rest of the room
and keeps it cozy:)

accessorize with beach TREASURES...

a few sea shells, STARFISH, sand dollars...

scattered here and there, piled in a clear glass jar...

instant decor.

add in some SEA GLASS...so PRETTY!

driftwood pieces add a nice touch...but remember, no clutter:)

 coral, sea foam, FLOWERS and candles work too.

 a few faded, BEACHY throw pillows here and there will pull it together.

and don't forget a faded throw for naps after a long day at the beach!
***please remember to gently toss any LIVE sand dollars
and starfish back in the surf.  
if they're alive, they're not ready to leave their ocean home
and move into yours:)
besides...it's the law. SORRY:)

okay, when you think of days at the beach,

what scent comes to mind?
okay, forget the occasional fishy smell (haha)
maybe the scent that comes to mind is something CRISP, cool, breezy.
for me, it's the scent of suntan oil...COCONUT, lime, pineapple.
TROPICAL scents...yum!

 I have these through the house when I want to think of the beach.
a few other smells are not necessarily beach smells but
still remind me of living near the beach and they are
night blooming JASMINE and my all time favorite...
ORANGE BLOSSOMS!

 lastly, remember to display your beach photos.
make a photo book for your coffee table...

 pictures of days spent tossing beach balls,
searching for shells, walking on the beach,
building SAND CASTLES,
playing in the SURF,  making
MEMORIES!

that beach cottage look is casual and MISMATCHED all the way.
hmmm...mismatched...that must be why even I can do it:)

 to those spring breakers who spent their vacation
by the beach here in FLORIDA...
THANK YOU!

most of us do appreciate you and don't mind
sharing our beautiful beaches with you.
after all, it's because of YOU...
and the MONEY you spend down here...
that we don't pay local and state taxes...so come on down!
(HEE,HEE,HEE)
then go home and design your OWN beach cottage!

 XOXOXOXO
Suzanne

Back to Blogland...

Happy Monday...I'm back to my little home on the internet. Amazingly, I managed to pick up about 30 followers in the few weeks I was gone. How does this happen? I don't know but I'm happy it does:-)

Yes, I took a little break. I can choose between writing about my life/family and the Holidays or I can live it. Unlike many of you gifted people out there, I'm not capable of doing both.

The bad news...I had my annual Holiday meltdown. The good news...it's over early and I'm good to go:-) About 2 weeks ago I called my mom and started bawling on the phone about how I feel I let everyone down... Blah, blah, blah. (Martha, this is because of you and my quest for the perfect Holiday:-) I've let go of a few things since then. Since my girls were little, I've always had to have the perfect Christmas card. I know photo cards have been around forever but I think I was one of the first that I know of to go with a "theme" picture for our cards, such as angels, mermaids... maybe I'll do a post about it and show a few. I can't show you the one of them when they were 7 and 5, lounging around the pool in old-fashioned bathing suits with flowered bathing caps on like some vintage bathing beauty, because that was the one card they refused to be a part of...and I never let them forget it! hahaha...

Anyway, this year the cards are ready to go out with a short, sweet note and a simple, fun photo. And it's killing me... lol

Okay, well, this is Thanksgiving week. Hope you're all enjoying this special time of year. Me...I'm not a big Thanksgiving person. In the old days when cousins aunts and Uncles crammed around a long table at my Grandma's...that was Thanksgiving. These days just aren't quite the same. Don't get me wrong, we are very thankful. But we are more than ready to move on to Christmas.
Sorry...one of those people:-) To top it off, I don't like turkey.

(You're safe from me, Mr. Turkey!)
But I do love mashed potatoes and gravy, dressing, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie. Carbs anyone??? Geez...good thing I am serving dinner at the hospital with my husband instead of eating it! My girls are spending Thanksgiving with their grandparents so I will have my first Holiday with an empty nest...seems kind of strange but they'll have fun.

What else, what else... Well, we are in full Nutcracker mode around here. This is the Flower Fairy or Dew Drop, which is Taylor's main role. And she wears pink:-)



Rehearsals, rehearsals and more rehearsals...long ones...but it's looking good, so it's worth it. And we are making lots of these little cuties...




I know I write about a pink Christmas but the only rooms I can pull that off this year are Taylor's room and maybe the guest room. The great room is mainly a white Christmas with touches of red. Because I am worried about my curious BIG puppy, our tree has only those family ornaments that are not breakable as well as a lot of other sturdy ones, just in case I come home to find the tree toppled over. We glittered some starfish and white poinsettias and it looks so pretty.



One of my favorite decorations was the simplest. I had all of these colored glass ornaments and a huge glass cylinder I picked up for $7 at a yard sale this year so I dumped them in and voila...instant decoration!




I also love, love, love feather trees and here is one by the front door...




Just look at these shells...I'm not sure you can see but they're all glittery. Thanks to Tales from an OC Cottage for the idea!



Guess that's enough rambling for today. I'll leave you with a thought for the Holidays...
"Remember, the more expensive and big the gift, the more kids will enjoy playing with the box it came in more than anything".

Have a great day!
Au revoir,
Suzanne